║➽║ EXCLUSIVE Football News║

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Victor Boniface, Kalvin Phillips, Luis Suarez
By Sporting Life
11:34 · THU October 19, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Thursday's back pages, including reports of Newcastle's transfer targets.

Newcastle are reportedly interested in Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface and Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips. (The Sun)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is hoping he can to buy a minority stake in Manchester United before the January transfer window. (Daily Mirror)

Senior members of Manchester United's squad have urged Jadon Sancho to apologise to Erik ten Hag. If not, it is thought he will be made available for transfer in winter window. (The Guardian)

Liverpool have been closely following Napoli's Victor Osimhen, who is also wanted by Chelsea and Arsenal. (The Sun)

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The disciplinary hearing into Everton's alleged breach of Premier League spending rules is taking place this week. (Daily Telegraph)

Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva has hinted at a 2024 return to Fluminense. (The Sun)

Gerardo Martino has confirmed he is keen on signing Luis Suarez and reuniting him with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. (The Sun)

Messi has denied rumours he will leave the MLS side after the season. (Daily Mail)

Paper Talk: Wednesday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
After suffering a setback on his return from injury, Chelsea captain Reece James is a major doubt to play against Arsenal. (Evening Standard)

Reports suggest Euro 2024 squad sizes will be limited to 23 players, creating a selection problem for most managers. (The Sun)

Real Madrid have signed Jose Reyes Lopez, son of the late Jose Antonio Reyes, to his first professional contract. (The Athletic)

Cameron Carter-Vickers has hinted at a potential return to the Premier League one day. (Scottish Sun)

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Eddie Howe, Kalvin Phillips, Jamal Musiala, Lionel Messi
By Sporting Life
13:20 · FRI October 20, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Friday's back pages, including Newcastle boss Eddie Howe ruling himself out of the running to be Gareth Southgate's successor with England.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe will swiftly rule himself out of the running to become the next England manager despite the Football Association putting him on a shortlist of potential candidates to replace Gareth Southgate. (Daily Telegraph)

Meanwhile, Howe's Magpies are facing a battle to sign Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips on loan in January because of competition from Bayern Munich. (The Sun)

Newcastle could instead consider a shock loan move for Chelsea's Andrey Santos in January to replace Sandro Tonali, but that would need the Blues to cut short his spell with Nottingham Forest, where he has barely featured. (Daily Express)

Back to Munich, and Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala is set to open talks with Bayern over a new contract amid plenty of interest from Premier League clubs. (Daily Express)

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Chelsea have reportedly thwarted Barcelona's plans to snap up young left-back Ian Maatsen on a free transfer by activating an extension to his contract. (Daily Mail)

But Blues owner Todd Boehly's chaotic transfer activity is again under fire after the agent of West Ham's Mohammed Kudus branded Chelsea's summer pursuit of the star "ridiculous". (Daily Mirror)

Jadon Sancho has been excluded from Manchester United's 2023/24 squad photo, sparking further rumours the winger has no future at Old Trafford. (The Sun)

However, the Red Devils' ins and outs could be affected by reports Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal to take a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United may not be completed in time for the opening of the January transfer window. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United are expected to take up their option to extend midfielder Hannibal Mejbri's contract. (Daily Mail)

Paper Talk: Thursday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Lionel Messi will "definitely" return to the Camp Nou for Barcelona one day, according to sporting director Deco, who is adamant the Argentine will come back to his beloved club for a farewell game. (The Sun)

Everton have been reported to the Premier League and are facing legal action for allegedly failing to pay an agent fee related to a recent international signing. (Daily Mail)

Borna Barisic's future at Rangers remains uncertain and Dinamo Zagreb could take advantage with Nottingham Forest not thought to be in for the defender. (Daily Record)

Celtic target Andriy Lunin has left the door open for a Real Madrid exit as the goalkeeper admitted he wants to ramp up his game time. (Daily Record)

Ross McCausland is set to be offered a new contract by Rangers, while ex-Gers star Alfredo Morelos faces question marks over his future at Santos after picking up a serious calf injury in training. (Scottish Sun)

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Casemiro, Graham Potter, Jadon Sancho, Kalvin Phillips
By Sporting Life
09:33 · MON October 23, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Monday's back pages, including Casemiro's regret over joining Manchester United.

Brazil international Casemiro has reportedly expressed regret over joining Manchester United, with the club looking at Benfica's midfield starlet Joao Neves. (Daily Mirror)

Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter is reportedly waiting on Napoli to make an official approach for him, additionally, he is also said to be keeping an eye on the situation at Manchester United should potential new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to decide to do away with Erik ten Hag. (The Sun)

United winger Jadon Sancho has reportedly been thrown a career lifeline from a Turkish Super Lig club ahead of the winter transfer window. (Daily Star)

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Manchester City will reportedly give Kalvin Phillips a green flag to look for first team football elsewhere during the January window. (Daily Star)

Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy has issued an emotional response to recent accusations linking him with illegal gambling activities following his last-minute winner for Jose Mourinho's side against Monza. (Daily Mail)

Paper Talk: Friday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Luton Town will reportedly have to pay a fee of £5.5m for Ecuador midfielder Oscar Zambrano, however, LDU Quito could yet demand a higher figure. (The Sun)

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Ivan Toney, Kalvin Phillips, Victor Osimhen
By Sporting Life
16:29 · WED October 25, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Wednesday's back pages, including reports of Ivan Toney's asking price.

A report claims there is a shockingly low asking price for Ivan Toney despite lots of interest in the Brentford striker. (The Sun)

Kalvin Phillips is expected to leave Manchester City City in the January transfer window, according to reports. (Daily Mail)

Now that he is staying at Fulham, Marco Silva will spend on transfers having sought assurances. (The Times)

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Victor Osimhen lashed out at Napoli fans wanting his signature when leaving the club's training ground on Monday. (Daily Mail)

Serhou Guirassy, the Stuttgart star wanted by Fulham, has a release clause of just over £15m in his contract. (Evening Standard)

Jenni Hermoso has trained with the Spain national team for the first time since their World Cup win. (Daily Mirror)

Paper Talk: Tuesday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Tyler Fletcher, Darren Fletcher's son, has switched his allegiances back to Scotland after representing England as an international. (Daily Mirror)

Jamaica's women's national team have announced their withdrawal from the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup Qualifiers. (The Athletic)

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Ruben Neves, Joao Palhinha, Ivan Toney
By Sporting Life
09:10 · FRI October 27, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Tuesday's back pages, including reports of possible Newcastle transfer business.

Newcastle are interested in making a move for former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, who left for Saudi Arabia in the summer. (The Sun)

The Magpies might also have a go at landing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha in January after reports in Germany claim Bayern Munich have halted interest. (The Sun)

For financial prudence, Arsenal's attempt to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford could be dependent on Real Madrid acting on their interest in Gabriel Jesus. (Daily Express)

With former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder lined up as a replacement, the Blades are ready to sack manager Paul Heckingbottom if they lose at Arsenal. (Daily Mail)

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Tottenham are targeting Uruguay international Sebastian Caceres as their first signing of the January transfer window. (Daily Express)

Richard Arnold, Manchester United’s CEO, is preparing for his departure from the club when confirmation arrives that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken control of football operations. (The Athletic)

Internal talks have been held with lawyers at Newcastle over the possibility of reducing Sandro Tonali's wages following the confirmation of his 10-month ban for gambling breaches. (Daily Telegraph)

Paper Talk: Thursday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Matt O'Riley should be valued in the £50m bracket according to his Celtic teammate Alistair Johnston. The midfielder's rise highlighted on social media by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. (Daily Record)

Before settling on investing in Wrexham, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney considered putting their money into Scottish club Arbroath. (Daily Mirror)

Seeking a feeder club for Burnley, club's owners ALK Capital are in talks about a talent-sharing deal with Dundee. (Daily Mail)

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has suggested that the officials working now have become lazy and are not up to standard. (Daily Mirror)

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Transfers rumours and football gossip: Chelsea, Erik ten Hag, Kepa Arrizabalaga
By Sporting Life
10:24 · TUE October 31, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Tuesday's back pages, including reports of Chelsea being investigated by the Premier League.

An investigation led by the Premier League into secret payments pertaining to Roman Abramovich transfers will reportedly include scrutiny around the signings of Willian and Samuel Eto'o. (The Times)

Real Madrid are reportedly ready to do business with Chelsea over a permanent transfer for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga just months into his loan spell. (The Sun)

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly retains the full backing of the board despite a dismal start to the season. (Daily Mail)

Neil Lennon has revealed that he would consider taking over St Johnstone as the new manager. (Scottish Sun)


Ten Hag has claimed that his Manchester United side are incapable of playing like his successful Ajax sides because the squad is accustomed to long-ball football. (The Times)

Paper Talk: Monday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
The Carabao Cup is set to switch over to one-legged semi-finals next season for the first time, with clubs informed of this ahead of a new £900m funding package from the Premier League. (Daily Mail)

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is reportedly planning a major clear-out during the January window to free up space for potential signings. (Scottish Sun)

Barry Ferguson expects new Rangers boss Philippe Clement to be backed in the January window and has said that he should look closer to home for his first signing. (Daily Record)

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Erik ten Hag, Wolves, Newcastle
By Sporting Life
09:11 · WED November 01, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Wednesday's back pages, including reports that it would take a hefty fee for Manchester United to sack Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United would need to cough up more than £15m to sack Erik ten Hag (Daily Mirror).

Wolves are set to avoid future punishment by the Premier League after their remarkable £140m summer sale of players (Daily Telegraph).

A stake of up to 10 per cent in West Ham United has been put up for sale by Vanessa Gold, the daughter of the club's late joint-chairman David Gold, and has drawn interest from international investors. Club insiders believe the opportunity may attract an offer from Qatar after Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani's failed bid to buy Manchester United (The Times).


Paper Talk: Tuesday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Manchester United are set to trigger the 12-month extension in Aaron Wan-Bissaka's contract as negotiations over a new long-term deal stall (Daily Mirror).

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been hit with a fresh injury blow after revealing defender Sven Botman could join his list of 'longer term' absentees (Daily Mail).

Tanguy Ndombele had a furious late-night bust-up with Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk after the on-loan Spurs midfielder ordered a burger at the team hotel following their Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, according to reports in Turkey (Daily Mail).

Brendan Rodgers has been told one element of his Celtic squad clearout can be solved by moving for Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland (Daily Record).

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Rasmus Hojlund, Dele Alli, Eberechi Eze
By Sporting Life
09:17 · FRI November 03, 2023
The latest rumours and gossip from Friday's back pages, including reports of Manchester United looking for some support.

Manchester United want a support striker to partner Rasmus Hojlund in January, raising concerns about the £72m man’s development. (Daily Mail)

Reports from South America suggest Inter Miami are close to signing Luis Suarez for their 2024 MLS season, reuniting him with Lionel Messi and other former Barca players. (Daily Mail)

Erik ten Hag’s strict methods are being questioned at Manchester United, with his handling of Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire under scrutiny. (Daily Telegraph)

Ten Hag is thought to be “on thin ice” at United after their worst start to a season in 61 years. (The Times)

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Zinedine Zidane ruled himself out of the running for the Manchester United job before pressure on Erik ten Hag started. (Daily Mirror)

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has said that the club are “very confident” that, despite interest from Manchester City, Eberechi Eze will sign a new contract. (The Guardian)

Everton are renegotiating the terms of their deal with Tottenham that would oblige the Toffees to pay £10m if Dele Alli appears for the club seven more times. (The Times)

In an attempt to fix Manchester United’s broken dressing room, Erik ten Hag has ordered his players to have one-to-one sessions with him. (The Sun)

Paper Talk: Thursday's gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Hashtag United, a Youtube football phenomenon, have had goalkeeper Ted Curd selected by England for their FIFA U17 tournament in Indonesia this month. (Daily Telegraph)

Craig Levein is a shock candidate to be St Johnstone’s new manager. (Scottish Sun)

After a bust-up with the Montpellier manager, ex-Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho has quit the club. (The Sun)

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João Palhinha: Fulham's defensive midfield monster
By FootballTransfers
15:05 · SAT November 04, 2023
After his deadline-day move to Bayern Munich collapsed, João Palhinha didn’t create a fuss and just got on with his business.

Published before Fulham 0-1 Manchester United
"I feel happy. A lot of history happened these few weeks for me, but I'm just focused on my work at Fulham and I always have 100 percent commitment with this club,” he told Fulham TV.

This has always been how he operates, right from his time at Sporting CP, where Palhinha focused on the job at hand and helped the club to their first league title in 20 years.

Palhinha’s performances won him a move to the Premier League, and he has been an absolute revelation for Fulham. His dominant defensive displays in the middle of the park helped the club to an impressive top-half finish after their promotion from the Championship.

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In the Fulham squad this season, he ranks first for tackles and recoveries, joint-first for goals scored, second for blocks and interceptions, and fifth for final-third passes and aerials won amongst players who have played at least 450 minutes.

Interest from top European clubs will continue to come in, but Palhinha is just too important and valuable for Marco Silva to let go that easily.

What next for Joao Palhinha?
The riches of the Premier League mean that a mid to lower-table club would rather keep hold of their star players, than face a battle for survival in the league.

It was no wonder that the Cottagers rejected Bayern’s massive €65 million bid, despite it being over three times what the club paid just a year before.

One might wonder why Joao Palhinha signed a new contract right after his dream move to Bayern failed to go through. But such is the high-stakes nature of professional football.

Fulham's Joao Palhinha
Fulham's Joao Palhinha
With no guarantee that another big club will come back in for him, the Portuguese International decided to take up the significant pay rise on offer. In the process, Fulham were also able to preserve his value by locking him in until 2028.

There is said to be no release clause in Palhinha’s new contract, but a gentleman's agreement might be in place that could see him leave for the right price.

Joao Palhinha Transfer Value - how much is he worth?
According to our Player Valuation Model, Palhinha’s Expected Transfer Value (xTV) is currently €29.1million. He was valued at €11.4million at the time of his transfer from Sporting CP, but that has more than doubled since.

There are reports that Thomas Tuchel will come back for Palhinha as early as January, but Fulham are in an even stronger position than before, and it will take a huge fee to praise him away from West London.

Joao Palhinha FootballTransfers
Joao Palhinha a defensive midfield monster
Palhinha is a true number six, tasked with doing the dirty work to protect the backline, allowing more attacking players to commit to the attack. And he is elite.

He has made the most tackles in the league with 45 this season, eight more than the next best. That comes out to 6.3 tackles on a 90-minute basis, which is more than the league-high 4.26 per 90 minutes he made last season.

His excellent reading of the game makes it almost impossible to dribble past him, and puts him in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders with the most dribblers tackled. This ability means his side can commit more players forward, knowing that Palhinha will be able to handle any transitions.

Palhinha heatmap Premier League
Palhinha’s 8.38 ball recoveries, 2.23 interceptions and 2.09 blocks per 90 all rank him amongst the best compared to positional peers in the league, and shows just what a defensive monster he is.

The Fulham number 26 is also good at aerial duels, as his 1.90-metre frame also helps him win an impressive 1.53 aerials per 90.

All of this is extremely invaluable in a holding midfielder, as it allows the manager to be flexible in possession. It is no wonder that teams such as Liverpool and Bayern were interested in having his skill set on the pitch.

xG - xpected https://www.sportinglife.com/football/fixtures-results
Although the Portuguese does not have the best passing stats, that is down to the fact that Fulham don’t usually have much of the ball. But his 5.44 completed long balls and 0.77 switches per 90 shows a great passing range which will be highlighted even more in a possession dominant team.

Palhinha is in his prime years and rarely gets injured. Players like him who can break up opposition attacks, organise the build-up and launch attacking transitions are needed in every modern team.

There are few in the world who can do that as well as him.

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Transfer rumours and football gossip: Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jean-Clair Todibo
By Sporting Life
10:17 · WED November 08, 2023
Arsenal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey has reportedly told the Gunners hierarchy about his desire to leave the Emirates amid strong interest from Serie A giants Juventus. (Daily Mail)

The Turin giants have reportedly sent sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli and his assistant to keep tabs on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with hopes of potentially landing the Spurs midfielder in the January window. (Daily Telegraph)

The Premier League is reportedly still seeking clear-cut information over the scope of football’s independent regulator after the King confirmed its introduction in his speech. (The Times)

Arsenal are reportedly planning to hold talks with the Brazil football federation regarding Gabriel Jesus’ involvement in the upcoming international break. (Evening Standard)

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The PFA reportedly fear that long VAR checks will lead to a higher number of injuries. (The Sun)

Premier League players reportedly want referees to give in-game guidance regarding the amount of injury time to be added to games with concerns about greater risk of injury after longer matches. (Daily Mail)

Paper Talk: Tuesday’s gossip
Done deals: Every completed transfer
Crystal Palace youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is reportedly expected to be sidelined for at least a month after scans on a hamstring injury. (Evening Standard)

Former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been dismissed as Al-Ittihad coach just six months after winning the Saudi Pro League. (Mirror)