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According to a fresh report by Alasdair Gold of football.london, Tottenham have made contact with the representatives of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard over a potential summer move.

The Lowdown: Lingard’s transfer saga

Lingard has been at the helm of a hectic transfer saga that began in the summer window. The 29-year-old shocked the footballing world with an electric run of form after joining West Ham on loan in last year’s January window. During his short stint with the Hammers, the attacking midfielder proved to be emphatic in the final third, scoring nine goals and producing five assists in just 16 appearances for David Moyes’ side.

Now, with Lingard’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2022, a number of Premier League teams are interested in the Man United playmaker. This includes Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, but more prominently West Ham, who are reportedly preparing to table a bid for the player in the near future.

It is claimed that Moyes is hoping that United will be prepared to accept a cut price of around £10million in January, rather than losing him on a free in the summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Spurs make contact over Lingard

According to reports by Alasdair Gold of football.london, Tottenham have now made contact with Lingard’s camp, as the reliable reporter shared the latest on Twitter: “Understand Spurs have sounded out Jesse Lingard’s camp about a potential move to north London.”

Spurs have apparently enquired about a summer switch, but there is a possibility that the club could consider a move for the player in the current January window.

This news comes amid Ajax’s interest in Steven Bergwijn. After rejecting a £15million bid for the winger, Spurs have begun to look for alternative options elsewhere, with the expectation that the Dutchman will leave the club in the current window.

The Verdict: Could prove to be a shrewd signing

Following on from his loan spell at West Ham, it is evident that Lingard would be able to arrive at Tottenham and make an instant impact – talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham hailed him as the ‘best player in the Premier League’ at the height of his incredible spell of form in east London.

Manchester United legend Michael Carrick has labelled Lingard’s playing style as ‘unique’ and ‘dynamic’, describing the way that it is ‘difficult to defend against’ the Englishman’s speed and directness.

When previously linked with Everton, Kevin Phillips described a potential Lingard transfer as a ‘no-brainer’, and that is true for the Lilywhites too, who have missed getting goals from midfield since the departure of Christian Eriksen.

If Lingard is able to replicate the form he produced at West Ham, the midfielder could prove to be a very shrewd signing for Antonio Conte, reducing the reliance on Son Heung-min and Harry Kane to be in absolute top goalscoring form week in week out.

In other news, one Tottenham youngster could be on his way out of the club this month…

With just three wins, seven draws and five defeats under their belt, it’s safe to say that Southampton have had a rather mixed season in the Premier League so far.

One man who has played a big part in their campaign so far is Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has scored four goals and provided two assists in 13 appearances across all competitions.

After spending a couple of years on loan at Celtic, where he racked up 24 goals and 17 assists in 67 appearances, the winger has been a regular figure for Ralph Hasenhuttl this season.

Back in October, it was reported that fellow Premier League clubs Arsenal and Leicester City were interested in signing the Norwegian, who has been described in the past by Tom English as a “dangerous” player.

However, it seems as though the south coast club have been handed a boost regarding his future, which will surely have a lot of fans buzzing. Elyounoussi has revealed in recent days that he and his family are comfortable living in Southampton at the moment and that it’s where they “belong.”

This should be a big relief to the club and any Southampton fans who may have been concerned about a potential exit being on the cards for the 27-year-old, who is currently earning £59k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Taking into account how Southampton have a track record of selling players to fellow Premier League clubs in recent years – such as Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool, Matt Targett and Danny Ings to Aston Villa and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham Hotspur among others – it seems unlikely that fans would have been open to seeing their club flogging yet another one of their assets to a top-flight rival.

Moving forward, if Elyounoussi can add some more goals and assists to his tally for the season in the Premier League, he could finally prove himself to Hasenhuttl after spending such a long time in Scotland with Celtic.

If that is the case, however, there’s every possibility that other clubs could then have an interest in signing Elyounoussi and could make it difficult for Southampton to keep hold of him, especially if a club which can offer him European football and higher wages were to come in for him.

With that in mind and his current contract at St Mary’s set to expire in the summer of 2023, it could be worth the hierarchy at Southampton offering him a new deal before this one runs out.

In other news: Gao could replicate Adam Armstrong masterclass at Southampton with “elite” 16-goal ace

Crystal Palace shared footage of Conor Gallagher’s match-winning screamer on their official Twitter channel on Sunday night.

The Chelsea loanee was in terrific form in the Eagles’ 3-1 win against Everton, with the youngster scoring twice to seal an important three points for the south Londoners. SofaScore awarded him their player of the match with a tremendous 9.6 rating, blowing everyone else out of the water.

The 21-year-old midfielder’s electric form has seen him amass six goals and three assists in 15 Premier League games this season, making him Palace’s top scorer and assists provider.

Eagles manager Patrick Viera has been hugely impressed with Gallagher since his arrival and has said that ‘it’s a joy’ to work with him.

After consistently showing his quality, not least with his stupendous stoppage time goal against the Toffees, many Palace fans have called on the club to sign the 21-year-old from Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Palace fans erupt as Gallagher footage

Crystal Palace shared footage of Gallagher’s stunning goal on Twitter, posting with the caption: “Conor Gallagher put it on a postage stamp”, and unsurprisingly it evoked some gleeful responses from the Selhurst Park faithful, as you can see below:

“Sign him permanently”

Credit: @Callum_CPFC_

“He was by the corner flag when it was lumped forward by Everton. #Hunger”

Credit: @PalaceBySea

“can’t stop watching it”

Credit: @kimberley_e_

“Iniesta had posters of Gallagher on his wall growing up”

Credit: @no_context_Hans

“Will never tire of seeing this”

Credit: @RedAndBlueDave

“I’ll cry when he leaves”

Credit: @SamMwangangi

In other news: One of Gallagher’s team-mates came in for criticism from some Palace fans on Sunday

According to Calciomercato, there has been an update on the future of AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli and it involves Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Conte eyeing Serie A swoops…

One of the recurring themes of new manager Antonio Conte’s time at Spurs so far is the repeated links to some of Italian football’s biggest names.

Indeed, Calciomercato recently claimed that the 52-year-old could target as many as six Serie A players in Federico Chiesa, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Marcelo Brozovic, Vlahovic and Romagnoli.

Another San Siro star in Franck Kessie has also been repeatedly linked with Tottenham as both Rudy Galetti and La Gazzetta (via Get Italian Football News) drop suggestions of a very advanced move.

The topic of this report is Romagnoli, however, as Calciomercato bring news on Spurs’ pursuit of the player after TuttoJuve24 claimed Conte is ‘ready’ to take him ‘immediately’.

The Latest: Romagnoli has ‘proposal’ from Tottenham…

As well as the majority of Tottenham’s targets being from Serie A, a number of them could also leave for free in the summer of 2022. Indeed, the likes of Brozovic, Kessie and Romagnoli all currently have deals which expire at the end of this season and are free to negotiate pre-contract terms with other clubs in January.

According to Calciomercato, the Milan defender has ‘many proposals’ on the table, including from Juventus and Spurs as both clubs endanger the Rossoneri’s chances of agreeing fresh terms with their captain.

The Verdict: Astute option?

If Tottenham can secure an agreement to sign Romagnoli for free next summer, or even for a cut-price fee in January, we believe he could be an astute purchase to partner Cristian Romero.

The 26-year-old, who would come with a longer shelf life than fellow centre-back targets like De Vrij, stands out as a composed and assured figure in central defence.

So far this season, Romagnoli has averaged a higher pass accuracy than any Tottenham defender, with teammate Fikayo Tomori also labelling him a ‘great champion’ alongside teammate Simon Kjaer (Corriere dello Sport via milannews.it).

With the player earning a reported £106,000 per week, Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici wouldn’t exactly have to break the bank with Romangnoli’s salary demands either, given that a fee around that amount should be more than attainable.

The 6 foot 2 powerhouse may well bolster Conte’s backline as he aims to bring glory back to N17.

In other news: Spurs now close to signing ‘monster’ player as Conte seeks to solve severe problem, find out more here.

Manchester United look set to bring in Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

That news broke on Thursday afternoon and, a few hours later, it emerged that the 63-year-old will bring Lars Kornetka to Old Trafford as his assistant, which has had many United fans buzzing.

Rangnick is currently in a director’s role with Lokomotiv Moscow but looks set to move to England to become United’s interim boss until the end of the season, before moving into a two-year consultancy position.

According to Championat, relayed by The Peoples Person, Rangnick will bring Kornetka with him to Manchester. The 43-year-old is also currently in a job at Lokomotiv Moscow and has worked as Rangnick’s assistant at RB Leipzig. He has also worked under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich as a video analyst.

United fans react

The United Stand shared the news regarding Rangnick and Kornetka on Twitter on Thursday evening. Here is what these United supporters had to say in reply, with many left delighted.

“THIS CANNOT BE REAL!! PINCH ME I AM DREAAAMING!”

Credit: @iamdasm

“Huge shout out to @ManUtd Way to go. I’m absolutely buzzing about this. What an awesome day for every #MUFC fan!”

Credit: @kylenielsen99

“I am crying, literally. This actually feels like a dream. How did this even happen”

Credit: @Shim81755902

“Music to my ears”

Credit: @jaideepminhas7

“Get innnnnn”

Credit: @akmalaffendi

“Let’s gooooo”

Credit: @iamleonard_LEO

In other news: ‘Dreaming’, ‘Best news today’, ‘On my knees’ – Many Man Utd fans erupt over who Woodward wants now

Newcastle host Tottenham at St. James’ Park today in what could be Steve Bruce’s final match in charge of the club following the takeover by PIF.

The 60-year-old is reportedly facing the sack after Mike Ashley sold the club to the Saudi Arabian consortium, with a number of managers being eyed to replace him.

This should not detract from the special achievement that this game brings Bruce, as it will be his 1000th match in management. Irrespective of what the fans may or may not think about his time at the club, he should be praised for reaching this milestone and will, hopefully, mark it with a win.

The Magpies head into this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Wolves in the top-flight. How many changes will Bruce make from the team that lost to Bruno Lage’s side? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side, along with moving to a back-three/back-five formation to face Spurs.

First of all, the formation could alter to deal with the attacking threat Tottenham pose. Nuno Santo’s side could line up with Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane up top, with the pair managing 40 goals and 24 assists between them in the Premier League last season.

This means that a wide player must be cut from the side to bring in another centre-back. With Miguel Almiron having been away on international duty in South America, we are predicting that he will be given a rest and Jamaal Lascelles will return from injury to start in the middle of the defence.

In midfield, Sean Longstaff could be axed from the team to make way for Jeff Hendrick. The £18k-per-week beast could be sacrificed in order to get the Irish midfielder in, as Hendrick scored against Wolves and may have played his way into a starting role. Longstaff lost ten of his 14 duels against Wolves and was dribbled past an unbelievable seven times, suggesting that he deserves to drop to the bench.

Finally, we think that Bruce will go with Callum Wilson up front alongside Saint-Maximin, with Joelinton coming out of the team. The striker is back from injury after scoring two goals in his first three appearances of the season, having netted 12 goals in 23 starts last term in the top-flight – showing that he has the quality to find the back of the net at this level.

AND in other news, “Definitely”: Journo claims NUFC want £49.5m-rated star, he’s a huge Joelinton upgrade…

Southampton managed to perfectly move on from getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup against Chelsea last week by securing their second Premier League win of the season at the weekend with a 1-0 win away at Watford thanks to a goal from Che Adams.

Their next game sees Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side take on Aston Villa at St. Mary’s to see if they can grab another win and move even further away from the relegation zone.

On the chalkboard

With this clash in mind, one Saints player that featured in the win at Watford that we feel should be in the starting XI to face Villa is striker Adam Armstrong.

Armstrong played the full 90 minutes against the Hornets and not only did he assist Adams’ winning goal that sealed the three points on the day, but he also managed to have five shots at goal in what was a swashbuckling attacking display.

On top of that, he made two key passes and completed one accurate long ball which ultimately earned him a solid match rating of 7/10, higher than his strike partner Adams on the day according to SofaScore.

Since joining the south-coast club back in August on a four-year deal from Championship club Blackburn Rovers for a reported fee of £15m, Armstrong has made an appearance in all but one of Southampton’s Premier League games so far this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists along the way.

Despite the lack of goals, the fact that the attacker, who has been praised for his “explosive” pace in the past by Tony Mowbray is getting plenty of minutes under his belt this season shows that Hasenhuttl has enough faith in him to keep playing him.

Also, the fact that the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £16.2m according to Transfermarkt, has managed to rack up an average of three shots at goal per game in the Premier League so far this season which shows that he is a useful attacking outlet for the Saints but has merely had trouble finding the back of the net.

This says to us that Armstrong’s attacking prowess could make him a real nuisance for Villa and potentially terrify them on Friday night, especially given how they have lost their previous four league games, conceding 12 goals in the process. Combine that with Ezri Konsa’s absence after he picked up a red card in their recent 4-1 defeat against West Ham and it makes Southampton’s task easier.

If Hasenhuttl does start Armstrong against Villa and the striker manages to score, this could well be a big confidence boost for the player, one that could push him on to a consistent run of form which would undoubtedly please everyone at the club.

In other news: Hasenhuttl could unearth a new Jack Stephens at Southampton in 17 y/o starlet – opinion

Dani Vivian’s performances for Athletic Bilbao have caught the eye of Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net.

The lowdown

Vivian, a centre-back, has made his first-team breakthrough at the Estadio San Mames this season, starting seven of the first eight La Liga matches.

He’s averaged 4.9 clearances and 1.6 tackles per 90 minutes so far. Of Wolves’ current defenders, only Romain Saiss can better those numbers.

Wolves may still be in the market for a centre-back, having unsuccessfully pursued Lille’s Sven Botman and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara during the summer transfer window (via The Athletic).

The latest

Vivian is ‘drawing the attention’ of three Premier League sides – Wolves, West Ham United and Arsenal. They’re said to be ‘compiling statistical reports’ on the Spaniard.

The new contract he signed last season runs until 2023 and, importantly, contains a release clause of €40million (£34million).

The verdict

Vivian may not yet be at the calibre of Botman and Kamara, two of the best young defenders in Europe, but his stock certainly seems to be growing by the week.

Intriguingly, the report adds that, the way things are going, the list of suitors will grow significantly before the end of the season.

Still, it’s hard to justify making him the third-biggest signing in Wolves’ history at this stage.

In other news, fans hailed this ‘magic’ moment.  

Liverpool have had a stupendous start to their 2021/22 Premier League campaign in front of goal with a total of 22 goals scored in their opening eight league games of the season.

Their latest league outing saw Jurgen Klopp’s side put five goals past Watford in their thrashing of the Hornets at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

However, it seems as though the Merseyside club could potentially lose one of their current attacking stars in the near future.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported that AC Milan and Bayern Munich are both interested in signing Reds star Roberto Firmino, who scored three out of Liverpool’s five goals against Watford at the weekend, to help strengthen their squads.

The Brazilian’s contract expires in 2023 so next summer will be the last time the Reds can cash in on him unless he signs a new deal.

A major blow?

Liverpool signed Firmino back in the 2015 summer transfer window from German club Hoffenheim for a reported fee of £29m.

Since then, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £36m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 299 appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he has managed to score 93 goals and provide 70 assists along the way.

So far this season, Firmino has appeared in six out of Liverpool’s eight Premier League games, starting just two of them.

In terms of a potential move away from Liverpool to either Milan or Bayern, we feel that this would be a big blow for Klopp’s side even though Firmino hasn’t been starting regularly for the team this season. He he has still shown he can still be a useful attacking option for the Reds alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah who also scored against the Hornets at the weekend.

In addition to this, given how long Firmino has been at the club and what he has delivered for them in terms of goals and assists over the years, we feel that the Liverpool fans would not be happy to see him leave the club. After all, he was such a vital cog when they won both the Premier League and Champions League.

With Firmino’s current contract at Anfield expiring in just under two years, we feel that the club should try their hardest to keep hold of the attacker and possibly even consider offering him a new deal if they don’t end up signing a replacement for him before then.

In other news: Forget Keita: Klopp must unleash “outstanding” £180k-p/w LFC ace, he’d terrify Atleti – opinion

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has urged Issa Diop to embrace Kurt Zouma’s West Ham arrival and the challenge it has brought with it.

Zouma is likely to be West Ham’s first-choice central defender this season after joining from London rivals Chelsea in a big-money deal.

Diop has not always been a regular under David Moyes, failing to start a single Premier League game this campaign so far, and was linked with a move away from the club during the summer transfer window.

However, the Frenchman remained at the London Stadium and Palmer is now urging him to accept this added challenge his compatriot has brought with his arrival.

“He’s a talented, talented centre-back, isn’t he?” the ex-Leeds United player said to TT. “When they signed him he was a young player; they paid a lot of money for him. Listen, it’s always good to have competition. He’s got to work hard.

“He’s just got to get his head down and work as hard as he can to get back into the team and secure a regular first-team slot – always good to have competition for places because that improves your own performance.”

Diop played a lot in the second half of last season and was not sold during the summer transfer window so is a player still clearly in David Moyes’ plans. Perhaps the arrival of Zouma could help raise his game to the next level as he looks to win and then retain a place in the Hammers’ starting XI.