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Tottenham Hotspur are showing a ‘shock interest’ in Leeds United winger Dan James, according to Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: James at Leeds

Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Peter Schmeichel, the forward finally made the move to Elland Road 12 months ago after almost joining the club in 2019.

The Whites paid Manchester United £25m for the Wales international, who has gone on to make 37 appearances under both Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch in Yorkshire.

The 24-year-old has contributed to 2026, but it looks as if a late exit could be on the cards.

The Latest: Nixon’s claim

Nixon took to Twitter on Monday, saying that Spurs are showing ‘shock interest’ in James.

The reliable journalist then responded to a Leeds fan who asked if the Whites would be open to selling the forward, saying that it would depend on the size of the offer and whether or not the club have a player coming in to improve the squad.

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The Verdict: Sell?

James has been used more as a four times for Leeds.

He has struggled to nail down a specific role and was selected to provide cover to Patrick Bamford in the second half of the previous campaign.

Therefore, cashing in on the Wales forward before the end of the transfer window could be a smart idea, so long as the price is right and a replacement is brought in.

Watford’s Ismaila Sarr has been heavily linked with Leeds in recent days, so perhaps Victor Orta could be open to pursuing the Senegal international should Spurs come forward with a formal offer for James.

Manchester United have made an “official proposal” for Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Busy end to the window

The Red Devils recently brought in Casemiro from Real Madrid and seemingly have their eye on more additions before the September 1 deadline.

United officials are set to go back in with a new €94m offer for Ajax winger Antony, while a bid for another unnamed player is also expected.

The Ajax winger could become the club’s fifth summer signing, and it appears as if Dubravka may also be on the way to Old Trafford.

The Latest: Dubravka proposal

Romano took to Twitter on Thursday morning to provide an update regarding United and Dubravka.

He’s ‘just been told’ that an ‘official proposal’ is a loan deal that also includes an option to buy at around £5m, with Newcastle set to make a decision ‘soon’.

The Verdict: Smart business?

Dubravka, labelled as ‘top class’ by journalist Josh Bunting and dubbed a leader by The Chronicle’s Mick Quinn, has been a regular for the Magpies over recent years, making 127 Premier League appearances.

The 33-year-old has been playing second fiddle to Nick Pope this season, but you’d like to think he could get more game time under Erik ten Hag due to United being involved in the Europa League.

A temporary deal with an option to buy makes sense from United’s point of view, so hopefully, this deal can go through relatively quickly.

For much of the last two decades, they have been regarded as the two greatest players in football, stars of a wonderful era in the beautiful game. But now firmly in the twilight of their illustrious careers, and beyond the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, will there be an international future for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Both of these wonderful players has managed to win continental tournaments, whilst representing their countries, yet the biggest prize on the global international stage continues to elude them. Let’s take a look at how their influence could shape the destiny of their nations, during what might very well be the World Cup swansong for Messi and Ronaldo.

Argentina

For many fans in Argentina, the ‘Greatest of All Time’ will be none other than Diego Maradona, due to his virtuoso role in leading the country to World Cup success in 1986. Messi finished as a runner-up in 2014, leading to speculation he would never lift aloft the iconic golden trophy, although winning the 2021 Copa America did manage to lift some of those doubts.

The first objective for Argentina this year will be to top Group C, which might seem fairly comfortable on paper, yet could be filled with plenty of perils and potential pitfalls. For one thing, they will face the firepower of Poland with Robert Lewandowski, the man who has now replaced Messi as the stellar attacking force at Barcelona.

Due to playing in their home region at the 2022 World Cup, the potential for Saudi Arabia to become dark horses must not be underestimated. Likewise, nobody should ever dismiss the potential of Mexico, as they are always capable of causing upsets. If they can lead Group C, then Argentina could avoid facing France in the Round of 16.

Messi has dropped hints at international retirement after the World Cup, which inevitably makes his role with Argentina more important than ever before. One last throw of the dice before deciding to say “Adios!” to his national team.

Portugal

From a personal perspective, some of Ronaldo’s greatest achievements have come with his country. He was hugely inspirational as Portugal won the 2016 UEFA European Championship, then conquered the first edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2019. He also established the world record for international goals, which currently stands at 117 and counting.

Despite boasting what has become a guarantee of goals from Ronaldo, there are lingering doubts about how far Portugal can go, heading into the 2022 World Cup. On paper, the opposition in Group H would seem comfortably beatable, coming in the shape of Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea.

Yet on their day, any one of those three sides are more than capable of beating Portugal, should Ronaldo and his teammates not remain entirely focused, as they seek to top Group H and progress to the Round of 16. Doing so would help them to potentially avoid facing Brazil, who are expected to top Group G, and would face the runners-up from Group H.

By the time Ronaldo concludes his participation at the 2022 World Cup, he will almost be 38 years of age. Unless he fancies emulating Cameroon icon Roger Milla, who was 42 at the USA 1994 World Cup, it seems unlikely that CR7 will be around for the next North American hosted tournament in 2026.

What the bookies think

Given this is the first World Cup ever to be held in the Middle East, the frenzy of wagering activity has already begun. Mindful of this, Arabian Betting has produced an extensive 2022 World Cup betting guide, focusing on where to find the broadest selection of markets, along with focus on which online bookies are offering the best promotions.

Brazil are the clear outright winner favourites, despite not having won the tournament since 2002, although they will clearly always be a force to be reckoned with. But insofar as the leading challengers are concerned, oddsmakers genuinely fancy France to defend the title they won in 2018, and England could be capable of ending more than half a century of hurt.

Interestingly, following a stellar start to the 2022-23 season with PSG, the form of Messi has inspired growing confidence in Argentina, whose odds have been trimmed in recent weeks. The same can’t be said for Portugal, however, largely due to Ronaldo cutting an unsettled figure at Manchester United. Nevertheless, the fortunes of both nations will rest squarely on the shoulders of these two iconic players.

Photo by Unsplash

Journalist Connor Humm has been reacting to some Arsenal injury news that has now emerged involving Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Lowdown: Calf injury

As per the official website of the Ukraine national team, Zinchenko has suffered a calf muscle injury picked up in training in North London, which will rule him out for two weeks while he receives treatment and recovers.

He will miss Ukraine’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures and also the Emirates Stadium outfit’s trip to Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday lunchtime.

The Latest: Humm reacts

Taking to Twitter, Humm, Gunners fan and writer for Football365, gave his immediate reaction to the news of Zinchenko’s injury, claiming that it is a ‘blow for Arsenal’:

“Reports are suggesting that Oleksandr Zinchenko has picked up a fresh muscle injury and will be out recovering for two weeks leaving him out of the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. A blow for Arsenal.”

The Verdict: Big blow

Losing Zinchenko to injury so close to the Brentford clash is a big blow for Mikel Arteta and his team.

He had just recovered from a knee problem that kept him out of two top-flight matches to feature in the 3-1 loss away at Manchester United last time out, and now he has suffered another setback so early on in his Gunners career.

They already have four other first-team squad players out injured at the moment, and with a period of nine fixtures coming up in October, Arsenal will need as many players available as possible with the hectic scheduling in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Tottenham Hotspur could make another move to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Paratici contact

Spurs were credited with an interest in the 25-year-old during the summer after reports suggested that he wanted to make the move to the Premier League and specifically N17.

The centre-back’s ‘close’ friend, Ho Lee, recently revealed that Fabio Paratici did try to complete a deal before the move to Naples to join the Serie A outfit, and was obviously unsuccessful in his pursuit.

The Latest: Spurs’ second attempt?

According to Area Napoli (via Sport Witness), Tottenham ‘had their eyes on’ Kim during his Fenerbahce days, and had ‘almost taken him’.

Despite previously missing out, it’s stated that Antonio Conte’s team ‘haven’t forgotten’ about the colossus, and ‘could come to take Min-Jae away’ in the future.

This ‘won’t be easy’ though, as a result of Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis being ‘not ready to give up’ on his new star.

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The Verdict: Get it done…

Kim still has three years remaining on his Napoli contract so it won’t come cheap to prise him away, but Spurs should definitely get this deal done if the opportunity does arise again.

The South Korean, labelled ‘impressive’ by colleague Alessandro Chanoly and nicknamed the ‘monster’, is averaging 5.3 clearances per league game, by far the most in his team, also winning four aerial duels each outing (WhoScored).

As well as being a rock at the back, Kim has also put his size to good use and netted two goals in six games, showing his threat in the final third, an attribute that will no doubt be just as attractive to Conte.

Leeds United have been “really impressed” with summer signing Sonny Perkins, according to Sky Sports reporter Tim Thornton.

The Lowdown: Perkins on fire

Perkins arrived from West Ham over the summer and has begun the current campaign in fine form for both the Whites and England.

The 18-year-old has netted six goals in five games for the U21s and impressed for England U19s, scoring five times and providing an assist in games against Montenegro U19, Georgia U19 and Denmark U19.

He’s mainly been featuring on the right-hand side at Thorp Arch but started in an attacking midfield role last time out, playing a key role in the club’s impressive start to the Premier League 2 season.

The Latest: Thornton’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Thornton said that he knows that Leeds officials have been ‘really, really pleased’ with the young forward for the way he’s ‘adapted’ following his summer move.

“Yeah, Perkins in particular, he’s hit the ground running since he came in.

“Leeds have been really impressed with him; he looks like he’s a real talent. So, I know that they’re really, really pleased with the way that he’s adapted. He’s really caught the eye and done well.”

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The Verdict: Good to hear

Perkins and midfielder Darko Gyabi were the two high-profile academy additions over the summer, with the latter captaining England U19 against Denmark U19.

The pair seem to have settled in Yorkshire, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Perkins made one of Jesse Marsch’s first-team matchday squads following his impressive displays.

Perkins would have surely been catching Marsch’s eye in recent weeks, so it would be deserved if he did make a squad prior to the World Cup in Qatar.

West Ham United head into Thursday evening’s Europa Conference League meeting with RSC Anderlecht on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last Sunday, with David Moyes undoubtedly hoping that his side can continue this fine form in Belgium – with a win putting the Hammers in pole position to qualify for the knockout stages.

Indeed, after securing a 3-1 win over FCSB and a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Silkeborg IF in their opening two Conference League fixtures this season, the Irons currently sit top of Group D on six points – two ahead of tonight’s hosts – meaning a triumph in Belgium would all but secure the club’s passage to the latter stages of the competition.

However, despite the importance of the clash, the Evening Standard recently reported that Moyes could be set to shuffle the pack somewhat regarding his starting XI, with the 59-year-old looking likely to hand a number of his lesser-seen squad members an opportunity to impress, as well as potentially easing a number of his recently injured first-teamers back into first-team football.

As such, there would appear one player – who could arguably fit into either of the aforementioned categories – who the Scot simply must afford some much-needed minutes at Lotto Park on Thursday evening, the back-in-contention Ben Johnson.

Having last featured for West Ham back in August due to an ongoing thigh issue, the 22-year-old right-back returned to first-team training earlier this week, with it appearing essential that Moyes gets the player who ExWHUemployee dubbed “sensational” back up to speed as quickly as possible.

Indeed, not only is the £19k-per-week Johnson one of the Hammers’ most exciting up-and-coming youth prospects but the performances of the club’s current first-choice right-back, Vladimir Coufal, have left a great deal to be desired so far this season.

Over the 30-year-old’s seven Premier League appearances in 2022/23, the £8.7m-rated full-back has largely failed to impress, failing to help his side keep a single clean sheet, being yet to directly contribute towards a goal and not creating a single big chance for his teammates.

These returns have seen the £35k-per-week Czech international average an extremely underwhelming SofaScore match rating of just 6.67, currently ranking him as Moyes’ seventh-worst performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, considering Coufal’s poor displays, coupled with the fact that the £13m-rated Johnson is a home-grown England U21 international, it would appear to very much be in Moyes’ best interests to finally make the 22-year-old his first choice on the right of his backline – as the academy graduate is undoubtedly a massive upgrade on the 30-year-old.

Leeds United’s hopes of signing a certain Cody Gakpo appear to have come and gone.

On the eve of transfer deadline day – September 1st – Victor Orta returned from Eindhoven in a bid to secure an important transfer. Indeed, the intention of that visit was to bring Gakpo back with him.

Having lost Raphinha to the jaws of Barcelona, the Spanish director needed a statement signing and the Netherlands international was viewed as the perfect fit.

Unfortunately for the Elland Road outfit, Gakpo did not return to Yorkshire alongside Orta. It looked as though a move may be on the cards, but the Dutch head coach, Louis van Gaal, convinced him to stay in the Eredivisie with the hope of being included in their squad for the World Cup that starts next month.

Well, it would certainly be a travesty if he wasn’t included now. The rampant and dazzling winger is the first player to ten goals and ten assists in Europe’s top seven divisions this term, with the 23-year-old registering a rather remarkable haul of 13 goals and ten assists so far this term.

That form has ultimately seen him destined for greater things than Leeds and the final nail was forced deeply into their coffin on Monday with reports revealing a move was now incredibly unlikely when the January window opens.

It’s a sad end to this transfer saga for the Yorkshire side and judging by their toothless nature since that win over Chelsea earlier in the season, they could do with a talent of the Dutchman’s ilk.

Fortunately for the Whites, they may well be able to nurture and unearth their very own Gakpo in their pocket rocket Crysencio Summerville.

The 20-year-old has only shown flashes of his immense quality during his time in England, with the talented prodigy being brought to Leeds during Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure back in September 2020.

He arrived with experience of first-team football with ADO Den Haag but two years on, his potential so far has not been fulfilled. Summerville has featured on just 14 occasions for the senior side and is yet to register a goal involvement.

His form at youth level, however, has been nothing short of extraordinary with the bustling speed merchant registering 14 goals and 12 assists in 30 games for the U21s.

Those are scorching numbers and although at youth level, show why he could well be the club’s very own Gakpo.

They may well hail from the same part of the world but it’s their jaw-dropping skill level when in possession of the ball that makes them so alike.

Whenever he picks up the play, you expect something magical to happen but he really needs to turn that into tangible results.

That’s certainly the view of Phil Hay, who speaking recently said this: “The Premier League isn’t a division that’s particularly forgiving when it comes to using untried and untested players and to an extent, I think we’ve seen that with Summerville as well.

“I hear a lot of people say at Leeds that in the U21s, in training and everything else, Summerville is one of the most impressive players, hence why he’s moved up the order.”

Indeed, with Luis Sinisterra absent through suspension last weekend, the attacker featured for the final 28 minutes in the defeat to Crystal Palace but his quality was never really on show.

If Marsch can find a way to extract his talent, then he could be a mighty option for Leeds to call upon in the coming years.

Described as a “nightmare to mark” by Jamie Shackleton, Summerville has all the hallmarks of a fabulous player in the making with his impressive “box of tricks” – as dubbed by Tom Hill – making him a seriously talented prospect.

Much of whether the young Leeds man lives up to his potential will come down to the player himself, but if he can begin to register big numbers as he has done for the U21s, then Gakpo will soon become a forgotten man.

Following the news that West Bromwich Albion have parted ways with manager Steve Bruce, reliable journalist Scott Wilson has namechecked former Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder as a potential successor to the 61-year-old.

The Lowdown: Bruce’s West Brom tenure

After a disappointing eight-month tenure with the Baggies, the former Newcastle United manager was relieved of his duties following an eight-match winless run which left them sitting inside the relegation zone. Backroom staff Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence and the manager’s son Alex Bruce have also left The Hawthorns.

Having been in charge of 32 games spanning across two seasons, Bruce’s West Brom side averaged just 1.13 points per match, with the club falling from sixth to tenth in the Championship table between the day of his appointment and the end of the campaign.

Under-21s coach Richard Beale has been appointed interim boss and will be assisted by James Morrison and Gary Walsh for next Saturday’s Championship clash against Reading.

The Latest: Wilson names possible successor

Wilson has now weighed in on the 61-year-old’s sacking, name-checking one potential successor whilst doing so.

Taking to Twitter, The Northern Echo journalist claimed: “Hardly a surprise to see former #NUFC and #SAFC boss Steve Bruce lose his job at West Brom – and wouldn’t be a shock to see ex-#Boro manager Chris Wilder replace him at the Hawthorns either…”

The Verdict: Good candidate?

After 11 months in charge at Middlesbrough, Wilder was relieved of his duties as manager last week, having won just two of their first 11 league matches this term. However, despite Boro getting off to a disappointing start in the Championship, the 55-year-old has a strong pedigree of promotion in recent years.

Prior to replacing Neil Warnock at the Riverside Stadium, Wilder became manager of Sheffield United in May 2016 and led the Blades to the Premier League in his third season in charge after overseeing two promotions.

Former England manager Steve McClaren hailed that achievement as ‘phenomenal’, and the Yorkshire club finished an impressive ninth in their first campaign back in the top flight in 2019/20.

Having subsequently taken over at ‘Boro in November last year, the former Northampton boss led the Teeside outfit to a seventh-place finish in the Championship.

Therefore, whilst results over the last few months haven’t gone his way, Wilder’s achievements suggest that he could revive West Brom’s fortunes if reports of him being an early favourite for the job at The Hawthorns turn into an eventual appointment as Bruce’s successor.

Former Molineux boss Nuno Espirito Santo is no longer Wolverhampton Wanderers’ first-choice candidate in their search for a new manager, according to journalist Nathan Judah.

The Lowdown: Nuno linked with Wolves return

Earlier this week, it emerged that Wolves’ preferred Bruno Lage replacement, Julen Lopetegui, had rejected the chance to take over at Molineux due to personal reasons.

As a result, the Midlands club had to dip back into the market for an alternative, citing surprise links with their former manager Nuno.

With Lopetegui now out of the picture, the former Tottenham manager has been tipped as a strong contender in the race to be appointed at the Molineux.

The Latest: Nuno update

Judah has shared fresh news on Wolves’ managerial hunt, revealing an update on Nuno’s position with the club.

Taking to Twitter on Friday evening, the journalist claimed: “The managerial saga continues: Nuno Espírito Santo is NOT Wolves’ first choice.

“Could still take over if others not interested/available. Rob Edwards to rejoin coaching staff?”

The Verdict: Wolves’ best manager in years

Having restored the club’s Premier League status and having led them to a Europa League quarter-final in 2020, Nuno left Wolves as one of their best managers of recent times.

Across 199 games in charge of the club, the Old Gold impressively averaged 1.68 points per match, for which Tottenham striker Harry Kane dubbed the 48-year-old a ‘great manager’.

However, towards the end of Nuno’s tenure in north London, ideas appeared to be running out with the Portuguese boss.

Whilst his familiarity with the club is an obvious bonus, it could also be argued the Old Gold need a fresh appointment at Molineux to get them back to winning ways, with a change of direction and tactics an exciting prospect for the club’s fans.