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Aston Villa are ‘in the queue’ to sign wantaway Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in January, according to Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

Nketiah has yet to make the matchday squad for a Premier League game this season, having picked up an ankle injury just before the campaign started.

His only first-team minutes have come in the Carabao Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon, a game in which he scored.

Last season, the England Under-21 international was limited to just four Premier League starts.

Significantly, his contract is up come the end of the season and, according to a report from David Ornstein in August, ‘there is no sign’ of a forthcoming extension.

Arsenal may, therefore, be under pressure to sell their £14.4million-rated asset in January amid the risk of losing him for free.

The latest

Nketiah ‘plans to leave’ The Emirates at the turn of the year because he ‘wants regular first team football’, Konur says.

Villa can expect to face competition from newly-promoted Brentford and from Leeds United, where Nketiah had a spell on loan during the 2019/20 season.

The verdict

It certainly looks as if Nketiah will be leaving the Gunners, but it’s hard to see Villa being his next destination.

If he wants to be playing week-in, week-out, then he surely won’t go to a club where he’ll be behind two other strikers – Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins – in the pecking order.

Perhaps Villa should look in-house if they want to bolster the first team’s attacking ranks. Cameron Archer has been particularly impressive.

In other news, fans flocked to this update on Leon Bailey.  

Peter Lawwell retired after 17 years as the chief executive of Celtic this year and left Parkhead having overseen countless title wins and trophy lifts with the Hoops.

Over the years, he was able to pull off some masterstrokes in the transfer market, bringing Virgil van Dijk to the club for example, but not every transfer works and one of his last pieces of business was to bring Ismaila Soro to Celtic in January 2020.

Soro was playing for Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv in Israel prior to arriving at Celtic, making 64 appearances for the club in three years after leaving Belarus-based outfit FK Gomel. His form in Tel Aviv seemingly prompted Lawwell and manager at the time, Neil Lennon, to take a gamble on him.

Celtic reportedly forked out a sizeable £2.07m for the defensive midfielder, which came as a phenomenal rise in value for him two years on from his move to Bnei Yehuda from Gomel. Transfermarkt valued him at £90k in January 2018, with Celtic paying a 2200% increase on that initial valuation.

This suggests that he was improving as a player and heading on an upwards trajectory in his career, which could be why Lawwell decided to pull the trigger on signing him. The young Ivorian may have been seen as a prospect who could develop at Celtic Park and either go on to become a top player for the club in the long-term or be sold on for profit, like the aforementioned van Dijk.

Unfortunately, Soro has been unable to kick on since arriving at Celtic Park, despite a positive first few months at the club. In the 2020/21 campaign, he completed 90% of his passes and made 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game for the Hoops in the Premiership. However, he only won 52% of his duels as a defensive midfielder, which meant that he was not dominating games in the middle of the park.

His form has taken a turn for the worse this term, with an average SofaScore rating of 6.63 in six Premiership appearances. He has made 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game, losing a whopping 64% of his duels on the pitch – including 75% of his ground battles.

Soro has started just once in the league, with the other five outings coming as a substitute, which shows that Ange Postecoglou does not trust him to play from the start. His horrific success rate in duels could be a major factor in his decision, with Soro failing to adjust to the physicality of the Premiership, allowing opposition players to come out on top of him more often than not.

At the time of writing (07/10/21), Soro’s market value on Transfermarkt is £810k. This means that his price has plummeted 60.8% from the £2.07m Celtic paid for his services less than two years ago, showing that Lawwell had a disaster with this piece of business as he overpaid for the 23-year-old.

Soro has not been able to establish himself in the starting XI and his value is continuing to drop as he flops on the pitch. The move, at this point in time, has not worked out and Postecoglou could have a decision to make on his future unless he turns things around quickly.

AND in other news, Ange must ruthlessly axe 26 y/o dud who left Celtic “livid”, he’s not good enough…

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have erupted over some ‘behind-the-scenes’ news involving The Reds and Borussia Dortmund sensation Jude Bellingham.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have started the season off in solid fashion after what was a regrettable 2020/2021 Premier League title defence – a season where they suffered a plethora of injury woes.

Indeed, Liverpool will be looking to challenge once again for the English top flight crown among fellow competitors Man City, Man United and Chelsea.

One small caveat could be their lack of summer business with FSG making just one major signing in centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

There have been concerns over their squad depth, particularly after last campaign, but that hasn’t stopped Liverpool looking to the future as they contemplate reinforcing Klopp’s options.

Sharing news on FSG’s transfer plans, reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has now leaked some information regarding Bellingham.

Taking to YouTube, as transcribed by This is Futbol, the Italian journalist backs Liverpool have their eye on the dazzling 18-year-old amid reports.

“It’s time to talk about behind-the-scenes content,” he explained.

“Because first of all, I want to start from the end, Premier League clubs are looking for Bellingham and I’m sure that in the coming months, they will try and try to convince Borussia Dortmund to sell to Bellingham next summer.

“Of course, in the future, top Champions League, Premier League clubs are already working to sign Jude Bellingham. And we can mention many – Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester clubs, many and many clubs are really looking at this boy, he’s really special and many clubs are interested.”

Flocking to Twitter, it’s safe to say this claim that Liverpool are ‘really looking’ at the teenager has many fans talking.

Find all of their best reactions down below, after the comments were shared by The Anfield Talk.

Liverpool fans flock to Bellingham claim…

“The things I would do to see this happen”

Credit: @Alcxntara10

“PLS PLS PLS PLS”

Credit: @LfcMarlu

“I beg you”

Credit: @aaronjacko

“Wes are far too late on this again. We should’ve bought him last season. His price will be outrageous now. Plus the English tax.”

Credit: @LfcBallers

“ayyyyyyyy Jude ringing from the kop gose hand in hand”

Credit: @LiamGranby

“He is a must next season… along with another CM”

Credit: @CousinCAH

“BRING THE BELLINGHAM TO THE LIVERPOOL FC KLOPP.”

Credit: @cornelltheking

In other news: ‘No way’, ‘We are filthy rich’…Many Liverpool fans flocked to this ‘interesting’ bid news, find out more here.

West Ham have been given a clear run to sign Andrea Belotti in 2022, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The long-serving Torino talisman was a tentative target for Irons boss David Moyes throughout the summer, with even the reliable ExWHUemployee mooting the club with interest at one stage.

And now it appears the 28-year-old forward will be available for nothing from January as he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any team outside of Italy, thus opening the door for the east Londoners to strike.

“Andrea Belotti has chances to leave Torino as [a] free agent next summer, as things stand now,” revealed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano earlier this week. “He’s out of contract in June 2022 and he has not accepted yet last Torino proposal to extend [his] current deal.”

Back in May, some reports in Italy suggested the Hammers were even the ‘front-runners’ to seal Belotti’s signature, so he’s certainly a player on their radar.

Bargain swoop

The Irons were merely one striker away from achieving a very successful summer transfer window. It is the one position they still lack considerable depth in and it absolutely has to be the top priority for new head of recruitment Rob Newman.

Moyes only has one senior centre-forward at the club in Michail Antonio, 31, who has suffered from his fair share of injury problems throughout his time at West Ham. Indeed, he hasn’t started more than 24 league games across the past four seasons, largely due to those aforementioned issues.

He missed the Hammers’ first defeat of the season through suspension and his presence was sorely missed in the final third.

Without him, it means the Scottish coach has to turn to someone like Jarrod Bowen to play out of position, which seems like a crazy scenario to be left in considering they are vying for a top-six finish and are competing in the Europa League this season.

Belotti on a free would not only solve this massive quandary but also save GSB and the club millions.

The Italy international, who won Euro 2020 this summer, has proven to be a prolific goalscorer in the Serie A over several years, hitting double figures in every campaign since 2015/16, including a career-best of 28 goals in 2016/17, as per Transfermarkt.

Former Premier League shot-stopper Joe Hart played with Belotti during a loan stint in Turin and waxed lyrical about the talismanic forward to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

Considering he is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, Newman could secure West Ham an absolute bargain and at the same time, fix one of Moyes’ ongoing nightmares in one fell swoop.

Belotti is there for the taking and the Irons would be foolish to not make their move again.

AND in other news, Moyes could have West Ham’s next Glen Johnson in “fearless” 19 y/o gem who’s a “unit”…

As West Bromwich Albion maintained their chase for promotion with a resounding 3-0 win over Bristol City on Saturday, many Baggies supporters weren’t impressed with striker Jordan Hugill despite his goal.

Valerien Ismael is looking to guide West Brom straight back into the big time following their Premier League relegation at the end of last season and they are right in contention to go back up.

It will be hard-fought for the second-placed Baggies, though, with the likes of Fulham and Coventry City following closely behind as it stands (BBC).

As such, amid all the fierce competition for an automatic promotion place, the Baggies must show cutting edge in what is set to be a very interesting Championship campaign.

Ismael’s side strolled to a 3-0 victory at The Hawthorns yesterday afternoon courtesy of strikes from Hugill, Kyle Barley and Karlan Grant – but many Baggies fans sought to slam the former despite his opening goal.

Indeed, after he opened the floodgates for West Brom, Hugill wasted plenty of chances to add more to the scoresheet and displayed a real lack of clinical finishing. He missed three big chances in total and finished the game with a 6.3 SofaScore match rating, lower than any West Brom player.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder some supporters have criticised his display – check out some of their Twitter verdicts below.

West Brom fans slam Hugill…

“Hugill could’ve had 3 already. He’s absolutely terrible”

Credit: @JamieTheo2

“Hugill.. Should have a hat trick easy. Terrible finishing”

Credit: @JDWBA2

“Hugill is god awful”

Credit: @Aaron2wba

“Hugill could’ve had at least 5 today, not clinical enough at all”

Credit: @JoeTalbotWBA

“Hugill should have had 4 within 35 minutes, he’s still poor. Austin every chance he has today, even Kanu gets at least 2 of the 4”

Credit: @JackWBA97

“Far better today from the lads. If Hugill could finish a Sunday dinner we’d have had double figures”

Credit: @jason_simkins

“Hugill finishing was shocking….”

Credit: @b68baggie

Alan Hutton believes that Rangers can make the most of Alfredo Morelos’ desire to impress potential suitors. 

The former Scotland international was discussing the Colombian’s future with Football Insider.

The lowdown

Morelos claimed in September that Rangers had received transfer offers but failed to reach an agreement. That tallies with a report from journalist Ekrem Konur, who said that Rangers rejected a €12m (£10.2m) offer from FC Porto back in July, and the 25-year-old hopes that he will ‘soon’ be allowed to move on from Ibrox.

The striker joined from Finish outfit HJK Helsinki in 2017 for a fee of just £1.08m and has since gone on to bag 101 goals in 201 appearances for the Scottish champions. The Colombian’s £33,000-per-week contract runs until the end of the 2022/23 season.

The latest

Hutton has said that Rangers will be able to bank a healthy fee for Morelos, who is apparently keen to catch the eye; adding that the better he plays for the Gers, the more lucrative his next opportunity could be.

“It’s a win-win for everybody – if Rangers are going to sell, it will be for a good fee which they will reinvest in the squad,” the 36-year-old told Football Insider.

“Steven Gerrard isn’t silly; he knows exactly what’s going on. Morelos’ best performances come under the lights on European nights when he knows everyone is watching.

“It works for both parties. As long as he’s putting the ball in the net, there’ll be teams watching him.”

The verdict

Next summer may be a logical parting point for Rangers and Morelos. Having explicitly stated his intention to move on in the near future, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll entertain any contract offers at Ibrox.

Also, Rangers will know that it could be their last chance to fetch what they feel is a fair sum for the 25-year-old. Come January 2023, pre-contract agreements would be a possibility.

There are similarities with the case of Odsonne Edouard, who left Celtic in a deal which could be worth £18.5m after entering the last year of his contract. It will be intriguing to see if Morelos plays his way to a big-money transfer with his performances this season.

In other news, some Gers fans slammed this player for his performance on Sunday

Former Aston Villa assistant John Terry is in the frame to take over at Villa Park, should Dean Smith lose his job over the international break, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Another Newcastle target?

Terry left the club over the summer to focus on becoming a manager. However, as we know, he is yet to land his first position as a boss.

He was recently linked with the Newcastle job, similar to another reported Villa target Paulo Fonseca – Eddie Howe looks likely to arrive on Tyneside, so the Villans could now have a free run at either of those names.

Smith’s position at Bodymoor Heath is thought to be in ‘serious jeopardy’, and it seems as if Terry is another target NSWE have in mind.

The Latest: Terry links

According to a report from Football Insider on Thursday afternoon, Villa will sound out Terry for a possible return if they part ways with Smith.

A Villa source informed the site that Smith will be fighting for his job if Villa suffer a fifth defeat in a row against Southampton on Friday evening, and even a win could just delay the inevitable.

The Verdict: A big gamble…

Terry reportedly still has a very strong relationship with Villa chief Christian Purslow, but if Villa decide to move for the 40-year-old to possibly replace Smith, it could be a huge gamble.

As mentioned, he has no experience in management, with his only coaching position coming alongside Smith at Villa Park.

On that basis, it could be a big ask to expect Terry to turn things around, compared to another target like Fonseca, who has a proven record in a number of leagues and a clear 3-4-2-1 style which wowed Pep Guardiola.

In other news: ‘Hate this club’ – Lots of AVFC fans fume at ‘disappointing’ Chukwuemeka news. 

Everton are reportedly interested in signing Jonathan Ikone from Lille in the January transfer window.

According to Fichajes, the Toffees are determined to add quality to their attack to enable them to push on for European spots this season, as they are currently sitting 11th in the Premier League table after 11 games.

Everton have seen some shocking results already this term, including a horrendous performance when they led 2-1 against Watford at Goodison Park and went on to concede four goals in quick succession. Benitez will be looking for ways to avoid dropping too many points over the rest of the season, as the top half of the table is looking tighter than ever.

Ikone has put on many impressive displays since joining Lille for £4.5m from Paris Saint-Germain in 2018. The player is currently valued at around £22.5m by Transfermarkt, and Everton have reportedly been told they will have to pay at least €25m (£21.3m) for the French ace.

The 23-year-old could be the perfect upgrade for current Toffees winger Alex Iwobi, who has failed to impress so far this season. Indeed, when comparing the respective SofaScore ratings for the two players this season, Ikone comes out superior to the 25-year-old.

Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol blasted Everton’s Nigerian forward for missing a gilt-edged scoring chance in their 1-0 defeat to West Ham last month as he told ESPN UK: “There is a ball coming across, probably from seven yards out. A straight ball with pace on it, Iwobi is watching it from all the way, and all he has to do is side-foot it, use the pace of the ball.”

“You know it’s something that professional footballers should know, but Iwobi hasn’t been having the best time.”

Ikone has become a reliable and consistent player for Lille, with 16 goals and 25 assists in 143 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions. Injecting those kinds of numbers and clear qualities in link up play due to his number of assists, Ikone could become a valuable asset in the Everton forward line.

Lille president Gerard Lopez spoke on French media channel Telefoot about the 23-year-old, saying [via Herald Scotland]: “He [Ikone] is an interesting player, and that’s the problem! He has the ability to make a huge difference, he’s a player who is in the France team.”

“Everyone has to agree on the way to move forward – there are big offers for him. I’ll sit down with the players and their entourages this week.”

West Ham have also expressed an interest in the French winger, so Benitez will surely be keen to get the deal done to beat a rival Premier League club to Ikone’s signature.

In other news: Benitez can solve key Everton issue with “exciting” 20 y/o who’s got “unbelievable pace”

Flocking to Twitter, many Aston Villa fans have raved over a transfer claim involving Rangers’ Glen Kamara so soon after Steven Gerrard’s appointment in the Midlands.

The Liverpool hero has now taken charge of Villa, replacing Dean Smith in what is a new era, and club chief Christian Purslow will be hoping that the 41-year-old hits the ground running.

This may involve backing Gerrard in the January transfer market as he aims to revive the Villans’ recently torrid fortunes and potentially spark a mid-season resurgence. Before Smith’s sacking, Villa had lost five on the bounce, with their last win coming away to Manchester United in late September.

The Daily Record have reported of a transfer link involving Gerrard and one man he could try to poach from former club Rangers. According to their information, Villa are now set to target Finland international Kamara after the 41-year-old’s arrival, with sporting director Johan Lange already a big fan.

Gerrard’s appointment will apparently ramp up their interest in the midfielder, who was a mainstay under him last year as his Gers side clinched the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership crown.

According to WhoScored, the 26-year-old averaged a higher pass accuracy (90.7%) than any regular player in his squad – leaving little wonder Gerrard’s arrival is set to increase Villa’s interest.

Flocking to this claim, many Villa fans have been left ecstatic, with one calling Kamara a would-be ‘top signing’ – check out some of their best verdicts below.

Villa fans erupt as Gerrard eyes ‘top signing’

“I’m in tears, the mighty Villans are back”

Credit: @Konsa04

“ooof”

Credit: @tom_avfc1

“Oh it’s beautiful”

Credit: @_VillaJack

“STEVIEEEEEESSSS AT THE WHEEEL”

Credit: @M10Packed

“YESSSS”

Credit: @VillaVisionBen

“LET’S GOOO”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Finally a 6 to let Dougie play further forward”

Credit: @TomPDU_

“Kamara is a top talent, exactly what we need in the middle of the park, has the technical ability to control games and the physicality that we are lacking, would be a top signing in my opinion UTV”

Credit: @AVFCFanUTV

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘Unreal’, ‘Thank the Gods’ – Many Aston Villa fans raving over one ‘big’ Gerrard call

Everton could secure Rafa Benitez’s next Sergio Ramos after being linked with a move for Barcelona defender Arnau Comas ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Sport (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), the Toffees are one of two Premier League teams eager to secure the 21-year-old’s signature, with Leicester City also credited with an interest.

Comas’ current contract is set to expire next summer, meaning he could be available on a free transfer over the coming months, although Barca have the option to extend his stay by two years.

Benitez’s next Sergio Ramos

Despite the fact that the youngster is yet to make his first-team debut for the Blaugrana, Comas is believed to be highly rated by key officials within his boyhood club, including new manager Xavi Hernandez.

It is also claimed that it’s the player’s desire to stay at the Camp Nou and force his way into the senior setup, yet at 21, time is quickly running out for the 6 foot 2 beast to do just that.

As a result, the possibility of Comas departing Barca in the upcoming winter window appears to be high, and Benitez may be tempted to make a move.

Everton have kept just three clean sheets in all competitions in the opening weeks of the current campaign, and with Yerry Mina continuing to be linked with a Goodison Park exit, a new defender is likely to be on the 61-year-old’s wishlist.

Throughout his 38 appearances for Barcelona B, Comas has illustrated his ability both on the ball and as a natural captain, taking the armband on a permanent basis at the beginning of 2021/22.

His mature displays saw journalist Albert Roge label him a “leader” before stating that he “stands out for his ball output” after lauding his quality on Twitter.

Comas’ arrival on Merseyside would see Benitez working with another talented Spanish centre-back after having Ramos at his disposal during his brief spell in the Real Madrid dugout, and the experienced tactician could be the ideal coach to extract the best out of his compatriot.

Like Ramos, Comas possesses a ball-playing ability and staunch leadership, attributes that outweigh his age. He would be a very intriguing signing for the Goodison outfit.

And, in other news…”I have been quickly informed”: Huge Everton revelation will surely leave fans worried