Tottenham fans react to the latest news on Adrien Rabiot’s future

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed that Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot would prefer a move to Liverpool over their club, according to Paris United.

As mentioned in the article, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has allegedly spoken to the French international in a bid to convince him to swap Paris for north London.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accesory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

However it is understood that the 23-year-old would prefer to team up with Jurgen Klopp and league leaders Liverpool, if he were to move to England.

Tottenham have lost Mousa Dembele this month as he was sold to Guangzhou R&F (as per the BBC), so the north London-based side need a new face in midfield to replace the imposing Belgian international.

Let’s see how Spurs supporters reacted on Twitter amid claims the Frenchman is far more keen on a move to Anfield…

Celtic in talks with Christopher Scott

Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has revealed that Celtic have held talks over a move for Bayern Munich youngster Christopher Scott.

The Lowdown: Scott profiled

The 19-year-old is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play as a central midfielder or second striker.

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A Germany under-20 international, Scott is out of contract with Bayern in the summer. He joined them from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 and has made two senior appearances for the Munich giants.

His appearances this season have been for the reserve side, for whom he has contributed to eight goals in 13 games.

The Latest: Celtic in talks

Sky Sports reporter Plettenberg took to Twitter on Monday evening to provide an update on Scott.

He claimed that the midfielder’s agent has recently met with Bayern, while there have also been talks with Celtic and Premier League side Brentford, stating:

“News Christopher Scott: His agent met FCB officials a few days ago. Bayern want to extend beyond 2022, club can pull an option but he wants to play regularly. Talks with Brentford & Celtic!”

The Verdict: First summer deal?

Celtic can secure a pre-contract agreement with Scott right now, which means he could be the club’s first summer signing for 2022.

It appears as if Parkhead CEO Michael Nicholson has already been in contact over a possible move to Glasgow for the 19-year-old, which could be a shrewd one if the Hoops manage to secure his services.

He is still rated by Bayern as they want to extend his contract, so you’d expect that Celtic will need to guarantee Champions League football next season to have a genuine chance of signing the talented teenager.

In other news: Update emerges for Ange on Celtic ace stretchered off on international duty

Everton eye Burnley’s Dwight McNeil

Everton have been getting stuck into the winter transfer window after a disappointing start to the season that has left the club just six points away from the relegation zone, and are clearly using the January window as an opportunity to turn their struggles around and climb the table in the last five months of the league, but one target is apparently off the table.

What’s the word?

Daily Express Journalist, Ryan Taylor, has offered an insight on the potential transfer of Dwight McNeil from Burnley to Everton during this transfer window during his transfer round-up on YouTube.

Taylor said: “After losing Chris Wood, doesn’t look like Burnley would entertain losing McNeil,”

“Everton are interested and he remains a long-term target for the club. If Burnley were to go down, I’d expect them [Everton] to potentially move for him.”

McNeil has been linked with a move to the Merseyside club over the last month, and it’s not the first time Rafa Benitez has chased down the midfielder, as the Liverpool Echo reported back in July that the Spanish manager was keen to sign him, however in the current window there has been no official bid or talks opened up for the Burnley player so far.

Benitez will be gutted

If Taylor is right about Burnley’s stance on the player then we expect Benitez will be gutted, as he is a clearly a fan of the player after showing interest in the attacker back in the summer too.

The 22-year-old has clearly impressed the Toffees manager over the last few seasons, with the youngster scoring seven goals and bagging 17 assists in 126 appearances for the Lancashire club, making his debut in the Premier League when he was just 18 years old, back in 2018.

According to SofaScore, despite only offering one assist so far this season, the left-sided midfielder has been successful in completing the majority of his dribbles (64%), as well as winning the majority of both his ground and aerial duels (57%) in his 17 appearances so far for relegation battling Burnley.

As a result, it will be unfortunate for the Toffees manager that he cannot add a player so capable of performing consistently in the top-flight to his ranks this winter.

It is clear that Benitez is trying to add more youthful yet experienced players into his Everton side, with recent signings Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko perfectly matching that description, something that, again, McNeil could also offer to the squad.

Therefore, we expect this won’t be the last time we hear that Everton are interested in securing the player, and they could find that a much easier challenge to do so if Burnley get relegated at the end of the campaign.

In other news: Benitez should axe Holgate amid interest from other clubs

Benitez must axe Everton’s Gomes in Jan

With just one win in their 11 previous Premier League games, Everton have not had a particularly successful season under Rafa Benitez so far this season.

Now that the January transfer window is close to opening, this could give Benitez a good opportunity to make some changes to his squad that he thinks would benefit the team as a whole, whether that be bringing new players in or getting rid of current ones.

One current Everton player that should be in consideration for a January exit is midfielder Andre Gomes.

Even though he’s only made six appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees this season, Gomes has failed to show Benitez why he should be a regular figure for Everton, particularly in a defensive regard having been described as being reckless at the back in the past by Everton journalist Dave Prentice.

In those six appearances, the 28-year-old has only managed to rack up an average of 0.2 clearances and interceptions per game, an average of getting dribbled past 2.2 times per game as well as winning just 30% of his duels, which goes to show why Everton have conceded four goals in the two league games he’s started this season.

His previous appearance for Everton in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge saw Gomes, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, deliver a poor display that ultimately earned him an overall match rating of 5.8/10 from SofaScore, making him comfortably Everton’s lowest-rated player on the day.

Gomes’ overall performances this season have earned him a disappointing overall rating of 6.2/10 from WhoScored, making him the lowest-rated Everton player to have started more than one league game so far this season.

With all of this in mind and the fact that he has a significant injury record under his belt since arriving at Goodison Park from Barcelona back in 2018 on loan before signing on a permanent basis a year later in a deal worth a reported fee of £22m, it could be time to bring his time at Everton to a close.

If Benitez does axe Gomes in January, they will have to make sure they sign a new midfielder to replace him if they can.

In other news: Moshiri could replicate Gray masterclass at Everton with Jan move for 30 G/A starlet – opinion

Sunderland eyeing Cardiff’s Aden Flint

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their interest in signing Cardiff City defender Aden Flint in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Football League World, the Black Cats are eyeing up a swoop for the centre-back as Lee Johnson looks to improve his squad at the Stadium of Light.

The report does not reveal whether they are looking into a loan or permanent switch for the giant enforcer, or whether or not Cardiff are willing to part ways with the 32-year-old.

Imagine him & Doyle

Johnson must ensure that he is able to get a deal over the line for Flint, as he could seal a dream partnership for Sunderland by starting him alongside youngster Callum Doyle at the back.

The Cardiff monster is as experienced as they come in the EFL and has been playing in the Championship for a number of seasons. He has racked up 242 appearances in the second tier, having played 112 times in League One prior to getting his chance higher up the leagues.

Last year, former Bluebirds boss Mick McCarthy heaped praise on the player, saying: “He has been great, hasn’t he? I always admired him and thought he was a top defender when he got his moves. I was kind of surprised that he had been out on loan. But I had a word with him, the first week I was in and he has been brilliant. I am amazed at his resilience, how he has come back, having been three months off with a hamstring. He has been brilliant.”

He has a career average WhoScored rating of 7.12, winning an impressive 5.7 aerial battles per game throughout his playing days. This suggests that McCarthy’s comments are accurate, as Flint has proven with his performances that he is a top defender at Championship and League One level.

By contrast, Doyle is at the other end of his career and still learning his trade as a defender. The 18-year-old has started 24 games for Sunderland this season and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.79. This shows that the Manchester City loanee has had a strong start to life at senior level, and playing next to an experienced head in the form of Flint could further aid his development.

This means that they could be the perfect pairing, as Johnson would be mixing Flint’s experience and guile with Doyle’s youthfulness and ability on the ball. They could complement each other well and the latter could benefit greatly from having such an established EFL player alongside him in the second half of the campaign.

AND in other news, Sunderland plotting swoop for 72-goal machine who’s a “real threat”, Johnson would love him…

West Brom are missing "incredible" Pereira

When West Brom secured promotion back to the Premier League in 2020, their star player wasn’t up for debate.

Brazilian playmaker Matheus Pereira was on loan from Sporting CP and took to the English game like a duck to water, chipping in with eight goals and 16 assists across the campaign.

The Baggies turned his move permanent as they moved up to the Premier League and once again he was the stand-out player in their squad, scoring 11 goals and registering six assists in England’s top flight. It wasn’t enough to keep the Midlands side in the division though and he eventually made the move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia to continue his career away from the Hawthorns.

With West Brom back in the Championship this season, they are desperate to get back to the top flight as quickly as possible. They currently sit third in the division, six points behind Bournemouth in the automatic promotion places. Their problem this year has been relatively easy to spot; they aren’t scoring enough goals.

Valerien Ismael’s side have managed just 29 goals in 21 games so far this season, with top scorer Karlan Grant hitting nine of those. Callum Robinson has chipped in with three goals as the main striker, while he leads the assist charts for his club with six this season.

But the lack of quality in the final third is clear for all to see and it shows just how much they are missing Pereira in their side.

During his year in the Championship, Pereira averaged 2.6 shots, 2.8 key passes, 1.5 dribbles and 0.2 through balls per game.

In comparison, this season Grant has averaged 2.5 shots, 1.2 key passes, 1 dribble and zero through balls a match, while fellow attacker Matty Phillips has averaged 1.5 shots, 1 dribble and key passes an outing to go with only 0.1 through balls.

It shows the clear difference in quality and level between West Brom’s current options in the final third compared with Pereira, a player dubbed “incredible” by former coach, Nate Weiss. It makes it clear how much they miss him.

The £13.5m-rated wizard won’t be making a return to the Hawthorns any time soon, so the Baggies must find a way to replace him or regret letting him go in the first place.

AND in other news, West Brom must keep Sam Johnstone beyond January.

Liverpool dealt potential injury setback

With Liverpool currently having a number of senior players out injured such as Harvey Elliott, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and James Milner, it’s safe to say the Reds have not had the best luck in this department so far this season.

Looking ahead to their next Premier League clash when the current international break comes to an end with a home clash against Arsenal next up for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it seems as though they could have another couple of important first-team players out with injuries as well.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by the Liverpool Echo that Reds duo Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson are set to be assessed by the club in the coming days after picking up injuries whilst away with their respective countries.

With Mikel Arteta’s side just one place and two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table after the Reds suffered their first league defeat of the season before the international break with a 3-2 loss against West Ham United, Klopp and everyone at the Merseyside club will undoubtedly be hoping that both Mane and Henderson will be deemed fit enough to play in this big match on Saturday evening.

In terms of Mane, the winger has proven himself to be a dangerous attacking threat for the Reds this season with six goals under his belt in the 11 league games he’s played in. Thus, to lose him at a time when Firmino is also out could be hugely detrimental for Klopp.

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As for Henderson, the Reds captain has also proven himself to be a top performer for the team this season having racked up an average of 1.1 shots at goal, 1.5 key passes, and 1.5 tackles per game in the Premier League, showing how critical he has been as an all-round midfield unit up and down the pitch.

Furthermore, his leadership skills are also of outstanding quality.

Looking ahead to the Arsenal game, if the worst-case scenario were to happen and both Mane and Henderson were unable to play against the north London club, this would surely leave Klopp fuming. After all, it would leave his side with a lower chance of picking up a win against a side that has not tasted defeat in a game in the league since August.

It will be of even greater frustration that the setbacks have occurred on international duty too, something completely out of Liverpool’s control.

It’s safe to say everyone at Anfield will have their fingers crossed that the injury assessments on Mane and Henderson in the coming days will come back positive.

In other news: Klopp could save millions at Liverpool in rarely-seen 18 y/o “leader”, he’s Gomez 2.0 – opinion

Liverpool plotting Serge Gnabry swoop

Liverpool are interested in a deal to bring Serge Gnabry to Anfield in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Goal, who claim that, with there being no sign of the 26-year-old and Bayern Munich reaching an agreement regarding the extension of the winger’s current contract at the Allianz Arena – with is due to expire in the summer of 2023 – the Germany international is now considering a move away from the Bundesliga side.

The report goes on to state that this has alerted both Liverpool and Real Madrid to the forward’s potential availability this summer, with Jurgen Klopp’s side said to have identified the former Arsenal attacker as a candidate to replace Mohamed Salah – who is himself being linked with a move away from Anfield due to similar contractual issues.

Bye-bye Salah

While it would be an extremely difficult task to find a supporter of Liverpool who would be happy to wave goodbye to Salah at the end of the season, should the £225k-per-week forward go on to secure a move away from the club this summer, Gnabry would very much appear to be a near-perfect replacement for the Egyptian sensation.

Indeed, since making an €8m (£6.5m) move to Bayern back in July of 2017, Gnabry has gone on to establish a reputation as being one of the most deadly wingers currently playing the game – having scored a quite astonishing 61 goals and registered 40 assists over just 163 appearances for Die Roten – averaging 0.62 direct goal contributions per game.

And, while the €70m (£58m) valued German’s record is poorer than Salah’s at Liverpool – with the £90m-rated forward having scored 153 goals and provided 57 assists over his 240 outings for the Reds, averaging 0.89 direct goal contributions per game – it should be pointed out Gnabry’s record is still incredibly impressive, it is just that Salah has been on a different level from almost everyone in world football over the past four years.

Indeed, with the £115k-rated talent who Michael O’Neill dubbed “unplayable” being three years Salah’s junior, it is arguable whether or not the 26-year-old has even entered the prime of his professional career as yet – while the 29-year-old is certainly well into his.

Either way, should the Egypt international move onto pastures new this summer, Klopp could do a great deal worse than signing the Bayern star as his replacement, as Gnabry very much appears to be one of a very select group of players who would be able to soften the blow of losing the Liverpool talisman.

AND in other news: Source: Klopp now wants Liverpool to sign £150m “explosion”, he’s better than Thiago

Journalist drops big Cabral to West Ham news

Taking to Twitter, Goal Brasil reporter Thiago Fernandes has now shared a big update on West Ham United’s pursuit of FC Basel powerhouse striker Arthur Cabral.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye new forward…

It is no secret that manager David Moyes has been targeting fresh forward additions since club record signing Sebastien Haller departed the club for Ajax a year ago.

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Bids have been made for new strikers since last January with many names entering the fray since then, including prolific Basel ace Cabral.

The Irons and new head of recruitment Rob Newman have been linked with a move for the in-form 23-year-old since the end of 2021 amid West Ham’s striker search as Fernandes now shares a major update on social media.

The Latest: Fernandes makes major claim…

According to the reporter’s sources, West Ham ‘promises’ a formal offer to sign Cabral ‘in the coming days’ with a move for the player now imminent.

“West Ham promises formal offer for Arthur Cabral in the coming days,” he explained on Twitter.

“Basel wants 15 million euros, player asks for 2.5 million euros per season.”

The Verdict: Right move?

Scoring an incredible 27 goals and assisting eight others in all competitions already this season (Transfermarkt), it’s little wonder West Ham are about to make their move for Cabral.

At just 23, the Brazilian could also come with significant potential for sell-on value and has been lavished with praise on multiple occasions for his talent.

Basel ‘squad planner’ Philipp Kaufmann lauded Cabral’s ‘phenomenal’ numbers (via Nau.ch) whilst Swiss journalist Andre Oechsner told Hammers News that the South American also has a ‘phenomenal’ eye for goal.

The powerful 6 foot 1 attacker, according to Oechsner again, possesses ‘excellent physicality’ – a redeeming quality of his playing style which could make him a more-than ideal fit for the Premier League.

Given his club are apparently demanding just €15 million (£12.5m), this offer surely must be made.

In other news: West Ham source: Newman also eyeing bid for brand new forward target as club green light sale, find out more here.

Postecoglou must finally axe Ajeti

Having joined Celtic in what was a £5m deal back in the summer of 2020, with the centre-forward signing a four-year deal on a reported £16k-per-week, the opinion at Parkhead was the Bhoys had secured an excellent addition to their attacking lineup in the shape of Albian Ajeti.

However, over the 24-year-old’s 20 Scottish Premiership appearances during his debut campaign, the £2.88m-rated man scored just six goals, registered one assist and created no big chances for his teammates, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.5 shots per game.

These returns saw the Switzerland international who Packie Bonner dubbed a “problem” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as Celtic’s joint 12th-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

Things have not improved for the striker over his six league appearances this season, with the former West Ham United man averaging an even more disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.72, ranking him as Ange Postecoglou’s eighth-worst performer in the Premiership.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise that reports are suggesting the 56-year-old Bhoys manager is looking to move the centre-forward on in the January transfer window, nor why Celtic are being linked with a move for the rather more prolific Yokohama F Marinos striker, Daizen Maeda, as his replacement.

Indeed, over his 34 J League appearances this term, the 24-year-old has scored 21 goals, provided three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Kevin Muscat dubbed a “fantastic” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as his side’s seventh-best performer in the Japanese top flight.

As such, it would indeed appear highly advisable for Postecoglou to finally wash Celtic’s hands of Ajeti this January and bring in a much more promising striker in the shape of the £990k-rated Maeda in his place.

In other news: Ransacked of £5.9m: Celtic had a transfer disasterclass on “horrendous” £20k-p/w flop

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