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According to a report by The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension Fabio Paratici, are ‘set to move’ for Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar this summer.

The Lowdown: Paratici cooking…

The Italian transfer chief has been tasked with developing Tottenham’s on-field sporting operations since his appointment in mid-June, a role at the club which includes overseeing transfer activity.

Paratici has, so far, brought in promising young attacker Bryan Gil from Sevilla, back-up goalkeeping option Pierluigi Gollini and MVP award-winning centre-back Cristian Romero from Atalanta.

Reports indicate he isn’t finished there, either, as The Mirror break news on another target.

The Latest: Spurs ‘set to move’ for Aouar…

As per the outlet, Tottenham and Paratici are ‘set to move’ for Aouar this summer as Lyon sporting director Juninho places him on the transfer list.

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The Lilywhites have also been handed a transfer boost in pursuit of the Frenchman, as claimed by this report, with north London rivals Arsenal sealing a move for Martin Odegaard.

This has left the door wide open for Spurs to swoop for the attacking midfielder who remains ‘highly rated’ by a number of Premier League clubs.

The Verdict: Paratici masterclass inbound?

Valued at around £37.8 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs could secure the 23-year-old for much less as his club seek to offload – with a report from ESPN claiming they could even sell for as little as €25m (£21.3m).

This possible price tag comes as a real bargain opportunity given Aouar’s age and pedigree.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is among his many admirers, calling him ‘incredible’ back in 2018 after the Sky Blues drew 2-2 in a Champions League group game against Lyon (Sky Sports).

Football Insider pundit Kevin Campbell, when the Gunners were heavily linked, labelled Aouar a ‘top player’ and claimed he would have drove the player to Arsenal himself.

Meanwhile, Liverpool podcaster Tommy Lister recently called Aouar the would-be ‘perfect’ Georginio Wijnaldum replacement and a ‘quality player’ (LFC Transfer Room Podcast via This is Futbol).

Given the midfield ace has this many fans in the game and media, it tells you all you need to know about his ability – leaving little wonder why Spurs are so eager to seize a potential bargain opportunity.

In other news: Offer incoming: Levy readying Spurs bid to ‘amazing’ player who Nuno personally wants, find out more here.

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson insists that Leeds United are some way off being able to aim for a top-six finish in the Premier League.

The club have endured an inconsistent start to the season and are yet to pick up three points in the top-flight.

Leeds were utterly thumped in their opening game of the campaign, losing 5-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

They followed that result up with a 2-2 draw with Everton and Jemson thinks that they have to improve immensely to be anywhere near the top six, suggesting Marcelo Bielsa has got things wrong in this opening part of the season.

Leeds, of course, enjoyed an impressive season last term upon their return to the Premier League and finished the campaign in ninth place, six points behind sixth-placed West Ham United.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Jemson said: “Sometimes they are like that, they’re very hit and miss.

“They can be phenomenal, the manager, I think he got it wrong. As much as a good side they are, they’re not a top-six team yet. There’s a lot of work still to be done to make them a top-six team.”

Leeds are next in action against Burnley this weekend, after beating Crewe Alexandra comfortably in the second round of the EFL Cup in midweek.

The transfer window may have closed for the summer but it appears Tottenham Hotspur are already planning ahead…

What’s the word?

According to Sportmediaset’s Claudio Raimondi (via Calciomercato.it), Spurs are among the favourites to secure AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie on a free transfer next year.

It’s thought that Premier League rivals Chelsea are also keen on sealing the 24-year-old and both teams have offered more than his current club.

The report suggests that Spurs have offered a yearly salary between €7m (£6m) and €8m (£6.8m), whilst the Italian giants are stuck at just €7m (£6m).

Kessie is currently valued at €40m (£34m), per CIES Football Observatory, so the Lilywhites would be making quite the statement if they can manage to secure him for nothing.

Sign him up!

There may be a while before the 44-time Ivory Coast international can come in and make an impact in north London but that shouldn’t put sporting director Fabio Paratici and co from launching a move.

6-foot in stature, Kessie has the ability to contribute at either end of the pitch, making him an ideal candidate to partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Oliver Skipp in Nuno Santo’s engine room for the long term.

As per WhoScored, the Milan midfielder ended the 2020/21 campaign as their fourth highest-rated player (7.15), having found the net 13 times – a feat only bettered by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

He also averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per league outing, which only reinforces his box-to-box qualities. Evidently, Kessie appears to be an industrious presence in the middle, getting back to help defend as well as contributing with goals in attack.

Milan head coach Stefano Piolo lauded the 24-year-old “a complete player” and he’s not the first manager to do so. “He is an extraordinary player, a sublime intelligence,” once claimed Vincenzo Montella.

Spurs enjoyed a pretty remarkable summer under Paratici’s control, getting rid of much of the deadwood but also bringing in some exciting young names.

Kessie would surely add to his growing list of accomplishments in N17, and to get him without having to pay a fee, too. It would be another masterclass from the Italian supremo.

AND in other news, “Worst business possible” – Sky Sports reporter drops Spurs claim amid deadline day development…

Wolves journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast that he would have backed Kieffer Moore to shine at Molineux.

The Cardiff City striker was linked with a move to Wolves at the closing stages of the transfer window, with Hatfield’s paper the Express & Star reporting a deadline day move was made.

Moore, who starred for Wales at the Euros, was prolific last season. In 42 league appearances, the 29-year-old scored 20 goals.

With that record coming in the Championship, some Wolves fans may have been underwhelmed by the links to Moore. Hatfield, though, believes the Welshman could have been a good signing for Bruno Lage’s side.

“I think on paper a lot of Wolves fans would’ve been underwhelmed by it,” the football reporter said. “But I think if he was given an opportunity, he could be a really interesting option.

“He’s been a really talented player in the Championship. He’s someone who’s impressed I think a lot of people.

“He’s one I would’ve backed to impress people and maybe offer a bit more than what they think he could.”

Wolves, who are yet to score in the Premier League this season, probably could have done with bringing in someone like Moore.

There will be a lot of pressure on Raul Jimenez, who has just come back from a serious head injury, with Fabio Silva still just 19 years of age and Hwang Hee-chan’s record in Germany leaving a lot to be desired.

Ademola Lookman will take his game to another level after sealing a loan move to Leicester City on transfer deadline day, according to Marcus Bent.

The winger is set to spend the season at the King Power Stadium after making the switch from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

Lookman’s latest temporary move comes after spending last term on the books of Fulham, where he scored four goals and contributed as many assists in 35 outings.

However, the 23-year-old’s creativity in the final third was not enough to stop the Cottagers staving off an immediate return to the Championship following relegation.

Lookman’s arrival has bolstered Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers’ wide options as he aims to build on an impressive campaign which saw the club win their first-ever FA Cup.

The Foxes also started the new season in positive fashion by getting their hands on the Community Shield at Manchester City’s expense.

Former Leicester loanee Bent reckons Lookman will find it hard to break into Rodgers’ preferred side but is sure to improve in his new surroundings.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “Brendan is a good manager with good backroom staff.

“Although Fulham didn’t do well last season, Lookman scored some goals. He is going into a team who are doing really well and playing good football.

“I don’t think he’s going to be a first-team player just yet but, learning from the players on the training ground and backroom staff, I think he will grow and become a good player.”

An update has emerged on defender Kean Bryan, regarding Watford’s prior interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Birmingham Mail, Watford were one of the sides considering a move for defender Kean Bryan on a free transfer this summer.

The report claims that The Hornets, along with Burnley and Swansea City, looked into a potential deal for the ex-Sheffield United man before opting against signing him. Bryan’s future has now been resolved as he has signed a contract with Championship side West Brom.

Nightmare avoided

Watford boss Xisco Munoz avoided a nightmare by opting against a deal for Bryan this summer. The head coach made the right call by deciding not to offer the versatile player a contract as he would not have been a good signing for a club in the Premier League.

Bryan made 13 appearances, including 12 starts, in the Premier League for the Blades last season as they were relegated from the top-flight with a whimper. He averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.51, which shows that he was not able to perform with a high degree of quality, consistently, during the campaign.

The 24-year-old scored one own goal and was dribbled past 10 times in 13 games. This suggests that it was too easy for players to beat him in one-on-one duels in the Premier League, so he was not at the level required to defend against top-flight forwards.

In terms of experience, the £3k-per-week dud is severely lacking considering his age. He has only played 64 senior league matches in his career, with 50 of them coming for Bury and Oldham in League One prior to his spell with Sheffield United in the Premier League.

This means that Watford would have been signing a player coming off the back of a poor season who has next-to-no experience and little in the way of a portfolio of performances to suggest that he can turn things around.

Therefore, it would have been a disaster to bring him to Vicarage Road for the season, even on a free transfer.

Fans will be delighted that Xisco ultimately decided against the deal, with it being telling that a Championship side is where he has ended up going.

It will be interesting to see if he has a strong campaign for the Baggies in the second-tier, but based on the evidence available, Watford are unlikely to regret their decision any time soon.

AND in other news, “Well within his rights”: Key claim made on 20 G/A wizard that’ll delight Watford fans…

Leicester City kick off their Europa League campaign with a tricky opening fixture against Serie A giants Napoli this evening.

It’s been a slow start to the campaign for the Foxes despite their Community Shield victory in the curtain-raiser against Manchester City, with the same opponents condemning them to their second defeat in four Premier League outings last time out.

And unusually for Leicester, it’s been in the final third where they’ve found life particularly difficult.

Their 1-0 loss at the hands of the Cityzens over the weekend was the first time they’ve failed to find the back of the net in the opening weeks of the new season but was also the fourth time in five outings that they’ve failed to score more than one goal.

Only a narrow 2-1 victory over newly-promoted, pointless Norwich City broke that run. It’s something that will be causing manager Brendan Rodgers some headaches, but the solution could be a rather simple one.

Leicester’s struggles in front of goal are due to several reasons, yet one is more obvious than most. Attacking midfielder James Maddison has failed to score or assist in his last 15 appearances as he struggles to rediscover his best form following an injury.

“Every player will always go through a period, especially with the rise James has had,” Rodgers said in Wednesday’s press conference after being quizzed over the player’s recent poor displays.

“Injuries have held him back. I’ve no doubt over the course of the season he will be an important player for us. He’s got a big talent.”

“He’s working hard in training. He will show his worth. I look forward to working with him. The level he has been at, you go through a period where you don’t quite hit the heights. But once he gets his rhythm and we improve as a team, he will get that form back,” he concluded.

However, Maddison’s hugely underwhelming displays of late have been hampering his team’s chances of success, and when there’s a player as talented as Kelechi Iheanacho waiting in the wings, there’s only so long Rodgers can keep faith with the Englishman.

Iheanacho showcased his truly top-class potential in the second half of last season, lining up with fellow frontman Jamie Vardy to devastating effect.

In his last 15 top-flight outings, the 24-year-old bagged an astonishing 12 goals and appeared to carry that form into this season when he scored the winning goal in the Community Shield.

Since then, though, Iheanacho has only been on the pitch for a combined 67 minutes as Rodgers continues to persist with a struggling Maddison.

That must change against Napoli, the Northern Irish tactician must revert back to the player he hailed as “very talented” back in April, providing Leicester with a boost in the attacking areas while allowing Maddison time away from the spotlight to get back to his scintillating best.

And, in other news…Leicester receive big boost ahead of Napoli, Rodgers will be delighted 

A number of Liverpool supporters have been hailing Andy Robertson’s superb goal he scored during a pre-Brentford training session.

The Reds are back in Premier League action on Saturday evening, making the trip to west London to face the newly-promoted Bees.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have still only dropped two points and conceded one goal in 2021/22 to date, suggesting they are very much in the title race.

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One player who could come back into the team at Brentford is Robertson, with the Scot only used as a late substitute in the Carabao Cup third round win at Norwich on Tuesday.

Footage has emerged from Liverpool’s official Twitter account of the left-back scoring a stunning curled effort in training, outlining his quality as a footballer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold also finding the net.

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Liverpool fans react to Robertson brilliance

These Reds fans took to Twitter to heap praise on Robertson, as he continues to be an influential figure.

“Robbo is never giving that LB spot man. My man is there to be @andrewrobertso5”

Credit: @JN081784

“You can see Robbo is hungrier than ever. Tsimikas has him sweating”

Credit: @uzair208

“Andrew and Trent are priceless players Liverpool cannot afford to lose”

Credit: @R0naldinh0Messi

“Best full-backs in Europe”

Credit: @Zino5pf

“He’s so good”

Credit: @lfcmarshy03

“That hit from Robbo”

Credit: @Durga_LFC

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a key development at the club. Read more here.

With Valerien Ismael seeing his West Bromwich Albion side struggle in recent weeks, with the Baggies currently being on a run of three Championship fixtures without a win, having scored just two goals over these games, there is one clear area of the pitch that needs improvement at The Hawthorns – up front.

Indeed, while the Frenchman did bring in Jordan Hugill to help bolster Albion’s attack in the summer transfer window, the Norwich City loanee is yet to find the back of the net over his four Championship appearances, while none of Callum Robinson, Karlan Grant, Grady Diangana or Matt Phillips have exactly been in clinical form in front of goal – with the quartet having scored six league goals between them.

As such, considering the 45-year-old West Brom manager is yet to spend any of the £17.17m received from the sales of players this summer, it would appear highly advisable for Ismael to pull the trigger on move for a target the Baggies boss is known to be a fan of in the winter transfer window – Daryl Dike.

Dike could transform West Brom

Having highly impressed under Ismael at Barnsley side last season, Dike is a centre-forward who clearly boasts the ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis in the Championship, as well as one who is accustomed to the Frenchman’s style of play.

Indeed, over his 19 Championship appearances for the Tykes – only 13 of which came as starts – the £9m-rated man scored nine goals, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player Ismael himself dubbed an “unbelievable” talent earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Barnsley’s third-best performer in the second tier.

However, with the Express & Star journalist Joesph Masi recently revealing that Orlando City were demanding £18m in order to sanction the sale of the 21-year-old, it is clear to see why Ismael did not sanction a move for the centre-forward in the summer window.

Although, with this asking price more than likely being a starting point for negotiations – and one that could be lowered in discussions – coupled with the fact that West Brom appear in desperate need of a clinical striker in order to give them the best possible chance of securing promotion, it would seem wise for the Albion boss to do all he can to land Dike in January, as the USA international could well transform the Baggies’ season from disappointment to success.

In other news: West Brom handed double fitness boost ahead of QPR clash, Ismael will be buzzing

Flocking to Twitter, many Leicester City fans have been left raving over news involving Real Madrid attacker Isco.

After a fruitful summer transfer window, the Foxes have found themselves getting off to a slow start to the season.

Currently sitting in 13th, they haven’t secured a Premier League victory since their 2-1 win away to Norwich in late August, most recently blowing a two-goal cushion as they fell to a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace.

The international break may have come at a perfect time for Brendan Rodgers’ side as they aim to get back in and among the traditional top six.

Leicester are even considering more reinforcements, with reporter Ekrem Konur now leaking some transfer news involving Spain international Isco. As per his sources, they are ‘keen to sign’ the 29-year-old, whose contract expires in 2022, coming amid his lack of game-time at the Bernabeu.

Flocking to this news, many Foxes fans have been left overjoyed that their club have seemingly set their sights on the playmaker, with some even describing him as an upgrade on James Maddison.

Check out some of their verdicts below.

 Leicester fans rave over Isco news…

“better than Maddison, get him in”

Credit: @_LD1999

“I’m on my knees”

Credit: @HalfTurn

“Isco to Leicester yesss plssss, that brudda will cook”

Credit: @Lifeofpaul0

“I’ll take that”

Credit: @ManiaaSZN

“Defo upgrade to Madders”

Credit: @FootballWaffler

“Isco to Leicester Yesss please”

Credit: @jeevansenna_

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Big’, ‘Championship here we come’…Leicester fans erupt over official club post, find out more here.