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Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold has claimed Jose Mourinho could help transform Gedson Fernandes at Tottenham.

What did he say?

The midfielder arrived on an initial 18-month loan from Benfica in the January transfer window, but has struggled to really make an impression in north London since joining – Fernandes has made just four appearances in the Premier League, worth only 40 minutes in total.

Despite that, Gold has insisted the Portuguese ace has some of the raw attributes and qualities that Mourinho could help develop at Spurs, and could see him become a real force in the engine room.

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He said: “The Tottenham boss knows his compatriot well. Gedson is very much a raw but gifted talent, one who needs plenty of work and development but has a high ceiling to what he can achieve. On the whole Mourinho utilised Gedson’s pace, drive and trickery late in games and often his impact from the bench was felt. What comes next with Gedson will be borne from that relationship with the head coach.

“Gedson’s versatility, or lack of a defined position yet, means Mourinho could turn him into the next Moussa Sissoko, the legs in the midfield but with more ability to thread a pass through to the attackers or arrive in the opposition box himself to finish off a move. What will benefit Tottenham is that essentially Gedson is undergoing one long 18-month trial.

“That means that during a time when finances are tight, Tottenham are getting a talented young player cheaply on loan but with the drive to earn himself a permanent move. Gedson may well be forgotten by the fans amid the excitement of the next transfer window but if Mourinho can find the key to the young Portuguese’s future then he could have a big role to play at Tottenham next season.”

Opportunity

As Gold points out, the fact Fernandes is on an 18-month loan, means Spurs are in no real rush to make a big decision on whether they commit to signing the Portuguese starlet permanently.

Mourinho can slowly blood him into the side, and depending on what his team’s needs are, could mould him into box-to-box type player, or even someone playing far more advanced.

Picking him up in January was a stroke of genius from the north Londoners, and it’s very much a low-risk, high-reward move.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Jermaine Jenas has hinted to The Mirror that Christian Eriksen would potentially be a target for Liverpool if he leaves on a free transfer next summer.

What’s the story?

Tottenham star Eriksen has less than a year left on his contract, and has made it clear that he sees his future elsewhere than north London.

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Talking about his situation, the former Nottingham Forest midfielder said: “If I was Eriksen and the bid didn’t come in that I wanted to come in, I would sit tight, I wouldn’t rush.

“Not only can I move for free in the summer, but that brings in Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, all the big hitters, Man Utd, even Liverpool.”

A terrible fit

The Denmark international is a good player, there is no doubting that. He has been a star for Spurs down the years, and the 67 goals and 87 assists he has picked up in 290 first-team appearances is a testament to his ability on the ball.

However, he is not the midfielder Liverpool need. He has played the majority of his matches for the Lilywhites at attacking midfielder, with the next two most frequent positions being left-midfield and right-midfield. All three of these roles are not used by Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Also, he is probably too technical a midfielder to fit into the team, and does not do enough defensive work. He has made 1.1 tackles per match so far this term. Two of Liverpool’s central midfielders – Fabinho and Jordan Henderson – have 2.5 and 1.9 respectively.

But most importantly, they lead the way for the whole side. Meanwhile, the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the creative forces of the team – they have 11 assists already this campaign in the Premier League between them. There is no space for another in the middle of the park.

Also, the wages he would likely command would not be worth it. He currently earns just £75,000-a-week, which is not too much in comparison to Harry Kane, who picks up £200,000. A report earlier this year, though, said he wanted his next Tottenham contract to be worth the same as the England international’s. Such a salary would make him the joint best-paid player at Anfield.

Currently valued by Transfermarkt at £90m, he certainly has re-sale value if available on a free. For Liverpool, though, it makes no sense to attempt to take him to the north of England. Their money can be better spent in other areas.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Sky Sports, Manchester United “will not be pursuing” a move for former star Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the word?

The Swede’s first spell at Old Trafford was a very successful one, with the 38-year-old scoring 29 times and providing a further 10 assists in 53 games across all competitions.

The veteran opened the door to a potential return to the club earlier this season, but according to Sky Sports, it appears that may not turn out to be the case. The report claims that whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are keen to “bolster” their options up front, they will not be targeting a move for Ibrahimovic when the winter window opens up in a couple of months time.

The perfect stop-gap

Whilst it is understandable that the Red Devils are perhaps focused on building for the future, a mid-season swoop for Ibrahimovic makes sense on so many levels. The forward already knows the club inside out from his time at Old Trafford before, and at 38, would surely be content with playing sporadically.

His gravitas and charismatic style would also be a major lift to the United dressing room, whilst his goal-scoring pedigree would be something the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood could really learn from. His incredibly long and successful career has seen him win countless trophies, including league titles in France, Italy and Spain – the kind of knowledge and know-how that would be like stardust to United’s young forward.

Additionally, luring big-money targets in January is always difficult with clubs unwilling to lose them when they may have something to fight for, so a move for Ibrahimovic would allow them to have a bona-fide star for half a season before making an attempt to sign a striker much higher up on their short-list in the summer.

The Red Devils’ reported reluctance to bring the Swede back to Manchester smacks of sheer narrow mindedness.

They might have had a few years of dire football under previous managers, but Tottenham Hotspur have always been a team that prides itself on playing football the ‘right way.’

Fans want to see exciting, attacking and invigorating football, and while it hasn’t always brought success, that’s what the North Londoners have usually endeavoured to play.

As a result, the club have seen a whole host of incredible attackers play for them over the years, especially on the wing.

Perhaps the most exciting of them all in modern history was the sublime Gareth Bale, and in good news, it looks like Hotspur Way may have just produced the next version of the Welsh legend.

Spurs' great wingers

Before getting to the player who could be Spurs’ next great winger, it’s worth looking at a couple of the club’s greats in that position in recent history, starting with someone who perhaps does not get the recognition he deserves from other fans: Aaron Lennon.

The former Lilywhites ace joined the club for just £1m from Leeds United in the summer of 2005 and remained in North London for almost a decade before he moved to Everton in February 2015.

During his long stint with the club, the Englishman amassed an incredible 364 appearances, in which he scored 30 goals, provided 76 assists and was a part of the last Lilywhites side to win a trophy when he started the 2008 League Cup final against London rivals Chelsea – he scored a couple against the red lot down the road as well.

A winger who looks set to cross the decade mark at the club this summer is Son Heung-min, who put pen to paper and moved to North London in a £22m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015.

Since then, he’s played 448 games, scored 173 goals, provided 95 assists, been handed the captain’s armband, and started in the club’s only Champions League final in June 2019.

Appearances

448

Minutes

31830′

Goals

173

Assists

95

Goal Involvements per Match

0.59

Minutes per Goal Involvement

118.76′

There can be no doubt over the South Korean’s status as a Spurs and Premier League icon for his incredible exploits over the years, but it would be fair to say that neither he nor Lennon could reach the levels Bale did during his peak at the club.

That peak was the 12/13 season, in which he scored 26 goals and provided ten assists in just 44 appearances, totalling 3891 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.22 games, or every 108.08 minutes.

It was a campaign that saw Real Madrid pay a world-record £85m fee for his services, and as things stand, it looks like Hotspur Way might have just produced a young talent who could one day be the club’s new Bale.

Spurs' new Bale

One of the few positives to come out of this season for Tottenham Hotspur has been the development of their youngsters, such as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and academy star Mikey Moore.

Chalkboard

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The surface-level ones include the fact he’s a left-winger, he made his debut for the club as a teenager and is British, but the most significant is how well he has played in the academy and how those in the know are talking about him.

For example, in just 34 appearances for the Lilywhites’ various youth sides, the “future superstar,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored a staggering 21 goals and provided 15 assists.

Games

24

5

5

Goals

19

2

0

Assists

13

2

0

Goal Involvements per match

1.33

0.80

0.00

That means the teenage sensation is currently averaging 1.05 goal involvements every game in the academy, which is incredibly impressive.

That’s not all, though, as even though he is still just 17 and has battled to keep fit at points this season, the Southwark-born prospect has made quite the impression in the few appearances he’s made for the first team, and was just named in GOAL.com’s top 50 wonderkids.

Most notably, in the Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar earlier in the campaign, he was unquestionably the star of the show.

Every time he had the ball at his feet, it felt as if he was going to make something happen, and it wasn’t just us who were left stunned, as teammate James Maddison described him as “fearless” and compared him to Neymar Jr of all people after the game. That certainly suggests he could be in the same bracket as a certain Bale as well.

Ultimately, there is a long way to go for Moore, and the pressure is only going to increase, but from what we have seen so far and with how people are talking about him, we would not be surprised to see him develop into a Bale-esque player for Spurs.

Their answer to Odegaard: Spurs favourites to land "sublime" England ace

The talented international could add some real quality to Spurs’ midfield.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 27, 2025

Leeds United will keep plugging along this pre-season, hoping that the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto stay rooted in the building for as long as possible.

Neither the Dutchman or the Italian played substantial minutes during Leeds' last clash out in Germany, however, as the Whites ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over Schalke in another behind closed doors affair.

Away from the constant rumour mill involving these two attacking stars, there will be plenty of encouraging takeaways from this pre-season victory, as Jayden Bogle impressed once more from defence.

Jayden Bogle's performance in pre-season

The former Sheffield United man has now picked up two assists in the pre-season camp out in Germany, linking up yet again with Mateo Joseph to help the young Spanish centre-forward get on the scoresheet against Schalke, and aid him in further in trying to kick down Daniel Farke's door for more first-team opportunities when competitive football starts again.

Bogle did join the ranks at Elland Road with a reputation for being an attack-oriented full-back, having picked up 16 assists when playing in the Championship in the past, and has already begun to showcase that for his new side, albeit only during pre-season run-outs so far.

The expansive nature of Bogle, who will constantly be looking to put a ball into the danger area for the likes of Joseph to put a chance away, will surely help Leeds become even more of a devastating team when venturing forward this season to come, having bagged an impressive 81 strikes during the regular campaign last time out.

That goal total could become even grander with the former Blades man present up and down the right flank, who will have been equally pleased to pick up a clean sheet against Leeds' 2. Bundesliga opponents in Germany, as he will be tasked to shut out some tricky Championship attackers too.

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth was particularly taken aback by the 24-year-old's latest showing, handing him an 8/10 rating in his post-match musings, stating that Bogle did "both sides of the game well."

Leeds might well have found a permanent fix to their woes in the right-back spot, therefore, with Archie Gray's makeshift presence here now merely left in the past.

How Bogle can make Farke forget about Gray

Farke will just be overjoyed that he has an out-and-out right-back available to him next season, away from having to shoehorn Gray into the starting XI in defence.

Gray has now obviously left for pastures new at Tottenham Hotspur, which was a sickening blow at the time for those at Elland Road to stomach, but Bogle does feel like an excellent replacement to get the Leeds masses back on side.

Stat – per 90 mins*

Bogle

Gray

Games played

34

44

Goals scored

3

0

Assists

0

2

Interceptions*

0.9

0.7

Tackles*

1.9

2.1

Possession won*

0.3

0.3

Clearances*

2.5

0.6

Total duels*

4.8

4.2

Stats by Sofascore

Even during what was a grim collective season for Chris Wilder's men, finishing bottom of the Premier League with just 16 points accumulated, Bogle kept holding his head high and even bettered Gray's numbers from last season in various different areas, even as Leeds eyed up promotion in the division below.

Therefore, Bogle is also a smart buy, and one that can make Farke forget about their ex-wonderkid quickly, based on the fact he can battle away in a basement battle if Leeds do win promotion soon, alongside offering lots more in attack than the new £30m Spurs buy was capable of.

Leeds fans will wait to see how their new 24-year-old purchase does perform in the bread and butter of the second tier this coming campaign, but everything is already pointing in the direction of this being a fantastic deal, weakening Wilder's men in the process too will want to win promotion at the expense of the Whites.

Pablo Hernandez 2.0: Leeds join race to sign "magical" £19k-p/w EFL star

The Whites are one of a number of teams interested in signing the Championship whiz.

1 ByDan Emery Jul 27, 2024

Carlos Corberan will hope he can rely on his more experienced heads next season to steer another West Bromwich Albion to another attempt at winning promotion, with the likes of Kyle Bartley and more shining last campaign in the Championship.

It would have been a welcome relief to see the ex-Arsenal man put pen to paper on a new contract this summer, therefore, whilst the likes of Alex Mowatt, Jed Wallace and others scattered around the Baggies camp have been there and done that up and down the EFL across their careers to date.

Even more wily heads could be added to the Hawthorns camp soon…

West Brom interested in serial promotion winner

According to football journalist Michael Graham earlier this week, Sunderland were said to in the driver's seat over a deal for former Sheffield United midfielder Oliver Norwood this summer.

It comes after prior reports stated that West Brom are also in the queue to try and snap up the successful free agent.

Norwood has four promotions to the Premier League on his CV from the second tier, with two of those coming during a fruitful patch of his career in South Yorkshire, as West Brom now hope his expertise in moving up to the top flight can rub off the rest of the Baggies ranks.

Slipping up in the play-off semi-finals last campaign to eventual promotion winners Southampton, the Northern Irishman could also fill a gap left behind by Okay Yokuslu's potential departure, with talk centring in on the fact the Turkish midfielder could move back to his native country this off-season.

How Norwood can be West Brom's next Brunt

Norwood could act as a dependable and reliable figure in the centre of the park in a similar fashion to the way former West Brom great Chris Brunt used to operate too, with the now retired star also hailing from Northern Ireland, after going down in the Baggies hall of fame as an esteemed servant to the West Midlands club.

Brunt ended up amassing a ridiculous 421 games in total for West Brom, with his calm and experienced head constantly showing its worth, as he ended up maintaining a starting spot for the majority of his 13 seasons at the Hawthorns.

Norwood was able to be a similar safe figure to rely upon when still playing at Bramall Lane, with 27 games coming his way last season in the Premier League for Chris Wilder's men, despite entering the twilight of his career now at 33 years of age.

23/24

30

1

1

22/23

51

3

5

21/22

49

1

4

20/21

37

0

1

19/20

41

3

1

18/19

44

3

9

Only absent from two Championship games the last two full campaigns he's competed in, Norwood would be a welcome signing if a move can be agreed, with the West Midlands outfit previously in desperate need of measured heads that have won promotion when crashing out of the play-offs, having unfortunately crumbled at St. Mary's in a 3-1 second leg exit.

Brunt also managed to lift West Brom up to the Premier League three times when he was a constant part of the furniture at the Hawthorns, operating in a central midfield spot like Norwood on occasion, but mostly standing out down the flanks for his long-standing employers.

It must have been a sad severing of the ties for Norwood walking away from his fixed home in South Yorkshire this summer, but he could well get one over on his former club if he was to pick up a mind-boggling fifth promotion under Corberan this forthcoming campaign.

Mulumbu 2.0: West Brom risk losing vital star worth more than Diangana

West Bromwich Albion really won’t want to lose this star this summer.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 8, 2024

Tottenham Hotspur suffered yet another blow on Sunday afternoon amid what has already been a turbulent season at N17, with the Lilywhites missing out on European qualification despite their thumping, final day triumph over Leeds United.

That convincing, 4-1 victory at Elland Road – which secured the hosts' return to the Championship – has brought to an end a campaign that many Spurs supporters will wish to forget, having seen both Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini dismissed from the dugout, as well as slipping to limp exits in both the FA Cup and Champions League, in particular.

Following that dismal 2022/23 campaign, the aim for chairman Daniel Levy will be to find a suitable candidate to fill the current managerial vacancy, albeit with the Englishman having thus far had little success in that regard – most recently seeing leading target Arne Slot opt to remain at Feyenoord.

The failure to tempt the Dutchman into moving to north London has seemingly plunged the Premier League outfit back to square one, albeit with recent reports suggesting that Levy and co are now 'strongly considering' Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou for the role.

While there have also been claims made that out-of-work coach, Brendan Rodgers has already been offered the position, Tottenham would likely be foolish not to look to Postecoglou instead…

Should Tottenham appoint Postecoglou?

As football author Hamish Carton noted earlier this month, Postecoglou is seemingly a "better manager" than the former Leicester City boss, with the 57-year-old now thriving in Glasgow despite the competition being "much better" than when Rodgers was at the helm at Parkhead.

The latter man – who has also managed the likes of Reading, Swansea City and Liverpool – enjoyed great success during his two-and-a-half-year stint with the Hoops after securing seven major honours in that time, notably going unbeaten in his debut season in 2016/17 in all three domestic competitions.

As Carton alluded to, however, Rodgers was up against a Rangers side who had only just returned to the Scottish Premiership in 2016 after working their way up the lower divisions, with it arguably not quite as strong of a test as what Postecoglou has had to face.

That was evident as when the Greek-Aussie took charge at Celtic Park in the summer of 2021, the Bhoys had just finished 25 points behind the Ibrox outfit, with it looking as if a new dominant force had emerged in Scotland.

Since then, however, Postecoglou has already led the club to two league titles and two League Cups – with the potential to add to that collection in the Scottish Cup final next week – while also implementing "beautiful, attacking football" in that time – as per BT Sport pundit, Owen Hargreaves.

Now the 'king" at Celtic – as described by former Australia international, Robbie Slater – the 4-3-3 tactician is a figure who is certainly on the up, having made the most of what is his first managerial adventure in European football.

By contrast, for all Rodgers' merits – having been described as a "great fit" for Spurs by club legend Clive Allen – the Northern Irishman is at something of a low point after only recently receiving the sack at Leicester after steering the Foxes toward relegation.

That should indicate that it is Postecoglou who could prove the better option for Levy and co, with the hope being that the title-winning coach can be tempted to leave his current home this summer.

Aston Villa are turning their attention to the summer transfer window as the 2022/23 campaign comes to a close.

Unai Emery has taken the Villans to new heights, with one game remaining of the Spaniard’s first season that could take the Midlands club to Europe.

Not many could have predicted the success that Villa would lead this term, following the dismissal of Steven Gerrard in October, when the club were loitering towards the bottom three.

The 51-year-old Premier League manager of the year nominee, is targeting more highs in his first full season and is reportedly looking towards an active summer in the transfer window.

Reports have linked a number of La Liga names to Villa Park in the coming window, with news reported over the weekend of the potential progression regarding a Real Madrid star.

What’s the latest on Dani Ceballos to Aston Villa?

As reported by one Foot Mercato journalist, Villa are speculated to have made a “very important” offer to Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos.

The 26-year-old is out of contract in Madrid this summer, sparking rumours of his potential exit ahead of Emery’s interest.

The two were first linked in January when it was reported by Marca that the midfielder rejected a potential move.

What could Dani Ceballos bring to Aston Villa?

Ceballos has had a spell in the Premier League previously, as well as working under Emery while on loan at Arsenal.

Described by the Villa boss as a player that can do “great things”, the midfielder could have a real impact on his current side, with FBref likening him based on statistics to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.

The Utrera-born play-maker ranks in the top 1% of progressive passes in Europe’s top five leagues in his position, with a monstrous 11.73 per 90. He also ranks highly in terms of take-ons (best 2%), averaging a successful 2.36 per 90 – as per FBref.

Lauded by former boss Mikel Arteta when speaking to BBC as being an "animal" in training, the £52k-per-week ace could be a powerful weapon in Emery's plans.

While his position is comparative to Villa’s Emi Buendia, his numbers over the past year dominate the Argentine as per FBref, with the former Norwich City ace recording just 2.18 progressive passes per 90 and only 0.98 successful take-ons per 90.

The potential arrival of the Madrid man could spark competition with the midfielder in Emery’s system, adding to depth and player performance.

Villa are on the path to great success with the four-time Europa League winner’s guidance, however, the summer window will be crucial as every team in the top tier will look to strengthen.

The club have strong targets for the 2023/24 campaign, and should they seal European football on the final day, Villa Park could become a very tempting location for hot talents to progress their game.

Leeds United were once a club renowned for giving their academy stars regular opportunities in the first-team, with the Yorkshire outfit reaping the financial benefits of Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Lewis Cook in recent years.

However, their Premier League struggles in the last two campaigns, which could culminate in relegation this season, have meant that those at Thorp Arch have struggled for regular game time in the top flight.

The club opted to loan out defenders Charlie Cresswell and Cody Drameh to the Championship, with both catching the eye with their performances for Millwall and Luton Town respectively, in a time when the Whites' defence has been leaking goals left right and centre.

Cresswell averaged a superb 7.08 rating from WhoScored as Millwall narrowly missed out on the playoffs, while Drameh has been a mainstay in Rob Edwards' side as they reached the playoff final on Tuesday night, earning an impressive 7.20 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Unsurprisingly, the 21-year-old's lack of opportunities at Elland Road, combined with his superb displays in the second tier, has meant that he is now reportedly likely to leave this summer, with the Yorkshire Evening Post suggesting that he will depart despite his contract not set to expire until 2024.

A promising young player leaving on the back of a potential relegation to the Championship may well remind Leeds fans of James Milner, who departed for Newcastle back in 2004 after the Yorkshire outfit failed to retain their Premier League status.

Could Drameh be Leeds' next James Milner?

Although Milner was a more established member of Leeds' first team than Drameh, having featured 53 times, it is far less common these days to see teenagers become regular starters in the Premier League, and the right-back does have eight senior appearances under his belt for the Whites.

He also has 40 Championship appearances to his name across spells with Cardiff City and now Luton, and is one game away from reaching the promised land of the Premier League with the Hatters, where he could ironically swap places with his parent club.

It is something of a surprise that the Thorp Arch sensation has been given so few opportunities at Leeds given that both Luke Ayling and Rasmus Kristensen have struggled in the right-back position this season.

Indeed, they have averaged simply woeful 6.59 and 6.64 ratings from WhoScored respectively, with both also recording far fewer tackles, dribbles and key passes per game than the academy graduate has done at Luton.

His "phenomenal" displays at Cardiff, in the words of former manager Steve Morison, should have seen him earn more Premier League minutes but Leeds failed to put their faith in him and look set to lose another talented youngster as a result.

If he goes on to have even half the career that Milner has done since leaving Elland Road, with the 37-year-old winning every English trophy and the Champions League in his time with Manchester City and Liverpool, then losing Drameh could be another disastrous blow for Leeds.

Chelsea have spent exorbitant sums of money since American businessman Todd Boehly assumed ownership of the club last year, and while a shrewder route must be taken going forward, the Blues have identified Nicolo Barella as a summer target.

What's the latest on Nicolo Barella to Chelsea?

According to Inter Live (via Sport Witness), Chelsea are prepared to rival Premier League rivals Liverpool and Newcastle United for the signature of the Inter maestro, who is being touted at €80m (£70m) by his outfit.

The report continues to state that despite Chelsea's lucrative outgoings across the past two transfer windows, spending roughly £600m, a further midfield signing is desired.

Barella is considered a vital component to Inter's future success, though such a high value to coincide with the club's financial struggles could leave Simone Inzaghi's side resigned to grant a departure from his homeland.

Should Chelsea sign Barella?

Work in the transfer department needs to be conducted in earnest at Stamford Bridge this summer, with Chelsea's ignominious season needing to be left firmly in the past, and swiftly.

The Blues claimed their first victory under interim manager Frank Lampard away to Bournemouth last weekend, though the result ended a shocking run of six straight defeats that have swiped Chelsea from the Champions League and mired the west London club in mid-table obscurity, and they remain 11th with four games to go – 13 points behind Brighton & Hove Albion in the last European slot.

The insurmountable gulf between Boehly's outfit and the Seagulls highlights the searing need for change, and while the inflated squad must be trimmed like a tangled thicket, replenishing the ranks with one or two well-placed moves is vital, and Barella could be the man to take the reins and spur the midfield into lasting action.

The 26-year-old dynamo has won the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia during his time at the San Siro, and with the Nerazzurri holding a 2-0 advantage over city rivals AC Milan in this year's Champions League semi-finals, he could cement his legacy as one of the club's modern greats.

Hailed for his "unbelievable" performance in the derby, the £157k-per-week gem completed 84% of his passes, making two key passes, three tackles and winning three of his seven ground duels in midweek, as per Sofascore.

And as per FBref, the 43-cap Euro 2020 champion ranks among the top 9% of midfielders for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 8% for rate of assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions and in the top 10% for progressive carries per 90, with the statistical site even comparing him to Manchester City's superlative star Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne, of course, plied his maiden years in Chelsea blue, signing from Genk in 2012 for £7m and failing to make his mark before departing for Wolfsburg in January 2014 for a reported £17m after starting just five matches.

The imperious £400k-per-week Belgian now perches comfortably inside the pantheon of contemporary greats, having scored 96 goals and supplied 148 assists from 351 displays for the Citizens and won a wealth of major honours for Pep Guardiola's City including four Premier League titles.

Signing Barella would provide the Stamford Bridge side with a world-class centre-midfielder to steady the ship after the harshest of storms; he is a "genius" on the pitch, as dubbed by sports editor Mike Piellucci, much like De Bruyne, and could be the catalyst for a year as resounding as it is disparate from the current stricken season.