Darren Bent is reportedly close to sealing a loan move to Liverpool in January after falling out of favour with Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert.
The striker, 28, has suffered from an injury hit season but has found first team opportunities hard to come by even when he has been fit to play, with new boss Paul Lambert seeming to prefer other options.
Despite rumours of a fall out, Lambert insists he has no problem with Bent:
“Darren is fine. There’s nothing at all. The most important thing is Aston Villa Football Club.”
Strapped for cash and heavily reliant on Luis Suarez for goals, Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool could see the opportunity to bring in a proven Premier League goal scorer on loan as one too good to be missed.
“If we can get in the quality in the final third we need to support what we have, then there will be enough to keep the team moving forward.” Rodgers told The Metro.
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A stumbling block for the Reds however may be Villa’s reluctance to allow a player that they spent a club record £22million on two seasons ago to go out on Loan.
Aston Villa are set to turn their attention in the transfer market to Lewis Dunk, according to a report from The Sun.
What’s the word?
The Villans have done some great business in the transfer window so far, adding Wesley to their ranks on Thursday whilst also signing Anwar El Ghazi and Jota.
However, their efforts are now set to turn to defensive signings according to The Sun who claim they’ll now be focusing on Dunk, Jack Butland and Matt Targett.
The former has been the subject of a potential £30m move to Leicester per TEAMtalk but it now appears Villa are also in the running for the Brighton defender.
Alternative to Mings
Bringing back Tyrone Mings remains a real possibility after his fantastic loan spell in the Midlands.
The Telegraph claim that talks are ongoing with Bournemouth over a potential move but a transfer may not happen until the end of the month.
But despite their interest in the Cherries defender, bringing in Dunk would be an even bigger statement.
The 27-year-old was a rock at the back for Brighton in 2018/19, establishing himself as one of the most consistent and reliable English defenders in the Premier League.
As a result, he’d be a perfect alternative to Mings if they fail to bring him back to Villa Park.
Standing at 6 ft 4, Dunk is only an inch smaller than the Bournemouth man meaning that the pair are incredibly similar in the way they play the game.
In the top-flight last term Villa’s latest target won 3.3 aerial duels per game. Mings, on the other hand, won three aerials on average in the Championship.
In terms of their reading of the game they’re also very alike, something that’s evident in the number of interceptions they make per match. Dunk made 1.3 on average whilst the former Ipswich centre-back made 1.2.
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At £30m the signing of Dunk would be hugely expensive, especially after bringing in Wesley for £22.25m.
However, as far as finding proven Premier League defenders go, he’d be a stellar addition to Dean Smith’s squad.
Wolves have been dealt a blow in their quest to sign Sporting CP star Joao Palhinha, with Manchester United reportedly now scouting the midfielder.
The Lowdown: Wolves keen on Palhinha
Wanderers will be looking to make reinforcements during the summer transfer window, as Bruno Lage aims to take his side up another gear.
One player the manager has been linked with is Palhinha – Nani has described the towering midfield maestro as an ‘aggressive’ player in the past, implying he could be a good fit in the Premier League.
He has continued to stand out as a key player for Sporting this season, starting six games in the Champions League.
It looks as though it won’t be easy for Wolves to sign the Portugal international, though.
The Latest: Man United heavily scouting
According to Record, United have already scouted Palhinha as many as eight times, as they see him as a potential primary summer target.
They also wanted to sign the 26-year-old last summer but ended up being put off by Sporting’s price tag.
[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]
The Verdict: Who would he choose?
This is a clear blow for Wolves, who will be aware that interest from bigger clubs could easily turn Palhinha’s head, especially after a recent report claimed a move to Molineux didn’t appeal to him.
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While United may be struggling at the moment compared to their glory days, they remain one of the world’s biggest teams and an attractive proposition for many players.
If it came down to a battle between them and Wolves for Palhinha’s signature, it could be hard for the latter to get their man, especially without the lure of Champions League football.
In other news, Tim Spiers is excited after an official Wolves update. Read more here.
Everton have made several poor transfer decisions over the last few seasons, with current owner Farhad Moshiri overpaying for and signing a number of players who have been ineffective for the side, however one outcast in the squad could finally be on his way out of Goodison Park.
What’s the word?
Turkish media outlet, Sabah, are reporting that Toffees flop, Cenk Tosun, has been offered a three year contract with Besiktas worth £1.3m per season.
Tosun’s contract at Everton ends this summer, and the Turkish national is now reportedly poised to confirm his return to his native country to play for his former club, where he played a total of 146 matches, scoring 67 goals and 14 assists.
Not good enough at Everton
The £69k-per-week striker has failed to make an impact during his time in the Premier League at Goodison Park, with just 61 appearances, 11 goals and six assists since he joined the club in the summer of 2018, and this season, Tosun has only made three appearances made up of 11 minutes in the side.
The Turkish goal-scorer hasn’t had fortune on his side when it comes to picking up injuries either, with Tosun finding himself sidelined at least eight times during his almost four years at Goodison Park, which would have definitely contributed to his lack of game time and impact on the team.
The 30-year-old was slammed as “not good enough” by pundit Andy Gray back in his first season for the Toffees, and eventually, the striker’s opportunities to impress became fewer and far between, with the forward constantly linked with moves away from the club, but with no moves confirmed, he will now leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
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New manager, Frank Lampard, will surely be relieved to get the striker off the wage bill as he puts the summer transfer plans in place, and if Everton can stay in the Premier League next season it is important they identify the right players going forward to avoid making the same mistakes again when it comes to signing players at high value with little return from the investment.
In other news: Demarai Gray has been Everton’s shining light this season
Rangers head coach Gio van Bronckhorst is set to make a number of difficult decisions over who stays and who goes at Ibrox this summer.
The Dutchman has a group of current first-team players who are out of contract at the end of the season and poised to leave the Glasgow giants for nothing.
Steven Davis, Connor Goldson, Allan McGregor, Leon Balogun and Scott Arfield are all on the verge of becoming free agents, so Van Bronckhorst will need to either wield his axe or attempt to keep them at the club.
One player who he ought to jettison is Northern Ireland veteran Davis. The experienced midfielder’s importance has dwindled this season and it is the perfect time to part ways with him as new players come through.
He played 35 times and started 29 games in the Premiership last term under Steven Gerrard as a regular member of the side which won the title. However, he has not enjoyed as much success this time around, featuring in only 12 of the club’s 30 league outings and starting nine. Frank McAvennie dubbed him “permanently benched” earlier this year, and those statistics back up the 61-year-old’s damning description.
Davis turned 37 in January and it seems unlikely that, at his age, he will be able to revive his fortunes and become a first-choice option for Rangers in the middle of the park again. Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must allow the dud to depart at the end of his contract this summer.
The Gers have been linked with a swoop for Coventry gem Gustavo Hamer, who must be brought in to replace the ex-Southampton midfielder.
Hamer’s team-mate Marko Marosi dubbed him “unbelievable”, and the 24-year-old’s statistics in the Championship for the Sky Blues this season back up that claim. He has been in sensational form in a central midfield role and would be the ideal replacement for Davis – who has not been playing regularly – in terms of providing competition in the middle of the park for Van Bronckhorst heading into next season.
Hamer has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.11 across 28 appearances in the second tier of English football despite Coventry sitting 11th in the table. This shows that he has been able to consistently deliver brilliant displays in midfield whilst the rest of his team-mates have been unable to lift the Sky Blues into play-off contention.
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He has produced three goals and six assists whilst providing 1.4 key passes per game. His creative threat from a defensive or central midfield role could help the Gers to unlock stubborn defences, whilst he has also shown that he has bite to his game, averaging 2.6 tackles and interceptions per match.
At the age of 24, he is also 13 years younger than Davis, so he could be an upgrade on the veteran Ulsterman in terms of performances and would also hold more long-term value to the club. He could improve over time and be sold on for profit further down the line, whereas the current Gers player has little resale value, which is why Van Bronckhorst must get this deal done.
AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine…
Wolves had a fairly busy previous summer transfer window when it came to bringing new players to the club and moving some out in the other direction.
However, despite the business that did take place at Molineux, the Old Gold didn’t land every player that they were reportedly linked with.
One player, in particular, that was mentioned with a move to the Midlands club that didn’t end up going there, which will now be looked at as a good thing for the club is defender Jannik Vestergaard.
A report from The Athletic back in August listed Wolves, alongside fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Leicester City, who eventually signed the defender from Southampton in a deal worth a reported fee of £15m, as one of the sides interested in buying the centre-back.
Since he made the move to the King Power Stadium, the Danish international, who has been described as being an “imposing” player by journalist Tom Barclay, has only made ten appearances in the Premier League, starting just six of them and picking up two yellow cards, suggesting he’s been a bit of a liability when he has played.
Indeed, journalist Zach Lowy described him as “awful” back in September while fellow reporter Alec Whittaker suggested that he’d been a “nightmare” in the blue of Leicester.
In terms of what he’s done on the pitch for the Foxes when he’s been given the chance, the defender has not yet proved why the club were right to swoop in and sign him in the summer, with WhoScored currently listing him as one of Leicester’s lowest-rated player with a disappointing overall performance rating of 6.44.
Despite having Jonny Evans out injured since December, the former Saints star has only made two league appearances since the start of the current calendar year, meaning that even with another player in his position unavailable, the summer recruit has not been able to convince Brendan Rodgers he has what it takes to be a regular figure for his side.
Taking all of this into account, while the centre-back certainly has enough time ahead of him to turn things around, as things stand, it’s looking like Fosun dodged a bullet by not sealing his signature in the summer.
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Even though Bruno Lage’s side conceded three goals in their previous Premier League game against Leeds United after being 2-0 up, their defensive record throughout the entire campaign has been better than most teams around them in the league table, suggesting that many Wolves fans won’t have been regretting the fact that their club didn’t manage to sign Vestergaard when they had the chance.
In other news: Lage may be heading for fatal Wolves error that could have dire consequences
Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has revealed that Leeds United winger Raphinha will not be joining Bayern Munich this summer.
The Lowdown: Barcelona personal terms agreed
The Whites have relied heavily on the Brazilian this season, with his 12 goal contributions key in the club’s push to avoid relegation.
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However, his impressive displays have resulted in a number of clubs showing an interest, with links to Barcelona gathering serious pace.
According to a report by Spanish publication Sport (translated by TEAMtalk), Barcelona have now submitted a £29m offer for the 25-year-old and suggested that personal terms have already been agreed ahead of a potential switch to the Catalan giants.
The Latest: No Bayern move
Bayern Munich have also been heavily linked with a move in recent months, with reports in December even claiming a January move was done and dusted, but it appears as if a switch to the Bundesliga champions now isn’t on the cards.
Sky Germany reporter Plettenberg took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to provide an ‘update’ on the possibility of Raphinha joining Bayern.
He claimed that a transfer ‘definitely won’t’ happen, labelling the wide man as a ‘great player’.
“Update Raphinha: Been told again that he definitely won’t move to FC Bayern! No topic but great player.”
The Verdict: Good news
Leeds will want to keep hold of Raphinha heading into the 2022/23 campaign, so this update is obviously a positive one.
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However, it seems as if the Whites will now have to deal with Barcelona pestering them over the summer. You’d expect that their first reported bid of £29m would be swiftly rejected by Leeds chiefs, especially if they stay in the Premier League, but it will be interested to see how high that number goes to test Andrea Radrizzani’s resolve.
Raphinha could well end up leaving over the coming months, so it is crucial that the Whites get the best deal possible for their star man, which could be close to double Barcelona’s opening offer going by his reported £70m release clause.
In other news: Leeds dealt potential big blow as ‘magnificent’ colossus could miss crucial Southampton clash.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that it would be ‘huge’ if Wolves were now able to tie Ruben Neves down to a new deal.
The Lowdown: Contract talks
Speaking to The Express & Star, technical director Scott Sellars has revealed that the Midlands club are in talks with Neves over a new contract.
The Portugal international has of course been linked with a potential exit from Molineux in the summer, and so it looks as if they want to tie down his long-term future, at the very least making sure the club receive a huge sum if he were to be sold down the line.
The Latest: Jones on Neves
Speaking to GiveMeSport after that news from Sellars, Jones has claimed that it would be ‘huge’ for Bruno Lage’s team if Neves signed on, but believes that he will think twice if a club come in with a concrete offer for him:
“It’d be huge for them. He is being offered a new deal, but will he sign it? I think ultimately, it’s going to come down to whether anyone comes forward with an actual offer for him in the summer.”
The Verdict: Hard to replace
Should Neves turn down the contract, and end up leaving this summer, he would certainly be hard to replace.
The central midfielder is currently the club’s third-best player in the Premier League in terms of performance, and ranks highly among his teammates for average tackles, interceptions, shots, passes, long balls and through balls per match, not to mention his four goals and two assists in the division (WhoScored).
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At 25 years of age though, he has not yet hit his peak, and so it is hard to see him staying at WWFC for his whole career if they cannot secure European football consistently.
In other news, find out who Wolves now want to sign quickly here!
Rangers suffered a gigantic blow in their hopes of landing the Premiership title for a second successive year as they lost 2-1 at Ibrox on Sunday.
They were beaten in the Old Firm clash as they let an early lead, handed to them by Aaron Ramsey’s near-post strike in the opening minutes, slip.
Gio van Bronckhorst’s men found themselves 2-1 down at half-time and were unable to turn it around in the second 45 as they huffed and puffed to no avail.
Time’s up
One player who struggled badly in the game was midfielder Joe Aribo and his time at Ibrox may now be coming to an end.
Van Bronckhorst must brutally axe him this summer and sanction a move back down south as his performances have been nowhere near good enough in recent months. He has not stepped up to the plate in the crunch time of the season and it is costing the Gers dearly in the title race.
Premier League side Crystal Palace are reportedly eyeing up a swoop for the Nigeria international at the end of the campaign. They are said to be lining up a £10m offer for the ex-Charlton man and the Gers must snap their hands off for it.
Ezri Konsa once dubbed Aribo’s style as “languid” and that word sums up his recent displays for the Ibrox giants as he has been looked way off the pace. This was illustrated perfectly in the defeat to Celtic, as he failed to create a single chance and managed one shot at goal, whilst failing to complete a single dribble in his 90 minutes on the pitch – as per SofaScore.
Journalist Zino Mulla called him “useless” for Nigeria in their recent World Cup qualifiers and his recent form for the Gers has been in line with that criticism.
He has zero goals and one assist in his last 10 outings for Rangers in all competitions, with only two of his performances coming in at SofaScore ratings higher than 7.0. In his last 13 Premiership appearances, he has produced one goal and three assists despite playing in a number 10 role and out wide in a front three, which is far from good enough.
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The 25-year-old’s lack of consistency has let him down and that is why Van Bronckhorst must now axe him from the club ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, especially if the club can get £10m back in exchange for him with one year left on his contract.
That money can then be reinvested into multiple positions to hopefully strengthen the team and improve their chances of winning the title next term.
AND in other news, Gvb now plotting Rangers swoop for “exceptional” monster, he’d be a bargain “diamond”…
Could 2026 be the year that Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes walks off into the sunset?
Perhaps, finally, after over half a decade of carrying a club and an institution on his back, the Portugal international might decide that enough is enough, having already hinted at the prospect of moving on to pastures new in the near future.
There have been 196 goals and assists in 307 games. There have been just three matches missed through illness or injury, according to Transfermarkt. And yet there have only been two trophies, with the truly top honours still eluding Fernandes and United in this turbulent post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The 31-year-old, of course, is not blameless for the depths this team have plummeted to, he is captain after all. That being said, there is a sense that the Red Devils could have sunk even lower, had the playmaker not gripped them by the collar time and again.
Be it this summer, or next, Fernandes’ departure will leave a void akin to that of Cantona, Keane, Ronaldo and Rooney. How do you replace the irreplaceable?
How Manchester United can replace Bruno Fernandes
One of the ‘problems’ of Fernandes’ aforementioned omnipresence and reliability is that rarely has a team been put out without him in it, making it an even bigger task when trying to understand whether United will sink or swim in his absence.
In fairness, in recent years, any time the midfield genius has been rotated, it has not gone to plan. You only have to look at the first-half debacle at Grimsby Town for an obvious case in point.
While Ruben Amorim has pointed to Kobbie Mainoo as being the direct competitor to the captain among the current crop, it might take outside influence for a proper successor to be found.
There is of course the likes of Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson being touted as options to bolster Amorim’s midfield ranks, although one wildcard contender could be Anderson’s teammate, Morgan Gibbs-White – a boyhood United fan.
The Englishman – who was linked with the Old Trafford side back in March – has been described as the “most similar player” to Fernandes out there by one analyst possessing that same talismanic, maverick quality down at the City Ground.
With his creative quality and tendency to scorn a teammate for a failed pass or missed chance, there certainly are shades of Fernandes about the ex-Wolves man, ensuring he could be a worthy replacement.
That being said, if INEOS are to set their sights a tad higher, why not seek out the real cream of the crop?
Man Utd could sign "best midfielder in the world" to replace Fernandes
There was time when you looked to Man United’s midfield as the benchmark. From Bryan Robson, to Roy Keane, to Paul Scholes, to even latterly Michael Carrick, there was always a master at work to be found.
Fernandes’ best work, prior to this season, has often come in a more advanced berth, with United lacking that real all-action, box-to-box presence behind him.
There’s been Paul Pogba, there’s been Donny van de Beek, there’s been the maligned duo of ‘McFred’. It simply hasn’t worked.
Casemiro, set to turn 34 in February, has shown flashes of class and quality, but INEOS might need to look to Real Madrid again to find a proper solution. Why not Jude Bellingham?
Now, it may appear laughable to suggest that the Englishman will leave the Bernabeu any time soon, although recent reports suggested that United were launching a club-record bid of £130m for him, after missing out on his signature back in 2020.
Those at Old Trafford rolled out the red carpet trying to entice a then 17-year-old Bellingham to join from Birmingham City, albeit with the teenager ultimately plumping for the guarantee of game time at Borussia Dortmund.
Now at Madrid, whom he joined back in 2023, the 22-year-old is a Champions League winner and among the very best in the world in his position.
Bellingham vs Bruno – last 365 days
Sta (per 90)
Bellingham
Bruno
Non-penalty goals
0.25
0.21
Assists
0.27
0.32
Shot-creating actions
4.36
6.43
Pass completion
87.3%
76.2%
Prog. passes
7.46
9.78
Prog. carries
2.44
2.17
Successful take-ons
1.70
0.68
Tackles
2.44
2.37
Interceptions
0.88
0.64
Stats via FBref
In the view of Newcastle United counterpart, Bruno Guimaraes – speaking a few months ago – he already is the “best midfielder in the world”, ensuring he could even represent an upgrade on Fernandes, not least considering he tops the Portuguese in a string of key metrics.
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Bizarrely a bone of contention at international level, it really is folly for anyone to doubt Bellingham’s talent. At 22, he has already played at three major tournaments and earned 46 caps, while scoring that vital overhead kick against Slovakia at Euro 2024.
Much in the mould of Fernandes in seemingly relishing the limelight, the Stourbridge-born monster has made himself a star in Spain, racking up 74 goals and assists in just 119 games to already cement his place among Britain’s best-ever exports.
That success has come in a more advanced starting berth, but this is a man who can do it all, having typically been deployed deeper during his time in Germany.
It would take some convincing to lure him away from Los Blancos, but the chance to emerge as the centrepiece of the United project might prove too good to turn down.
Few, of course, will relish the challenge of having to follow a figure like Fernandes, but Bellingham might well just be one of them.
Man Utd could sign Bruno replacement who's "the most underrated CM in Europe"
Manchester United look set to make a move for one player should Bruno Fernandes depart.