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Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign a "perfectionist" and a "magnificent player", according to a new report.

FC Copenhagen 4-3 Man Utd

The Red Devils’ season went from bad to worse on Wednesday evening after a chaotic Champions League defeat to FC Copenhagen. Things started well for Erik ten Hag’s side after two early goals from Rasmus Hojlund, although Marcus Rashford’s red card seemed to change the game.

Copenhagen drew level before half-time, but when Bruno Fernandes put the visitors in front again from the penalty spot, it looked as if United could pull off a crucial victory. However, two late goals ensured a third defeat from four group games, leaving them bottom of the table.

It is not just in the Champions League where United have struggled, with five defeats from 11 in the Premier League, while also being knocked out of the EFL Cup last week. As a result of their poor start, it looks as if new signings are being looked into by those behind the scenes at Old Trafford. Sir Jim Ractliffe is expected to be in control of sporting decisions when he completes a 25% investment, and it looks as if a double deal is being eyed up.

Man Utd transfer updates

According to 90min, Man Utd are interested in AS Monaco pair Vanderson and Youssouf Fofana, with right-back and central midfield are areas that Ten Hag wants to improve. Former Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell is viewed as a target to take up an Old Trafford role, so it is interesting to see the Red Devils’ interest in both players.

Vanderson is regarded by some as the best young right-back plying his trade in Europe, with former Monaco manager Phillipe Clement labelling the player as a “perfectionist”.

“He had an exceptional adaptation here [last season]. We have already spoken about that. He is also a player who is and continues to interest lots of big clubs. That can possibly do something to the mindset, not that he didn’t have his feet on the ground, but Vanderson is very ambitious and a huge perfectionist.

“Every day he wants to be better than the last. That can give him a lot of pressure, lots of stress with all of the ambition that he has. We need to manage that more for him. If I left him to it, he would train for 18 hours a day. He is like that.”

Meanwhile, Fofana, a central midfielder who can play in a holding role or on the right, has recently caught the eye of a number of Premier League sides. The recent report suggests that Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United all have the Frenchman on their radar.

The 24-year-old has been hailed as a "magnificent player" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig and he appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation.

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Therefore, moves for both players could be shrewd ones with Ten Hag wanting to bolster his right-back and midfield ranks, and it looks as if the pair could be Ratcliffe’s first serious move in charge of sporting calls at Old Trafford.

Mark Goldbridge believes personal terms between Manchester United and Sofyan Amrabat have been agreed following Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla's update on a potential deal.

Is Amrabat joining United?

Fiorentina were just two games away from winning their first piece of silverware since 1996 last season.

La Viola reached the Coppa Italia and Europa Conference League final after a brilliant campaign under Vincenzo Italiano in which the club battled with some of the best while playing attractive, possession-based football. There was immeasurable heartbreak in Florence as the club narrowly lost both finals 2-1.

One of the key cogs in the seamless Fiorentina machine was Amrabat, the club's holding midfielder. The 26-year-old, who captured minds and hearts at the 2022 World Cup with Morocco, was the orchestrator in the centre of the park, starting attacks with his wonderful passing range and press resistance, and breaking up play with his biting tackles and physicality.

Impressive performances always attract attention in football and unsurprisingly Amrabat is now being courted by some of the world's biggest clubs – one of whom is Man United.

Alfredo Pedulla's latest update suggests that a deal is close with Amrabat reportedly having agreed to join the Red Devils, while a fee in the region of €30m including add-ons could persuade La Viola to sell one of their star men.

Reacting to Pedulla's reports on The United Stand YouTube channel, Goldbridge believes that United must have agreed personal terms with Amrabat, paving the way for an exciting deal.

Goldbridge said: "Within a few minutes of me finishing the eight o'clock show last night, this came out: 'Amrabat has chosen Manchester United after contacts today'.

He added: "This to me sounds like personal terms agreed. That is what I interpret that as because we have definitely not agreed a deal with Fiorentina. We might be about just starting that, but we've definitely not agreed the deal with Fiorentina. But this reads like terms agreed."

Despite Pedulla not implicitly stating that Amrabat has agreed terms with Manchester United, the fact that the midfielder has supposedly given the green light to make a switch to Old Trafford is certainly positive news for United supporters.

With Fred and Scott McTominay potentially leaving the club in the near future, midfield reinforcements are essential for Erik ten Hag's United plans.

At 26-years-old and with a wealth of experience at the highest level already, Amrabat would be a player capable of making an immediate impact for the Red Devils and easing the burden on Casemiro's shoulders.

How good is Amrabat?

While traditionally though of as a destroyer in defensive midfield, Amrabat is a player with the capacity to influence the game across the field.

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One of his major strengths is his passing ability and, when compared to other midfielder in Serie A last season, the Moroccan ranked in the top seven percent for passes completed per 90 (59.59), the top one percent for total passing distance per 90 (1203 yards) and the top three percent for successful pass accuracy (88.8%).

He also ranked in the top three percent for medium (93.9%) and long (84.1%) passing accuracy, progressive passes per 90 (7.93) and passes into the final third per 90 (7.12).

His defensive abilities are superb as well, something showcased at the World Cup in a team that utilises a low block and defensive strategy. Compared to other midfielders at the tournament per 90, he ranked in the top three percent for tackles in the defensive third (2.05) and 12% for recoveries (7.77).

Amrabat is an incredibly well-rounded central midfielder and, despite not being the most glamourous signing Ten Hag will ever make, the Fiorentina man would undoubtedly improve the Red Devils next season.

Tottenham Hotspur might have won over the weekend, but it was hardly a performance for Cristian Stellini to be proud of, as they crawled over the line amidst numerous dubious refereeing decisions that swung the game in their favour.

Hosting an impressive Brighton and Hove Albion side that have more than earned their praise for this campaign, Roberto De Zerbi was bringing his outfit full of confidence that they could topple a struggling Lilywhites outfit.

Their 65% possession and 17 shots certainly suggested they nearly did so too, and that is without mentioning the penalty that they have since been told they should have had. Instead, the visitors have had to settle for zero points and yet another PGMOL apology.

That is not to suggest that there were no positives for the hosts to take, as the three points that were questionably gained have kept them somewhat in the fight for top four.

It also saw a return to form for Harry Kane and most notably Heung-min Son, who both scored in the same match once again.

However, they papered over the cracks of another all-around poor display by a few key individuals who are all perhaps overstaying their welcome.

None embodies this stance more so than Hugo Lloris, who has recently returned to the lineup.

How did Hugo Lloris play vs Brighton?

Although Saturday did not represent the Frenchman’s poorest display in a Spurs shirt, he continues to inspire little faith in his defenders with an ever-erratic style of goalkeeping.

Not for the first time did the 36-year-old come charging out from a corner only to get a weak fist onto the ball, narrowly avoiding another embarrassing mistake to add to the four that have led to a goal already this season.

His performance earned him a 6.7 rating, making just three saves and one high claim. However, it was the distribution of the £100k-per-week stopper that truly let him down. The ageing 'keeper would maintain an abysmal 45% pass accuracy, completing just 14 passes. Only three of the 20 long balls attempted actually found a man too, as per Sofascore.

As the modern-day goalkeeper evolves, constantly demanding more from them to contribute to the build-up, Lloris only gets left even further behind.

It was even a surprise to see him so quickly displace Fraser Forster, considering the gulf in quality hardly merits such a rapid recall.

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Not only this, but those aforementioned VAR calls also bailed out the captain, with Alexis Mac Allister's deflection “bamboozling” the Frenchman, as per journalist Tom Barclay, for the Seagulls’ second disallowed strike.

This summer marks a huge one for Daniel Levy, who must get plenty right to ensure his outfit does not continue to stagnate.

Whilst a new manager will be top of his priorities, perhaps following that, with the transfer war chest he will likely have to promise, some funds could be invested into finally displacing Lloris this summer.

League leaders Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action away to Dundee United later today, with Ange Postecoglou’s side hoping to restore their nine-point advantage at the top of the table with victory over Liam Fox’s men.

The Old Firm giants head into that meeting at Tannadice off the back of a thumping 5-0 victory at home to Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup last weekend, with that emphatic result ensuring that the Parkhead outfit are firmly in the mix on all three domestic fronts.

The Hoops will also be buoyed by their impressive record against the Tangerines so far this season, having run out 9-0 and 4-2 winners, respectively, in their previous two meetings earlier in the campaign.

Looking to secure yet another triumph this time around, here’s how Football FanCast predicts that the Scottish champions will line up:

(4-3-3) – (GK) Hart; (RB) Johnston, (CB) Carter-Vickers, (CB) Kobayashi, (LB) Taylor, (CDM) McGregor, (CM) Mooy, (CM), Hatate; (RW) Abada, (ST) Oh, (LW) Maeda.

The Glasgow side have been handed a major boost for today’s encounter with both Greg Taylor and Cameron Carter-Vickers likely to be in contention after returning to training this week, with the only significant injury absentee set to be that of full-back Anthony Ralston once again.

With that in mind, we predict that Postecoglou will make four changes from the side that claimed victory a week ago, with the aforementioned defensive duo of Taylor and Carter-Vickers set to be reinstated in the backline, in place of Alexandro Bernabei and Carl Starfelt.

Although the latter man has been a regular fixture in the side of late – with the Swedish machine having previously been described as “immense” by journalist Josh Bunting – there may well be a desire to see the returning Carter-Vickers line up alongside January arrival, Yuki Kobayashi.

As for the midfield, the experienced duo of Callum McGregor and Aaron Mooy – who has been described as a “key contributor” by his manager – could well be joined by Reo Hatate, with Scotland international David Turnbull the man to give way.

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Ahead of that creative trio, Postecoglou may well see the wisdom in handing recent addition Oh Hyeon-gyu a debut outing from the start, with the “hungry” 6 foot 1 asset – as lauded by his new boss – no doubt hoping to make an instant impression for the Bhoys through the middle.

That introduction could allow top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi the chance to earn a well-earned rest, while the dynamic duo of Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada are likely to keep their places on the flanks.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Memphis Depay to north London in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte will monitor the Netherlands centre-forward during the Qatar World Cup, before deciding whether or not they will make a move for the 28-year-old this winter.

The report goes on to state that the striker is available to sign in the January market and could even be allowed to leave Barcelona on a free transfer, while the striker himself is believed to be open to a return to the Premier League.

“Unreal”

While it is true that injuries have limited Depay to just three outings for Barcelona so far this season, considering just how impressive the Dutchman was for Xavi’s side in 2021/22, the argument that the 28-year-old would be an unreal signing on a free transfer is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 28 LaLiga appearances last time out, the £22m-rated forward was in astonishing form in the final third, scoring 12 goals, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots, making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £174k-per-week talent who Liam Canning dubbed “unreal” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.26, not only ranking him as the Catalan club’s fourth-best performer in the league but also as the joint tenth-best player in the top flight of Spanish football as a whole.

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Furthermore, with the 81-cap international being able to operate from attacking midfield, as a support striker, on either wing and as a centre-forward, Depay’s extremely impressive positional versatility would also appear to make him something of a perfect fit for either of Conte’s 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 set-ups at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As such, should the Dutchman prove in Qatar that he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level, it would look to be an extremely wise decision for Paratici to launch a move for the 28-year-old this winter, as Depay would undoubtedly make an unreal addition to Tottenham’s current attacking options.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a big blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend…

What’s the latest?

As revealed by ever-reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, Spurs are set to be without starting centre-back and fan-favourite Cristian Romero, who could be set to miss the next four weeks with a muscular injury.

“Understand Cristian Romero is set to be out for a few weeks with a muscle injury,” he tweeted alongside an article.

In that piece, the reporter goes on to explain that the Argentina international picked up an issue during their 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend and that could now rule him out of games in the Champions League and potentially their top-flight clash with champions Manchester City.

Big blow for Conte

Romero has played in every minute of competitive action for the Lilywhites this campaign and has emerged as one of Conte’s best defensive options ever since his arrival in the dugout last November.

Only Rodrigo Bentancur (four per game) has won more tackles than the former Atalanta centre-back (3.5 per game), whilst he tops the charts for passing accuracy (85.5%) when it comes to the Italian’s central defensive options, as per WhoScored.

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The 23-year-old’s form last campaign saw Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher deem him to be the “signing of the season,” which only goes to show how much of an impact he has made in England already, especially when there were other appealing transfers such as Luis Diaz to Liverpool and Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United.

“There’s something special about him,” the ex-Liverpool centre-back told Monday Night Football at the time. “He reminds me of [Ricardo] Carvalho,” he added.

Elsewhere, the aggressive 6 foot 1 titan has been dubbed an “animal” who is “perfect for the Premier League” by former teammate Pierluigi Gollini, who told Standard Sport:

“I think he’s really impressive “on the man”, When he’s man-marking one-v-one, he’s a beast, an animal. The guy is very very strong,” the goalkeeper claimed. “I like him because he’s a very tough guy on the pitch, he’s a guy who never backs down, he always puts his foot, his face, where he needs to.”

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Therefore, on the above evidence, Romero’s absence will come as a hugely gutting blow to the manager, who has trusted him to play 21 times since he took the helm.

Conte is likely to have to turn to Davinson Sanchez, who has previously been dubbed a “liability” by pundit Kenny Cunningham, and that’s a worrying sign heading into the weekend.

AND in other news, Levy could sign another £15m “Rolls-Royce” at Spurs as journalist drops transfer claim…

Journalist Tom Coleman has now revealed some Sunderland transfer news on Lynden Gooch.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Gooch is out of contract at the Stadium of Light at the end of the month, meaning that he can leave as a free agent once it expires.

The Wearside club have opened talks over a new deal, but both parties have not been able to come to an agreement as of yet.

The Latest: Swansea ‘interest’

Taking to Twitter, Coleman has revealed that Swansea City have now shown an ‘interest’ in signing Gooch, but Alex Neil is ‘keen’ to keep him for next season:

“I’m told Swansea City have shown an interest in Sunderland’s Lynden Gooch. American winger is out of contract this summer, although Alex Neil is keen to keep him at the SoL following their promotion back to the Championship.”

Expanding in his article for Wales Online, the journalist added that Preston North End are also ‘keeping tabs’ on his situation, while a wide man is ‘top’ of the agenda for the Swans.

The Verdict: Keep!

The Black Cats should be looking to tie Gooch down to a new contract at all costs, especially with the threat that he could join a Championship rival.

He was a six assists that helped them win promotion from League One.

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Gooch is also just 26 years of age, and so is about to enter his prime. SAFC will want to be the beneficiaries from those prime years, or at the very least be able to sell him for a sizeable transfer fee next time around, rather than letting him go for free now.

In other news, find out who Sunderland are now showing an ‘interest’ in here!

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Luis Sinisterra to the Emirates in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Richard Garlick has now submitted an offer for the Feyenoord winger in an attempt to secure the signing of the 22-year-old at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to state that both Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have also launched an offensive for the Colombia international, for whom the Eredivisie side are believed to be demanding a figure of around €15m (£13m) in order to part with this summer.

Arteta can axe Pepe with Sinisterra

Considering just how impressive Sinisterra has been for Feyenoord this season, in addition to how disappointing Nicolas Pepe has proven to be for Arsenal since his club-record £72m move back in 2019, it is not difficult to see why Mikel Arteta would be interested in a move for the Colombian attacker this summer.

Indeed, over his 24 Eredivisie appearances this term, the £16.2m-rated forward has been in sensational form for Arne Slot’s side, scoring ten goals, registering five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 2.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £10k-per-week forward who Nico Cantor dubbed a “crafty, quick and sneaky” player average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.53, ranking him as the fifth-best player in the top flight of Dutch football.

In comparison, things have gone rather less well for Pepe over his 15 Premier League outings for Arsenal this season, with the £27m-rated Ivory Coast international scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.7 key passes per fixture.

These returns have seen the £140k-per-week flop who The Short Fuse dubbed a “practice dummy” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.67, ranking him as Arteta’s joint seventh-worst player in the top flight.

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As such, it is not surprising to learn that the 26-year-old and the Gunners are reportedly open to parting ways this summer, nor is it difficult to see why Garlick is targeting the 22-year-old as the Ivorian’s replacement – as selling Pepe and signing the much more exciting Sinisterra would represent fantastic business for the north London side.

AND in other news: Arteta can unearth the new Haaland as AFC plot bid for “world-class” 23-goal “diamond”

West Bromwich Albion correspondent Steve Madeley has named Daryl Dike as a potential January transfer target for The Baggies. 

The lowdown

West Brom, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, are pushing for promotion at the first opportunity and currently find themselves in the playoff spots.

They did bring in reinforcements during the summer window, but they were all either free transfers or loan signings.

Meanwhile, they banked £18.97million from sales, with £16.2million Matheus Pereira the headline departure. It was the second most lucrative exit in West Brom history, behind Salomon Rondon in 2019.

Dike is a player with whom Ismael is certainly familiar, having been part of the Barnsley squad that reached last season’s playoff semifinals before returning to parent club Orlando in the United States.

The latest

The Athletic’s Madeley ponders whether there is ‘any scope’ to furnish Valerien Ismael with a player he likes in January.

Dike stands out as an ‘obvious target’, particularly with the MLS season now finished.

But the problem is that the deal would involve ‘a hefty loan fee at the very least’.

The verdict

West Brom could perhaps use some more firepower in January. Their tally of 30 goals in 23 matches is the lowest in the division’s top five and, after Karlan Grant, their second top scorer is four-goal Irishman Callum Robinson.

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Could Dike provide the answer? Yes, based on his Barnsley tally of nine goals in 19 games, averaging one every 143 minutes.

The £9million-rated 21-year-old has been billed as a ‘powerful lad who knows where the back of the net is’ by PL 100 club member Emile Heskey, while Ismael has hailed his goalscoring exploits as ‘unbelievable’.

In other news, fans slammed this man’s performance at Oakwell.

Nottingham Forest have been handed a major boost in their bid to keep Brennan Johnson at the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Daniel Taylor’s report for The Athletic, with the journalist claiming that Brentford have all but ended their pursuit of the 20-year-old attacking midfielder, as the Premier League side failed to tempt Forest into parting with the youngster with a number of bids – the latest of which was thought to be worth around £7m.

Taylor went on to state that Dane Murphy was not willing to sanction the sale of the Wales international unless Thomas Frank’s side offered a package worth £12m, which was comprised of a £10m upfront fee plus £2m in add-ons.

Hughton will be delighted

Considering the sheer amount of potential Johnson appears to possess, the fact that Murphy held firm on his asking price for the Forest forward will undoubtedly have delighted Chris Hughton, whose life would have been made much more difficult if the club decided to cash in on the youngster this summer.

Indeed, while the 62-year-old has seen his side get off to a disastrous start to their 2021/22 Championship campaign – having picked up a single point over their opening five-fixture of the season, leaving the Garibaldi rooted to the foot of the table – Johnson has nevertheless impressed for the club.

Indeed, over his five appearances in the league thus far, the £360k-rated man has scored one goal, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Sabri Lamouchi dubbed an “unbelievable” talent earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.84, ranking him as Hughton’s third-best performer in the second tier.

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As such, the fact that Brentford appear to have admitted defeat in their pursuit of the £2.5k-per-week forward not only looks to be good news for Forest’s Championship hopes this season, but also for the future of the club – as, if the 20-year-old continues at his current rate of development, the Reds will undoubtedly be able to command a much more substantial figure than the £12m they were looking for this season further down the line.

In other news: Dane Murphy has offer accepted for “rare” £14k-p/w beast, Forest fans will be buzzing