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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Yves Bissouma to north London in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alasdair Gold, who revealed in a recent article for football.london that Fabio Paratici is tracking the Brighton & Hove Albion defensive midfielder ahead of a potential move in the coming months, with the 25-year-old reported to be available for around £30m this summer.

Further reports have also claimed that the Italian sporting director has already made contact with the Seagulls regarding a deal for the Mali international, while Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham United are all believed to also be keen on the former Lille starlet.

“Different gravy”

Considering how impressive Bissouma was for Brighton this season, it is not difficult to see why Paratici is interested in a move to add the 25-year-old to Antonio Conte’s current options in the middle of the park at Tottenham.

Indeed, over his 26 Premier League outings in 2021/22, the £31.5m-rated midfielder was in spectacular form in the heart of Graham Potter’s side. He bagged one goal, provided two assists and created two big chances for his team-mates, along with completing 40.7 passes and 1.3 dribbles and taking 0.8 shots per game.

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The £25k-per-week talent also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.9 interceptions, 2.9 tackles and 1.8 clearances and winning 5.6 duels (at a success rate of 59%) per match.

These returns saw the player who Raj Chohan dubbed “unreal” and Casey Evans labelled “different gravy” earn an astonishing seasonal SofaScore rating of 7.07, ranking him as Brighton’s fifth-best player in the Premier League.

Furthermore, according to FBRef data, Bissouma also ranks in the top 9% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for passes completed per 90, in addition to the top 10% for dribbles completed, the top 36% for progressive carries, the top 13% for tackles, the top 14% for interceptions, the top 10% for clearances and the top 27% for blocks over the past 12 months.

Consider those remarkable returns, along with Conte’s desire for a new central midfielder ahead of 2022/23 and the Malian being available for a figure well below his current market valuation. Should Paratici manage to get a deal over the line for the Brighton sensation this summer, it would very much appear to be an unreal piece of business by the Italian.

AND in other news: Paratici can unearth the next Terry as Spurs now eye “unbelievable” £60m-rated target

Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to have offered Morgan Gibbs-White a new contract in a bid to keep him at the club amid transfer interest, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White profiled

As per the club’s official website, the 22-year-old is an academy graduate of the Midlands outfit and has been at the Molineux for more than 11 years, having worked his way up through the ranks before going on to make his first-team debut in 2017 aged just 16.

Last summer, the midfielder joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan after making just two appearances for Wanderers throughout the 2020/21 campaign, but after displaying some outstanding performances for the Blades, the maestro has caught the eye of some new potential suitors, and it looks like the Premier League side are prepared to do whatever it takes to fend off any interest.

The Latest: Gibbs-White offered new deal

In a new article published by the Express and Star, it’s claimed that Gibbs-White has been ‘offered a new contract on improved terms’ in an attempt to ‘ward off interest’ from other clubs in the summer, with both Southampton and Nottingham Forest believed to be monitoring him.

The source states that Bruno Lage is ‘ready’ to guarantee the England U21 starlet regular playing time next season, and that the club ‘remain determined’ to keep the young prospect during the upcoming window.

The Verdict: Making an instant impact

During his loan at Bramall Lane, the Stafford-born talent played an integral role in helping Sheffield secure a place in the Championship top six after recording an outstanding goal return.

The creative midfielder found the back of the net 13 times and provided ten assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for the Blades, as per Transfermarkt, and managed to get plenty of much-needed minutes under his belt.

After seeing the scintillating form that Gibbs-White has been in over the last year, it’s no wonder that Wolves want to do everything within their power to keep hold of their rising star, and if successful in doing so, he could prove to be a pivotal player in Lage’s starting XI at the Molineux next season.

In other news… Wolves have now joined the race to sign an exciting Premier League forward.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to step up their bid to sign right-wing-back starlet Djed Spence as The Telegraph share a big transfer update.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye move…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte is keen on landing the 21-year-old who shone on loan at Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough over the 2021/2022 season.

Spence was a key player in helping to guide Forest back to the Premier League, standing out as a consistent threat on the overlap and finishing the Championship campaign as one of their best in terms of average match rating (WhoScored).

Able to solve Tottenham’s homegrown quota issue also, the Lilywhites have taken a firm interest in the Englishman, with The Telegraph now sharing a big update.

The Latest: Spurs step up…

According to their information, the north Londoners are ‘set to step up their attempts’ to seal the signing of Spence in a ‘£15 million deal’.

While Forest want to make his move permanent, they are ‘braced’ for real competition, with Spurs firmly in the mix.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Called an ‘incredible’ player who ‘massively fits the bill’ for Conte by ex-Tottenham man Alan Hutton (Football Insider), we believe signing Spence is an absolute no-brainer.

At just £15m, Tottenham could go some way to solving their homegrown player problem whilst also adding someone who is a proven threat at RWB.

Known for his pace, Spence also averaged the second-most crosses from out wide for Forest over his 41 second tier starts (WhoScored) – an aspect of his playing style that Conte could deem attractive.

In other news: Alasdair Gold suggests £122,000-per-week ‘genius’ is open to joining Tottenham! Find out more here.

Leeds United defender Robin Koch has now suggested he is staying put at Elland Road this summer.

The Lowdown: Exit link

The Whites ensured they’d be playing a third successive year in the Premier League after a 2-1 win over Brentford on the final day.

Koch played at right-back for the final three games after Luke Ayling’s red card at Arsenal, impressing in the daw with Brighton and win over Brentford.

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Reports last month stated that Jesse Marsch was planning a defensive overhaul this summer and that Koch’s future was in doubt.

The Whites were thought to be willing to accept an offer in the region of £10m to £11m for the German, however, Koch has now spoken out regarding his Elland Road future.

The Latest: Koch speaks out

Sports Witness relayed comments from Koch’s interview with Sport Bild on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old admitted he is ‘super comfortable’ in Leeds, adding that the journey is ‘not over’.

“I feel super comfortable in the city and at the club and have a contract here. When I joined Leeds we had a project in mind, a journey that is not over for us as a team.”

The Verdict: Keep

Described as ‘magnificent’ by Noel Whelan last season, Koch has certainly shown his versatility under Marsch, emphasising the club’s ‘side before self’ mantra.

He’s played in his main position just twice under the American, turning out as a holding midfielder and right-back on more occasions.

Some have even hinted that he could be the ‘long-term solution’ at right-back following his displays in recent weeks, so hopefully, the Whites will have second thoughts regarding the defender and keep him at the club for Marsch’s first full season.

In other news: Phil Hay: Leeds now working on move for ‘confident’ defender; club have already approved sale. 

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their interest in Amine Gouiri heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The i Paper’s Mark Douglas has confirmed that PIF are eyeing up a swoop for the Nice attacker ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, tweeting: “#nufc scout Amine Gouiri, highly-rated Nice striker.”

Douglas’ accompanying article states that the Tyneside club are in the market for a centre-forward this summer, with the 22-year-old a player they are scouting.

The Frenchman is reportedly valued at £30m by the Ligue 1 outfit, although it remains to be seen how much the Premier League side are willing to pay for his services.

Howe’s own Benzema

Journalist Evan Barlett dubbed Gouiri the “new Benzema”, and the comparison is an easy one to make. Both strikers came through the ranks at the Lyon academy and Gouiri appears to be on his way to reaching the top level, where Benzema has been showcasing his quality for many years.

In the current Real Madrid maestro’s last Ligue 1 season for Lyon in 2008/09, he scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 36 games.

Meanwhile, Gouiri was directly involved in 19 league goals last term and has caught the eye again in 2021/22 as he has proven that he can score and set up goals on a regular basis – as shown in the graphic below, with stats via SofaScore.

The 22-year-old phenomenon has been in fine form and is showing that he has the potential to become an elite player, just like his fellow countryman.

Benzema managed a direct goal contribution roughly every 132 minutes in his last Ligue 1 campaign. Gouiri has managed one every 149 minutes for Nice this term, which suggests that there is not a great deal of difference between their productivity in those respective seasons in the French top flight.

After leaving Lyon, the now 34-year-old Benzema has gone on to score more than 300 goals for Real Madrid and has netted 44 goals in all competitions this season for the Spanish giants. This illustrates how much of an honour it is for the Nice predator to be compared with him and why his potential is so high.

Gouiri’s statistics this season show that he is on the right path, and that is why Eddie Howe can land his own goalscoring and creating sensation, like Benzema, for Newcastle by securing a deal for the youngster. He has come up through the same youth system, plays in the same position and was born under an hour away from the city of Lyon – where the Real Madrid legend was born – in Bourgoin-Jallieu.

If the Magpies bring him in, it will then be down to the 22-year-old to fulfill his potential and prove that he has the ability to reach the very top level, competing for titles and being a star in the Champions League.

AND in other news, “NUFC will..”: Ciaran Kelly delivers big transfer claim that’ll excite supporters…

West Bromwich Albion were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt at getting out of the Championship and back into the Premier League this season.

In their 46 league games, initially under Valerien Ismael and then Steve Bruce, the Baggies won 18, drew 13 and lost 15, leaving them with a 10th-place finish.

One figure in West Brom’s squad who didn’t have much of an impact on the team despite playing regularly this season is Grady Diangana.

Diangana’s 2021/22

With 31 appearances to his name in the 2021/22 campaign, the attacker scored just two goals and only provided one assist along the way.

By the end of the season, players such as Adam Reach and Alex Mowatt had more goal contributions than the 24-year-old, who has had his performances in the past labelled “desperate” by Adrian Goldberg.

Along with his lack of regular goal contributions, Diangana’s overall performances were also not up to scratch – so much so that WhoScored gave him a season rating of 6.39/10, making him the lowest-rated outfield Baggies player currently at the club to have started more than one league game.

Now that the summer transfer window is around the corner, there’s every chance that Bruce may not feel like the winger is capable of being an important squad figure for Albion and having what it takes to get them back to the Premier League.

In terms of potential incoming transfers at The Hawthorns, one player with whom the Baggies have been linked and who could potentially push Diangana out the door is Scott Twine.

Axe Diangana, sign Twine

Since joining MK Dons from Swindon Town last summer, the 22-year-old has taken League One by storm.

In 46 league appearances, the versatile attacker found the net 20 times and supplied 13 assists in the process, earning himself a superb overall performance rating of 7.4/10 from WhoScored.

Despite being in the third tier, the youngster has shown that he could prove to be just as good in the Championship if given the chance.

Labelled a “human highlight reel” by podcaster Ryan Dilks, Twine’s versatility by playing in numerous midfield and attacking positions this season could also make him a useful squad figure for Bruce, as well as being a more clinical player in front of goal than Diangana.

Therefore, bringing him to The Hawthorns may then give the manager the scope to axe the former West Ham winger for good.

In other news: Bruce can save WBA millions by finally unleashing “aggressive” rarely-seen 19 y/o gem

Liverpool will unleash Jordan Henderson in the holding midfield role in place of the injured Fabinho, according to journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Reds hit with Fabinho blow

The Reds have been relatively fortunate in the injury department of late but that changed during their 2-1 win away to Aston Villa in the Premier League in midweek.

Fabinho limped off early in proceedings with a hamstring injury and the Brazilian will now miss both the FA Cup final and Liverpool’s two remaining league games this season.

His involvement in the Champions League final is also up in the air, as Jurgen Klopp’s men look to win a seventh European Cup in Paris, although reports late this week suggest he will be fit for the season finale.

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The Latest: Pearce drops early team news

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic‘s Pearce says that Henderson is now ‘set to play’ the No.6 role – the skipper has played just 13 of his 53 appearances this season in that position.

“Jordan Henderson set to play the holding role in Saturday’s FA Cup final.”

The Verdict: Silver lining

Fabinho is one of Liverpool’s most important players, mastering the defensive midfield role and being hailed as a ‘lighthouse’ by Pep Lijnders, so him being out is an enormous blow. The 28-year-old has averaged 1.6 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in the league this season, not to mention scoring an impressive eight goals in all competitions.

However, while Henderson’s usual role is further forward on the right of a midfield three, his record in the defensive spot this season is somewhat remarkable – of the 13 games he’s played there (12 starts), the Reds have won 12 and drawn just once, a win rate of 92 per cent.

The captain manages less tackles and interceptions per game than the Brazilian, but provides nearly twice as many key passes, so could make the side more creative against Chelsea’s stern back five set-up.

In other news, a ‘major’ Liverpool transfer update has emerged. Read more here.