More Camp Nou redevelopment delays will see Barcelona remain at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys even longer.
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Everton are interested in signing a “fantastic dribbler” who now wants to leave his club this January, according to a report.
The Friedkin Group are now on the verge of completing their takeover of Everton, having received Premier League approval, meaning the new owners could be at the helm by the time the January transfer window begins in just a few weeks time.
With the Toffees currently just three points clear of the bottom three, the new owners may feel that some new reinforcements are needed this winter, and a number of attacking targets have been identified by the current regime, including Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto.
The Brazilian is considering a move in January, and he could be available for a fee of around £17m, which would make him a relatively affordable option to bolster Sean Dyche’s strike force.
Having scored just 14 league goals this season, Everton may view strengthening their attack as a priority, and it was recently reported that Lyon are now open to selling Ernest Nuamah in order to balance their books this January.
Now, there has been a new update on Nuamah’s future, with CaughtOffside reporting that Nuamah wants to leave this winter, as he feels he has not received enough game time in Ligue 1 so far this season. A number of clubs are interested in signing the 21-year-old, with Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Fulham also name checked, while European giants AS Roma and Sevilla may also be tempted to make a move.
As it stands, Lyon are holding out for a fee of €25m – €30m (£21m – £25m), but the interested parties are struggling to meet the asking price, meaning they may also consider orchestrating a loan move.
£50,000-a-week Everton player now in active talks over £16.5m January exit
He is in talks over a £16.5m exit.
1
By
Henry Jackson
Dec 9, 2024
Although the Ghanaian has mainly been limited to cameo appearances as a substitute so far this season, there are signs that he could be a shrewd acquisition for the Toffees this winter. During his time with FC Nordsjaelland, the youngster received praise for his ability on the ball, as well as his shooting.
The starlet’s dribbling ability is particularly impressive, ranking in the 90th percentile for progressive carries per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers in the top European leagues.
That said, Nuamah is yet to really prove himself outside of Denmark, meaning it would be risky for the Toffees to shell out £25m this winter, and it could be wise to take him on loan first, should Lyon be open to that arrangement.
The Mexican played 18 minutes in San Diego FC's 3-2 victory over LAFC in MLS.
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Lozano played 149 matches with Tuzos.
He has yet to score with his new team.
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James Tarkowksi apologised to Alexis Mac Allister after he escaped a red card for a shocking challenge on the Liverpool star.
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That’s how you win a football match. Newcastle United ripped Ipswich Town to shreds on Saturday afternoon, looking as fluent as they’ve been in a long while and claiming a third successive victory in all competitions.
Newcastle’s patchy Premier League form this season has been a real frustration for Eddie Howe, whose tactical acumen and interpersonal skills remain closed to question. Still, something was missing.
Was it a lack of intensity? Burnout? A loss of direction after a testing, injury-hit campaign that preceded an uninspiring summer of missed opportunities?
Whatever has been out of kilter across the past few months, the Magpies seem to have reoriented themselves now. Howe’s side look as good as they’ve been in 2024, and there’s one man above all others who stood out at Portman Road. You know who.
Alexander Isak bagged a hat-trick at Ipswich to extend his brilliant run of clinical form, nine goals and three assists from nine Premier League matches, to be precise.
The Sweden international is bound to have a wealth of high-profile suitors looking jealously toward Tyneside and checking purses to ascertain the practicality of a bumper bid in 2025.
Correspondent Lee Ryder hailed the ‘ruthless display’ in his post-match player ratings, of which Isak received a perfect 10/10 score, but the 25-year-old did miss a glorious chance to grab another and might have been a little tame with one other shot.
|
Premier League Top Scorers (24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Goals |
|
1. |
Mohamed Salah |
13 |
|
1= |
Erling Haaland |
13 |
|
3. |
Cole Palmer |
11 |
|
4. |
Alexander Isak |
10 |
|
4= |
Bryan Mbeumo |
10 |
|
4= |
Chris Wood |
10 |
|
Stats via Premier League |
||
Isak might steal the headlines – rightly so, to be fair – but he wasn’t actually the finest performer for the Toon on Saturday afternoon. Jacob Murphy was the architect of the success and certainly looks like a man playing with the foresight of a Newcastle swoop for a right winger.
Newcastle’s interest in a new right winger has been well documented since the summer, with a £50m bid rejected for Anthony Elanga in August and reliable reports that Brentford’s Bryan Mbemuo is being eyed this winter.
Miguel Almiron is on the periphery with no way back, but Murphy is definitely fighting for his place in the squad – and if his recent purple patch is anything to go by, he might just continue to play a big part in the year to come. Perhaps longer.
At Ipswich, Isak benefitted from the 28-year-old’s steady stream of playmaking, for Murphy created three big chances to complement his goal-and-assist display, as per Sofascore.
A wonderful back-heeled assist for Isak capped off the dream performance, with Ryder awarding him with a 9/10 match score that spoke clearly of his faculty for success in this competitive Newcastle side. The reporter singled out the winger’s “incredible work” for the assist.
Murphy also made an important tackle and won his only contested ground duel of the afternoon. He’s willing to fight and, now having notched three goals and three assists apiece from as many Premier League matches, has made Isak unplayable and himself undroppable as the festive period hits full swing.
He's like Isak: Newcastle can axe Wilson by signing PL "nuisance" for £45m
Newcastle are finding their feet but need more firepower up front.
By
Angus Sinclair
Dec 20, 2024
With a number of exciting youngsters coming through in their academy, City may not need to splash out silly amounts of cash in the summer market.
Change is needed at Manchester City. That much is obvious given the disappointing 2024-25 campaign that has seen Pep Guardiola's side meekly hand over the Premier League title and exit the Champions League with a whimper. Of course, the expectation is that the club will now bring out the wallet to solve their problems, but a serious transfer market splurge may not be required.
It may not be obvious from the outside, but ever since Abu Dhabi United Group takeover, City have been investing in their academy system, with that focus having borne fruit in recent years – the emergence of the likes of Rico Lewis, James McAtee and, of course, Phil Foden are testament to that, while Nico O'Reilly and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey have both made their Premier League debuts this season.
But the well hasn't dried up. Far from it – Guardiola need only look at the youth teams at City for clear signs of progress. Their Under-18s are flying high at the top of the Premier League table, scoring 69 goals in 20 matches and only conceding 14 along the way. They're FA Youth Cup holders, and are through to the semi-final of this season's competition, while their EDS side are also at the summit of the Premier League 2 table.
It all points to the fact that there's serious talent coming through at the Etihad – and, ahead of a busy summer for the first team that incorporates their involvement in the Club World Cup, GOAL takes a look at some of those young stars who could be about to make their breakthrough and help a significant rebuild project become that bit easier.
Sheffield Wednesday are believed to be pushing to sign a “fantastic” Premier League player in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Joe Crann.
The Owls suffered a damaging defeat in the Championship on Sunday afternoon, falling to a 3-1 defeat away to Preston North End, halting Danny Rohl’s side’s momentum in the process.
In fairness to Wednesday, they were arguably the better team for large chunks of the game, and when Josh Windass equalised in the second half they looked the most likely side to pick up all three points, only for the visitors to gift their opponents a penalty and another sloppy goal.
The defeat leaves the Owls sitting 11th in the Championship table, which is perfectly respectable, but Rohl is now having to tackle an injury crisis at centre-back, with Dominic Iorfa forced off at Preston, adding to the list of absentees in that area of the pitch.
With the January window now just a few days away from opening, Wednesday will be afforded the chance to make new signings, and it looks as though a defender is being eyed up.
According to The Sheffield Star‘s Crann, Sheffield Wednesday have made an enquiry about signing Southampton centre-back Ronnie Edwards in January.
The Owls are “very keen to try and get a deal done” for the 21-year-old, with a loan move from St Mary’s mooted, and he is “believed to be very in demand”. The report adds that Rohl has “identified the centre-back as one of his top targets”.
Edwards could be exactly what Wednesday are after when it comes to bolstering their centre-back options in January, with a loan move potentially appealing to the player himself, too. Regular football has been hard to come by for Saints this season, with just one appearance totalling 12 minutes coming his way in the Premier League in 2024/25 to date. That arguably isn’t benefiting him, so the idea of being a key figure at Hillsborough could be ideal.
Darren Ferguson hailed Edwards as “fantastic” during his time at Peterborough United, while Barry Fry has heaped further praise on him, saying: “Ronnie is a Rolls Royce. We knew that when we signed him. It’s no secret how highly Ronnie is rated by other clubs and by the England set up. We had 18 Premier League scouts watching him play for the under 23s at our stadium.”
There is no question that Wednesday need a centre-back signing in the coming weeks, or they will risk falling further down the Championship during the winter, given their lack of available options in defence.
Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season
Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.
By
Stephan Georgiou
Apr 22, 2025
In Edwards, the Owls have a highly-rated young player in their sights, and the fact that Rohl has reportedly picked him out as an ideal target next month further outlines why he should be considered a priority addition, giving the manager exactly who he craves for the remainder of the season.
GOAL rates each remaining team's hopes of winning this season's tournament after the first batch of quarter-final matches
Are Real Madrid already out?! That's the question everyone is asking after the Champions League titleholders were torn to shreds by a rampant Arsenal side at the Emirates on Tuesday evening. The nature of that stirring victory also had some people wondering whether the injury-plagued Gunners are good enough to finally get their hands on the European Cup.
However, to do so, Mikel Arteta's men will not only have to kill off Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu (always a tough task!), it also looks like they'll have to go through potential first-time winner in Paris Saint-Germain, who have opened up a 3-1 lead over Aston Villa in their quarter-final tie thanks to another exhilarating exhibition of attacking prowess. Of course, Barcelona's fearsome forwards were arguably even more impressive in destroying Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening, while under-rated Inter once again reminded everyone how difficult they will be to shake off by upsetting Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena thanks to a masterclass in catenaccio.
So, where do we stand now after the first batch of quarter-final games? Which sides are likely to bow out next week and who looks capable of going all the way? GOAL ranks the remaining teams in terms of their chances of outright victory based on their form, opponents, momentum, pedigree and quality…
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Tottenham Hotspur are now holding internal talks over landing a new forward for Ange Postecoglou this January as they look to bolster their ranks in hopes of an improved second half of the Premier League campaign.
After illness and injuries ransacked the Tottenham squad, the Lilywhites fell to another home Premier League defeat as Newcastle edged past them 2-1.
Despite an early Spurs goal from Dominic Solanke, goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon proved enough for Eddie Howe’s side to escape north London with all three points, and condemn Tottenham to their 10th league loss in just 20 games.
Without key men across the pitch, Postecoglou’s side have already moved to sign a new goalkeeper this transfer window and are likely to strengthen further and are thought to be targeting a defender and a forward this window.
Both Richarlison and Wilson Odobert have been sidelined for much of the season, leaving Postecoglou low on options in attack, something that has resulted in Timo Werner continuing to start despite a public dressing down from the Spurs boss.
|
Tottenham’s fit options in attack |
|---|
|
Brennan Johnson |
|
Heung-min Son |
|
Timo Werner |
|
Dejan Kulusevski |
|
Dominic Solanke |
Postecoglou dubbed his performances “not acceptable” after replacing him at half-time in the 1-1 Europa League draw at Rangers just under a month ago, but the German has since featured in every game whether as a substitute or a starter.
It is clear that fresh blood is needed in attack, with Heung-Min Son having seen his form drop off a cliff so far this campaign and Dejan Kulusevski preferred in central areas by the Tottenham boss. Now, discussions have taken place over a new potential addition to their frontline.
That is according to Ben Jacobs, who reports that Tottenham have held internal talks over a move to sign PSG talent Randal Kolo Muani this January after the player’s camp contacted Spurs last month.
Unwanted by the French champions, it had previously been reported that Kolo Muani had offered himself to the Lilywhites, but now it appears that this is an option Spurs are taking seriously.
Jacobs claims that the French international is “expected to leave PSG in January” and that “several clubs across Europe are interested.” One of those is Postecoglou’s side, who have “discussed” a deal internally, though it is stressed that they are “yet to make an approach”.
It is added that PSG are “open to a loan, but ideally with an obligation”, while the “French champions prefer a permanent exit”, something that seems highly unlikely in January given the price likely needed to sell him plus his hefty £202,000 a week wages in the French capital.
Fewer touches than Werner: Ange must sell 3/10 Spurs flop who won 0 duels
Tottenham fell to another Premier League defeat against Newcastle United.
4
By
Angus Sinclair
Jan 5, 2025
Though things have not worked out for Kolo Muani since his big-money move to PSG from Eintracht Frankfurt, he has remained a key part of the French national team and is highly regarded by his teammates.
Indeed, former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi put him among the best forwards in Europe, explaining that “Randal has the qualities. A confident Randal is one of the best strikers in Europe. I hope he gets a lot more playing time because he will help them a lot more.”
Could Tottenham be the side to provide that confidence, and reap the rewards?
Leeds United have a break from Championship action this weekend as they prepare to host Harrogate Town at Elland Road in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Whites have an opportunity to hand chances to some of the fringe players in the group, to see if any of them can give Daniel Farke a selection headache ahead of the upcoming league matches.
Karl Darlow, after Illan Meslier’s mistakes against Hull City last time out, as seen in the highlights below, will get a game to showcase his ability between the sticks.
The former Newcastle United goalkeeper will be keen to show that he has what it takes to step up in the Championship, if Farke decides to make a change between the sticks.
Mateo Joseph, with Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe missing through injury, could also get an opportunity to lead the line from the start against the League Two side.
A big performance from the Spain U21 international could be needed, amid talk that Leeds are interested in adding another number nine to their squad during the January transfer window, which opened for business last week.
According to Sky Sports journalist Ben Heckner, the Whites are pursuing a deal to sign Hoffenheim centre-forward Mergim Berisha to bolster their attacking options for the second half of the season.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The reporter claims that Leeds and German side Werder Bremen are both interested in the former Germany international, which means that the Championship outfit may need to fight to secure his services before the end of the transfer window.
He adds that any deal could be structured in a way that would see the striker move to Elland Road on an 18-month loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent in the summer of 2026.
That would provide Leeds, or Werder Bremen, with a chance to run the rule over Berisha for the best part of two seasons before deciding whether or not they want to keep him in the long-term.
However, there is no mention of how much money Hoffenheim are set to demand for the permanent option, or how much they would want as a loan fee for the initial 18 months, which means that it is hard to gauge how viable a deal is, financially, for the Whites at this moment in time.
It is a move, however, that could make a lot of sense for Leeds and it would be one that would allow them to finally wave bye-bye to Joe Gelhardt, who has been linked with an exit from West Yorkshire this month.
Speaking ahead of the clash with Harrogate, Farke made it clear that Gelhardt is free to speak with other clubs but that he has not made a final decision on whether or not the forward will be allowed to leave in the current window.
With Bamford and Piroe out injured, Joseph and the English attacker are the only two senior centre-forward options for the German head coach for this weekend, which may be why he is slightly hesitant to sanction a transfer at this moment in time.
However, bringing in a seasoned number nine like Berisha would provide the former Norwich City boss with another quality option in that position, allowing him to send Gelhardt on his way without worrying about what it would do to the strength of his squad depth.
Championship strugglers Hull City are one of the clubs reportedly interested in signing the 22-year-old dud, who has been unable to force his way into Farke’s plans over the past 18 months or so.
|
Joe Gelhardt (Championship) |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
10 |
2 |
|
Minutes |
205 |
9 |
|
Goals |
0 |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Gelhardt has rarely been used by the Leeds manager and has made little-to-no impact on the pitch in the limited time he has had, with zero goals, zero assists, and zero ‘big chances’ created.
Therefore, it would appear to be best for all parties involved to wave bye-bye to the former Wigan man, either permanently or on loan, this month, and signing Berisha may be their way to do that.
As well as the requisite squad depth to be able to part ways with Gelhardt, the German centre-forward could be an excellent addition to the squad for a number of reasons.
At the age of 26, Berisha is a reasonably experienced forward, who has played in the Bundesliga and for Germany at international level, and could come in as a fantastic mentor to Joseph, 21, to help him continue his development and fulfill his potential.
It would be a bit of a gamble for Leeds, though, as the forward has struggled for game time since suffering an ACL injury in November 2023 that kept him out for 251 days.
Berisha, who has been described as being a “clinical finisher” by analysts Football Chatters, has previously showcased his quality at the top level in German, however, prior to that long injury lay-off.
|
22/23 Bundesliga |
Mergim Berisha |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
23 |
|
xG |
8.13 |
|
Goals |
9 |
|
Conversion rate |
16% |
|
Big chances missed |
5 |
|
Assists |
4 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the striker caught the eye in the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign for his former club Augsburg, with 13 direct goal contributions in 23 matches.
Ahead of that season, in the summer of 2022, it was reported that Jesse Marsch – the Leeds manager at the time – bid to bring him to Elland Road to bolster his forward options at the time, as the gem had scored 14 goals and provided ten assists in 28 league games for RB Salzburg in the 2020/21 campaign under him.
Ultimately, the American boss was unable to secure a deal for his former star in Austria, but it could be second time lucky for the Whites this month.
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Leeds United could be about to land a new version of the talented youngster.
1
By
Ethan Lamb
Jan 10, 2025
Whilst it would be a gamble, as Berisha has one goal and one assist in 11 Bundesliga games this term, signing the German ace on an initial 18-month loan could be a shrewd piece of business and one that allows Fake to wave bye-bye to Gelhardt.