This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to Football Insider, Wolverhampton Wanderers are in advanced talks over a new contract with their wonderkid Chem Campbell.
It’s a decision that has the potential to not only boost the club’s long-term future but also it matches one of the key ambitions set out by owners Fosun.
What’s the word?
The reports claim that the Molineux decision-makers are attempting to tie down the promising attacking midfielder when he turns 17 in December.
This comes as potentially fantastic news for those up in the west Midlands as a whole host of Bundesliga clubs were reportedly chasing him in the hope they could clinch the next Jadon Sancho or Ademola Lookman.
Borussia Dortmund themselves, Schalke, and RB Leipzig were three teams touted for interest.
Campbell made his first-team debut last month as Wolves were defeated by local rivals Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup.
He became the second youngest player to put on the old gold shirt, eclipsing both Morgan Gibbs-White and Robbie Keane.
Fosun’s delight
First and foremost, the decision goes to great lengths in proving that Fosun’s goal to build the club from within is more than mere hearsay to appease supporters.
The club’s owners have invested money in the academy set up in recent times in the hope that more players can follow Gibbs-White into Nuno Santo’s first-team fold.
Campbell is one of the most promising talents at Wolves, and he has been described as a player with ‘great potential’ that can ‘beat players and score goals.’
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His recent maiden bow for the senior side will serve as a significant source of confidence going forward as he’s clearly well thought of by the Portuguese chief, especially as he has also been part of their Europa League squad this campaign.
Wolves, Fosun, and Nuno could have quite a midfielder on their hands, one that will assist the club in meeting all of its long-term ambitions.
West Bromwich Albion could be set for a busy January transfer window.
Multiple reports have emerged over the international break, which concerns several members of Slaven Bilic’s Championship-leading side.
Nathan Ferguson is one who could be on his way out of the Hawthorns as the club will supposedly look to sell him if no agreement can be made over a new contract; Matheus Pereira has been linked to Manchester United; Grady Diangana continually faces uncertainty over his loan deal.
And now Chris Willock, who Bilic signed on deadline day and is yet to feature in a senior game, is being considered as a permanent addition in the winter window.
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The 21-year-old winger is on loan from Benfica B and has scored three goals and assisted four in seven Premier League 2 matches this term, per Transfermarkt.
Some of the Baggies faithful have been discussing the potential decision on social media.
A few were against such a deal with one supporter calling it a ‘waste of money’ as the starlet is yet to even make the bench for a Championship fixture while another pleaded the club to save money.
However, many were on board with it. A further member of the Albion crowd claimed Willock was a ‘class player’ with one more wondering if the former Arsenal graduate was the hidden goalscorer they have been missing.
Newcastle travel to Aston Villa on Monday and could be without Ciaran Clark for the visit to Villa Park, but several fans aren’t too concerned that he might not be available.
That is mostly because the pair of Florian Lejeune and Fabian Schar could be in line to make a comeback from injury, two players who a lot of fans consider to be amongst the team’s best centre-backs.
Clark, however, has played well of late in Newcastle’s three-match unbeaten run, scoring in two of those games, and probably would be in line to start had he not picked up a knock whilst on international duty for the Republic of Ireland.
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The fact some supporters are disappointed that they may have to play without Clark shows how important he’s been of late, with a few raising concerns that they have lost not only a solid defender, but a goal threat too.
Despite also being without skipper Jamaal Lascelles there is still not too much concern amongst the fanbase, and that highlights the strength the Magpies have at centre-back.
Here is some of the reaction to the news that Clark may be unavailable for Monday’s clash.
Wolverhampton Wanderers could land themselves a major upgrade to their central midfield this summer with reports emerging from Italy suggesting they are very much still in the hunt for one of their long-term targets.
According to Calciomercato, AC Milan powerhouse Franck Kessie is being monitored by both the west Midlands outfit as well as Premier League strugglers West Ham.
Nuno Santo’s side were linked to the 23-year-old in the summer, and again ahead of the January transfer window, so it’s about time they clinched him ahead of next season.
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The 39-cap Ivory Coast international is exactly the sort of defensive midfielder that the Old Gold are crying out for, especially because it will allow Ruben Neves freedom further up the pitch where we know he has an eye for goal.
Kessie is averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.6 long balls and one key pass per game in the Serie A this campaign whilst a questionable 1.7 fouls each match merely suggests he isn’t someone to be messed with, via WhoScored.
When signing for Milan, Bleacher Report described him as “an attentive marker with sound positioning in the defensive phase, he also brings pace, directness and penetrative passing to attack.” – this only bolsters the claim to signing him.
Neves has regressed in an attacking sense this season as his expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes has halved from 0.1 to 0.05, which is no surprise given that he is managing fewer shots at goal per match, too. That has decreased from 2.21 to just 1.8 in the Premier League, as per Understat.
The Portuguese favourite scored four goals and provided three assists in the English top-flight during the 2018/19 season and has managed just half that this season, so he could certainly do with being played further forward and the arrival of Kessie would allow that to come to fruition.
Think of the sort of influence both Neves and even Joao Moutinho can have behind leading talisman Raul Jimenez with a proper defensive brute in the side. Kessie is the perfect foil to upgrading Wolves onto a new level.
Fosun simply must sanction a move for the £22.5m-rated enforcer.
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Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has delivered a glowing verdict on Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min during an interview with Premier League Productions (via Liverpoolfc.com).
What’s the word?
Van Dijk has established himself as one of the most revered players in Premier League football since he swapped Southampton for Liverpool in 2018, and words of praise don’t come much more esteemed than they do from him.
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The 6ft 4 colossus was recently asked to name his dream Premier League 5-a-side team, though he was not permitted to name any of his current Reds teammates.
His team predominantly consisted of Manchester City players as Ederson, Aymeric Laporte and Kevin De Bruyne all got the nod, but Spurs star Son was also named while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took the final spot at centre-forward.
And the former Celtic lynchpin, who is valued at £90m by Transfermarkt, delivered a glowing verdict on the South Korea international as he explained the reason behind his choice.
“He’s quick, he’s strong, he goes out there to make life hell on the pitch for a defender. And his finishing – right foot, left foot – is just outstanding so I think I would pick him.”
A hellish prospect for any defender
As van Dijk alludes to, the prospect of facing Son is a hellish one for even the most competent and experienced of defenders.
Capable of playing on both feet, ducking inside or steamrolling down the outside, the 27-year-old is unplayable when he’s at his exhilarating best, and in a 5-a-side environment he’d be extremely difficult to stop.
That Son has scored 12 Premier League goals with his right foot and eight with his left since the beginning of the 2018/19 season attests to his ability to be deadly on either side – an outstanding quality from van Dijk’s perspective.
While Son, a key talisman at Spurs, will be accustomed to receiving praise from his peers and the media, the fact his most recent endorsement comes from a man who finished second in the most recent Ballon d’Or standings speaks volumes about how highly he is regarded in the footballing world.
The Premier League is the absolute best, isn’t it?
This is a league that boasts some of the greatest footballers in the world, some of the very best teams, and some of the most historic results ever seen.
Some players end up becoming icons, making the league their own and placing their stamp on their respective teams.
Here, Football FanCast takes a look at some of the most important transfers in the league’s history.
Whether they instituted a tactical shift or potentially allowed a new era to dawn, these are some of the very finest transfers in the league’s history!
Lauren to Arsenal – 2000
Today, the Premier League is awash with full-backs who act almost as wingers, bombing down the touchline to provide space and width for the midfielder in front of them to tuck inside. But back in the summer of 2003, that was a relatively uncommon idea – in fact, the right-back position was generally occupied by the worst player in the team, expected to put in the leg-work, make some meaty challenges and eventually pick up a booking.
But Arsene Wenger’s swoop for then-Mallorca midfielder Lauren soon changed all that. With one-time reserves forward Ashley Cole asked to make a similar transition on the opposite side, overlapping full-backs became a defining feature of Arsenal’s attacking play as the Invincibles carved up the Premier League in unprecedented unbeaten fashion.
That not only led to Arsenal’s 2003/04 squad becoming arguably the greatest side in Premier League history over the course of a single season, but also accelerated a trend of dynamic full-backs that’s now commonplace throughout the division today.
Didier Drogba to Chelsea – 2004
Didier Drogba’s 2004 arrival at Chelsea not only helped transform the Blues almost instantaneously into one of the Premier League’s most dominant forces, winning four titles during his two spells at the west London club, but also changed the tactical landscape of the division for the next ten years.
Indeed, the appointment of Jose Mourinho brought a new way of tactical thinking to the English top flight; chiefly, a rejection of the age-old 4-4-2 formation for an extra body in midfield, allowing for greater control of midfield and the consequential possession to pin teams back.
Football – Chelsea v Real Zaragoza – Gianfranco Zola Tribute Match – 04/05 – Pre Season Friendly – Stamford Bridge , 8/8/04 Didier Drogba – Chelsea celebrates his goal with fans Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Lee Mills
That, however, required a striker large, aggressive and potent enough to essentially do the work of two centre-forwards, whilst having the power and strength to bring the midfield into the game.
Drogba fitted that bill perfectly and as the rest of the Premier League soon embraced 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 as a consequence of Chelsea’s resounding success under Mourinho, pint-sized poachers quickly began to fade away – the age of little-and-large combos coming to an abrupt end.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Manchester United – 1996
The Premier League is very much a squad game these days, but Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the first to truly cotton onto that trend. His ability to not only pick the right players for the right game but also keep happy those who’d resultantly been left out was always exceptional, as was his ability to change the game from the bench.
Curiously, the Premier League increased the substitutes capacity to five during the same year Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived at Old Trafford from little-known Molde in 1996. And whilst the Norway international always struggled to claim a place in the starting XI over the likes of Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Teddy Sheringham, he offered United something truly unique as the Premier League’s first standout super-sub.
Football – Manchester United v Sunderland – FA Premier League – 15/4/00 Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Darren Walsh Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates his 2nd goal
Fast forward to present day and super-subs can be seen in practically every Premier League squad but particularly those at the top end of the table. Think of Manchester City regularly bringing Gabriel Jesus on for Sergio Aguero, or Liverpool giving Divock Origi a few minutes at the end of their most vital games.
Robinho to Manchester City – 2008
Robinho’s Premier League career may have been unexpectedly short-lived, lasting just 18 months at Manchester City, but his shock move signified a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the English top flight, arriving from Real Madrid on the same day the Abu Dhabi United Investment Group purchased the Citizens.
The Brazilian provided a real eye-opener for what was to come at the Etihad Stadium; not only players of the highest calibre but particularly aesthetic and glamorous ones at that.
The £32.5million deal – at the time, one of the biggest transfer fees in Premier League history – also announced City as the latest member of the elite at the very top of the English game, funded by stupidly rich owners who were capable of unprecedented spending.
Robinho was very much the trailblazer for all the exotic, ludicrously expensive signings to follow and the key to City attracting players of that top-class calibre.
Steve McManaman to Real Madrid – 1999
Following its introduction in 1995, the Bosman ruling wasn’t being taken advantage of by Europe’s biggest talents, particularly those in the Premier League. So when Steve McManaman left Liverpool for Real Madrid by way of a free transfer in 1999, the move sent shockwaves throughout English football.
It proved to be a watershed moment for not only professional footballers, who suddenly realised they had the power to dictate terms to their employers, but also Liverpool Football Club.
Football – UEFA Champions League – Semi Final – 2nd Leg – Real Madrid v Barcelona – 1/5/02 Steve McManaman – Real Madrid in action against Philip Cocu – Barcelona Mandatory Credit:Action Images / Michael Regan Digital
The decline at Anfield from the end of the 1980s was already underway, but McManaman ditching his boyhood club for Real was a real sign of the times, kickstarting a trend Liverpool have never truly arrested since – namely, their key players quitting Merseyside for Europe’s most illustrious clubs. Michael Owen would follow not long after, with Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho both heading to Barcelona.
More detrimentally, McManaman’s decision to take advantage of the relatively recent ruling increased its notoriety throughout the footballing world, partly leading to the situation today where player wages have escalated beyond all proportion – power shifting away from the clubs and into the hands of footballers and their agents. Of course, that can’t all be put on Jean-Marc Bosman’s doorstep let alone McManaman’s. But for two huge reasons, his free transfer to the Bernabeu has shaped much of the Premier League as we see it today.
N’Golo Kante to Leicester City – 2015
Leicester City’s title triumph is without a doubt one of the greatest miracles in sporting history, let alone throughout the history of the Premier League.
Whilst a whole raft of factors collided to create a perfect storm that saw a side narrowly avoid relegation and then beat some of the richest clubs in the world to the Premier League title, there is little doubt it wouldn’t have been possible without the £5.6million acquisition of little-known N’Golo Kante from Caen.
A small fee for a particularly small player, one who had been turned down by big clubs before because of his height, but the Frenchman’s influence was nothing short of ginormous.
His relentless energy not only protected a largely average back four but also allowed for Leicester to play unfashionably with two in central midfield and two up front, which created the dynamics for Jamie Vardy to play off Leonardo Ulloa and penetrate the space behind opposition defences.
Kante now plies his trade with Chelsea and subsequently became the first player ever to win consecutive Premier League titles with two different clubs. That was no coincidence either; utilising Kante’s incredible workrate once again, Antonio Conte also opted for two in the engine room in his 3-4-3 formation – freeing room for another attacking presence in the final third.
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Eric Cantona arrived in English football a matter of months before the first Premier League season, rather ironically joining the bitter rivals of the club he’s now synonymous with – Leeds United. But the Frenchman couldn’t settle at Elland Road and just a few months into the inaugural Premier League campaign, he crossed the divide in a £1.2million move to Manchester United.
That would be where Cantona not only established himself as a Premier League and Manchester United legend, winning four out of the first five Premier League titles to earn the title ‘King Eric’, but also where he showed English football the enormous potential in attracting players from abroad – something the newly increasing wealth of the English top flight suddenly facilitated.
Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains a never-ending debate, but there is no question Cantona’s talismanic performances for United made the rest of the Premier League realise the level of talent available abroad.
He was one of the first steps in turning the Premier League into the most international, competitive and exciting leagues in world football.
Celtic fans have been loving what their former forward has had to say about the SPFL voting to cut the season short this week.
Speaking to the Daily Express, via the Scotsman, the 58-year-old Sky Sports pundit said: “Celtic have done the best thing possible, which is staying out of the arguments because they don’t need to get involved and they also have the most to lose.” He also took a swipe at their arch-rivals in the interview, too.
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SPFL clubs had voted by a majority to end the Scottish lower league season last week after Dundee changed their vote to pass the proposal but since Rangers, Hearts and Stranraer made requisitions leading to an EGM being scheduled for the 12th of May.
The Bhoys are some 13 points clear at the top of the standings so whatever resolution ensues is unlikely to alter the outcome of the Scottish Premiership.
Neil Lennon’s side are a mere formality away from clinching a tenth title in a row.
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Alan Hutton has said that Barry Douglas could be a replacement for Borna Barisic.
Douglas currently plays for Leeds in the English Championship, with him making 11 league appearances so far this campaign. Barisic, meanwhile, has been an important part of Steven Gerrard’s side at left-back so far this term, but he could well move on in the near future considering Tottenham have reportedly been interested.
Hutton, though, believes that Douglas could replace him should he leave. He told Football Insider when asked if the Gers could make a move: “Yeah, possibly. I think you have to look at the Barisic situation.
“I think that would be a key factor if he was to stay or leave but look, I think Barry Douglas is an excellent player. He went abroad, did really well, came back to Wolves and I thought he was arguably their best player.
“It shocked a lot of people when he was moved upon promotion. Possibly a move to Rangers, with him saying he supports them, could be a good opportunity for him to get back on track, back playing.
“He’s a wonderful crosser of the ball so it’s something Rangers look for in a player so I think he could fit in but a lot would hinge on the Barisic thing. I wouldn’t imagine he wouldn’t want to come up north to be sitting on the bench.”
Barisic, with 14 assists in all competitions already, has been in stunning form this term and were he to exit, he would leave a big hole. However, the nature of Scottish football is that the best players will eventually leave, and for a reported fee of £22m, they could be quids in.
Douglas, meanwhile, has a Transfermarkt value of just £1.8m, and he himself has proven he can provide going forward – he picked up 14 Championship assists during the 2017/18 season with Wolves.
The Croatia international leaving would be a big blow, no doubt, but being able to replace him with Douglas would be a coup for Ross Wilson, and an inspired piece of business.
After both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son’s injuries, Tottenham were left desperately short of firepower in the weeks just before football was postponed across Europe.
It brutally exposed the north London side’s lack of depth in the number nine role, so it’s been no surprise to see the Lilywhites being linked with a move for a striker in the upcoming summer transfer window.
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And according to The Sunday Times, Spurs have set their sights on Celtic star Odsonne Edouard as the man to solve that problem. The report claims that Jose Mourinho’s side have had him scouted numerous times over the course of this season, and that they see him as a potential replacement or back-up option to Kane.
After hearing about their links to the Frenchman, Spurs fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on their latest striker target.
A couple of Spurs fans suggested that Edouard could actually play alongside Kane in a strike partnership, much like what Fernando Llorente brought to the table.
With an impressive haul of 27 goals in just 45 games across all competitions, Edouard has certainly proven he’s got the ability to lead the line with aplomb.
But as one fan suggested, whether his exploits in Scottish football can be translated into the Premier League is another question altogether.
At only 22 however, he’s got the time to grow and develop into a real success at Spurs.
This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.
Glasgow Rangers will be looking to close the gap to Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership next season.
The Gers finished the recently ended campaign in second place behind the Bhoys, 13 points adrift, meaning that Steven Gerrard has now gone a second term without managing to win any trophies – he surely cannot afford to go a third.
Jamie Murphy was not part of his plans in the past season, and it looks as though he will not be called upon for the upcoming campaign either. Following the end of his loan spell at Burton Albion, it has been reported that the 30-year-old expects to leave Ibrox permanently this summer. His departure would likely bring a premature end to a disappointing spell in Glasgow.
Before Murphy moved to the Gers, he had spells with Brighton and Sheffield United in England, but it was at Motherwell where he first made his name. He made 212 appearances for the Scottish outfit, scoring 49 goals and providing 18 assists along the way. With the Seagulls, whom the 54-time Scottish champions paid £1.08m for Murphy’s services in 2018 after a six-month loan spell, he amassed 10 goals in 83 matches – the Gers will have been hoping he could make a good impression for them.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. He managed five goals and 10 assists in 17 matches during the 2017/18 campaign, which convinced the Gers to sign him permanently, but he made just eight appearances the following term after before suffering a cruciate ligament injury. Since returning from that terrible spell on the sidelines, he has featured just twice more and, although he scored seven times in 10 appearances in League One this season, it looks as though it will not be enough to earn him a place in the squad moving forward.
As such, it looks as though his time at Ibrox will end up costing the club £37,000 per appearance, while he missed 52 games through injury. It is a sad way to bring an end to an initially promising spell.