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Chelsea ‘looked at’ Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim before appointing Graham Potter as manager, and have him on their list as a potential replacement, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: Amorim profiled

Amorim has received huge plaudits for the job he has done in Portugal, with members of the media lauding him as ‘the greatest manager Sporting has ever had.’

The 38-year-old’s finest achievement was winning the 2020-21 Primeira Liga title, before more recently adding both the Portuguese Super Cup and League Cup to his collection, taking him to five trophies in his managerial career.

The Latest: On the list

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Phillips confirmed that the Sporting boss has been on a three-man list including Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, saying:

“Chelsea are doing their due diligence and they will have a list, like every club does, so I know that Pochettino remains on there.

“Another one that I know Chelsea looked at, at the same time as Potter, is Ruben Amorim from Sporting. They looked at him, but they chose Potter out of those three.”

The Verdict: Plenty of options

Potter will undoubtedly be on thin ice, with the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday leaving Chelsea 10th in the Premier League table, having lost more games than they’ve won.

As such, the board must start thinking about potential replacements for the Englishman, and Amorim, who has been lauded as ‘sensational’ by the media, could be a very shrewd appointment, given his track record of winning trophies.

That said, Pochettino is also being considered for the role, and the Argentine has experience managing in the Premier League, having overseen 293 matches in the Tottenham dugout.

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Luciano Spalletti is another option for Todd Boehly, and the 63-year-old is another very strong candidate, with his Napoli side currently sat top of the Serie A table.

Amorim looks to be the exciting, trendy and high-risk high-reward option, so is certainly one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Glasgow Rangers are in the mix to sign Standard Liege sensation Nicolas Raskin, according to reports in Belgium.

The Lowdown: Raskin profiled

The 21 year-old is a versatile midfielder who has enjoyed a rapid breakout into Liege’s first-team over the last couple of seasons, seeing his transfer value skyrocket from €325k to €7m in the space of two years, an increase of over 2,000 per cent.

Capable of playing as a deep-lying number six, a box to box number eight or even in the advanced number ten position, Raskin is now attracting interest from all over Europe due to his tense contract situation.

The youngster’s current deal runs out next summer, and he recently took to social media to make it clear he is not in talks to extend, even calling a journalist a ‘clown’ for reporting otherwise.

The Latest: Rangers join the race

Seemingly not impressed by his very public statement, Liege have now decided to cash in this January, with Voetbal Nieuws (via Sport Witness) revealing Raskin turned down a new contract worth €1.8m per year and has been relegated to the Jupiler Pro League outfit’s B-team.

They are now waiting for ‘any interesting offer’, and Rangers join Club Brugge, Leeds United, SC Braga, Genoa, Fiorentina, Marseille and Lille as ‘potential buyers’.

The verdict: Worth the gamble?

Given the contract standoff seemingly taking place at the Premiership club right now with Alfredo Morelos – the striker has allegedly requested £45k per week to sign a new deal – fans may be cautious about engaging with another maverick.

That said, the Gers haven’t exactly done poorly out of their time with the Colombian, as he’s racked up 116 goals for the club, and if Raskin could even manage half of that impact then he would be a worthwhile gamble.

The versatile midfielder, dubbed ‘brilliant’ in his teens and tipped to part of Belgium’s next golden generation by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has provided four assists in 14 Belgian League starts this season, showing an eye for a pass that has often been lacking in the Ibrox midfield ranks.

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For context, Malik Tillman is the only Rangers midfielder with four Premiership assists this season, and he of course plays in a more advanced role.

With so many sides interested in Raskin and a senior Belgium berth seemingly inevitable for the Under-21 international, Ross Wilson would be a fool not to test the waters with a cut-price January bid.

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has unearthed some gems in the transfer market in recent years to help the club to win trophies.

The Light Blues have won the Scottish Cup and the Premiership during his time at the helm, and the likes of Calvin Bassey and Ianis Hagi – who were signed by the ex-Southampton chief – played a role in those successes.

He arrived in Glasgow after Steven Gerrard’s first three transfer windows at the helm, and the former Liverpool captain was able to strike some gold of his own in the market prior to Wilson joining the Ibrox club.

One of the former England international’s first signings in charge of the Gers was winger Ryan Kent on loan from Anfield in the summer of 2018, and the attacker enjoyed a solid debut campaign at Rangers with six goals and six assists in 27 Premiership matches.

After that loan spell, Gerrard was keen to snap him up on a permanent basis and convinced the club to sign him on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be in the region of £7m.

That decision has turned out to be a phenomenal one for Rangers, as the winger has flourished at Ibrox and become a key player over the course of several years.

Kent’s former Gers team-mate Leon Balogun described him as a “wing wizard” and the 25-year-old’s statistics back that up, as he has produced 30 goals and 50 assists in 184 appearances in all competitions for the Glasgow giants.

At the time of his permanent move to Scotland, Transfermarkt valued him at just £1.58m. At the time of writing (28/09/22), that valuation has soared to a whopping £15.75m, which is an increase of roughly 897%, and 125% more than the £7m that they reportedly paid for his services.

This shows that he has developed exponentially since moving to Rangers, and that is a credit to Gerrard for spotting him and making him a key member of the team on the pitch, along with Giovanni van Bronckhorst for continuing to rely on the Englishman out wide.

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Kent racked up an eye-catching Europa League final and won the Scottish Cup. The Light Blues forward played in chipped in with one goal and five assists from out wide, as he made his presence felt on the continental stage.

This season, he has set up three goals in five Premiership outings and continues to be a star turn for the Light Blues in attack, with the ex-Barnsley loanee still having plenty more to give at the age of 25. He can continue to grow his value by putting in strong performances on the pitch, and hopefully he will enjoy another successful campaign in 2022/23.

Gerrard struck gold by signing Kent on a permanent basis in 2019, and Van Bronckhorst will now be hoping that he looks back with similar fondness in a few years’ time on a few of the players that Wilson has signed for him in the last two transfer windows.

Leeds United have in the last 24 hours been credited with an interest in Burnley left-back Maxwel Cornet.

The Lowdown: Wondergoal at Elland Road

Cornet made the move to Burnley last summer and enjoyed a productive first season in the Premier League on a personal level.

The 25-year-old netted nine Premier League goals in 26 appearances, one of which was an unstoppable free-kick at Elland Road in a 3-1 defeat for the Clarets.

The Ivory Coast international, who can play pretty much anywhere down the left flank, now appears to be a man in demand following Burnley’s relegation, and it looks as if a move to Yorkshire could be a possibility.

The Latest: Leeds links

According to Wednesday’s edition of The Journal, relayed by MOT Leeds News, the Whites, along with Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham, are all interested in signing Cornet.

They say that the versatile wing-back, who can also play on the wing or even up front, has a £17.5m release clause in his current Burnley contract and could leave Turf Moor this summer.

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The Verdict: Interesting…

Jesse Marsch recently confirmed that Junior Firpo will be out for up to eight weeks through injury, which will leave Leeds short at left-back.

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Therefore, bringing in the ‘electric’ (Andy Jones, The Athletic) Cornet could be a wise move as he could initially cover for Firpo at left-back while also providing another attacking option when the Spaniard is back.

He impressed in a struggling Burnley side last season, showing he has the quality to compete in the Premier League, so a £17.5m swoop could be an extremely shrewd move.

Newcastle United have now been dealt an injury blow on Jamal Lewis before they play Norwich City away from home in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Long-term injuries

The long-term injuries seem to be piling up for the St. James’ Park faithful, as more players join Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson on the sidelines.

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Eddie Howe recently admitted to the media in his pre-game press conference that he is unsure whether Ryan Fraser will be able to play again this season, while he is hopeful that Isaac Hayden will finally return to full training soon.

The Latest: Lewis operation

In his pre-Norwich press conference, Howe also revealed that Lewis has had another operation recently, and is hopeful that he will return in pre-season:

“He’s had a few operations and recently had another one. We hope this one has fixed his long standing groin problem. It’s been frustrating for him because he’s not felt 100%. I’d love to see him back in pre-season and show us the player he can be.”

The Verdict: Blow

Given that it is not guaranteed that the North East club will sign Matt Targett on a permanent deal from Aston Villa, Lewis may still have a place on Tyneside, and so losing him to a potentially long-term injury is certainly a blow.

It works the other way as well, as if Targett is signed permanently, the Magpies will surely want to find a buyer for Lewis, but they may not receive any offers for the left-back if he is out on the sidelines.

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Either way, the fact that he continuously has to have operations is not ideal, and the Toon will just be hoping that his latest setback is not serious.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ magician is now a serious option for NUFC here!

Pete Graves has now dropped a Newcastle United transfer claim from the new owners.

The Lowdown: Wood confirmed

The St. James’ Park faithful confirmed the signing of Chris Wood from Burnley for an undisclosed fee on Thursday morning, and he has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

He has been registered in time for their crucial game at home against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and joins Kieran Trippier to be their second signing in the January transfer window so far.

Nonetheless, there promises to be more on the way, with the likes of Marcos Senesi and Benoit Badiashile recently being linked with a move to the North East and a desperate need for additions in the heart of defence – the Magpies have the second-most goals conceded in the league.

The Latest: Transfer claim from owners

As per Graves, the new owners feel as if Premier League experience will be ‘key’ in their battle to avoid relegation down to the Championship, and so following the signing of Wood, they may go down that route again for their other targets:

“There’s a feeling amongst key members of the ownership that Premier League experience will be key in survival battle.”

The Verdict: Ideal, but not vital

Of course, signing players that have past experience in the top flight is ideal, as they know what to expect and some, like Wood, may have even faced a relegation battle before.

However, you can find unknown gems from outside of the division, and they would often come cheaper, given that you would not be buying directly from one of your rivals – Feyenoord’s Senesi is a prime example, valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

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Nonetheless, whatever strategy the new owners use, it has to be perfect if they are to give Eddie Howe a chance of keeping them up, and signing Trippier and Wood, who both have experience in the top flight, is certainly a good start.

In other news, find out who NUFC are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign here!

At the moment, Liverpool are not shy of options for the central-midfield position.

However, we feel that with the likes of James Milner and Jordan Henderson now over the age of 30 and Thiago Alcantara having hit that landmark back in April, they will need to add some young blood into their squad at some point.

What’s the latest?

Earlier last week, football pundit Don Hutchinson said that Liverpool could be one of the Premier League clubs that would be interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the next summer transfer window from the Yorkshire club.

He said: “Everything about him told me that he’s not going to be at Leeds for much longer. There is going to be Liverpool and Man United, all the big clubs are going to want him in the summer.”

Should Liverpool make a move for Phillips?

As a product of Leeds’ youth academy, Phillips made his senior debut for the Whites back in April 2015 in a 4-3 defeat against Wolves in the Championship.

Since then, the midfielder, who was labelled as “magnificent” by BBC pundit Alan Shearer as a result of his work alongside West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice during England’s Euro 2020 campaign over the summer, has made a total of 219 appearances for Leeds across all competitions.

During that time, he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 12 assists along the way.

Looking ahead to a possible summer transfer move for Phillips from Liverpool, we feel that even if the Reds were interested in signing the player, it could prove to be quite costly for the Merseyside club, especially with the midfielder apparently keen to sign a new and improved deal at Leeds even though his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2024. Transfermarkt currently values him at £36m, after all.

Also, with Henderson himself having recently put pen to paper on a new four-year deal that will see him stay at the club until 2025, it could be argued that the Reds still has some time before they consider bringing in a potential new midfield player to replace him.

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That being said, the two England internationals are vastly similar. They have both completed just north of 85% of their passes and they are both strong in the tackle. Phillips won 2.3 tackles per game last term for instance while Henderson won 2.1 when Liverpool won the league in 2019/20.

In our view, for the time being, it feels as though Liverpool will be set to continue with the plethora of midfield options they currently have at their disposal. However, with the summer transfer window still months away, anything could change between now and then that could make signing a new midfielder such as Phillips a priority for the Merseyside club.

In other news: £7.5k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen his value soar by £25.2m in 2 years, he’s exceptional – opinion

Many Southampton fans are delighted after it was suggested that the Saints could offer Michael Obafemi as part-exchange in a deal for Adam Armstrong.

The south coast outfit were rocked by the news earlier this summer that Danny Ings had turned down a four-year contract at the club (Sky Sports). That has left Ralph Hasenhuttl and co looking for a new striker, and they are said to be close to signing Armstrong from Blackburn Rovers.

According to The Sun, the Saints could offer Republic of Ireland international Obafemi as part of the deal to sign Armstrong. With just five goals in 38 games for Southampton (Transfermarkt), the 21-year-old is hardly prolific, while £16.2m-valued Armstrong netted 29 times in all competitions last season.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra and it attracted plenty of attention from Southampton supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the potential swap deal between Obafemi and Armstrong.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the possible Armstrong/Obafemi swap

“Armstrong is much better than Obafemi”

Credit: @ollie60848715

“I think that’s pretty good for both teams? if Blackburn are already consigned to losing Armstrong.”

Credit: @PeckingOrder03

“Snap their hands off for it! Obafemi might be alright at Championship/League one? Not a PL striker sadly, so a good deal all round.”

Credit: @Deardenpad

“Get rid of him, lower league player if that”

Credit: @kevinro290560

“I’d be happy with that”

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Credit: @4netix1

“Done.”

Credit: @87_amg

In other news, Southampton want this Premier League midfielder.

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, West Ham United have already held talks with representatives over potentially signing star Brentford striker Ivan Toney – with many Hammers fans flocking to give their verdicts on the big claim.

Before today’s action, Toney netted an incredible 29 goals and 10 assists in 42 Championship starts for the Bees and has marked himself out as a revelation over 2020/2021.

As a result, he has entered the West Ham fray as a striking target and the club have even reached out to the player’s agents in discussion over a possible summer move.

The 25-year-old, dubbed ‘unplayable’ by ESPN journalist David Cartlidge on Twitter for his stunning form, is now at the centre of debate from supporters on social media in response to this big C&H claim.

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While some supporters are simply excited over the thought of signing Toney, others believe that this report is too good to be true.

Find their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans flock to big Toney claim

“YESSSS”

Credit: @SaidMuv

“Please”

Credit: @conyard_adam

“I would absolutely love this! Class striker him proper 9 oi oi”

Credit: @bobbycrush6

“really hope this one happens”

Credit: @boleynbridges

“Lingard, Toney and Abraham would be great.”

Credit: @usukgoose

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“This is bonkers! We’re gonna have a full team of strikers with all the names we’re paired with! Get a grip!! But Toney’s great and I wouldn’t say no!”

Credit: @CraigardH

“Please be true”

Credit: @whukyle

In other news: West Ham also ‘dreaming’ of this signing, find out more here.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension Daniel Levy, have no plans to offer Bournemouth loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers a new deal in the summer – with the door ‘set to close’ on his career in north London at the end of the season. 

Indeed, as per this report, the USA international’s contract expires at the end of this season – and Levy is set to green light his exit with or without a transfer offer.

Levy set to green light Tottenham exit

There is apparently no new deal on the table for Carter-Vickers despite a resurgence at Bournemouth in the Championship, coming as his sixth loan spell in England’s second tier.

Regardless of how he finishes this season, Tottenham are reportedly set to let him go and put an end to his 12-year stay at the club.

Carter-Vickers made his senior debut for Spurs half a decade ago at 18-years-old but now looks set to part company with Tottenham – but whether this is as a free agent or in a permanent transfer remains to be seen.

Transfer Tavern take

Spurs supporters may be wondering what might have been with the defender who displayed early signs of promise.

Former club fan favourite Jan Vertonghen once heralded his fellow centre-back in an interview with ESPN, calling Carter-Vickers an ‘absolute beast’ and a ‘real defender’ in 2016.

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What awaits for him after Spurs is yet to be determined, but according to this report, Levy will green light his summer departure.

In other news: Tottenham transfer admission lifts lid on failed Levy coup with Pochettino, find out more here.