All posts by n8rngtd.top

Tottenham Hotspur are edging closer to signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton, according to reports. 

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has made it clear that the Denmark international is the player that he wants to rebuild the midfield in the summer. Spurs have reportedly offered £15m for the ex-Bayern Munich ace but discussions are still ongoing.

According to Sky Sports, the Saints are demanding £25m but the Lilywhites are working on a deal which would see Kyle Walker-Peters move the other way on a permanent basis.

Hojbjerg played 33 games in the Premier League this season, supplying one assist, taking 1.4 shots, winning 2.4 tackles and completing 1.5 clearances per game on average (via WhoScored).

The 24-year-old has made more than 100 appearances for Southampton, but he has told the Saints that he will not sign a new deal at St Mary’s, which led to Ralph Hasenhuttl replacing the former captain with James Ward-Prowse as a result.

He was relegated to the bench in recent weeks, although he played the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Brighton, albeit out of position at right-back. However, he was dropped from the squad altogether for the 3-1 win at home to Sheffield United, which could well be a sign of things to come.

Everton are also interested in Hojbjerg and have submitted a £19m bid so far, but Sky Sports claimed that he wants to join Spurs instead. Recent reports revealed that he favours a move to north London, with rampant speculation fuelled by Hojbjerg’s hints on social media.

As it stands, a deal is far from certain, although things seem to be heading in the right direction. As is often the case with Spurs, fans should expect plenty of twists and turns when the transfer window heats up.

Hojbjerg’s potential arrival could cause a seismic shake-up of the squad, as it seems Walker-Peters could stay with the Saints, while Harry Winks may find himself surplus to requirements. Despite the fact that he formed a partnership with Giovani Lo Celso, his future remains uncertain.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy will sign Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know your views by commenting below!

According to The Daily Mail, Leeds United face competition from Fulham for the signing of Benfica starlet Florentino Luis.

What’s the word?

The 20-year-old has previously reported to have been tracked by the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, but it appears two of the Premier League’s new boys are firmly in the running to sign him.

The Daily Mail claim that Leeds have asked about the Portuguese midfielder, although Fulham’s club scouts have also identified him as a potential target.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The report adds that Luis’ side have made him available for £2.5m for a season-long loan, but with a £40m fee attached at the end of the season to buy him on a permanent basis.

Marcelo Bielsa could transform him

After initially starting all four of Benfica’s opening league games last season, Luis fell out of favour for the rest of the campaign, with a meniscal injury not helping his cause either.

But whilst he may have only played 18 times, his talent is still undoubted, and is a young prospect who just needs a coach like Marcelo Bielsa to help him realise his potential. Luis’ former coach, Joao Tralhao, said of him: “(He has) an exceptional talent and physical qualities totally in line with his footballing qualities. (He) has a very similar profile to Casemiro. From very early on, we realised that Florentino was on his way to becoming an elite player.”

The midfielder has been lauded for his N’Golo Kante-like abilities to cover a lot of ground in the engine room, and for his impressive reading of the game despite his age. Andre David, a coach in Portugal, remarked: “He has incredible space-covering capacity, he’s very intelligent at anticipating and recovering the ball.”

At just 20, Luis has age on his side, and if Victor Orta can land him this summer, then he could be a player who Bielsa can help transform into a superstar at Elland Road.

After arriving in the January transfer window on an 18-month loan deal from Benfica, Gedson Fernandes hardly had a look-in at Tottenham before the season was curtailed a couple of months later.

The Portugal international made just seven total appearances in the Premier League, and even that only amounted to 61 minutes of football.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

On Saturday afternoon, Fernandes was given the chance to shine in Spurs’ pre-season friendly clash against Ipswich, and perhaps rather tellingly, Jose Mourinho decided to use the 21-year-old as a make-shift right-back.

And after seeing his performance in a completely new position, Spurs fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of supporters hailed Fernandes for showing signs of versatility, with one fan describing him as a “one-man wrecking crew”.

One Spurs fan even suggested that the youngster could follow a similar path to former Manchester United man Antonio Valencia, who went from a winger in his early days at Wigan, to a more natural right-back at Old Trafford.

Having secured his signing for 18 months, and also having the option to make the deal permanent, Spurs have every motivation to try and make this loan spell for Fernandes work.

Mourinho knows that if his Portuguese compatriot performs to his ability, then Spurs can be the biggest beneficiaries of that by signing him on a longer-term basis.

And whilst League One Ipswich are hardly the standard of opposition he will be expected to perform against on a weekly basis next season, there are some promising signs for his development in north London.

According to Football Insider, Rangers have made an attempt to sign QPR’s Bright Osayi-Samuel on a pre-contract.

What’s the word?

The 22-year-old has entered into the final year of his contract at Loftus Road, and his long-term future is still very much uncertain.

A £5m move to Belgian side Brugge collapsed earlier in this summer transfer window, and now, Football Insider claim that Steven Gerrard’s Rangers are preparing a package to lure Osayi-Samuel ahead of January.

Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The report reveals that the Gers are “keen to tie Osayi-Samuel down to a pre-contract in January that would commit him to moving to Ibrox when his QPR contract expires next June”.

It’s further suggested the Championship side are still demanding around £5m heading into the end of the summer window.

Ryan Kent upgrade

Despite playing in a QPR side that finished closer to relegation than the play-off places in the Championship, Osayi-Samuel was undoubtedly one of the rare stand-out performers for the club along with Eberechi Eze, who now finds himself at Crystal Palace.

Capable of playing on either flank or even through the middle, the 22-year-old produce some impressive attacking returns for the Hoops, scoring six goals and providing nine assists across all competitions.

Rangers of course have their own talented winger in Ryan Kent, but there’s a real argument to be made that Osayi-Samuel might just be the perfect fit for Gerrard at Ibrox.

Hailed as a “real star of the future” by former England manager Steve McClaren, QPR boss Mark Warburton waxed lyrical about him last season after a superb performance in a 6-1 win against Cardiff.

He said: “I’m not sure many teams have that blistering pace. As long as he knows how to use it and that’s the key for him learning the game. He’s working so hard. He’s got that sheer pace which terrifies defenders and when he uses it wisely like he did today he looks a real handful. I’m delighted for him and it’s good for the crowd to see a player who gets them off their seats which is what you want.”

Crucially, Osayi-Samuel seems to have a better end product to his game than Kent, with his greater tally of assists last season pointing to that (nine to four). And with Leeds United seemingly interested in signing the latter, Gerrard could land himself an upgrade with a move for the QPR starlet.

In what would surely rank as one of the biggest surprises of any transfer window, let alone this one, Tottenham are supposedly interested in signing Manchester United star Jesse Lingard.

The England international’s form at Old Trafford has fallen through the roof over the past couple of seasons, with just nine goals in 76 games for the Red Devils across all competitions – not exactly the record of someone who has predominantly played as an attacking midfielder.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But according to ESPN, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is keen on a reunion with the £100k-a-week earning ace, and has asked Daniel Levy to see whether a deal can be struck with their Premier League counterparts.

The report adds that Lingard is open to a move away from Old Trafford to secure more first-team football, and that discussions between intermediaries are already under way.

Whilst the United ace has struggled big-time in recent times, he was once considered one of the bright hopes of United’s long-term future, with former coach Red Devils coach Rene Meulensteen even saying “he was always the English version of Iniesta”.

In fact, Mourinho himself said back in 2018: “One thing is to be a young talent, another thing is to be a very good player. Some players are not capable of that jump. They go from great potential to normal players. Lingard is giving that jump. He is more consistent, he is adaptable, he understands better the game, he is going in a good direction.”

Mourinho perhaps feels that he holds the key to reviving Lingard’s career.

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that had many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

Brighton’s clash with Manchester United yesterday could have caused some conflicting emotions in a certain Glenn Murray, who is currently on loan at Watford from the Seagulls but is a boyhood fan of the Red Devils.

Now 36, the striker joined Brighton in 2008 when they were a League One club and spent three-and-a-half years in Sussex, scoring 22 league goals in 2010/11 as he fired them into the Championship. However, after rejecting multiple offers of a new contract from Albion at the end of that season, he was released by the club and left on a free transfer…to A23 rivals Crystal Palace.

Fate would decree that Murray was in the Palace team that met Brighton in the Championship play-off semi-finals two years later and, inevitably, he attracted headlines following the first leg. Sadly for him, it was because he suffered a serious knee injury, much to the mocking derision of some travelling supporters at Selhurst Park that night.

Murray eventually moved on to Bournemouth in 2015 in the early weeks of their first Premier League season but, a year later, he dropped back to the second tier in a move as sensational as his switch to the Eagles in 2011.

On 3 July 2016, Brighton announced that Murray was back at the club on a season-long loan. Naturally there may have been some opposition to his return given how he left for Palace, but just as he scored 30 goals in helping the south Londonders into the Premier League in 2013, he performed a similar feat upon his return to Sussex.

The striker’s 23 league goals in 2016/17 were crucial to Brighton winning promotion to the top flight, with Murray making his loan move permanent midway through the season in a £3.15m deal (as per TransferMarkt). The redemption act had well and truly been completed.

It’s one thing to score a bundle of goals to get a team into the Premier League. It’s another to find the net often enough to then keep the team there, yet that is what he did in the memorable 2017/18 campaign. Murray’s 12-goal haul was crucial to keeping Albion in the top flight at the first time of asking, and his 13 goals the following season perhaps proved even more priceless as the Seagulls very narrowly beat the drop.

Having struggled to hold down a place in Graham Potter’s first XI last season, though, he decided to join Watford on loan over the summer, a move he made with 111 Brighton goals to his name, making him the second-highest scorer in the club’s history behind Tommy Cook.

The We Are Brighton blog recently made cogent arguments for Murray to be considered the greatest striker in Albion history, with the summary that: “Not many players could win over the fans of a club once in 2009, leave for their bitter rivals in 2011, return in 2016 and go onto achieve legendary status by 2020. Murray did though.”

That is a sign of how highly he is regarded at the Amex Stadium despite the circumstances of his move to Crystal Palace, and Brighton can be glad that the 36-year-old gladly took up the role of the prodigal son back in 2016.

Brighton fans, were you shocked when Murray returned to the Seagulls four years ago? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!

Leeds United have been brilliant at handling their young stars this summer.

The likes of Mateusz Bogusz, Jordan Stevens, Ryan Edmondson and Alfie McCalmont have all been sent out on loan to cut their teeth in the senior game and gain some valuable experience, but one man whose future remained uncertain for a long time was Robbie Gotts.

The midfielder had loan interest all summer long with Huddersfield and Hull City interested earlier in the window before Swindon seemed to jump to the front of the queue earlier this month.

In the end, it was Lincoln City who signed the youngster on a loan deal until the end of the season, and Gotts certainly needed this chance.

The midfielder seems to have a bright future at the club, having won the club’s Academy Player of the Year award last season, but he’s seen his opportunities limited at Leeds United, something that Marcelo Bielsa has acknowledged as a problem.

The Leeds manager spoke about his situation last December saying:

“In Gotts’s situation, I feel guilty about what is happening because he does everything to achieve his goal even though he didn’t have minutes on the pitch.

“It’s a situation unfair for Gotts. It’s very, very difficult for me to resolve. It’s difficult, but the reality is they are young players forced to say nothing and accept what the manager decides. This increases the feeling I have I am worrying about.”

Bielsa clearly felt bad about the way he treated Gotts, but he’s finally put that right now by giving him a chance to spread his wings in League One with Lincoln.

El Loco now has no reason to feel guilty about Gotts’ situation, but the midfielder now has to prove that he’s worthy of getting more chances at Leeds when he returns for the 2021/22 season.

Whether or not he can do that remains to be seen, but with Lincoln having a 100% winning record in League One after four games, he’s certainly at the right place to succeed at that level.

Former Southampton target Darwin Nunez is set for a huge career as he has been identified as a mega money maker by his new manager. After recently signing for Benfica, Jorge Jesus has already tipped him to become the club’s most expensive sale, beating Joao Felix who was sold for £113million to Atletico Madrid last summer (via BBC Sport).

Jesus waxed lyrical over Nunez in a recent interview with Sport TV (relayed via Goal), predicting that he “will be a world class player” in the future.

“All this decision-making ability, finishing and speed… He was Benfica’s most expensive purchase, and when there is no pandemic, he will be the most expensive sale,” he said.

Southampton missed a trick by not signing Nunez

The Saints were linked to the 21-year-old over the summer in what turned out to be a huge transfer scuffle. According to Calciomercato, other interested parties included Napoli, Wolfsburg and Benfica, who eventually won the battle for Nunez’s signature in September.

Southampton would have completed some serious business by signing the rising star, as he could have potentially become an upgrade on Che Adams and partnered up with the clinical Danny Ings in front of goal.

In seven appearances, Nunez has already racked up an astonishing four goals and five assists, including his hat-trick against Lech Poznan in the Europa League. For comparison, Adams has two goals and two assists in the same amount of matches played (via Transfermarkt), and six in 42 in total for the south coast outfit.

Whilst his numbers aren’t anything to worry about at the moment, having someone to put pressure on him could bring out the best in Adams. Signing Nunez could have also paved the way for a new era at St Mary’s, with world class attacking talent leading the line. Annoyingly for Hasenhuttl, if they want to revisit talks, it looks like they will have to pay upwards of £113million to bring him to the south coast.

In other news, Southampton should look to phase Nathan Redmond out following Everton display…

Steven Gerrard can’t have much to complain about after Glasgow Rangers thrashed Hamilton Academical in a thrilling 8-0 win at Ibrox to stay nine points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

The Light Blues are currently unbeaten in 20 games, stretching all the way back to the 1-0 victory over Aberdeen at the start of the season, and Rangers will look to resume their remarkable run when they face the Dons after the international break.

Scott Arfield combined with Ryan Kent to open the floodgates, as goals from Kemar Roofe and Joe Aribo put the Gers three goals up inside 19 minutes to put the game beyond Hamilton, before Aribo and Roofe doubled their efforts, and Brandon Barker and a brace from club captain James Tavernier capped off Gerrard’s biggest win since he first took charge of the club.

Whilst Aribo, Arfield and Roofe ran riot over the Accies, there was one player who’s poor performance went relatively unnoticed – Ryan Kent.

Before we get started, let’s just make one thing clear – Kent is still one of the club’s best players by a country mile. But that doesn’t mean that he can be totally exempt from criticism, if anything, far from it, as he still has some areas he urgently needs to address, namely working on his aerial duels, which are a glaring weakness.

Per SofaScore, the 23-year-old received a respectable rating of 7.3, but this was the lowest score out of the entire front three – he lost possession more times than Jermain Defoe and Roofe (15), whilst he only won five out of ten duels overall, hit the woodwork once and missed one big chance.

It’s fair to say that this was a rather disappointing display from a player of his standards, as he once again failed to find the back of the net, although he at least assisted Arfield’s opener. In fact, he has failed to score since the 4-0 win over Willem II in the third round of the Europa League qualifying stage this season.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Leeds and Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan insisted that the erratic Rangers ace “needs to improve” his finishing and goal contributions in general.

Kent has only scored four goals and supplied two assists in 19 games in all competitions so far this season, whilst he is averaging 2.9 shots per game, via WhoScored. He just needs to be more clinical in front of the goal, that’s for sure. Maybe the international break will give him a chance to rest his weary legs.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson may have struck gold with Kai Kennedy loan move…

Everton continued their poor recent form with a 3-1 loss against Manchester United, their third loss in a row, despite a goal from Bernard giving the Toffees the lead.

The Brazilian international’s low strike past David de Gea put Carlo Ancelotti’s side ahead at Goodison Park, but that was as good as it got for Everton. Bruno Fernandes then netted twice before Edinson Cavani bagged in the last minute of injury-time to give the Red Devils all three points.

Whilst his side may have been defeated, Bernard was still happy with his strike, taking to Twitter to share a video of his goal with the caption: “A finish that deserved to count for something”.

Given how the match ended, it is hardly surprising that Everton fans were disgusted with Bernard’s comments. They took to the social media platform to share their anger.

Let’s see what they had to say about Bernard below

In other news, this pundit praised one Everton star against Manchester United.