Category Uncategorized

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a blow with the news that Matt Phillips is set to be out injured for around six weeks, according to journalist Joe Chapman.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ importance to West Brom

The 31-year-old has continued to be an important figure for the Baggies this season, appearing 25 times in the Championship and starting 14 matches.

Phillips has chipped in with two goals and two assists in the league, with Chapman saluting the Scotland international’s ‘outstanding’ crossing ability just last week.

Carlos Corberan’s side were beaten 2-1 at Burnley on Friday night, and while the result was disappointing, it wasn’t the only negative to emerge from the match for Albion.

The Latest: Phillips hit by injury blow

Taking to Twitter last night in sharing a corresponding article for Birmingham Live, Chapman confirmed that Phillips is expected to be absent for at least six weeks, with the injury blow possibly sparking the West Brom hierarchy into action in the transfer market.

The article mentioned that the 31-year-old has been struck by a quad injury, having limped out of the midweek FA Cup win over Chesterfield despite only coming on as a substitute.

The reporter tweeted:

“Bad news re Phillips, who is expected to be out for at least six weeks. You have to imagine that’ll impact on Albion’s transfer thinking.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/efl-news/” title=”EFL news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Big blow to Baggies’ promotion hopes

This is an undoubted blow for West Brom, considering Phillips’ vast experience of 229 appearances for the club.

He may not be a nailed-on starter every singly week – indeed, he has only completed the full 90 minutes four times this season – but his experience could still be crucial to the Baggies’ promotion push, having helped QPR into the top flight nine years ago.

Not having Phillips available until March could leave Corberan with a headache in terms of squad depth, and the hope is that the Scotland winger will be available for the business end of the campaign.

As Chapman referenced, it could force West Brom into making a new signing during the January transfer window in order to make up for the loss of Phillips.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is seemingly seeking a reunion with Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi this month, having previously coached the Frenchman at Arsenal.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Midlands side are said to be keen on signing the 23-year-old before the end of the window, albeit with no bid having yet been made for the 6 foot 1 ace.

Writing on Twitter about that interest, the transfer insider stated: “Unai Emery is interested in bringing Matteo Guendouzi to Aston Villa. They have not made an offer to Marseille, who are somewhat reluctant to let him leave just six months after signing him on a permanent deal.”

In the attached piece for 90min, the report suggests that the Ligue 1 outfit do value the former Gunners man at around €50m (£44m), with Igor Tudor’s side showing little desire to sell having only signed the player permanently during the summer.

Bye Bye Nakamba

Although it may well take a sizeable offer to prise Guendouzi from the Stade Velodrome, bringing the £41k-per-week maestro into the fold could well help to hasten the exit of fellow midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, with the Zimbabwean dud having been linked with a departure earlier this season.

The 28-year-old – who made the move to England on a £11m deal back in 2019 – has been on the periphery so far this season having failed to make a single appearance across all fronts, after featuring only 19 times in all competitions last term.

Although that lack of action has been impacted by injury, the former Club Brugge man has rarely been able to establish himself in the side over the past few years, with no goals or assists to his name in 68 outings to date in the claret and blue jersey.

Having been “nowhere near” the matchday squad of late, as per pundit Alan Hutton, it looks as if Nakamba’s days are numbered at Villa Park, with the addition of Guendouzi seemingly the midfield upgrade that the club have been craving.

The latter man has scored three goals and provided three assists in 22 games in all competitions so far this term from his central midfield berth, after previously playing a starring role last season with 19 goal contributions to his name in 56 outings.

The relentless “warrior”, as described by pundit Alan Shearer, is clearly a player who can make an impact in the final third, as he ranks in the top 11% in Europe among those in his position for touches in the attacking penalty area.

As previously stated, Nakamba is evidently unable to match that creativity and attacking intent, while Guendouzi also offers the benefit of having worked under Emery previously, having featured 66 times under the Spaniard during his time at the Emirates.

It may well prove a difficult deal to get over the line, although the signing of the Marseille man would clearly help to bolster Villa’s midfield options.

West Ham United have distinguished one of the Premier League’s most industrious presences to replace a likely outgoing phenom…

What’s the word?

Signing for Manchester City from boyhood club Leeds United last summer, Kalvin Phillips has been hampered by injury during his stay with the Sky Blues, and has been at the epicentre of claims that boss Pep Guardiola branded him “overweight” upon returning from World Cup duty with England.

And now, Football Insider state that sources have confirmed the Hammers’ interest; with coveted midfielder Declan Rice likely to depart at the end of the campaign, the 27-year-old Cityzen could be the player to adopt the role his compatriot has held so well in east London.

Phillips arrived at the Etihad Stadium in a £45m deal last year, and he would certainly not come cheap even if City were prepared to grant a departure, but the funds garnered from Rice’s prospective sale would free up space to make a move for someone of his ilk.

Perfect Rice replacement 

Since rising through the youth ranks at the Irons academy, Rice has cruised towards Premier League eminence, and is now being touted for a move to one of the country’s top outfits.

Indeed, with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United among the clubs that might make a swoop for a player out of contract at the end of next season and showing no sign of agreeing a new deal, cashing in for a lucrative fee might be the best option for West Ham boss David Moyes.

In Phillips, the veteran Scottish manager would boast a robust and all-encompassing central figure to take the baton from Rice, and ensure that the stability and charge that his counterpart has created does not waver.

Granted, the east London outfit have been beset with a stark decline this term, miserably above the drop-zone on just goal difference following two European-clinching seasons in-and-amongst the elite of the Premier League, but the abundance of quality and affluence underpinning the efforts on the pitch should steer the club in the right direction once again.

As per FBref, Rice ranks within the top 4% for pass completion and the top 7% for interceptions when compared to positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, while Phillips, despite lacking the same level of ball-playing assurance, ranks within the top 1% of players for tackles, the top 14% for interceptions and the top 4% for blocks.

There is a clear prowess in the anchored position of the pitch, also flourishing as a pivot when called upon, instigating positive transitions by timing challenges with pinpoint precision.

And with Phillips’ City career thus far blighted by injury, Sofascore record his rating in the Premier League last year at a solid 6.84, earning the transfer to the division’s champions by displaying his stellar consistency in a Leeds team that battled to stave off relegation last term.

Hailed as a “destroyer” by ex-England manager Steve McClaren, who waxed lyrical about the ace to Sky Sports News (via Leeds Live), Phillips might be wise to depart from Guardiola’s City, where he will likely struggle for consistent game-time, and flourish with the Hammers, who can return on course and challenge for Europe once again with a Rice replacement every bit as formidable as their current gem.

Liverpool have been dealt a potential scare regarding the fitness of defender Ibrahima Konate. 

The Lowdown: Konate’s World Cup efforts

With domestic football on hold, the centre-back has been showing his talent on the international stage with France at the World Cup in Qatar.

Throughout the tournament, the 23-year-old has made four appearances for Didier Deschamps’ side, helping them get to the final.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s all-important clash against Argentina to see who will be lifting the trophy, there have been some concerns regarding Konate’s fitness.

The Latest: Konate fitness worry

According to a recent report from L’Equipe, Konate and Raphael Varane have been hit with a virus that has swept through the France squad in recent days.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-35/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] 

The report also adds that the £70k-per-week Liverpool defender has more prominent symptoms than his fellow countryman.

The Verdict: A concern for Liverpool

To highlight how impressive the centre-back has been for France in this World Cup, Konate has made more clearances (14) than any other player in the squad, as well as having the joint-highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (22) as well as one of the highest passing accuracy percentages (91.8%).

His performances across the tournament have earned him an overall rating of 7.1/10 from WhoScored, making him the eighth-highest rated player in the squad.

Having also been hailed as an “incredible” player by fellow Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, this further showcases just how impressive Konate is and why he’d be a big miss for club and country if he’s likely to miss any matches in the near future.

Moving forward, it’s safe to say that everyone in the France camp and everyone at Liverpool will have their fingers crossed that Konate will not only be fit enough to feature against Argentina but also be in the right shape to come back to England and get back into the swing of club football once again.

Sheffield Wednesday have been linked with a move for Grimsby Town left-back Anthony Glennon ahead of the January transfer window and he could prove to be the ideal heir to Marvin Johnson in Darren Moore’s side.

It was suggested by Football Insider earlier this month that Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Hull were all keen on signing the former Burnley man after his impressive displays in League Two this season.

The 22-year-old has featured in 14 games in the fourth tier for the Mariners, in which he has contributed one goal and three assists, averaging a strong 6.98 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

For context, only four players in Sheffield Wednesday’s squad are rated higher for their displays in the league, which emphasises just how impressive Glennon has been, given that Grimsby are only mid-table in League Two.

The young defender was very highly rated during his time at Burnley, with academy manager Steven Stone full of praise for him in 2019.

He said: “He is exceptional wherever he plays. He is exceptional in terms of how he drives and leads this team because he is captain of this team now.

“He drives it from centre half, he is not a big centre half and he has been unbelievable alongside Bobby Thomas and I keep saying to people how brilliant he has been.

“It is the same name that comes out and I think everyone else says the same thing.

“Then to push him to left back and be as good as he was again after not playing there for months is a testament to what he is about.”

Glennon has certainly proved himself with Grimsby this season and at just 22, he could be the perfect man to replace Johnson at Hillsborough in the future, given that the former Middlesbrough man turns 32 next month.

The fact that the youngster has also featured as a left-midfielder in Paul Hurst’s side suggests that he could be ideal in Moore’s 3-4-1-2 set-up, which requires the full-backs to contribute in attack, so Moore should definitely look to bring Glennon in during the January window.

Sunderland played their final match before the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Friday night and ended the first portion of the campaign on a high by beating Birmingham 2-1 away from home.

They do not have another Championship fixture until December and Tony Mowbray now has his first chance to have a few weeks to work with the team on the training pitch, having being thrown in at the deep end in August after Alex Neil’s departure.

However, he will not have a full squad to work with as two of his players are jetting off to Qatar to represent their countries at the tournament.

Jewison Bennette and Bailey Wright are in contention to feature at the World Cup for Costa Rica and Australia respectively with Mowbray saying this about the former:

“Jewison is a young boy who has got wonderful talent. It will be an amazing experience for him and he should go along, enjoy it and see what happens.

“There are some amazing teams in his group but try and do your country proud when you get an opportunity.”

The 18-year-old has a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talents on the world stage and he could return to the Stadium of Light as a player full of confidence heading into the second half of the campaign if he enjoys his time at the tournament.

Bennette, who journalist Josh Bunting called a “star boy”, is a promising young player with plenty of potential to grow and Mowbray could look to develop him into becoming his next Adam Armstrong for Sunderland.

The Black Cats boss worked with the current Southampton attacker at Coventry and Blackburn earlier in his career and developed him into being an attacker who regularly provided quality at the top end of the pitch.

Armstrong, who 84 goals and provided 24 assists in 200 appearances whilst working with Mowbray over the course of five seasons with the two aforementioned clubs.

Bennette has shown promise as a goalscoring winger and could be utilised in a similar role to the Englishman by playing as an inside left forward or as a striker in a front two, like the current Saints man.

In the 2022/23 campaign, the 18-year-old has scored two goals in two caps for Costa Rica.

Therefore, Mowbray, who previously dubbed the gem “electric”, could unearth his next Armstrong by helping Bennette to add consistency to his game over the course of an entire season, allowing him to rack up big goalscoring numbers for the Black Cats.

He could develop into being a lethal scorer, who can also create for his teammates, as he gains more experience and adapts to life in England but it is now down to him and the Sunderland manager to ensure that he progresses in the coming months and seasons to come.

Crystal Palace are offering Wilfried Zaha a record-breaking deal to keep the player at Selhurst Park, Sami Mokbel reports.

The Lowdown: Zaha at Palace

Zaha has now made over 450 appearances for the Eagles across two separate spells. The 30-year-old helped take Palace into the Premier League during his first stint with the club and returned from Manchester United on a permanent deal in 2015.

Since then, he has been the club’s main creative spark in the final third and is once again Palace’s top scorer during the current campaign.

In total, Zaha has contributed to 165 goals as a Palace player, and it looks as if Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman are pulling out all the stops to keep him at the club.

The Latest: Contract update

Mokbel took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to provide an update on Zaha’s future, with the player out of contract in the summer at this moment in time.

The Daily Mail reporter revealed that Zaha has an offer worth £9m-a-year from Al-Ittihad, however, Palace are ‘offering him the most lucrative contract in their history to stay’. He added that Zaha is still undecided about where his future lies.

The Verdict: Big decision

It’s good to see that Palace are doing all they can to keep Zaha at Selhurst Park, although he also has interest from Champions League clubs alongside an eye-catching offer from Saudi Arabia.

Keeping him would be huge, as he has shown over the last eight years that he is a top-class Premier League player, turning out in a variety of attacking roles over the years. He netted a career-best 14 Premier League goals during the 2021/22 campaign under Patrick Vieira and has scored six times in 21 league games so far this season.

Palace have lacked goals under Vieira this season and actually haven’t had a shot on target in their last three top-flight fixtures. That is a cause for concern, so losing Zaha for nothing in the summer would be a big blow and may leave the Eagles on the hunt for a number of attacking additions, one of which being out wide to replace the long-serving Zaha.

Hopefully, though, the forward decides to remain in London with Palace, and should he do just that, he would cement his place as a club legend even further, making this a situation to keep a close eye on off the pitch, with Zaha looking to help get Palace back on track and away from the bottom three on the pitch.

Glasgow Rangers have been handed an injury boost before their game in the Premier Sports Cup at Ibrox tonight.

The Lowdown: Tavernier concerns

As reported by The Scottish Daily Express, some eagle-eyed Gers supporters had noticed James Tavernier looking uncomfortable in a clip posted on social media while training just prior to Sunday lunchtime’s 2-1 win away at Motherwell.

He was forced off during the 4-0 loss away at Ajax in the UEFA Champions League in September, and was pictured on the bench with an ice pack, but has featured in every game since.

The Latest: Tavernier ‘fit’

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match against Dundee tonight, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has quashed rumours of Tavernier’s lack of fitness, claiming that he is ‘fit’ to play:

“Tavernier is fit, he is fine. We will rotate the squad tomorrow; we need to find a balance in the load for the players with a small squad at the moment with injuries. We need to be smart.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Rest him

Even if he is fit, tonight gives Van Bronckhorst a good opportunity to rest his captain ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Livingston over the weekend.

Tavernier has played in every SPFL and Champions League game so far this season, and has completed the full 90 minutes on all but two occasions, including when he was taken off against Ajax (Transfermarkt).

The Premier Sports Cup could provide an opportunity for young right-back Adam Devine, who has only made one senior appearance so far this term, and Tavernier could perhaps be left on the bench to come on if the match needs to be rescued.

West Brom were linked with signing Olivier Ntcham in both 2020 and 2021 but failed to bring him to the Hawthorns, with the midfielder showing the Baggies exactly what they were missing on Saturday afternoon.

Ntcham was first linked with the Baggies in September 2020 when he was at Celtic and then again in January 2021, so he is clearly a player that they were keen on bringing to the Midlands.

In the end, Ntcham was loaned to Marseille where he would make just six appearances, before his release from Celtic in the summer of 2021.

You would have thought that then was the perfect time for the Baggies to bring Ntcham in, but it was Swansea City who would win the race for the former Manchester City man.

In his time with the Welsh side, he has contributed six goals and five assists in 46 appearances, including one goal and one assist in Saturday’s triumph over West Brom.

Swansea boss Russell Martin was full of praise for the 26-year-old last season, saying:

“Whenever he’s come on as a sub, games like West Brom, Barnsley earlier on in the season, he’s been brilliant.”

The Cameroon international came off the bench in the 66th minute and helped turn the game on its head, first equalising with a strong finish off the post from outside of the box, before setting up Michael Obafemi for his late winner.

Only Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace have registered more goal involvements (five) than Ntcham so far this season so it is clear what he would have added to the current Baggies midfield had he joined in either 2020 or 2021.

While West Brom fans might have been disappointed to miss out on him, he may have just done the Baggies a favour by having such an impact from the bench, as you would suspect that another home loss will put Steve Bruce under serious pressure as manager.

With the Baggies languishing in 21st place in the Championship after the weekend, many will be hoping that Ntcham’s performance and Swansea’s win will be the final straw for Bruce as West Brom manager.

Indeed, he has already admitted that the heat is on, and that was before Ntcham haunted them at the weekend.

Manchester United appear to be closing in on their fifth major signing of the summer, amid reports that deal has been struck to bring Ajax winger Antony to Old Trafford.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils are all but set to confirm the addition of the Brazil international, having agreed a €100m (£85m) fee with the Dutch outfit for his signature.

Writing on Twitter about that imminent deal on Sunday evening, the transfer guru gave his much anticipated green light to the move: “Antony to Manchester United, here we go! Agreement in principle with Ajax, €100m fee. Contract until June 2027 with option until 2028. To be signed tomorrow.

“Contracts being prepared, it’s Eredivisie historical record fee — Antony will be in Manchester next week.”

United had previously seen an offer of around €90m (£76m) rejected for the 22-year-old late last week, although the indication is that the former Sao Paolo starlet will now become the second most expensive capture in the club’s history – behind the £89m signing of Paul Pogba back in 2016.

Big for Ten Hag

That impending switch will see the Premier League’s side summer spending surpass £200m, with new boss Erik ten Hag having overseen an influx of new talent to help try and improve upon last season’s disappointment, with four new recruits already in the door.

Fresh from signing Real Madrid icon Casemiro for a mammoth £70m fee, United have now moved for his compatriot Antony to help further bolster the manager’s ranks, with the youngster having seemingly been desperate to force a move before the window slams shut.

Ten Hag too has seemingly been intent on bringing his former asset – whom he signed for the Amsterdam outfit two years ago – to England this summer, with the hefty transfer fee that has been reported seemingly a marker of that desperation.

Although that sizeable asking price has added notable risk to the addition of the nine-cap menace, the club’s willingness to splash the cash indicates just how keen the Dutchman is to be reunited with the winger in Manchester, with it set to be a big deal for the newly-appointed coach.

Not only will it see a player arrive who is already firmly accustomed to his way of playing, but it will also help to bolster a forward line that is currently devoid of quality depth, particularly with uncertainty still looming regarding Cristiano Ronaldo.

Typically deployed on the right flank, Antony will provide a unique left-footed alternative for United moving forward, with the current wide options largely at their best cutting in from the left wing.

While not prolific, the £31.5m-rated sensation has showcased his creative talents during his time in the Eredivisie, scoring 24 goals and providing 22 assists in 82 games in all competitions for his current side.

That includes a haul of 22 goal contributions from the 2021/22 campaign, with only Bruno Fernandes (24) and the aforementioned Ronaldo (27) having bettered that tally among the United squad last term.

Clearly providing additional firepower as well as a familiar face for Ten Hag at the Theatre of Dreams, the success of the fleet-footed forward could well define the manager’s tenure at the club.

As such, it is a big deal for the one-time Utrecht boss in every sense of the word.