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Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has given his reaction to Leeds United transfer news involving Rangers winger Ryan Kent. 

The lowdown: Kent a target for Leeds

This comes following a report from Football Insider which claimed that the Whites are interested in signing the 25-year-old.

The ex-Liverpool academy prospect could be viewed as a potential replacement for Raphinha should the highly sought-after Brazilian move on from Elland Road.

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Kent is believed to have a £20m release clause in his contract at Ibrox – a deal which expires in 2023 (Transfermarkt) – although Campbell has suggested that it would be money well spent by Leeds.

The latest: ‘Very good business’

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Arsenal striker claimed that Kent would be capable of filling the void left by Raphinha if the Brazilian departs.

The 52-year-old said: “He’s done a great job up there under Steven Gerrard and now Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he’s been a real star.

“If Leeds look at him as the one who can come in and take that Raphinha role, with Dan James moving over to the right, then I think that would be very good business.”

The verdict: Time to move?

Since moving north of the border, Kent has been superb for Rangers and has directly contributed to 74 goals in 164 outings for the Scottish Premiership side.

So far this season, the man once hailed as ‘sensational’ by his former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has scored three times and provided 16 assists despite suffering with a hamstring injury for most of the autumn.

As for replacing Raphinha, the £12.6m-valued Englishman predominantly operates from the left wing and would require the switch for Dan James, as mentioned by Campbell, to work in order to make the move worthwhile.

Given that some of the Welshman’s best performances this season have come when operating on the right on occasion, it could be a reshuffle worth making, therefore adding weight to the theory behind Leeds moving for Kent.

In other news, journalist backs Leeds move for Austrian Bundesliga star. Read more here

There is a phenomenal feeling about Nottingham Forest at the moment.

Steve Cooper has worked his magic at the City Ground and they now sit right on the cusp of a play-off place in the Championship.

What’s sparked that is a wonderful run of form throughout 2021, with Forest losing just a single game in the league this calendar year as they time their run towards a potential place at Wembley just perfectly.

To see such a historic outfit back in the top-flight would be quite the sight and it would be interesting to see whether they’d be able to keep the likes of Joe Worrall, Brennan Johnson or Djed Spence in their ranks as a result.

The trio have been outstanding this season and Spence, in particular, has finally filled the vacant area left behind by Matty Cash following his move to Aston Villa.

Yet, speaking of full-backs, it is apparent that Forest nearly had one of the brightest talents of a generation in their ranks all the way back in 2009.

That just so happens to be Gareth Bale, an individual who transitioned from a flying wing-back into a devastating and dynamic offensive weapon.

Over ten years ago now, Bale was struggling to get in the side at Tottenham and was the subject of a £2m bid from Nottingham Forest for his services.

A move came pretty close too but it unfortunately eventually fell away. Recalling negotiations in 2013, Clive Allen commented: “It did go pretty close.

“I know there were discussions between the clubs. The clubs had agreed the potential of the move, so it was something that he had to think about.”

Sadly for the Garibaldi, a move never materialised and they were left to wonder what if.

Bale eventually broke into the Tottenham team and was a revelation, scoring 72 goals and registering 61 assists for the Lilywhites.

He would then travel to Real Madrid in a then world-record move worth £85m and since that moment, his career has been nothing short of remarkable.

The Wales international has won the Champions League four times, has picked up two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and four Club World Cups too. Furthermore, the 32-year-old has found the back of the net on 106 occasions, scoring some quite magical goals in the process too.

Who could forget the moment he took Marc Bartra to the cleaners or his absurd overhead kick goal that beat Loris Karius in the Champions League final.

He has also represented his country at two major tournaments and is on the verge of securing a third following a stunning free-kick against Austria last week. It was trademark Bale who stepped up, sent the ball fizzing over the wall and then into the top corner.

The veteran has done that on countless occasions for club and country, but the Forest fans never got to see him turn out for them.

It’s enough to provoke a sense of regret with the Madrid star being hailed as “legendary” and as a “messiah” to Wales by writer Megan Feringa.

Those two words aptly describe him and although it’s unlikely Forest would have been able to keep hold of him anyway, it was a mistake not to do more in order to bring him in.

AND in other news, Cooper can finally axe Forest “bulldog” by signing “very impressive” £135k-rated gem…

According to Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, talks between Tottenham and Milan are ‘expected to continue’ over the possible loan move of defender Japhet Tanganga.

The Lowdown: Increased playing time but more criticism

The 22-year-old centre-back has seen increased game-time this season, having made 11 Premier League appearances, 10 of which came in the starting XI. Tanganga’s ability to play in a number of positions across the back line has proven to be an invaluable asset for Spurs – he has been employed as a centre-back, right-back, left-back and even as a right midfielder during the current campaign.

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However, the defender has been on the receiving end of some criticism this year following a string of poor performances. Having averaged a tame 6.65 SofaScore rating, Tanganga has often been blamed for being the reason as to why Spurs have been shipping goals regularly; Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand described his performance in the 3-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace as being costly for Spurs, on a day that he demonstrated ‘a lack of experience’ throughout.

The Latest: Spurs and Milan in talks over Tanganga

As per Eccleshare on Twitter on Monday morning, talks between Tottenham and Milan are ‘expected to continue today’ over the possibility of a loan move for Japhet Tanganga.

Despite the aforementioned criticism, Spurs are wary of letting the defender go, as he has started the club’s last five games. However, if they do end up sanctioning the transfer, they would only permit a loan with an obligation to buy, whereas Milan want a straight loan deal.

The Verdict: A loan move could be the right decision

Tanganga reportedly ‘wants to stay’ at the north London club, but he is aware that the returns of central defenders Eric Dier and Cristian Romero could reduce his game-time over the remainder of the season.

However, joining the Serie A club could prove to be the right decision for Tanganga, who last August was hailed as a ‘really special’ player by Gary Neville.

If he ends up being shunted out of Antonio Conte’s starting XI, he may need to go somewhere he would enjoy regular top-flight football. Up to now, the 22-year-old has been thrown in and out of the starting XI by various Spurs managers, only utilised when he’s needed to fill in at the back due his ability to play anywhere across the defence.

Therefore, this prospective loan move could prove to be a blessing for Tanganga – that’s if the two clubs can come to an agreement over the arrangement of the deal.

In other news – “Still in talks”: Fabrizio Romano provides the latest on another player linked with a possible exit from Tottenham

Harry Kane continued his fine form as the creative hub of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side as they thrashed Aston Villa in their own backyard on Saturday evening.

The win puts Spurs in a very healthy position in the race for the top four, leaving it in their own hands heading into the final month of the 2021/22 season.

Heung-min Son will take plenty of the plaudits, haunting the Midlands outfit – as he often does – with a hat-trick as he and his attacking teammates put in a clinical masterclass.

A trio of fine finishes with an equally sublime effort from Dejan Kulusevski sealed the victory up at Villa Park and it moved them three points clear of arch-rivals Arsenal in fourth place.

Kane may appear to have taken a backseat on the night, failing to score for a third game running in the Premier League, but he was once again a major creative outlet as he contributed his eighth and ninth assists of the season, in which five have come in that barren three-game run.

One of these assists saw him flick on a long ball from Cristian Romero straight into the path of Son, who raced in between the two Villa centre-backs before slotting past ex-Gunners goalkeeper Emi Martinez with aplomb.

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With the likes of Brighton, Brentford, Burnley and Norwich City on the horizon, Conte will be delighted with the way his side – particularly Kane – is playing.

On top of those two assists, he was also involved in a third with another well-timed and pin-point header, and he also registered three successful dribbles, made 93% of his 15 passing attempts and won a whopping 14 duels, both on the ground and in the air, as he had Three Lions’ teammate Tyrone Mings’ number all game.

Indeed, just as analyst Statman Dave suggested on Twitter, it was a “complete CF display” from England’s no.9. Meanwhile, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick dubbed the £90m-rated talisman “decisive”, with football.london’s Tom Clark also described the form Kane’s in as “ridiculous” even without scoring.

Both Mings and Ezri Konsa will be having nightmares following that display from Kane and without him, you’d have to wonder if Son would’ve got the chances he did.

The 28-year-old striker is one of the most important cogs to this Conte system and we witnessed a creative masterclass at Villa Park. He ran the proceedings, there’s no doubt about that.

AND in other news, Spurs plot record-breaking swoop for £100m-rated “tank”…

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Newcastle fans might have been cursing Martin Dubravka for his late blunder in their 1-1 draw with Wolves last time out – the ‘keeper lost out to Willy Boly in the air and the Frenchman nodded home from close range – but the Slovakian’s error was not enough to prevent him from being named North East Football Writers’ Player of the Year on Sunday.

The 30-year-old moved to St James’ Park on loan from Sparta Prague in January 2018 and a string of impressive performance saw him nail down a starting spot and a permanent switch in the summer, as Magpies chiefs moved quickly to ensure the stopper remained on Tyneside.

Having made 26 Premier League appearances for Newcastle this season, the custodian has looked a fantastic buy but a string of error-strewn showings have led to some negative reaction on social media, the Wolves clash being the latest of which.

Watch Wolves Fan TV react to their side’s dramatic 1-1 draw with Newcastle in the video below…

Dubravka had this to say on receiving the award:

“It’s amazing, I couldn’t believe it.

“I got the message that I won this trophy and I couldn’t believe that, because I spent an amazing year here, but it is the first year, you know.

“It is an honour for me to be part of this great history and I know that fantastic players won this trophy before me, so I am very pleased with that.”

Here’s how the Toon Army reacted on Twitter…

While Newcastle United fans will no doubt be glad to see the back of Mike Ashley, one thing they will hold onto as a rare success story from his time at the club, is the signing of Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Magpies brought in the talented Frenchman from Ligue 1 outfit Nice for a reported fee of £16.5m, with then boss Steve Bruce quick to rave about the winger.

He said: “I’m delighted to bring Allan to St. James’ Park. He is a very talented young player with a big future ahead of him. He has all the attributes you would want in an attacking player, including lightning pace, so I’m sure he’ll excite everybody. He is a great addition to Newcastle United and the Premier League.”

And what a signing he has been for the Tyneside club.

In 80 games for the Magpies, he’s scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists, and while those may not seem like the kind of spectacular numbers that would catch most people’s eyes, his influence in games is simply far bigger.

As per Whoscored, he’s only second behind Callum Wilson in terms of goal scored this season and ranks top for assists, while his underlying numbers are equally as impressive and influential.

Out of players who have started more than five games this campaign, Saint-Maximin is number one for shots per game, number one for dribbles and number two for key passes – in fact, nobody in the Premier League can even come close to matching his whopping 4.6 dribbles per match this year.

One man who has seen Saint-Maximin’s talents up close is teammate Callum Wilson, with the Magpies striker waxing lyrical about his ability and how far he can go in the game.

The 29-year-old said: “I think the world’s his oyster, really. He’s got all the potential in the world and his attitude matches that as well. He’s quite a quiet, humble guy – he wears some lively clothes at times, but he’s a good guy. He’s got all the talent in the world, he can beat a player – sometimes once you’ve beaten him, get some end product, like he has been doing.

“He makes the game look so easy; for my goal against Burnley, the way he’s done a little bit of trickery himself and then just put a ball in the box – great end product, unstoppable, unplayable.”

CIES now value him a far higher £25m, and that’s a testament to just how well he has played in the Premier League.

While Ashley’s tenure at St James’ Park was nothing short of a disaster, he did get one thing right in signing Saint-Maximin, and then getting him to pen a new six-year deal in October 2020.

It’s something the new owners PIF will be absolutely buzzing about at having such a star player in their ranks to build around in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must finally sell this star…

Lisbon Lion John Hughes has credited Ange Postecoglou with transforming the fortunes at Celtic this season. 

The lowdown: A Green and White resurgence

Appointed in June 2021, the 56-year-old has taken Celtic back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table and to the brink of a 52nd title success.

One of the Greek-Australian’s methods towards success has been utilising smart recruitment by tapping into his experiences in previously unknown markets, namely Japan by raiding the J-League for the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

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Now an ex-Celtic Park favourite has joined in on the praise of the manager…

The latest: Hughes impressed

Speaking with Celtic Quick News, the legendary 79-year-old, who made 255 appearances for the Hoops and was nicknamed ‘Yogi’, admitted he had been impressed with the man in the hot seat before tipping further improvements.

“It has been a joy to watch what Ange has done with the team after the wreckage of the previous campaign.

“He has brought in 17 players in both transfer windows and most of his signings have been inspired.

“However, I believe there is a piece of the jigsaw still to be put in place and I have every confidence the manager will rectify the situation in the summer.”

The verdict: More to come…

Given the impressive body of work already in place in such a short period of time, it’s hard to believe that there won’t be yet more developments in the squad following another summer transfer window.

Whilst nobody is expected a mass overhaul at Lennoxtown, the board should back Postecoglou to the hilt to oversee another successful delve into the market.

As for the mystery missing piece of the jigsaw, the Bhoys squad is arguably at its weakest in the central defensive department and even the potential permanent capture of Cameron Carter-Vickers may not suffice, given the injury hell suffered by Christopher Jullien.

Perhaps we could see a new ‘Yogi’ type colossus arrive this summer, but this time in the heart of defence.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

Crystal Palace have made an approach to Celtic over a move for Liel Abada, according to The Scottish Sun’s David Friel.

The Lowdown: Abada profiled

Abada only made the move to Celtic last summer, costing £3m from Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Primarily a right-winger, the 20-year-old has enjoyed a fine first season in Scotland, scoring 13 times and registering nine assists in 37 appearances, adding to both tallies in a 3-0 win over Rangers on Wednesday.

Interestingly, he appeared to clash with Odsonne Edouard over a penalty before the Frenchman made the move to Selhurst Park back in August, and it seems as if Abada is now wanted by Palace officials as well.

The Latest: Approach made

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic have rejected a ‘tentative approach’ from the Eagles, who have been impressed by Abada in recent months.

They add that the Scottish giants have no plans to sell the Israeli, who is under contract until 2026.

The Verdict: One to keep an eye on?

Abada, who can play anywhere across the front three, appears to be a star of the future, so Palace may end up keeping tabs on his situation over the coming years.

The Hoops clearly don’t want to lose the versatile forward who Stiliyan Petrov called ‘outstanding’, and hold all the cards due to his long-term deal in Scotland.

However, we’ve seen in the past that players are keen to move south from Scotland in order to join a Premier League side, so a move for Abada could be one to keep an eye on over the coming years to bolster Palace’s exciting attacking ranks.

In other news: ‘Suits all parties’ – Matt Woosnam reacts to Palace loan exit for gem with ‘strong physique’. 

Young Leeds United centre-forward Bobby Kamwa could leave the club over the coming days, according to The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Lack of January activity

The Whites haven’t exactly been busy when it comes to winter signings, with Victor Orta yet to finalise a senior January incoming.

RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson is the main target ahead of Monday’s deadline, with the Whites mulling over a third bid for the attacking midfielder.

Cody Drameh has joined Cardiff City on loan, whereas Crysencio Summerville has been linked with a move to Hamburg. It now seems as if Kamwa, described by Joe Donnohue as a player with ‘fast feet’, could also be on the move before Monday’s transfer deadline.

The Latest: Smyth’s claim

Smyth shared a transfer state of play for The Yorkshire Evening Post on Wednesday, providing updates on the club’s pursuit of Aaronson and the chances of Summerville leaving Elland Road.

When it came to exits, the journalist revealed that Kamwa isn’t in Leeds’ plans and could leave before the end of the month with his contract set to expire in the summer.

The Verdict: Correct call

Kamwa made 11 Premier League 2 appearances last season but hasn’t featured during the current campaign, so looking to move him on is the best for all involved.

The Whites have brought in Mateo Joseph Fernandez to bolster their attacking under-23 ranks this month and also have the likes of Sam Greenwood and Max Dean in that position.

Therefore, Kamwa finding a new club lower down the leagues over the coming days could be beneficial instead of waiting until the summer, although Leeds fans may be more worried over any prospective incomings than a possible exit for the 21-year-old.

In other news: Journalist drops Leeds transfer news; Orta busy on more than just Aaronson

As per Portuguese newspaper A Bola, as shared by Sport Witness, a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has come to light involving Benfica star Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Nunez in demand…

The prolific striker seems set to be one of the big-name transfers of the summer 2022 window.

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As backed by reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano, Nunez is set to leave Benfica this year, with the Primeira Liga giants setting a price tag of €80m (£67m) for his services.

Many clubs are currently in the mix, including several Premier League sides, a number of whom even sent officials to Lisbon last week to run the rule over the Uruguay striker (Daily Express).

A Bola have now shared an update on Tottenham’s links with the 22-year-old.

The Latest: Spurs in hunt for Nunez…

According to their sources (via Sport Witness), Spurs and Antonio Conte are in the hunt to sign Nunez alongside Chelsea, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

In addition, they claimed that the Lilywhites – and by extension their chairman Daniel Levy – have been interested in the 22-year-old since as far back as 2019.

The Verdict: Good chance for Tottenham?

With Nunez valued at around £67m, Tottenham arguably face an uphill battle to sign the prolific forward unless they can offload surplus players like Tanguy Ndombele for a handsome fee.

That being said, if transfer chief Fabio Paratici and co manage to muster up the funds, the Uruguayan would undoubtedly be a stellar addition and provide real competition for Harry Kane.

Lauded as a ‘rapid quick’ and ‘really strong’ striker by Anfield Index podcaster Hari Sethi, Nunez’s stunning goal return of 24 goals in as many league appearances this term isn’t the only reason that he would be a brilliant signing.

In other news: Tottenham could strike quick agreement to sign ‘special’ £25m striker! Find out more here.