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Luke Ayling recently admitted that he was close to signing for Celtic before his move to Leeds back in 2016. Speaking on the GIANT podcast, the right-back said: “The week before [I signed for Leeds] I had a sniff of going to Celtic, but a few things didn’t happen. When Leeds came in I was like happy days.”

So whilst it’s safe to say that the 29-year-old is happy with his decision, the Hoops must also see the silver lining over losing out on a top quality defender.

Indeed, Ayling has rapidly become one of Marcelo Bielsa’s key players, he was even labelled as Leeds’ “standout” performer by Stephen Warnock after they beat Aston Villa, but signing him would have heavily impacted the growth of youngster Jeremie Frimpong.

Celtic were right to snub Ayling

At the time, it may have come as a blow that the club missed out on such a big talent. Ayling has made a total of 162 appearances for Leeds so far and has contributed six goals and 16 assists, as well as helping to guide the Whites to their historic Championship title last season.

With Celtic struggling season, they would have benefited from having such a strong workhorse in their defence. However, signing Ayling would have set rising Hoops star Jeremie Frimpong back in his admirable progression.

Since the 2020/21 season started, the 19-year-old has featured in every game under Neil Lennon except their opening Champions League qualifying match against KR Reykjavik. He has contributed one goal and three assists so far this term (via Transfermarkt).

Frimpong has really stepped into his big boy boots and has edged fellow right-back Anthony Ralston out of favour. Whilst both are exciting young talents, there’s no doubt that Lennon has come to rely heavily on the Dutch youth international, who has impressed with his versatility to play across the backline as well as in midfield.

Had the Hoops bought Ayling, Frimpong may be stuck in the Celtic reserves or maybe not even at the club. Nick Hammond snapped up the 19-year-old last September coming through Manchester City’s youth system. In hindsight, it turned out to be a stroke of good luck that their interest in Ayling didn’t come to fruition.

In other news, Celtic dropped the ball by not pushing to sign Ivan Toney…

Southampton have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon winger Jovane Cabral in recent weeks and if the Saints can sign him, he could be the man to replace Nathan Redmond in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

According to Portuguese news outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), both Southampton and West Ham remain interested in the 22-year-old, with the Hammers having fallen short with a bid during the summer transfer window.

So far this season, the Cape Verde international has made six appearances in the Liga NOS for Sporting, in which he has contributed two goals and one assist, resulting in a solid average rating of 6.76 (per WhoScored).

The youngster performed superbly in the Portuguese top-flight last season, as he scored six goals and contributed two assists in just 16 appearances. He also earned four man-of-the-match awards in that time, which led to him averaging a superb 7.17 rating, so it was no surprise to see the likes of Southampton and West Ham credited with an interest in him.

Cabral’s former teammate, and current Manchester United star, Bruno Fernandes, certainly seems to be a big fan of the young winger, as he revealed in an interview with Canal 11 (via Inside Futbol) that:

“I didn’t teach him anything. What he did in the game is down to his quality, his ability.

“What I did was simply text Jovane before the game, talked to him a little.

“I had already told him after the game in Guimaraes that I wanted to talk to him.

“Jovane in the past has had his ups and downs, many ups and downs, and I think it was always due to the fact that he stayed a little moonstruck when things went well and very low when things went wrong.

“So I tried to have a conversation with him in such a way that he kept his focus, that he did not get carried away by the fact that in Guimaraes he had a good game.

“In my opinion, he did not have a great game because I know Jovane’s quality and I think he can give more.”

If Southampton were to sign the £9 million-rated Cabral and if he were to have anywhere near the impact that Fernandes has had since joining Manchester United, then he would surely prove to be a very good signing indeed.

With WhoScored suggesting that Cabral has a lot of attractive strengths for a winger, including his ability to finish and play key passes, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see him replace Redmond in Hasenhuttl’s squad, considering the Englishman has failed to contribute a single goal or an assist so far this season.

It will be interesting to see whether Southampton are able to see off interest from West Ham to bring Cabral to the club in the January transfer window.

David Moyes can solve West Ham’s defensive woes by reviving efforts to sign Fiorentina’s “fearless” enforcer Nikola Milenkovic in January.

What’s the word?

According to Irons insider ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, the east London outfit could strive to make another approach to sign Milenkovic in the New Year after falling short in efforts this summer.

Moyes scoured the market for defensive upgrades following the conclusion of the extended 2019/20 campaign, ultimately signing Watford’s Craig Dawson on loan in a deal club figures were reluctant to commit to as they see the 30-year-old as a stop-gap solution.

Milenkovic would likely have been a long-term option to fix a backline that allowed 62 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, with reports by the Daily Mail claiming a £20million offer was tabled in September for the towering 6 ft 5 enforcer previously tracked by Manchester United.

The offer fell short of Fiorentina’s rumoured €35m (£31.6m) valuation, as the Serie A side held firm amid rival interest from Juventus, knowing Milenkovic would warrant a lofty fee through his technical ability and versatility to also play at right-back.

ExWHUemployee does not believe the Hammers’ interest in Milenkovic has ended, noting that his ongoing contract standoff could open the door for a renewed approach.

“A centre-back who we looked at in the summer window was Nikola Milenkovic at Fiorentina,” he said. “He’s refusing to sign a new contract at the moment. And it could be the case that we could go back in for him in January. This is not confirmed at the moment though.”

Characteristics of a beast

West Ham stepping back into the ring in order to fight for Milenkovic’s services in January would certainly offer Moyes the top-draw defensive talent the London Stadium natives sought this summer, providing they can reach a compromise with Fiorentina.

The Serie A side are not yet under intense pressure to sell the 23-year-old as Milenkovic is under contract until 2022, though the 23-cap Serbia international is not currently considering penning new terms at the Artemio Franchi Stadium as he dreams of a move to one of Italy’s elite sides or of a move abroad, per Calciomercato.it.

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are each claimed to have come forward with determination and conviction to sign Milenkovic in the summer, too, which has sparked Fiorentina to consider lowering their asking price to avoid the defender walking away for free.

West Ham stepping in before a rival suitor can emerge in January would see the London Stadium natives snap up someone who former FK Partizan manager Ivan Tomic hailed during his time in charge of the Belgrade outfit, and ensured Milenkovic penned his first professional contract in 2015.

“Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast,” Tomic said, via quotes by Mozzart Sport. “He reads the game well, plays the ball and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic also once told ESPN of how Milenkovic’s nature has seen him compared with Manchester United great Nemanja Vidic, but is in some regards better than the five-time Premier League winner.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” he said.

It remains to be seen how willing Fiorentina are in lowering Milenkovic’s valuation, and whether or not West Ham return with renewed interest in the towering enforcer who has started all six of his Serie A appearances this term.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been backed to bring the “perfect” £10m bonus to West Ham in January.

Everton are in need of a Deadline Day miracle to offload Theo Walcott before the market slams shut at 11pm, despite interest from Southampton in a potential loan move for the former England international.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Southampton are hopeful of sealing an emotional return to St Mary’s for Walcott 14 years on from the winger joining Arsenal aged 16, but will require help from Everton in getting a temporary transfer across the line.

The Saints are understood to be in open communication with the Toffees, however any activity on the south coast will hinge on Everton subsiding part of Walcott’s £100,000-per-week contract, which the Blues are currently reluctant to accept.

Everton chiefs have considered the winger’s future heavily approaching Deadline Day and expect to see the 31-year-old depart Merseyside, even if a permanent deal would see the Goodison Park natives receive little or no transfer fee, per The Athletic.

Walcott is thought to be desperate to be playing regular football this season, but his sizable wage demands are considered a major hurdle in any transfer negotiations.

Being one of Everton’s top-earners has also made Walcott’s situation a prevalent concern this summer as he does not feature in boss Carlo Ancelotti’s plans, while also now being within the final year of his lucrative contract.

It remains to be seen if Everton warm to covering some of Walcott’s wage or if the three-time FA Cup winner will accept a lower offer to re-join Southampton, who consider the 31-year-old to be an experienced addition that will add depth in the wide areas of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side following a string of injuries.

Everton need a miracle

With Walcott expecting a lucrative contract like the one he signed with Everton upon joining the Toffees in 2018, the Goodison Park outfit will be needing a miracle if they are to offload him on Deadline Day.

Everton could get around any wage concerns by following through on The Athletic’s report and offering him to Southampton for free, but the lack of a transfer fee could see the 31-year-old’s representatives push for a greater salary knowing the circumstances of Walcott’s potential arrival.

But no matter the terms of his departure if one occurs, Walcott’s move to Everton in 2018 will go down as one of a major gamble by former Director of Football Steve Walsh that has not paid off, having spent in excess of £20million to sign him from Arsenal.

Added to his wage, Everton have spent more than £34m on Walcott’s capture but in return only seen 11 goals in 85 games and the winger be pushed aside to the point his 12-minute cameo against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday came as his league season debut.

Ancelotti is right to want Walcott gone this summer, but may be left penniless in return as Everton are embarrassed by the expense of what turned out to be a woeful piece of business made by a former club chief.

AND in other news, Everton will fail to solve the issues a potential Deadline Day arrival is intended to mend as talks are opened.

Aston Villa missed out on a potential upgrade on Douglas Luiz in the shape of USA international Weston McKennie.

What was the story?

The Athletic claimed earlier in the summer transfer window that the midfielder was on the radar for Villa, and that the Premier League side were one of a number of clubs interested in luring him away from Germany.

However, McKennie ended up joining Serie A giants Juventus on a season-long loan instead, with the 22-year-old himself recently explaining why a move to English football didn’t happen.

He said: “In general, I can say that my dream was to go to the Premier League but when Juventus called me, with these players, with this staff, with (Andrea) Pirlo on the bench, they immediately intrigued me. A club that wins is a great challenge. they are the best in the world, it’s perfect for my goals.”

Potential Douglas Luiz upgrade

With Douglas Luiz usually occupying one of the holding midfield spots, whether as part of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, Dean Smith has tasked the Brazilian with sweeping up opposition attacks and helping to set the tempo of the game whilst in possession too.

And the 22-year-old has done that well, even earning himself another couple of appearances for Brazil’s senior side over the international break.

But when compared to McKennie, there’s a real argument to be made that Villa may have missed out on a potential upgrade on the former Manchester City man.

As per Whoscored, McKennie has proven himself to be a far more destructive anchor man, averaging more tackles and interceptions per game (1.4 and 1.6) than Luiz (1.3 and 1.1) last season. The American also appears to be more progressive in possession too, better his key passes per game numbers as well (0.6 to 0.5).

Hailed as an “outstanding talent” by former Huddersfield boss, David Wagner, Villa may rue the fact they didn’t end up signing the £18m-rated powerhouse.

And in other news, Aston Villa should forget about Josh King and Said Benrahma and sign this EFL star instead.

If there’s one area that it’s obvious Leeds need to strengthen in it’s at centre-back.

The Whites only have one senior centre-half at the moment after Ben White returned to Brighton and Gaetano Berardi picked up an injury that should keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, the transfer window is well underway, and United’s promotion to the Premier League has provided them with the financial power needed to plug the gaps in their defence, and it seems as though they plan on doing just that.

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However, despite wanting a centre-back, Leeds may be on the cusp of making a dire mistake in the transfer market.

Phil Hay has recently stated that the Whites’ plan is to offer Berardi a new deal despite his long-term injury, while they only plan to buy just one centre-back this summer, be that White or someone else.

This will leave them with just two senior accomplished centre-halves for the majority the season, one of which has only two Premier League appearances to his name.

If Cooper or their new man were to get injured they’d be calling on the likes of Pascal Struijk or Oliver Casey, who simply don’t have the experience to be relied on to keep out some of the world’s best attackers. Moving Luke Ayling or Kalvin Phillips to centre-back remains another option, but then you’d need to plug the gaps in the midfield or at full-back.

As Hay says, Leeds giving Berardi a new deal is the decent thing to do, and once he’s back from injury there will be more depth, but ACL tears aren’t fixed in just a few weeks, the Swiss international is facing months on the sidelines, and United need more than one centre-back so that they have adequate cover for any other injuries or suspensions that occur.

Speaking to talkSPORT, ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has insisted that most Lilywhites would swap Dele Alli for linked Aston Villa star Jack Grealish – with the Billericay Town player-manager going on to laud the playmaker as a player Spurs ‘need’.Â

Grealish, who has been touted with a move to north London in the past, with supposed swoops from chairman Daniel Levy ultimately failing in recent years, appears to be out of the club’s price range.

Indeed, the Daily Mirror claimed recently that the Englishman would not leave Villa Park for less than £80 million – a far cry from the £25m bid Spurs lodged for him back in the summer of 2018.

Given Grealish’s lofty valuation, it’s now highly unlikely that Tottenham supporters will get to see him in Jose Mourinho’s midfield, but O’Hara has now claimed that most Lilywhites would take up a swap deal to potentially lower the price tag.

If such an opportunity were to arise, the ex-Spur insists Alli would be gladly placed on the chopping block in favour of landing Grealish – who has just earned his first ever England international call-up following Harry Winks’ withdrawal from the squad.

The £100,000-per-week star, O’Hara says, is a different player to Alli and one ‘that Spurs need’ – with Tottenham’s current midfield maestro apparently preferring to make runs in-behind rather than operate as a playmaker.

Since Christian Eriksen’s departure to Inter Milan, the club have failed to find a suitable creative replacement in his mould – and that position could soon become a priority behind Spurs’ need for a Harry Kane striking back-up.

Lilywhites, would you swap Dele Alli for Jack Grealish? Have your say in the comments below…

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has one enormous job on his hands this summer as he looks to rebuild the Toffees into a side that can challenge for a place in Europe.

There were signs of promise early in the Italian’s spell but after lockdown struck, the Merseyside outfit sunk to 12th place, some ten points adrift of the top seven.

The 61-year-old pretty much needs additions across the board, so if Farhad Moshiri backs him, there could be plenty of new faces lining up at Goodison Park next season.

Here’s how the side could look after the window slams shut…

England number one Jordan Pickford is very safe between the sticks, but with Maarten Stekelenburg departing Merseyside, there’s room for a back-up.

There could be one alteration to the backline in front of him as Ancelotti gets his man, thought to be one of their top targets this summer as he swoops in for Lille colossus Gabriel. Him and Mason Holgate could become a duo for years to come in the heart of the defence. Perhaps this will become a bargain at a reported £30m.

Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne continue to operate on either side.

Ancelotti also lands another one of his key targets in his former powerhouse Allan from Napoli, meaning that Idrissa Gueye void is finally filled at long last – the Brazillian defensive midfielder could cost €38m (£34m) after Marcel Brands’ reported bid.

Whilst ahead of him Andre Gomes may remain, but with a new partner.

We predict that Tom Davies will be given a loan spell, so a new central midfielder is needed and Schalke 04’s Weston McKennie could fill that spot as a result. Lots of Premier League teams are keen on him and believe they could clinch him for as little as €20m (£18m).

On the wings, there’s another addition with the Italian raiding the Serie A once again, this time for former Chelsea starlet Jeremie Boga, who has impressed at Sassuolo. The 23-year-old is currently valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt.

Richarlison takes his place on the other side whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin is restricted to a back-up role.

That’s because the Toffees clinch Lazio talisman Ciro Immobile, thought to be one player that Ancelotti has personally requested, per 90min. He’ll cost a whopping £60m.

AND in other news, Everton must swoop for “underrated” Pogba-like enforcer

With Newcastle’s proposed takeover continuing to drag on, it appears things are now beginning to affect how the club deals with players contracts.

According to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, the current Magpies hierarchy are “having to consult the prospective new owners on any contract negotiations, complicating the futures of Matty Longstaff and Andy Carroll”.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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It’s revealed that as part of the whole takeover process, Lee Charnley “must communicate financial dealings such as new contracts with the would-be buyers, delaying all business at St James’ Park” – essentially, were Longstaff to agree terms on a new deal, that would then have to be signed off by the Saudi consortium.

And after hearing about the kind of impact the takeover delay is beginning to have on the club, Newcastle fans flooded to Twitter to share their frustrations.

Some Magpies fans took aim at the Premier League in particular, and called them out for continuing to drag out the process, with a couple pointing to how it’s now beginning to affect their “ability to do business”.

One particularly pessimistic Newcastle fan suggested that this all had the sense of deja vu about it, and that when everything falls to pieces, the Magpies hierarchy will just be delivering excuses again.

So the Magpies are currently being left in limbo.

Whilst the Premier League continue to drag their heels over doing their due diligence on the takeover, Newcastle are having to contend with a situation where nothing is really certain, meaning the futures the likes of Longstaff can’t be resolved anytime soon.

The Tyneside club will have to hope that there isn’t a worse-case scenario whereby the takeover falls through, and players whose contracts come to an end soon, walk through the exit door too.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is keen to reunite with Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma in the summer. 

According to The Mirror, Spurs will need to spend £25m on Zouma if they want to bring him to north London.

Last week The Daily Star claimed Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for the centre-back, which could pave the way for the Lilywhites to make a move.

Mourinho is adamant he wants to add to his defensive options before the start of next season, as Jan Vertonghen could leave the club in a matter of weeks, and Zouma may be the ideal solution to his problems.

The Portuguese signed the Frenchman from St Etienne for £12m back in 2014. He has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the Blues, winning the Premier League twice, the League Cup and French League Cup, amid loans to St Etienne, Stoke City and Everton.

Zouma has played 22 games in the Premier League for Frank Lampard’s side this season, making 1 tackle per game, averaging 1.9 interceptions, and completing 4 clearances on average (WhoScored).

Last year he received plenty of high praise from the former Chelsea boss, who previously described him as a “champion of England.”

Meanwhile, Vertonghen has struggled for consistency so far. He was notably substituted after a disastrous display against Southampton in the FA Cup earlier this year.

The 33-year-old has made 19 appearances in the English top flight at the time of writing, registering 2.1 tackles on average, attempting 1.6 interceptions, and completing 2.9 clearances per game (WhoScored).

Mourinho is now interested in a reunion with his former player as the Belgian has fallen out of favour with the head coach.

As it stands, Zouma could be the perfect replacement for Vertonghen next season. Indeed, he is clearly an upgrade on the wantaway veteran, as he has earned a higher WhoScored rating of 6.9 for his performances this season.

Given his young age, the 25-year-old may turn out to be a shrewd investment, as he surely still has a long career ahead of him. Moreover, his experience at the top levels of the game could prove vital as Spurs resume their hunt for silverware in the future.

Furthermore, he has worked with Mourinho before, so he will already have an understanding of the coach’s methodology and tactics.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sign Kurt Zouma in the summer? Let us know down below!