Premier League
Southampton reveal transfer stance on James Ward-Prowse amid Aston Villa interest – report
Southampton have made their stance clear on club captain James Ward-Prowse amid interest from Aston Villa, The Mail reports. The Villans are eager to complete their transfer business early, and they are on the verge of landing Norwich City playmaker Emiliano Buendia on a club-record deal. It was recently claimed that they could follow the purchase of Buendia with a surprise move for England international Ward-Prowse. However, the Saints have made it clear that their graduate is not for sale at any price during this summer’s transfer window. Sportslens view: The Saints sanctioned the sale of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham Hotspur last year, and they failed to find a suitable replacement. They didn’t have much choice as the Dane’s contract was due to expire in 12 months. The same is not ...
Arsenal working on a deal for 24-year-old Manchester United target, ready to pay €40m – report
Arsenal have begun working on a summer deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves, The Times reports. The Gunners are planning to reshuffle their midfield options with Dani Ceballos having returned to Real Madrid, while there are doubts surrounding Granit Xhaka’s future. They have regularly been linked with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yves Bissouma in recent weeks, and it is reported that the midfielder remains on their radar. However, they are also planning an approach for Neves, who is one of the high-profile players likely to be sold by Wolves to recoup funds for new signings. The Portugal international has three years left on his contract, but the Gunners are hopeful of landing his signature for a fee of around €40 million this summer. Sportslens view: Neves has been...
West Brom release 18 players including Branislav Ivanovic, Kieran Gibbs, Hal Robson-Kanu
West Brom have released 18 players as they prepare for life in the Championship. The Baggies wave goodbye to senior stars Charlie Austin, Branislav Ivanovic, Kieran Gibbs and Hal Robson-Kanu. Sam Allardyce could not save the Midlands side from the drop – the first Premier League relegation in his managerial career – after taking over from Slaven Bilic. West Brom have since parted company with the Dudley native. The 19th placed Baggies ended up 13 points from safety as they dropped back down to the Championship at the first time of asking. And their relegation has seen nearly 20 players culled from their squad. Joining well known quartet Austin, Gibbs, Ivanovic and Robson-Kanu in departing the Hawthorns, are Zak Brown, Nicholas Clayton-Phillips, Chiekh Diaby, Tyrese Dyce and Samuel French. ...
Matt Doherty gives insight into why Tottenham sacked Jose Mourinho
Tottenham Hotspur’s players were partly responsible for Jose Mourinho’s sacking, according to right-back Matt Doherty. Mourinho was sacked by Spurs in April following a poor run of form with the club and after 17 months in charge. “He was only there for 18 months. If it was three or four years, it could be a different conversation, but we weren’t getting the results for him,” Doherty told Sky Sports. “The manager is always the one to lose his job, but as players, we were the ones on the pitch, and we weren’t able to get the results for him, which was a shame because he’s one of the best managers ever.” Spurs were seventh in the Premier League when Mourinho was sacked and had also been humiliated in the Europa League in the round of 16 by Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb. The 58-year-old faile...
Thomas Tuchel targets four signings at Chelsea after contract extension
According to the Daily Star, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel wants to bring in four new players this summer after signing a new contract with the club. Tuchel arrived at the Bridge in January earlier this year, after Chelsea had sacked club legend Frank Lampard owing to a disappointing run of results that threatened to derail the campaign. Under the German, though, the Blues experienced a tremendous turnaround as they clinched a top-four finish in the Premier League and also made it to the FA Cup finals. But the cherry on top was Chelsea going on to win the UEFA Champions League for just the second time in the history of the club, beating Man City in the finals in Porto. Following the sensational turnaround, Tuchel, who had initially signed just an eighteen-month contract, has now been hande...
Aston Villa set to break transfer record with Emi Buendia signing
Aston Villa are set to break their transfer record for the third consecutive summer window after agreeing a £30,000,000 initial fee with Norwich City for Emi Buendia. The transfer will include a number of add-ons and a sell-on fee should the Argentina international move on from Villa Park in the future. It is thought that the deal offered by Aston Villa was too good to refuse, with the deal set to potentially rise to £40,000,000 in the future. It marks a huge profit for Norwich City, who signed Buendia for £1,500,000 from Spanish side Getafe. It is thought that Emi Buendia has agreed personal terms today whilst away with the Argentina national team, while also completing his medical. When the transfer is set to be officially announced remains to be seen, but it is a sign of Aston Villa’s c...
Leeds United offered chance to sign £20m striker with a goal every 218 minutes – report
Leeds United have been offered the opportunity to re-sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in the upcoming transfer window, Football Insider reports. Nketiah made 30 appearances for the Gunners last term, but most of his playing time came in the Cup competitions. He managed only 413 league minutes. With just a year left on his contract, the club are prepared to listen to offers of £20 million, and the Whites have been offered the chance to recruit him. Sportslens view: Nketiah had a positive loan stint with Leeds during the first half of the 2019/2020 season, bagging five goals and one assist from 20 appearances. The 22-year-old was largely used off the bench with just 663 minutes but played his part in the club’s promotion with some vital late goals. He scored three times in the Championship...
Bukayo Saka wins Arsenal Player of the Season award
Bukayo Saka has capped a dream week by being named Arsenal’s Player of the Season. Saka began the week by being named in England’s Euro 2020 squad on Tuesday, making the final 26-man cut for this summer’s tournament despite stiff competition. On the same day, Saka was also nominated for Premier League Young Player of the Season following an impressive 2020/21 campaign with Arsenal. On Wednesday, it got even better for Saka as he started for England in their Euro 2020 warm-up friendly against Austria, scoring his first senior international goal to earn a 1-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium. Saka was also nominated for the PFA’s Young Player of the Season award the same day, while on Friday the 19-year-old was named Arsenal’s Player of the Season. Arsenal fans voted for the award, with 51 p...
Leicester City enter race to sign Southampton target with 25 goal contributions last season – report
Leicester City have entered the race to sign Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma during the upcoming transfer window, The Mail reports. The 24-year-old was hugely impressive for the Cherries in the recent campaign, registering 17 goals and eight assists from 37 appearances. He scored in both legs of the semi-final play-offs against Brentford, but it was to no avail as the club suffered a disappointing 4-2 aggregate loss. It is now reported that the Cherries face a fight to keep the Dutchman after missing out on top-flight promotion at the first time of asking. The Foxes are keeping tabs on the PSV Eindhoven graduate while there is interest from overseas from the likes of Lyon and Wolfsburg. West Ham United and Southampton have previously been linked with the forward, who won the Cherries’ Pl...
Leeds star must reject Reds’ advances – stay put and wait for better move
The close season often produces some eye-catching transfer stories and yesterday was no different in that respect. Liverpool were linked with a move for Raphinha, with Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari claiming that they are leading the race to sign the Leeds United star. Manchester United and Manchester City were also credited with an interest in a player that Leeds are eager to keep hold of. SL View Raphinha was a standout performer for Leeds last term, and it is no surprise that other clubs are keen to sign him. However, a move to Anfield would make little sense unless the Brazilian fancies spending most of next season sat on his backside. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are undisputed first choices on the flanks for the Reds, and that is unlikely to change any time soon. As things stan...
West Ham can’t afford to carry passengers, Chelsea man has too much to prove
The news that West Ham United are interested in signing Ross Barkley probably sent a shudder down the spine of their fanbase. The 27-year-old spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, but he struggled to make much impact with the Midlands outfit. Barkley appears to be surplus to requirements at Chelsea, and they are expected to try and move him on permanently this summer. SL View David Moyes has got most of his transfer business right at West Ham, but signing Barkley would be a massive risk. He was once rated as one of England’s brightest prospects when he came through at Everton, but things have gone downhill over the past few years. Barkley has done little of note with Chelsea, and it was no surprise when they farmed him out to Villa last summer. He is increasingly looking like a player ...
Antonio Conte unconvinced by Tottenham project
Antonio Conte has major doubts about becoming Tottenham’s next head coach and is inclined to turn them down, according to Sky Italy. Spurs have been in talks with the former Chelsea boss, who left Inter Milan after winning Serie A last month. But after considering the role for several days, Conte remains unconvinced Spurs are a team ready to win trophies immediately. The Italian has won five league titles in the last decade and is looking for another ‘winning project’. He is trying to understand if it is possible to bridge the gap with the top four or five Premier League teams in a short period of time – with Spurs having finished 24 points behind champions Manchester City. It is understood Spurs would not pressure him to win trophies. If the parties fail to strike a deal, Conte could also...
