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According to Football Insider, Wolves are lining up a potential move for Stoke City starlet Tyrese Campbell.

What’s the story?

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side of course suffered a major blow after Raul Jimenez’s horrific clash of heads with Arsenal’s David Luiz left the Mexico international requiring surgery for a on a fractured skull.

Now, Football Insider claim that Wolves and Burnley are among the clubs considering a potential move for 20-year-old forward Campbell, who’s shown his versatility this season by playing all across the front-line.

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The report adds that Stoke are adamant that they won’t sell one of their star players in the January transfer window, but it remains to be seen whether he will still be with the Potters by the end of it.

Easing the pressure on Jimenez

When Jimenez is able to make his return back to the first-team, the most important thing Wolves can do for him is to make sure that he isn’t burdened with the task of having to fire in the goals straight away.

Easing him back into the side would be the best way to go, and bringing in an “explosive” player like Campbell would help with that massively.

His manager at Stoke, Michael O’Neill, said of him back in the summer: “Tyrese is a great finisher. If you are a good finisher you have to get in the positions and he did that today. He is a young player who is still developing. When he is in that mood, defenders are frightened at this level.”

With seven goals and six assists in 18 games this season, Campbell is showing signs of having a real breakout year, and if Wolves can snare him before he makes an even bigger name for himself, they could land another perfect project signing for Nuno,

According to The Athletic, Arsenal transfer target Dominik Szoboszlai’s release clause must be paid in one installment, and that any bids must be lodged by the end of this month.

What’s the story?

One of the hottest properties in European football right now, the RB Salzburg starlet has been in scintillating form for his side this season, bagging eight goals and providing nine assists in just 18 games.

Arsenal’s interest in the Hungary sensation has long been reported, and now The Athletic have offered a huge update on what the future potentially holds.

It’s suggested that there is a stipulation in the attacking midfielder’s release clause that “Szoboszlai must give notice by December 15 of his wish to depart and bids must be lodged by December 31”.

Can be Arteta’s game-changer

After another demoralising defeat in the Premier League at the weekend, this is undoubtedly the lowest moment in Mikel Arteta’s short tenure at Arsenal.

The Spaniard’s successes in winning both the FA Cup and Community Shield just a few months ago have been quickly forgotten, with a 2-0 loss to Spurs on Sunday the latest blow to the club’s hope of bigger and better things.

The Gunners have scored just ten times in their opening 11 Premier League games this season, and they are crying out for someone to bring a bit of creativity and energy to their attack.

And in the £22.5m-rated Szoboszlai, they can find exactly that. The Hungarian, described by his Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch as being the “modern-day David Beckham”, is an incredibly exciting talent.

Capable of unleashing long-range rockets and shining on the biggest stage too – he’s netted twice in the Champions League this season including against Atletico Madrid away from home – Szoboszlai can provide the kind of spark that Arsenal desperately need.

Stan Kroenke must surely open up his cheque-book and give Arteta the player that could hold the key to turning their fortunes this year.

Following the summer signing of Kyle Walker-Peters from Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton right-back Yan Valery has struggled for a spot in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team, and perhaps the South Coast club should consider loaning him out in January.

The French defender is yet to make an appearance for the Saints’ first-team so far this season and has only made the bench on three occasions, as he has been dropped to the U’23s for a few fixtures so far this campaign (per Transfermarkt).

The 21-year-old looked set for a bright future with Southampton after establishing himself in the first-team in the 2018/19 season, when he made 23 appearances in the top-flight, contributing two goals and one assist (per Transfermarkt).

However, he failed to really push on from there, as he made 11 appearances in the top-flight last season, due to the loan arrival of Walker-Peters, as well as him suffering from a virus that kept him out for two months between November and January.

Considering his lack of minutes this season, as well as the form of Walker-Peters, perhaps Hasenhuttl should consider loaning out the 21-year-old in the upcoming January transfer window, to ensure that his progress isn’t stifled too much.

He would surely have plenty of suitors from the top two divisions, having earned plenty of Premier League experience in his career thus far and it would surely benefit both parties if Valery was to get some much-needed first-team football out on loan, rather than just being a back-up with Southampton.

However, this could be a risky decision from the Saints, as Valery and Walker-Peters are the only two senior right-backs in the senior squad, so if the former Spurs man were to suffer an injury, it would mean having to play another player out of position, or trusting someone from the academy, if Valery had already departed on loan.

After he signed a new contract until 2023, Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the defender, saying:

“I am very happy first that he has made good development in the last month.

“He has got a lot of trust from my side and he grabbed the chance with both hands.

“His development was good, so it’s a very important sign for us as a club and for him that he signs a new contract.”

“It depends on his work and his ability, but we see Yan working very hard and working on his deficits he still has in his game.

“But I think he is a perfect example of The Southampton Way that we want to go in.” (per Southampton)

Therefore, the Austrian manager is clearly a big fan of Valery but if he wants to ensure that his progress isn’t stifled, he needs to bite the bullet and send the French U’21 international out on loan.

And, in other news… Southampton sold lazy flop at the perfect time; he’s sat on the bench now

According to Football Insider, Tottenham have offered Son Heung-min a new blockbuster contract worth £200,000-a-week, prompting Sky Sports pundit and former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson to welcome the ‘amazing news’. 

Son, who has struck up a devastating partnership with striker Harry Kane so far this season, with the South Korean international currently sitting top of the Premier League scoring charts, is reportedly being offered a new deal worth far more than his current wages.

Spurs look to tie down Son

According to Spotrac, the 28-year-old is currently on £140,000-a-week, and this new offer will increase the winger’s weekly earnings by around £60,000.

In an effort to tie him down and warn off any potential interest, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is now looking to make sure the new deal is an offer Son cannot refuse, with Robinson going on to claim that this could be ‘amazing news for Spurs’.

Lauding Son’s ‘outstanding’ form from the very first day, the ex-England ‘keeper believes that the attacker’s presence in the dressing room and on the training pitch is reason enough to hand him a new contract.

“It’s amazing news for Spurs if he signs a new deal,” explained Robinson to Football Insider.

“He has been outstanding from the first day he walked into the building.

“He brightens up the place when he comes through the door and his performances on the pitch match his attitude off it. He is brilliant to have around the club. Son is always happy, always smiling and always has time for people.

“He has been as good if not better at times than Harry Kane.

“Over the years he has made himself one of the first names on the team sheet because he is so consistent. He deserves every single penny of his new contract.”

Transfer Tavern take

Judging by his brilliant run of form so far this season, Son appears to be most deserving of a fresh deal – and according to recent reports, Spurs may not be done there.

As per The Athletic, Lloris is next in line for a bumper contract; and if Levy can tie up all these loose ends, it’s safe to say this has been quite the year of business for Tottenham.

In other news: Dele Alli’s situation at Spurs has just taken a positive turn, find out more here.

The pressure is mounting at West Brom.

According to emerging reports this week, Slaven Bilic’s position as manager of the Baggies is under serious scrutiny – if they lose embarrassingly to Spurs on Sunday afternoon, he could well face the sack.

Albion are sat third from bottom after seven matches having picked up only three points. They hold the worst defensive record in the Premier League, averaging just under 2.3 goals conceded per game.

The Croatian may forever regret some of the decisions made throughout the summer transfer window. Some, like the situation around Ahmed Hegazi, were outside his control.

Although that doesn’t excuse his failure to bolster the backline.

Throughout the summer, the Midlands outfit were linked to several names, including Brentford left-back Rico Henry, who has continued to deliver in the Championship once again this term.

He’d have been the perfect replacement for the departed Nathan Ferguson as well as being a genuine upgrade to both Kieran Gibbs and Conor Townsend.

Per WhoScored, the 23-year-0ld has contributed with two goals and has averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.3 clearances and 0.8 key passes per game. It means he’s on track to surpass last season’s attempt of three assists already.

Henry’s former boss, Dean Smith, who is now in charge of arch-rivals Aston Villa has previously claimed that the youngster is similar to that of Ashley Cole, he said: “If I were to liken him to anyone it would be a young Ashley Cole. He’s got a good engine and pace, he can get up and down the pitch. He’s got a great personality, which will hold him in good stead.”

The 5 foot 7 dynamo has also been lauded as “fearless” as well as being “something special” by the former Bees manager.

90min claimed in September that the Championship outfit were looking for around £10m for his signature, which in the grand scheme of things, would have be an absolute bargain.

If he continues to impress in west London, you’d only imagine that his stock would continue to soar whilst Brentford have every chance of being in the big time come next season.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Chris Kirkland tips 66 y/o to replace Slaven Bilic…

On Tuesday evening, some Tottenham Hotspur supporters witnessed a glimpse of what could’ve been and not just because they missed out on Champions League qualification…

What was the word?

One-time transfer target Marcus Thuram lit up the elite stage, bagging a 25-minute brace against Gareth Bale’s parent club, Real Madrid.

The 23-year-old is a unique combination of pace, height and power and that much was displayed playing on the left-flank where, in addition to his double, he recorded two dribbles, one key pass and a 93% pass accuracy. He also won 80% of his duels, per SofaScore.

According to The Sun during the 2019 January transfer window, Spurs were set to battle north London rivals Arsenal and Manchester United for his signature.

It clearly didn’t come to fruition as by the summer, he joined Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach for just €12m (£11m). He has continued to thrive ever since.

One that got away?

Now valued at €40m (£36m) by CIES Football Observatory, Thuram has become one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting forwards – outside the absolute joke of a frontline that Bayern Munich possess.

That brace took his total for Gladbach to 17. He’s also provided 13 assists, meaning he’s contributed to 30 goals in just 47 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

In 31 league matches last term, the Frenchman averaged two dribbles, 1.8 shots and one key pass per game, which is way better than what current Spurs star Lucas Moura has managed this season in the Premier League.

His 0.8 shots, 0.5 dribbles and 0.3 key passes per appearance, via WhoScored, is a shambles in comparison especially as he’s been competing at the top level for a far greater time period.

Despite being the son of legendary France World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, the 23-year-old is quite the opposite and has been likened to Anthony Martial in the past.

Gladbach’s sporting director Max Eberl believes they have a gem on their hands, calling Thuram a “fast, robust and dangerous forward” whilst former Saint-Etienne coach Jean-Louis Gasset dubbed him a “great player” with a “great future”.

For just £11m, you can’t help but feel that Daniel Levy missed a winner here. His ability to play anywhere across the front three could’ve helped solve the back-up striker problem prior to Carlos Vinicius’ arrival too.

AND in other news, Premier League misfit could’ve been the DREAM Eriksen successor…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a busy week of transfer activity, splashing out a club-record fee on a teenager and bolstering their backline but their latest reported move could spell trouble…

What’s the word?

According to Sport (via Sport Witness), the Molineux-based outfit are showing the most interest in young Barcelona centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo with new manager Ronald Koeman not seeing him as part of his plans this season.

They claim the Catalan giants want €20m (£18m) for the 20-year-old’s signature but they face difficulty in offloading him as he is yet to return to training having tested positive for the virus.

The 6 foot 3 colossus is described as a perfect fit for the Premier League by the same source.

Vallejo 2.0?

It’s an interesting landscape in the west Midlands right now after sporting director Kevin Thelwell departed for America, leaving chairman Jeff Shi in charge of transfers this summer.

He claimed last month that his job is “50 per cent” about recruitment. He’s signed Fabio Silva from Porto and Marcal from Champions League semi-finalists Lyon, but a new central defender shouldn’t go amiss.

However, a swoop for Todibo should be avoided despite all the promise and enamour that he’s been carrying throughout his career is yet to come to fruition.

Bundesliga.com compared him to PL great Marcel Desailly due to his pace, physical strength and technical ability whilst German legend Lothar Matthaus once said: “Todibo is the best centre-back I’ve seen in a long time. At 20 he is incredibly calm, he always finds interesting solutions.”

He’s even been likened to fellow compatriot and Madrid rival Raphael Varane.

The France U20 international has barely featured for Barcelona and even during a loan spell at Schalke, he wasn’t able to get out on the pitch much at all.

From eight appearances, Todibo averaged 2.6 clearances, 1.9 tackles and 1.9 interceptions, via WhoScored.

This move just reeks of being another Jesus Vallejo, who arrived at Molineux with similar glamour yet Nuno very rarely allowed him the opportunity and now with Marcal in the mix, he could find game time even harder in the English top-flight.

Wolves were keen back in 2018, and perhaps they were smart to miss out.

AND in other news, Wolves can’t trust Jorge Mendes over move for expensive FLOP…

Despite the continuous errors over the past few seasons, Jordan Pickford has somehow remained both Everton and England’s number one.

The 26-year-old has endured his fair share of high-profile howlers – Toffees fans certainly won’t be forgetting his last-minute clanger back in December 2018 against arch-rivals Liverpool anytime soon.

And whilst he may not have had a similar sort of mishap in Everton’s pre-season clash against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon, he certainly didn’t enjoy the greatest of games.

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The Merseyside club were torn to pieces in the opening ten minutes, with the Seasiders romping away to a three-goal lead, Pickford offering no resistance whatsoever.

And perhaps just to underline how miserable of a game he had, after being withdrawn at half-time, Pickford watched on as Carlo Ancelotti’s side salvaged some pride and rescued a 3-3 draw.

But after seeing yet another disappointing performance from their number one, Everton fans took to Twitter to voice their frustrations.

A few Everton fans simply insisted that they need to get rid of Pickford this summer, and that they had had enough.

It’s no surprise that some Everton fans seem to have had enough with Pickford and his antics.

A goalkeeper’s main job is simply to prevent goals from going on, but not only does the England international seem to be letting the relatively easy ones in, he also has a habit of gifting the opposition ones too – in his time in the Premier League, he has made 13 errors that have directly led to goals.

As a couple of Toffees fans suggest, maybe it’s the perfect time to get rid.

Steven Gerrard is in the midst of reshaping his Rangers side in an attempt to finally break Celtic’s domestic dominance with a title for the Gers. And while bringing new players in might be a big part of that rebuild, the Liverpool icon will have to sell as well.

According to the latest exclusive update by The Scottish Sun, Dundee United are set to make a transfer bid for Jamie Murphy. The veteran forward has been out of favour at Ibrox for quite a while now and only has 12 months left on his current deal with the club.

This could indeed make him a very attainable target for the Tannadice side who are reportedly desperate to strengthen their squad. Gerrard won’t exactly oppose this transfer in any capacity.

Murphy has largely struggled to establish himself in the Scottish Premiership giants following his horror cruciate knee injury back in August 2018. Since then, he has made the full recovery but his game time has drastically diminished and now, it seems he has no future at the club anymore.

Seeing how his contract is slowly but surely running out and he’s also getting older, Rangers will likely allow him to leave for a cut-price fee.

Verdict

Even though he may be struggling for continuity at Ibrox, Murphy has had a decent second half of the season on loan at Burton Albion, bagging seven goals in ten games for the League One side. This does suggest that the outcast winger just might have something to offer after all.

But even with that being said, Gerrard is looking for much younger options with a higher ceiling who can have an immediate effect on the incoming title race with the Hoops.

All in all, this is a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Brighton have officially added two teenage prospects from Ireland to their ranks, again raiding the league from which they signed Aaron Connolly.

The Irish Independent reported that 16-year-old duo Andrew Moran and Leigh Kavanagh have formally completed their respective transfers to the Amex Stadium from Bray Wanderers, having signed pre-contract agreements earlier this year.

The pair continue to train with the League of Ireland club for the time being due to travel restrictions, although they are expected to relocate to Sussex before the end of July if permissible to do so (as per Irish Independent).

Moran was described by Irish Independent reporter Daniel McDonnell as “a skilful playmaker” who became Bray’s youngest-ever first team player last year two months before his 16th birthday and scored his first senior goal back in February. He has been capped twice by Republic of Ireland at under-17 level.

Centre-back Kavanagh made his senior debut for Bray in the early weeks of the League of Ireland season prior to lockdown and has also represented his country’s under-17 side.

Given that they only have minimal senior experience in the second tier of a national league that is ranked 42nd of 55 in UEFA’s association club coefficient, the 16-year-old duo look set to develop through Brighton’s academy teams for the foreseeable future before harbouring any realistic ambitions of breaking into the senior side.

Brighton have prior experience of looking across the Irish Sea for promising talents, having signed Connolly from Mervue United back in 2016 at the same age that Moran and Kavanagh are now. The striker had to wait until this season to make his league debut for the Seagulls but he has gone on to feature in 22 top-flight games in the current campaign.

Kavanagh could also look to compatriot Shane Duffy as a role model at the Amex Stadium, with the 28-year-old playing in the same position and boasting the experience of 95 Premier League games. His path to Brighton was different, though, having signed from Blackburn and done the rounds in England rather than coming directly from the Emerald Isle.

Connolly’s experience shows that young players at Brighton can work their way into the first team after joining the club as academy hopefuls, which should offer plenty of hope to Moran and Kavanagh of emulating the 20-year-old if they work hard enough under the Seagulls’ academy coaches.

Connolly and Duffy are two Irish players who have established themselves at the Amex Stadium, with the club now hoping that their latest imports from across the water can follow suit in years to come.

Brighton fans, do you think Moran and Kavanagh could follow in the footsteps of Connolly? Share your views in the comments section below!