All posts by n8rngtd.top

Crystal Palace have made a move for Celtic defender Mitchel Frame, Football Scotland report.

The Lowdown: Frame profiled

Frame is just 15 years of age and is a left-back who features for Scotland’s Under-16 side.

He is thought to be one of the top prospects coming through the academy at Celtic after joining the club at the age of just eight.

Frame is yet to pen professional terms with the Hoops, and it seems as if a move to England to continue his development is on the cards.

The Latest: Palace offer

According to Football Scotland’s Ryan McDonald, Palace have offered Frame a three-year professional contract.

Premier League rivals Tottenham and Wolves have done the same, with a move south possibly on the cards.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Frame is clearly highly rated by Celtic, and he could well be the next big thing to come out of the club’s academy.

The Hoops have lost a number of youngsters recently, as McDonald mentions, including the likes of Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn who joined Bayern Munich.

Leo Hjelde also moved to England over the summer and has since made his Premier League debut for Leeds United, so who knows, should Palace win the race for Frame, we could see him breakthrough at Selhurst Park to challenge Tyrick Mitchell over the coming years.

In other news: ‘We must rate him’ – Many Palace fans react as ‘class news’ on ‘beast’ is confirmed. 

A major Newcastle United transfer claim has been made, regarding their interest in Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has claimed that the Magpies are looking at a possible swoop for the midfielder as they look to improve their squad before the end of the month.

He Tweeted: “I’m told NUFC are working on a loan deal for Jesse Lingard, as per @samuelluckhurst, but sources say Man Utd are reluctant to let him go, as it stands.”

Excitement

This news will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling excited as it shows that the club are trying to bring Lingard to St. James’ Park and he could be a sublime addition to Eddie Howe’s team.

He is a proven Premier League performer and someone who could come in with a point to prove after wasting away on the bench at Old Trafford in the first half of the campaign, having started zero league matches so far.

Lingard has been forced to watch on from the sidelines as other players have been handed opportunities ahead of him and this could motivate him to arrive on Tyneside and show people he still has what it takes to perform at this level.

The World Cup is coming up later this year and that could give Lingard the perfect incentive to fire Newcastle to safety. If he can replicate his sensational loan spell with West Ham at the start of 2021 for the Magpies then that could potentially be enough to tempt Gareth Southgate to bring him to Qatar, which is why this could be a deal that works out for all parties involved.

In the 2020/21 campaign, Lingard produced nine goals and four assists in 16 games for the Hammers in the Premier League on loan from the Red Devils. This shows that he has the quality to provide regular quality in the final third, but it is now down to him to find a new club where he can go and prove that he can do it again – with Newcastle possibly being that chance.

Therefore, fans will be exciting at the prospect of the 29-year-old arriving on Tyneside this month. They will surely look forward to seeing a hungry, talented, attacking talent who could hold the key to unlocking defences for the Magpies in order to win valuable points in the race to avoid relegation.

AND in other news, NUFC could finally replace Lascelles with “flawless” £24k-p/w gem, “nothing fazes him”…

Leeds United look increasingly unlikely to sign Torino defender Ola Aina in the January transfer window, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Aina linked with Leeds move

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent weeks as Marcelo Bielsa looks at possible additions this month.

Aina could leave Torino in January but he is currently on Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with Nigeria, where he has started two matches to date.

It now looks as though Leeds won’t be an option for the former England youth international, though, following a fresh update.

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The Latest: Journalist casts doubt over Aina move

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke said that he isn’t convinced a January move will happen between Aina and Leeds, with right-back not an area of priority for Bielsa.

The journalist claimed: “Ola Aina is another interesting one. Another right-back who’s over in Torino but I think for this month it’s not a priority position for Leeds, and I think his price-tag would be out of their reach as well.”

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The Verdict: Not an essential addition

While Aina has impressed for Torino on the whole, as well as at AFCON – he is averaging three tackles and interceptions apiece per game in the competition so far – it would be no disaster if Leeds miss out on him.

Luke Ayling remains a force as the Whites’ first-choice right-back, while Stuart Dallas can fill in there when required, as well as Jamie Shackleton, who has played there five times in the Premier League this season.

If Aina stays at Torino until the summer, then it could make sense to go back in for him then, but it may be the case that he has already moved on by that point.

In other news, Phil Hay hailed one Leeds player in the defeat to Newcastle United. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United are interested in signing Takumi Minamino on deadline day…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports transfer expert and reporter Dharmesh Sheth, who delivered a fresh claim live on-air to ‘The Transfer Show’ ahead of deadline day.

“Liverpool ideally would like to balance the books, there are three players who could leave,” he said [30/01, 18:11pm].

“The first one is Minamino, there’s been interest in him from Leeds and Monaco. Liverpool value him at £20m, he could be a possible departure.”

Late drama?

It’s largely expected that the Yorkshire giants will not conduct any business today, having missed out on no.1 priority, attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson, who RB Salzburg are refusing to sell this month.

He will surely be revisited in the summer after the Premier League outfit had a pair of bids (£15m and £20m) rejected.

But manager Marcelo Bielsa is desperate for players now. He is dealing with quite the injury crisis at Elland Road and he needs reinforcements to ensure that they do not slip into a relegation battle.

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Last month, that looked to be a real possibility following heavy defeats against Arsenal and Man City, all whilst having as many as 11 first-team players absent through injury.

Things have turned a corner since on the pitch but off it, it’s still looking very gloomy.

Last season’s top goalscorer, Patrick Bamford, has missed 17 of their last 18 league games and his exploits in the final third have been sorely missed, whilst club captain Liam Cooper and integral anchorman Kalvin Phillips aren’t expected back until March, at the earliest.

The lack of depth is also summed up by the fact that they have not signed a central midfielder in four years (eight transfer windows).

Minamino would be an intriguing alternative to Aaronson and someone capable of fulfilling a variety of roles at Elland Road. Despite a lack of game time, he has still managed to provide six goals and one assist across 18 appearances, whilst during a successful loan spell at Southampton last season, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl dubbed him “a very special player.”

Therefore, on the above evidence, the supporters around Elland Road must be excited heading into the final few hours of the window. Both they and Bielsa will be delighted to see someone through the door come 11pm tonight.

AND in other news, Leeds eye last-ditch Aaronson alternative in “very special” £10m gem, Bielsa needs him…

Reported Rangers transfer target Danilho Doekhi has turned down a contract offer from Dinamo Zagreb. 

That’s according to Croatian outlet 24 Zata, via The Daily Record.

The lowdown

The centre-back is into the final six months of his deal at Vitesse Arnhem and will be leaving in the summer as it stands. The Eredivisie club demanded £2m to let him go in January, but there’s nothing they can do to prevent him negotiating a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of the Netherlands at this stage.

Indeed, Rangers have already used that method to snap up John Souttar from Hearts ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The latest

The report from 24 Zata, via The Daily Record, claimed that Dinamo Zagreb had approached Doekhi with a proposed contract, but he turned down the Croatian club’s advances.

Significantly, the report names Rangers among the Dutchman’s alternative options for his next career move.

The verdict

This is encouraging news for the Gers, who may have feared losing out when Dinamo Zagreb stepped forward. Also, Doekhi seems enticed by the prospect of moving to Ibrox, having hailed the ‘very beautiful’ ‘passion’ of Scottish football, but do Rangers need him?

They already have Souttar coming in, and they added American defender James Sands to their ranks this month. The latter has arrived on an 18-month loan, but Rangers will have the option to buy him at the end of the 2022/23 season.

On the other hand, Connor Goldson apparently ‘looks set’ to leave Ibrox this summer, so they could be lighter on centre-back options, and signing Doekhi for free may be too good an option to turn down.

He showed what he was capable of producing in Vitesse’s 1-0 Europa Conference League victory over Spurs in October, winning all five of his ground duels in addition to two of his three aerial battles (via SofaScore).

His manager Thomas Letsch believes that Doekhi is ‘one of the best centre-backs in the Eredivisie’ and said that the ‘fantastic’ 23-year-old ‘makes almost no mistakes’, so it’s definitely encouraging from a Rangers perspective to hear that the Dutchman snubbed Dinamo Zagreb’s advances.

In other news, Keith Downie was stunned by this Rangers development.

Jose Sa, Max Kilman and Leander Dendoncker caught the eye in Wolves’ superb 2-0 victory away to Tottenham in the Premier League.

Bruno Lage’s side were looking to bounce back from the disappointment of losing at home to Arsenal as they made the trip to north London on Sunday. Wolves did exactly that, clinching a massive win in the  battle for European football thanks to early goals from Raul Jimenez and Dendoncker.

According to Sofascore, there were three Wanderers players who stood out the most against Spurs, of those to have played at least 45 minutes.

Jose Sa – 8.7

Sa has been a revelation between the sticks since joining Wolves last summer and he enjoyed another exceptional afternoon on Sunday.

The Portuguese made an incredible seven saves on the day, six of which came inside the penalty area, as he played a big part in his side getting all three points. Not only that, the 29-year-old also made four clearances, completed 13 passes and won both of his duels.

Max Kilman – 7.8

Kilman has been one of Wolves’ best players of the season and he enjoyed another great day at the office at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 24-year-old was in the thick of the defensive battle throughout the game, making five clearances, blocking three shots, winning three duels and recording three interceptions. He also completed 40 of his 46 passes (87%), showing that he was effective on the ball as well as off it.

Leander Dendoncker – 7.5

Dendoncker was one of Wolves’ goalscoring heroes at Spurs but his performance was about much more than that.

The Belgian was an influential presence in the middle of the park, making one tackle and one clearance, along with completing both of his attempted long balls and winning two duels. Like Kilman, the 26-year-old also enjoyed an 87% pass completion rate (34 out of 39).

In other news, Wolves are reportedly favourites to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace have joined Leeds United in the race to sign Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien, according to TEAMtalk.

The Lowdown: O’Brien profiled

Labelled as ‘very special’ by Huddersfield head coach Carlos Corberan, O’Brien is 23 years of age and can play in a variety of midfield roles.

Primarily a central midfielder, the Englishman has also turned out in a holding role on a number of occasions this season and can play as an attacking midfielder. He’s made 115 appearances for his current employers – 34 of which have come during the current campaign.

O’Brien is under contract with the Terriers until 2025, however, he could be on the move in the summer with a number of top-flight sides interested.

The Latest: Eagles keen

According to TEAMtalk, Palace have joined the race for O’Brien, who has a release clause worth around £12m.

The report suggests that Leeds are still keen after having a number of bids rejected in the summer, with Burnley, Norwich, West Ham and Wolves also name-checked with an interest.

The Verdict: Gallagher 2.0?

Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman has reaped the rewards of dipping into the Championship market in recent years, most notably with the arrivals of Eberechi Eze from QPR and Michael Olise from Reading.

Loanee Conor Gallagher is set to return to Chelsea at the end of the season, so bringing in O’Brien could be a shrewd move in the long run as Patrick Vieira continues a Selhurst Park rebuild.

Palace actually pipped Leeds in the race for Gallagher over the summer, and it seems as if they may look to do the same when it comes to O’Brien over the coming months.

In other news: Palace eyeing ‘class’ ace who called Vieira ‘great’ last month; Romano has dropped major update. 

Everton will travel to the south coast this afternoon for their clash against Southampton, and Frank Lampard will be hoping that the Premier League win from last weekend will guide his side to another victory. However, a huge setback has emerged for the Toffees ahead of the game.

What’s the word?

The Everton boss took to his pre-match press conference to confirm that Demarai Gray is still unavailable for selection, despite being tipped for a return in this game against Saints.

Lampard told the press;

“Demarai Gray won’t quite make it this weekend, we’re hopeful for the following week.”

The 25 year old winger was struck down with a hip injury during the first half of the game against Newcastle United, and has not been available since.

Lampard will be fuming

Lampard will surely be fuming that the injury concerns continue to hinder the side, with the manager losing a number of experienced first team players since his arrival at Goodison Park less than a month ago.

Demarai Gray, Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina have all sustained injuries during the new manager’s tenure so far, joining fellow first team starter Abdoulaye Doucoure on the injury table over the last few weeks, and the former Chelsea boss will be frustrated that he can’t work with all of his most experienced players.

Whilst this will be a huge blow to Lampard’s chances to have the optimum availability and depth for his side, the Toffees put on a fantastic performance against Leeds United last week and he will be hoping that the 3-0 win will inject a bit of confidence into his side ahead of the away fixture, especially since the side have only won one game away from home this season.

Everton could climb as high as 14th in the Premier League table this weekend if they can take all three points from St Mary’s this afternoon and other results go their way, however Southampton have only lost one game in their last five, so Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will be one of Lampard’s most difficult fixtures to date as Toffees manager.

In other news: Frank Lampard must unleash Dele Alli against Southampton

As per reports from Spain, Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension transfer chief Fabio Paratici, are now eyeing a move for West Ham United defender Ben Johnson.

The Lowdown: Conte eyeing full-back upgrade?

According to reliable sources, Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte, was eager for the club to sign a right wing-back upgrade in January who would be tailored for his back-three formation.

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Spurs attempted to sign a makeshift option in former Wolves star Adama Traore for most of the month but to no avail as Barcelona swooped in to hijack the winter move.

This has left Conte with Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty as his options on that side, and while the latter may have played his way into the Italian’s plans after a stunning performance against Leeds, doubts surround his team-mate.

Indeed, there are question marks hanging over Royal’s ability to create in the final third, with Paratici now eyeing an unlikely alternative from one of Spurs’ London rivals.

The Latest: Spurs eye Ben Johnson move…

According to Spanish sources, Tottenham are one of the clubs in a three-way battle to sign West Ham starlet Johnson in the summer, even after the Hammers apparently activated a two-year contract extension option.

Indeed, Paratici and co are allegedly targeting the homegrown ace to add both offensive and defensive quality for Conte’s side.

The Verdict: Great option…

The 22-year-old would come as a very good signing for Conte going by his early promise.

West Ham manager David Moyes recently called Johnson a ‘really important’ player for his team, while pundit Noel Whelan has recently raved over the ‘exciting’ and ‘very aggressive’ full-back (Football Insider).

However, after the Irons triggered the two-year extension option in his contract, and with a potential reluctance to do business with a positional and geographical rival in Spurs, this move could be a tricky one to pull off for Paratici.

In other news: ‘Worrying’…Insider shares what ‘in the know’ source is now ‘reporting’ at Tottenham, find out more here.

Aston Villa secured a much-needed victory last weekend with their 2-0 win against Brighton after losing their two prior league games.

This weekend sees the Midlands club take on Southampton at Villa Park to see if they can pick up another three points and get closer to breaking into the top half of the table.

With that in mind, it seems as though Steven Gerrard could have an extra option back in his squad to take on the Saints.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent tweet from Ashley Preece, Villa winger Bertrand Traore has rejoined first team training this week after picking up an injury during the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

The Burkina Faso international joined the Midlands club in 2020 from French side Lyon in a deal worth a reported £17m.

Since arriving at Villa Park, the 26-year-old has made 45 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals and providing seven assists in the process, showing what a useful player he can be for the team in an attacking sense when he’s fit enough to play.

His debut season in a Villa shirt went rather well, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 36 league appearances and earning himself an overall performance rating of 6.85/10, making him the seventh-highest rated outfield player at the club according to WhoScored.

However, having only appeared in six Premier League games this season and just two since Gerrard was appointed back in November, the winger will undoubtedly be keen to get back out on the pitch and properly get his season going, in the same way that the 41-year-old will surely be ecstatic to have him back.

If the attacker can maintain his fitness for the remainder of the season, not only will he provide his manager with an extra attacking option if he feels the need to change things up, but also offer a real threat in front of goal, either by scoring himself or creating opportunities for his team-mates. The extra precision he could bring is something Villa have lacked in recent games, so Traore’s impending return could be very timely indeed.

In other news: NSWE had lucky escape over “ridiculous” Villa flop who “goes past people like Ronaldo”