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Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal has expressed his desire to reunite with Antonio Conte at Internazionale, as reported by El Mercurio, via FC Inter News.

Shanghai SIPG are said to have made the 32-year-old a lucrative financial offer, but he has turned it down in the hope of being able to play under Conte, as he did at Juventus.

Barcelona have valued the Chilean midfielder at €15m, though they have also stated that they would rather allow Ivan Rakitic to leave, as opposed to Vidal.

Vidal is reportedly tired of being a backup option, as has been the case under Ernesto Valverde this season, feeling that he needs to be playing more games, something he has already expressed openly.

Across La Liga and the Champions League, the midfielder has started just 2 games, adding another 7 substitute appearances, amassing a total of 297 minutes, as per WhoScored.

He may have been used sporadically from the bench, but the veteran has still averaged 2.4 tackles, 0.4 interceptions and 0.6 clearances per game, while also completing 86% of his attempted passes.

Bringing in Vidal would be a good move from Conte, despite the lack of game time the midfielder has had this term, especially considering the fact the Inter manager has managed to get the best out of him in the past.

Inter fans, would you like to see Vidal join your club? Join the discussion by commenting below…

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a close eye on Wolverhampton Wanderers central defender Willy Boly.

Per the report, both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will see their contracts at Spurs expire next summer, which could create a real problem heading into next season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will reportedly make regular checks on Boly over the next few months before deciding whether to launch a move in next summer’s transfer window.

The 28-year-old has made 92 appearances for Wolves since arriving from Porto – initially on loan before completing a permanent move in the summer of 2018.

This term, Boly has contributed one goal in 14 appearances in all competitions, but his contract at Molineux will expire in little under two years.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A number of Tottenham fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer rumour and despite Boly’s solid form this season, it seems that the majority are against a deal taking place.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, John Hartson spoke of the power agents have in football, suggesting that their huge influence in the game cannot be understated.

News this week broke regarding the future of West Ham’s Conor Coventry, whose future at the club could be in doubt over a stumbling block in relation to a proposed contract extension.

The issue is that the player reportedly wants a wage of £5k a week despite playing a grand total of 52 minutes for the senior team, and as a result the club and the player’s representatives are at an impasse.

It is a good example of what the former West Ham striker is referring too, but the fact the case is not an isolated one supports the view Hartson has of the significance of agents.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I think agents are running the game. Totally running the game. They’re controlling the young players, they’ve got massive relationships with the owners of football clubs. It works both ways as a club will use an agent to sell a player or to bring a player in.

“The agent will use the club to get their players big moves and big wages and transfer fees. The agents have so much power because they own the player.”

Sadly, Coventry isn’t the only example in recent times of a player’s agent trying to extend their powers.

Bobby Duncan, a bright prospect who started out at Manchester City before joining Liverpool, faced a similar scenario in the summer.

He felt aggrieved at a lack of playing time but his agent Saif Rubie took matters into his own hands by publishing an extraordinary statement on social media in which he accused the club of bullying Duncan and damaging his mental health by rejecting a transfer offer from Fiorentina, a move which was finalised a few days after the incident.

Hartson also speaks of agents being affiliated with the club, best evidenced by the relationship Jorge Mendes has with Wolves – his influence leading to a number of his clients joining the club and being responsible for their success in recent years, including Nuno Espirito Santo and Ruben Neves.

It is no longer only the top players who garner attention from agents, or even just professionals, with younger age groups now sought-after as clubs try to tie down the most promising talent early on.

“I know an agency who have smaller agents who go around watching U13s, U14s and U15s matches and approach the players on the side of the pitch, and eventually get those top players who come through,” added Hartson.

Nowadays it is not uncommon to see players under the age of 18 make transfers. Raheem Sterling is a high profile example of that having joined Liverpool at the age of 15 from QPR.

Chelsea’s recent transfer ban was also the result of illegally signing minors from foreign clubs, whilst Barcelona have been reprimanded for the same, and much of it is due to the involvement of agents.

In this instalment of our transfer round-up, Football Transfer Tavern have gathered three of the biggest stories to have involved Everton recently and have provided our thoughts on the reports published.

Everton spent big in the summer to bolster Marco Silva’s midfield with Andre Gomes acquired permanently for £22million (BBC), Fabian Delph brought in from Manchester City for £10m (BBC) and Jean-Philippe Gbamin hired to replace Idrissa Gana Gueye at £25m (BBC).

Another midfielder could have joined the trio this summer, though, as Juventus’ Sami Khedira allegedly rejected the Toffees’ advances, as he held out for a Premier League move that never come.

The Blues’ spending may not yet be done, either, as they are reportedly keen on an emerging wonderkid, but face competition for his signature from a top six side.

Everton’s interest in Sami Khedira

According to Calciomercato, Juve’s £6.3m-rated (TransferMarkt) man Khedira was offered the chance to join Everton or Fenerbahce in the summer but turned them down, as he had his hopes set on joining Arsenal after Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot joined the Turin outfit alongside new head coach Maurizio Sarri.

In the end, the 2014 World Cup winner remained at the Allianz Stadium after the Gunners did not approach him, and Khedira’s decision to reject Everton and Fenerbahce after evaluating their offers earned him Sarri’s respect for staying put.

The former Chelsea boss has since named Khedira in each of his matchday squads and started the German in six of those – including Juve’s 4-3 win over SSC Napoli and Champions League group stage trip to Atletico Madrid.

Verdict

With Everton signing Gbamin and Delph alongside turning Gomes’ temporary stint into a full-time arrangement, the Toffees likely did not need to hire another midfielder in the summer, so there is every chance their enquiry to Khedira came earlier in the window than one of the moves they eventually completed.

The German may also have been seen as a replacement for Morgan Schneiderlin, as the Frenchman was heavily linked with moves away from Merseyside in the summer (Aksam) and was often out of favour last term (TransferMarkt).

Schneiderlin has since been a regular in the Everton line-up in the absence of Gbamin and Gomes, and is arguably a stronger option than 32-year-old Khedira, who has been averaging 1.8 successful tackles from 3.9 attempts per 90 minutes this season – Schneiderlin is averaging 2.3 from 3.7, as per WhoScored data.

Chelsea to rival Everton for Wigan’s Joe Gelhardt

According to the Daily Express, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is keen to sign Wigan Athletic’s emerging wonderkid Joe Gelhardt ahead of Everton, as the youngster is seen to be the hottest prospect outside of the Premier League.

The 17-year-old made his senior Latics debut at the tail end of last season as a half-time substitute against Birmingham City, and has since featured in three further Championship fixtures and scored his maiden goal against Hull City in September (TransferMarkt).

Wigan are prepared to fight any attempts to sign the England under-18 international as they have the Liverpool-born centre-forward under contract until 2021, but Lampard’s faith in young players has seen his West London outfit move into pole position should the Latics’ resolve weaken.

Verdict

Lampard has certainly shown he is willing to give young players a chance in the top flight since he returned to Stamford Bridge to occupy the hot seat, with Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham all earning regular minutes at a club where they had struggled to break through under previous managers.

Everton boss Marco Silva, on the other hand, would appear to have struggled at finding the same balance at Goodison Park, or just does not have the same faith in the Toffees’ academy products that Lampard does in Chelsea’s.

Tom Davies, for example, was already a first team regular before Silva arrived on Merseyside, but the England under-21 international saw his minutes decline massively after Sam Allardyce was replaced by the Portuguese and has barely featured in his teamsheets this term.

Danny Murphy claims Everton should have hired Brendan Rodgers

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has told talkSPORT (via HITC) that Everton should have hired current Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers instead of Silva when the Toffees searched for Allardyce’s replacement in 2018.

Rodgers was in charge of Scottish Premiership side Celtic at the time, but has since returned to the Premier League with the Foxes and taken an average 1.95 points per game with them (TransferMarkt), including 14 of a possible 21 so far this season.

Silva, on the other hand, has taken an average 1.46 points per game with Everton, and just seven this season, leading to the Portuguese’s position being up for debate once more.

“When the Everton manager’s job was up for debate, and they were trying to get Silva, I said even then that Rodgers was a better bet than Silva,” Murphy told talkSPORT. “I did [then], and I think I’m still correct with that [now].

“But Everton made their decision to go for Silva. I just thought Rodgers has more experience in the English game. He’s tactically more versatile, and, overall, the job he did at Liverpool was very well received by the supporters.”

Verdict

The more Everton struggle under Silva, more questions will naturally rise over whether or not the Portuguese was the right man for the job, as the Toffees have had difficulties throughout his tenure in defence, particularly from set-pieces.

Some Toffees supporters are even questioning whether his brand of football is any more attractive than Allardyce’s was, whereas Rodgers is being lauded as a manager capable of turning around Manchester United’s plight as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer flounders.

The Blues may have now missed the boat on appointing Rodgers with the Foxes challenging the established top six for the European places, and will likely have to stick it out with Silva unless a true game-changing manager comes on the market.

Everton fans, who would you have preferred between Silva and Rodgers? Let us know in the comments below…

Real Madrid have a rather difficult task ahead of them.

After a disappointing bout with Club Brugge in the heart of the Spanish capital, Los Blancos will welcome the current runners-up to the first spot in La Liga, Granada, to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Not many would’ve expected to see a newly promoted team so high in the standings after seven matchdays and yet, here they are, ready to take another scalp and continue shaking Spain to its core.

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For that reason, they cannot be taken lightly and Zinedine Zidane would be wise not to underestimate them. That also includes sending out a strong side that can get the job done this Saturday afternoon.

And with that being said, here’s what we think the Frenchman should go for in terms of his personnel…

Thibaut Courtois had to be subbed off at half-time in the clash against Club Brugge and the club confirmed that the Belgian is suffering from gastroenteritis with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Zidane did mention that there indeed was a problem with his goalie when he faced the press after the Champions League clash, so Alphonse Areola is his best option.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

One other player that will miss out on the clash is Marcelo. The experienced left-back has also been injured for a while but made an appearance against Club Brugge in midweek. Still, the newest report coming from the club suggests he suffered a relapse of his injury so we won’t see him against Granada this weekend.

And with other left-back options, Ferland Mendy and Nacho, also injured, Zidane faces a huge selection problem that we believe can be best solved by a big change in formation.

Even though it’s fairly risky, we’re going with the bold choice of three defenders in front of Areola as Ramos and Varane are accompanied by Eder Militao.

In the middle of the park, Zidane should stick with familiar faces – Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric are expected to all be fit, and they should be joined by James Rodriguez in a more advanced role. Despite only finding one assist this season, he’s averaged an impressive 1.8 key passes per game.

Gareth Bale sat out the last clash altogether, but we’re putting him into our suggested XI, contributing to three goals in five La Liga games so far.

He should be deployed on the right, opposite of Eden Hazard and just next to their centre-forward Karim Benzema, who remains Real Madrid’s top scorer in La Liga with five goals this term.

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As quoted by Football London, West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Manuel Lanzini is close to a return to action, following a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Chilean coach said, “this week I think we will have the squad list [on Thursday] and maybe Lanzini and Nasri can be included on the squad list…We will talk [Thursday] with the medical staff and then we will decide.”

Whether or not it is in time to face Fulham at the London Stadium on Friday night, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder is clearly close to a return to field. This will be welcome news to Hammers fans, as the Argentine can certainly have an impact between now and the end of the season.

On the chalkboard

The midfielder was expected to miss out on the entirety of this campaign after he sustained a knee injury during preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he now looks to be on schedule for a return ahead of the initial 15-month diagnosis.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The team he is coming back into though is very different to the one he left. The Hammers have improved their attacking contingent whilst Lanzini has been sidelined, and summer arrival Felipe Anderson could make it tricky for the 4-cap Argentina international to get back into the team.

Pellegrini will have to find a way to balance his side so that Lanzini and the Brazilian can play alongside each other without leaving the Irons defensively exposed.

Finding the balance

With both Anderson and Lanzini on the pitch, the east London club would boast a great deal of creativity, technical ability and flair. However, neither are the most defensively aware or diligent of players. Despite all their quality, the Irons could find themselves missing the work rate currently brought to the side by the likes of Mark Noble, Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio – and there isn’t room for all of them in the starting XI.

Jack Wilshere and Andriy Yarmolenko’s own returns to fitness could intensify this selection headache for the manager. Pellegrini will likely have to make some tough choices in the summer, or else find a way to accommodate all of this attacking midfield talent, to ensure that the Iron’s don’t become a top-heavy, unbalanced outfit.

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West Brom’s unbeaten start to the season continued on Sunday afternoon as Slaven Bilic’s men defeated Huddersfield.

The visitors twice took the lead to leave the Baggies under pressure to continue their run of picking up points from a losing position.

But the introduction of Grady Diangana at half-time swung the game in Albion’s favour as they hit three goals without reply to win 4-2.

One of the goalscorers was surprisingly right-back Darnell Furlong, a £1.5m summer arrival from Queens Park Rangers, who are coincidentally their next Championship fixture.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 23-year-old headed home the equaliser to make it 2-2 in the 70th minute after the West Ham loanee’s cross found him inside the area.

Furlong shared his thoughts to his first Baggies goal on social media to which several of the Hawthorns faithful responded.

One supporter claimed the 5 foot 11 defender was the best right-back Albion have had for years and years which was backed up by another who labelled the £1.5m they paid for him this summer as ‘madness’ considering he has been a standout so far this season.

Several superlatives were also used to describe his performance, including ‘outstanding,’ ‘superb,’ and ‘brilliant.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

According to Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, Ajax were ‘priced out of a potential deal’ by Tottenham for Steven Bergwijn as Antonio Conte considers him ‘an important member of his squad’.

The Lowdown: Bergwijn’s transfer saga

The Dutch winger was at the centre of a fluctuating transfer saga during the January window. One moment he was seemingly off from N17, the next Conte wanted him to stay.

On 9 January, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claimed that Tottenham had ‘decided to sell’ the 24-year-old amid interest from a number of clubs.

Two days later, the Evening Standard reported that Spurs had rejected an opening £15m bid from Ajax. It was said that Daniel Levy was holding out on the deal as he was looking to recoup as much of the £27m that they paid for the player in 2020 as they could.

However, Bergwijn seemingly threw his Spurs future into the air as he fired in two stoppage-time goals in 80 seconds to snatch Conte’s side three points in a thrilling 3-2 win over Leicester City two weeks ago.

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The Latest: Ajax ‘priced out’ of Bergwijn deal

According to Eccleshare on Twitter, the Dutch champions were priced out of a possible deal for Bergwijn, a player who Conte feels is an integral member of the Tottenham squad.

He outlined: “It’s been a busy day for #THFC departures, but Steven Bergwijn is staying put. Ajax priced out of a potential deal for someone Antonio Conte considers an important member of his squad.”

Eccleshare also revealed for The Athletic that Spurs were not actively looking to offload the attacker, but Ajax’s interest had tested their resolve. This ultimately ended as the Dutch giants could not afford to meet Tottenham’s asking price.

The Verdict: Good choice

Bergwijn has not enjoyed an easy period since he arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but in recent weeks, it seems that the Netherlands international’s fortunes may have changed.

With the 24-year-old having secured Spurs that dramatic win against Leicester and with Alasdair Gold hailing him as a ‘rare bright spot’ in the recent defeat at Chelsea, this begged the question as to whether Conte and Fabio Paratici were silly to consider allowing the player to leave.

Considering the failed pursuit for now-Barcelona winger Adama Traore, Tottenham have made the right call to keep hold of the Dutchman, whose ‘quality’ has been hailed by Conte himself.

In other news: Tottenham: Late Ousmane Dembele attempt fails

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst enjoyed a strong first transfer window in charge of the club as he brought a number of players in throughout the month.

John Souttar signed a pre-contract to join from Hearts in the summer, whilst Amad Diallo, James Sands, Mateusz Zukowski and Aaron Ramsey call came in to bolster the squad immediately.

The Dutch head coach may now be planning ahead of his first summer window in charge of the club, with players set to leave and arrive at Ibrox.

One player who is out of contract at the end of this season is central midfielder Steven Davis, whose deal runs out at the end of May.

Save millions

The veteran midfielder has played 334 games for the Gers throughout his career and will leave a sizeable hole in the squad that will need to be filled.

Instead of dipping into the transfer market to spend millions on a replacement, van Bronckhorst could unleash academy youngster Alex Lowry and offer him the chance to become a regular in the side.

He made his debut against Stirling Albion in the cup this term and managed to score his first senior goal after coming off the bench for the injured Ianis Hagi.

Ex-Gers enforcer Craig Moore heaped praise on the youngster earlier this season, saying: “He looks so comfortable on the ball and really confident on it.

“He’s not demanding it all the time but that will come with experience but when he has that ball, he looks totally at ease.

“He has the ability to go left and right, and I know that Fashion Sakala got man of the match, but I actually thought that Lowry was the best player on the field.”

His goalscoring debut offered a glimpse of what the beast is capable of and Moore’s comments highlight how impressive he was throughout the match. This shows that he is able to deal with the pressure of playing in a first-team environment as he did not shy away from getting on the ball and trying to make things happen.

At the age of 18, he also has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player. This means that he could be slowly integrated into the team as Davis’ replacement next season, saving Ross Wilson millions in needing to bring a fresh face in to take his spot.

AND in other news, Wilson has endured a big Ibrox howler over dud who’s cost Rangers £1m per league goal…

A number of Wolves supporters have been lauding Conor Coady’s celebration after scoring in his team’s 3-1 win at home to Southampton.

Bruno Lage’s side continued their impressive season on Saturday afternoon, easing past the Saints at Molineux to follow up their famous 1-0 victory away to Manchester United in their previous Premier League clash.

Raul Jimenez opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Coady made it 2-0 before James Ward-Prowse pulled a goal back with a trademark free-kick. Adama Traore then put the game to bed in the dying minutes, scoring his first goal of the season.

It was a rare Coady strike which was arguably the highlight of the afternoon, with the skipper netting just his fifth goal in 298 appearances for Wolves.

Wolves fans laud Coady celebration

After the game, the club’s official Twitter channel shared a video of Coady scoring and celebrating passionately with the home fans. Unsurprisingly, these Wolves supporters reacted gleefully to the footage.

“Keep watching this, how much it means to him and the team, Love how Sa is there too. LOVE this and our Captain”

Credit: @SmithShakesp

“I don’t think team morale has ever been this high. Only looking up from here”

Credit: @jm0ty

“You cannot put a price tag on that”

Credit: @JasDeo1

“What a bloke. Honestly so happy for him it’s nice to see his turnaround after so many slandered him (including myself) to now being an important part of our defensive unit and adding a few goals here and there”

Credit: @Alfiewwfc_

“It’s impossible not to like this bloke”

Credit: @Cookmtt1976

“My skipper!!!”

Credit: @86bakes

In other news, some Wolves fans are delighted after news emerged regarding one player. Find out who it is here.