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Chelsea are reportedly on the market for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer. 

The Blues are not messing around when it comes to bolstering their squad ahead of what promises to be an exciting 2020/21 season. The newest name on their radar is Lazio’s Serbian playmaker, who reportedly has Real Madrid also chasing his signature (according to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness).

According to the Italian report, both Madrid and Chelsea have ‘started to move’ on bringing Milinkovic-Savic to their respective grounds next campaign. Lazio’s asking price for the 25-year-old was €100million (£89.1m), however this valuation was from two years ago so a much lower price tag could be on the table.

The midfielder currently has a Transfermarkt value of £57.6m, which is much more reasonable given the current financial climate. However, Milinkovic-Savic still has four years on his current contract, so Lazio may be hesitant to let him leave for cheap.

Chelsea are still chasing hot Bundesliga target Kai Havertz this summer, who has also attracted heavy attention from the likes of Manchester United. The 21-year-old will command a hefty fee of £90m, so shifting attention to Milinkovic-Savic could be a smarter move for the Blues.

The Serbian has a total of 46 goals and 28 assists throughout his career and has contributed six goals and seven assists this season (via Transfermarkt).

Although Havertz has the more impressive portfolio (17 goals and nine assists this term), his asking price may be too high for a side who has already recruited two top signings. The additions of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner have started Chelsea off on the right foot but could mean a move for their first choice midfielder is off the cards.

Milinkovic-Savic has more senior experience, having enjoyed spells in Italy, Belgium and Serbia. He is also capped 15 times by his national team. His knowledge of the game and ability to set up goals would still be a valuable asset to Lampard’s midfield. He would also help influence up and coming talent like Billy Gilmour.

For what could be half the price of Havertz, this move could be a smarter option as the Blues focus on silverware next season.

Should Chelsea sign Milinkovic-Savic this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Tottenham haven’t had the best of times as of late, but they finally had something to cheer on Sunday as they secured a precious win over their bitter rivals Arsenal, beating them 2-1 courtesy of goals from Heung-min Son and Toby Alderweireld.

While a win over the Gunners is always cause for celebration for Spurs supporters, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the white half of north London.

Indeed, the fanbase still had some grievances to air, namely about the performance of Serge Aurier.

Spurs’ 2017 signing had a day to forget, his pass accuracy was barely above 80 per cent, and of the five crosses he attempted, not a single one of them found their desired target.

On top of that, he had more unsuccessful touches than any other Tottenham player, so you can understand exactly where these complaints are coming from.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Tottenham have been able to call right-back their problem position.

Last season it seemed as though Spurs supporters’ favourite activity was to bash Kieran Trippier, but some fans thought Aurier was that bad on Sunday that they actually started to miss the Atletico Madrid man.

Kalvin Phillips was undoubtedly one of the best players in the Championship last term.

He started 37 games for the league’s runaway champions, and his incredible performances over the past two years have seen him linked with some of the biggest clubs in the country.

Understandably, his brilliance has seen conversations arise about his potential future at international level, and this weekend we got an update on what could be in store for him, and it’s not quite what you’d expect.

What’s been said then?

The words ‘shock interest in Kalvin Phillips’ are enough to send a shiver down any Leeds fan’s spine, but in this case it’s not another club looking at him.

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Indeed, Alan Nixon has stated that the Jamaica national team are interested in recruiting the Leeds midfielder, due to the fact he is eligible to play for the Caribbean outfit.

The journalist says that they want to build their next World Cup team around the midfielder tweeting: “Shock interest in Kalvin Phillips … from Jamaica. Qualifies for them. Official contact made. Keen to build a team round him for next World Cup.”

Not yet

This is an interesting proposition for Phillips to consider, but you have to wonder why he would choose to pledge his allegiance to Jamaica at this point in time.

Of course, heritage is very important to some people, and Phillips may be very proud of his roots, but from a purely footballing standpoint, he surely has to wait and see if England give him a chance.

Gareth Southgate has watched him a number of times, and United’s promotion to the Premier League will give him the chance to impress at the top-level, meaning that an England call-up is that much more likely if he impresses.

The Three Lions are so much better than Jamaica as well, they’re 44 places above them in the FIFA world rankings, and when you factor in that they haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1998, you have to say Phillips’ best chance of success is with Southgate’s men.

Of course, it’s up to the 24-year-old to make this call, but from a footballing standpoint, it seems a bit foolish to rush such a decision.

Everton may have missed out on their namesake in the transfer window, but the door has opened for another target this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol, Lyon winger Bertrand Traore is a wanted man with at least four Premier League teams keen on his services, including the Toffees.

It’s claimed that the French outfit are prepared to sell the 24-year-old, three years after paying Chelsea £9m.

Whilst it remains to be seen how much Traore would cost, Transfermarkt value him at just over £8.5m and during the January transfer window, AFC Bournemouth were mooted with a €35m (£31.5m) swoop for him as per Foot Mercato, via GFFN.

Forget Soares

The Merseysiders had been tipped to sign Gremio winger Everton Soares for quite some time, but the Brazilian appears to be closing in on a move to Benfica in a €20m (£18m) move.

It’s no secret that Carlo Ancelotti needs to bolster his wide department after a sub-par showing across the board. Big-money £34m signing Alex Iwobi scored one strike all season in the PL whilst the rest combined for a paltry five goals and five assists.

Some at Goodison Park may recognise Traore’s name as he struggled to break into Chelsea’s first-team – he made 16 senior appearances, scoring four times before being cast off as a flop to Lyon.

It’s in Ligue 1 where he’s found his feet. In the 24-year-old’s first two seasons at the club, he provided 25 goals and eight assists, recording a best average of 2.6 shots, 1.7 dribbles and 0.8 key passes during his maiden campaign, via WhoScored.

Evidently, he’s a player who likes to put himself about in front of the onion bag, something that’s been lacking in Merseyside this year.

Former Blues boss Guus Hiddink has previously labelled Traore “very clever” and “ambitious” whilst his ex-teammate Papy Djilobodji claimed the Burkina Faso international is “technically he is very, very good: with his feints, he is very hard to stop.”

He’d be the perfect solution to the width issue at the Toffees, if the price is right, then Marcel Brands should absolutely pull out all the stops to clinch him this summer.

AND in other news, £30m speedster would bring excitement back to Goodison Park…

When the Premier League fixture list was released, it almost seemed fitting that Leeds would be travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool in their first game back in the top-flight.

Two giants of English football doing battle once more, but with the obvious caveat of it being played with no fans in the stadium. And if there is anything that we have learned about Marcelo Bielsa during his time at Elland Road, then it’s that he will be feverishly drawing up plans on how to secure a famous victory against the reigning Premier League champions on opening day.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Leeds’ search for a star striker could be over soon, with Valencia’s Rodrigo inching closer to a big-money move to the club. But whilst the Spain international has all the hallmarks of being a superb acquisition, Bielsa could really throw Jurgen Klopp’s side for a loop by starting another one of his summer signings: Joe Gelhardt.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…



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The youngster arrived from Wigan for a reported fee of around £1m, and all signs point to him developing into a top-level centre-forward. Speaking after Gelhardt scored his first goal in professional football last season, then Latics boss Paul Cook said: “To get on the pitch and make an impact in a game at Championship level like Joffy does, it will justify the feelings everyone has about the young man.

“He’s got that special talent in football to create space in tight areas and you only have to look at his finish, the goalkeeper doesn’t move. He’s a great kid, he’s a really nice young man and if he keeps working hard and keeps his head down, he’s going to have a really bright future in the game.”

Anyone who watched Liverpool’s opening day fixture against Premier League new boys Norwich last season would have seen how Klopp’s men were incredibly slow out of the blocks, with Virgil van Dijk looking nothing like his normal self – Teemu Pukki in particular looked threatening with his movement in behind, eventually getting onto the score-sheet in the second half.

Promoted teams will always have that surprise factor early on, but if Bielsa were to unleash Gelhardt against the Reds, then Liverpool may be more than just surprised. It would be the kind of bold move from Leeds that could see Liverpool’s defence unsure of how to deal with Gelhardt, arguably preparing to face the likes of Rodrigo or Patrick Bamford instead.

It could be the kind of inspired decision that sees the Whites secure a famous victory on their top-flight return.

Sheffield Wednesday have made a lot of movements in the transfer window so far, and they have announced another new addition to the squad on Twitter.

The club posted that Elias Kachunga has signed following his release from fellow Championship side Huddersfield. The 28 year-old centre-forward adds some much-needed firepower as before he signed, the club only had one natural striker on the books in Jordan Rhodes, who only managed three goals in the division last season.

Kachunga has a decent goal scoring record as he has played 365 games throughout his career and scored 99 times. He has also picked up 33 assists, per Transfermarkt. For Huddersfield in both the Premier League and the Championship, he scored 17 times and assisted 10 times.

To bring an experienced forward to the club is normally a good thing, and now manager Garry Monk will have a week before the Championship starts to work out a formation to get the best out of the player.

Here is what fans said following the news, with many delighted given they have finally beefed up their attacking options.

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

West Ham United are finally back in Premier League action this afternoon following a controversial pre-season which saw the club sell promising academy graduate Grady Diangana.

The Irons will not want to let that affect them as they start the new campaign at home to Newcastle United, who have signed no fewer than three players themselves.

David Moyes managed to steer the Hammers away from relegation but will they face a similar fate having not made a single signing?

Here’s how they could line up at the London Stadium tonight…

Lukasz Fabianski is getting no younger at 35 but he remains as West Ham’s first-choice shot-stopper.

Moyes could name an interesting back four with the both Arthur Masuaku and Ben Johnson doing enough in pre-season to warrant a starting spot this evening.

It means there’s no place for Aaron Cresswell or Ryan Fredericks.

The Scotsman is trying to sign James Tarkowski from Premier League rivals Burnley, but for the time being, he’ll have to make do with Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop.

Declan Rice has got in some valuable game time whilst on England duty so should be fit to feature but Tomas Soucek has barely trained since making his £18m move permanent and won’t be risked.

Instead skipper Mark Noble will partner Pablo Fornals, who takes up a spot in the hole instead of out wide.

£22.5m-rated Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio are deployed on either wing, the former taking what may have been Diangana’s spot whilst club-record signing Sebastien Haller takes up a solitary place in attack.

The likes of Felipe Anderson, Robert Snodgrass, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere will have to settle for a place on the bench.

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle have asked about signing Manchester United centre-back Chris Smalling.

What’s the word?

The Magpies conceded 58 goals in the Premier League last season, with only six other teams having a worse record. It’s therefore no surprise that Steve Bruce appears to be on the hunt for a new defender, and The Telegraph claim that they have Smalling in their sights.

The report reveals that the Tyneside club have made an enquiry to United over potentially bringing in the England international, but with just a few days left until the transfer window closes, they face a race against time to get it done.

Another chance in the Premier League

When Smalling left United to join Serie A giants AS Roma last summer, some may have thought that the England international’s career in the Premier League was officially over.

Instead, the 6 foot 4 powerhouse’s impressive display for the Italian side, has surely made the £18m-rated ace worthy of a second chance in English football’s top-flight.

As per WhoScored, he averaged an impressive 1.9 interceptions and four clearances per game in Serie A, as well as boasting a 90.5% passing accuracy – in fact, his average match rating of 7.0, ranked him within the top three of central defenders in the competition.

Such were his performances, that Roma boss Paulo Fonseca raved: “He’s a defender that had never left England and he arrived in a league very demanding of tactics, where details make the difference. Chris adapted very quickly.

“He’s an extraordinary guy, very intelligent. He has characteristics that I really appreciate in the centre. He’s fast, nearly unbeatable in one-on-ones. He has a great ability to read the play and anticipate. He was very important for this club.”

With that season of education in Italian football under his belt, Newcastle could be the big beneficiaries with signing a player who looks completely revived.

Manchester United made an inquiry to Watford over the prospect of bringing Ismaila Sarr to Old Trafford on loan, but the Hornets are only willing to allow him to leave on a permanent basis.

The Red Devils have spent most of the last few weeks of the transfer window trying to secure more options in the final third, with a move for Jadon Sancho now off the cards, and United are facing a similar issue with Ousmane Dembele with Barcelona not wanting to loan out the Frenchman, as per a tweet from Fabrizio Romano.

United then turned their attentions towards Sarr early on the last day of the window, but saw their loan inquiry turned down by Watford, who will only allow him leave the club permanently, as per Romano’s Tweet. The Hornets have previously placed a price tag of around £40 million on the 22-year-old.

However, talks are now thought to be continuing between the two clubs over the potential for a deal to be agreed before the deadline, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

Sarr saw his first season in English football end in relegation from the Premier League with Watford last term, but he was still able to stand out, recording a decent tally of five goals and four assists in 28 league appearances in a struggling Hornets side, as per Transfermarkt.

United’s pursuit of attacking reinforcements this window has been a real mess, with the Red Devils wasting a lot of time around the prospect of signing Sancho only to see Dortmund alter their stance and decide to keep hold of him. Now their approach to sign Sarr appears to have also failed with them not wanting to buy him on a permanent deal.

Sarr, whilst not the player United fans were wanting, does at least have plenty of ability having created nine big chances in a struggling side and completing 1.7 successful dribbles per game last term (via Sofascore). So, he would not be the worst option for the Red Devils, but any move for him would seem like a bit of a panic buy.

United fans would you be happy with Sarr arriving? Let us know your thoughts below!

Whilst Arsenal may have secured a deadline beating move for Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey, one area of the midfield that they failed to address over the course of the summer transfer window was the issue with creativity.

The Gunners were in a long-running pursuit of Lyon dynamo Houssem Aouar, but that deal failed to materialise when it appeared the north London side weren’t too keen on matching the demands set out by the French giants.

But, in recent weeks, journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side are also hot on the trail of another midfield starlet, with RB Salzburg’s Dominik Szoboszlai on their radar amid a potential move in future transfer windows.

And on Wednesday night in the Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow, the Hungary international proved exactly why Arsenal must forget about Aouar and prioritise him instead.

Aside from scoring a wonderful goal, Szoboszlai was a constant threat for Salzburg, coming in off the left flank and linking up well with the likes of Patson Daka up front.

He was never scared of trying things and always tried to take the lead creatively, and it was no surprise that his total of 78 touches were the highest of any midfield or attacking player for either side.

He provided two key passes, sent in a whopping ten crosses and attempted six dribbles too. It was an all-action display from the 19-year-old, and it was quite telling that even at a young age, he is taking considerable attacking responsibility for a Champions League playing side.

His willingness to take risks saw him concede possession 30 times over the course of the game, and whilst at times he was loose with the ball, his desire to create should be something that is applauded.

Arsenal are crying out for someone to feed the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front. Szoboszlai proved on Wednesday night that he could help complete Arteta’s jigsaw in midfield along with Thomas Partey.