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Brighton defender Alex Cochrane is a target for League One side Portsmouth, who want to take him on loan for the 2020/21 season.

The News reported that Pompey have been keeping tabs on the 20-year-old and are keen to bring him to Fratton Park, where Kenny Jackett currently has a sparsity of left-backs.

As per Brighton & Hove Independent, the young defender is currently contracted to the Seagulls until 2021 and has the option of extending that deal by a further 12 months.

Cochrane featured regularly for Brighton’s under-23 side during the most recent Premier League 2 campaign, scoring a couple of times in his 16 appearances, and he was given a senior debut by Graham Potter in a Carabao Cup tie against Aston Villa last September.

While primarily a left-back, the 20-year-old can also play on the left-hand side of midfield and in the centre of the park, as well as occasionally lining out at right-back, a versatility which could make him a very useful squad option for managers. [via TransferMarkt]

He also earned a couple of caps for England’s under-20 side last November, coming on as a substitute against Portugal before starting in a win over Iceland, as per Brighton & Hove Independent.

Dan Burn has been Potter’s first choice at left-back for the majority of this season, with Bernardo as another option in that role. Adam Webster and Martin Montoya could also fill in at left-back if needed, although it is not a position in which Brighton are top-heavy with natural fits.

A spell on loan to a Football League club such as Portsmouth, who were in the League One play-offs, should be of benefit to Cochrane in terms of getting regular senior game-time under his belt. Given that Pompey appear to be light at left-back, that is a club where the 20-year-old would seem to have a good chance of playing regularly.

Should he make that move and should it go well, Potter could then consider blooding him into the first team setup at the Amex Stadium, just as he has done with Tariq Lamptey at right-back in recent weeks.

Brighton fans, do you think Cochrane will establish himself at the Amex in the future? Comment below with your views!

Burnley are reportedly among the favourites to sign Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki in the summer transfer window.

According to Lancashire Live, the Clarets are second favourites with some bookmakers to lure the 80-cap Finland international from Carrow Road following the Canaries’ relegation from the Premier League, with Besiktas currently touted as the front-runners for his signature.

Pukki found the net 11 times for Norwich in their dismal Premier League campaign, although six of those came in the first five matches of the season, including a hat-trick against Newcastle. The 30-year-old netted just twice since New Year’s Day, with both of those goals coming in January. [via TransferMarkt]

His subsequent struggles in front of goal mirrored those of the Canaries in general – in the 14 league games that Norwich played since the start of February, they scored the grand total of two goals. Meanwhile, in eight league games after the season restarted in mid-June, the Finland striker managed just six shots in total (as per WhoScored).

Pukki’s season haul of 11 goals in all competitions was matched by Jay Rodriguez at Burnley and three fewer than Chris Wood. The other two senior centre-forwards at Turf Moor, Ashley Barnes and Matej Vydra, struck eight goals between them in 2019/20. [via TransferMarkt]

Burnley already have a decent selection of potent striking options and therefore aren’t in great need of reinforcement in this department, while they certainly don’t need to invest in a 30-year-old and out of form Pukki.

Furthermore, there are other positions in Sean Dyche’s squad which require more urgent attention – they only have three natural wingers, while neither of the two goalkeeping backups to Chelsea transfer target Nick Pope played for the Clarets in 2019/20.

Burnley will likely need to be more frugal and clever than before in what is set to be a constrained financial climate in the transfer window, so the purchase of Pukki would make very little sense.

Burnley fans, are you surprised that the Clarets are considered among the favourites for Pukki? Share your views in the comments section below!

Ben White has been sensational for Leeds United throughout their push for Premier League football last season. The young centre-back spent a season on loan down in the Championship and it’s pretty safe to say that both parties were extremely happy with that gig.

Marcelo Bielsa had a young and hungry defender in the team and White himself created a great partnership with other teammates. Now, we already know Leeds have been trying to negotiate a deal with Brighton and Hove Albion for the permanent transfer of the 22-year-old to Elland Road.

However, according to the latest report from The Sun, essentially all top-six Premier Clubs have entered the race for his signature and it is expected that the Seagulls will want a fee in excess of £50m to ‘even tempt them to consider doing a deal’.

Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a huge blow for Leeds as they are unlikely to be able to match the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea, all of whom have been mentioned by the same outlet.

The Sun also say the Yorkshire club have already made a £35m offer with £30m immediately and then a further £5m in various add-ons. Unsurprisingly, that was nowhere near enough.

Even though this may soon turn into a ‘mission impossible’ for the Whites, they know that once White actually starts playing in the Premier League, his value can only skyrocket even further.

For that reason, this very much feels like a now or never situation for Bielsa to get his man.

Verdict

There is no denying White’s talent and his defensive astuteness. However, this is slowly but surely turning into a battle Leeds simply cannot win. The pull all three of the named Premier League teams have is incredible and not to mention they are financially more powerful than Bielsa’s men.

It might be time to turn to other alternatives.

Leeds United appear to be closing in on their first senior signing of the summer according to fresh reports in Spain…

What’s the word?

As per Sport (via Sport Witness), Valencia are negotiating Rodrigo’s sale to the Championship winners with the fee thought to be in the region of €25m (£22.5m).

The La Liga outfit are strapped for cash amid a financial crisis which has been affected by the global pandemic and their failure to qualify for Europe next season.

It’s claimed that this move has a realistic chance of happening with interest from Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid going cold in recent days.

Better than Bamford?

United’s striker landscape is going to be an interesting one in the top-flight as Marcelo Bielsa cannot rely on just Patrick Bamford as he did in the Championship.

The likes of Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin came in on loan but failed to have a desired impact and the Yorkshire giants are going to need to dig deep across the pitch if they are to remain in the big time.

Rodrigo is a great option considering he’s been tried and tested at the very elite level, which includes the Champions League. This season, he delivered seven goals and 11 assists and it could have perhaps been more if he didn’t pick up a couple of injuries.

The 29-year-old also averaged 1.9 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game, meaning he could well be an ideal fit for Bielsa’s system as he can score goals but most importantly, bring others into play with his work rate.

He wins more duels per game than Bamford too having managed a total of 3.2 per match compared to the 26-year-old’s 2.6.

Former Barca boss Quique Setien admitted that he was interested in Rodrigo back in January and described the versatile 6-foot forward as “an extraordinary footballer”.

Hopefully, the White can lap him up and begin to kickstart their summer of business as the PL is merely three weeks away from resumption.

AND in other news, Leeds must swerve PL outcast after Bielsa masterclass in 2015…

After signing him for a reported £24m last summer from Villareal, it’s fair to say Pablo Fornals hasn’t exactly enjoyed the greatest of times at West Ham.

The Spain international has struggled to replicate the kind of form that convinced the Hammers to shell out decent money for him, picking up just three goals and five assists in 41 games across all competitions.

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And against Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday evening, he was virtually anonymous. As per Sofascore, he didn’t have a single shot on goal, had just 42 touches, and lost possession nine times.

And following the game, West Ham fans took to Twitter to share their reactions about Fornals’ display.

A couple of West Ham fans slammed Fornals for simply “just running around”, with one supporter insisting that when he does have the ball, he just gets caught on it too easily.

Until Moyes makes the decision to use a system that can have Fornals operating as a number ten or in a more central position, it’s difficult to see how the Hammers will ever get the best out of their talented Spaniard.

Playing him on the left flank as he did once again against Arsenal is setting him up to fail, and if Moyes opts to stick with this three-at-the-back formation for the foreseeable future, then Fornals’ struggles looks set to continue.

After arriving from Reims last summer in a £7m deal, it’s safe to say Bjorn Engels didn’t enjoy the greatest of debut campaigns at Aston Villa.

The Belgian was a permanent fixture in the starting line-up at Villa Park for the opening weeks of the Premier League last season, making 11 consecutive appearances.

Back-to-back defeats to both Manchester City and Liverpool then saw Engels finally drop out of the team, and since then, it’s been a case of ‘Where’s Bjorn?’.

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The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece suggested back in January that Dean Smith’s preference for a traditional right-footer and left-footer as a centre-back pairing, and lack of trust in Engels in a back-three, saw the defender fall out of favour.

And then, at the start of the Premier League’s restart, Smith himself revealed that Engels was suffering from an Achilles issue. Now, it looks like he could be heading out of the exit door.

According to Belgian publication Walfoot, Anderlecht are interested in signing him in this transfer window, although they would want him on loan – something Villa are against as they are keen on a more permanent departure.

Reports last summer suggested that the £55k-a-week earning centre-back arrived on the back of being strongly recommended by the club’s former sporting director, Suso, and it speaks volumes of how his star has fallen at Villa that he is now facing a quick exit.

Despite Tyrone Mings revealing Engels is a “very cool” player to play alongside last year, Villa seem to have had enough with the Belgian.

Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards has played his cards right once again after young striker Rhian Brewster completed his move to Sheffield United on Friday afternoon.

The Blades made the announcement just hours after The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed the details of the deal, which provided a mixed reaction from some of the Anfield faithful.

After a loan spell at Swansea City last season where he was impressive after scoring 11 goals in 22 games, it looked like he earned himself more of an opportunity with Jurgen Klopp’s side this season. However, with the arrival of Diogo Jota and the rise of Takumi Minamino, Klopp felt that Brewster had to develop his game more before he was ready to compete for the central striking role.

With this in mind, and his preference to play regular first-team football, this ultimately led to the decision that he wanted a move, with the Reds not willing to send him out on loan for the second successive campaign.

Brewster joins the Blades for a fee of £23.5m, which comes with a 15% sell-on clause and a buyback option which is valid for three years. This means that Liverpool have now recouped around £45m from player sales this window so far, which almost reimburses their transfer fee for Jota and the first year’s payment for Thiago Alcantara, per The Times.

Taking the finances of Liverpool’s transfer dealings this summer into consideration, it just goes to show Edwards’ incredible talents as a shrewd negotiator.

The club’s sporting director has proved himself to be a key figure of the team off the pitch and has helped transform the squad from a top-four side to a Champions League and Premier League-winning elite outfit.

Let’s not forget, Liverpool offloaded the likes of Jordon Ibe, Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke and made a significant amount of money from those three players, individuals that were nowhere near the first team setup at the time of their respective departures.

Liverpool are lucky to have such a solid working partnership at the heart of club in Klopp and Edwards. Both have worked in harmony over the years to build an outstanding football team and have put themselves in a fantastic position to asset domestic dominance in the manner that Manchester City have done in recent years.

Do you think Liverpool did the right thing in selling Rhian Brewster? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Many West Ham United fans are reacting to a rather positive transfer update on Brentford winger Said Benrahma.Â

According to the Daily Mail, and as tweeted by @whufc_news, West Ham are confident of ending their transfer window on a high by completing an £18m deal for the Bees forward.

There is no doubting the terrific campaign Benrahma had last season for the west Londoners as he scored 17 goals and also supplied nine assists, per WhoScored. He often proved a menace for opposition defences as he averaged 3.8 shots, 2.1 key passes and three successful dribbles per game.

Felipe Anderson moved to FC Porto on loan, whilst academy prospect GradyÂDiangana’s permanent departure to West Bromwich Albion left many Irons fans and even players infuriated.

This has notably reduced the selection of wingers available to David Moyes and the signing of Benrahma would go a long way to addressing that shortfall, along with possibly appeasing a disenchanted fan base.

How West Ham fans reacted to the latest on Benrahma:

West Ham are confident of ending their transfer window on a high by completing an £18million deal for Brentford dangerman Said Benrahma.

[Source: @MailSport] pic.twitter.com/cMZ41zsnuZ

— West Ham News (@WHUFC_News) October 10, 2020

Only 18 mil I thought it would be more

— luke (@_LukeWHU) October 10, 2020

Good deal if it happens, but we have to wait and see……..,….been down many similar roads before.

— Dave Bundy âš’ï¸ (@bundy201065) October 10, 2020

😄😄😄👠of coarse we are

— Silv #SBOUT (@Andysilve1) October 10, 2020

Wait…Benrahma and money left for Manning and a CB?! https://t.co/y1AlztgveN

— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) October 10, 2020

I still don’t think we’ll get him

— luke (@_LukeWHU) October 10, 2020

West Ham fans, do you think the Irons will sign Benrahma this week? Comment below with your views!

Vladimir Coufal shone on Saturday as West Ham United held Manchester City to a point, with David Moyes’ summer capture keeping England international Raheem Sterling silent.

The Irons finalised a deal to bring Coufal to the Premier League late in the summer transfer window, concluding Moyes’ search for a new right-back by striking a deal worth just £5.4million with Slavia Prague for a 10-time Czech Republic international.

Coufal was thrust into the Hammers starting line-up immediately upon his arrival with Moyes fielding the 28-year-old away to Leicester City, and has kept his trust in the Slezsky FC Opava product who started the 3-3 draw at Tottenham Hotspur and against Man City.

Moyes’ trust was repaid heavily on Saturday when Coufal’s pinpoint delivery found Michail Antonio in the box, before the English centre-forward spectacularly netted his third of the Premier League season to break the deadlock.

Coufal had already begun to earn his fair share of admirers before starring against Manchester City, with West Ham icon Trevor Sinclair waxing lyrical over the east London outfit’s summer capture ahead of this weekend’s clash.

“Playing three at the back – Coufal has come in and done a superb job – the balance looks superb,” Sinclair told talkSPORT (23/10, 09:20).

Moyes had similarly been impressed with what he’d seen from Coufal before the right-back had even kicked a ball in claret and blue, noting after his capture via quotes by The Guardian: “He is a player we have been tracking for some time now and all of our reports have been very impressive.

“He has a lot of attributes and qualities that we believe will enable him to adapt quickly to the demands of the Premier League. We are confident that he will make a positive impact and prove to be a great addition to the squad.”

Coufal proved to have taken well to the Premier League during his debut away to Leicester, and again stood out on Saturday as he kept Manchester City’s £115.2m-rated Sterling silent throughout the first-half.

The Czech Republic international struggled slightly more in the second period once ganged up on by Phil Foden and Joao Cancelo, but still came through the affair with flying colours as West Ham’s second-best performing outfield player, per SofaScore.

Data collected from the Citizens contest saw Coufal warrant a 7.1 out of 10 rating, only trailing Declan Rice (7.6) and Lukasz Fabianski (7.5) for the hosts. The right-back achieved his score thanks to an impressive display featuring seven successful duels and five tackles.

Coufal won six of his ten ground battles and his sole aerial contest, while adding one interception, three clearances and 55 touches to his record.

The Czech beast further attempted 30 passes but could only connect with West Ham players on 17 occasions, while misplacing five of seven long balls, two of his three crosses and losing possession 17 times.

Nonetheless, Coufal impressed against Manchester City, and warranted the high match rating given by SofaScore.

AND in other news, David Moyes must hit the reset button as £27.2m target puts West Ham’s interest in the past.

Former Newcastle United forward Malcolm Macdonald has delivered a damning review of the Magpies’ approach to games under Steve Bruce and suggested that Callum Wilson will be regretting moving to St James’ Park.

Bruce brought in Wilson in the summer from Bournemouth for £20m, with the forward choosing to sign for the Magpies despite interest from Aston Villa, per Express and Star. The 28-year-old had been keen to make the move back to the Premier League to help him get back into England contention.

Newcastle approach not helping Callum Wilson and co

Wilson has made a bright start to his career at St James’ Park, scoring four goals in his first six Premier League matches (Sofascore). However, the 28-year-old suffered from a lack of service against Wolves last weekend, managing just 28 touches and failing to have a single attempt on goal (Sofascore).

Despite Newcastle earning a point at Wolves, their performance attracted plenty of criticism, with Chris Sutton describing their approach as “anti-football”. That has seen pressure start to mount on Bruce, whose side have had the joint least amount of attempts on goal so far this season (Premierleague.com).

Writing for Chronicle Live, Macdonald outlined how he thinks Wilson could soon be regretting his decision to move to the Magpies due to the difference in styles between Bruce’s team and the attack-minded Bournemouth side he left in the summer.

He wrote: “I watched Wilson at Wolves and he made run after run without the ball ever coming. He’s rapidly going to get sick of doing that and stop running.

“As an old centre-forward myself I know how demoralising making repeated runs for nowt can become.

“Wilson probably thought he had won the pools when a club with 50,000 fans came in for him. He had been playing in front of the PL’s smallest crowds of 11,000.

“But now I bet he’s wondering if he did the right thing. Bournemouth were always prepared to play and push on which gave a centre-forward a chance.

“How on earth do United think they are going to win games when they don’t have a shot on goal from open play? It’s ridiculous.”

Callum Wilson needs more service having already proven goal scoring potential

Wilson has displayed to Newcastle that, if he gets provided with sufficient service, he will take chances in the final third. The Magpies struggle to create opportunities and Bruce at times sets them up not to lose rather than looking to be expansive. That is the sort of approach which often frustrates supporters who would like to see more from some of the attacking players brought into the club recently.

The 28-year-old needs to keep up his ratio of 0.7 goals per game (Sofascore) if he is going to be able to keep pace with the other forwards chasing England call-ups. At the moment it looks like he is really going to struggle to achieve that ambition with a lack of service at St James’ Park.

In other news, find out what Steve Bruce had to say about the potential involvement for this Newcastle duo here.