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In terms of incoming transfers, Liverpool were not very busy during the previous summer window, only managing to bring in defender Ibrahima Konate, with a number of players leaving the club.

However, even before the upcoming January transfer market, it seems as though the Reds are already eyeing up potential deals they could make in the next summer window.

What’s the news? 

According to Spanish media outlet RAC1 (via Liverpool Echo) the Merseyside club are interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.

That’s if he fails to renew his current contract at the Italian club by the time it expires next summer when the Reds could sign him on a free transfer.

Extra quality

Inter originally signed Brozovic on a loan deal from Dinamo Zagreb back in the 2015 January transfer window before securing him on a permanent basis in the 2016 summer window.

Overall, the 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £36m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 252 appearances for the reigning Serie A champions, scoring 25 goals and providing 34 assists along the way. With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising that he was described as a player of “incredible quality” by Roberto Mancini.

So far this season, Brozovic has played in all of Inter’s eight league games in which he has managed to rack up an average of 1.8 tackles per game, 1.1 clearances per game, an impressive passing accuracy percentage of 92% as well as one key pass per game, showing how well-rounded the player is in defence and attack.

In terms of a potential move to Liverpool, we feel that if the Merseyside club were able to sign him on a free transfer next summer, this could be a great bit of business. It would nearly mirror their move for Thiago Alcantara back in the 2020 summer transfer window as an experienced and technical midfielder in his peak years moved to Anfield.

Speaking of Thiago, we feel that the idea of him and Brozovic linking up for Jurgen Klopp’s side could be something that would excite a lot of Liverpool fans and give the team a different dynamic to the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson who may not be as attack-minded as the aforementioned stars in terms of creativity and their technical ability.

Specifically, Brozovic has a higher creativity rating (76) than both Fabinho (51) and Henderson (68) according to SofaScore, with Thiago’s standing at 74, much closer to Brozovic’s.

Moving forward, we feel that Brozovic’s situation at Inter is something Liverpool should be monitoring to see if they could eventually identify an opportunity for them to sign the player on a free transfer in the summer.

In other news: Liverpool dealt big injury blow ahead of Atletico clash, Klopp will be gutted – opinion

Manchester United’s winless run in the Premier League extended to three games after they fell to a hugely disappointing 4-2 defeat against Leicester City this afternoon.

The Foxes scored two late goals to snatch a deserved victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges, with strikes from Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka securing all three points.

In truth, no United player can be proud of their showing at the King Power Stadium, but some members of the back four were particularly disappointing.

Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was poor in possession, completing just 50% of his dribbles and failing to pick out a teammate with any of his three attempted crosses, but it was Harry Maguire who really had an afternoon to forget.

The Red Devils captain was returning the starting line-up after being sidelined with a calf injury, and the 28-year-old looked extremely rusty against his former club.

Leicester forward Kelechi Iheanacho dispossessed the centre-back on the edge of his own box after he misjudged the weight of a David de Gea pass, setting up Youri Tielemans for the Foxes’ equaliser after Mason Greenwood had opened the scoring.

However, things went from bad to worse for the England defender. He needlessly put the ball out for a Leicester corner under no pressure in the 78th minute and was unable to clear his lines after the ball had been swung into United’s box leading to Caglar Soyuncu smashing the ball home from close range.

His desperately poor display saw SofaScore award Maguire a match rating of just 6.1 out of 10, the lowest received by any player on the pitch. During the 90 minutes, he won just 56% of his duels, made one error leading directly to a goal and was dribbled past on one occasion, highlighting his underwhelming performance at the King Power Stadium.

Questions will be asked over whether Maguire should have been starting so soon after coming back from an injury, but the 6 foot 3 gem let Solskjaer down against Leicester, piling further pressure on the Norwegian.

In other news… MUFC could secure their next Pogba in “devastating” £74k-p/w gem, Ole would love him 

West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could sign a new deal with a release clause included, according to former England defender Danny Mills.

The Lowdown: Johnstone likely to stay put

The 28-year-old was one of the few positives to take from the Baggies’ 2020/21 campaign as they were relegated back to the Championship from the Premier League.

His form earned him a call-up to England’s Euro 2020 squad, and while he didn’t feature in the tournament, it was proof of how much he impressed throughout the season.

Johnstone looks set to stay put at West Brom this summer despite transfer interest in him, but his long-term future remains up in the air.

The Latest: Mills thinks Johnstone could swing a new deal

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills tipped the 28-year-old to sign a new deal at The Hawthorns, adding that a release clause could allow him to leave next summer if promotion isn’t achieved.

The former Leeds defender said:

“If he wants a bit of security, he can just say to West Brom ‘This is where we’re at, if we don’t get promoted I can go for x, y or z. If not, I’ll just sit here and wait until the end of the season to consider my options’.

“There is a good chance he’d be in a very strong position if he did that.

“All the cards are in his hands. He can now pick and choose what suits him best and what he wants to do. He can pretty much dictate the terms of a contract.”

The Verdict: Makes sense for all parties

Realistically, West Brom must accept that Johnstone won’t be content with being in the Championship for long, so a release clause could actually be a shrewd idea in a new contract.

Should Valerien Ismael’s side earn promotion this season, the England international may be happy to remain at the club, continuing to be a key player for Albion.

If that clause is one way of keeping hold of Johnstone right now, West Brom should go through with it, with his current deal expiring next summer.

In other news, West Brom have been tipped to sign a player on loan this summer. Find out who it is here.

Celtic transfer target Reo Hatate wants to make the move to Parkhead and will meet with Kawasaki Frontale chiefs this week to discuss his future, Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph reports.

The Lowdown: Hatate rumours

Links to Hatate emerged at the beginning of November, with the Hoops reportedly viewing the 24-year-old as a midfielder.

His contract with Kawasaki Frontale expires at the end of January, with talk recently suggesting that he could be a Hoops player before the club’s 2022 winter break training camp.

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Hatate, who can also play as a left-back, has scored 12 goals during his career and recently helped his team to a second consecutive J1 League title, but it now seems as if he wants to join Kyogo Furuhashi in Scotland and will talk to Kawasaki Frontale over the coming days.

The Latest: Joseph’s tweet

Sky Sports reporter Joseph took to Twitter on Tuesday to provide numerous Celtic-related updates.

One of those was on Hatate, to which he said: “Kawasaki Frontale left-back Reo Hatate is due to meet club chiefs this week to express his desire to join Celtic next month. He is out of contract in February but is hoping to engineer a move to Scotland in January, which would require a fee to be agreed by both clubs.”

The Verdict: First through the door?

Celtic have also been linked with moves for Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, but it appears as if Hatate could be the first through the door in the New Year judging by this latest update.

For a winter window move to be possible, though, the Hoops will need to get the chequebook out and pay a fee, but you’d expect that it could be a minimal one due to his contract situation and the player wanting to leave his current employers.

Hopefully, interim CEO Michael Nicholson can strike a deal with the J1 League club, as Hatate could prove to be a shrewd addition in multiple areas under Ange Postecoglou, with Japan Times journalist Dan Orlowitz saying that a deal for under £2.5m-£3m would be ‘highway robbery’.

In other news: ‘Outstanding’ star may miss four games as Celtic issues worsen ahead of Betis clash

Former Everton player Michael Ball believes that it all depends on what players the Toffees move on, as to whether they make a move for Tottenham’s Harry Winks. 

Just last month, journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Winks was a possibility for Everton on his Twitch channel, and just a few days ago reported via the same channel that although there had been speculation linking him away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the player is happy in north London.

When asked about the speculation surrounding Winks and if he could come to Everton, Ball exclusively told Transfer Tavern: “Yeah, he’s sort of very experienced already, he’s obviously been at a good club, but it looks like his game time is going to be lessened at this moment in time and I think it’s all about what Everton do with players moving out. 

“Theres a lot of whispers and rumours right now with Andre Gomes, there’s even Allan, even James, Gbamin is coming back from injury so again we can’t really expect him to play 30/40 games next season, so we are going need players in those positions, especially if one or two players move on.”

Winks made 860 minutes of Premier League football across 2020/2021.

Winks featured as a half-time substitute in Spurs’ most recent pre-season fixture, a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.

West Ham United could be about to enter a bidding war for one of their mooted summer targets…

What’s the word?

According to reports in Italy (via Football Italia), the Irons are set to battle Premier League rivals Leeds United for the signature of Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez this off-season.

The 25-year-old powerhouse is a key target for Marcelo Bielsa after missing out on Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul, who is set to join Atletico Madrid in a €35m (£30m) deal.

It’s claimed that the Yorkshiremen could offer the Serie A outfit in the region of €36m (£31m) but Sportitalia transfer expert Alfredo Pedulla suggests the Hammers are prepared to beat that with a bid of over €40m (£35m).

Shades of Kante

If there’s genuine interest in 37-cap Uruguay international, then David Moyes is surely at the front of the queue as he’ll be able to offer the midfielder European football, having qualified for the Europa League with their sixth-place finish last term.

The prospects of remaining competitive across a 50-plus game season are currently quite low, given the lack of solid squad depth options at the Scotsman’s disposal.

Of course, much of the priority this summer will be bringing Jesse Lingard back permanently, as well as finding that elusive new striker but West Ham shouldn’t turn their nose up to strengthening the engine room.

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They’re only one injury to Declan Rice or Tomas Soucek away from having to rely on retiring skipper Mark Noble and if two of the three are out, then Moyes is left in a sticky predicament.

Nandez would be a quality addition.

The diminutive £14m-rated dynamo may only be 5 foot 7 but he offers an industrious presence in midfield and is by no means an easy man to beat. As per SofaScore, he averaged 1.8 tackles and won an impressive 6.1 duels per game during the 2020/21 season.

He also managed to provide two goals and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

You could argue that Nandez is in the mould of a N’Golo Kante, which is the sort of presence that is lacking in the Hammers’ current midfield, considering Rice and Soucek are much more physically imposing at over six foot.

Nandez ranked inside the top-20 Serie A players for distance covered last season, averaging 10.95km per game, which is even more comparable to Chelsea’s energiser bunny.

The tough-tackling midfielder has been described as a “machine” by Forza Italian Football editor-in-chief Conor Clancy during an exclusive interview with This is Futbol. He added: “He’s so powerful but at the same time, has really, really good ball control.”

All in all and on the above evidence, Nandez would be a mighty fine addition to the Irons’ playing squad ahead of next season. Given the interest from their top-flight rivals, GSB must look to seal this move as soon as possible.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops encouraging transfer update amid growing concerns…

Southampton extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to four games following their 0-0 draw with West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Saints worked hard defensively to ensure that they came away with at least a point, as they kept the likes of Michail Antonio – who was sent off late in the game – and Jarrod Bowen at bay.

Whilst there were some strong performers on the day, with the likes of Jack Stephens, Alex McCarthy and Mohammed Salisu impressing at the back, there were also some disappointing showings. One player, in particular, who struggled against David Moyes’ side was Norweigan international Mo Elyounoussi.

Ralph Hasenhuttl ditched his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation to line up with a 4-1-4-1, opting to select Elyounoussi as one of his two central midfielders – alongside James Ward-Prowse – ahead of Oriol Romeu in the holding midfield position.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old – who was on loan at Celtic last season – was unable to showcase his quality in a new position. He was given the lowest SofaScore rating (6.1) out of the 22 starters in the game, as he failed to adapt to playing centrally instead of in his more natural wide role in the side.

Defensively, he offered almost nothing. Per SofaScore, he made zero tackles, blocks or interceptions in 90 minutes on the pitch. He was also dribbled past twice and lost a whopping 85% of his duels, losing nine of his 10 battles on the ground and two of his three in the air.

This suggests that he was not up to the physical battle in the middle of the park as West Ham’s players dominated him in one-on-one duels. He needed to be stronger  in order to either retain possession for Southampton or win the ball back, rather than being a liability by allowing the Hammers to consistently come out on top in battles.

Offensively, he did not fare much better either. Per SofaScore, Elyounoussi had fewer touches (33) than goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (41) and he lost possession 11 times from those 33 touches. This means that he gave the ball away once every three touches, which shows that he was not secure enough with the ball at his feet to be effective in midfield for Hasenhuttl’s team – only creating one chance all game.

The Austrian head coach put his faith in Elyounoussi by deploying him in a brand-new role, but the dud let him down with his performance. He offered next-to-nothing defensively and was not up to the physical challenge of playing in the engine room against West Ham, which is why Hasenhuttl will surely be disappointed with his performance.

AND in other news, “That’s his level” – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on Southampton ace after transfer claim…

In perhaps one of the stranger moves of transfer deadline day, Sheffield Wednesday secured the signing of Saido Berahino, with the 28-year-old linking up with Darren Moore’s side on a 12-month deal.

Following largely unsuccessful spells at Stoke City, SV Zulte Waregem and RSC Charleroi, English football fans would perhaps have been forgiven for forgetting that the centre-forward existed, however, the Burundi international’s move to Hillsborough could well be the transfer which finally gets his career back on track.

Moore could be Berahino’s key

The Sheffield Wednesday manager and Berahino have actually worked together before, with the 47-year-old having been the West Bromwich Albion club captain when the striker joined the club’s academy as an 11-year-old.

Berahino himself also revealed that Moore played a key role in his development as a player while part of the Baggies youth setup, something which could explain why the Owls boss decided to take a chance on the 28-year-old this summer, as he is more aware than most of the raw ability the forward possesses.

While his talent may have not been on display all that much in recent seasons, it is undeniable that an on-form Berahino is a centre-forward who knows how to find the back of the net, something the £1.35m-rated man demonstrated while playing for West Brom.

Indeed, over his 32 Premier League appearances back in 2013/14, the young striker bagged five goals and registered two assists, as well as scoring a further four goals over two EFL Cup fixtures.

However, it was the following season in which Berahino really burst onto the scene, scoring a rather astonishing 14 goals and providing one assist over his 38 Premier League appearances in 2014/15, in addition to five goals and five assists over four FA Cup matches and one goal in three EFL Cup games – taking his total to 20 goals and six assists for the season.

As such, while it will not be an easy task, if Moore can be the manager to finally help the player Liam Ridgewell once dubbed a “huge” talent refind this form – something which, considering their history, Moore is better placed than anyone else to achieve – the 28-year-old could well prove to be one of the signings of the season, as a fit and firing Berahino easily has the ability to catapult Wednesday to promotion.

In other news: “Very, very good”: Carlton Palmer makes claim on key Sheff Wed ace, it’ll excite fans

Sheffield Wednesday have been dealt with a major blow in their pursuit of Scott Tanser.

What’s the talk?

Scottish Premiership side St Mirren have officially confirmed the signing of left-back Tanser on a free transfer from St Johnstone. Tanser has agreed a one-year deal with St Mirren, with the option for a further 12 months, and he will link up with his new team upon the expiry of his St Johnstone contract at the end of the month.

Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that Sheffield Wednesday were one of a number of League One clubs attempting to sign Tanser this summer. Wednesday have now missed out on his signature, with St Mirren swooping in to complete a deal.

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin has hailed the “instrumental” full-back upon his arrival at the Scottish side. He told St Mirren’s official website:

“Scott Tanser is one who knows the league and has been outstanding at left-wing back for St. Johnstone this season. He’s a very good athlete, great delivery, he was instrumental in some of the really good performances that St. Johnstone had.

“I’ve been speaking to Scott since January time, really with him and his agent trying to get something done and I’m delighted that today he has agreed to come in.”

Moore will be fuming

Wednesday boss Darren Moore will be fuming that the club has not been able to secure an agreement with Tanser ahead of St Mirren. The left-back spot at Sheffield Wednesday is set to be wide open next season as current first-choice Adam Reach is out of contract at the end of the month. Moore, therefore, has no left-back options at his disposal heading into the 2021/22 campaign and the club will need to amend that in the coming months.

Moore should be devastated that Tanser has slipped past them as his performances for St Johnstone in the 2020/21 season were exceptional. The £800-per-week defender averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.08 in 17 starts as a left wing-back, whilst achieving a score of 6.87 across 28 appearances in various positions. This suggests that he could have been a brilliant addition to Wednesday’s team and that he could have been a player who Moore would have loved to have managed.

It is now down to Dejphon Chansiri and Moore to identify alternative targets to solve their left-back crisis. Their pursuit of Tanser is officially over with this news and they will need to find a player of a similar quality to come in and bolster Moore’s team to offset the loss of Reach.

If they fail to do that, then it could become an issue in League One next season if they do not have a left-back of the requisite quality in the team.

AND in other news, Chansiri is heading for disaster with £12k-p/w “fighter”, SWFC fans will be fuming…

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville lavished praise on West Ham United centre-back Craig Dawson during the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 

The lowdown: Last man standing

With central defensive options Issa Diop, Kurt Zouma and long-term absentee Angelo Ogbonna all sidelined, Dawson was the only recognised choice in David Moyes’ much-changed side to face their London rivals.

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Making up a new-look back three alongside Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson, following a drab first half without action in what has previously been a pulsating London derby, the second 45 kicked into gear early on and the Hammers were called into defensive action.

However, the 31-year-old had proved to be more than a match for the attack on more than one occasion prior to being dismissed for hauling down Romelu Lukaku inside the area with just minutes remaining on the clock.

The Evening Standard rated his performance as ‘superb’ being undermined by the red card, with big name Sky pundit Neville joining in on the praise during West Ham’s encounter.

The latest: Neville impressed

Speaking as a co-commentator during Sky Sports’ live coverage, Neville was left in awe of the experienced Englishman’s actions at the 50-minute mark.

“Brilliant from Dawson. All the talk before the game was about Dawson being the only centre-back. He’s the only one they needed in the last minute or two. Two really good blocks.”

Ultimately it wasn’t Dawson’s error that cost the visitors a valuable point as Jorginho missed the resulting spot-kick before moments later Christian Pulisic netted beyond Lukasz Fabianski with West Ham without a recognised centre-back.

Overall the ex-Watford man completed seven clearances, seven blocked shots and won 1/1 (100%) of his aerial duels in a 7.30 rated display despite the red card (Sofascore).

The verdict: Outstanding before dismissal

Dawson has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving at the London Stadium and this was another flawless display from the experienced former England Under 21 international before being given his marching orders late on.

So far this season the Rochdale-born ace has made 44 appearances for Moyes’ side, scoring four times for the Irons as he proves to be equally adept in either penalty area and will be a huge miss whilst suspended.

Albeit the Hammers would’ve welcomed back any of Diop, Zouma and Ogbonna with open arms prior to this clash, Dawson has once again proven that he can be relied upon to marshall a backline successfully – even taking into account the dismissal.

In other news: Agreement reached: ExWHUemployee also has some promising player news for West Ham supporters! Find out more here.