All posts by n8rngtd.top

Nottingham Forest have made contact to sign Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata this month, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Reinforcements needed

The Premier League side have recently secured back-to-back top-flight victories for the first time this season but are still in need of attacking reinforcements to ensure they avoid relegation, having scored just 15 times, less than four of the teams below them.

The Colombian’s contract at the Gewiss Stadium isn’t set to expire until 2024, but having been frozen out of the team thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s performances, a path has now opened up for the 31-year-old to seal a move away before the end of the window.

The Latest: Forest submit enquiry

According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), Forest have ‘asked for information’ regarding Zapata’s current availability ahead of a potential transfer this January.

Steve Cooper’s side are ‘interested’ in the forward but are set to face competition from rivals Everton, who have also made ‘contact’.

The Reds are eyeing an initial loan deal with the option to buy, and whilst that’s not what the Serie A giants are after, should the club ‘change the cards on the table’, there’s every chance that an agreement could be reached.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Zapata has been dubbed a ‘monster’ by Serie A reporter David Amoyal and Evangelos Marinakis needs to act fast to make sure he gets this deal over the line ahead of his competitors.

The Nike-sponsored player has clocked up an outstanding 120 goal contributions in just 174 appearances for Atalanta and currently ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive passes received, showing he is always getting in good positions to receive the ball up front.

Forest also bought Remo Freuler from the same side last summer, so this existing connection between the two parties could give the Midlands outfit the advantage in the race for Zapata’s signature.

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Udinese forward Gerard Deulofeu this month, and the Spaniard could be a Kylian Mbappe-esque signing for Julen Lopetegui.

Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has suggested that the 56-year-old is a big fan of the former Watford forward.

He said: “I think it’s about Udinese wanting to keep Deulofeu. For example, I’m told that also Wolves’ manager, Lopetegui, is [a] big fan of Deulofeu. So it’s true that Aston Villa like him, but also Wolves have been tracking him.”

The 28-year-old will be well known to Premier League fans having spent time with Watford and Everton in the past, contributing a combined 25 goals and 30 assists across his spells with those two clubs.

One of those goals came in a memorable FA Cup semi-final win for the Hornets over Wolves in 2019, and while fans of the Old Gold would never like to see their team concede, surely even they could appreciate the “genius” of Deulofeu’s chip over John Ruddy, as BBC reporter Phil McNulty described it.

His former Everton boss Roberto Martinez was also full of praise for the winger’s impact from the bench in a Carabao Cup game for the Toffees against Barnsley in 2015.

The now-Portugal coach said: “He was outstanding when he came on. His pace, penetration and ability in one-on-one situations was something that inspired our second-half performance.”

This description of Deulofeu is perhaps where the similarities with Mbappe begin, as the PSG forward’s frightening pace and dribbling ability make him a nightmare for players to defend against, as was clear at the World Cup when he hit eight goals for France to win the Golden Boot.

According to FBref, the 24-year-old is statistically the third-most similar player to Deulofeu when compared with other forwards across Europe’s top leagues.

This season has seen the two versatile wingers register very similar numbers with regard to final third passes (39 vs 38), goal-creating actions (nine vs eight) and expected assists per 90 (0.32 vs 0.30).

The fact that Deulofeu outscored Mbappe in these metrics would suggest that he is the more creative of the two, while the Frenchman is often on the end of chances rather than making them himself.

However, WhoScored also suggests that both Deulofeu and Mbappe excel at passing, playing key passes, dribbling, holding onto the ball and long shots, so they are clearly similar types of players.

Considering that the Spaniard has two goals and six assists in just 15 Serie A appearances this season, it seems clear that he could be an excellent prospective addition to Lopetegui’s squad this month as the Wolves boss looks to address the Old Gold’s woes in front of goal in 2023.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed West Ham United are still uncertain about the expected injury return date of Maxwel Cornet.

What’s the word?

The winger has been out for some time now and has not actually played for the club since even before the break for the World Cup.

Indeed, his last appearance for the Hammers came in the 2-0 Premier League home win over Wolves back at the very start of October.

Unfortunately, in a new update shared on The West Ham Way podcast, it has now been revealed that the club will keep looking in the transfer market for a new winger as Cornet’s fitness situation remains unclear even though he has been back in training.

Ex said “In terms of attacking wingers, we obviously want to sign one because of the Cornet situation.

“Now Cornet has been back in training doing physical work, but it hasn’t been on the pitch yet.

“I still don’t think the club know how long he’s going to be out for, they are taking it sort of week by week.”

Troubling times

Considering the club are struggling down towards the relegation zone, supporters will be desperate to have all their players fit and fighting, or at least have new signings come in to replace them.

In a bad slice of luck for the Irons, however, Danny Ings looks set for a long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury having only just arrived from Aston Villa in a £15m switch.

And with this latest lack of clarity over Cornet, it does seem as though a new winger will be targeted. According to Corriere dello Sport, the Hammers have been chasing Roma ace Nicolo Zaniolo on loan but their terms don’t seem to be agreeable.

And so while that deal feels far from being complete, perhaps a few more names will pop up as options for the club in the final week or so of the transfer market.

It certainly feels as though attacking reinforcements are needed, especially after these worrying developments for Cornet and Ings.

Tottenham Hotspur target Pedro Porro has apparently made it ‘clear’ that he wishes to feature for Sporting Lisbon against FC Porto in the Taca da Liga Cup final today.

The Lowdown: Spurs in talks for Porro…

It is no secret that the Lilywhites have been in talks to sign the former Manchester City starlet in recent weeks, with Spurs keen to strengthen at full-back.

The north Londoners are apparently edging closer to a deal for Porro, even if there are some ‘surprise’ claims that his release clause isn’t active until this summer.

Tottenham’s agreement for the 23-year-old has been delayed, though, with Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth shedding light as to why that could be the case.

The Latest: Porro makes Sporting wish ‘clear’…

According to the reliable reporter, after receiving a text from one of his colleagues, it is believed that Porro is adamant that he wishes to play a part in Sporting’s cup final against FC Porto this evening.

Sheth explained on The Transfer Show (via Sky transfer blog, Friday 18:25]: “I’ve just received a text from a colleague of mine in Lisbon regarding the Pedro Porro to Tottenham deal. I will read it out to you word for word…”

‘Mate, someone whispered in my ear that Porro has made it pretty clear he wants to play the League Cup final [for Sporting against Porto] tomorrow. He wants to go out with a bang.’

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-3/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Interesting…

This update comes as an interesting one and offers some degree of explanation as to why the Porro deal has been dragged out somewhat. The good news for Spurs supporters is this also highlights a very desirable mentality from their target – a player keen to make one last major contribution for a club for whom he has thrived.

Rather than attempting to force an exit as quickly as possible, Porro’s eagerness to go out with a ‘bang’ hints at a defender who will give his utmost for whatever shirt he is wearing.

Alongside the 23-year-old’s incredible attacking statistics, which will seriously entice Antonio Conte, such a desirable attitude is perhaps the cherry on top.

According to WhoScored, the attack-minded Porro tops Sporting’s charts for league assists and ranks in their top two for attempts at goal and key passes made per 90 in the final third.

We have little doubt that the move will go through soon, based off reliable reports, and Tottenham supporters have every reason to be excited.

Scottish champions Celtic maintained their handsome nine-point advantage at the summit with a commanding 3-0 win over Livingston on Wednesday evening, with the Old Firm outfit continuing to march on in the defence of their title.

While bitter rivals Rangers have enjoyed an unbeaten run under new boss Michael Beale since the Englishman’s appointment back in November, that has mattered little in truth with the Hoops having hardly broken stride of late, with last night’s performance once again a reminder of the devastating attacking quality that Ange Postecoglou’s side possess.

In what was a remarkable first-half display from the hosts at Parkhead, goals from Greg Taylor, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi made sure of the points inside the opening 45 minutes, with opposition boss David Martindale quipping that he had been “trying to get an Uber” out of Glasgow at the interval, such was the rampant nature of the home side’s performance.

While much of the plaudits will go to Postecoglou’s forward line for having so ruthlessly dispatched the West Lothian outfit in that breathtaking spell before the break, a word must also be said on the club’s defensive unit, having once again recorded a shut-out.

The most notable figure among that backline was United States international, Cameron Carter-Vickers, with the imposing colossus having been something of a rock on the night, after producing ‘another dominating performance’ – in the words of Glasgow Live’s Will Lancaster.

That immense showing saw the former Tottenham Hotspur man – who has now kept 11 clean sheets in 21 league appearances this season – win 100% of his aerial duels, while also recording three clearances and two interceptions in total.

Not just an almost impenetrable presence defensively, the 25-year-old also showed his class on the ball as he enjoyed a stunning 92% pass accuracy rate from his 108 touches, having lost the ball on just ten occasions.

The 12-cap maestro also registered one key pass as a marker of his forward-thinking approach at the heart of the defence, with that all-round performance having unsurprisingly warranted a solid 7.4 match rating, as per Sofascore.

The Southend-born powerhouse was also lauded by Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty, with the Hoops journalist awarding the centre-back an 8/10 match rating, while stating: ‘Strolled through proceedings and you almost felt heart sorry for lone Livi striker Bruce Anderson who got no change out of the USA international all evening. He read everything superbly well and his concentration levels are excellent. He is a formidable presence at the back of the pack.’

Formidable is indeed the word to describe Carter-Vickers’ impact at Celtic Park over the last 18 months or so, with the reported £6m fee that it took to make the defender’s deal permanent over the summer already looking like something of a bargain.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United are in talks to sign young Northern Irish player Sean Moore.

What’s the latest?

With transfer deadline day now upon us, plenty of Irons fans will be excited to see who their club could land, if anyone, in the remaining hours left this January.

For instance, the club have been linked with a possible loan move for Premier League and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, though that doesn’t look likely.

One potential deal that is a little more realistic, however, is a move for 17-year-old winger Moore who would then potentially be loaned back to current club Cliftonville.

While talking about it on The West Ham Way Patreon, Ex revealed: “West Ham are in talks with Northern Irish player Sean Moore of Cliftonville over a possible move to the club today.

“There has been discussions that we would buy the player and loan him back to Cliftonville.”

Planning for the future

Depsite still being a teenager, Moore has already established himself as a regular in the Cliftonville set up and has played 19 times in the Danske Bank Premiership this term.

In that period, he has scored two goals and created to more, while in total across the span of his short career, he already has 25 senior appearances for the Northern Irish club.

Clearly, the player is doing very well to catch the eye of a Premier League side like West Ham. However, if they can get a deal done this January, it would make an awful lot of sense to loan him back to Cliftonville seeing as he is currently thriving there and at 17 years of age there is no rush to get him over to England permanently just yet.

Crystal Palace delved into the transfer market to solve the club’s current issues in January, with a disernible loss of swagger in the midfield contributing towards the dip in form following the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup.

While the Croydon-based outfit are once again treading water above the depths of the division, six points and six places above the relegation zone, present fears over the threat of the drop-zone are not too grave, but the need for an upswing is now paramount, with the Premier League’s stragglers starting to show signs of life.

Eagles boss Patrick Vieira has landed Arsenal’s Sambi Albert Lokonga on loan and also clinched the permanent signing of 20-year-old midfielder Naouirou Ahamada in the closing stages of the January transfer window, he might find fruit in turning to the club’s youth academy and providing starlet Kaden Rodney with the platform to flourish.

Despite the recent incomings, two talented young midfielders certainly capable of adding a fresh sheen to the Selhurst Park centre, there is a clear requirement for an upturn in form, and the central engine must be the nucleus of new life, with journalist Tom Dutton lamenting the current “struggling” crop.

With this in mind, Vieira might be prudent to look to start the talented Rodney’s integration into the first-team fold, with the 18-year-old impressing at youth level.

Indeed, in the early stages of last season, The Guardian published their annual Next Generation list of players with an ostensibly big future on Premier League turf, and Rodney was included.

The Guardian’s Ed Aarons wrote: “The emergence of Rodney – an intelligent defensive midfielder who is also capable of scoring spectacular goals – as one of the standout performers from the first crop of players since the club’s academy attained Category One status was a promising sign for the future.”

Rodney made his debut for the first team against Oxford United in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, while regularly nurturing his skills with the second team where he has made a total of 17 outings, scoring a goal and serving two assists.

But certainly, the “extremely talented” gem – as dubbed by Rob Quinn – has abilities that are well-suited to Vieira’s system, and this aforementioned ‘intelligence’ could pay dividends in rekindling the fire that has dimmed.

To a degree, Vieira must be circumspect in pushing this talented young player closer towards prominence, careful not to tip the boat before setting sail, but with the two new arrivals, and the added stability that comes in tow, Rodney could indeed start to acclimatise to the robust nature of top-flight football.