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Aston Villa must land Argentina starlet Julian Alvarez amid a recent transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have claimed that Fernando Hidalgo, the agent of the 20-year-old, is set to meet with Villa’s representatives over a possible summer move to Dean Smith’s side.

And now, speaking exclusively to This is Futbol, The Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield said: “It’s an interesting one because Villa have kept their cards pretty close to their chest in terms of linked names. In terms of strikers, you haven’t seen many other names other than Tammy Abraham.

“One man they were linked with was Julian Alvarez from South America, Argentinian, very young. That seems to fit the mould for me a little bit more just because he’s a younger player, probably won’t expect to start week in, week out in the Premier League but won’t be as expensive as Tammy Abraham. There’s talk of around £15-£20 million maybe for him. That seems to add up a little bit more.”

Imagine him and Buendia

The River Plate ace is someone who can play anywhere across the frontline, and after a really impressive campaign in his native Argentina, he was named as part of his country’s Copa America squad for this summer.

He bagged four goals and set up another seven in just 20 appearances last season, including a couple of games where he registered a trio of assists against Godoy Cruz and Central Cordoba respectively.

Marcelo Gallardo, his manager at club level, has previously hailed the 5 foot 7 gem as someone who “every coach would love to have.”

And, given his international compatriot Emi Buendia has just arrived at Villa Park this summer as well, Smith could build a formidable partnership between the two going forward.

His average of 1.7 dribbles per game is actually higher than Buendia (1.6), while he has also shown an ability to provide an end product, averaging 1.6 key passes and 1.3 shots per match – Villa’s new boy managed 3.1 key passes and 2.8 shots per game in 2020/21.

With that level of directness and willingness to make things happen, the two Argentines appear perfect in giving Smith’s side an extra dimension going forward.

Buendia would be able to help Alvarez settle down in England both on and off the pitch, and that could reap rich rewards when they play together as they build up a relationship.

With Buendia and Alvarez in tandem, Villa could have a duo that takes the pressure of talisman Jack Grealish, and give opposition teams something else to think and worry about.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have been handed an encouraging transfer update…

Having gone through October and November without a win in the Premier League and with only one win from four games in December, it’s safe to say that Everton have not been in the best shape in recent months.

Luckily for the Toffees, the January transfer window is close to opening and could therefore give the Merseyside club the opportunity to potentially strengthen their squad and put them in a good place to put their poor run of form behind them end the season on a high note.

Speaking to Football Insider on what business Everton could do in January, pundit Frank McAvennie had this to say on the matter.

He said: “If Everton are going to stick with Rafa then it needs to be shown. The easiest way to do that is in January, you can give Rafa the players he wants. It’s no good sacking [Marcel] Brands and backing the manager if the form doesn’t turn around and you sack the manager anyway.

“It sounds like Rafa will have the chance to build his own team and that’s what he needs. You can’t judge him, it’s not his team. Let him bring four or five quality players in this January then let’s see where they are. I can see that happening.”

The prospect of Everton signing four or five quality players must be an exciting one for a lot of Toffees fans who will undoubtedly be hoping that Benitez can get 2022 off to a winning start in the same way he started the season off with Everton.

However, as McAvennie mentioned, with Everton saying goodbye to their director of football Marcel Brands earlier this month, it will be interesting to see how the club goes about their business in January and if Brands’ absence will have an impact.

In terms of which areas of the pitch the Toffees could look to strengthen in January, if they are aiming to sign a handful of quality players, they should definitely focus on signing at least one, if not more defensive players given how only Leeds United, Watford, Newcastle United and Norwich City have conceded more goals than they have so far this season.

Furthermore, they may have to replace the likes of Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne who have both been linked with an exit away. Consider Seamus Coleman’s age, too, and the idea of signing a few defenders certainly makes sense.

After all, the Merseyside outfit won’t start picking up more consistent point hauls until their defence gets better.

In other news: James 2.0: Moshiri could spark fury at Everton with swoop for “lazy” £380k-p/w flop – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Josko Gvardiol to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by German media outlet RB Live (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite The Athletic recently revealing that the RB Leipzig centre-back is the first name on Fabio Paratici’s list of targets ahead of the summer transfer window, the chances of the 20-year-old linking up with Antonio Conte’s side this summer are extremely thin.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

The report goes on to state that the Croatia international has himself ruled out a departure from the Red Bull Arena at the end of the current campaign, while it is also claimed that the defender is likely to have a release clause written into his contract that is much higher than the €50m (£42m) figure mentioned as the potential cost of his transfer.

Paratici must act

Considering just how impressive Gvardiol has been following his €16m (£13m) move to RB Leipzig back in the summer of 2020, in addition to Antonio Conte’s well-documented desire to add a top left-sided centre-back to his Spurs side this summer, Paratici simply must do everything in his power to seal the 20-year-old’s signing.

Indeed, over his 27 Bundesliga appearances this season, the £100m-rated Croatian has been imperious in the heart of the Leipzig defence, helping his side keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, two clearances and winning 6.1 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per game.

The £21k-per-week centre-back has also contributed in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, providing two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 60.1 passes, 3.5 long balls and taking 0.9 shots per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Ivica Olic dubbed “extraordinary” and claimed “everyone is talking about” average a rather breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as Domenico Tedesco’s joint third-best player in the top flight of German football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Gvardiol would make an excellent addition to Conte’s current options in his Tottenham backline, leading us to believe that Paratici simply must do all he can to land the 20-year-old prodigy this summer – even if it means breaking Tottenham’s current incoming transfer record of £54m.

AND in other news: Conte can finally axe £55m “disaster” as Spurs plot £60m bid for “unbelievable” talent

West Ham have been boosted by the news that Jesse Lingard’s contract talks with Manchester United have broken down and he looks set to leave the club.

The Lowdown: Lingard shines for West Ham

The 28-year-old was simply exceptional on loan for the Hammers last season, standing out as one of their best players despite only joining in January.

Lingard bagged nine goals and four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances, aiding West Ham’s challenge for European football – it almost feels a shame he hasn’t been around to participate in the Europa League group stages with the Irons.

The England international returned to Old Trafford in the summer but he has failed to force his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans regularly, not starting a single league game.

He has been strongly linked as a target for the Hammers in the upcoming winter transfer window.

The Latest: Key update emerges

On Thursday, reliable journalist Paul Hirst took to Twitter to confirm that contract talks between Lingard and his current club had ‘collapsed’.

‘Lingard wants to leave, possibly as early as January’, the journalist said, also detailing that several teams outside of the Premier League are interested.

The Verdict: Snap him up, Hammers

Lingard’s desire to leave Manchester is a huge boost for West Ham, should David Moyes shore up his interest in a permanent move for Lingard in the near future.

In truth, his performances last season show that should be the case, with the England starlet slotting in seamlessly at the London Stadium and providing guile and end product in the middle of the park.

If the Hammers managed to sign the Englishman in January, it could be the extra sprinkling of magic needed to secure them a top-four finish – Rio Ferdinand hailing him as ‘amazing’ in the past, and it’s hard to disagree with that judgement given his form in east London last term.

In other news, West Ham are believed to have made an approach for one player. Find out who it is here.

Antonio Conte has already made his transfer demands known at Tottenham Hotspur, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claims the 52-year-old boss has asked Fabio Paratici and the Spurs hierarchy to sign his former Inter Milan colossus Stefan de Vrij in January.

It’s thought that the Italian has made the Dutch international a top priority in the upcoming transfer window following early discussions with the Lilywhites sporting director.

The 29-year-old centre-back is under contract until the summer of 2023 and could command a fee in the region of £40m, with the Serie A champions somewhat strapped for cash.

The report also suggests that Conte rates de Vrij even higher than long-time Spurs target Milan Skriniar, who nearly joined the north London outfit last year and again last January.

Defensive upgrade

A move for the Inter defender could help Conte fix one of Tottenham’s longstanding problems in defence.

Aside from the inconsistent and error-prone performances from the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, the Lilywhites have lacked a true leader at the back, perhaps since the departure of Jan Vertonghen.

“To be honest, that’s probably where it didn’t quite work out with Jose [Mourinho], we didn’t quite have enough leadership that we needed at the time,” claimed Harry Kane, via the Evening Standard, in May this year following the departure of the Portuguese.

Similarly, football.london have regularly made note of the lack of leaders within the current squad and a 23-year-old loanee from Atalanta in Cristian Romero doesn’t go to great lengths in fixing that.

Spurs’ goal difference of -7 is the joint-worst of any team outside of the relegation zone and goes to show that they are leaking goals (16) just as much as they are struggling to score them (nine), so a marquee man is needed at the back.

De Vrij, however, is a vastly experienced beast who is very much considered to be a defensive leader, having been capped 54 times by the Netherlands since August 2012 and registered nearly 200 appearances in the Italian top-flight.

The 6 foot 2 centre-back played a huge role in Inter’s triumph last term, helping them to the division’s best defensive record. He averaged an impressive 93.8% passing accuracy across 32 appearances, proving to be an excellent ball-playing defender.

He also averaged two aerial duels won and 1.3 interceptions per outing, via WhoScored, displaying his impressive intelligence and physical attributes.

De Vrij was once dubbed a “monster” by ex-Lazio teammate Mauricio, who told ESPN (via Football Italia): “Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster!” before later adding: “He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

Transfermarkt currently value the Inter star at £45m, so it would be a considerable investment from Spurs but it’s one that could well be required if they are to change their fortunes at the back.

Conte desperately needs some leadership and there cannot be a better candidate than a player he knows better than most.

AND in other news, Nail in coffin: Conte’s arrival will have “lazy” £27m-rated Spurs star running scared…

Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard appears to be edging ever close to the Old Trafford exit door after being linked with moves to both Barcelona and AC Milan.

What’s the story?

The 28-year-old has entered the final years of his current contract with the Red Devils and has reportedly rejected the offer of fresh terms amid concerns over his limited playing time.

And now, according to ESPN reporter Rob Dawson, two European football heavyweights have joined the race for his signature.

Dawson’s report states that: “Barcelona and Milan are among a host of clubs monitoring the situation, and Lingard is open to moving to either Spain or Italy as he plots the next step in his career.

“The opportunity to sign an experienced England international on a free transfer during a time when finances have been restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic has made Lingard an attractive prospect for a number of Europe’s top clubs.”

Solskjaer may be concerned

News that Lingard appears to be attracting interest from huge clubs abroad will surely leave United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feeling concerned.

The England international struggled following the Three Lions’ run to the World Cup semi-final back in 2018, but a short-term loan move to West Ham United back in January revitalised the versatile attacker’s career.

In just 16 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, Lingard scored nine goals and provided a further five assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part as David Moyes’ charges finished in an incredible sixth position.

His outstanding performances saw Solskjaer reward him with another opportunity to impress at his boyhood club this season, deciding to sell Dan James to make room for Cristiano Ronaldo instead.

However, Lingard has found opportunities to impress extremely hard to come by in the opening weeks of the campaign, starting just one game and playing only 136 minutes of first-team football throughout 2021/22.

Despite his limited game time, the United academy graduate has still scored two goals and laid on an assist, adding further cause for frustration as he’s forced to watch on from the sidelines.

With Paul Pogba and Juan Mata also out of contract over the summer and Donny van de Beek’s future far from certain, the prospect of losing Lingard as well may be a daunting one for Solskjaer, and the Norwegian tactician could regret the creative talent’s departure.

And, in other news…Andy Mitten reveals promising Man Utd update, fans should be excited 

Reliable Aston Villa reporter Ashley Preece has admitted that there is a Plan B for Louie Barry in January.

Barry was one of a number of academy players who were sent out on loan in the summer.

He joined League One side Ipswich Town, however, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for the centre-forward, who is awaiting his first goal under Paul Cook.

The 18-year-old has started just three games in all competitions and hasn’t featured in eight of the Tractor Boys’ 10 third-tier fixtures.

Preece was asked by one Villa fan in a Q&A for Birmingham Live on Wednesday about Barry and if the club were planning on recalling the forward in the winter window.

He revealed that Villa are monitoring Barry closely, with a possible plan to end his Ipswich stay before loaning him to a League Two side in the New Year where he would feature more regularly from the off.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Preece’s claim regarding Barry on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply…

“It was an absolutely terrible loan move.”

Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ

“Knew this would be the case. Not worked out at Ipswich.”

Credit: @AVFCFaithful_

“Jedinak needs to send him to Swindon”

Credit: @MasonUTFV

“Hope so, he’s losing important development minutes on the pitch atm. I say bring him home and loan him to Walsall”

Credit: @MikeKnott10

“Would be sensible. Clearly working well for Kesler Hayden, and even the National League was clearly a good move for Archer last season. If Ipswich don’t want to play ball then there’ll be much better spots for him elsewhere.”

Credit: @rad_nauseam

“Get him to Swindon”

Credit: @ViIlaI_

In other news: ‘When is it gonna end?’ – Many Villa fans react as ‘ridiculous’ news confirmed.

A tenth-placed finish in the league last season was not good enough for Everton, especially under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian had been brought in to guide the Toffees to Europe’s top table but their chances of doing so have dramatically decreased since he departed Merseyside.

What’s the word?

Everton now have Rafa Benitez at the helm but they’ve struggled to improve their options ahead of the new campaign this weekend.

They have signed three players for a combined £1.7m and it doesn’t look as though they’ll spend too much more.

That being said, they should make a late dart for Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga before the window closes.

Valued at just £18m by Transfermarkt, he was linked with a move to Goodison Park earlier this summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy suggested he should have been signed already.

He said: “There’s no competition between Boga and Townsend. Boga is twice the player Townsend is – and then some.”

Must sign him

Like Clancy states, Boga is evidently a better player than one of the players they’ve brought in.

Consequently, Benitez could take his Everton attack to a new level by securing the 24-year-old’s services.

Once of Chelsea, the left winger was described as a “supreme talent” by former Blues coach Michael Beale.

It’s clear to see why too. Boga is a nightmare for defenders and is capable of dominating opponents with his incredible dribbling ability.

During the 2020/21 campaign, the Ivorian completed 3.2 dribbles per match, a number that was only bettered by Rodrigo de Paul in the whole of the Italian top-flight.

If we compare that figure to those already at Everton, it’s streets ahead of anyone. Their top dribbler last season was Richarlison who completed 1.8.

To elaborate on his ability with the ball, Boga ranks in the 97th percentile for dribbles completed by players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues.

With the attacker displaying a keen eye for goal in Italy, he has the potential to be devastating in the Premier League too. This is a move that would improve Everton’s offensive line significantly.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano delivers worrying Everton transfer update, fans must be fuming…

West Ham United were denied a victory by Brighton and Hove Albion late on at the London Stadium on Wednesday night, making it three games without a win in the Premier League.

The Irons took an early lead through Tomas Soucek after the towering Czech colossus headed home an inswinging corner from Pablo Fornals and they looked to be heading towards all three points until Neal Maupay bagged a sensational bicycle kick in the 89th minute.

David Moyes must now be concerned by his side’s form, having not picked up a win since their stunning 3-2 triumph of Liverpool before the international break.

Several members of his starting XI have underperformed substantially across their last three outings and it could well be time for a shake-up, and one player who has looked rather poor, particularly against the Seagulls is veteran Craig Dawson.

The 31-year-old has only been brought in due to Angelo Ogbonna’s season-ending injury blow, so it can’t be too much of a coincidence that the Hammers are winless in the Italian’s absence.

Dawson just isn’t good enough to replace him long-term and he once again proved that in front of Moyes this week.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-ham-news-transfer-updates-rumours-gossip-david-moyes-gsb-premier-league” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Per SofaScore, the former West Brom and Watford colossus was West Ham’s second lowest-rated player (6.4) and that’s hardly a surprise considering he lost a whopping 84% of his six duels. To lose four of five aerial battles is certainly shocking for a 6 foot 2 central defender.

He was at fault for the visitor’s equaliser, being too soft in allowing Maupay the time and space to pull off the spectacular, and he was lucky to have not allowed Adam Lallana to score earlier in the second half.

‘Poor on the ball,’ is how the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser went on to describe Dawson before mentioning his two mistakes. Indeed, he made just seven passes all game, losing possession four times from his 19 touches.

The vastly-experienced defender, thought to be earning around £52k-per-week in east London, just isn’t good enough to be Moyes’ no.1 choice alongside Kurt Zouma.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that a new centre-back is said to be on the agenda this January.

AND in other news, Newman could seal bargain West Ham swoop for £12m-rated “monster” who silenced Antonio…

Manchester United could be set to receive a significant boost to their transfer budget this summer after Andreas Pereira was linked with a move to Fenerbahce.

What’s the story?

According to Fred Caldeira, a journalist for Brazilian outlet TNT Sports, the Turkish giants are interested in signing the 25-year-old midfielder over the coming months, but only if United lower their €25m (£21.2m) asking price.

The report also stated that an unnamed Premier League side is keen to secure Pereira’s services, with the Brazilian said to be focused on a club who can offer him regular starts after experiencing several loan spells in recent years.

He’s been shocking

After returning from a 12-month stint in La Liga with Valencia during the 2017/18 campaign, Pereira was rewarded with a spot in United’s first team setup the following season.

He initially struggled for game-time under previous manager Jose Mourinho but was given an opportunity to shine by his successor, making 15 appearances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the second half of the campaign.

The Norwegian kept faith with the midfielder throughout 2019/20, starting him on 25 occasions in all competitions.

However, Pereira failed to take his opportunity at Old Trafford. The attacking midfielder scored just two goals and provided only four assists, falling way below the standard required of a United midfielder. Also, his 6.55 WhoScored rating for the season was well inferior to midfield colleagues Bruno Fernandes, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Fred.

His shocking performances saw Solskjaer ship him out on loan to Italian outfit Lazio last season, but he failed to make an impact at the Stadio Olimpico and is once again looking for a way out of his United nightmare.

With the ongoing pandemic continuing to restrict football clubs’ ability to purchase their top targets in the current transfer window, offloading unwanted fringe players is the easiest way to boost the coffers. Therefore, Solskjaer must brutally axe the £7.2m-rated Pereira this summer, allowing United room to manoeuvre in the transfer market and potentially financing a deal for a new defensive midfielder.

Pereira put himself in the shop window with a stunning strike against Brentford in a pre-season friendly in midweek to highlight his technical ability, meaning that potential buyers should be easier to attract.

He is undoubtedly a talented player as that goal showed, but the midfielder doesn’t have the consistent ability to succeed at United, and Solskjaer must move him on ahead of the upcoming campaign in order to fund moves for potential upgrades.

In other news…“Reasonably far down the line” – Journalist drops big MUFC claim which may worry fans