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Leeds United have been boosted in their quest to sign Osaze Urhoghide this summer, with the defender set to leave Sheffield Wednesday.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on Urhoghide

Marcelo Bielsa will be on the lookout for new signings in the next transfer window, as he looks to bolster his squad ahead of the 2021/22 season.

One player who has been linked with a move to Elland Road is Urhoghide, who made 16 appearances in Wednesday’s doomed Championship season.

The 20-year-old’s Owls contract expires at the end of this month and it looks as though his time at Hillsborough is coming to an end.

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The Latest: Whites receive boost

According to the Sheffield Star, Urhoghide has rejected the offer of a new deal for Wednesday, with several clubs eyeing him up.

The youngster is thought to be keen on regular first-team football, rather than joining a team for ‘financial gain’, although the Owls can’t match his demands.

With Leeds’ interest in the youngster known (previous report from the Sheffield Star) this latest development could be a big boost to their chances of signing him for nothing.

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The Verdict: Exciting young player

At 20, Urhoghide certainly represents an acquisition for the future and is a centre-back with plenty of potential – he has been hailed as ‘really impressive’ by Dean Ashton – not to mention being a homegrown talent.

The fact that he wants regular football could work against him, however, considering the level Leeds are now playing at, with Bielsa and his players likely having European aspirations next season after finishing just short of that this term.

If he is happy to be a squad option, perhaps even starting off in the Under-23s and maturing over time, he could be a shrewd addition.

In other news, a journalist has made a big claim regarding a key Leeds player’s future. Find out who it is here.

According to The Sunday Mirror (06/06, p77) [via HITC], Tottenham are prepared to give Real Madrid’s Isco a three-year contract, although there has been a slight complication.

The Lowdown: Spurs looking for new signings

Although Spurs remain without a permanent manager after Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties in April, the club are still planning ahead towards the new campaign.

That is likely to mean new arrivals, and one well-known name has popped up.

The Latest: Spurs eye Isco

It has been reported that Tottenham are ready to offer a three-year deal to Isco which would be worth £14m.

However, the return of Carlo Ancelotti to the Santiago Bernabeu could make a deal more complicated, as per The Sunday Mirror (06/06, p77) [via HITC]

The Verdict: Worth a punt

At times, Isco has been an absolute joy to behold. Throughout his career, he has managed 70 goals and 67 assists (Transfermarkt) and has won the Champions League four times. Previously hailed for his “magic” by Mauricio Pochettino (Marca), he has even been compared to Spain legend Andres Iniesta in the past due to his style of play (Goal.com).

The last few seasons have been difficult for the 29-year-old. Over the last three La Liga campaigns, he has managed just 34 starts, appearing to fall out of favour under Zinedine Zidane. However, his talent and ability is clear for all to see given his achievements at the Bernabeu, and a new start at Tottenham could be the best move for all involved.

In other news, Spurs have been offered the chance to sign this Premier League star.

Taking to Twitter, 90min journalist Sean Walsh has made a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and a possible move for Brentford attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen. 

The lowdown: A joint reunion…

Having made a superb return following a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, Eriksen could already be eyeing the next step as the summer transfer window approaches.

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Out of contract at the end of the season (Transfermarkt), the 30-year-old has already been linked with a sensational move back to N17 to rejoin Spurs and in turn, reunite with Antonio Conte who he starred under at Inter Milan.

Sharing news on social media, Walsh has suggested that the move could now be edging closer than ever…

The latest: Walsh drops update

As per his information, the Brentford and Tottenham reporter claims that the north London club are now ‘confident’ of signing Eriksen this summer.

Walsh explained in a Tweet that the move could be dependent on whether Conte remains at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and whether the Lilywhites reach the UEFA Champions League.

The verdict: Get it done

This is a no-brainer for Spurs as transfer chief Fabio Paratici attempts to strengthen the squad in the summer transfer window.

The 111-cap Denmark international has been nothing short of a revelation since joining Brentford and has directly contributed to three goals in seven Premier League outings for a side that was floundering in February.

Overall, the man hailed as a ‘very special player’ by Spurs insider John Wenham, has earned an outstanding 7.49 average rating since returning to the English top-flight, creating three big chances, making 2.1 key passes per game and taking 1.9 shots a match (Sofascore).

These statistics bear out the star’s continued class and given the perceived stylistic similarities with Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne (Fbref), Tottenham should be desperate to land Eriksen.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he now really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.

After narrowly missing out on securing three points in their previous Premier League match against Watford at St James’ Park last weekend, when a late goal from Joao Pedro snatched a point for the away side, Newcastle United are back in action today with an away clash against Leeds United. 

Ahead of the clash at Elland Road against Marcelo Bielsa’s side,  Magpies boss Eddie Howe revealed that Newcastle will still be without Callum Wilson, Federico Fernandez and Isaac Hayden through injury, as well as potentially Matt Ritchie. Howe added in his pre-match press conference that Jeff Hendrick and Dwight Gayle returned to training this week. 

With that in mind, here’s how we feel Newcastle could line up to take on Leeds this afternoon, with two changes anticipated from the XI which started against Watford a week ago.

In goal, we think Howe will stick with Martin Dubravka after the Slovakian made four saves against Watford.

For the defence, we think the Newcastle boss will stick with the same back four which started against the Hornets, with Kieran Trippier at right-back, Paul Dummett on the left, and Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles occupying the centre-back positions.

In midfield, we can see Howe sticking with Jonjo Shelvey and Joelinton, but Joe Willock comes back in to see if he can pull off something special as Sean Longstaff drops out. The ex-Arsenal youngster hasn’t hit the heights of last season this time around, but with Longstaff offering little attacking threat last week, he could be the fall guy for Willock today.

In attack, it would be hard to not see Allan Saint-Maximin occupying his usual left-wing position to see if he can wreak havoc on Leeds’ defence and potentially add some goals or assists to his record for the season and, more importantly, secure a win for his team. 

With Wilson still out, it would seem likely that Howe will stick with January signing Chris Wood to see if he can also cause the Whites some problems at the back and haunt his former club. 

On the right, we think Howe will put Miguel Almiron back into the team, with Ryan Fraser – who is currently picking up £63k-per-week according to Salary Sport – dropping out to freshen up the attack. The Scot pays the price for going 17 games without a goal so far this season.

Whether or not Howe goes with the starting XI that we have suggested, this will still be a big game in terms of their hopes of avoiding relegation this season, and one they might be capable of winning given Leeds’ less than stellar results so far in this campaign. 

In other news – Terms agreed: NUFC could land masterstroke with gem whose “shorts look like underwear”…

Carlton Palmer has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Harry Kane should honour his contract at Tottenham amid reports that he missed training on Monday morning.

Following a three-week break since England’s defeat to Italy in the Euro’s final, the Three Lions captain was expected to report back to Spurs’ Hotspur Way training base for the rest of pre-season.

Like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso, who won the Copa America with Argentina, Kane had been given extra time off to rest himself ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League opener against Man City on Sunday week.

However, according to Sky Sports News, Kane decided against showing up to training, which would suggest that he’s trying to force his way out of the club this summer and join the champions.

Kane currently has three years remaining on the six-year contract he signed back in 2018, but has already told Tottenham he wants to leave, with City, Manchester United and Chelsea all interested in his services.

And Palmer told The Transfer Tavern that he’d be disappointed in Kane’s actions should the rumours of him missing training turn out to be true:

“Well, this is just a rumour that he’s not reported for training. It’s not fact, yet. I don’t know how that’s going to force the issue on how to get the move.

“I don’t believe in players doing that, you should honour your contract. Just because another club makes an offer, that doesn’t give you the right to go on strike or force the move.

“I’d be very disappointed for the captain of England and a leading motor of the Premier League for him to be doing that. It creates a problem for Spurs.”

Fulham winger Fabio Carvalho is being targeted by a number of Premier League teams heading into the new season, according to the Daily Mail. 

What’s the story?

Carvalho has made six appearances in all competitions for Fulham’s first-team, where he’s evidently caught the eye with some strong performances.

The 18-year-old scored his first senior goal against Southampton, and it’ll be interesting to see whether he features in Marco Silva’s plans for the senior squad this season.

The Daily Mail have recently reported that Leeds United, West Ham, Norwich City and FC Porto are keen on signing Carvalho this summer, with that report claiming that Fulham are struggling to keep hold of the winger.

Shahid and Tony Khan reportedly are facing a difficult decision as to whether to cash in on Carvalho this summer or not, if they fail in their negotiations with the winger over a new contract.

‘Really bright’

Carvalho is only 18, and has shown real promise in the early stages of his senior career, which got underway towards the end of the 2020/21 season, where Fulham were already relegated from the Premier League.

He’s shown that he’s a player that isn’t shy on the big stage of senior football, and that’ll be pleasing to see for the Craven Cottage faithful, who will be keen to see Carvalho play his part in the club’s bid for promotion back into the top-flight this season.

Former Fulham boss Scott Parker previously labelled Carvalho as ‘really bright’, and was pleased to see him impress at senior level for the Cottagers, after scoring in the defeat to Southampton last term.

“Massive positive for us because he’s the one who’s going to be here, he’s a player that is really bright and can bring something to this team and you saw that today.

“We’ve seen his quality today, we’ve seen him scoring and assisting at an under-23 level but now he’s been around first-team players, he’s pushed on and done that as well.”

A move to Leeds United or West Ham could tempt Carvalho though, with both teams showing that there is a pathway through from their Under-23s team through to the senior squad, with Pascal Struijk (Leeds) and Ben Johnson (West Ham) being a class example of this.

But if Fulham are to have ambitions of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking this season, then they’ll be doing all they can to keep Carvalho at Craven Cottage for the foreseeable future moving forwards.

AND in other news…Fulham have been dealt a transfer blow

Raheem Sterling has seen his first-team chances limited recently, especially in the bigger games and Paul Stewart, who jumped from the Third to the First Division when he joined Man City in 1987, exclusively spoke to Football FanCast about the possibility of Sterling leaving this summer.

Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez were both trusted to start against PSG as Sterling was handed just eight minutes over both legs, which has led to reports suggesting there has been a bust-up between Pep Guardiola and the winger.

It has been a less than fruitful season for Sterling at Man City as the England international has managed to score just 10 goals in the Premier League, despite having an xG of 11.7 for the campaign.

Speaking on how Sterling could have to leave the club if he has fallen out with Guardiola but how he offers so much to City, Stewart exclusively told FFC:

“What even are these reports because I’ve heard them myself and you have to wonder if they are just rumours or not. I’m of the opinion that they’ve had a falling out over something, but Raheem just offers so much at City.

“It’s a tough one because if it isn’t true, then I can see him still having a future at City. The one thing I know about Pep though, if he has fallen out with somebody then the door is open for them to leave. So if there has been a fall-out then I think Raheem will be leaving.”

The £300,000 per week winger was signed for £49 million when he left Liverpool to join Man City in 2015 and since then he has won an impressive 11 trophies which includes three Premier League titles.

Man City have already won their second league title in three seasons and they are set to play in their first-ever Champions League final when they face Chelsea at the end of the month.

Football is a sport based around constant progression and that means that squads are constantly changing and evolving, and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has overseen plenty of development on the pitch in his time at Ibrox.

He has brought in the likes of Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi and Connor Goldson to Ibrox from other teams in the transfer market, but buying ready-made stars is not the only way to go about improving your team. Utilising the academy set-up can be a profitable and worthwhile method of acquiring talented players and Gerrard has been able to bring through young defender Nathan Patterson.

The 20-year-old has emerged as a first-team player over the past 18 months and is currently competing for the first-choice right-back spot with captain James Tavernier.

At the start of the year, Transfermarkt valued him at a measly £225k. This was after he made a couple of cameo appearances in the first-half of the 2020/21 campaign, with Gerrard easing him into the first-team picture slowly.

The Gers coach has been able to pull off a masterclass with the full-back by integrating him into the team bit by bit in 2021. Patterson has now made 20 first-team appearances in the Premiership, cup and Europa League to date and recently started and picked up an assist in a crucial 2-1 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. This has also led to him being capped five times by Scotland at international level.

Head of academy Craig Mulholland once heaped praise on the young full-back, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“Again, we started the project five, six, years ago to get a level of player that we felt could go and compete in the Europa League, could go and compete in Old Firm games.

“And if you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

At the time of writing (18/10/2021), Transfermarkt value Patterson at £1.17m. This is a 420% increase from his initial £225k valuation back in January, perfectly illustrating his meteoric rise over the course of the year whilst working with Gerrard at Ibrox.

Therefore, the ex-Liverpool player and coach has pulled off a masterclass with Patterson. He has turned a talented young player into a serious first-team option and someone who could either earn the club a healthy payday, with Manchester United one of the clubs reportedly interested in the 20-year-old.

It is down to the Scottish international to keep working hard and ensure that he is constantly putting pressure on Tavernier. If he can earn a regular starting position in the team then his development could accelerate with the experience gained from minutes week-in-week-out.

AND in other news, Major update emerges on key Rangers figure that’ll leave fans worried…

The Athletic’s George Caulkin has dropped an update on Newcastle United’s manager search involving former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe.

What’s the story?

With Steve Bruce set to be sacked as Magpies boss, there have already been plenty of names bandied about in terms of taking over the helm at St James’ Park.

And, in a Q&A for The Athletic, Caulkin has delivered some news on where things stand with Howe, and whether he would be an ideal fit for Newcastle.

He said: “I know that members of the board have discussed Howe amongst themselves, but I don’t think he’s on the list I mentioned (they don’t have to stick to that list, of course!). Howe makes sense in some ways – he built Bournemouth, took them into the Premier League and did a brilliant job.

“Newcastle is very different to Bournemouth, though; bigger, louder, far more intense and demanding of managers. Bournemouth were also relegated under him. Look at where Newcastle are in the table.”

PIF must avoid Howe appointment

While appointing Howe a few years ago when he was earning rave reviews about his management and style of play at Bournemouth may have been seen as a coup, the way his tenure with the Cherries ended has surely sounded alarm bells.

After a couple of seasons successfully establishing Bournemouth as a Premier League side, a real struggle in his last year at the club saw him unable to save them from relegation.

Since then, Howe has spent time away from football, and after being linked with the manager’s job at Celtic over the summer, didn’t end up being appointed there.

As well as having a Premier League relegation on his CV, Howe’s record as a manager is hardly something to write home about: his final campaign in the top-flight saw him average considerably less than a point per game, and never averaged more than 1.2 in the time Bournemouth spent in the Premier League.

It would be an extremely underwhelming hire from Newcastle to go for someone who has been out of work for well over a year, and his last season ending in a relegation.

Fans will surely be worried if Howe is the man PIF go for.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must also get rid of this man as well as Bruce…

Jack Rosser, the London Evening Standard journalist, believes a deal to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu would be a fine signing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs are said to be in negotiations with Bologna for the signing of the Japan international, with a deal set to cost £15m.

Tomiyasu can play as both a centre-back and a right-back and has even been deployed as a defensive midfielder during his time at Italy.

The 22-year-old has travelled to the Olympics with his country, though he has sustained an injury while on international duty, perhaps placing his transfer somewhat in doubt.

Still, Rosser believes that he would be a fine acquisition this summer as Spurs look to plug some gaps in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.

A deal to strengthen at both right-back and at centre-back by signing one player would be seen as something of a coup and Rosser thinks the club need to get the deal over the line.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: “Now Spurs have come in, he’s someone who can play centre back and right back, very versatile, the two big problem positions for Spurs, which will help if they can get him in.”