Tag Futebol

Newcastle United’s bid to sign wonderkid Matheus Franca from Flamengo has fallen short of the asking price, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What’s the word?

The versatile attacking midfielder has already made 28 appearances for Flamengo, scoring seven times and the 18-year-old is wanted by Newcastle.

Romano claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have had a bid of around €16m (£14m) rejected, with the Brazilian club wanting around €20m (£17.6m) – and it remains to be seen whether a deal will be struck before the end of the window.

Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano stated that not only are Newcastle currently short with their own valuation, but there are other clubs also interested in a deal for the midfielder.

He said: “They made a second bid last week for Franca, it was a bid around €16m total package.

“The answer from Flamengo was no. From what I’m told, Flamengo want €20m. Also, Olympique Lyon are interested in the player; Real Madrid have sent their scouts to keep an eye on him; but Newcastle are the priority for Franca, so let’s see how it will continue.”

One for the future

If Newcastle do secure Franca’s signature, it seems likely that he will be a signing for the future rather than one who comes into the first team straight away.

Although he could provide cover for Miguel Almiron or Joelinton, he will need regular minutes to develop, and a loan move – perhaps back to Flamengo – could be beneficial once his future is secured at Newcastle.

He has “a very good understanding of the game” according to Flamengo youth coach Fabio Matias, whose comments certainly suggest Franca could bring a lot of outstanding technical quality as an attacking midfielder.

Considering Newcastle have Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton on their books, they will be hoping that the increasing Brazilian contingent at the club could help convince Franca to join over the likes of Lyon.

Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Julen Lopetegui is reportedly set to target a score of January signings to bolster the squad and stave off the threat of relegation…

What’s the word?

Having evicted Bruno Lage from the managerial role and replaced him with the esteemed Lopetegui in November, Wanderers owner Jeff Shi is moving with conviction to secure the club’s future in the Premier League, having already completed the signing of Matheus Cunha on loan with the obligation to buy for £44m from Atletico Madrid. 

And now, according to French reporter Saber Desfarges, the Midlands outfit could be set to swoop for OGC Nice midfielder Mario Lemina.

He said: “Wolverhampton would like to secure the services of Mario Lemina (OGC Nice) this winter.

“First offer, of nearly €5m (£4.5m), refused by the Gym.”

Neves heir

Having previously played for Southampton in the English top-flight, the 29-year-old Lemina boasts a wealth of experience already, and could provide security and stability within the Wolves midfield, making a marked improvement on performances that have left the club 18th in the division after 17 matches.

Having made 52 appearances for Saints since arriving at the outfit in a club-record deal of £18m in 2017, the ace enjoyed two seasons at St. Mary’s before falling out of favour, earning a couple of loan moves including a successful spell with Fulham in the 2020/21 campaign.

During that term, the Gabonese gem recorded an average rating of 6.85 despite the Cottagers falling foul to the drop-zone to the Championship, excelling in his industrious role and completing 84% of his passes, averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match, while also succeeding with 70% of his dribbles and 54% of his total duels. 

And as per FBref, the 25-cap star ranks within the top 4% of midfielders across Europe’s major leagues for tackles, the top 6% for clearances and the top 7% for blocks, while also perching within the top 13% for pass completion – indicating a vigorous mentality that will serve the relegation-threatened Wolves very well.

He could adopt the responsibilities of Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, who has etched his name into Molineux folklore since arriving while the club still plyed their trade in the second-tier, arriving from FC Porto in a £15m deal.

Neves may be more of a maestro with the brilliance of his passing and the innovation of his transitional play, also a brilliant striker of the ball, but with Lopetegui looking to bring in signings to boost the offensive ranks, Lemina could prove to be a shrewd acquisition, sweeping the opposing advances away like a broom, dispatching the attackers like litter.

Reports in recent months state that Neves could be set for a January exit, and while he would demand a high fee, a move for Lemina could remedy the hole left in the Portuguese ace’s wake and leave coins in the purse for further moves.

The assurance of the “powerhouse” in the centre – as once lauded by BBC Sport’s Garth Crooks – would act as a centrepiece for positivity to stretch its clutches into enemy territory, consequently giving Wolves the requisite tools to return to prominence in the Premier League once again.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now made an enquiry for Coventry City forward Viktor Gyokeres, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Cunha in

Julen Lopetegui has made his first signing as Wolves manager with Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha making the move to the Midlands.

A move for the Brazilian will officially go through on January 1 in what will be an initial loan with an obligation to buy for €50m (£44m).

There have been rumours regarding interest in another attacker in Gyokeres, and it seems as if Wolves have made a first move ahead of a potential transfer.

The Latest: Approach made

90min provided an update regarding Gyokeres on Wednesday evening, where Wolves were mentioned.

They claim that Wolves, along with Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton and Leeds, have all made enquiries regarding the forward’s availability in January.

The Verdict: One to watch?

Wolves supporters may well welcome this news of another potential attacking addition at Molineux, especially as their side have scored just 10 goals in 16 Premier League games.

Gyokeres, lauded as having ‘unbelievable’ ability by Coventry manager Mark Robins, has found the back of the net on 12 occasions in the Championship this season so could give the club more firepower in front of goal.

He’s also valued at a career-high €5m Transfermarkt so appears to be at the peak of his powers, while his versatility of being able to play out wide could also come in handy.

The story of Tottenham Hotspur and Paulo Dybala is one that takes us back a few years now.

The hope was that Spurs would lure the talented Argentine to north London and indeed, they nearly did.

In the summer of 2019, it looked as though a deal was in place to land the crafty playmaker from Juventus but in a stunning twist of events, a move out of nowhere was off.

Spurs aimed to try again this year before his move to Roma but they ended up pulling out of a pursuit.

As it happens, Dybala has found his best form again in the Italian capital, scoring seven times and assisting twice for Jose Mourinho’s side.

It’s unlikely the Lilywhites will regret their unsuccessful venture but they could finally land their own version of the Argentina international next year.

That’s if they pursue a deal for Joao Felix. Their interest stems back to last summer but a deal looks all the more possible in January.

Atletico are seemingly willing to sell and the Portugal star is willing to leave having never truly been allowed creative freedom and the room to express himself under a dogged and defensive coach in Diego Simeone.

With that in mind, a move to Spurs might not be his cup of tea given Antonio Conte’s stance in some games, but despite that he’d surely have more opportunity to express his quality in a side containing the likes of Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevksi.

What makes Dybala and Felix so alike is not just their positional sense – where they can both operate as the main centre-forward or as a second striker – but their natural ability on the ball and their reputation for making magical things happen.

Both are capable of scoring and assisting with great regularity if given the right environment, with Felix scoring as many as 20 goals and registering 11 assists in just 43 outings for Benfica. That was before a whopping £113m move to Atletico.

Dybala, on the other hand, scored 115 times and picked up 48 assists during his long stint in Turin where he was certainly one of the best in his position in Italy.

Although they are different footedness, the poise and grace remains the same, with Dybala and Felix having that Lionel Messi-like ability to shimmy and ghost past the opposition.

In the 2017/18 campaign where the former bagged a stunning 22 Serie A goals, he completed 2.8 dribbles per game, a tally very nearly replicated by Felix in Atleti’s 2020/21 Champions League campaign where the 23-year-old amassed 2.6 dribbles a match.

Possessing a deft touch and an elegance seldom seen in many places on the planet, Felix has recently shown his true colours on the global stage, shining in Qatar at the World Cup.

Although Portugal were knocked out by Morocco at the quarter-final stage, there was still time for the Spurs-linked star to shine as he found the net once and registered two assists.

Those two lines of supply came when Felix and co humiliated Granit Xhaka’s Switzerland in the round of 16 as Fernando Santos’ men beat them 6-1.

During that clash, snooker player Neil Robertson even noticed his talent, claiming he’d been “awesome.”

That sentiment is not wrong with the crafty Atletico ace winning four ground duels, succeeding with two dribbles and completing 84% of his passes, of which two were key.

That sort of form would not go amiss as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy now hoping they can finally banish those bad Dybala memories by bringing in an equally gifted talent next year.

Aston Villa right-back Frederic Guilbert will be allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window, according to journalist Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Guilbert out of favour

The 27-year-old has found himself completely out of favour at Villa Park this season, failing to be part of Steven Gerrard’s plans before his sacking last month.

Guilbert hasn’t played a single minute of first-team action this season and he spent the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Strasbourg, not playing for his current club since August 2021.

It now looks as though the forgotten Frenchman is not wanted by new Villa boss Unai Emery either, following a recent claim.

The Latest: January exit expected

Taking to Twitter, Preece stated that Guilbert will be put up for sale in January, with Johan Lange telling him to find a new club in 2023.

In sharing a round-up of Aston Villa news for Birmingham Live, the journalist tweeted:

“Frederic Guilbert free to leave in January.”

The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

This makes complete sense for all parties, with Guilbert clearly not a part of Emery’s plans and the player himself no doubt wanting to be a regular at this stage in his career.

It would allow the right-back a fresh challenge at a new club, while Villa receiving some bit of money for his services is preferable to losing him for free when his current deal runs out next summer.

Ultimately, Guilbert’s move to Villa from Caen in 2019 simply hasn’t worked out, even though Dean Smith once called him ‘rapid’ – he has only made 32 appearances for the club overall – and now seems the ideal time to part ways.

Leeds United have been dealt a fitness setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with Leicester City this evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Jesse Marsch revealed that, despite Adam Forshaw “feeling really good” in his recovery from an ankle injury, the central midfielder will not be fit for the trip to the King Power tonight.

Speaking about the current condition of the 31-year-old, the American manager said: “Adam’s coming back from injury but feeling really good.”

Additionally, injury analyst Ben Dinnery claimed in a post on Twitter that, despite the 48-year-old coach previously suggesting that Forshaw could be in line for a return to action this weekend, the Liverpool-born talent is still a couple of weeks away from featuring once more for the Whites.

In his post, Dinnery said: “Adam Forshaw is ‘feeling good’ although he is still a few weeks away.”

Bad news for Marsch

With central midfield not exactly being a position in which Leeds possess fantastic depth, coupled with how impressive Forshaw was in the heart of the Whites side last season, the fact that the 31-year-old looks as if he will remain sidelined for the foreseeable is undoubtedly bad news for Marsch and his side.

Indeed, at present, the 48-year-old has the options of Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and Mateusz Klich in the middle of the park – meaning that Leeds are just one injury or suspension away from being completely down to their bare bones in central midfield.

And, while it is true that a series of lengthy injury layoffs have seen his game time somewhat limited at Elland Road, the midfielder has nevertheless proven that, when fully fit and firing, he is an incredibly important part of the Whites’ squad.

Indeed, over his 22 Premier League appearances last season, the £2.6m-rated talent made an average of 2.4 tackles – the sixth-most in the Leeds side – 0.9 interceptions, 0.5 clearances and won 4.1 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per game.

The £20k-per-week engine also impressed going forwards, providing his teammates with one assist, in addition to completing an average of 31.4 passes – at an 84% success rate – finding his man with 2.4 long balls and making 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 31-year-old – who Jonathan Woodgate dubbed “the best player on the pitch” in a 4-2 defeat against Manchester United earlier this year – average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.73, ranking him as Marsch’s 13th-best performer in the top flight of English football in 2021/22.

As such, it is clear to see that Forshaw’s continued absence for the trip to Leicester will come as a blow to Leeds, as not only does the midfielder provide fantastic cover for the likes of Adams and Roca in the middle of the park, he can also make a real impact for the Whites when called upon.