Tag Futebol

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan would be interested in talking to Leeds United about the vacancy at Elland Road, according to journalist Owen O’Brien.

The Lowdown: West Brom transformed under Corberan

Corberan only took over at The Hawthorns in October but has transformed The Baggies in a short space of time.

The 39-year-old has taken the club from the relegation zone to the play-offs in 13 Championship games, picking up an impressive 30 points out of a possible 39.

The former Leeds assistant could well be on the move already, though, with speculation claiming that he is a top target for Elland Road chiefs after the Yorkshire club parted ways with Jesse Marsch on Monday.

The Latest: Corberan linked with Leeds job

Freelance journalist O’Brien took to Twitter on Monday afternoon, stating that the Spaniard is Leeds’ ‘number one choice’ to take over. He added that Corberan would also be interested in talking to the Whites, in what is a worrying claim for all associated with West Brom.

O’Brien tweeted: “Understand West Brom manager Carlos Corberan is Leeds’ number one choice to replace Jesse Marsch. Sources say Corberan would be interested in talking to Leeds – Club are also refusing to rule out appointing an experienced Premier League manager.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Corberan isn’t the only option for Leeds, with Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola also on the club’s radar according to reliable reporter Phil Hay.

Therefore, West Brom chiefs will be hoping that the phone doesn’t ring from those in Yorkshire over the coming days, especially with the Baggies looking good for a play-off finish at this moment in time.

Reports have even suggested that West Brom are ready to offer Corberan a new deal as a result of speculation over a move to Leeds, so hopefully the only talks involving the manager are those which involve a contract extension in the Midlands.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Arnaut Danjuma back to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish media outlet COPE (via Sport Witness), who claim that, should Fabio Paratici wish to land the Villarreal forward this month, Spurs will need to fork out at least €20m (£18m) for the 25-year-old, as the LaLiga side are looking to recover the fee that they paid to Bournemouth to sign the Netherlands international in 2021.

However, the report adds that Antonio Conte’s side are not the only English club keeping tabs on the versatile winger – who can also play as a number nine – this month. Everton and Bournemouth are also believed to be keen on a move for the ex-Club Brugge forward prior to the closure of the transfer window at the end of the month.

Richarlison upgrade

Tottenham splashed a whopping £60m to bring Richarlison to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer. While it is true that the Brazil international has missed seven league games due to injury this term, the fact that the 25-year-old is yet to find the net in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign is beginning to cause problems for Conte and his team.

Indeed, aside from Harry Kane – who has 15 league goals to his name this season – no other player in the 53-year-old’s squad has scored more than four times in the top flight this term, with the England captain’s backup cast of Son Heung-min, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil having managed just five between them in the league.

As such, should Spurs wish to have any hope of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League this season, it would appear an absolute must for Paratici to add some extra creativity and clinical edge to Conte’s current attacking arsenal – something that is sure to make an £18m move for Danjuma an extremely appealing option to the Italian sporting director.

Indeed, over his 23 appearances in LaLiga last season – only 17 of which came as starts – the £36m-rated talent was in sensational attacking form, scoring 10 goals, registering three assists and creating two big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.7 shots – 1.3 of which hit the target – making 0.7 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles – at a success rate of 54% – per game.

The £54k-per-week forward also caught the eye over his 11 outings in the Champions League last time out, bagging six goals, providing one assist and creating one big chance, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots – 1.3 of which were on target – making 0.5 key passes and completing 1.5 dribbles per game – firing Villarreal to the semi-finals of the competition.

As such, should Conte believe he can help the 25-year-old – who Premier League legend Kevin Phillips dubbed a “nightmare for defenders” – refind this form in north London, the six-cap international could quite easily represent an upgrade upon Richarlison on the left flank – especially considering the Dutchman is reported to be available for a measly £18m this month.

West Ham United would ‘definitely’ sign Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka for the right price, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: West Ham target right-back

West Ham have endured a very difficult Premier League campaign so far, and summer signing Thilo Kehrer has not fared well at both centre-back and right-back, with Brown telling GIVEMESPORT that the German looks ‘a yard off the pace’.

Vladimir Coufal has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium, while the club have so far failed to meet Ben Johnson’s contract demands, so David Moyes has identified the need for a new right-back in the January transfer window.

The Latest: Brown’s comments

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Brown claimed that the Hammers would be interested in signing Wan-Bissaka this month, but only for a price that they deem acceptable, given that they do not plan on spending big on a full-back:

“I think if the price was right, it’s definitely one they would do. But I don’t think West Ham will spend a lot of money on a full-back this window.”

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The Verdict: Get it done?

The 25-year-old has recently started to be selected again by Erik ten Hag, in light of Diogo Dalot suffering a hamstring injury, and he has impressed considerably, ranked as the second-best outfield performer on the pitch in the 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a 7.5 SofaScore rating.

Lauded as ‘incredible’ by football writer Arjun Pradeep, the Englishman specialises in his tackling ability, as indicated by an average of 3.03 tackles won per 90 over the past year, a figure that puts him in the 97th percentile compared to other right-backs in the top five leagues.

Given that he has impressed since coming back into the fold for Man United, it is unclear whether Ten Hag will still be willing to let him leave, as he was back in November, but if a deal is possible then Wan-Bissaka would be a fantastic signing for Moyes, capable of alleviating some of the Hammers’ defensive issues.

Two unnamed Premier League clubs join Barcelona with interest in Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic, according to an update from Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Lowdown: Juranovic’s stock rises

The 27-year-old enjoyed a fantastic 2022 World Cup campaign with Croatia, eventually helping them finish third at the Qatar-based tournament.

Juranovic was arguably the best right-back on show in the competition, starting six matches and chipping in with one assist for good measure, impressing greatly in the quarter-final win over Brazil.

His displays have led to plenty of speculation surrounding his future at Celtic and now a fresh rumour has emerged.

The Latest: Barcelona and…

Taking to Twitter, Sheth reports that Barca are joined by two mystery clubs in being keen on acquiring Juranovic’s signature:

“Barcelona interested in signing Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic. Two unnamed Premier League clubs also keen & Atletico Madrid. Juranovic impressed for Croatia at World Cup – played every minute. Celtic have signed right-back Alistair Johnston.”

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The Verdict: Hard to turn down

While it would be a huge positive to see Juranovic remain in a Celtic shirt for many years to come, the arrival of Alistair Johnston suggests that they are planning for life without him.

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The lure of playing for a club of Barca’s stature – or one of England’s top sides – could be too great to turn down for the Croatian, too, with the La Liga giants still one of the biggest clubs in the world.

It would now be a big surprise if Juranovic committed his future to Celtic, so the most important thing for now is to receive big money for his services, with Ange Postecoglou then using the funds wisely in future transfer windows.

Chelsea would have been ‘looking at’ Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Ronaldo interest

The Premier League giants were reportedly keen on agreeing a deal to sign the Manchester United veteran over the summer but missed out, with the 37-year-old eventually having his contract terminated by mutual consent.

The Argentinian, on the other hand, will be out of contract at the end of the season so could be on the move either in the winter or next summer, and he’s been backed to swap the Parc des Princes for Stamford Bridge.

The Latest: Jones hints at Messi move

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Blues owner Boehly would be open to buying Messi and insisted that he would be a better signing for the club than Ronaldo.

“If Boehly was that interested in Ronaldo, then it’s a no-brainer that he would also be looking at Messi in the same sense.

“You’d probably argue that there’s more chance of Messi fitting in at Chelsea than there ever was of Ronaldo.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Messi is undoubtedly still one of the world’s best players and there won’t be a club that doesn’t want him, but if this opportunity was to somehow arise, Chelsea should pounce at it.

The Ligue 1 forward has made an unbelievable 1,034 goal contributions in just 853 appearances throughout his club career and he would bring plenty of leadership qualities being the captain of his national side.

The Rosario native is likely to make a decision on his future upon the conclusion of the ongoing tournament, and Graham Potter will be hoping that he considers putting pen to paper in the capital.

Nottingham Forest are going to need to step it up if they are to have any chance of surviving in the Premier League over the second half of the season as they have spent the majority of their return to the top flight in the relegation zone.

Indeed, the Tricky Trees were unbeaten in four of their last five league fixtures before the World Cup break which has given them a slight push up the table and they are currently just one point away from safety outside of the bottom three.

Steve Cooper will be hoping that his team can pick up where they left off in terms of their consistent form when they return to action after Christmas as they will face a difficult clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on the 27th of December.

Despite the promising performances displayed over the most recent fixtures, there is no doubt that the Forest boss and Evangelos Marinakis will be hatching a master plan to secure survival in the Premier League by acquiring the services of more signings in the January transfer window.

Forest spent £150m over the summer on 22 new signings but Cooper has struggled to get the newly built team connecting on the pitch on most occasions, so a few new additions when the window opens in the new year will likely be on the agenda.

One player who has been repeatedly linked with a move to Trentside over the last few months is Senegal and Salernitana ace Boulaye Dia, a player who could be a season-changing signing for the Garibaldi Reds.

Over 14 Serie A appearances this season so far, the Villarreal-owned striker has scored six goals, registered two assists and created one big chance, as well as averaging 1.1 shots on goal and 2.7 duels per game, and Dia is not only impressing at club level.

The Senegalese striker is representing his country at the World Cup in Qatar and ended the AFCON champions’ goal drought in their second group stage clash with Qatar with a wonderful strike to open the scoring in the 3-1 victory.

Over two World Cup appearances, the talented £10m striker has completed 100% of his long balls and 50% of his dribbles, as well as averaging two shots on goal and winning four duels per game, proving that he has been a huge presence in the Senegal team during the tournament.

With that being said, if Nottingham Forest can secure a deal for Dia it would be a major coup and a great piece of business for the club as they attempt to approach games with a more convincing attacking threat in the second half of the season.

Scottish champions Celtic continued the relentless defence of their league title with a 4-2 victory over Dundee United on Saturday afternoon, with the Old Firm outfit picking up their 12th win of the season thus far to move seven points clear at the top of the table.

It had been far from plain sailing at Parkhead on the day, however, with Ange Postecoglou’s side having been reliant on a dramatic late show from Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada to bail them out of trouble, with it briefly looking as if the Tangerines had done enough to nick a point late on through Dylan Levitt.

The other goalscorer on the day for the visitors had been that of former Scotland international, Steven Fletcher, with the towering marksman converting from the penalty spot to maintain his impressive record against the Hoops, having now scored five goals in 17 meetings with the Glasgow side in his career to date.

The 35-year-old has proven a regular thorn in the side of those at Paradise over the years, although the veteran ace could well have turned out for the Bhoys if things had worked out differently, with the striker admitting that he had come close to joining the club in the past.

The ten-cap menace recently discussed the repeated links regarding a potential move to Celtic, stating that:

“Earlier on in my career when I was linked with Celtic I didn’t have much to do with it.

“At that age you just leave it to agents and all that, only finding things out when they’re pretty much done.

“So I don’t know how close it came back in the early days, but before I signed for Stoke that was the closest a move to Celtic came. It didn’t happen in the end and I’ll tell that story one day!

“But I was linked with Celtic a lot over the years.”

As the 6 foot 1 forward alluded to, the Hoops have regularly been linked with his services for over a decade now, with speculation having first begun after Fletcher burst onto the scene at Hibernian, with those at Celtic Park said to have seen a bid rejected at the tail end of the January window in 2009.

Reports again emerged in 2015 that then-boss Ronny Deila was keen to prise the Shrewsbury-born striker from Premier League outfit Sunderland, with the player said to be available for a fee of around £2m.

No deal came to fruition, however, – potentially as a result of the player’s £50k-per-week salary – with Fletcher eventually going on to join Sheffield Wednesday a year later, following a brief, bizarre stint on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille.

The imposing brute  – who also plied his trade for both Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers after leaving Easter Road – was again close to a move to Celtic Park back in the summer of 2020 with the two parties believed to be in talks, albeit with the former Hibs ace ultimately joining Stoke City.

Now back in Scottish football at Tannadice, the £261k-rated man has made a solid start to the season with four goals and two assists in 15 games in all competitions thus far, while his overall career tally stands at 159 goals at club level.

Such an impressive return should indicate that Fletcher may well have been a success for those in Glasgow had a deal ever come off, with it no doubt a source of frustration that the club’s apparent interest could not lead to an agreement being struck.

Glasgow Rangers may be struggling in Europe this season and progressing through the Premiership campaign trailing their rivals, however, there is cause for some optimism at Ibrox, especially with the quality of players that are coming through the youth system.

Last season, Alex Lowry, Charlie McCann, and Adam Devine all made their first team debuts, while 18-year-old Leon King made his under Steven Gerrard the season before.

It could be a fruitful generation of youngsters that can emerge and save the Ibrox side millions in transfer fees, with one in particular earmarked for a bright future…

Rangers’ new Ally McCoist

McCoist is the Light Blues’ greatest-ever goal scorer and aside from perhaps Kris Boyd, the club have been searching for a Scottish striker who can fill those godlike boots.

Youngster Robbie Ure has plenty of potential to give it a good go anyway, with the striker netting six goals for the B team in the Lowland League and UEFA Youth League already this season.

Van Bronckhorst gave the player his debut in the first team for the League Cup match against Queen of the South in August and he announced himself to the Ibrox faithful by scoring the opener in an eventual 3-1 victory.

Scott Arfield described the youngster’s performance up front as “magic” in an interview after the match and while he hasn’t had any further opportunities for the first team, they will come with time.

With a League Cup quarter-final tie coming up against Dundee on Wednesday, Van Bronckhorst might find the need to rotate a few players and Ure could well be handed some more minutes.

While the 355 goals that ‘Super Ally’ scored for the club might be a tad out of reach – although you never know – Ure certainly has the sheer predatory instinct and goalscoring hunger that McCoist had throughout his esteemed career.

Indeed, his nine goals in 21 matches so far during the embryonic stages of his career are certainly eye-catching and suggests there is a bright future in the game for the teenager.

There will be more chances for the player this season, especially with injuries and suspensions likely to come into play, and the onus will be on Ure to grab those opportunities with both hands.

If he is successful, there is no doubt he can generate the club millions in a future transfer fee. Certainly, if he lives up to the early McCoist comparisons, a large offer will likely be forthcoming from south of the border.

Glasgow Rangers return to action in the Champions League tonight as they prepare to face Liverpool at Ibrox in the fourth group stage game of the competition.

The Light Blues are currently stuck on zero points in the group and are on course to crash out of Europe altogether unless they can string a couple of results together in the last three matches.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men are yet to score a goal in the competition after their defeats to the Reds, Napoli and Ajax, and he will be hoping that their last result in the Premiership has inspired some confidence in the camp.

The Gers smashed St. Mirren 4-0 at Ibrox in the Scottish top-flight at the weekend, with Antonio Colak, James Tavernier and Fashion Sakala scoring the goals.

They are now coming up against a Liverpool side that are off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League, after beating Rangers 2-0 in their last Champions League meeting.

Van Bronckhorst may look to make some changes to his XI after leaving the likes of Ryan Kent, Malik Tillman and Alfredo Morelos on the bench against St. Mirren.

Whilst Tillman was crucial in the qualifiers to reach the group stages, assisting the winning goal against PSV in the play-off, the Dutch head coach must bring Kent back into the team ahead of the Bayern Munich talent.

The USA international has only created 0.3 chances per game and completed a dismal 56% of his attempted passes in the first three Champions League outings, whilst the Englishman is averaging 0.7 key passes per match and has completed 86% of his passes.

Kent has been more reliable in possession and created opportunities for his teammates more frequently, whilst he also proved his quality in the Europa League last season – with one goal and five assists in 13 appearances.

Journalist Andrew Dickson previously claimed that the gem is “completely unplayable” when he is at his best and the Light Blues are in desperate need of him hitting top form, given that they have failed to score a goal in the competition so far.

The former Liverpool winger has 82 goal contributions (31 goals and 51 assists) in 187 competitive games for Rangers and this suggests that he has the potential to make something happen in the final third.

He has chipped in with one goal and four assists in seven Premiership games this season and his statistics suggest that he could be the man Rangers need to unlock Antonio Colak in the Champions League. The Croatian striker has scored ten goals in nine top-flight games but is yet to get off the mark in the group stages in Europe.

Therefore, van Bronckhorst must unleash Kent from the start against Liverpool and hope that he is at his ‘unplayable’ best against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Crystal Palace were laughed at when they decided to appoint Patrick Vieira at the helm, with many assuming them already relegated and the French manager first to be sacked.

However, 14 months on he has established himself as a fine Premier League manager that has quickly put together a youthful and vibrant team capable of troubling any opposition.

The likes of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise supplement their true talisman Wilfried Zaha brilliantly, whilst the likes of Tyrick Mitchell and Marc Guehi headline an English core to their defence.

One man who would be able to jump into this fold without missing a beat is Yannick Bolasie, who at his peak was one of the most feared wingers in England.

Signed in 2012 by Dougie Freedman, the DR Congo international helped spearhead a similarly exciting front line as they pushed Palace to an unlikely promotion.

Already possessing a fine rapport with Zaha given their time together, to return the prime version of this attacker to the current Eagles side would be a seamless process.

A raw talent in the Championship, his 2014/15 season proved his credentials in the top-flight with four goals and an impressive 11 assists. He dressed this fine return up with a flair and trickery seldom seen nowadays.

The season following saw another five goals and four assists, sparking Everton to unload £25m for his services. A devastating cruciate injury would see him never return with the same explosive speed, but few will forget the terror he struck into the hearts of Premier League fullbacks at his brilliant best.

Standing at just under 6 foot 1 but blessed with wicked speed, the “silky” magician – as dubbed by Rio Ferdinand – was a physical marvel. It made him an even more terrifying prospect, and he could certainly come in to teach the likes of Olise and Eze a thing or two.

To see him partner back up with his former Ivory Coast teammate would be wonderful for football fans, who would delight in being able to see this cult duo reunited once more.

He would perfectly fit in with the current atmosphere that Vieira seems to have built around Selhurst Park, with an enthralling play style to match the rest of the expressive teammates he would join.