Tag Futebol

Everton are interested in making a move for exciting Sporting Lisbon youngster Fatawu Issahaku, according to a new transfer rumour from Portugal.

The Lowdown: Issahaku a top prospect

The 18-year-old has emerged as a talented prospect at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, making three Primeira Liga appearances this season, along with playing twice in the Champions League.

Everton’s Merseyside rivals Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Issahaku in the recent past as interest emerges from across Europe.

It now looks as though the Toffees could be in the mix to snap up the teenager, who already has 13 caps to his name for Ghana and could be named in their World Cup squad.

The Latest: Everton keen on Issahaku

According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo [via Sport Witness], Everton had a representative present to Issahaku in action for Sporting against Tottenham in the Champions League a fortnight ago.

The Toffees are eyeing up the winger as ‘part of the process of detecting business opportunities’ and they have ‘joined the list’ of British clubs’ watching him. Manchester United and Liverpool are both mentioned as well.

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The Verdict: One for the future

Issahaku may not be viewed as an immediate starter by Frank Lampard if Everton sign him, but he is a huge talent with a potentially big future ahead of him.

To already be so established at international level as an 18-year-old is a testament to his quality, and he has been hailed as a ‘great talent’ by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim.

Issahaku’s current Sporting deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026, though, so Everton may not be able to get him on the cheap, while beating higher-placed Premier League clubs to his signature could also be tough for the Toffees.

West Ham United are reportedly keeping tabs on Club Brugge forward Noa Lang, with the Dutchman having caught the eye in recent seasons in Belgium.

What’s the word?

Reports in Italy last week had named the Hammers – alongside Serie A side AC Milan and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid – as potential suitors for the 23-year-old, with the fleet-footed winger having been with his current side since joining from Ajax on an initial loan deal back in 2020.

Transfer insider Dean Jones – speaking to This is Futbol – has now provided an update regarding the east Londoners’ reported interest, stating:

“He’s got a really big reputation in the game and he has done for years, even though he’s still really young. There’s definitely interest there, but there will certainly be competition too when it comes to him being made available.”

West Ham’s own Neymar

The Netherlands international has no doubt warranted such interest as a result of his form for Brugge in recent times, with the “unstoppable” asset – as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – having provided 55 goal contributions in just 93 games in all competitions since his arrival just over two years ago.

That tally includes a remarkable haul of 17 goals and 11 assists across all fronts during the 2020/21 campaign, while the 5 foot 10 ace followed that up with a further nine goals and 15 assists for the Pro League side last season.

The £17.1m-rated starlet notably impressed during the club’s Champions League group stage campaign last term, swooping the man of the match award in the impressive 1-1 draw at home to a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side containing the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

The latter man is a figure whom Lang has been compared to in recent times as a result of his creative talents and skill on the ball, with West Ham boss David Moyes potentially set to have his own version of the Brazilian icon on his hands if a deal can be secured for the youngster.

That would no doubt be a mouthwatering prospect such has been the stellar nature of the 30-year-old’s career thus far, having recorded 286 goals and 180 assists in 478 games in all competitions at club level to date, including 20 goal contributions in just 14 games so far this term at the Parc des Princes.

Typically operating off the left-wing – much like Lang – Neymar is also a prolific presence for his country, with 74 goals in just 120 games, having widely been recognised as one of the best players in the world.

While the Irons target is not at that level just yet, the five-cap ace has shown signs of his sparkling quality in recent years, with Moyes likely to love the chance to nurture and develop such an exciting talent.

Glasgow Rangers have the opportunity to move back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a win over Hearts today.

The Ibrox side won their last match before the international break against Dundee United, however, this had been preceded by three consecutive defeats to Napoli, Ajax, and Celtic as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men displayed a worrying lack of confidence and cutting edge.

There could be some big changes ahead of the match at Tynecastle, with plenty of new signings still looking to stake a claim in the Light Blues side. The Dutchman should be aiming to slot a few into the starting XI today, and unleashing Welsh winger Rabbi Matondo could boost the team’s chances against Hearts.

On the Chalkboard

Since arriving from German side Schalke in the summer for £3m, Matondo hasn’t had much opportunity to display his talents.

He has only started two league matches so far, although he does have an average SofaScore rating of 7.1 for his Premiership outings this term and Van Bronckhorst should deploy him on the right wing in order to take advantage of his explosive pace.

Last season, German statisticians clocked the winger at speeds of 22mph in a Schalke shirt, showing that his pace can be a huge asset in today’s match.

The 22-year-old can certainly get the better of Hearts left-back Stephen Kingsley, who has been in solid form this season, ranking joint second in the squad with a rating of 6.98 as per WhoScored. Matondo’s pace should be enough to terrorise Kingsley however and he could be in for a torrid afternoon.

Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie described Matondo as being “excellent” against St Johnstone earlier on in the season and Van Bronckhorst will be hoping he can replicate a performance like this in order to break Hearts down.

Premiership matches away from home appear to be the Dutchman’s kryptonite at the club, winning only seven of his 13 away ties in his Rangers career.

A changed line-up could work wonders today and the inclusion of Matondo will surely give the Light Blues some attacking impetus.

Glasgow Rangers were busy in the summer transfer window as they invested in their squad by bringing in a host of new signings to Ibrox.

Sporting director Ross Wilson wasted no time in snapping up John Souttar (although he penned a pre-contract deal back in January), Ben Davies, Malik Tillman, Antonio Colak, Ridvan Yilmaz, Tom Lawrence, and Rabbi Matondo.

However, the Light Blues did not recruit any players in the goalkeeping department after extending Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin’s respective contracts over the summer.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s options in that position appeared to be in need of an upgrade after McGregor’s shaky form in the Premiership last season. The 40-year-old made four errors directly leading to shots or goals for the opposition in the Scottish top flight, with his mistakes making him a weak link in the team as he was all too often error-prone.

This led to the Dutch head coach making McLaughlin his number one for the 2022/23 campaign, but the Scotland international has not repaid the faith shown in him.

In the Premiership this season, the former Sunderland man has made one error leading to a goal in six appearances and has let in every other shot on target against him, with a save percentage of 50%. This indicates that he has struggled badly in terms of shot-stopping and is conceding goals at an alarming rate, in relation to the number of shots that he is facing.

Therefore, the £6.1k-per-week goalkeeper has been a liability for the Light Blues, and his performances may result in Wilson and Van Bronckhorst regretting not dipping into the market to sign a new number one.

The head coach has not handed a single appearance to Robby McCrorie since arriving at the club in 2021, and if he is not willing to give the Scotland international a chance, this means that the Dutchman could need to look further down the ranks in search of a solution to the goalkeeping situation.

One player who could be the heir to McLaughlin between the sticks is B-team goalkeeper Lewis Budinauckas, who has established himself as the Gers’ first-choice at youth level.

The 20-year-old has played 13 times for Rangers B and has been named on the bench in the Champions League this season, which suggests that Van Bronckhorst has kept a close eye on his development.

His academy teammate Adam Devine described him as a “confident” goalkeeper who you “can always depend on” after an impressive performance against Celtic in the Glasgow Cup in April, which shows how highly he is rated and appreciated by his peers.

The gem has also had experience at senior level with loan spells at Civil Service Strollers and Raith Rovers, although he was an unused substitute for the latter in the Championship.

He is a promising young player with his entire career ahead of him, and Van Bronckhorst could be the manager to give him his first taste of first-team action at Ibrox to see if he is good enough to be McLaughlin’s heir, whilst hopefully ending the continuing problems between the sticks for Rangers.

Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign on Saturday afternoon, with Jesse Marsch’s men succumbing to a 1-0 loss at the hands of an impressive Brighton & Hove Albion side.

Indeed, while it is true that Graham Potter’s outfit – who are currently sitting behind Manchester City on goal difference alone at the top of the table – look to be an incredibly well-drilled and efficient team this season, it is undeniable that the Whites were simply not good enough for large spells of the 90 minutes at the Amex Stadium.

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In defence, Pascal Struijk very much looked like a centre-back being played out of position on the left – which, of course, he is – in midfield, Brenden Aaronson struggled to make any meaningful impact on the game over his 82 minutes in the middle of the park, while out wide Daniel James once again offered his side very little going forwards.

While both Struijk and Aaronson will certainly look to put their respective performances against the Seagulls behind them as quickly as possible, it will undoubtedly be James who is the most disappointed of all Leeds players with his display on Saturday afternoon.

Indeed, over the course of his 59 minutes on the pitch, the £16.2m-rated forward enjoyed just 23 touches of the ball – exactly half of the amount that Illan Meslier had between the sticks – completed a mere seven of his 11 attempted passes and managed no shots at the Brighton goal.

The £50k-per-week Wales international also failed with his one attempted cross and one attempted long ball, was dribbled past by an opponent once and lost possession of the ball six times.

These returns saw the 24-year-old earn a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.9, while Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross awarded the winger a four in his own player ratings, stating of James’ performance: “Some decent pressing, but threat to Brighton was non-existent.”

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in a £20m move for the forward over the final few days of the summer transfer window. Considering just how poor James was today, coupled with how disappointing the former Manchester United man was last season, the argument that Victor Orta simply must cash in on the Welshman while the interest is there seems easy one to make.

Dharmesh Sheth has dropped an update on reported West Ham United transfer target Thilo Kehrer.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Sky Sports reporter revealed that, following David Moyes submitting an opening offer for the Paris Saint-Germain centre-back on Tuesday, the 59-year-old manager has now lodged a second bid with the Ligue 1 side after the club’s initial offer was rejected – with further reports suggesting Christophe Galtier’s side want around £17m for the defender.

In his tweet, Sheth said: “West Ham United have made an improved offer for PSG defender Thilo Kehrer after having their first bid rejected.”

Imagine him & Zouma

Considering just how talented a defender Kehrer undoubtedly is, the prospect of the 25-year-old lining up alongside Kurt Zouma in the heart of the Hammers’ backline will certainly be an incredibly tantalising one for all involved with the club – not least Moyes himself.

Indeed, the £19.8m-rated talent proved his ability over his 27 Ligue 1 appearances in his debut campaign with PSG back in 2018/19, helping his side keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.4 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 2.3 clearances and winning 5.1 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

For comparison, over Zouma’s 25 Premier League fixtures last season, the £25.2m-rated centre-back helped the Hammers keep five clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 0.5 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 5.5 clearances and winning 2.8 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per outing.

Furthermore, the £78k-per-week Kehrer also clearly poses a threat going forwards, with the 25-year-old scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating one big chance in the French top flight that season, as well as completing an average of 45.9 passes, 1.4 long balls and taking 0.5 shots per fixture.

These returns saw the “two-footed” player average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.00 in 18/19, a rating that, should he have achieved at West Ham last season, would have ranked him as the Irons’ fourth-best player in the Premier League.

As such, should Moyes believe he is able to help the Germany international refind this level of form at the London Stadium this season, the Scot could well form an extremely deadly duo with Kehrer and Zouma – a partnership centre-forwards would fear up and down the country.

Southampton have boasted one of the Premier League’s more successful academies in recent history, having churned out many stars and sold them on for huge profits.

Seldom do they return at the same or a higher level than when they left, but perhaps after having sold one player as a 17-year-old, he could return as the man to propel Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team up the table.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal back in 2011 and moved again to Liverpool six years later in a deal worth £35m. He has recently been linked with a return to the south coast as he looks to revitalise a career which has been ravaged by injuries.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke recently claimed: “His time at Anfield has been interrupted by injuries at key points when it looked like he was establishing himself in Jurgen Klopp’s side. But he’s still a top player.

“Maybe teams like Southampton, his old club, might be interested in him, and I’m sure there might even be interest from abroad as well because he’s still got a good CV.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain returning at the age of 28 as he entering his prime years could be perfect not only for the club, but for one academy graduate who stuck around in James Ward-Prowse.

Available for a reported £10m fee, it seems a no-brainer for the Saints to swoop for the Liverpool midfielder.

Although Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled for game-time in recent years, he has still managed to impress for the Reds. He featured six times last season in the Champions League and averaged a 7.07 SofaScore rating.

Jurgen Klopp even claimed that last season he was witnessing the best version of the midfielder, saying: “It’s pretty much the best Oxlade since I was here. I know he’s had spectacular moments, but it’s a completely new quality. Like calming the game down, being able to know when to sprint with the ball, or shoot and the stuff like that.”

To place that attacking prowess alongside the stability of Ward-Prowse, who recorded an average SofaScore rating of 7.27 last season, could be an intelligent tactical decision by Hasenhuttl.

He also ranked in the 90th percentile for shot-creating actions, and when combined with Oxlade-Chamberlain – who ranks in the 96th percentile for progressive passes received and the 97th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area – the stats suggest that they could create a potent partnership.

Southampton should swoop for the Liverpool midfielder, who could be the perfect player to allow them to take the next step.

It could also allow Ward-Prowse to further improve his output, as he would have another tricky attack-minded player at whom to aim his pinpoint passes.

AND in other news: Spanish report reveals big transfer development, Southampton supporters will be gutted.

Much has been made of Jurgen Klopp’s diligent recruitment this summer already for Liverpool. The German has managed to add some youth into his squad ahead of next season by signing Fabio Carvalho (19) Calvin Ramsay (18) and a club-record £85m deal for Darwin Nunez (22).

An influx of youth will stand the Anfield side well for the future, but it is now that Klopp wants to focus on as he aims to drag the side back to winning Premier League and Champions League titles.

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The search for a top-class midfielder this summer has proven to be elusive to say the least, with names such as Gavi, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Marco Asensio all being linked to the club it is perhaps Klopp’s pursuit of Jude Bellingham which has gotten the supporters excited.

Despite the interest, a move won’t happen until next summer at the earliest, but Klopp shouldn’t be worried as there is another talent that he should be aiming to bring to Anfield in the meantime.

Liverpool believes Croatia midfielder Luka Sucic to be an elite prospect according to GOAL and the £18m rated player could make the Anfield faithful forget all about Bellingham.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “joy to watch” and his performances for RB Salzburg were excellent, scoring 11 times and registering five assists from a central midfield role.

The 19-year-old had an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.16 in the league last season as Salzburg won the Austrian Bundesliga by a massive 15 points. He also made 1.3 key passes and had 2 shots per match, while being successful in 61% of his dribbles throughout the season.

These stats prove just how effective he is in the middle of the pitch and his nationality plus playing position mean he could well become the new Luka Modric.

This is massive pressure put on young shoulders, however, the performances have warranted the comparison. Sucic already has three caps for Croatia, making his debut in October 2021, a year younger than Modric who debuted at 20 years of age.

His potential holds no bounds and the Real Madrid star has paved the way for young Croatian talent to come through and seal big moves to the continent’s finest clubs. Klopp would be silly to let this transfer slide by.

AND in other news: Liverpool could sign their new Mane as FSG eye move for “world-class” £34m dynamo

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an Everton transfer claim which will please both Frank Lampard and the Premier League club’s supporters.

What’s the word?

The Italian journalist tweeted: “No changes on James Tarkowski deal. Medical already completed one week ago, full agreement with Everton on personal terms and agent fees. Official statement pending.”

This is great news for Lampard, and it now seems just a matter of time before the ex-Burnley defender joins up with the Toffees’ squad in time for pre-season training.

Tarkowski can improve Everton’s defence

Having endured a tough start to his time in charge at Everton, Lampard managed to guide the club to top-flight safety following a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in their penultimate fixture of the season.

This won’t be enough to keep the supporters happy, though, and the 43-year-old faces a hugely important first month or so at the start of next season to prove to the fans that he is the right man to take the club forward.

Improvement is needed all over the pitch, especially in defence, as the Toffees conceded 66 goals in the Premier League last term, the fifth-worst record in the division.

With the signing of Tarkowski imminent, he could make a massive difference at the heart of the Everton backline, and that is exactly what Lampard needs.

Despite Burnley’s relegation, the 29-year-old ranked first in the squad with a rating of 6.97 on WhoScored, while also winning an incredible 4.4 aerial duels per match, the most of anyone at Turf Moor in 2021/22.

Compared to positional peers in the top five European leagues, the 29-year-old ranks in the top 1% for blocks (2.67 per 90) and in the top 3% for clearances (6.26 per 90), as per FBRef.

Tarkowski also won 42 tackles last season, more than any Everton centre-back during the same time period; along with winning 171 aerial duels over the course of the campaign, 50 more than Michael Keane, who led the way for Everton.

These figures clearly show that the defender could be a crucial signing for Lampard as the Toffees manager looks to improve on the disappointing 16th-place finish from 2021/22.

AND in other news, Dele Alli 2.0: Everton plotting swoop for “average” £20m dud, supporters will be fuming

Reliable journalist Paul Brown has now dropped some significant Everton exit news on Richarlison.

The Lowdown: Tottenham interest

As per The Daily Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are now targeting a move for Richarlison this summer, but would have to pay more than £50m for the Brazil international.

The outlet have also reported that Frank Lampard is targeting a move for Harry Winks as part of his rebuild at Goodison Park, and so perhaps a deal can be struck between both clubs this window.

The Latest: Brown update

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown has said that the Merseyside club would rather take the money on its own for Richarlison should they wish to sell him, rather than accepting any kind of player swap deals like they could potentially do with Spurs and Winks:

“My understanding is that from Everton’s point of view, they would rather keep the two things separate and that any deal for Richarlison would be just for money. That might change.”

The Verdict: Keep

The Toffees should be looking to keep Richarlison if possible, regardless of what kind of prices are offered to them from Tottenham or any other club.

The 25-year-old remains one of their key players, having been their top scorer and highest-rated performer in 2021/22 (WhoScored), and so would be very difficult to replace.

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He was their saviour at the end of last season, as he scored six goals and made a further two assists in his last ten games in the Premier League, including a goal in the 3-2 win at home to Crystal Palace which secured their top-flight status (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the Blues could well be dragged into another relegation battle if he departs.

In other news, find out who EFC have now made ‘contacts’ over signing here!