Tag Futebol

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their interest in signing Geoffrey Kondogbia heading into the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to reports in Spain, NSWE are eyeing up the Atletico Madrid central midfielder as a potential signing to bolster Unai Emery’s playing squad ahead of the second half of the season.

The report claims that they could offer the LaLiga side a fee in the region of €25m (£22m) to land his services, although it remains to be seen whether or not the Spanish side would accept such a bid.

It is stated that the Mattress Makers are open to cashing in on the gem and that they view him as a ‘transferable’ player, six months on from Villa’s failed attempt to sign him in the summer.

Kamara 2.0

NSWE landed a coup in the summer as they brought in Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer from Ligue 1 side Marseille as the midfielder has hit the ground running in England.

The Frenchman has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 in the Premier League and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per match for the Villans, whilst completing 84% of his attempted passes in the division.

He has been a machine in the middle of the park and caught the eye with his performances as he has consistently won possession back for the side whilst being reliable on the ball.

Villa can now repeat their Kamara masterclass by swooping to sign Kondogbia in the January window as the Atletico man is another midfield powerhouse who could be a fantastic addition to the side.

Journalists Kiyan Sobhani and Jonathan Johnson have described him as a “beast” in midfield in the past and reporters Craig Easton, Andrew McDonnell, and Rick Sharma have all hailed him as “outstanding” at various points in 2022.

The 29-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.95 in 12 LaLiga outings for Atletico this season, making 4.0 tackles and interceptions per match and completing 90% of his attempted passes.

This comes after he averaged a score of 7.00 and completed 4.2 tackles and interceptions per outing in 28 appearances in the Spanish top-flight last term for Diego Simeone’s side.

These statistics show that Kondogbia has proven himself to be an excellent performer in a major European league over the past 18 months and suggest that he could be Kamara 2.0 for Villa by arriving as a midfield machine who can dominate matches in the second half of the season.

Aston Villa have risen from the ashes left scattered in the wake of Steven Gerrard’s tenure at the club, having appointed success-driven manager Unai Emery and steering away from the chasm that is the Premier League relegation zone.  

With Emery now utilising the midseason break, due to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he will be assessing his entire squad with furrowed brows, looking to identify the best path to success for both his team and his individual players.

One such squad member is Cameron Archer, with the 20-year-old striker an attractive talent in Aston, having netted 17 times and providing seven assists in just 36 appearances for the Villa U21s before earning several chances for the seniors. 

And scoring four times in just 13 appearances, he is certainly staking his claim for a shot at a regular place in the coming years.

This includes a memorable hat-trick in last season’s Carabao Cup, which the young ace achieved on his first start for the Claret and Blue during a 6-0 rout over lowly Barrow in the second round before netting in the third round against Chelsea. 

However, at present, progress may be hindered should he remain at Villa Park, with a temporary departure perhaps the best avenue to continue to build his skillset and nurture his ability. 

Indeed, the forward has played just 51 minutes of action across all competitions thus far, and according to Football Insider, there are a host of Championship outfits seeking to clinch the starlet for the remainder of the current term, with Sunderland looking to forge ahead and strike a deal. 

Sunderland, who achieved promotion to the second division earlier this year, are enjoying a steady campaign and look to be a step ahead of the scrambling pack at the bottom of the division.

Slotting Archer into the fray would provide a clinical offensive presence to complement a strike force that relies heavily on the 26-year-old Ross Stewart.

Whilst boasting young stars such as Jewison Bennette and loanee Ellis Simms, The Stadium of Light calls for a player to bring vibrancy and firepower to continue a climb toward the promotion places.

With just 43 Premier League minutes under his belt this year, Archer would do well in following suit of other young forwards, such as former Aston Villa loanee Tammy Abraham, in flourishing in England’s second tier before aiming sights toward the Premier League. 

Archer has been catching the eye for some time now, despite his tender age, netting seven times in just 20 outings while on loan at Preston North End, with boss Ryan Lowe lauding his “abundance of talent”. 

Having signed a new long-term contract with his club earlier this year, it is evident that the Villa hierarchy view his potential as something that can blossom over the coming years.  

However, he cannot continue to keep eating up his time while sitting on the bench. At the moment his potential is being ruined by such a factor but a move to the northeast could just benefit all parties.

With Championship experience already under his belt, Archer might just be prudent to grasp the current opportunity to star for the Black Cats, and return to Villa Park ready to take the Premier League by storm.

Newcastle United are reportedly looking closely at the South American market to build their super team at St James’ Park, and a new potential transfer target has emerged that could be a great prospect for the club.

What’s the latest?

According to Brazilian news outlet TNT Sports, Newcastle are interested in signing Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca.

As per the report, the Magpies are competing with fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen to secure the signature of the rising star and the Eagles are currently trying to reach an agreement to secure Franca’s signature.

Imagine him & Bruno

It’s safe to say that Newcastle have had huge success with signing Brazilian talent in the centre of the pitch, with Bruno Guimaraes becoming a stand-out performer for the club since his arrival in January and clearly the powers at St James’ Park are keen to continue to acquire the services of South American prospects.

Over 17 Brasileiro Serie A appearances this season, the 18-year-old has been seriously impressive.

Indeed, he has scored four goals and created one big chance, as well as taking 1.4 shots per game and successfully completing 59% of his dribbles, proving that he is a real attacking threat that could become a valuable asset to Eddie Howe.

Not only that, Franca ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the ‘next eight best’ leagues across the world for tackles, progressive passes and dribbles completed, as well as ranking in the top 15% for non-penalty goals, interceptions and touches.

The youngster – who was hailed a “Brazilian talent” by Fabrizio Romano – could form a formidable partnership with fellow Brazil native Guimaraes if he makes the move to Tyneside in the coming months as he is clearly capable of building play from midfield to become a threat in front of goal.

The Newcastle midfielder ranks in the top 10% compared to his positional peers across the top five European leagues for dribbles completed, tackles and non-penalty goals, so combining Guimaraes’ talents with Franca’s attacking attributes could be deadly for their opponents.

With that being said, the signing of Franca would be an exciting addition for Newcastle in their ambitious effort to dominate domestic football and break into European competitions once again as the Brazilian wonderkid could be a real prospect for the future.

One of West Bromwich Albion’s summer targets has reportedly made themselves available once again…

What’s the latest?

According to German publication BILD, Hertha Berlin’s striker Davie Selke is keen to force a transfer through this January.

Having started the season poorly and been handed few opportunities, it seems the 27-year-old is now ready for a new challenge in a new league.

The report notes the clubs that had shown interest in the summer, naming: Rangers, FC Basel, FC Copenhagen, clubs from Istanbul and Athens, and the Baggies, who at the time were under the stewardship of Steve Bruce.

There will also be competition from Italy for his signature.

He can be a dream Grant heir

With an underperforming strike force and their main man still recovering from injury, Carlos Corberan entered the Hawthorns with a decidedly out-of-form team.

However, with two wins in a row now recorded, it marks a sensational turnaround having gone 12 games with just one win previously.

The main reason for their position in the Championship was the sudden drop in form from Karlan Grant, who had scored 18 last season.

With just three goals in the league this term, and a current ten-game ongoing goal drought, they are desperate for an heir to the disappointing 25-year-old.

In Selke, they would receive a hulking forward who knows where the net is and has proved it across his career in Germany.

Although recent seasons have been less kind to him, he still maintains fine goal-scoring records across Hertha Berlin, Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig, where he scored 14 goals and assisted four in just 53 appearances.

Standing at 6 foot 5, there are few doubts about him keeping up with the physical demands of English football.

At the very least the 27-year-old could offer a different dynamic to Grant, who without his goals can often drift out of games. With Corberan’s demands, this is untenable.

Once labelled a “strike sensation” by the official Bundesliga Twitter account, it is clear there was incredible untapped potential within the German forward.

Perhaps in a lesser league, where he would become a big fish in the smaller pond, he could recapture the form that saw him score nine goals in 15 games for his national team’s U21 setup.

Selke would mark a fine coup for the Midlands outfit, who are in desperate need of a striker they can rely on.

Sunderland have had their fair share of transfer flops and gaffes over the recent years, as they have struggled to land the right player in the market at times.

They have also allowed players to leave too early and may look back on some of their decisions with regret as they have watched them go on to greater things.

One player with whom the club had a howler was Jon McLaughlin. They allowed the goalkeeper to leave the Black Cats on a free transfer in the summer of 2020 after failing to agree fresh terms with him.

He played 90 games in all competitions across two seasons with Sunderland from 2018 through to 2020, keeping 27 clean sheets in that time. This included 11 clean sheets in 32 League One outings in the 2019/20 campaign, keeping a shutout roughly once every three matches.

Then-Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson revealed that he did not want the veteran shot-stopper to depart the Stadium of Light, saying: “Jon is someone we would like to keep. The chairman and [Head of Football Operations] Richard Hill will be working on that.

“Jon’s recent record puts him up there as one of the best in this division. He is calm and has a lot of experience. At Bradford, he played in a lot of big promotion games. He played in big cup games too, and always handled the pressure well.”

Stewart Donald had valued the goalkeeper at £5m a year previously but was unable to convince the Scotland international to remain at the Stadium of Light as they did not offer him an acceptable contract.

This led to him signing a contract with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, and he has enjoyed a superb time with the Light Blues over the last two years or so.

He keep an eye-catching eight clean sheets in nine Premiership matches in his first season as his side won the league title under Steven Gerrard, whilst also playing once in the Europa League that term.

McLaughlin started the current campaign as Rangers’ number one ahead of Allan McGregor and played in all Champions League qualifying matches as the club made it through to the group stages. He then made his full debut in the competition against Ajax in September.

The 35-year-old, who Joshua Barrie once dubbed “really sharp”, is now a Champions League player, whilst Sunderland are playing in the Championship, and his achievements in Scotland suggest that Parkinson was right to want him to stay at the Stadium of Light.

However, Donald was unable to agree a new deal with the player, and that failure ended up being a howler as the shot-stopper has made his mark on the continent since leaving Wearside.

Newcastle United smashed their club-record transfer fee by signing Sweden international Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad in the summer.

Dan Ashworth decided to swoop for the La Liga centre-forward and splashed out a reported fee of £59m to bring him to St. James’ Park to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad.

The former Borussia Dortmund attacker has enjoyed a solid start to life in England with two goals in his first three Premier League appearances, with his strike against Bournemouth coming from the penalty spot.

However, the Magpies may not have needed to splash the cash on Isak if things had gone differently for Ivan Toney on Tyneside, following his move to the club from Northampton in 2015.

He joined the Toon Army as a 19-year-old during Steve McClaren’s tenure and penned a long-term contract ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.

The youngster made four senior appearances throughout the season, including two in the Premier League, but failed to get off the mark in front of goal, although he did produce five goals and three assists in nine outings for the U21s.

Newcastle then sent him out on loan in four different windows before selling him to Peterborough, who were in League One at the time, in the summer of 2018.

In his two seasons in East Anglia, Toney plundered an eye-catching 40 goals and 13 assists in 76 third-tier appearances and his form earned him a move to Championship side Brentford.

Thomas Frank got him firing in the second tier as he scored a phenomenal 33 goals and assisted ten in 48 matches, including the play-offs, to help the Bees secure promotion to the Premier League.

Toney, who Journalist Rob Blanchette recently described as “underrated”, has since proven that he has the quality to score goals at the top level of English football as he has found the back of the net 17 times in 40 league matches for Brentford, whilst also providing seven assists.

He would be a dream for Howe at Newcastle in 2022 as he is a lethal goalscorer, a creator for his teammate, and works hard defensively for his team.

The Magpies’ head coach wants his team to press teams high up the pitch and the England international would suit that style as he ranks in the 92nd percentile among players in his position over the last 365 days in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions per 90 with 0.75.

This suggests that he is adept at cutting out opposition passes and this could allow him to thrive in a high-pressing team as he could create counter-attacking opportunities by winning the ball in the final third, whilst his record in terms of goals and assists indicates that he has the quality to make the most of those chances.

Therefore, the striker, who Frank claimed has the “mindset of a lion”, would be a dream striker for Howe at St. James’ Park and it is a shame that things did not work out for him on Tyneside.

Sunderland’s academy has produced some solid Premier League talent over recent years, with Jordan Henderson their main export that has gone on to take the league by storm.

Having left the club in 2011, the Black Cats earned £20m which, at the time, seemed like a fine piece of business.

However, having gone on to succeed Steven Gerrard as captain of Liverpool, he will now go down in the history books at Anfield.

He has led his new side to victory in nearly every competition possible, with the Premier League, Champions League and both domestic cups under his belt, as well as a FIFA Club World Cup and a UEFA Super Cup.

Just 79 games at the Stadium of Light was modest compared to the phenomenal 455 games for the Reds, and he has overseen their growth from mid-table struggle to mentality monsters.

In his five appearances this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06 and has done well to establish himself as one of the more dependable Premier League midfielders. 

During the year in which Liverpool won England’s top flight, the England international stepped his game up even further, raising his average match rating to 7.23 across his 30 league appearances in 2019/20. He also scored five goals and assisted four, which was impressive given how that is not normally his role.

The 32-year-old was just last year labelled an “immense captain” and “a real leader” by Leanne Prescott, who also cited his MBE as “richly deserved”.

Curtis Woodhouse also claimed that people won’t respect Henderson until he has retired, as he is a “proper all-round midfielder” and a “monster”.

It is impressive how much he has grown from the young Mackem lad playing for his boyhood club.

While £20m seemed like good money at the time, to see his growth as the Black Cats slumped down the divisions must have been a bitter pill to swallow for the club’s supporters.

As he geared up for his first of three Champions League finals – so far – the Wearside outfit had already been resigned to relegation to League One.

He could have captained Sunderland to glory, but instead, he led the revitalisation of Liverpool. They will surely regret the call to sell him now, with hindsight.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Ruslan Malinovskyi would suit Antonio Conte perfectly, claims Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Malinovskyi move close

Despite the arrival of seven new additions at Hotspur Way this summer, The Athletic have reported that Lilywhites managing director Fabio Paratici does still want to sign a replacement for Bryan Gil if his alleged move to Valencia is completed in the coming days.

As a result, a number of attackers have been touted with a north London switch, including Atalanta’s Malinovskyi, whose contract expires in less than 11 months time.

According to reports in Italy, Atalanta have placed an £18m price-tag on the 29-year-old, Tottenham are in pole position to secure the Ukrainian’s services and the player is even personally interested in a move.

The Latest: Taylor reacts

Taylor believes that with his hard-working attitude, Malinovskyi would excel playing in Conte’s high-intensity system.

Reacting to the news in a chat with GiveMeSport, the reliable journalist claimed:

“He’s a kind of Conte type player, a hard worker. He can play in multiple systems.

“Atalanta are an exciting team, they play good football, they play attractive football, expansive football, but they’re also a hard working team that have become a tough nut to crack, on the basis of, they’re not really anywhere near the size of some of the top Italian clubs.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-2/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Great signing for Spurs

Praised for his ‘stunning left foot’ by journalist Josh Bunting, the attacking midfielder has a emphatic record in front of goal for a midfielder, having produced 23 goals and 23 assists in 102 appearances in Serie A.

However, Malinovskyi’s underlying stats are even more impressive. As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the Ukraine international ranks in the 97th percentile for shots total, in the 96th percentile for progressive passes and in the 95th percentile for xG assisted and shot-creating actions – illustrating his ability to create chances for himself and his teammates.

With a relatively meagre £18m valuation set by the Italian club, Tottenham should sign him up quickly as they look to add quality and depth ahead of a busy season in the Premier League and in Europe.

Tottenham Hotspur are still actively pursuing a move for Nicolo Zaniolo…

What’s the word?

That’s according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, who delivered an update on the situation to Twitter this week.

“Spurs still very much pursuing Nicolo Zaniolo, who is open to a move,” he said.

“Outgoings the priority but talks with Roma could see a player go the other way. Milan have cooled on Japhet Tanganga for now. Jose Mourinho likes him. One to watch.”

He then added: “With Zaniolo, Spurs believe Roma’s £50m price tag is £10m too high. It’s based on Zaniolo’s clear potential but his form was patchy last season.

“Further talks [are] expected next week. Spurs in no rush as outgoings remain the priority.”

Eriksen’s true heir

The Lilywhites are on the lookout for a new creative midfielder, and it’s easy to see why. They have lacked this sort of presence ever since the departure of Christian Erisken, who left Hotspur Way for Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan in January 2020.

The Dane’s replacements – Giovani Lo Celso (eight goals, six assists) and Tanguy Ndombele (ten goals, nine assists) – have failed to step up to fill his void as both now appear to be available for a permanent exit this summer transfer window.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-so-much-more” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Eriksen has since returned to the Premier League, signing for Manchester United this summer and Spurs were keen on a reunion, according to Sky Sports.

However, Conte will now have to look elsewhere, which is why Zaniolo has emerged as a solid candidate as revealed by Jacobs, who recently lauded the Roma star as a “frightening talent” when fit.

Last season, the Serie A caught a glimpse of what the Italy international can do, having bounced back from two ACL injuries. He provided former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho with eight goals and nine assists across 42 appearances, including the match-winner in the Europa Conference League final.

Zaniolo also ranks inside the top 11% of all his positional peers across Europe for through balls (0.32 per 90), which is more than what Eriksen managed during his stint at Brentford last season. He also managed more touches in the opposition box, too (5.53 vs 1.34 per 90).

£50m may be an excessive amount to pay, especially considering the north Londoners have already wielded a £60m investment in Richarlison, who isn’t expected to be in the starting XI but in the hunt for a new playmaking piece, Zaniolo could be worth every penny.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici must either pay up or work out a favourable deal with the Serie A side in the coming weeks, with deadline day only just around the corner.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano: Spurs “working on” 7th summer signing, he’s an “extraordinary” talent…

Tottenham Hotspur have re-emerged as suitors for Wolves forward Adama Traore as journalist Sean Walsh of 90min shares an update on this transfer link.

The Lowdown: Paratici makes January attempt…

Spurs’ sporting director Fabio Paratici had actually tried to sign the Spaniard in the January transfer window, with reports suggesting that personal terms were even agreed.

It was believed that manager Antonio Conte saw Traore as a makeshift right-wing-back option for his system, so much so that the north Londoners actively pursued a move for the 26-year-old.

However, despite Spurs’ interest, La Liga giants Barcelona ended up hijacking the move and bringing Wolves’ big name to the Camp Nou – a signing which they opted not to make permanent.

Traore is now back in the Premier League at Molineux, and according to 90min reporter Walsh, Spurs are back in the frame for the Spain international.

The Latest: Walsh makes Traore claim…

The journalist claims that Paratici and co are eyeing a move for the 26-year-old, who was once valued at £100m.

Despite having landed Djed Spence from Middlesbrough, Walsh has said that Spurs want to sign another right wing-back, with Traore back on the radar.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-3/” title=”Tottenham latest!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

He explained (via Twitter): “Despite signing Djed Spence, #THFC remain in the market for *another* RWB.

“Wherever he is next season, Roma and Spurs both view Nicolo Zaniolo as an option there. Tottenham also still interested in Adama Traore.”

The Verdict: Make a move?

Lauded as a ‘game-changer’ by pundit Noel Whelan, the winger is certainly an exciting player on his day, having completed a fantastic 4.2 dribbles per match for Wolves before his loan move to Barcelona (WhoScored).

This could explain both Conte and Paratici’s long-standing interest in the 26-year-old, and depending on the price tag, he could be worth revisiting as an option this summer.