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Manchester City have sounded out the possibility of signing Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic in 2022, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso confirmed early this month that Vlahovic had rejected several contract offers, even though he could have become the highest-paid player in the club’s history (via London Evening Standard). The 21-year-old’s current deal is up at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Vlahovic bagged 21 goals in 34 Serie A starts last term and has started the new campaign in decent form too, with five strikes in his first ten showings (via WhoScored).

He’s previously been described as a ‘force of nature’ in the Italian press and likened to Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku (via Football Italia).

The latest

The reigning Premier League champions have apparently ‘appeared in recent weeks’ amid the Serbian’s contract deadlock.

Ahead of the January transfer window, Fiorentina’s asking price is said to be €60million, which equates to about £50.7million.

But it remains to be seen whether La Viola countenance a mid-season sale.

The verdict

Manchester City may find themselves just two points off the top of the Premier League table without buying an out-and-out striker, but we know they were willing to invest huge sums for the right one.

Indeed, they reportedly tabled a bid as high as £100million for Spurs frontman Harry Kane, so the price tag on Vlahovic’s head should not be insurmountable.

At a fraction over half the amount the Cityzens were allegedly willing to splash on Kane, with an impressive goal record, some lofty comparisons and age on his side at just 21 years old, we believe the 6 foot 3 colossus could actually be the better long-term purchase then the Spurs skipper.

In other news, fans were gushing over this news. 

As per football.london correspondent Tom Clark, a West Ham United transfer update has come to light involving Manchester City defender Nathan Ake.

The Lowdown: Ake keen to join…

An emergency central defensive signing is on the agenda for manager David Moyes as he aims to keep his West Ham side in contention to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Injuries to both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna have prompted both the Scotsman and recruitment chief Rob Newman to look at their options in January with City ace Ake one of their targets.

As per Eurosport journalist Dean Jones, the 26-year-old ‘is believed to be keen’ on the prospect of a move to the London Stadium if his side sanction a transfer.

Clark, writing for football.london, has now shared an update.

The Latest: Newman exploring offer…

As per his sources, West Ham, and by extension transfer chief Newman, are ‘exploring’ an offer to sign Ake in January.

However, a deal may be difficult to pull off given City are in no hurry to let him leave – especially since the Netherlands ace has worked his way back into contention with 11 appearances so far.

The Verdict: Pull out all the stops?

The £28.8 million-valued ace would be a shrewd signing for Moyes given his versatility as a central defender, left-back and even a defensive midfield man.

Ake would plug many gaping holes in West Ham’s side and come as a really assured presence – having averaged a better pass success rate out from the back (93.2%) in the Premier League than any Irons defender (WhoScored).

Lauded as ‘underrated’ by Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, this further highlights his quality, but if City refuse to budge on letting him go then Anfield defender Nathaniel Phillips could be a great alternative.

It is believed that the 24-year-old could leave for just £15 million and he has already signalled his willingness to leave next month as West Ham eye a move (The Sun).

In other news: ‘We are back’, ‘What I wanted to hear’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘best news’ has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

Crystal Palace will no doubt be looking to return to winning ways, after sustaining losses to Chelsea and Leicester City, respectively.

Both losses saw the Eagles deploy two different formations, as they temporarily stepped away from their 4-3-3 system.

When they played Leicester City in their most recent league game, Palace attempted to gain a numerical advantage throughout the centre of the pitch by deploying a 4-2-3-1 system against Brendan Rodgers’ 4-3-3 shape.

And in the FA Cup semi-final, Vieira looked to nullify Chelsea’s attacking threat by the means of a 3-5-2 system.

Across both fixtures, Vieira’s side conceded four goals and scored just one. That is a sure-fire sign for the return of the system that had seen them pick up 11 points from a possible 15, across their last five games.

On the chalkboard

One player who has drastically struggled for minutes this season is the 23-year-old talent, Ebere Eze, someone dubbed “special” by the Coaches Voice.

Eze has made just seven appearances in the Premier League this season, after struggling for fitness as a result of an achilles tendon problem that he sustained at the end of the last Premier League campaign.

Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Chelsea saw him play a full 90 minutes for the first time this season, with Eze now reported to be fully fit by Crystal Palace correspondent, Mark Wyatt, and ready to make his claim as an Eagles regular.

The game against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side is the perfect opportunity for the England starlet to make his presence known and get back to the form that saw him chip in with ten goal contributions in 34 Premier League appearances for Palace last season.

Vieira can give the £37k-per-week livewire creative freedom up top, with a simple tweak to his usual 4-3-3 formation.

Quite simply, a switch to a 4-3-2-1 system (replacing the two wing positions with two attacking midfielders) would suit Eze’s game down to a tee.

The £18m-rated star played his best football as an attacking midfielder for QPR in a 2019/20 season that saw him bag eight assists.

This slight tweak could help him reach these numbers once again in a move that could, quite simply, terrify Eddie Howe and Newcastle United.

In other news: Vieira eyes CPFC move for “sensational” £14k-pw maestro, it could be bye-bye Gallagher…

With three new players through the door during the current January transfer window, Aston Villa could be set to miss out on a big opportunity to strengthen their squad even further before the end of the month.

What’s the news?

After being mentioned with a move to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, it seems as though the Midlands club could be set to miss out on signing the Swiss international after journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared a post on his official Twitter page with the latest details regarding the midfielder.

In the tail off to his update about the midfielder, Romano uttered the dreaded five-word update: “Premier League move seems unlikely.”

He then went on to suggest that Bayern Munich and Dortmund were pushing to sign him.

Fans will be gutted

Since joining Monchengladbach back in the 2017 summer transfer window, the 25-year-old has gone on to make a total of  146 appearances for the club across all competitions with five of those appearances coming in the Champions League last season, showing the sort of top-level experience the midfield maestro has under his belt and why he would be a useful asset in Gerrard’s squad.

With all of that in mind and the fact that Gerrard apparently wants to add a midfielder to his squad before the end of the month, Zakaria could be a valid and cheap option for Villa to sign after they reportedly had a bid of £25m rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for Yves Bissouma.

Thus, if Zakaria does end up moving to Bayern or Dortmund this month for the relatively low transfer fee Romano speaks of, it would surely be disappointing for the Villa fans to see their club not do all they can to bring him to Villa Park.

That’s especially when you consider how active they have been in the transfer window so far and how capable they have been when it comes to spending money on new players.

Consequently, the Villans would then have to make sure they bring a different midfielder in before the window closes to give Gerrard the best possible chance of ending his first season in charge of Villa as strongly as he can.

In other news: Talks ongoing: Sky Sports journo drops big Villa update on live TV, fans surely elated – opinion

Many Liverpool fans voiced their frustration with Jordan Henderson during the Premier League clash with Leicester City on Tuesday night. 

Liverpool were looking to return to winning ways after their six-game streak was halted by a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 19 December.

Leicester, meanwhile, were facing a title contender for the second time in three days, having lost 6-3 at league leaders Manchester City on Boxing Day.

Henderson’s Leicester struggle

Henderson returned to the starting line-up after missing the Spurs draw through illness.

Jurgen Klopp selected him alongside Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his three-man midfield.

He took on three shots from range in the first half of the match, but all three of them missed the target.

The Reds skipper also misplaced 13 of the 47 passes he attempted, meaning his accuracy was only 72 per cent.

Here’s what a selection of supporters on Twitter made of the 31-year-old’s display at The King Power Stadium, as he was eventually withdrawn for Roberto Firmino while the Reds fell six points behind Manchester City…

These Liverpool fans lay into Henderson

“Henderson has been abysmal”

Credit: @Liverpxxl

“Every week I shed another tear at the fact that we extended henderson’s contract”

Credit: @RHLFC7

“Henderson can’t keep getting away with these performances”

Credit: @kwaku_tvb

“Henderson disasterclass and mane awful”

Credit: @kop_for_ever

“Love watching Henderson sky volleys into the 30th row”

Credit: @commenterlfc

“Get Henderson off immediately and terminate his contract. Awful awful player, who gave this imbecile an extension?”

Credit: @LaVillanelle

In other news, fans mocked this Mohamed Salah claim.

A Newcastle United scout was in attendance for FC Porto’s game this weekend, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Newcastle only made one first-team signing during the summer transfer window, with Joe Willock’s loan move from Arsenal made permanent for a fee of £26.46million.

But they may feel the need to improve their squad at the mid-point of the campaign, with their poor start raising the prospect of a relegation battle.

Newcastle are winless after seven matches and find themselves 19th in the table.

If Porto players are indeed under consideration, then they’ll have the benefit of seeing how they measure up against Premier League opposition.

Liverpool are in Porto’s Champions League group and after the Reds ran out 5-1 victors in Portugal last week – they’ll meet again in November.

The latest

A Newcastle official apparently took in the Primeira Liga action at the Estadio do Dragao on Sunday. Porto went up against Pacos Ferreira, the team Spurs knocked out of the Europa Conference League.

It’s not clear how many players were being studied.

What we do know is that Porto fell behind early on to a Nuno Santos goal, but were level before the break after Luis Diaz’s sixth goal of the season.

Left-back Wendell then scored what proved to be the winner seven minutes into the second half.

The verdict

It’s tempting to speculate. Who exactly were Newcastle watching? Well, we heard during the transfer window that Steve Bruce was keen to add a centre-back and a defensive midfielder.

Sergio Conceicao selected two veterans at the heart of his defence – 38-year-old Pepe and 34-year-old Ivan Marcano.

The star of the show most weeks for Porto at the moment however is Diaz, who was strongly linked with a Premier League move to Everton this summer, perhaps the Magpies are planning a January hijacking?

In other news, Lee Ryder has offered encouragement to those calling for Bruce’s head.

Marina Granovskaia is Chelsea’s transfer chief, and she’s largely taken over the mantle from Michael Emenalo at Stamford Bridge. Typically, she’s involved in everything from contractual renewals to big money signings to handling incoming transfer offers.

She’s had a big role to play, then, in the future of Callum Hudson-Odoi. Indeed, according to the Telegraph, she has informed Bayern Munich that Chelsea’s talented teenager is not for sale – which is a huge decision. The Blues have, as a result, turned down millions of pounds in an effort to give a young player a chance.

Throughout her tenure, she’s made some huge decisions, like bringing in Maurizio Sarri and playing a part in the signing dozens of players, but it’s her decision on Hudson-Odoi that could end up being her crowning achievement at Stamford Bridge.

In the past, this isn’t a decision that Chelsea would have taken. The Blues have regularly been willing to cash in on young players in favour of bringing in more established names, and for a while, it looked like this would go down the same path.

However, Granovskaia has taken a different path, and if it works out, it could be huge for the club. If Hudson-Odoi is able to make an impact in the Chelsea first team, not only will her decision be vindicated, but it could also open the door for Chelsea’s other young players to force their way into the team. After all, if Hudson-Odoi is rated so highly and has proven his worth; why can’t they?

Of course, it could all go poorly. If he has a poor second-half of the season, Chelsea will live to regret not taking the money and running.

That’s a risk, though it had to be taken, and the results could be huge.

Forget the sackings and the hirings. This is a decision that could have huge consequences for years to come – and it could be a defining 6 months for Granovskaia as a result.

Thoughts?

Newcastle United are looking into a potential January deal for Lille centre-back Sven Botman, according to The Athletic. 

The lowdown

21-year-old Botman was ‘heavily linked’ with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in January 2020 and has admirers at a host of top clubs.

He’s described the Premier League as a ‘beautiful competition’ with an appealing style of football, so it would perhaps be no surprise to see his next move take him to England.

The Dutchman has also compared himself to Sergio Ramos and said he adopts a ‘killing attitude’ on the pitch.

The latest

‘Newcastle United exploring [the] possibility of signing’ Botman during the mid-season window, The Athletic’s David Ornstein says.

He’s ‘among [the] leading NUFC targets’, but it will take an ‘exceptional’ offer in the region of £40million to recruit him in the winter.

Lille don’t want to lose him midway through their European campaign, and they’re also expecting further offers in the summer.

He only earns £18,000 per week at present, but Botman would allegedly be near ‘the summit’ of Newcastle’s earning list if he moved to St James’ Park.

While the pursuit is ‘driven by the head of recruitment Steve Nickson’, manager Eddie Howe apparently approves of the 6 foot 4 colossus.

The verdict

Botman could be described as a ball-playing centre-half. Among positional peers in the top five leagues, he ranks in the 78th percentile for passes attempted, and the 80th for progressive passes (via FBRef).

In addition to helping Howe’s side build attacks though, he could shore them up defensively too. Last season, he was virtually ever-present in a Lille side that beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title while conceding just 23 goals.

Given the calibre of player, and of competition for his signature, this would be a real statement signing for the Magpies.

In other news, this PL defender has also been tipped to join NUFC.

Wolves are still prioritising the signing of a new centre-back in the January transfer window, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Wolves impress at the back

Bruno Lage’s side are enjoying an increasingly impressive season, sitting eighth in the Premier League table after 20 matches.

Wolves’ success has been built on an excellent defence, with the go-to back-three of Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss ensuring they have conceded just 15 league goals.

Despite this, a new defender could be needed this month – Saiss is currently away at AFCON – and a key update has emerged regarding the situation.

The Latest: Journalist makes centre-back claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed Lage still sees a centre-back addition as a fairly strong possibility in January:

“I don’t think they’re desperate to bring in another centre midfielder. I think a centre-back is Bruno Lage’s top target in this window if he is to bring somebody in.”

The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

While Kilman, Coady and Saiss have all impressed this season, added depth is required in the squad, in case one of them gets injured or fatigue sets in.

Willy Boly’s ongoing fitness issues mean Wolves feel light in that area especially while Saiss is away, so bringing in someone such as Duje Caleta-Car from Marseille would make perfect sense.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Molineux and has averaged 1.2 tackles and 1.7 clearances per game in Ligue 1 this season, not to mention winning 20 caps for Croatia.

In other news, Tim Spiers has made a key claim regarding Wolves’ transfer business. Read more here.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans were left unimpressed with the performance of Said Benrahma against Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon. 

David Moyes’ men were looking to improve on their recent Premier League home record and took on London rivals Spurs in one of their most highly-anticipated derbies of the season.

Fresh off the back of an impressive midweek win over Genk in the Europa League group stage, taking full control of that contest and placing one foot into the last 16, today’s encounter came as a totally different beast.

The match was on a knife edge for the most part until Aaron Cresswell’s corner midway through the second half fell to Michail Antonio, who made no mistake and opened the scoring for 1-0.

One man who certainly didn’t impress some supporters with his display during the contest, though, was Benrahma – who has been handed more of a chance by Moyes this season compared to last.

Some Irons supporters felt that he has failed to truly grasp his chance, with the Algerian struggling to really make his mark on a consistent basis at the London Stadium today. As per SofaScore, he finished the match as West Ham’s lowest-rated starter and was hauled off by Moyes 10 minutes from full-time, having lost seven of his nine duels, completed just one of his five attempted dribbles and given the ball away 12 times.

He often cut an “anonymous” figure against Spurs and couldn’t really stamp his authority or creativity on the game, so it’s little wonder why some supporters feel he underperformed. One angry Irons fan even fumed that the Algerian was “playing for Tottenham”.

Check out some of the fans’ verdicts on the 26-year-old below.

West Ham fans slam Benrahma…

“Benrahma dropping a 0/10”

Credit: @whumako

“I actually forgot Benrahma was playing for large parts of that half, non existent”

Credit: @poshboyh

“Benrahma playing for Tottenham so far”

Credit: @lolololword

“Benrahma shocking so far”

Credit: @seann_mears

“we need to get Benrahma involved, anonymous so far”

Credit: @SteveFairchil18

“Benrahma needs to liven up”

Credit: @Irons_Stuff

“Benrahma very quiet today”

Credit: @scott161

“what happened to Benrahma”

Credit: @kubaWHU

In other news: ‘Incredible’, ‘Bargain’…Pundit thrilled as West Ham allegedly eye ‘very, very good signing’…find out more here.