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Southampton are one of several Premier League sides reportedly taking an interest in Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard ahead of the summer transfer window, and if he were to join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side he could prove to be an upgrade on Moussa Djenepo.

According to the Daily Star, Southampton, West Ham and Leeds United are set to rival Tottenham Hotspur for the 20-year-old in the summer, after his impressive performances in Serie A this season.

The report suggests that the Italian side would demand around £15 million for the youngster, having signed him for just £5.2 million from Nordsjaelland last summer.

In 20 Serie A appearances this season, Damsgaard has averaged a solid 6.76 rating for Claudio Ranieri’s side, with two goals and four assists to his name.

If he were to join Southampton, he would likely challenge Nathan Redmond and Djenepo for the stating spot on the left-hand side, although he has also featured as a central-midfielder and a striker in his career thus far.

Given Djenepo’s poor performances this season, with the Mali international having managed just one goal and no assists in 15 Premier League appearances, it is perhaps fair to suggest that Damsgaard could be an upgrade on the 22-year-old.

Djenepo has earned a disappointing average 6.5/10 rating for his performances this season, and averages 0.7 shots per game, 0.3 key passes per game and just 17.1 passes per game in the top-flight.

Damsgaard, meanwhile, averages 0.7 shots, 0.8 key passes and 21.5 passes per game for Sampdoria, despite featuring much more regularly as a substitute.

Therefore, the Danish international looks to be much more of a threat going forwards than Djenepo, who is perhaps guilty of trying too much at times, often losing the ball when attempting dribbles and generally just not offering enough in the final third for Hasenhuttl.

Considering Damsgaard is younger than Djenepo and available at an affordable price, Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary’s this summer, as he looks to have a really bright future.

And, in other news… Forget Armstrong: Southampton beast who played 5 key passes was Ralph’s best vs Wolves

Tottenham Hotspur academy starlet Oliver Skipp continues to impress immensely at Norwich City.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been getting his first real taste of the men’s game in the Championship and has taken to the test like a duck to water.

Indeed, the England U21 international has started all 25 of the Canaries’ league outings, where he has thrived in a defensive midfield role.

Per WhoScored, Skipp has managed to average 2.1 tackles per 90 minutes with a success rate of 77.7%, meaning more often than not, the opposition are struggling to get past him.

This has even be reinforced by teammate Grant Hanley’s glowing endorsement of him to the local press in recent weeks, he believes the young Englishman is a dream for centre-backs like himself. Hanley told the Eastern Daily Press:

“Skippy’s got experience beyond his years really, he looks like he’s played at the top level for 10 or 15 years, it’s hard to think that he’s still so young,” and then added: “I know he gets a lot of credit but then he probably doesn’t get enough sometimes, because he does all the stuff that you love as a centre-half.”

The Hotspur Way academy graduate is also contributing further up the pitch as seen by his average of 0.8 key passes per game in the second-tier.

Whilst this may not be as creative as say an Emi Buendia (3.3 key passes per game) in this current Norwich squad or even that of a Christian Eriksen, a former Spurs great who managed at least 2.1 key passes per game in the Premier League for Spurs in all but his final campaign, it does hint towards him being a nifty box-to-box option in the future.

Perhaps he’s more of a Michael Carrick than any other ex-Spurs midfielder. He too was a player managed by Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, whilst during his time in N17, he was predominantly deployed as a defensive midfielder (33 of 75 appearances).

Neither player is going to set the pulses racing with spectacular and electric performances, but they do the dirty work that often goes unnoticed – Xavi once proclaimed that Carrick was a “complete player,” which makes his constant omission from international stardom all that more baffling. He only went to one World Cup and managed just 34 caps over his playing career.

The young Spurs sensation could be a rare exception to this style of player as he’s already been capped across U16s, U18s and U21s level.

Skipp’s progress at Carrow Road has been phenomenal thus far, and whilst he’s not going to be recalled this month, he is very much part of Mourinho’s long-term plans.

After agreeing to a contract extension, the Spurs boss said: “Everybody in the club is [happy], his team-mates are, I am and Skippy is or not he wouldn’t sign the contract. I think he’s genuinely Tottenham’s future,” before going onto claim: “I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality.”

Also lauded as “phenomenal” by the ‘Special One’ in the past, Skipp is clearly going to be part of the furniture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for years to come, and his experience in Norfolk is only doing his career wonders right now.

AND in other news, Grealish 2.0: Levy dropped a massive Spurs howler over “devastating” £55m “game-changer”…

According to Sport BILD journalist Christian Falk, Arsenal are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt.

What’s the story?

The Gunners have been short of creativity this season, with just 16 goals scored in their first 16 games of the new Premier League season.

Mikel Arteta’s side have improved in the last couple of games, particularly with academy starlet Emile Smith Rowe playing in that all-important number ten role.

But, it seems the north London side are still intent on signing an attacking midfielder, and Falk has claimed that Brandt is in their sights, and that a “transfer is already a topic in the dressing room”.

Perfect upgrade on Ozil

Whilst things haven’t quite gone to plan for Brandt this season – he’s completed the full 90 minutes just twice in the Bundesliga – there’s no doubting the kind of talent the Germany international possesses.

His former coach at Dortmund, Lucien Favre, said: “He can play different positions in different systems, on the wings, between the lines, in a midfield two or three, even as a striker. He offers many solutions for a coach. That’s his great quality, that’s his strength.”

That versatility sets him apart from Ozil, who whilst he could potentially play off the right, is at his best in that number ten role. Brandt can play on either flank, and with Arteta showing he is a tactically astute manager, the 24-year-old’s ability to adapt to different systems and demands seems tailor made for the Gunners right now.

In August 2017, he became the youngest Bayer Leverkusen player to rack up 100 Bundesliga appearances, and has already got plenty of Champions League experience with Dortmund too.

If Edu can pull off a deal for the £31.5m-rated record-breaker, then Arsenal may just have found their ideal Ozil upgrade.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2020 is drawing to a close, and they are in a much better position than 12 months ago.

Jose Mourinho has steered his side to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, the knockout stages of the Europa League, and they are firmly in the title race at this early stage.

Their business in the upcoming January transfer window could be season-defining, but how much do you know about their history in the market?

Was Heung-min Son really cheaper than Erik Lamela, and who was Andre Villas-Boas’ most expensive signing the summer the Argentine was signed?

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has delivered a mixed bag of signings over the years…

Did Luka Modric command more than Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg? After all, the great Dane has become a revelation in north London.

We’re willing to bet that you won’t get 100% on these tricky ten questions.

Go on, give it a go…

AND in other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt blown away by Spurs teenager “doing fantastically”…

Crystal Palace’s woes continued as they suffered a second consecutive defeat in the Premier League to ten-man Aston Villa at Villa Park on Boxing Day.

Former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore broke the deadlock before he suffered the ignominy of being substituted shortly before the break after Tyrone Mings was sent off for a challenge on Wilfried Zaha.

Kortney Hause doubled their advantage before Anwar El Ghazi added the final touch to put the game beyond Palace.

You could pick many holes in Roy Hodgson’s side, as Wilfried Zaha was far from his very best after he blazed a shot over the bar in the dying seconds of the game, but Jeffrey Schlupp badly let the Palace boss down with yet another lacklustre display against the Lions on Saturday afternoon.

The ex-Leicester City winger started the action out wide as Hodgson sought to stop the rot from seeping after the humiliating defeat to Liverpool at home last time out, yet was forced to make room for Andros Townsend in the 82nd minute as he struggled to get a foothold in the game.

SofaScore graded the 28-year-old as the worst player on the pitch with an abysmal 5.6 rating out of ten – he lost possession 18 times, won just seven duels from 22 attempts overall, was dribbled past twice and failed to complete a single dribble successfully from six attempts.

Schlupp also failed to register a single shot all game, let alone a shot on target, and failed to record even one key pass, as per SofaScore.

It’s fair to say that the Ghana international, who earns around £56,000-per-week at SE25, may have felt under threat after the arrival of Eze at Selhurst Park in the summer although he will have done very little to stake his claim in the starting line-up after such a dismal showing.

Quite why he wasn’t hauled off at half-time we’ll probably never understand, especially when you consider the fact Palace were essentially chasing the game against ten men.

Schlupp’s tenth start in the top flight so far this season could be his last for quite some time after such a poor performance – with a crucial clash with Leicester City on Monday, followed by a game against Premier League strugglers Sheffield United, Hodgson will surely have to consider other options on the right wing.

AND in other news, Steve Parish must look to cash in on Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins in January…

Having led Leeds United to the Championship title last season, it was inevitable that a lot of people’s eyes were going on to be Marcelo Bielsa.

“Here comes El Loco” was the title that The Guardian ran with in the first week of September, as excitement grew over seeing the man Pep Guardiola hails as his mentor.

But whilst Leeds have had an encouraging start to the new Premier League campaign with seven points from their opening five games, that’s not a patch on what Dean Smith is managing over at Aston Villa.

Having survived relegation back to the Championship by the skin of their teeth last season, Villa have done a complete 360, and currently sit second in the table with four wins from four – even a point against Leeds on Friday night would send them top and above Everton thanks to goal difference.

Despite the fact they’ve confounded everybody’s expectations, Bielsa continues to be the topic of conversation.

Sky Sports ran a lengthy feature ahead of his team’s clash against Manchester City about how he inspired Guardiola, whilst before that, after a 4-3 loss to Liverpool, the headline was “Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds show no compromise in Liverpool thriller”. It’s been all about how the Argentine has shaped the Yorkshire club in his own image.

He’s a magnet for attention with his quirky style of management – since when did sitting on a stool on the touch-line become a thing? – and it’s no surprise that people gravitate towards that.

But on Friday, Smith can strike a blow to that love-in with a tactical masterstroke. In the games Leeds have dropped points in thus far – their defeats to Liverpool and Wolves and the draw to City – they have come undone against teams who have quick forwards who are prepared to run in behind.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick, Raheem Sterling netted for City, and Wolves had the likes of Daniel Podence, Pedro Neto and Adama Traore to call upon as they won last time out.

With Leeds’ high-pressing, by-passing that with a quick ball over the top for wingers and central strikers to chase onto can leave them unstuck, and it’s why Smith may be tempted to throw in someone like Keinan Davis into the attack on Friday.

The 22-year-old is a willing runner and makes constant movements into the channels, and instead of relying on just Ollie Watkins to do that, having another outlet in Davis could leave Bielsa in a muddle.

Smith has the perfect opportunity to get one over on his counterpart, and prove why he’s been the outstanding manager of these first few weeks of the Premier League season.

Wolves are looking to make Adama Traore an integral part of their plans moving forward as they prepare to offer him a new long-term contract.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the Midlands outfit are in talks with the Spaniard, tying him down to the club. A new deal will come in tow of star striker Raul Jimenez also penning new terms for an extra four years at Molineux.

Importance of keeping Adama Traore

The winger has attracted a lot of attention this year after his rare combination of strength and pace proved to be a very important asset to Wolves’ first team. Barcelona and Juventus were eyeing up a swoop for Traore, along with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool, who are currently in the middle of offloading several attacking players of their own.

The Wanderers quoted a transfer fee of £70million for the 24-year-old as they were unwilling to lose him without having the funds to bring in a replacement. As it stands, Traore is the only recognised right-winger on the Wolves roster, meaning a move away from the club would leave Nuno Espirito Santo scrambling to plug a hole in his team.

The former Middlesbrough man tallied six goals and 12 assists for Wolves last season, scoring a result-defining goal on three separate occasions (via Transfermarkt).

Traore future at Wolves

Traore has showcased his versatility by operating in the Wolves midfield and as a centre-forward, as well as in his natural position on the wing. With the loss of Diogo Jota earlier in this transfer window, building a strong attack will be important for the Wanderers to recreate their strong 2019/20 season and potentially build on their performance of last year.

Nuno’s side were denied a top six finish after Spurs placed ahead of them on goal difference. However, with top four contenders like Manchester United and Tottenham hardly setting the world on fire this seasom, a Champions League spot may even be a goal that the Midlanders have in their sights. Tying down a game changer like Traore will help push the club further up the Premier League table, towards another season of European football.

In other news, Signing £18m-rated teenager would be seriously smart business from Wolves…

MatériaMais Notícias

Nem mesmo a desistência do Cruzeiro e a especulação da saída do Internacional foram suficientes para fazer o presidente do Grêmio, Romildo Bolzan Júnior desistir de ajudar a organizar a Primeira Liga. Em entrevista ao programa “Bate-Bola”, da ESPN, nesta segunda-feira, o dirigente, que é um dos entusiastas da Liga Sul-Minas-Rio, exigiu que os clubes mantenham o debate e até já acenou com a chance de a primeira edição do torneio ser “adiada”:

-Eu ainda quero manter o debate vivo e aceso, temos espaço para reconstruir isso. A gente não pode no primeiro contratempo fragilizar a perspectiva de união. Se esses clubes abrirem mão do debate nacional, esses clubes têm capacidade de sair. Não há problema se não der para fazer um campeonato em 2016.

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Bolzan afirmou que a liga também deve ser pioneira em dar espaço ao debate no atual momento:

– O que menos importa nesse momento é o torneio em si, e sim criar um ambiente politico para um debate. A liga também é um fórum político, de uma cultura nova do futebol. Podemos ter o fórum corporativo, eles se ressentem de ter um debate supridor e fomentador de ideias.

There has been a lot of talk about Odsonne Edouard’s potential exit from Celtic in the ongoing summer transfer window. Of course, the young forward is an extremely hot property on the market and it doesn’t surprise that there is essentially a queue building for his signature.

All of this has led to countless speculation about his immediate future but Kris Commons has offered his insight into the whole matter, potentially calming down the nerves of many Hoops fans in the process.

Speaking in his Scottish Daily Mail column (via Daily Record), the former Celtic playmaker said the following: “For me, there’s absolutely no chance that Celtic will even contemplate selling their star striker at this late juncture. That ship has sailed. The season is already underway. If they were of a mind to cash-in on Edouard, they’d have done it six weeks ago to give themselves time to find a suitable replacement.”

He goes on to mention how the signing of Albian Ajeti changes nothing in that respect and that he doesn’t believe in the rumour that Edouard’s future at the club depends on the team’s efforts to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

Of course, the France U21 star has been linked with various Premier League heavy-hitters including Arsenal, Leicester and Everton. However, if Commons is to be believed, that ship has already sailed.

As for Ajeti, it’s unlikely that Neil Lennon wants to replace such a prolific young forward with someone who couldn’t establish himself at West Ham United.

Verdict

If this opinion ends up being true, Celtic will have received a huge boost for the ongoing season. Of course, Edouard could still leave in the near future but Celtic will have to cross that bridge when they get there.

For now, all that matters is that he stays in the Scottish Premier League for the time being.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo vinha numa sequência grande de resultados ruins e protestar faz parte. É um direito da torcida. Mas quando a bola rola, sou da opinião de que o primeiro ato deva ser esperar e ter a certeza de que os jogadores estão correspondendo em campo. Ao menos, correndo, se dedicando. Se isso for visto no gramado, o incentivo é primordial. Mas se o time estiver se arrastando e alguns jogadores demonstrando qualquer tipo de despreparo aí, sim, o protesto é válido.

Afinal, se compraram ingresso é porque querem torcer e vibrar com uma vitória, como aconteceu contra o Goiás (4 a 1) neste domingo. Quando os tais protestos partem de organizadas, fico com um pé atrás. Até porque, numa das faixas fazia-se alusão a “meter a porrada”. Sou contra a este tipo de atitude.

Não, não estou defendendo o “Bonde da Stella”. Longe disso. Mas a partir do momento que Pará, Everton, Marcelo Cirino, Alan Patrick e Paulinho são “perdoados” e reincorporados ao elenco, é sinal de que a comissão técnica e a diretoria os consideram úteis ao time. Pelo menos, Alan Patrick serviu bem contra o Goiás, fez dois gols e deu boas assistências. Aprendeu com o erro? É bem possível.

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Cabe a Oswaldo de Oliveira escalar o que tem de melhor (ou de menos pior). Infelizmente, para a torcida essa é a atuação situação do elenco rubro-negro. Os torcedores devem, então, direcionar alguns dos protestos à diretoria. Afinal, ela que fez estas contratações, via o tal Centro de Inteligência em Mercado, que, segundo o presidente Eduardo Bandeira de Mello, está sendo muito bem conduzido pelo diretor de futebol Rodrigo Caetano.

Por exemplo, se Pará é ruim de bola e se Marcelo Cirino não está suportando o peso de ser jogador do Flamengo não é culpa da atual comissão técnica. Eles foram contratados como soluções. Tiro no pé de quem os contratou.

O “Bonde da Stella” vacilou, isto é fato, e foram punidos. Everton e Paulinho deixaram de ser aqueles jogadores decisivos, então, banco neles e coloca para jogar quem está comprometido. É fácil transferir a culpa por conta dos erros de planejamento. Não existe ainda o tal Centro de Excelência em Performance? Sinal, então, de que não está funcionando bem, porque a queda de rendimento do “Bonde da Stella” não fora detectado antes, só depois do vazamento de uma festinha.

Protestar e vaiar faz parte. Mas façam antes de a bola rolar e depois do apito final do juiz. O que não pode acontecer é “brigar” com aqueles torcedores que querem apoiar o time, afinal, ainda tem jogadores que estão comprometidos, embora sejam tão ou mais ruins que Pará, Marcelo Cirino & Cia.