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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly entered talks to sign Marcus Thuram…

What’s the word?

According to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, the 23-year-old is set to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer and discussions with the Premier League outfit have advanced in recent days.

He tweeted:

“Marcus Thuram will leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer. The player is in talks with Tottenham. It is a priority of the club. Sources close to the English club explain that the discussions have advanced in recent days.”

It remains to be seen how much the Bundesliga side will command for their first-choice winger but Transfermarkt currently values him at around £31.5m.

Bye-bye Moura

With the future of Lucas Moura up in the air, the North Londoners could already be preparing for life after the Brazilian, who would leave renowned for his come-from-behind hat-trick against Ajax in the Champions League final.

As per Goal.com, the 28-year-old has been subject to interest from Saudi Arabia, with rivals Al Hilal and Al Nassr thought to be considering a move for him in the transfer window.

If the new director of football, Fabio Paratici, wants to find an instant replacement, then perhaps he’ll find it in the Gladbach sensation.

The three-cap France international has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign at Borussia-Park, where he has delivered 11 goals and 12 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

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That included a brace against Real Madrid, whilst he has also found the net against big league rivals RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.

Thuram is described as a sharpshooter by the official Bundesliga website and they also liken him to Manchester United’s fellow Frenchman, Anthony Martial.

At 6 foot 4, he’s certainly bigger in stature and is a tad bit more stockier than the Premier League marksman but his quick, direct and strong capabilities have made him a left-winger to be feared.

“I believe that Marcus is far from the end of his development. There’s a lot more to come from him,” claimed his former boss Marco Rose. “Marcus is a footballer who benefits greatly from his physique and stature. He’s also a fine technician, who can always deal with situations in tight spaces.”

Thuram has also been described as “fast, robust and dangerous” by sporting director Max Eberl and lauded as someone who is going to have a “great future” by former coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

Paratici must look to make the towering speed demon one of his first signings at the club. He’d be a perfect replacement for Moura, even based on his goal record alone but it’s evident that he’d offer the Premier League side so much more.

AND in other news, No Dier or Alli, Roma sensation & £25m beast signed: Predicted Spurs XI under Fonseca…

Sunderland maintained their spot in the play-offs with a 1-1 draw at home to Rotherham in League One on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats are fifth in the table and one point ahead of seventh, as it stands, and know that a win on the final day of the season against Morecambe, who are battling against the drop, will seal their place in the top six.

It was an eventful night for Michael Ihiekwe at the Stadium of Light as he went from hero to zero for The Millers. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute before turning the ball into his own net in the 88th minute to gift Alex Neil’s team a point.

Sunderland did not register a single shot on target in the match as they struggled to break Paul Warne’s well-structured side down.

The home side were, therefore, a tad lucky to come away from the game with a point to show for their efforts as they did not trouble the opposition goalkeeper at all. Neil’s attackers struggled on the night and one player, in particular, who let the head coach down was centre-forward Nathan Broadhead.

Off the ball, he was a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he lost four of his six (66.6%) individual battles and this shows that he was dominated from a physical standpoint. He made one tackle in the match whilst failing to make a single interception, clearance, or block as he failed to help the defence out when Rotherham had the ball.

On the flip side of the game, he offered no attacking quality. As per SofaScore, he did not register a single key pass or shot on goal, whilst also failing to complete a single dribble. He only had 19 touches of the ball, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson having 32, and completed just nine passes.

Broadhead struggled to get into the game in the final third as he let Neil down on and off the ball throughout the match. The Everton loanee has been sublime this season, with nine goals in 14 starts, but this was a performance to forget from the Welshman.

He must now dust himself down and work hard in training ahead of the crunchtime clash with Morecambe on Saturday. Neil will need the striker at his clinical best to ensure that the Black Cats are competing for a spot in the Championship via the play-offs next month.

AND in other news, Speakman howler: SAFC may now be on the verge of repeating brutal Hugill disasterclass…

Lots of Wolves fans have been left to an official update from the Molineux faithful.As per the website of the Midlands club, former Everton, Norwich City and Wigan Athletic defender Matt Jackson has taken up a new role as the strategic player marketing manager.The role is a first for the Wanderers, and will be dedicated to ensuring players at all levels of the club and Academy are getting the best possible futures when their time at Molineux comes to an end.Jackson will also assist in outgoing loans for WWFC’s Academy prospects, where he will use his extensive contacts throughout the game to ensure that the temporary moves are the best fit for the player’s individual needs.The update has caused quite a mixed reaction among a lot of Wolves supporters, as while some feel it is a good idea to be looking after the Academy players in this way, others do not feel that the role is necessary and instead more focus should be on other aspects of the club. Wolves fans on Jackson update

These Wanderers flocked to the update on Twitter to give their thoughts:

“Having read into this, I think this is a fantastic role within the club. Putting in place measures to help academy kids after being released is arguably much more important than the first team aspects of the role”Credit: @Gary_Poynton”Easy to dismiss this but I have a feeling it might be an excellent idea”Credit: @BrianWeetman”I like this. The club needs these roles. Especially this summer. Getting out players is sometimes harder than getting in”Credit: @SteC9911″Now I know for sure football has completely and utterly lost it”Credit: @CurtisS27314464″You don’t know what you’re doing”Credit: @TipsDamon”Can’t believe we’ve appointed someone to try and make Adama look a good signing”Credit: @DaanCooperIn other news, find out what Tim Spiers update has been bemoaned by Wanderers here!

Wolves haven’t exactly set the world alight in pre-season but the most important thing for the Old Gold before the campaign gets underway is fitness.

With a new manager at the helm, the players also have to get used to his practises and methods.

On the chalkboard

One of the biggest concerns last season was undoubtedly Wolves’ defence.

During a period between October and January, they kept just two clean sheets in 14 outings under the stewardship of Nuno Santo.

Their defence has once again been a problem in pre-season. They conceded three against Las Palmas and looked shaky with a youthful backline versus Coventry on Sunday afternoon.

New signing Yerson Mosquera picked up an injury problem during that clash and if anything, it summed up why landing another defender in the weeks to come is absolutely essential.

With Conor Coady and Romain Saiss linked with exits, it becomes even more important.

The solution

Last month, Wolves were touted with a move for Kurt Zouma by French media but he reportedly rebuffed the chance to arrive in the Midlands.

However, it’s now come to a point where Bruno Lage is absolutely desperate for new recruits.

Mosquera won’t have been brought in as a starter but his presence as a squad player would have been particularly useful for what was a wafer-thin side under Nuno.

Zouma, however, would not only enter as one of the first names on the team sheet but he’d add an impressive set of legs to an area of the team that’s been plaguing them over the last 12 months.

The Frenchman has had his problems with injury but worked his way back into favour at Chelsea during last season.

Described as a “top-level” player by Thomas Tuchel, the centre-back is a monster in defensive situations.

The £28.8m-rated beast won a whopping 3.6 aerial duels while completing over 90% of his passes in the Premier League last term. For context, both of those statistics would have topped the charts at Molineux.

He is a wonderful ball-playing centre-back who combines composure and elegance in possession with brutal strength in defensive duels.

Wolves arguably only have Willy Boly of the same calibre so there are endless positives to concluding a deal.

Zouma has rejected them once but they must continue their pursuit with more relentlessness. Given their situation in defence, it would be an instant masterclass if they can pull off such an eye-catching transfer.

AND in other news, Brands can strike gold by completing Everton swoop for “excellent” £124k-p/w “monster”…

Some Liverpool supporters have hailed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against Osasuna, as the Reds finished pre-season in style.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were excellent against the La Liga side on Monday night, easing to a fully-deserved 3-1 victory. It was Liverpool’s last pre-season friendly of the summer, with the real football getting underway on Saturday as the Reds open their Premier League campaign at Norwich City.

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The Osasuna game saw a number of players shine, from Ibrahima Konate at centre-back to Kostas Tsimikas at left-back and Takumi Minamino and Roberto Firmino in attack.

Another who also impressed greatly was Oxlade-Chamberlain, who looked full of energy and almost scored a stunning long-range effort in the first half.

Klopp claimed that the midfielder was “on fire” after the game and it wasn’t only the Liverpool manager who recognised the influence he enjoyed.

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Liverpool fans laud Oxlade-Chamberlain

Sky Sports named Oxlade-Chamberlain as their man of the match, while these Reds fans took to Twitter to heap praise on the midfielder following his “outstanding” display.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain showed signs of returning to form, tonight. Bags of energy, relentless pressing and always looking to attack. Just needs a bit of luck fitness-wise”

Credit: @BenWebbLFC

“Really dynamic performance this from the Oxlade”

Credit: @RobGutmann

“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants a starting spot against Norwich and does not care if you know it”

Credit: @karlmatchett

“Oxlade-Chamberlain really lively tonight. So much drive going forward and offers something different as a direct goal threat from midfield. Can make such a difference when he’s at it”

Credit: @_lfcleanne

“Oxlade-Chamberlain my Man of the Match, outstanding. More performances like that this season along with Naby continuing his pre-season form and we’ll be sound. Leighton Clarkson (Xabi Alonso) looks a real player. Got an eye for a pass and plays it quickly. Boss watch that game”

Credit: @decayingcactus

“Oxlade Chamberlain is going to be very good this season!!! Can’t wait to see him balling at the PL with Liverpool”

Credit: @_FootballTwts

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a fresh transfer rumour. Read more here.

It’s been a truly bizarre, indeed almost nightmarish, season for Matty Longstaff at Newcastle United.

Described as “talented” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, the 21-year-old showed in that stunning goalscoring performance against Manchester United in October 2019 that he has the ability to be a top-drawer player for the Magpies.

Speaking after that game, Arsenal icon Martin Keown declared: “The young lad should be knocking on Steve Bruce’s door and saying ‘Why didn’t you play me sooner?’ It was almost to say to the boss, ‘Hey, look at me, you have overlooked me for too long.’

“It was like a Paul Scholes…I know that’s big praise and they are big boots for him to copy, but him and his brother – Carrick, Scholes…you know, they did very well. And this is an important ingredient now in this Newcastle team, yes they were more disciplined but those two definitely won them the game.”

However, after putting pen to paper on a new deal last summer, things have gone horribly south for the younger Longstaff, playing just five games in the Premier League all season and not featuring at all since mid-January.

It has raised a few eyebrows to put it mildly, not least from the rest of the Newcastle squad apparently. The Athletic’s Chris Waugh revealed: “Steve Bruce, the head coach, has simply opted to exclude the academy graduate, much to the bemusement of team-mates and the player himself.

“There have been some suggestions that his naivety at Premier League level is part of the reason, yet that does not tally with the decision to field Longstaff against three of the very best sides in the division over the Christmas period.

“This season really needed to be one during which Longstaff was given opportunities. The club, Bruce and the player all recognised that. So, if those chances were not going to arrive on Tyneside, then surely a loan deal would have been in the player’s best interests.”

However, with the final day of the Premier League season now here, surely Bruce has no excuse but to give the £4.5m-rated Longstaff the chance to shine.

After being promised genuine first-team opportunities this term, there’s no questioning that the 21-year-old will be frustrated, maybe even livid, at being cast aside for the majority of the season – not least considering how badly the Magpies were struggling prior to the March international break.

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The clash against Fulham later this afternoon should offer him an overdue chance to taste first team football.

Meanwhile, Luke Edwards has dropped an exciting Newcastle United update…

Celtic are ready to pay £4m for Rubin Kazan defender Carl Starfelt, according to Sport Expressen reporter Anel Avdic.

The Lowdown: Romano claim

The Hoops’ interest in Starfelt emerged on Tuesday afternoon. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared the news on Twitter, revealing Celtic were in direct with the 26-year-old regarding personal terms.

Romano added that an opening bid was set to be made for the Sweden international, with talks underway between the two parties.

Starfelt is under contract with the Russian side until 2024 and has made 42 appearances for Kazan, however, it seems as if Celtic want to take him to Scotland.

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The Latest: Avdic post

Sport Expressen reporter Avdic quoted Romano’s tweet and added some more information regarding a potential move.

He claimed Celtic were ready to pay £4m for Starfelt, with 10% of any deal going to former side IFK Goteborg.

“According to our sources at Sport Expressen Celtic is ready to pay around £4 m to Rubin Kazan. 10% of the transfer fee will go to Starfelt’s former club IFK Göteborg.”

The Verdict: Starfelt and Vuskovic for Ajer?

Norwich are thought to be preparing an improved £12m offer for Kristoffer Ajer, so the Hoops could end up signing two defenders with that money, while also having funds left over.

Ajer wants to leave Parkhead, so it would make sense to cash in, especially as he has just 12 months left on his Celtic contract.

Should the Hoops be successful with a £4m bid for Starfelt and in their attempts in a £5m move for Mario Vuskovic, they could end up bringing in two high-quality replacements with money left to spend.

In other news: Celtic now ‘moving’ to sign ace on Top-100 prospects list alongside Sancho, Foden and Saka, find out more here. 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered his verdict on Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa and the side’s struggles this season in the Premier League.

What’s the story?

The Whites fell to yet another disappointing defeat in the top-flight at the weekend, this time slipping to a 1-0 loss against Southampton, and Hay has now commented on some of the key issues facing the club.

He said: “The bench is incredibly young. With the exception of Forshaw, one Premier League start between them. I can understand why, despite the past three years, that still worries people. You’re looking for proven options and there are very few.

“We’ve asked him about squad depth or written about it so many times. He always has the same answer which is to say that it’s how he wants it and it’s how it’s going to be. It’s worked for him up until now but looking at that bench today, you just couldn’t see where the impact was going to come from. Fully fit there are decent options but it has to be said that this squad is rarely fully fit.

“I don’t think they’re confused. I think people can just see that it hasn’t worked in the same way so far. And because Leeds are so drilled and have such a defined way of playing, when it doesn’t work it’s going to cause concern. Because you know Bielsa will stick to his plan.”

Worrying times for Leeds

Just as much as the result, the performance is what really would have caused Leeds fans to worry about their team going forward over these next few weeks in the Premier League.

The Whites could only muster three shots on goal in the entire game against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, while they also made significantly less tackles and won fewer duels too – an all-round abject display.

As Hay touched upon, strength in depth has been a glaring problem at Elland Road under Bielsa, with the Leeds boss preferring a tight-knit squad with little room for manoeuvre if things go wrong.

The big problem for him, is that anything that could go wrong, has gone wrong for him in these early weeks of the Premier League campaign.

Whether it be injuries, illnesses or the dreaded consequences of the international break, Leeds have been without a number of key first-team players for a good period of time, including the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford.

By not really strengthening the squad of the summer, and instead choosing to stick to his guns, Bielsa decided to play with fire. And everything that has come since has hardly been surprising. It’s sure to worry Leeds fans.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this La Liga starlet…

So far this season, Liverpool wingers Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota have scored 19 of the Reds’ 27 goals in the Premier League, with the Egyptian netting 10 of them.

However, it seems as though FSG have their eye on securing a new attacking talent who could strengthen the attacking power at Anfield even further.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by El Nacional that Liverpool are interested in signing Ajax winger Antony during the next summer transfer window.

The 21-year-old winger joined Ajax last year after the Dutch club secured a five-year deal in February 2020 with Brazilian club Sao Paulo worth a reported initial fee of £13.3m.

Since then, Antony – who has been described as a “wonderful” player by Dutch scout Piet de Visser – has made 56 appearances for Ajax across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 12 assists, which is presumably what has apparently attracted Liverpool to him.

So far this season, the £22.5m winger (according to Transfermarkt) has scored four goals and provided two assists in 10 appearances across all competitions.

In addition to this, he has racked up an average of 2.6 shots per game in the Eredivisie, and while it may not be at the same level as Salah’s average of 4.4 shots per game in the Premier League this season, it shows that Antony has plenty of attacking talent in him at a young age.

However, according to SofaScore, the 21-year-old has the same technical rating (62) as Liverpool’s Egyptian star, which suggests that the Ajax man could be the Merseyside club’s next version of Salah in the future if he moves to Anfield and improves other aspects of his game, something that Klopp would undoubtedly love to see.

If a move for Antony in the next summer transfer window is financially viable for FSG, they should definitely look to add him to Klopp’s squad as a potential future star given his young age and evident talents.

In other news: Klopp must unleash “important” Liverpool beast on Saturday, he’d terrify Brighton

Many Wolves fans have been left reacting to a transfer update involving Ruben Neves, which emerged this week.

Speaking on his Twitch channel, Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed (via Talking Wolves) that a development will come on his future in the next few days, and added that it could be with regards to a potential move to either Manchester United or Arsenal.

The Portugal international has been such a key player at Molineux, averaging more tackles (2.4), interceptions (1.8), shots (1.9), passes (54.9) and long balls (5.3) a match in the Premier League than both Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho in the 2020/21 term (WhoScored).

Thus, it would be such a shame to see him go, especially to another team in the top flight.

Wolves fans on Neves transfer update

These supporters of the Midlands club gave their reactions as the transfer update on Neves was shared on Twitter, and it is safe to say that they do not want to see him leave:

“Pain”

Credit: @wwfcjoe_

“Whyyyyyyyyyyy?”

Credit: @LukasWard12

“Will not begrudge Neves leaving to a top side, he’s good enough to do it. But if he goes to Arsenal then I will do. He’s better than that.”

Credit: @ahyden95

“Yuk!”

Credit: @ACrowe87

“Son’s crying”

Credit: @Harry_Mansell

“If Wolves have any real AMBITION then you keep Neves. The new so called style will rely on a ‘Neves’ to defend deep and spray passes. Let’s see what we get if he goes….”

Credit: @shewardjon1

In other news, find out what training footage has Wanderers gushing here!