Tag Futebol

West Ham United have reportedly been offered an opportunity to sign Brazilian winger Tete in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Premier League struggles

In truth, West Ham have struggled in the Premier League so far this season, sitting in 16th place in the table before the break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

They have scored a mere 12 goals in their opening 15 league games, the fourth-fewest in the division, suggesting that they are particularly struggling in the final third of the pitch.

The Latest: Tete offered

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that the Hammers, like a number of other clubs in the top flight, have now been offered the chance to sign Tete on loan in January, with a view to a permanent deal.

The winger is technically contracted to Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, but has spent the last six months at Lyon in Ligue 1, after FIFA suspended the contracts of all foreign players in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion.

The system was extended into the 2022/23 season, allowing Tete to continue his career in France.

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have also been offered his signature, although it is unclear whether they would be willing to meet the Brazilian’s demands.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Capable of playing anywhere across the front line, David Moyes’ side should be going all out to try to bring in Tete on loan.

Nicknamed ‘Hurricane’ in his homeland, the Brazilian has been backed to be a ‘big star’ by Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin, having recorded 46 goal contributions in 108 matches for Shakhtar, as well as 15 in 24 games while on loan at Lyon (Transfermarkt).

Given that Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio are both injury ‘doubts’ for their trip to Arsenal on Boxing Day, Moyes could do with some extra cover in attack, and 22-year-old Tete would certainly be an ideal signing on loan.

Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth is seemingly eyeing potential new recruits ahead of the January transfer window, with the Englishman likely to be plotting ways to strengthen the Magpies’ bid for Champions League qualification.

Latest reports have suggested that the Tyneisders are keeping taps on a breakout start from the World Cup in Qatar, with the St James’ Park outfit said to be one of the clubs interested in Morocco international, Sofyan Amrabat.

According to the Daily Mail, the northeast side – as well as the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur – are one of the emerging suitors for the Fiorentina star following his displays over the past few weeks, with Eddie Howe and co reportedly prioritising a midfield addition next month.

The 26-year-old – who is the brother of former Watford man Nordin Amrabat – will likely not come cheap, however, with reports in Italy suggesting that the Serie A outfit could demand a fee of around €55m (£48m).

That being said, that price tag has seemingly been warranted such have been the former Hellas Verona man’s displays for his country of late, having played an integral role in the Atlas Lions’ remarkable surge to the semi-final stage at the World Cup – the first African nation to reach the final four in the competition’s history.

Lauded as the “best central midfielder in the tournament” by journalist Carlo Garganese, the one-time Feyenoord brute notably recorded 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in his seven outings in Qatar, having been particularly impressive in the eventual defeat to France.

That clash saw the relentless “monster”, as described by Garganese, notably catch the eye after producing a long-bursting run and a subsequent crunching challenge to deny Les Bleus’ talisman, Kylian Mbappe.

Such remarkable work ethic was a feature of his game throughout the tournament, with the “elite” gem, as dubbed by journalist Jason Lee, ranking top of the charts for recoveries made (57), as well as fifth for tackles made (ten), as per Opta Analyst.

The defensive midfielder – who was also praised as “extraordinary” by Spain boss Luis Enrique – has certainly put himself in the shop window of late, with such performances likely to have piqued the interest of Howe’s side.

Not that those displays have come as a total surprise to those who have watched the £31k-per-week man closely in Florence of late, as he has proven himself a truly classy operator in possession, ranking in the top 4% for both pass completion and progressive passes among those in his position in Europe.

That will ease any fears over Newcastle simply being blinded by just a strong major tournament display, with the race now on to see if Ashworth can secure his signature.

West Ham United could be plotting to dip back into the transfer market, despite David Moyes having undergone a minor rebuild this summer.

Having brought eight new players to the London Stadium, there was particular hype surrounding the club-record £51m expended to bring in Lucas Paqueta from Lyon.

The Brazilian maestro came with glowing recommendations and was coming off the back of an 11-goal and seven-assist campaign.

It was thought he could provide a consistent creative spark that the likes of Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini had not, but with the 25-year-old yet to score and having assisted just three times in 14 games, it has not been an easy start.

It therefore would make sense for the Hammers to reignite their interest in another of their summer targets, as they had a string of bids for Belgium international Hans Vanaken pushed back by Club Brugge.

With £10.8m being their highest bid, there was a belief that they could surely stump up enough cash to bring in a man who was vocal about his desire to join the Irons.

However, it never materialised, and the 30-year-old instead continued to excel in his homeland. His form has earned him a spot in the upcoming World Cup squad too for Belgium, which will only likely boost the number of potential suitors, should he impress.

With eight goal contributions already this season, the midfielder clearly boasts a huge amount of quality.

Were he to have made the move to east London, or should he join this January, perhaps it would alleviate some of the burden held by Paqueta as this experienced European star comes in to help him out.

Blessed with “extraordinary intelligence” – as noted by teammate Onur Kaya – despite standing at 6 foot 3 he is incredibly adept with the ball at his feet.

This was no better exemplified than last season, where he scored 15 times and assisted a further 12 as he captained his side to some impressive results. Three of those goals also came in the Champions League, against impressive opposition such as Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.

Any doubts regarding his ability to translate his form to the English game can be removed through these performances.

The £70k-per-week star may not be a budding youngster anymore, but Vanaken could just be the perfect Paqueta alternative to not only help the club thrive but to give him added time before he needs to start truly performing.

Leeds United remain interested in a deal to bring Noa Lang to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Voetbal Belgie, who claim that, despite the continued interest of the Whites and West Ham United, the Club Brugge KV winger would prefer a move to Italy this winter, with AC Milan and Atalanta BC believed to be keen on a move for the 23-year-old.

This is not the first time Victor Orta has been reported to be interested in a move for the Netherlands international, with Leeds having been linked with the €25m (£22m) valued forward ever since their return to the Premier League back in 2020.

De Ketelaere repeat

With Orta having already missed out on another of his Club Brugge transfer targets, Charles De Ketelaere, to AC Milan in the summer transfer window, the news that Lang now also favours a move to Italy ahead of one to Leeds in January undoubtedly represents something of a nightmare for the Whites’ director of football.

However, considering just how underwhelming Lang has been for Brugge this season, should Orta go on to miss out on the 23-year-old this winter, it could well be something of a blessing in disguise for the Spaniard.

Indeed, over his 11 Jupiler Pro League appearances – only three of which have come as starts – this season, the £16.2m-rated talent has been far from his free-flowing best, scoring just one goal, providing two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £25k-per-week winger average a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, currently ranking him as Brugge’s 13th-best performer in the top flight of Belgian football.

The 23-year-old also failed to impress over his two appearances in the Champions League, failing to score, providing no assists and missing one big chance, with these metrics seeing the five-cap international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.75 – once again ranking him as his club’s 13th-best performer in the competition.

Furthermore, with Jesse Marsch currently possessing a wealth of young attacking talent in the form of Crysencio Summerville, Sonny Perkins, Joe Gelhart and Mateo Joseph, the signing of Lang would likely stunt the growth of a number of the Whites’ most exciting youth prospects.

As such, missing out on the winger in January would not appear to be a bad thing for the Premier League side whatsoever, as not only would Lang fail to represent a noticeable upgrade on the Whites’ current attacking options, but his signing would also cause a blockage in the pathway from U21s to first-team football at Elland Road.

Nottingham Forest journalist Sarah Clapson has dropped a hint regarding what the club’s plans could be for the upcoming January transfer window.

The Lowdown

The Midlands club were incredibly active in the transfer market during the previous summer window as they brought in over 20 new players.

With 12 games played in the league this season, Steve Cooper’s side have won two, drawn three and lost seven, currently putting them rock bottom of the table despite the win over Liverpool.

While the January window is still some weeks away, it seems as though an early prediction has emerged over what Forest could look to do once it opens.

The Latest

In a recent online Q&A with the Nottingham Post, Clapson had this to say on the matter.

“I’d be very surprised if January ends up being anything like as busy as the summer window.

“Expect some of what happens in January will depend on where Forest are by that point – not just at the beginning of the window, but also towards the end, because we all know how things can change even in the space of a month.

“Would expect attack to be an area Forest still look at for January, though.”

The Verdict

Bearing in mind how Forest currently have the worst goal difference in the league (-15), it’s safe to say that if the club do look to recruit some new players in January, they may have to bring in some figures who can quite simply stick the ball in the back of the net.

While this may be a tough and rather vague task for the club’s hierarchy, they showed during the summer they have no problem getting players through the door.

However, if Cooper’s side are still struggling by the time January comes around, the pressure will be on the club to make sure it’s a case of quality over quantity in terms of their attacking recruitment.

Everton’s academy is the proud producer of plenty of high-quality talent, with Wayne Rooney the paramount example of someone who rose through the ranks and went on to dominate the world stage.

However, when Jack Rodwell was coming through, Evertonians thought they had their next generational talent ready to go.

Having made his Premier League debut at 16, he too seemed destined for a career that would take him to the very top.

David Moyes himself claimed in 2009 that “he’s got a good future ahead of him” before labelling his “great pace and athleticism” as some of his main assets.

Despite this, injuries and some poor career choices led to what most would describe as a massively wasted talent.

He made 109 appearances for the Toffees before Manchester City came calling, unloading a whopping £15m in 2012.

With his hulking physique and explosive change of pace, combined with a technical ability to rival many in the squad, it seemed like the natural move. However, with hindsight, it seems like it might have come a step too early in his career, and he seemingly suffered from it.

Rodwell would make just 25 appearances for the Citizens before making his ill-fated move to Sunderland, where he would become something of a pariah due to his reluctance to terminate his £70k-per-week contract as they slumped down the divisions.

Chris Coleman remarkably came out whilst managing the Black Cats to stand against the 31-year-old: “I’m sure we’ve gone down the legal route of that situation and we are stuck with a player that doesn’t want to play for Sunderland football club and wants to leave.”

He now is playing football in Australia for Sydney FC, a side that he joined this summer.

It marks a phenomenal drop in quality from the man who held the hopes of an entire club when he burst onto the scene.

To see how Moyes first labelled him, and how Coleman eventually viewed him, is a damning microcosm of Rodwell’s career. Whether it was injuries or his own decisions, his career will remain a huge amount of potential wasted.

Everton will soon part company with midfielder Allan, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland. 

The lowdown

Everton paid £21.24million to sign Allan from Napoli in the 2020 summer transfer window, when Carlo Ancelotti was the manager.

He’s gone on to make 57 appearances for the club, starting 25 of their 38 Premier League matches last season.

But he’s yet to play a single minute for the Toffees so far this season, watching on from the bench as an unused substitute in five of their six league games.

Everton made three additions to their midfield ranks in the summer, signing Amadou Onana, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye.

The latest

As part of a mailbag piece for The Athletic, Boyland was asked which midfield players were now ‘surplus to requirements’.

He named Allan among those who was up for sale in the summer, suggesting he’s in the final knockings of his Everton career.

“At the forefront, you have Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, Alex Iwobi and James Garner,” he said.

“Tom Davies has done well when called upon this season, but we’re seeing the beginning of the end of Allan, Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin. All were available this summer.

“Abdoulaye Doucoure is into his final year too, and when we spoke to him during the pre-season tour in the United States he revealed there had been little progress on a new deal.”

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The verdict

This news may not come as too big a surprise given Allan’s lack of involvement so far this season, but there may be some Everton supporters who feel Allan deserves to be featuring more regularly.

After all, he’s something of a machine out of possession, ranking in the 98th percentile among midfielders in the big five leagues for pressures per 90, the 85th for tackles and the 87th for blocks (via FBRef), looking at the last 365 days.

The Brazilian has been called a ‘dream’ to play behind by team-mate Michael Keane, while even Jose Mourinho regards him as a ‘great’ player.

Allan’s contract is up at the end of the season so he can be expected to walk away on a free transfer, though Everton will at least be able to clear his £70,000-per-week wages off the books.

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘definitely’ looking to add another attacking option to the squad before Thursday night’s transfer deadline, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown: Busy summer

N17 has already been a hive of activity during the transfer window, with no fewer than seven players arriving at a combined cost of just under £108m (Transfermarkt).

However, as the deadline fast approaches, numerous players could still be on their way out of the club as Sergio Reguilon, Harry Winks and Japhet Tanganga all continue to be linked with moves away from north London.

One well-informed onlooker has now delivered his verdict on where there could still be business to be done by Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte over the next 72 hours or so…

The latest: ‘Definitely’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has claimed that Tottenham will ‘definitely’ look to sign another winger before the transfer window closes, amid links with Adama Traore and Anthony Gordon.

The Eurosport journalist said: “There are other names on their list that are much better value [than Anthony Gordon].

“Adama Traore has got to be one that is looked at under this umbrella, but it’s one to keep an eye on, I definitely think that Tottenham are looking for a player of this type.”

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The verdict: Fingers crossed

Although the strength in depth beyond Harry Kane and Son Heung-min has certainly been improved with the captures of Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski this year, there remains scope for at least one further attack-minded addition before the September 1 deadline.

As such, the Lilywhites have been linked with a move for the aforementioned forwards, along with Atalanta ace Ruslan Malinovskyi, in recent days.

Another name linked with the north Londoners is Leeds United speedster Dan James, a player in a similar mould to Traore given his lightning-quick pace, and a late summer swoop for the Welshman could be the desired route if the Wolves dynamo proves unattainable.

Nottingham Forest attacker Nuno Da Costa is ‘considering’ a return to Caen this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour on Friday.

The Lowdown: Da Costa not needed at Forest

The 31-year-old spent the whole of last season on loan at Caen, having been deemed surplus to requirements by then-manager Chris Hughton.

Da Costa is now back at Forest as the new Premier League season gets started but it is clear that Steve Cooper also doesn’t see a future for him at the club.

For that reason, it is expected that the Cape Verdean will depart the City Ground before deadline day ends, either permanently or on a temporary basis.

The Latest: Caen return mooted

According to Ouest France [via Sport Witness], Da Costa is ‘considering’ a move back to Caen for the 2022/23 campaign, despite there being strong interest from Auxerre, with a two-year deal reportedly agreed.

That transfer ‘may not be so good’ now, paving the way for a possible return to Ligue 2 outfit Caen instead.

The Verdict: Right decision for all parties

Da Costa is a talented player – he has been described as a ‘real leader’ by Caen president Olivier Pickeu – but it hasn’t worked out for him at Forest, with only 13 appearances coming his way and no goals scored.

For that reason, it makes complete sense for the Reds to either get him off their wage bill for good or at least loan him out again and allow him regular playing time.

It seems nailed-on that Da Costa will depart this summer, and while going back to Caen may appeal, signing a permanent two-year deal at Auxerre wouldn’t go amiss from a financial point of view for the Reds.

There is a ‘real possibility’ Arnaud Kalimuendo will sign for Leeds United this summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Bid tabled

The Whites have been linked with the PSG forward for a number of weeks now, and they appear to have firmed up their interest after missing out on Charles De Ketelaere.

Reports in recent days have claimed that Victor Orta has made a ‘very good’ offer worth €20m (£16.7m) for the 20-year-old, however, PSG could hold out for a fee of around €25m (£21m).

The Latest: Transfer update

French journalist Hadrien Grenier relayed an update from Jacobs regarding Kalimuendo and Leeds on Twitter, with the latter liking the post shared on Tuesday evening.

There is thought to be a ‘real possibility’ that the 20-year-old ‘will join Leeds’, with PSG chief Luis Campo happy to sell at the right price.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Leeds aren’t the only club showing an interest in the West Ham, Newcastle and Everton all thought to be keen.

Therefore, the Whites may want to try and push through a deal as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Reliable reporter Phil Hay has even confirmed in recent days that Leeds have had their eye on Kalimuendo, and following this latest update, it looks as if a transfer could well be on the cards in what would be a big boost with Jesse Marsch relatively short of centre-forward options.