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West Bromwich Albion are set to have a fight on their hands to keep goalkeeper Sam Johnstone at the club over the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 28-year-old has entered the final year of his current contract at the Hawthorns and has already reportedly attracted the attention of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

And now, according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, fellow Premier League outfit Southampton have joined the race for Johnstone’s signature, with the Saints keen to secure his services over the winter window.

The report states that: “They (Southampton) are willing to pay rather than wait until he becomes a free agent in the summer. But Johnstone, 28, is settled at the Championship Baggies and looks ready to wait until the end of his contract to decide on his next move.

“And the fact he is now No. 2 in the international squad while playing in the second tier means there is no need for him to jump ship sooner. Both West Ham and Tottenham have pencilled in offers for Johnstone if he leaves, while West Brom have let him know there will be a lucrative deal to stay.”

Ismael concerned

Despite the report stating that Johnstone is likely to remain at West Brom for the remainder of the campaign, Baggie’s boss Valerien Ismael will still be concerned at this latest revelation.

Johnstone has started ten of Albion’s 11 Championship fixtures so far this season, keeping four clean sheets and conceding just seven goals.

But perhaps more importantly, the Manchester United academy graduate has adapted to Ismael’s style of play with relative ease.

A recent article published by The Atheltic revealed Johnstone has completed 31 keeper-sweepings and has made six-headed clearances already, which is the same as his last three campaigns combined.

Alongside this, he is also down on saves per game and catches per game as he has been forced to become a more modern goalkeeper and appears to be coping well with the change.

Therefore, Ismael will be worried that Johnstone’s potential departure could derail West Brom’s promotion push, condemning them to another campaign in the second tier of English football.

After all, he is one of their most important players and is now a prominent member of the England set up too.

And, in other news…West Brom set for big injury boost ahead of Birmingham, Ismael will be buzzing

Flocking to Twitter, many Everton fans have erupted over a fresh transfer update involving Rubin Kazan forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Rafael Benitez is soon set for his first January transfer window in charge of the club as he takes control of the Toffees’ transfer plans following the departure of sporting director Marcel Brands.

This has led to an incoming signing already as reliable reports claim that Everton have closed in on Dynamo Kiev left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko, who apparently underwent a medical on Friday (Fabrizio Romano).

Everton’s manager isn’t done there, however, as Football Insider have revealed who he is eyeing a move for next. According to their information, the Toffees and Benitez are apparently ‘plotting’ a move to sign exciting Russian Premier League forward Kvaratskhelia next month.

It is believed that both Everton and West Ham now hold a concrete interest after the Georgia international blew away talent spotters with a brace in his nation’s 2-0 win over Sweden last month.

Everton fans erupt…

Taking into account the 20-year-old sensation’s rising stock, it’s little wonder so many Everton fans are applauding Benitez’ transfer decision, with one fan even claiming he’ll perform a U-turn on his stance on the under-fire Spaniard if his club can pull off the signing of Kvaratskhelia.

Called ‘incredible’ by journalist Romano, the young winger has already scored five goals in just 12 caps for Georgia whilst averaging an impressive 2.7 completed dribbles per 90 at club level for Rubin this season (WhoScored).

That’s more than any Everton player has managed in the Premier League, and while you could argue that the discrepancy may be due to a major difference in the quality of the respective divisions, it could also be an indication of Kvaratskhelia’s vast potential.

Here’s how some Toffees supporters reacting to news that the club are plotting to sign the 20-year-old “baller”:

“If Benitez brings him in I will switch to team #BenitezIn. He was absolutely unplayable against Sweden with the national team. One of the biggest talents out there.”

Credit: @EFCswe

“Football manager demon”

Credit: @mollynsno

“Baller”

Credit: @gflan02

“YES!!!!”

Credit: @BT_1878

“Yes, get him in”

Credit: @Evertoningen

“Baller him, think Everton we were also linked to him last season. Scored some important goals from Georgia and played well in the UEFA Nations League games”

Credit: @gersonselema

“Would be a solid signing. Kid’s got potential”

Credit: @Lukazioo

In other news: ‘Get rid’, ‘Can never start again’…Everton fans hammer ‘passenger’ who ‘needs binning’ after Chelsea display, find out more here.

Nottingham Forest face a crisis after Lewis Grabban was forced off through injury in yesterday’s 1-0 win over Peterborough United.

Promotion chasing Forest have been without Grabban for the majority of the year, after he suffered an ankle injury at the end of January. He has only recently returned so to see him out injured again is a huge setback for Steve Cooper’s side.

With their victory the club have taken a big stride towards securing a top six finish, they currently sit fourth in the Championship on 73 points. Since Cooper took over as boss at The City Ground, Forest have been in exceptional form and sit second only to already promoted Fulham.

Grabban came on as a substitute yesterday for the goal scorer Sam Surridge but then had to come off in the 89th minute.

The 34-year old has contributed massively this season making 32 appearances and being directly involved in 16 goals. If they are to be without him for the rest of the season then it could seriously affect their hopes of being promoted to the Premier League.

When Cooper was asked about the injury he told Nottinghamshire Live: “He was clear straight away that he needed to come off. We’ve got our fingers crossed for him.”

His contract expires this summer and whether or not he stays might be dependent on Forest’s promotion chase. He has experience of playing in the Premier League for both Norwich City and Bournemouth, however, he’s always failed to replicate the form he’s shown at Championship level and at his age now it may be asking too much.

Not keeping him on will also allow the club to save on their wage bill with the former Jamaican international on a wage of £25k-per-week.

The injury adds to the list of dilemmas that Cooper faces, with on-loan Aston Villa star Keenan Davis also out meaning Surridge is the only recognised senior striker at the club who’s fit.

The Reds haven’t been in the top flight since the turn of the century and many would like to see them make a return due to the history and stature of the club.

IN other news: Nottingham Forest set for disaster on Djed Spence…

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened, this will allow a wide variety of clubs to make some transfer deals to help them strengthen their squads.

One deal that Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard should be looking to complete would be to move Trezeguet out and potentially bring in a new winger to replace him.

Since joining the Midlands club back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Turkish club Kasimpasa, the winger has made a total of 64 appearances for Villa across all competitions but has only managed to score nine goals and provide five assists along the way.

His latest appearance for the Villans came during their recent 2-1 defeat against Brentford where he came off the substitutes bench to replace Bertrand Traore in the final ten minutes of the match to try and grab a positive result for the travelling side.

Instead of that, the only notable thing Trezeguet did during his short spell on the pitch was an eye-catching attempt to win a penalty for his side which did not go down well on social media, as he threw himself to the floor after no contact.

Prior to the serious knee injury that has kept him out of action for a considerable amount of time from April to October last year, Trezeguet, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £47k-per-week according to Salary Sport, was on the end of some criticism from former Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor who had previously described him as a “frustrating” player to watch.

In addition to this, there have been reports in recent weeks and months that the Egyptian could be one of a number of Villa players that Gerrard could look to move on in January, as well as there being a number of different attacking players linked with a move to Villa Park in January.

Taking all of this into account, it could be worth Villa getting Trezeguet off their wage bill this month if Gerrard thinks he isn’t capable of delivering the sort of performances he wants to see from his players and isn’t likely to be playing regularly, especially if they’re able to bring a new player into replace him.

After all, after his horrendous bit of play-acting last weekend, it would be a surprise if we saw him in the claret and blue again.

In other news: Lange could solve Gerrard’s big AVFC issue with swoop for “complete” £24.3m-rated gem – opinion

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is interested in a deal to appoint Jose Mourinho as the Toffees’ next manager.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Kaveh Solhekol, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing on The Transfer Show that the AS Roma boss is one of the names under consideration for the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park following the sacking of Rafael Benitez last weekend.

Speaking about Everton’s shortlist of candidates, the transfer insider said: “This is a story that has just come in from our North West office. They are saying that Jose Mourinho is now under consideration to become the next Everton manager.

“An official approach has yet to be made to Mourinho’s current club Roma by the Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, but he is contemplating the prospect of bringing the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs manager to Goodison Park.”

Fans will be livid

Considering the fact that Everton have just parted with a manager whose best days are quite clearly behind him, the prospect of appointing a new head coach in exactly the same mould is undoubtedly something that will leave the Goodison Park faithful livid.

Indeed, while Mourinho has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success in the game, winning a plethora of trophies throughout his career – including two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Cup, one Europa League, three Premier League titles, three LaLiga titles and two Serie A titles – it is an unavoidable fact that the last trophy the 58-year-old lifted was back in 2017, five years ago.

Furthermore, while the Portuguese manager has always had something of a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way, this trait appears to have been exacerbated in recent years – with Tottenham Hotspur sacking Mourinho just 17 months into the job after reports of a players’ revolt against the management style of the former FC Porto boss.

This also appears to have been reflected on the pitch, with Jose only being able to guide Spurs to sixth in his first season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as leaving the club languishing down in seventh place after 32 fixtures in 2020/21 – prior to his sacking.

Yet still, another reason against the appointment of Mourinho is the fact he would more than likely demand an extremely hefty wage to take the job at Goodison Park, with the 58-year-old earning around £10m-per-year during his time in North London – a figure which is just shy of £200k-per-week.

As such, while the legendary Portuguese coach may well be a “heavyweight” name, as Hayley McQueen suggests, should Everton wish to build towards a brighter future at Goodison Park, they should not be considering the appointment of a manager whose best days are in the past.

In other news: Everton urged to appoint “unbelievable” Big Dunc alternative, fans would surely fume

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Tottenham Hotspur yet again refused to make a single signing in the January transfer window.

Spurs went through the month without adding a player, having also opted against adding personnel in the summer, with mooted interest in Michy Batshuayi, per Sky, proving fruitless.

On the chalkboard

Football FanCast reported on Thursday that Batshuayi was pushing for a move to Tottenham amid interest from West Ham United.

His wage demands – worth £170,000-per-week – proved prohibitive for both clubs, despite his desire to join Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. Chelsea were also far less willing to send the striker to a major rival, unsurprisingly.

Instead, he has moved to Crystal Palace, his third loan move in as many years.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He has spent time with Valencia and Borussia Dortmund in recent seasons, despite joining the Blues with major billing in 2016 after some impressive displays at the European Championships that summer.

The BBC report that the deal was worth £33million, with the striker going on to score just 19 goals for the club in 53 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

His spell at Valencia – three goals in 23 appearances – hinted at stalled development, though he did score nine goals in 14 outings at Dortmund.

Just not good enough

At the end of the day, the deal just didn’t make sense for Spurs.

They have Fernando Llorente as a perfectly serviceable deputy to Harry Kane and it seems as though Mauricio Pochettino eventually opted against any deals.

The Spurs boss said on Friday, per BBC (13:43): “Yesterday there were reports and rumours. The media got more info than us.

“I cannot talk about that rumour but we were open to adding quality to help us achieve but we couldn’t add that quality. I was open to it.”

Batshuayi has yet to prove his worth in the Premier League and if Spurs are in the market for short-term reinforcements, they need players with genuine top-flight pedigree.

Batshuayi, quite simply, does not have that, and although chairman Daniel Levy has taken plenty of stick for the lack of signings, this was undoubtedly the correct decision.

We are in the midst of the 2021 / 2022 Premier League season and the top four, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, are all performing well. However, there have of course still been a few surprises this season and it is all still to play for at this point in the tournament.

If you are still undecided on where to place your bets, do your research on the latest Premier League odds and take a look at these overviews of each of the best performing teams in the league’s history, including their previous records and highlights so far this season:

Manchester City

Number of times won: 5 (2011, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2020)

Man City are the team to beat having been crowned League champions three out of the past four seasons. They certainly have a good chance of repeating past success this season with results-driven Pep Guardiola at the helm.

While their defence was not on top form in previous seasons, since signing Ruben Dias they have put together an all-around strong team. Portuguese player Dias is considered to be one of the world’s best defenders by many and has made around 40 League appearances for the club so far.

Another strong signing for City was Jack Grealish, his £100 million transfer deal that took place earlier this year made him one of the most expensive signings in history. The player is on a contract that runs until 2027 and replaced Sergio Agüero in the number 10 spot.

City’s loss in the Champions League to Chelsea was a blow to the team, however they are still expected to come out on top.

Liverpool

Number of times won: 1 (2019)

Despite running into some serious bad luck and a streak of losses, Liverpool still managed to come out in third place last season. The team lost six games at home in a row and had a series of disruptive injuries, including Virgil van Dijk’s knee.

They seem to have bounced back this year and importantly, Van Dijk has been cleared as fit to play again. His return is expected to have a huge impact on overall performance and will be strongly supported by new arrival Ibrahima Konate, a centre back from RB Leipzig.

Arguably, their best performance so far has been their game against Manchester United, with a whooping five magnificent goals scored. The worst has to be their away game with Brentford, as while this should have been an easy one, their lacklustre performance led to them dropping two points.

Mo Salah has been the star of the show in the current season, having scored six times and assisted a number of times. Despite his record with yellow cards, he is a strong and enthusiastic player that will do what it takes to get Liverpool their second Premier League title.

At present, they are just behind Chelsea and just ahead of City on the League table.

Chelsea

Number of times won: 5 (2004, 2005, 2009, 2014 and 2016)

They may have come in fourth place last season, but in the 2021 / 2022 Premier League they are currently in top position. Following Lampard’s departure due to poor performance and overspending in the transfer window, Thomas Tuchel has had a great impact on the team.

During Tuchel’s first full season at the club, the re-signing of striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan in a £97.5 million deal has bolstered the team and made it arguably the strongest and most complete in the League. The manager is now expected to sign more defensive players.

Manchester United

Number of times won: 13 (1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013)

Manchester United obviously have a very strong record of winning the Premier League however, in recent years they have failed to make the top spot. Last year they just missed out on the trophy having struggled to win the most important matches of the tournament.

United now have all eyes on them and are now under much more pressure to perform given the recent signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world’s best players in history. The Portuguese forward has won five Ballons D’Or and four European Golden Shoes, he re-joined United in August on a two-year contract deal for £12.85 million.

In his second debut for United in September, Ronaldo scored two of the four goals against Newcastle United. He continues to be a force to be reckoned with and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

With Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes still in midfield, the squad remains strong and capable of victory. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is fortunate to have such a variety of talent at his disposal and the pressure is on for him to make the most out of it.

While Chelsea and Liverpool currently reside at the top of the League table, it is too soon to call a winner. Each of the top four have the potential to take home the trophy given their strong teams and performance so far in the season.

A number of Aston Villa supporters have criticised Ashley Young’s performance in his side’s win away to Norwich City.

Steven Gerrard’s side produced a spirited performance away to Liverpool on Saturday, losing 1-0 at Anfield after Mohamed Salah penalty settled the game.

It may have been a negative result but it was further proof of the progress being made with Gerrard at the helm since he took charge last month.

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Tuesday’s trip to struggling Norwich was a far more winnable game, as Villa looked to get back to winning ways at Carrow Road.

They did just that, with Jacob Ramsey opening the scoring with a phenomenal solo goal, setting Gerrard’s men on their way to a well-fought victory which was wrapped up by Ollie Watkins.

One player who struggled for the visitors was Young, who was one of their worst rated players on Sofascore, completing just 19 passes and winning only two ground duels in his 60 minutes on the pitch, while he also made an error leading to a shot for the hosts.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-14/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Villa fans criticise Young’s display

These Villa fans took to Twitter to lay into Young’s performance.

“Ashley Young has to go”

Credit: @Luiz_SZN

“We are massively over using Young. Good squad member to use sparingly but increasingly exposed as a regular starter”

Credit: @GeoffKnox67

“In the nicest way possible, we need to get Ashley Young off the pitch”

Credit: @DomH97

“Beg we get Ings on I don’t think I can take another half of Ashley Young’s first touch”

Credit: @euanavfc

“Ashley Young has been terrible today unfortunately”

Credit: @AvfcU

“Ashley Young has been woeful so far tonight”

Credit: @Valentine06

In other news, one Villa player has been urged to leave the club on loan. Find out who it is here.

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has provided an update on the fitness of long-term absentees Kean Bryan and Kenneth Zohore as the Baggies approach the conclusion of their campaign.

What’s the story?

Speaking to the media ahead of today’s Championship clash against Stoke City at The Hawthorns, the Albion boss revealed that the duo are working hard to be fit in time for pre-season training in the summer, but has effectively ruled out any hope of either player featuring for the remainder of 2021/22.

Bryan required knee surgery after damaging his ACL in November, having played just 49 minutes of league action across three appearances after joining the West Midlands club on a free transfer from Sheffield United.

On the 25-year-old defender, the Albion manager said: “That’s a hard thing to deal with, especially when you’re a new player at a club and you do your ACL.

“I spoke to him the other day – his knee resembles a knee again, which three months ago it didn’t. He’s working extremely hard. It’s a big summer for him, too. He’s on track.

“I think it’s a crucial time, pre-season. Every club have had a struggle with it, because of the pandemic.”

As for Zohore, the striker has been limited to just two Championship appearances this term, featuring seven times in Premier League 2 for the under-23s.

A nightmare season was made even worse when he picked up a thigh injury and then got injured again upon returning to training.

Bruce stated of the Dane: “It was a bad couple of days for us, because unfortunately he broke down. It’s a reset for him, as well. He got a thigh injury, a muscle injury, and he’d been six weeks out. He got re-injured. It was horrible. He’d only trained for 20 minutes and then he broke down again. It’s a reset for him. I would think that’s his season.”

Bruce will be gutted

Having been in the job for just two months, the 61-year-old is still yet to be able to fully witness the capabilities of both Zohore and Bryan, a development which will no doubt leave the West Brom boss feeling gutted.

The West Midlands outfit have endured a tricky campaign after being relegated from the Premier League last term, with Bruce’s team sat in 11th going into Saturday’s meeting with the Potters.

With just six games to go and the play-offs seemingly beyond Albion this year, Baggies supporters will be keen to see the back end of a difficult season. They will also be keen to have as many players as possible available for the new campaign, as will Bruce, who might then be able to make a proper assessment of the squad at his disposal.

It’s vital that Bryan and Zohore ensure that they are fit in time for pre-season in order to make an impression on the manager in order to reignite their respective West Brom careers. Otherwise they may have to seek moves elsewhere.

In other news: West Brom now set for big disaster over “unbelievable” £7.2m-rated gem

It seems that Everton both bought and sold Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini at the perfect time.

Whilst they broke their club record transfer fee at the time for the £15m acquisition of Fellaini, it turned out to be an astute move, with the Toffees getting the best out of him and shipping him onto Manchester United for a tidy profit in what was a player at the very start of his decline.

Tremendous from the Toffees

After rejecting advances from Manchester United and bypassing reported interest from the likes of Aston Villa, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, Fellaini put pen to paper on a five-year deal to play for Everton in the year 2008.

He was 20-years-of-age at the time and arrived in England with a playing identity of a box-to-box midfielder and soon managed to prove his attacking proficiency with what turned out to be a seamless integration into England’s top flight.

In his first season, Fellaini ended his first campaign with nine goals and four assists. Perhaps the most demonstrative indicator of the Belgian-Morrocan midfielder’s playing style was his total of 13 yellow cards. He did well to end on this number, having been booked ten times in his first 17 games.

At Everton, Fellaini made himself a star and left for £27.5m, having scored an impressive 11 goals in the Premier League for the Toffees, to reunite with former Everton boss David Moyes at Manchester United. This was the start of his decline.

Despite his goalscoring feat for Everton the season prior, the 2013/2014 season saw Fellaini score a total of zero goals with an assist total of one in the Premier League, as he saw his minutes cut in half at the Old Trafford side.

Fellaini never managed to replicate his goalscoring form at Manchester United and after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho back in the 2018/2019 season, found his opportunities limited under caretaker manager at the time; Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

United recouped £10.5m for Fellaini, allowing him to join Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan where he rediscovered his goalscoring form.

At 34 years of age, the former Belgian international is now worth just £4m, though his wage is drastically higher, with the former Toffees midfielder now pocketing a handsome wage of £362k-per-week.

Ultimately, Everton’s decision to sell when they did was perfect. They got the best performances out of him and received the most money for him, making a tidy profit on their initial £15m payout.

Well played, Everton.

In other news – Forget relegation: Lampard now heading for huge Everton disaster over £72k-p/w star