As reported by The Daily Mail, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has opened up on the prospect of permanently signing striker Odsonne Edouard when his loan deal at the club expires.
What’s the story?
The paper report that the Hoops have option to buy the Paris Saint-Germain loanee for £7m, which would be a club record signing should they choose to pursue his permanent signature.
While Brendan Rodgers is impressed with his progress in Celtic colours so far this season, the treble-winning manager is in ‘no rush’ to make a decision on his future, which will only come at the end of the current campaign.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, Rodgers said:
I will just assess it at the end of the season. I have been really impressed by him and he is getting better and better each week. The boy has big talent and is a real worker as well. He works very hard for the team and he’s the type of performer I like. He has grown each week he has been with us. It’s just a case of assessing it. There’s no rush. It’s for both sides as well — he might love it with us, he might not. I know he is really enjoying it but there is no rush to commit on either side now.
While Edouard may have impressed, is he worth breaking the club’s all-time transfer record that has stood for over a decade?
Value for money?
Edouard has had to remain patient for first team opportunities at Celtic, making just two starts for the club before December, when he was further trusted to lead the line for the Hoops, starting on another four occasions.
Thus far he’s scored four goals, an effort against Hamilton Accies on his debut and a superb hat-trick at home to Motherwell.
As a back-up striker to Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths he’s been a great option but beyond that it’s a struggle to see the value in spending a fee as rich as £7m on the player.
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He could go on to have a stellar second half of the season, especially if Dembele leaves this January, but it would take a lot to justify spending that kind of money.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has made Borussia Monchengladbach striker Luuk De Jong his top target ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports from The Metro.
The Magpies chief is believed to be desperate to provide loan ace Loic Remy with adequate support for the latter half of the season, after witnessing Papiss Cisse’s dramatic dip in form, and is ready to delve into the market next month.
Pardew has been linked with a number of players, but it is thought that he has now settled on unsettled Monchengladbach star De Jong to boost his options.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga club for some time, and recently confirmed that he is ready to discuss a potential exit with his club ahead of the New Year.
“I am planning on putting my advisers and my father together with people at Gladbach and we’ll see what happens after that,” he said.
“We need to sort things out.
“A transfer? Things can happen very quickly.”
Rumours suggest that the German side will be open to selling their front-man for around £6m, a figure that Newcastle are thought to be willing to offer after not investing in a permanent transfer for a notable player over the summer.
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are hoping to bring Valencia’s Jonas to the Premier League in the January transfer window, according to TalkSport.
The 28-year-old attacking midfielder has been Valencia’s stand-out player in La Liga so far this season, despite Los Che only winning two from their opening seven league games.
Andre Villas-Boas is believed to be in the market for an attacking midfielder to replace the departed Luka Modric and the Tottenham manager’s close relationship with Valencia sporting director Braulio Vazquez could help him secure the Brazilian star’s signature.
Jonas has three goals and two assists already this season and netted 19 times in all competitions last year. The midfielder currently has six caps and two goals for Brazil and he recently scored both goals in Valencia’s 2-0 victory over Lille in the Champions League.
The midfield ace, who arrived at the Mestalla in a €1.2 million move from Campeonato Brasileiro side Gremio in January 2011, is reported to be happy at Valencia but may be tempted to a move away if the club’s league position doesn’t improve before January.
It will be the second time Villas-Boas has approached Valencia over the possible signing of one of their top players, with striker Roberto Soldado claiming he turned down an offer to join the North London club in the summer transfer window.
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Meanwhile, Spurs have been boosted by reports that defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto is set to return to training this week after it emerged his knee injury, which has left him sidelined for six weeks, does not require surgery.
Rumours are intensifying over the possibility of a swap deal for Anthony Martial and Toby Alderweireld, so which player would Tottenham rather have?
Tottenham fans are absolutely desperate for their club to keep hold of Toby Alderweireld this summer.
When Kyle Walker left the club to join Manchester City last summer, it was clear as day that the full back had only one thing on his mind – winning trophies.
The fuss over Alderweireld seems slightly different though, as the player clearly loves life in North London, and is just waiting on the club to pay him what he so definitely worth.
If Spurs are indeed to lose the Belgian, fans are adamant they cannot lose him to a Premier League rival, but would a swap deal for Anthony Martial soften the blow?
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Martial has been heavily linked with both Tottenham and Chelsea since it emerged he wants to leave Old Trafford, and the latest rumours suggest a swap deal could be on the cards.
Martial has only started 18 Premier League games this season, but has still grabbed nine goals and five assists, and the thought of him linking up with the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Heung-min Son and Harry Kane is absolutely electrifying.
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The Tottenham faithful are right to be angered by the possible departure of a world class defender in Alderweireld, but if they land Martial as part of the deal they are getting a genuine superstar in the making.
So, Tottenham fans, would you let Alderweireld go to Manchester United if it meant getting Martial in return? Which player would you rather have? Let us know by voting in the poll below…
During the summer transfer window, it would have been difficult escape the rumours surrounding Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian was at the centre of a saga involving his club and Spanish giants Barcelona.
In most cases, the player usually gets his way, but on this occasion, the Reds stood firm and held off the Catalan club’s advances.
Now that the winter window has rolled around, the speculation has intensified once again.
A recent report by Goal.com claims that Barcelona are on the verge of submitting an offer worth around €150m (£133m).
It is believed that Liverpool have tried to convince Coutinho to stay put, but the playmaker is said to have his heart set on a switch to the Camp Nou.
The speculation has got plenty of people talking, and Manchester United legend Gary Neville has now had his say on the matter.
The pundit cannot fathom why Liverpool would allow one of their best players to leave this month after fighting so hard to keep hold of his signature before the start of the season.
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Neville told Sky Sports:
“To have turned down a bid in the summer and then lose him now would be madness. You’re always likely to lose a player when Barcelona or Real Madrid come calling. There’s an inevitability of him leaving but they need to say ‘give us time’. To lose him now could have a terrible impact on their season. Liverpool are too big a football club to let one player mess them around.”
A lot seems to have been made of Christian Eriksen’s ankle injury last week and the apparently disastrous ramifications for Tottenham’s future ambitions. While clearly an injury is never a positive in itself, I don’t see the consequences of the Dane’s absence being nearly as harmful as many have already tried to make out.
The Danish midfielder is expected to be out for more than a month following scans this week that revealed the extent of his injury, with Spurs publishing the following statement today regarding the problem:
“Following an MRI scan on Monday it has been determined that Christian Eriksen suffered a sprain of the lateral ankle ligaments playing for Denmark against Norway on Friday.”
“The scan showed no sign of ruptured ligaments which will result in a shorter period of recovery for the attacking midfielder.”
This is clearly excellent news considering the early indications that Eriksen had actually torn or ruptured his ankle ligaments, but even so, four weeks plus out was never going to be all together good.
So what is this blessing I speak of?
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Eriksen has been central to a misfiring and imbalanced Spurs midfield, a team that frustratingly contains so much quality, but as yet has failed to live up to these standards. Much like he did at Ajax, Eriksen has been his usual mercurial self, interchanging between periods of total brilliance to that of anonymity. At such a young age this shouldn’t concern fans that much, but his absence definitely opens the door to trying something a little different.
For the majority of the season AVB has favoured playing Sigurdsson out left and Eriksen through the middle in the Premier League. Sigurdsson has been a stand out performer so far, but in my opinion he is totally wasted out wide. More like an out and out number 10, the position he often plays for Iceland, maybe it is time to finally bring him inside.
Spurs have been narrow with both Townsend and Sigurdsson intent on cutting in, a source of the congestion in the middle of the park and one of the reasons they have struggled to feed Soldado. If Sigurdsson is moved centrally this opens the door for playing Lamela or Lennon out wide on a consistent basis, with Sigurdsson still offering creativity and final third incision from the centre of the park.
Most that want to assess Spurs with a degree of perspective will be well aware of the fact they are and will be for the near future in a developmental stage. Rather than persist with a stubborn approach, it is time for AVB to experiment and find out what his best set-up is. With Eriksen out injured he has a number of faces with almost equal right to be in the team, and for AVB this offers all manner of options.
My point is that Eriksen’s injury has ended a sense of status quo over the last few weeks, and will force the Portuguese tactician to think again. My proposal is just one of a number of systems that he could choose to employ, and for me this is all crucial to developing his so-called project. There have already been calls to play Holtby deep with Sigurdsson more advanced, again another way of thinking that has its merits and is worth trying.
Spurs’ predictability has been there downfall, sucked into playing a certain way by a status quo that is getting the results without playing perhaps the football that is desired. Rather than face the potential backlash from dropping a star like Eriksen, AVB has been forced into a potential new way of thinking for the next few weeks.
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Spurs have always been best attacking with pace from wide positions, and hopefully Eriksen’s absence will necessitate a return to two out and out wingers for the game against City. A side vulnerable to the counter-attack, the likes of Townsend and Lamela could well make the difference for Spurs as they seek to revive their Champions League qualification challenge.
With Eriksen out, is now the perfect opportunity for AVB to go for a tactical re-think at Tottenham?
Roy Hodgson’s time as England manager so far has seen him relying on familiar, somewhat older faces such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and John Terry, but he hasn’t been adverse to giving some younger players a try.
Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was surprisingly taken to Euro 2012 and handed his first start against France in the team’s opener and has since gone on to make himself a regular in the side at just 19 years of age, while Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling was called up as a late replacement for the injured Daniel Sturridge before the Ukraine game.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 prospects who could force their way into the England squad over the course of the next two years as we continue our qualifying campaign for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Click on Nick Powell to unveil the 10
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Morgan Schneiderlin has largely struggled to impress since joining Everton from Manchester United in the summer of 2017.
There is no question that the Frenchman is a talent, but he found it difficult at United between 2015 and 2017 before leaving the club for Everton.
The 28-year-old has arguably been in his best form for the Toffees in recent weeks, and Everton have indeed been keen to point out this opinion as many times as possible.
The club’s official Twitter account again posted a graphic on Wednesday afternoon detailing the midfielder’s improvement.
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The Everton fans, however, are not particularly buying into the praise, or those that do agree he has been in decent form believe that is down to the fact that the summer transfer window will open next month.
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Either way, Schneiderlin seemingly still has a lot to do to convince the club’s supporters that he is capable of being a big player for the Toffees moving forward.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
According to France Football, Huddersfield Town are interested in taking Monaco’s Terence Kongolo on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 23-year-old joined the French champions from Feyenoord in the summer transfer window. However, he has only played five games for the Ligue 1 outfit since his move.
What’s the story?
Having made 138 appearances for Dutch side Feyenoord, over a period of six seasons, Terence Kongolo opted to seek pastures new as he joined Monaco in the summer of 2017. However, a move to the champions of Ligue 1 has failed to develop as anticipated and now a loan move is being considered to resurrect the Dutchman’s season.
Fellow Ligue 1 team, Bordeaux have allegedly made contact regarding Kongolo’s availability but it is thought Huddersfield are also monitoring the defender’s situation.
Would it be a good move?
The beauty of loan moves is that they’re typically low-risk, high-reward. Huddersfield have made the best start out of the newly-promoted teams in the league this season but they have conceded a staggering total of 32 goals in 20 games. Their need for defensive reinforcement is apparent, and Kongolo could provide a timely solution to David Wagner’s side.
During his time at Feyenoord, the Dutchman established his status as one of the Eredivisie’s talented defenders, and at the age of 23, the centre-half’s potential is substantial.
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Kongolo – valued at £9m by transfermarkt.com – is highly regarded for his propensity to win aerial battles, in addition to his valuable capacity to retain possession. There’s no denying that Kongolo is endowed with great technical ability. Furthermore, he is recognised for his unwavering concentration. Without question, the acquisition of Terence Kongolo would be an excellent coup for Huddersfield.
Continual speculation about the future of Gareth Bale seems to be a feature of any transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur. It is perhaps unsurprising that a man of his quality has so many potential suitors, but is it time that the Premier League club provided some kind of confirmation on the stars future?
Reports from Spanish paper Marca this week went so far as to suggest that the Welsh winger had already agreed a deal in principle to sign for Real Madrid. Regardless of whether these stories are credible, they cannot help but aid in unsettling both player and squad. Clearly Spurs need to take a decisive stance and end the saga.
Gareth Bale enjoyed a brilliant season last year, capped off by winning both the Football Writers and PFA player of the season awards. His 26 goals under new man Andre Villas-Boas are a testament to the partnership the two of them have struck up so rapidly. He has received global acclaim for his performances last season, which have seen him become Tottenham’s most prized asset. Reports place his value at anything between £50-£100m, making him potentially a world record purchase.
It seems bizarre that a club, who are in an apparent partnership with Spurs, seem so eager to publicly tap up the Welshman. Florentino Perez announced to Marca that:
‘Bale was born to play for Real Madrid’
This was followed by further comments made by club ambassador, Zinedine Zidane, who put further pressure on the Welshman:
‘If Gareth feels now is the time to move then he has to have a private discussion with his club and express that he wants to leave.’
It is hardly surprising that the papers are full of continued rumours about Bale, when those in power at Madrid are all too happy to pass comment about a player contracted to another club.
Spurs have gone some way to dispel fears that their star man may leave. Andre Villas-Boas has reiterated the stance that Bale will remain a Spurs player next year. Speaking on Spurs’ pre season tour to Asia he made the following comments:
‘He’s a player that we are willing to continue to have, he’s a Tottenham player, he’s one of the most fantastic players in the world and we are counting on him for the future.’
Unfortunately Spurs fans know all to well that the decision on Bale’s future more than likely rests at the feet of club chairman, Daniel Levy. If Levy were to make a public hands off warning to other clubs regarding Bale I am sure much of the speculation regarding Bale would end for the time being. Similarly if the player genuinely wants to stay at Spurs why not sign a new contract or make public his desire to continue in North London? As it stands the situation not only adversely affects Bale’s immediate future but that of the club in general.
What I find most concerning is the fact that in Daniel Levy, Spurs posses possibly the shrewdest of Chairmen in the country. A man unlikely to take tapping up lightly (as was the case with the Berbatov saga) it seems extraordinary that he is all too happy to allow Real Madrid to get away with it. In regards to the Modric saga, Levy came out ahead of the 2011/2012 season to state that the player would not be for the sale at any price, and further to that he spent the season as a Spurs player.
The silence over Bale is a bit of an oddity personally. Couple that with Spurs’ sudden ability to bid for players in the region of £20m and you arrive at the sickening possibility that there may be something to the stories. If Levy could sell Bale to a club outside of England for a world record fee would this represent good business for the club? Whilst he is the best player in decades for the club, he is unlikely to ever command more of a value than he does now. Further to that, the figures being touted would go a long way to fund either a new stadium or new player recruitment. Is Levy about to take a pragmatic decision here much to the displeasure of Spurs fans?
Personally I have faith that whatever decision is taken it will be for the betterment of the club in general. Levy is a pragmatist and rarely gets tied up in the same emotions that fans do. However, the current situation represents something of a PR disaster, as the club have begun to appear weak on the world footballing stage. Surely a decision one way or another would allow Spurs to move on as a club, rather than be constantly subjected to a perpetual cycle of rumour regarding the winger.
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Levy is far from being an idiot, and for that reason I can only assume a lot is going on behind the scenes that the press can only dream of knowing. A summer of indecision can only be harmful for Spurs.
Isn’t it about time Levy made a decision on Bale one way or the other?