Tottenham fans are loving the latest transfer links, after Portuguese reports said they are lining up a swoop for Alejandro Grimaldo.
With Danny Rose looking likely to leave North London, Mauricio Pochettino will likely want another left back this summer.
According to Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness), that left back will be Benfica’s Grimaldo, as Spurs have €30m (about £26m) allocated to sign the youngster.
Pochettino likes to have two full backs available on each side to cope with the constant overlapping and high intensity of his system, especially as the club looks to push for more silverware, meaning they could play even more matches next season.
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Grimaldo was linked with lots of top clubs after he first broke out at Benfica, but has flown slightly under since then.
The 22 year-old grabbed one goal and four assists in 28 league games last season, and averaged an impressive 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game.
The flying Spaniard is good going forward as well, averaging 1.4 dribbles per game and 1.3 key passes.
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Grimaldo is already good enough to push Ben Davies for a starting spot, and still has loads of potential for Pochettino to tap in to.
Fans would be very happy to make a £26m move it seems, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
According to journalist Kristof Terreur of Belgian media outlet Het Laatste Nieuws via his personal Twitter account, Everton have been offered the chance to sign Anderlecht midfielder and West Ham United target Leander Dendoncker before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday, and Toffees fans have urged them to get the 22-year-old.
The Belgium international is highly-rated and has already made more than 150 appearances for the Belgian outfit, playing in both defensive midfield and at centre-back, and Terreur has suggested that a buy and loan-back deal could be an option.
The Toffees have endured a difficult campaign themselves and while they look to have good cover in the middle of the park and with results improving since Sam Allardyce took over, a double leg break for James McCarthy last weekend and some disappointing performances from others could see the Merseyside outfit dip into the transfer market.
Everton supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and while one said “sign Dendoncker and sell Schneiderlin”, another said ‘Dendoncker is a major upgrade on Schneiderlin’.
The ebb and flow of the race for fourth is starting to become quite striking; just as one side seems to be getting away they somehow manage to fall back into the chasing pack.
After the derby day despatch of Everton you could have been forgiven for thinking that the West Brom game would have been pretty routine for Liverpool, and indeed this was the fear of the likes of Spurs and United. But the Premier League is never that straight forward, and Pepe Mel’s Baggies fought admirably for their point, even if a calamitous moment from Kolo Toure gifted them the goal.
There is definitely a gulf starting to open up in the league, and one that may soon force Liverpool fans to accept the harsh reality of their current situation. The optimists would have still harboured hopes of a title tilt, but this is bordering on delusion when you look at the teams above them.
This is part of the reason I thought that Rodgers was vindicated in not spending this January. Liverpool already have the arsenal to capture the coveted fourth spot and a route into the Champions League once more. A couple of spontaneous purchases last month wasn’t going to provide the impetus for a title charge, sadly the gap is even wider than that already.
A simple comparison of benches is enough to highlight the problem for Liverpool; the likes of Luis Alberto and Jordan Ibe just don’t match up with the likes of Schurrle and Jovetic. A January spend is more often than not a short term solution, and if Liverpool have dreams of bridging the gap the prudent plan is to get to work over the summer. Liverpool fans are kidding themselves if they think that they are even close to challenging; the deficiencies in their squad are clear for all to see and given how long they have spent outside of the top four it would make sense not to rush their climb back to the top of English football.
Liverpool do undoubtedly have smatterings of quality in their ranks; Suarez and Gerrard would fit into any side in world football. The problem though is that as it stands they are carrying too many, or being forced to because of injury and lack of form. The top 3 don’t suffer these problems, with a squad large enough to carry on the challenge regardless of injury.
It isn’t a simple situation, and the gap is becoming larger year on year. Signing Konoplyanka wouldn’t have been the simple solution that many envisioned it being, naturally adding quality to your ranks helps but it wouldn’t have made the difference this term.
The frustration for Liverpool fans is that they feel close to something special, on their day they can now beat anyone and the inability to find consistency is irritating.
Dreams of a title tilt should be saved for further down the line, it is very much one step at a time and a return to the Champions League should be the short-term goal. This given the current state of play is an achievement well within their grasp.
Liverpool have a long history of being at the top of our game, and this is perhaps why frustration with perceived lack of ambition so often bubbles to the surface. Patience is going to be crucial, and given the success of the Rodgers regime to date it is something largely justified.
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Last weekend proved just how far Liverpool are away from a title challenge, but also highlighted just how much of a fight they still have on for a fourth-placed finish. Thoughts towards the league title are for the years to come; right now it has to be a case of Champions League at all costs for the Merseysiders.
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has stated that his side must defend better as a team if they are to challenge for honours this season.
The Gunners were beaten 2-1 by London rivals Chelsea on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium, and the Spaniard feels his men could deal with set pieces better.
“We have conceded three goals from three set-pieces in the last two games that cost us points and it is not got enough,” The Daily Mail quote Arteta as saying.
“I don’t think it is something to do with the defence, it is to do with an individual set-up in the game, which is a free-kick or a corner or whatever, and we haven’t defended the ball well enough and we conceded three goals in those two games.
“You cannot blame one player, you have to clear the lines so quickly and you cannot allow runners like that in the box, and it was the same sort of ball for both goals.
“It hurts when you lose points at home against teams like that and you feel you haven’t deserved to lose.
“It is frustrating, but I think it was our own fault because we didn’t defend those set-pieces.
“We have played some of the best teams in the league and we haven’t been battered at all. In fact it has been the opposite, we have been better than them through the 90 minutes. I think that is a very positive thing.
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“We will bounce back on Wednesday in the Champions League against Olympiakos,” he concluded.
As reported by Spanish outlet Sport, Manchester United are interested in signing Barcelona defender Jordi Alba this summer.
What’s the story?
With Ashley Young playing out of position at left-back for the majority of United’s season, it’s an area of the team that could do with serious improvement in the upcoming transfer window.
Sport report that one player on the Red Devils’ radar is Jordi Alba.
The outlet reckon Man United are in the market to sign him this summer, rivalling Chelsea for his transfer.
Rated at £54m by Transfermarkt, is he a player that Jose Mourinho should be targeting?
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Would he be a good signing?
Alba had a fantastic 2017/18 season, helping Barcelona to a league and couple double in Spain ahead of UEFA Europa League winners Atletico Madrid and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.
Scoring three goals and assisting eight times, he delighted supporters with his energetic forward play as much as his steadfast defensive work.
Given that Manchester United currently lack a viable and natural option on the left hand side of defence, an elite player like Alba can solve that problem and bring balance to their defensive line.
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Bringing him to Old Trafford would be something of a coup and solve one of the big headaches Jose Mourinho has about his first team squad.
According to reports in The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly willing to listen to offers of £30m for midfielder Moussa Sissoko during the January transfer window.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino would be willing to offload the France international if an acceptable offer came in, with the midfielder failing to make a real impact with the north London outfit after joining them from Newcastle United in a £30m deal in 2016.
The Mirror also says that Tottenham were keen to sell him in the summer, but a move away failed to materialise with no club willing to meet the Premier League side’s valuation of the 28-year-old.
How has Sissoko done this season?
While the Frenchman has never been a regular in the Spurs starting line-up since joining the club, he often comes off of the substitutes’ bench and it has been no different this term.
The midfielder has made 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing a further two assists.
That said, Sissoko has started four of Tottenham’s Champions League matches and 11 in the Premier League in the absence of Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele through injury, although that wouldn’t have been the case if those two were fit all season.
Will anyone offer £30m for him?
It seems unlikely.
Considering Tottenham signed him for £30m and he has struggled to make an impact, it seems unlikely that any club will give them their money back for the 28-year-old, unless a club like Paris Saint-Germain want to bring him back to France.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, Tottenham are obviously happy to keep Sissoko this month unless they get £30m for him, but they may have to lower their asking price if they still want to move the Frenchman on in the summer even though he still has three-and-a-half years left on his contract.
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As the clock ran down against Bournemouth with Forest leading by a single goal, the manner of the home side went from being compact and professional, to slack and on the back foot, but why?
With half an hour remaining, Billy Davies men spurned the glorious opportunities created and allowed Bournemouth time to roam freely.
When Simon Cox handled the ball, he took the decision to play pointlessly with the ball before the free-kick was taken. Yellow card given. A controversial yellow card was given to keeper Karl Darlow after he took a bit of time to collect the ball for a free-kick.
Right decision? Probably not.
However, the effect it had on the Bournemouth team was easily visible. Two yellow cards for apparent time wasting efforts, and the Cherries were lifted. Eddie Howe’s men could sense they could cause danger, and played without fear; something the Reds couldn’t handle.
Forest retreated and opted to play in their own half. Despite Matt Derbyshire’s introduction, those sitting in the Trent End could see nothing more than the number on the back of his shirt, as he disappeared off into the distance, attempting to help out the defence under intense pressure.
Whilst the introduction of a striker sent out all the right signals as he stood off the pitch, the moment he stepped onto it would’ve been a big moment for Eddie Howe, who was then given a license to the knowledge that Forest respected Bournemouth – but a little too much.
Having spent a fair amount of money over the past couple of summers, with the manager getting roughly the squad he requires, is it right for Forest to succumb to pressure so quickly?
Forest certainly don’t have the divine right to win, but surely the strength in the squad should mean Billy Davies can play in the fashion he wants. Adapting to game situations is fine, but inviting the pressure through deliberate deep tactics at home is something that can’t be happening if the club want automatic promotion.
QPR are sitting pretty in the automatic promotion places largely down to their brilliant record of single goal wins, but what have they got that Forest haven’t?
Very good players on very good wages, but that didn’t aid them last season. They’ve been able to form a character to enable them to squeeze out results in a professional manner, staying on the front foot, ensuring the opposition knew who was in control.
Forest need that air of authority in their play if they’re distance to themselves from the pack in the playoffs.
Another integral psychological factor for Billy Davies to consider will be the handling of the players and in particular his strikers, as the public frustration of the supporters is starting to grow, and the discontent at the likes of the £2 million Simon Cox starts to get louder.
The general feeling from the red side of the Trent is that Forest need a new striker, but before the month of January when the probable new hero enters the Graveyard for players of that position, answers for the performances of the current strikers need to be found.
Why is Cox putting in Torres-esque performances? The day he gets within a few yards of a goal will be the day many herald as progress, as he continues to struggle. As his form continues to spiral, starting from about a year ago, so does the patience of many fans.
Constantly applauded for his tireless work, his unconvincing and predictable nature in front of goal has cast a shadow and it’s down to Billy Davies to solve the mystery. Last season he said the strikers were blameless, due to the lack of service. This season couldn’t be more different, as chances are being created all over the place.
The mid-table phrase of “At least we’re creating chances” needs to be chucked out of the window and replaced with an unforgiving glare for anyone who does miss an opportunity.
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The term ’20 goal a season striker’ is overused to extremes in some quarters. What Forest need, is a man in front of goal with some confidence.
That man could come from within. Whoever he turns out to be, Billy Davies needs to ensure Nottingham Forest are one of the leading pack, and with that may come the air of authority and confidence.
As Tottenham Hotspur begin to really start kicking on under Andre Villas-Boas, supporters are beginning to get a good idea as to which players are likely to form a cornerstone under the new set-up.
With the likes of Moussa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen settling in wonderfully alongside the existing talents of Gareth Bale et al, the overall make-up of Villas-Boas’ starting XI isn’t of any particular shock to the system. But already, there have been a couple of surprises along the way. And the Portuguese’s willingness to blood the fledgling talent of Andros Townsend so far this term has been one of the most refreshing ones.
Indeed, the Spurs youth conveyor belt has come to signify a palpable source of frustration for many at the club over the last few years. There can be no denying that Tottenham are producing some young players of real quality, but blooding them within the first team has proven a real problem in recent times at White Hart Lane. Perhaps only Jamie O’Hara and Jake Livermore represent Spurs’ real academy successes of recent times.
But this season seems to have marked something of a change. It is very early days indeed, but Andre Villas-Boas doesn’t seem scared to give youth a chance in N17 and even though Andros Townsend’s league appearances have amounted to a couple of brief cameos, it has sent out a genuinely positive message to all those residing in the youth ranks.
Because although two of Townsend’s four appearances in a Spurs shirt this season have come in cup competitions, most prominently, two of those appearances have been clocked up in the Barclays Premier League. Harry Redknapp can’t be knocked for fielding some of Spurs’ spectrum of youngsters in the Europa League, but it is the experience of league football that perhaps determines one of the most important phases in a young footballer’s development.
And If Townsend can continue to make an impact when given the chance by AVB, it might not be long before he’s offered the opportunity to make a name from himself from the off, rather than the substitute’s bench.
Where as the similar fleeting youth talents of John Bostock and Dean Parrett learnt elements of their craft elsewhere in the capital, there can be no denying that Townsend is just about a homegrown as you could possibly wish for. A lifetime Spurs fan and Chingford-born, Townsend joined the White Hart Lane club as a nine-year-old and is unquestionably Tottenham through and through. It’ s a trait that certainly won’t do him any harm in winning a bit of affection from the home support, anyway.
But although such a bit of trivia is usually rendered relatively useless, it seems quite poignant that Townsend’s love of Spurs isn’t massively uncommon knowledge for those who frequent White Hart Lane. Because although he’s only 21, it feels like he’s been in fans’ periphery for quite some time now. And in some respects, it seems surprising that it’s taken until this season for the left-winger to make his league debut for Spurs.
It was the March of 2009 when Townsend made the first of a staggering eight loan moves away from N17, with a spell in Somerset with Yeovil Town. Although he was only 17, it seems remarkable to think that it’s taken near on three and a half years for him to make a league cameo for his parent club. Supporters have continued to be treated to exciting glimpses of the youngster in the cup competitions, the first of which culminated in a goal and a man of the match performances against Charlton in the 2010-11 FA Cup.
But since then, it’s been somewhat frustrating to see him shipped out on loan all over the country in an attempt for him to attain some much needed minutes. Townsend has seemingly consistently produced the goods wherever he’s gone, but as opposed to being developed in house and given a road map for first team football, the club have chose to farm him around League One and then the Championship.
The value of course has seen Townsend rack up well-needed game time that he may not have received at White Hart Lane, especially not with the imposing figure of Gareth Bale in the team. But at times, it’s felt difficult to understand the motivations of the Spurs hierarchy in loaning him out – a move to Watford in 2011, in which the Hornets were desperate for a left-back as opposed to a left-winger, proved to be a complete waste of time, ending after only four weeks. Not all spells work out, but it has felt at times as if Townsend’s talents have been mismanaged.
But after a positive pre-season, Villas-Boas has chosen to keep hold of the young left-winger and it’s been so far so good for the 21-year-old. Against both Lazio and Carlisle he’s offered a real direct threat down the left-side, in the mould of a young Aaron Lennon with perhaps a more technically refined game. He’s racked up less than 10 minutes of Premier League football, but the fact is that Villas-Boas has been happy to blood him into the team. What that signifies to both Townsend and the rest of the academy cannot be underestimated.
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Trying to displace Gareth Bale offers a somewhat insurmountable challenge, but the Villas-Boas set-up lacks the rigidity of his predecessor’s tactical blueprint. The three that AVB plays behind the loan frontman offers fluidity and the chance for experimentation and if Townsend can develop a real tactical nous under the manager, then there is no reason why his pace and delivery can’t be an asset from left to right. Most importantly, he offers something slightly different and another good dimension for the Portuguese to pick from.
It’s an exciting time for all in White Hart Lane at the moment, but the notion of young, homegrown talent complementing the manager’s new vision, is something that really captures the eye. No one can get carried away with the likes of Townsend and his youth colleagues, but having already made half as many appearances under Villas-Boas in four weeks as he did under Redknapp in three years, it must be time to be positive in N17.
How do you see Andros Townsend’s season shaping up at Spurs? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus to talk all things Townsend and Tottenham.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has become frustrated with being unable to select Eric Bailly on a regular basis and is open to the idea of showing the Ivorian the exit door this summer, according to the Independent.
Bailly is the only central defender currently on the books at Old Trafford who is close to the requisite quality and Mourinho must learn to show more patience and trust in him.
What’s the story, then?
The detailed report says that Mourinho is ‘fed up’ with how seldom he can call upon Bailly, owing to a variety of factors, including injury.
It goes on to say that means he will listen to offers for the man valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt with a view to replacing him with Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld.
It also says that while Mourinho believes Bailly has the attributes to be among the world’s best players in his position, his frustrations have led to him freezing the Ivorian out in the closing weeks of the season.
That treatment has reportedly baffled other members of the squad, but Bailly is not the only player Mourinho has ostracised – Anthony Martial is one talented player who has also struggled under the Portuguese.
Bailly has to stay
Bailly is the best centre-half currently on the books at Manchester United and it is only he and Victor Lindelof who have the right quality to form part of their defence if the club is serious about launching an assault on the very top of domestic and European football under Mourinho.
Almost like a modern Ledley King, Bailly has been airdropped into huge games – against Liverpool and Manchester City in 2018 most notably – without much in the way of match fitness and performed expertly; his pace in those games has been a particular boost.
Any move for Alderweireld has to see the Belgian come in as Bailly’s partner and as a mentor for Lindelof, who needs to improve to impress Mourinho after struggling to settle in his maiden season.
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If any of Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling start the coming campaign at Old Trafford and Bailly does not, Mourinho will have made an awful decision that will jeopardise United’s title hopes before a ball has even been kicked.
According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United manager David Moyes wants to sign Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen during the January transfer window.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that Moyes wants to reshape his team next month in order to ensure that they don’t find themselves in a relegation battle in the second-half of the season, and he has made the 27-year-old one of his top targets.
The Mirror says that the Scottish boss is keen on the Wales international as he can play as an attacking midfielder and a deep-lying midfielder, although the Irons may face a battle to get him given he is a key man for the Potters.
How has Allen done this season?
Even though Stoke – like West Ham – have been struggling down the wrong end of the Premier League table, the Welshman has been one of their most consistent performers in the middle of the park.
The 27-year-old has scored three goals and provided a further five assists in 20 appearances in all competitions for the Potters, and he netted and picked up an assist in the crucial 3-1 victory against West Bromwich Albion at home last week.
Would he be a good signing for West Ham?
He certainly would be.
Allen is probably one of the most underrated players in the Premier League and he doesn’t often let you down on the pitch.
That is a trait that Moyes will be well aware of and admire, and the Wales international is the sort of character he will want in his team if they do end up fighting against relegation later in the campaign.
Will they get him?
Given he is a key player for a side that is close to West Ham in the table, it will be difficult to prise him away in January – especially as his current contract runs until 2021.
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Their success of bringing him to the London Stadium could depend on how much they are willing to offer Stoke for the midfielder, but they may be looking at upwards of £20m to try and get a deal over the line next month.