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Noel Whelan has offered his thoughts on Everton’s attempts to land Aston Villa beast Marvelous Nakamba.

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League forward Noel Whelan has suggested that Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba could add some “energy and life” to Everton’s squad this summer. He told Football Insider:

“Everton bought a couple of midfield players last season, very good ones at that, who bring energy.

“Maybe Rafa Benitez has seen something in the side that he feels they need to be successful and progress. Look, you can never have enough energy in midfield. That’s the place on the field that you want to control and dominate.

“To have somebody with a bit more energy and tenacity about him… You’ve got Allan that they brought in last year in that defensive role.

“We know every time a new manager comes in he always wants to bring in his own players. That’s his stamp on the team. This could be one player he’s looked at before and feels could bring some energy and life to that midfield.”

This comes after it was revealed by The Telegraph earlier this month that Everton and Watford are both interested in signing the enforcer from Villa before the end of the transfer window.

Re-energise

Marcel Brands could re-energise Everton’s midfield options with a deal for Nakamba in the closing weeks of the window. The Toffees chief must work hard to ensure that he can land the powerhouse ahead of Watford to bolster Rafa Benitez’s squad and bring in extra depth and energy the Spaniard’s arsenal of workmen in the middle of the park.

Nakamba struggled for game time in the 2020/21 campaign, but comparing his form in 2019/20 to that of Tom Davies and Andre Gomes last season makes him appear to be a shrewd signing on paper. Per 90 in the Premier League, the Villa man made more ball recoveries, tackles and interceptions than the Toffees duo. He also made more clearances and blocks combined and won more duels than Davies and was level with Gomes on that front.

This suggests that he is able to get around the pitch more than the pair at Premier League level. He has proven that he can win the ball back with a higher degree of efficiency, backing up Whelan’s comments about him bringing more life and energy to the team.

Benitez could love having another busy body in the midfield to rat about and recover possession as it not only helps the defence but also gives Everton more chances to hit teams on the counter. Nakamba could make a crucial tackle and then set, for example, Andros Townsend away on the wing for him to then cross it into the box for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to score.

As Whelan says, with Allan already on the team, Benitez could build a dynamic midfield partnership with the £30k-a-week earning Nakamba alongside him.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano delivers exciting Everton transfer update, fans must be buzzing…

Speaking to Football Insider, talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has been left thrilled by news of West Ham United’s preliminary talks to sign Liverpool striker Divock Origi (Football Insider).

The Lowdown: West Ham striker options wearing thin…

David Moyes has openly admitted his desire to sign a new forward on many occasions, confirming bids in January and opening up on their forward issues this summer too (Evening Standard).

However, the Scotsman is adamant that he will not move for players until he is 100 per cent sure they can add a different to dimension to West Ham’s attack (Evening Standard).

August 31 is fast approaching, however, and West Ham need to start making moves if they’re to finally land a decent Michail Antonio alternative.

The Latest: Agbonlahor thrilled by Origi talks…

As per Football Insider, in what could be a step in the right direction, West Ham have allegedly entered preliminary talks to sign Origi this summer.

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Agbonlahor, reacting to the development, believes he could be a ‘perfect’ back up to Antonio and a shrewd purchase for West Ham – even despite the fact he isn’t exactly a superstar name.

“I think he’s exactly what they need,” he told Football Insider.

“They are desperate for another striker. They only have Antonio, and he gets quite a few injuries.

“Someone like Origi can be the perfect backup. You can bring him on in a game or you can start him if Antonio gets injured.

“He is a threat, definitely. Is he the striker that is going to fire you into the top six next season? Maybe not.

“But for £13m, you don’t know what West Ham’s budget is. So it could be really good business.

“He’ll do a good job for them. He’s not gonna moan about being on the bench so it suits both the player and the club.”

The Verdict: Right call?

At this point of the window, you could make an argument that signing Origi is better than signing no forward at all.

Antonio suffered his fair share of injury problems last year and going into a congested 21/22 campaign without a new addition would be a very risky decision.

The Belgium international, while not overly prolific, could leave Anfield for a reasonable £15 million fee and Liverpool are open to selling.

He is also still fairly young at 26-years-old, meaning West Ham could still gain some sell-on value in years to come.

In other news: ExWHUemployee says West Ham could swoop for perfect Antonio alternative in 16-goal ‘phenomenon’, find out more here.

Newcastle United are reportedly now ‘on the lookout’ to sign Boubacar Kamara before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: ‘Good discussions’

According to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park faithful have held ‘good discussions’ with Marseille over a potential move for Kamara.

He would not mind changing teams, and so a deal could still be possible before the window shuts.

The Latest: ‘On the lookout’

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), it is now ‘money time’ for Marseille, in other words they need to start selling players before bringing any new ones to the club.

The Magpies are now said to be ‘on the lookout’ to sign Kamara, and retain an interest in him, although they are looking more for a ‘box-to-box’ midfield player.

Marseille would be looking for a fee in the region of €15m (£12.9m) from the North East club should they follow up their interest in the Frenchman.

The Verdict: Sign

For a player who is currently rated at £33.3m by Transfermarkt, to get Kamara for potentially as little as £12.9m could turn out to be a real bargain for the Tyneside club.

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Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon’ by his former teammate Rolando back in May 2020, he still has a lot of potential at just 21 years of age, and his value will only increase.

Nonetheless, playing for an established European club in Marseille, Kamara should have little problem in adapting to life in the Premier League, and could be a valuable addition to Steve Bruce’s squad.

In other news, find out what NUFC transfer business has been lauded here!

When Wolves hired Bruno Lage, there were eyebrows raised about his capabilities in English football.

Indeed, those who were sceptical are arguably being proven right after consecutive defeats for the Old Gold. Yet, that doesn’t tell the entire story.

What’s the word?

Despite not scoring a goal in the Premier League yet, Wolves have been one of the most free-flowing sides in the top-flight this season.

They’ve accumulated 42 shots in their opening two matches before the floodgates opened in the Carabao Cup, beating Nottingham Forest 4-0.

With that in mind, they should focus their efforts on more defensive recruits in the remaining weeks of the window.

They are interested in signing Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car but another centre-half based in France is catching their eye.

That happens to be Lille’s Sven Botman. Fabrizio Romano revealed the news on Wednesday evening before Tim Spiers delivered the following three-word claim on Thursday.

Responding to a fan, he said: “Definite interest there.”

Brilliant signing

At just 21 years of age, Botman fits the profile of Wolves signing perfectly.

Under the stewardship of Nuno Santo and Fosun, they’ve made direct attempts to sign players who they can develop and make a potential profit on.

Diogo Jota is the prime example of a player they crafted before making big money on, while the same eventuality could befall Adama Traore and Pedro Neto.

However, we want to focus on what Botman would bring to Wolves now, rather than in the future.

A gifted ball-playing centre-half, the young Dutchman is also supreme when the ball is off the air. As Lille beat PSG to the Ligue 1 crown last season, he won 3.2 aerial duels per match which was more than anyone else at Wolves.

Furthermore, he completed 86.5% of his passes, remaining calm and composed at the back.

At 6 foot 3, he is cut from a similar cloth as Willy Boly, a player who has used his big frame to a great deal of success at Molineux. Once described as a “leader” by former head coach Christophe Galtier, he looks like he has all of the attributes to thrive in the Premier League.

Wolves don’t have too many leaders beyond Ruben Neves and Conor Coady so that’s another plus point for Lage.

With all of that in mind, supporters should be excited about their hopes for the remaining weeks of the window.

AND in other news, Wolves make offer to sign £17m “phenomenon” before deadline day, Lage needs him…

Journalist Jack Rosser has told The Transfer Tavern that West Ham would be opening to selling Andriy Yarmolenko, providing they can replace him.

The Ukrainian joined the Hammers in an £18m deal, according to Transfermarkt, three years ago, but he’s been restricted to just 56 appearances in all competitions.

Yarmolenko arrived with a big reputation following his brief yet impressive spell with Borussia Dortmund and incredible goalscoring exploits for both Ukraine and Dynamo Kiev.

However, a long-term injury saw the £100,000-a-week attacker miss almost his entire first campaign at the London Stadium, with further injuries forcing Yarmolenko to be sidelined for over 50 matches since his arrival in England.

Last season was the most productive of the three he’s spent with the Hammers, but having made just two brief one-minute appearances against Newcastle and Leicester this term, Rosser told The Transfer Tavern that David Moyes would be prepared to let him go as long as he’s replaced:

“Yarmolenko, they’d be open to letting him go, as long as they can fill his place in the squad. But he’s on big wages, which is proving a problem for loads of clubs.

“So, something could still happen there, they wouldn’t be against losing him.”

Former Newcastle United star Steve Howey insists that the club’s fans should want Sunderland to win promotion back to the Premier League.

Sunderland are currently plying their trade in League One, having endured a horrific and lengthy fall out of the top-flight.

The club have been in League One since 2018/19, having finished rock-bottom of the Championship in 2017/18.

That rock-bottom finish came just one season after the club finished bottom of the Premier League in 2016/17.

Sunderland had been in the top-flight since 2007/08 and Toon legend Howey believes that, for the area, Newcastle supporters should be pulling for the club to return to the top-flight.

Of course, the two clubs have a long and storied rivalry, with the Tyne-Wear derby one of the most historic in English football.

Howey accepts that many Newcastle fans do not understand his take, but believes that the presence of both clubs in the top-flight would be of huge benefit to the area.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “It’s been a good few years of just complete and utter misery for a Sunderland fan. Newcastle fans love that and I’ve always said, I got absolutely battered on social media because I said, ‘why do Newcastle fans love it when Sunderland struggle’?

“I can understand the rivalry, I get that completely but I just think for the economy, for the area, it would be amazing if we had the two of them in the Premier League.”

A number of Liverpool supporters are relieved that the Reds didn’t sign James Ward-Prowse this summer amid a revelation that they were interested in the midfielder.

Jurgen Klopp was expected to sign a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum in the summer transfer window, but no such move materialised.

The Dutchman was an influential player for Liverpool over a five-year period, so there is a clear risk in not signing anybody to fill the void he left behind.

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Klopp will now need to rely on the likes of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain staying fit for long periods – something which has been a problem in the past for both players.

According to Goal’s Neil Jones [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Liverpool looked at the possibility of signing Southampton captain Ward-Prowse, but a deal didn’t happen in the end.

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Liverpool fans react to Ward-Prowse claim

These Reds fans took to Twitter to show their relief, believing that the midfielder isn’t good enough for Klopp’s side – perhaps given that his Southampton team finished a lowly 15th in the Premier League last season.

“He’s fine but seriously, they couldn’t aim higher?”

Credit: @JDsJustTalking

“What else does he bring to the table?”

Credit: @mugemastephen

“I looked at Jennifer Lawrence and…”

Credit: @pembsLFC

“Then Southampton wanted money for him and we decided not to”

Credit: @JotaBelievelt

“Who are they trying to convince with them stories?”

Credit: @acupoftea100

“What is the point now”

Credit: @Riz1Islam

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about an update regarding one Reds player. Read more here.

Taking to Twitter, South Korean reporter Sungmo Lee has shared what he knows in an injury update on Tottenham Hotspur superstar Son Heung-min.

The Lowdown: Son suffers knock…

After a torrid international break for Spurs, it is now time to return to Hotspur Way for damage control as both supporters and manager Nuno Espirito Santo pray for the best.

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Among the players to be shrouded by fitness concerns is superstar forward Son, who picked up niggling calf concerns in training for his country on Monday (Korean Football Association via Sky Sports).

Oliver Skipp, Ryan Sessegnon and Steven Bergwijn are other players who Spurs could be without for the Crystal Palace clash this Saturday depending on developments, while Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez are training in Croatia following their South American fiascos (Dan Kilpatrick).

Lee has now shared an update on Son, and there could be a hint of good news for Tottenham.

The Latest: Lee shares Son update…

Taking to Twitter, the journalist has shared a three-word message from one of his sources despite there being no official update from the KFA on Son’s injury.

Indeed, in what could be a boost for Nuno and Tottenham, Lee has heard ‘it’s not serious’, but whether the 29-year-old can play against Crystal Palace this weekend is still a doubt.

The reporter added that Son looked ‘OK’ at the airport for his flight back to north London.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed…

Son’s injury not being a serious one would certainly come as a massive boost for Spurs and Nuno in particular.

The Portuguese head coach has started life brilliantly at Tottenham, enjoying a 100% winning run over his first three Premier League matches.

Nuno will want to continue that momentum and it’s safe to say that Spurs’ 2020/21 PFA Premier League Team of the Year member will be a huge part of it.

In other news: ‘Meetings with Tottenham’…Source close to ‘unstoppable’ player drops transfer reveal, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have earned an early-season victory over Arsenal as they are set to officially overtake the Gunners in the UEFA rankings simply by participating in Thursday’s Conference League clash.

The Lowdown: How they work

The UEFA rankings, which has Germany champions Bayern Munich at the top of the tree, are based on results within the last five years within European competitions.

With Arsenal finishing eighth in last season’s Premier League and Spurs securing passage to the Europa Conference League on the final day, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will earn points this season for their games.

The rankings have Liverpool in third and European champions Chelsea in fifth, with Manchester United eighth after being knocked out of the Champions League group stage last season.

The Latest: It’s official

In an official development reported by the Daily Mail, Tottenham are set to overtake the Gunners in the rankings for the first time in 29 years due to their qualification for the Europa Conference League.

Arsenal’s worst league campaign of the century saw them fail for Europe and Spurs drop into UEFA’s brand new club competition, meaning they are to set to overtake their North London rivals for the first time since 1991-92.

Their campaign starts on Thursday evening with a trip to Stade Rennes, with Dutch side Vitesse and Slovenian top-flight side NS Mura completing the group.

Nuno’s side will be awarded bonus points for each round they reach in the competition, with two points for a victory and one for a draw.

The Verdict: Fall from grace

The news highlights the fall from grace for Mikel Arteta’s side, with Arsenal only coming out on top on four occasions in meetings with Spurs since 2015.

Whilst participating in another tournament every Thursday evening may disrupt Nuno’s season with injuries and fatigue, the chance to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League will be their goal for this campaign.

If Nuno can lead Spurs to their first trophy in 13 years – they are joint-favourites with Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma to lift the Conference League – he will put his name into the club’s history.

In other news, news emerges of Nuno Espirito Santo being unhappy with international events. Find out more here.

An injury expert has said that Ryan Kent may now be out for Glasgow Rangers for two months or longer.

The Lowdown: Kent misses Motherwell

Steven Gerrard confirmed after Kent picked up an injury in their 2-0 UEFA Europa League loss at home to Lyon last Thursday night that he was going to miss their game against Motherwell on the weekend, and was set for a scan.

The Light Blues manager predicted that he could be out until after the next international break, as the Englishman now hopes to make a speedy recovery.

The Latest: Could be longer

Speaking to Football Insider, Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis, has now said that Kent could be injured for two months or longer if he is rushed back into action too soon:

“What I would say about Ryan and hamstring injuries in general, because of the risks associated with coming back from those types of knocks, you don’t want to push them too hard.

“Being out for three to four weeks can easily turn into eight or potentially even longer.

“The international break provides an opportunity for players to avoid rushing back.

“As always, when talking about the pressures of the game, players want to be back as soon as possible, managers want them back as soon as possible.

“The international break is a buffer zone. It’s an opportunity to forget about playing.

“Let’s just go through the rehab process at a nice pace, we don’t have to rush. We want to make sure the player can go out there in prime condition and stay fit for the rest of the season.”

The Verdict: Big blow

It would certainly be a big blow to the Ibrox faithful if Kent was out for anything close to two months.

The winger was such a key player for the Gers in their title-winning season, scoring no fewer than 13 goals and making a further 15 assists in 52 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), and has transformed himself into one of the first names on the team sheet.

Nonetheless, with a busy set of fixtures coming up until Christmas, Gerrard will need Kent fit and ready to fire, so he absolutely must not be rushed back if there is any risk of aggravating the issue into a two-month ordeal.

In other news, find out whose display against Livingston was slammed here!