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Nuno Espirito Santo already has his hands full at Tottenham and revamping their defence might be his biggest challenge, and Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has told Football FanCast that three new faces could be on their way.

Whilst Spurs flourished in attack under Jose Mourinho last term, with both Heung Min Son and Harry Kane in red hot form, defensive lapses ultimately cost the Portuguese his job in north London.

Mourinho’s team conceded 45 goals in the Premier League, with the former Tottenham boss unable to find a settled backline.

It was their second worst record in the previous six years, and Santo is already hard at work to fix their woes at the back.

Both Juan Foyth and Toby Alderweireld have been sold, whilst Serge Aurier, Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez are amongst those that could soon follow.

With Alderweireld, their most experienced and best on his day, now moved on, it leaves Santo with a less than inspiring centre-back duo ahead of the visit of Manchester City two weeks on Sunday, whilst who starts at right-back is another major question mark.

That could soon change depending on incomings, with Spurs currently linked with a host of different defensive players.

Asked by Football FanCast how he assess Tottenham’s situation and how many new defensive faces he’s expecting through the door, Bridge said:

“I was talking to someone at the club about the mantra, the ideal was at least one [centre-back], but hopefully two and a right-back.

“So, it was interesting when Tomiyasu came out. I enquired about whether he’s included in the centre-backs, and they said no, he was more of a right-back, which is interesting.”

Mark Douglas has dropped some worrying insight from legal observers on one of the Newcastle United takeover cases against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: CAT delay

As per The Chronicle, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) claim over the stalled takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group has now been delayed until September.

The top flight are continuing to try to get the case thrown out, as a hearing date is yet to be confirmed.

This follows the delay of the separate arbitration case filed by the St. James’ Park faithful against the division over their decision-making process with regards to the takeover bid, which is now not due to take place until early next year.

The Latest: CAT insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas, a football journalist who has been tracking all of the latest developments in the takeover saga, has revealed the legal observers feel as if the CAT case will not play out before the arbitration proceedings take place.

This is in despite of a hearing expected to take place in September, but because the arbitration process is not going to be revisited until early next year, this means that any CAT proceedings may not take place until 2022.

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying to hear that the CAT case may now not start until 2022, adding yet more delays to the whole takeover process.

It is not ideal at all for the North East club and its fanbase to go into another season of uncertainty, but it looks as if that will be the case once more with the new 2021/22 Premier League campaign less than two weeks away.

It also means that they have not been able to flex their financial muscles in the summer transfer window so far, as the Tyneside club enter the final month in where they can do business before January.

In other news, find out which top target is now keen on a Magpies move here!

Evening Standard reporter Jack Rosser believes Alphonse Areola’s arrival at West Ham United has ended the chances of Sam Johnstone securing a move to the London Stadium.

Areola has joined the Hammers on a season-long loan deal, which also has the option to make the move permanent, from French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

The 28-year-old has headed back to the Premier League having impressed with Fulham, where he made 37 appearances, last term.

It comes despite West Ham boss David Moyes also targeting 6 ft 4 West Bromwich Albion shot-stopper Johnstone and reportedly failing with a £10million bid last month.

Moyes, who has led the east Londoners into the Europa League thanks to registering a club record Premier League points tally last month, had made signing a new goalkeeper a priority.

First choice custodian Lukasz Fabianski has entered the final 12 months of his £65,000-per-week contract and Areola will now provide competition.

Rosser believes the Hammers’ pursuit of Johnstone has now come to an end.

He told Football FanCast: “I’d be surprised if they got both [Areola and Johnstone].

“I think they wanted to bring in some competition for Fabianski. Moyes was pleasantly surprised by how well Fabianski did last season but then there were a couple of niggling injuries that he had to put up with.

“They’re looking beyond him now, with competition for Fabianski and then an eventual successor.”

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has dropped a new Leeds United transfer update on Marcelo Bielsa’s plans for the rest of the summer window.

What’s the story?

The Premier League club have had a fairly quiet window thus far, with only Junior Firpo and Kristoffer Klaesson arriving as new faces ahead of the 2021/22 campaign – Jack Harrison saw his move from Manchester City finally made permanent as well.

Writing on Twitter, Hay said: “CM is the main thing they’ve been after since Firpo. Gallagher was top choice, no financials agreed on O’Brien yet.”

Adding his response to a question about whether the Whites would pursue a move for a new winger, the journalist stated: “Hard to say. It’s been floated all summer but was always a case of doing it if the right option came up at the right price.”

Fans will be excited

Make no mistake about it, having addressed the key need of signing a new senior left-back – especially with Gjanni Alioski’s exit after his contract came to an end – a new central midfielder has to be at the top of the agenda for Leeds.

Hay’s update that the position is the “main thing” they’ve been targeting will be music to the ears of Leeds fans, who saw first-hand the kind of impact a lack of genuine quality cover in the middle of the park – the nine Premier League games that Kalvin Phillips missed last season saw the Whites pick up only two wins.

Reinforcing the engine room and adding to Bielsa’s options is exactly what the Whites need, while Hay’s added claim about the club being ready to pounce on signing a new winger if an opportunity comes up is also very exciting.

The club did exactly that late on in the summer transfer window last year when they swooped in to take Raphinha from Rennes on deadline day, and if a similar chance arises once more, Victor Orta and co could deliver yet another transfer masterclass.

It’s exactly why Leeds fans should be excited with Hay’s latest transfer news on the situation.

In other news, Orta must avoid Leeds blunder over 24 y/o dud, fans would be fuming

Former Premier League star Steve Howey believes that Arsenal have signed a very good player in Ben White.

The 23-year-old defender joined Arsenal from Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of last month for £50m, after a very good season with the Seagulls.

White was virtually ever present in the Brighton side in the Premier League only missing two games all season and helped the club to finish 16th in the league on 41 points.

As well as being able to play centre-back, White can also play in front of the defence as a defensive midfielder and also featured as a right-back and right midfielder for Brighton last season.

Howey was full of praise for the new Arsenal signing, telling Football FanCast: “I mean obviously you’ve got a versatile player in Ben White, he made the England squad, had a good season last season as well.

“I think you’re getting a very good player as I said he can play at the back, he can play in midfield. Gareth used him in a couple of games leading up to the Euros and he did play in those positions as well and did excellently well.”

Arsenal will be hoping to take their form at the end of last season into the new campaign. The Gunners ended the season with five straight victories, scoring eleven goals and conceding just two.

Former professional footballer Steve Howey believes that Jack Grealish will be amazing at Manchester City.

Grealish completed his move from Aston Villa to Manchester City for a British record £100m, signing a six-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.

The midfielder, who Transfermarkt actually value at £58.5m, can operate either as a left-winger or attacking midfielder and scored seven goals and provided a further 12 last season for Aston Villa in all competitions. Grealish was part of Gareth Southgate’s England team at Euro 2020, where he got two assists and helped the Three Lions make the final.

After making the switch to Manchester, Grealish told City’s club media: “City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world – it’s a dream come true to part of this club.”

Former Blues player Steve Howey believes that Grealish will be amazing for the Cityzens, exclusively telling Football FanCast: “I think he will be amazing there. I think it was kind of done in the right way as well the transfer, I think he was always just sort of like, listen if I move on, I move on, you know we all know how he feels about Aston Villa. 

“But he’s got a massive opportunity to win lots of trophies and to help Manchester City win the trophies, we all know how good he is.”

Grealish made his Villa debut against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium coming on as an 88th minute substitute, with his departure from Aston Villa was emotional as he said: “Everyone has seen the way Messi was at his final press conference. That is the exact way I felt myself. Before I left at the hotel I spoke to the team, the staff and the players and I teared up a bit myself.” [BBC Sport].

Grealish has already featured for City, as he came on as a second-half substitute in the Community Shield against Leicester City and started their 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Leeds United may struggle to sign Lewis O’Brien because of a failure to agree a transfer fee with Huddersfield Town, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: O’Brien continually linked with move

The Whites have been linked with signing the 22-year-old numerous times in recent weeks, with his future seemingly lying away from the John Smith’s Stadium.

Crystal Palace have also emerged as potential suitors, though, so Leeds could face a battle to get their man.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Hay provides key update

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after Leeds’ 2-2 draw with Everton on Saturday, Hay gave a fresh update on the situation, admitting that the fee is the current issue preventing the move from happening. He outlined:

“The fee is the stumbling block for O’Brien and I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’d like to come but Huddersfield will have a valuation and to be fair, it’s their prerogative to set the price.”

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The Verdict: Good squad signing

O’Brien may not be considered an automatic starter if he comes to Elland Road, but he could provide some welcome midfield squad depth, especially in light of Kalvin Phillips’ absence for the 5-1 defeat at Manchester United last weekend.

At 22, the £5,000-per-week Huddersfield man is still very much improving as a player, so he would be considered a long-term acquisition who could thrive working under Marcelo Bielsa. He has also been hailed as “sensational” by Terriers team-mate Jonathan Hogg for the energetic attributes he brings to the Championship side.

It is important that Leeds don’t overspend on O’Brien, though, and if they feel he is too expensive, they could be wise to look elsewhere for a midfield signing.

In other news, some Leeds fans were critical of one player’s performance against Everton. Find out who it is here.

An update has emerged on Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, regarding Liverpool’s interest in signing him next year.

What’s the talk?

According to InterLive, Liverpool are serious about signing Brozovic on a free transfer in 2022 and are ready to offer him £6m (€7m) per season in wages to arrive at Anfield.

The report claims that Inter are attempting to tie him down to a new contract and are willing to offer him £4.3m (€5m) per season in wages, with bonuses on top of that.

Fans would love him

Jurgen Klopp must ensure that he can reach an agreement to sign the 28-year-old on a free transfer next summer, or in January on a pre-contract deal. The Reds boss must convince Brozovic that Liverpool is the best club for him to take the next step in his career, rejecting Inter’s contract offer and allowing him to arrive at Anfield for nothing.

Liverpool fans would love him on Merseyside as he is a gifted, experienced midfielder, who could add some extra quality to Klopp’s midfield options. The £36m-rated Croatian international has been capped 63 times by his country and has made well over 200 competitive appearances for Inter, including exactly 200 in the Serie A.

Former Inter coach Luciano Spalletti admitted that the midfielder has ‘great quality’ and said that he is capable of playing as a striker. He said:

“Marcelo has great quality and the characteristics to play as a trequartista on the shoulders of a centre-forward.

“I am fortunate to have different players who can occupy that role and I’m rotating them. I don’t see a problem with that.

“It is certainly an option [to play a second striker]. We might be able to score some more goals but I always need to judge what the best balance for the team is.”

Last year, Inter midfielder Matias Vecino claimed that Brozovic was the best player in the Serie A side’s squad, ahead of the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku. He added:

“Marcelo is, for me, the best player we have in the squad. From the outside, you might get an image that is different from the reality. Marcelo is a special guy.”

Last season, Brozovic averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.03 in 33 Serie A appearances and he has scored an impressive 7.20 in his first two starts of the current campaign.

In fact, he has averaged a score of 7.03 or higher in his last six seasons for Inter, whilst Thiago was the only Liverpool central midfielder who managed a WhoScored rating above 6.82 in the Premier League last term.

This suggests that Brozovic, if he is able to translate his form over to England, could provide serious competition in the central midfield position. He has proven his quality over the last six years with Inter and is not a player coming off the back of just one good season.

This could give him a higher chance of coming in and being successful as he has shown he can do it over the course of a number of seasons – another reason why fans would love him as he could make an instant impact.

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their chase to sign Sassuolo star Jeremie Boga in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Daily Mail had recently claimed that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have shown an interest in signing the Ivory Coast international, who was previously on the books at Chelsea in his earlier years.

Now, Sassuolo’s chief executive, Giovanni Carnevali, has admitted that the forward has asked to leave the club alongside a couple of the team’s other emerging stars.

He said to 90min (via Sportslens): “Just like Locatelli and Berardi, Boga also asked us to try other experiences. We listened to him and the agents – but no concrete offers have arrived.”

Orta must strike

The £18m-rated Boga has rebuilt his career at Sassuolo after failing to make the grade at Stamford Bridge, but that isn’t to say the natural ability hasn’t been there however.

Hish former coach at Chelsea, Michael Beale, said: “The most unique talent and I’m talking in a window of being 13/14 and he just beat the other team possibly on his own is a young boy called Jeremie Boga.

“He just beat teams on his own, such a lovely boy. I thought wow, this boy is a supreme talent. he can stop and go and over three or four yards, he can just drift past you.”

As per Whoscored, Boga averaged an impressive 3.2 dribbles per game in Serie A last season, which was higher than any Leeds player, even Raphinha (1.9).

He also managed 1.2 shots per game (that would rank him just outside the top five among Bielsa’s current squad), while he boasted a whopping 89.4% pass accuracy (the highest of any player that started more than five times for the Whites).

And, speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel on Youtube, Conor McGilligan talked up the prospect of Boga arriving at Elland Road and the impact he could make.

He said: “It looks like Boga has been a massive hit with Sassuolo since moving from Chelsea, I believe it was back in 2018. He can play anywhere along the frontline, he’s fast and he’d bring a real variety to Leeds’ attacking play.”

Given Boga has now put in a transfer request, Victor Orta has the perfect chance to land one of Leeds’ summer targets.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star proved why Bielsa must sell him…

Wolves have been linked with a late summer swoop for Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

As to be expected, a number of Wolves fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Kamara is a defensive midfielder and is valued at a career-high £33.3m by Transfermarkt. The France under-21 international, who can also play as a centre-back, has made 125 appearances for his current employers.

He has just 12 months left on his current contract, and it seems as if a late move to Molineux could be on the cards. According to Foot Mercato, as cited by @TalkingWolves, Wolves have entered talks with the Ligue 1 club over a move for the 21-year-old.

Should an 11th-hour transfer to the Midlands materialise, Kamara would become Wolves’ seventh and possibly final arrival of the window.

Wolves fans react

@TalkingWolves shared the deadline day links to Kamara on Twitter. Here is what these Wolves supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling the midfielder as ‘quality’ and another giving praise to chairman Jeff Shi.

“Never doubted you Jeff”

Credit: @AdanTroare

“Oh my, yes please”

Credit: @Callum_Howen

“bring him in, he’s quality.”

Credit: @ndumiso60455997

“Please”

Credit: @BasyYung

“Yes yes Jeff”

Credit: @tristan_phipps

“Please please please”

Credit: @PeterNaughton12

In other news: Many Wolves fans were fuming over this transfer development