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Glasgow Rangers have recently gone through a minor goalkeeping crisis in the last few weeks. With Allan McGregor seemingly announcing his retirement at the end of last season, only to perform a miraculous U-turn just weeks later, he would be ushered to the sidelines as Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave Jon McLaughlin the number one jersey.

This meant no new goalkeeper was signed during the summer transfer window, and it will surely be a decision that will come back and haunt the Dutchman, especially with the Ibrox side conceding 20 goals in 14 matches already.

McLaughlin alone let in eight in just two matches, making a howler against Celtic while also conceding four against Ajax in the Champions League. An injury to the 35-year-old meant McGregor came in against Napoli and saved two penalties but the Light Blues still succumbed to defeat.

A new goalkeeper is now a priority, but the club could have solved the problem by making a bargain swoop in the summer.

Rangers should have signed Fraisl

Rangers were linked with a move for Martin Fraisl before last season ended, as the Austrian was set to be available on a free transfer following his decision to leave German side Schalke.

The 29-year-old kept eight clean sheets in 26 matches for the club last season, making a total of 50 over the course of his career.

Fraisl was praised for doing an “excellent” job by Schalke’s sporting director Rouven Schroder during his spell at the club last year and Rangers should have acted a lot quicker to secure his signature.

The goalkeeper eventually joined Bundesliga 2 side, Arminia Bielefeld, following his release from Schalke and has impressed in the German second tier.

He boasts an incredibly impressive average SofaScore rating of 7.1 for his performances so far, which has seen him save 75% of the shots he has faced, while also enjoying an average of 49.3 touches per match – proving he is comfortable on the ball and can distribute it well.

For comparison, Gers’ number one McLaughlin has averaged an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.50 over his six Premiership fixtures this term, ranking him as the Light Blues’ sixth-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

Signing Fraisl might have been a gamble by the Dutchman, but staying still in the transfer window and not adding another goalkeeper to the ranks will be a call that, come the end of the season, could have massive ramifications for the 47-year-old manager.

Newcastle United have recently added a new striker to their ranks for a club-record fee. Aleksandar Isak cost the club £63m and has taken the place of the often-injured Callum Wilson as their new starting striker.

Although the Swede is the statement signing which marks the new era on Tyneside, the Magpies may have missed a trick by losing out on a man who would offer suitable competition to both strikers whilst providing a different element altogether from the bench.

Adam Armstrong is now a respected Premier League striker, but when Newcastle made the decision to offload him in 2018 after bringing him through their academy, they valued him at just £3m. This was the price that Blackburn Rovers had to pay for him, and they were more than willing to do so.

It took time, but the forward went on to light up the Championship, scoring an astounding 28 goals in 40 appearances during the 2020/21 season.

The 25-year-old more than earned his move back to the Premier League when joining Southampton last year, scoring on his debut before going on to contribute to five goals across 23 league games.

Unsurprisingly, his goals have seen his value rise to £13.5m (as per Transfermarkt). This marks a 350% increase in value on the price at which Newcastle sold him four years ago, and he joins the list of rash transfer decisions that the Tyneside club have made in recent years.

A similar blunder occurred with Ivan Toney, who was recently called up to the England squad and also left Newcastle in 2018.

Journalist Ian McCullough was one of many who were left questioning the Magpies’ decision as he tweeted in 2021: “Adam Armstrong is a fantastic player. Not sure how Newcastle let him go.”

As mentioned earlier, the 25-year-old would likely struggle to start if he were still at St James’ Park given the presence of Isak and Wilson, but he has already shown with his final season in the Championship just how prolific he can be.

He could well have improved over time at Newcastle, especially if he had been training alongside the talismanic Wilson.

Instead, Armstrong will continue to grow at St Mary’s, and if he continues to find the net with regularity, he will keep making his former club rue their decision to sell him in 2018.

Southampton tried to sign Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips on deadline day but a move failed to materialise, David Ornstein reports.

The Lowdown: Phillips out of favour

The 25-year-old finds himself well down the centre-back pecking order at Anfield currently, even though he started the recent Premier League draw at home to Crystal Palace.

Phillips will not get in ahead of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez when everyone is fit, so it is hard to see him featuring much in the coming months.

A summer exit was mooted numerous times throughout the window and it looks as though he could have departed Liverpool right at the death on Thursday.

The Latest: Saints made late move

That’s according to The Athletic‘s Ornstein, who took to Twitter to say that Saints attempted to snap him up on deadline day:

“Aston Villa have agreed to sign Jan Bednarek from Southampton on 1yr loan. 26yo centre-back has chosen #AVFC & is heading to medical. #SaintsFC tried for Nat Phillips but Liverpool reluctant, so will pick from 2 other options.”

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The Verdict: Bad news for Nat?

Phillips finds himself in a tough situation where he will surely want to be playing regular football, so it is easy to have sympathy for him staying put at Liverpool and not featuring.

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Jurgen Klopp has described the Englishman as ‘absolutely insane’ in the past, following some heroic performances in 2020/21, but he isn’t up to the Reds’ standards, as the Palace game showed, when Wilfried Zaha raced behind him opened the scoring.

The hope is that Phillips could seal a move elsewhere in January, potentially filling in for Liverpool now and then before that time, possibly in the Carabao Cup.

West Ham United are targeting Chelsea forward Armando Broja as talkSPORT have shared some transfer news in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Irons keep busy…

Irons head coach David Moyes is still well in the market for further additions after sealing the signings of Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet and Thilo Kehrer.

West Ham are looking to challenge for a European spot again after failing to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League last campaign, instead having to settle for a place in the Europa Conference League.

The east Londoners have just under a fortnight to strengthen their options ahead of a long Premier League season with news now emerging on Broja.

The Latest: West Ham eyeing Broja…

Indeed, according to reports, it is believed the Albania international remains of interest to West Ham following their links earlier in the window.

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TalkSPORT claim that Broja is on the ‘radar’ of Moyes’ side as they chase more incomings before September 1 – coming after claims that the 20-year-old was ‘keen’ on a London Stadium move last month (Charlie Gordon, Daily Express).

The Verdict: Make the move?

Having signed Scamacca from Sassuolo, coming with real potential, a move for Broja could perhaps be seen as a luxury.

It was once believed, before West Ham sealed the transfer of their new Italian, that Moyes could have ended up signing both him and Southampton’s former loanee in a double swoop (Dharmesh Sheth).

Called a ‘sensational’ striker by Saints legend Francis Benali, if head of recruitment Rob Newman and co try to push again for Broja, then Moyes may well end up with an abundance of depth in the forward areas.

Time will tell if they can bring him through the door before the end of this summer window and will certainly be an interesting final stretch.

Southampton managed to strengthen their attacking line this summer as they brought in Sekou Mara from Bordeaux.

However, Ralph Hasenhuttl has shared his wish to see another striker make the move to St. Mary’s before the transfer window comes to a close.

The south coast club have been linked with a move for Manchester City striker, Liam Delap, although it was reported that the Saints had a £16m bid for him rejected, as the Premier League champions are not looking to sell him on a permanent basis.

Another striker that has been mentioned with a move to Southampton that could be an ideal alternative to Delap is Bayern Munich’s Joshua Zirkzee as the youngster possesses a similar ruthless streak in front of goal as the Man City prodigy, who has bagged 35 in 36 for the U21s.

With 98 appearances for the German club across their senior and youth teams under his belt, the 21-year-old Zirksee has found the net 50 times and supplied 26 assists, highlighting his clear attacking talent.

Throughout his entire career, the player has racked up 69 goals in total, which shows the ability he has and the potential he has to grow and develop into a better player.

Last season saw the Dutchman complete a season-long loan deal in Belgium with RSC Anderlecht, where he scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists in 47 appearances in total.

To further show how impressive he was in front of goal, across the 32 league games he played in for the Belgian side, Zirkzee ended the campaign with more shots on target (30) than any other player at the club.

Lauded for his “remarkable” development at Bayern by their former manager Hansi Flick, the centre-forward was an unused substitute for the German champions’ recent Bundesliga game against Eintracht Frankfurt, which shows that he may not be currently seen as an important player for them.

With that in mind, a move to the Premier League with Southampton where he’d surely be able to get regular game time could be a tempting prospect.

Thus, if Bayern would be willing to allow their young striker to leave this summer, the Saints should put themselves at the front of the queue to secure his signature and fulfil Hasenhuttl’s wish for a new forward before the end of the window.

Liverpool have again been linked with a summer move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes, with BT Sport presenter Matt Smith suggesting that a move could happen.

The Lowdown: Nunes constantly linked with Liverpool

The 23-year-old has emerged as the Reds’ most-linked midfield transfer target after Jude Bellingham decided to stay put at Borussia Dortmund for another year.

Nunes has been endlessly tipped to move to Liverpool in recent weeks, although James Pearce recently poured cold water on the rumour, saying that there was nothing in it.

A new update suggests that a move is not out of the question, though.

The Latest: Smith drops fresh Nunes hint

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Smith dropped a short but intriguing update, claiming that progress was being made regarding Liverpool’s interest in Nunes.

He tweeted:

“Things moving on Matheus Nunes. #LFC #SportingCP”

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The Verdict: Tough to predict

This is a rather intriguing update from a reliable source, so it will be interesting to see how things develop in the coming days, given the contrasting reports emerging.

Nunes would certainly appear to be a strong signing by Liverpool, having been hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by former team-mate Goncalo Santos, bringing class and Champions League experience in the middle of the park.

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Jurgen Klopp has made it clear that he is happy with his current midfield options, though, especially with youngsters Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho looking good in pre-season, so Nunes’ arrival would be a surprise. A new big-money midfielder next summer feels more likely at Anfield.

Everton are in no position to be weakening their team ahead of next season following a struggle in the Premier League in the last campaign, and now a new transfer update has emerged that could spell bad news for the Toffees.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports journalist Peter Hall, Richarlison has now expressed his desire to leave Goodison Park this summer.

Hall tweeted: “Understand Richarlison wants out of Everton. Feels the time is right to move to a bigger club. Plenty of interest in him, too.”

The news comes with the club fielding interest from Tottenham Hotspur for the Brazilian attacker according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Supporters will be scared

Everton supporters will surely be rather scared about the prospect of Richarlison leaving this summer, considering his huge impact on the side in their pursuit for survival in the Premier League at the business end of 2021/22 campaign.

The Brazilian winger really stepped up when it mattered for the Toffees last term, scoring six goals and contributing two assists in his last ten appearances, leading his side to safety and proving his importance to the team, so there will be no doubt that his presence will be missed should he leave ahead of next season.

Richarlison has cemented himself as a favourite amongst the fans since joining Everton in 2018 scoring 53 times and delivering 14 assists whilst occupying a role on the left wing and also proving effective in the centre-forward position when he has been called upon to step in for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

It is no secret that Frank Lampard’s side did not score enough goals last season which was reflected in their 16th place finish, scoring 23 fewer than they conceded overall. Though, despite a lack of goals in the team in total, the 25-year-old forward came out on top as the highest scoring player for the club over the 2021/22 campaign.

With that being said, Lampard, Kevin Thelwell and Farhad Moshiri must begin preparing for the worst and start identifying a player they can sign over the transfer window to replace the Brazil international ahead of next season, as failing to find a solution could cost Everton dearly.

AND in other news: Moshiri plotting Everton bid for “technically gifted” £30k-p/w gem, Lampard needs him

Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs interested in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to a report from Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Rise to prominence

Signed by Primeira Liga side Estoril in 2018 from Portuguese minnows Ericeirense, Nunes continued on a pathway to stardom when making a switch to Sporting just six months later.

Since then, the Brazil-born star has directly contributed to 15 goals in 99 outings, lifting the Portuguese League Cup twice, the domestic cup once and the top-flight title in 2020/21.

With the future of Ruben Neves in doubt at Molineux beyond this transfer window, Bruno Lage now appears to have set his sights on an international teammate as a possible replacement…

The latest: Wanderers named

As per Foot Mercato, translated by SW, Wolves and Fosun are ‘ready to bet big’ on Nunes this summer and have even made an approach already.

It’s claimed that the Midlands club, Newcastle United and Everton all have an interest in the eight-cap Portugal ace whilst Manchester Cty have also recently been linked.

The report also states that Sporting have ‘refused an approach’ worth €45million (£39million) from an unnamed Premier League outfit for the 23-year-old heralded as ‘one of the best players in the world’ by Pep Guardiola following a UEFA Champions League round 16 tie in 2020.

The verdict: At all costs

Already heavily indexed to Joao Palhinha, Wolves are rightly wasting little time in planning for life after the hotly sought-after Neves.

During 2021/22, Nunes scored five times and registered four assists in 50 appearances across all competitions, earning a 6.98 Sofascore rating whilst winning 6.5 duels on average per league game in the process, illustrating a combative prowess to accompany an eye for goal.

Even at the mooted €60million (£51.5million) asking price, signing the renowned Portuguese playmaker would be a worthwhile move from the Wanderers hierarchy regardless of what happens with Neves, Palhinha and Joao Moutinho alike as Lage and Fosun look to develop the squad further and take the club to the next level.

In other news… Wolves are reportedly in negotiations to sign an exciting new striker.

An update has emerged on Tottenham and their pursuit of Evan Ndicka in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to Foot Mercato, Spurs are the team leading the race to land the French centre-back from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The report claims that Ligue 1 side Marseille are keen to rival the Premier League side to his signature and are waiting for cash to come in before making their move.

It was recently reported that Frankfurt are willing to cash in on the £20m gem but it remains to be seen how much Fabio Paratici is prepared to pay for him.

Jan Vertonghen 2.0

By securing a deal to sign Ndicka this summer, Tottenham can find their new Jan Vertonghen at left centre-back.

The Belgian defender played 314 times for the club during his time in north London as he dominated attackers over the course of a number of years. He was also excellent at building the play on his left foot with a career average pass completion rate of 86.6%.

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Vertonghen was a staple on the left of Tottenham’s back four and Ndicka can now come in to be Antonio Conte’s own version of the now-Benfica machine.

The 22-year-old ball player has proven his quality in the Bundesliga with an impressive 2021/22 campaign. He averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.12 in the division, winning 60% of his individual duels and making 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game.

Former Frankfurt player Alexander Schur claimed the Frenchman “shows no nerves”. He has also been praised by his former boss Adi Hutter, with the head coach saying: “I honestly have to say that I was surprised by his development. Evan has developed phenomenally. He’s very attentive in the analysis of his own game. He’s very modest and always takes a lot on board.”

Ndicka has also shown his quality in possession on his left foot. He ended the Bundesliga campaign with a pass completion rate of 84% and chipped in with four goals and four assists from centre-back, showing that he can be a force at both ends of the pitch.

The gem has shown that he can be a strong, consistent, defender in his own half whilst contributing offensively, whether by finding a teammate in the build-up or being directly involved in a goal.

Therefore, Tottenham can find their new Vertonghen by sealing a £20m deal for Ndicka in the coming weeks…

AND in other news, Paratici can land Conte his next Son as Spurs eye bid for “disgusting” £60m “magician”…

Reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has highlighted the three key areas that Tottenham will look to strengthen next during the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Perisic and Forster incoming

This looks set to be an intriguing summer for Spurs, having finished in the Premier League top four and returned to the promised land of the Champions League.

The money should be available for Antonio Conte to bring in a number of new signings, beginning with winger Ivan Perisic and goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

The pair are both expected to be Spurs players by the start of next season, with the former Inter star’s deal the first to be confirmed in an announcement on Tuesday.

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The Latest: Gold makes fresh claim

Writing in a Q&A for football.london, Gold was asked what comes after Perisic and Forster, claiming there are three areas of the pitch Conte will specifically look to strengthen next:

“They’ll keep looking across the squad for improvements and move when they can. Right wing-back, a forward-thinking midfielder and a striker are all on the list plus replacing anyone who might be heading out the door.”

The Verdict: Exciting times

There is no doubt that these are exciting times to be a Spurs fan, with Conte excelling as manager and masterminding a return to Champions League action, and now backed by a £150m cash injection.

While it is not clear how much of that capital increase is just for transfers, the financial gains from a top-four finish are great, too, and there is no reason why this can’t be one of the most productive summers in recent memory, as top players come in and replace those deemed not fit to serve in Conte’s system.

If the Italian can strengthen in those positions mentioned, another top-four finish has to be the bare minimum next season, with winning a trophy surely the main target.

In other news, a journalist is adamant over one Spurs agreement. Read more here.