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A major update has emerged on £1.9k-p/w ace Matt Crooks, it could lead to Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton facing a disaster in the transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Championship side Derby County are seriously interested in a swoop for Rotherham attacking midfielder Matt Crooks this summer. Wayne Rooney has identified Crooks as a target as he looks to rebuild his Derby squad and as such, he could sanction a bid for the Englishman soon.

The report claims that Ipswich are also looking at Crooks as a potential target. Ipswich are attempting to build a squad capable of securing promotion from League One and Paul Cook believes that Crooks could improve his current team.

Earlier this year, Crooks won the Championship Player of the Month award and pundit Don Goodman claimed that he was “flourishing” at a higher level. He told the Rotherham Advertiser:

“Crooks might not be the most well-known player in the Championship but there’s simply no doubting his effectiveness. Having made his way from the lower leagues, he is now flourishing at a higher level.

“There are fewer better sights in football than an attacking midfielder charging through on his way to scoring. Crooks made a habit of this in January.”

Fans will be gutted

Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton could be facing a disaster with this update. Derby joining the race for Crooks could be a massive blow to the Blues by dampening their chances of being able to land the forward.

This news should be gutting to Ipswich fans, as they could be about to miss out on a talented player who could be an excellent addition to their squad. Ashton would then need to scour the market in search of alternative targets, which could slow down their recruitment process.

Derby are in the Championship and this means that they can offer Crooks an immediate return to the second tier. Ipswich, meanwhile, can only offer him League One football and the prospect of a promotion push. Derby also have Rooney in charge and that could be a draw for English players due to his legendary status in this country, being the top-scorer in the national team’s history. This means that Derby could be a more attractive proposition for Crooks, which is why this news could leave Ashton facing disaster as he looks to secure such a good player.

The £1.9k-per-week ace produced seven goals and three assists in all competitions for a struggling Rotherham side in the season just gone. Crooks averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.75 in 12 starts as an attacking midfielder as Rotherham were relegated from the Championship, which shows that he is a solid performer at that level and that he could have been influential at a step down in League One. Therefore, Ipswich fans will be gutted if they miss out on him due to Derby’s interest.

AND in other news, Ashton masterclass: Ipswich could strike gold with £8k-p/w beast who has “no limits”…

West Ham United have been able to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League and seventh place in the Premier League table with just one figure in their squad that predominantly plays in the centre-forward position – Michail Antonio.

Despite scoring eight goals in 32 league appearances for the Hammers, the Jamaican hasn’t been able to find the net in the top flight since New Year’s Day against Crystal Palace.

With the next summer transfer window approaching, it seems as though the east London club are in the mix to add another striker to their squad and provide a bit of competition for Antonio.

What’s the news?

According to a recent article from Calciomercato, West Ham are one of the clubs interested in signing Torino striker Andrea Belotti in the upcoming summer transfer window.

With a total of 386 senior and youth club appearances under his belt, the Italian has scored 155 goals and provided 35 assists along the way, showing that he has a knack for finding the back of the net.

Better than Antonio?

Since joining his current club back in 2015, the 28-year-old has scored 110 goals in 247 outings for the Serie A side, showing just how important he has been for them over the past few years.

On the international stage, Belotti has scored 12 goals in 42 senior appearances for Italy.

This backs up what his former teammate and former West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart had to say about him when the Englishman described the attacker as having an “instinct for goals.”

With just 18 league games to his name in this current Serie A season, the striker has still managed to rack up the second-highest number of shots at goal (45) out of anyone at Torino.

To compare him to the West Ham striker, the Italian has racked up a higher percentage of aerial duels won this season (39.7%) than Antonio (36.2%).

This shows how much of a threat in the air he can be in terms of winning balls and scoring goals with his head. Battling physically for the ball is one of the West Ham striker’s main strengths so if Belotti can top him in that department, it bodes well for the Hammers.

Despite having a current market value of £25.2m according to Transfermarkt, the Irons could secure the Italy international on a free transfer this summer as his current contract with Torino is set to expire at the end of the season.

Even though he’s struggled with some injury issues this season, Belotti certainly has what it takes to be a solid signing for West Ham. The major plus side is that West Ham could discover someone that’s better than Antonio when it comes to scoring goals on a regular basis.

In other news: Sources: West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard”

Crystal Palace and Leeds United appear to be battling it out for Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan.

And plenty of Palace fans have been reacting to the links on social media.

According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, the Eagles are determined to complete the signing of Tufan after failing to land him in the past.

They claim that Palace are ready to activate the 26-year-old’s €20m (£17.3m) clause in his deal to bring him to Selhurst Park.

However, a report from a different Turkish outlet, Fotomac, claim that Leeds have emerged as a surprise candidate for Tufan and will aim to sign him before the start of the Euros this summer.

Tufan’s Fenerbahce contract still has over two years left to run, so it seems as if any club wanting to land the central midfielder will need to splash the cash.

Palace appear to have been long-term admirers of the Turkey international, who was once likened to Yaya Toure, with Tufan admitting he was close to a Selhurst Park switch back in 2018.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared both stories on Twitter on Wednesday morning regarding Tufan.

This is what some Palace supporters had to say in reply…

“Roy has got no say on who the club buys, we wouldn’t have so many no-shows if he did”Credit: @norbie2468″Can we sign him purely for the fact that we can’t be rumoured with him anymore. I’m bored.”Credit: @SamuelMargo”Why would he want to come and play Royball?”Credit: @Matt929″I remember when we were first interested and I was excited because he was like 22″Credit: @localpla9tic”I beg we just sign this guy so we don’t have to hear this exact rumour every two months”Credit: @amancpfc”Been tryna sign him for 3 years now”Credit: @cpfcharlie0

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to James McCarthy update, find out more here. 

Wolves came into the transfer window with plenty of work to do but it could only happen if they sold some of their best players.

The Old Gold had limited spending power and it was thought that in order to reinvest in the playing squad, Ruben Neves and Adama Traore would have to leave Molineux behind.

What’s the word?

Wolves are heading into the final weeks of the window still aiming to sign a centre-forward but they are set to gain the necessary money in order to do so by selling the likes of Rafa Mir, Patrick Cutrone and Romain Saiss.

That’s according to Tim Spiers who delivered an encouraging update on the future for Wolves in the window.

In his latest column for The Athletic, Spiers revealed that Wolves aren’t anticipating selling either Neves or Traore.

Arsenal’s interest in the former has never materialised and they will now only sell if their sizeable asking prices are met.

Huge boost

After Wolves finished 13th in the Premier League last season, this will come as a massive boost to their hopes of getting back in continental action.

During Nuno Santo’s final season at Molineux, he struggled to find an answer to their troubles as the Old Gold slipped down the table after missing Raul Jimenez from November onwards.

Pedro Neto finished as their joint-top scorer alongside the aforementioned Neves. That provides a big reason as to why they simply have to keep hold of the central midfielder.

Furthermore, Traore has shown that he’s one of the most dangerous players in the top-flight.

During the 2020/21 campaign, no player in the whole division recorded more successful dribbles than his 4.1 per match.

He did only score two goals last term but on his day, the Spaniard is an unstoppable force capable of scaring defenders with his remarkable speed and trickery.

Lage hasn’t had an ideal start to life in the Midlands but the idea that the Wolves hierarchy isn’t keen on selling should be music to his ears.

They are two key components in the Wolves XI and if they are to replicate their top-half finishes, they will need them to remain at the club. Consequently, fans should be absolutely delighted at this update.

AND in other news, Lage heading for big howler after Wolves submit bid to sign 35-goal “monster”…

Some Wolves fans have been left fuming as a transfer update emerged on Owen Otasowie.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, football journalist Tim Spiers has claimed that the Midlands club have had an offer of £3.4m on the table for the USA international from Club Brugge for more than a week, but they want a fee closer to £5m.

The Molineux faithful are pretty scarce in the central midfield position and have a pretty thin squad in general, and so letting go of another player, especially with the potential that Otasowie has, would really leave Bruno Lage short going into the new 2021/22 season.

Even £5m as well would give little room to manoeuvre in terms of trying to find an adequate replacement, and so the Wanderers might as well keep him instead.

Wolves fans on Otasowie transfer update

These WWFC supporters fumed as the exit news on Otasowie was shared on Twitter:

“£3.4 million??? If the offer don’t come in we want don’t sell it’s simple really!!!”

Credit: @Woodthewolf83

“£3.5m isn’t enough in my opinion”

Credit: @mark_spruce

“Don’t sell”

Credit: @samuelhomerdls

“£3.4m is insulting, £5m is better but only with a 20% sell on as well”

Credit: @toddo08

“Such a shame”

Credit: @BulletRobinson

“Mess”

Credit: @Ianph61

In other news, find out what Leander Dendoncker comments have Wanderers talking here!

Everton are reportedly fighting Liverpool to sign Gleison Bremer once the summer transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Holgate may leave

The Goodison Park faithful are reportedly willing to listen to any offers for Mason Holgate in the summer, as they look to try and fund a move for a top central defender.

The Englishman has disappointed with some of his recent displays, making costly errors against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and so his future at the Merseyside club is unclear.

The Latest: Everton fight Liverpool for Bremer

As per Torino Granata, the Toffees as well as Liverpool have been following Bremer, who has been named as a potential outgoing for Torino.

Given the long-term injuries to both Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez that the Reds have suffered this season, it is no surprise to see them also linked with bringing in a centre-back.

The Verdict: Everton can get one over on Liverpool

The Blues can certainly get one over their local rivals by beating them to the signature of Bremer.

At six-foot-two, the Brazilian is a colossus and so would give EFC an advantage in both boxes, notably scoring as many as four goals from the heart of defence in 32 games in total in the Serie A so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

At the back, Bremer has won no fewer than 5.2 duels per match in the Italian top flight, and has also averaged 4.1 clearances, 2.1 interceptions and 1.5 tackles a game, keeping eight clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, if Holgate were to go, the 24-year-old would be a more than adequate replacement.

In other news, find out what European Super League update has got Toffees talking here!

Spurs chief Fabio Paratici has commented on one of the club’s transfer targets; Domenico Berardi… 

What’s the talk?

Tottenham’s director of football Fabio Paratici has commented on Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi and admitted that he tried to sign him at Juventus, claiming that he is a “great talent”, amid reported interest from Spurs in the forward’s services.

He told Gianluca di Marzio:

“Berardi was very close to Juventus, but I am happy for him because we have been in contact for three years.

“We started dealing with him after a few games, he is a great talent and it would have been a shame not to be able to show him internationally.”

Last month, it was reported that Tottenham are keen on a deal for the Italian international and that they have already spoken with the Serie A club over a potential deal. He is currently competing at the European Championships for his country, where he could face England in the final if Gareth Southgate and Roberto Mancini are able to guide their respective sides past the semi-final stage.

Paratici must swoop

Paratici must swoop for Berardi this summer to bolster Nuno Santo’s squad. He is clearly a big fan of the Italian winger, given these quotes and the fact he tried to sign him whilst at Juventus in Serie A. He could already have the background information on Berardi needed to greenlight a pursuit of his signature, which is why this could be an ideal move for the club.

With Gareth Bale returning to Real Madrid upon the end of his loan spell, there is a vacant spot on the wing in Tottenham’s attack alongside Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. Bale produced 11 goals and two assists in the Premier League, averaging an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.30 – a score only Kane was able to better within Tottenham’s squad. This suggests that Paratici needs to bring in a quality addition to fill that gap and Berardi could be the man they need.

The £61k-per-week magician enjoyed a marvellous year in Serie A with Sassuolo. He scored 17 times and provided seven assists for his teammates, averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 7.43. This suggests that he could be an ideal replacement for Bale, with the Italian proving that he can score and create goals consistently at the top level.

Therefore, Spurs must swoop for him and make sure that they can get a deal over the line. He is a quality, proven attacker who still has plenty of years left to give at the age of 26.

AND in other news, Spurs submit official bid to land 16 G/A dynamo, he’s an upgrade on Steven Bergwijn…

At the age of 35, Liverpool midfielder James Milner is currently the seventh-oldest current Premier League player, with an astonishing 568 league appearances under his belt in what has been an impressive career in English football.

Taking that into account, and with his current contract at Anfield set to expire next summer, it’s not out of the question that the Merseyside club could be looking to replace the veteran if he ends up leaving then.

Rather than potentially splashing out a significant transfer fee on a new player from another club to replace Milner if he were to leave, we feel that Liverpool could already have their perfect heir for him within their youth squad in James Norris.

The 18-year-old, who is a product of Liverpool’s youth academy, is predominantly a left-back, a position where Milner has made 66 appearances throughout his career. He has also played as a central midfielder, centre-back and left-midfielder on two occasions for England’s under-19 side this season, showing her versatility at such a young age, just as Milner has done throughout his long career.

According to Liverpool’s official website, Norris is an “energetic left-back who can also play in midfield”, has “a great work ethic matched with a sweet left foot” and “loves to get forward and support the attack”.

Throughout his short career so far, he has made 35 appearances for Liverpool’s under-18 side, with five goals and five assists to his name, as well as making 13 appearances for the under-23 side, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

Norris made his senior debut for the Reds during Liverpool’s 5-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup back in December 2019.

Looking ahead to the future, if he can keep developing within Liverpool’s youth teams for the time being and adapting to different positions as he has been doing, he could well go on to become a very useful figure for Liverpool in their senior squad in the foreseeable future given his versatility, especially if Milner leaves the club when his contract runs out next year.

In other news – Forget Keita: Klopp must unleash £120k-p/w LFC outcast on Sunday, he impressed v Atletico

West Ham right-back Vladimir Coufal could face an extended spell on the sidelines through injury, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Coufal out injured

The Hammers are enjoying a superb start to the season, not only shining in the Premier League but also catching the eye in the Europa League and reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

One negative at the moment is that Coufal has been struggling with a groin injury, even though he featured in Wednesday’s cup win over Manchester City.

The Czech Republic international has been an influential figure for David Moyes’ side, making 45 appearances to date and registering eight assists in that time – he averages the third-most tackles and third-most crosses of any Irons player this term, showing his effectiveness on both sides of the ball.

The Latest: Expert provides worrying update

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery admits Coufal’s injury recovery may not be going well after Moyes admitted the defender was having injections to ease the pain:

“This may be a little more complex than we thought.

“It may be that things aren’t progressing as well as they hoped after he picked up the injury in the League Cup against Man United a while back.

“The injury was being managed conservatively. We saw that he wasn’t training a lot and was then rolled out for matchday. The injection is used when a player is in a lot of pain. It will limit the pain and reduce the inflammation around that area.

“We expected to see him back in and around the squad in game week eight or nine but that hasn’t come to fruition. It could be that he isn’t responding and that might mean they need to make a decision with regards to treatment.

“But West Ham are winning games, so is there a need to rush? They have the luxury to be able to continue in his absence.”

The Verdict: Big blow if Dinnery is right…

Coufal has been such a steady, reliable performer for West Ham that it is vital he doesn’t face a prolonged spell on the sidelines this season.

The 29-year-old is a model of consistency in his defensive work, averaging 2.1 tackles and clearance apiece per game in the league this season.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher is a massive fan of the defender, admitting he ‘loves’ the Czech Republic international and placing him in his team of the season for 2020/21, which shows the sort of level the defender has been at since arriving in London.

The hope is that Coufal is managed sensibly and ends up proving his fitness, not missing too much action in the process.

In other news, some West Ham fans have gone wild over an official club announcement. Read more here.

According to a report by 90min, West Ham have held ‘conversations’ with Chelsea over signing attacking midfielder Ross Barkley – with manager David Moyes now personally keen if the club don’t seal a deal for Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham want attacking midfield man…

Claret & Hugh outlined Lingard as West Ham’s priority target for this summer window but the Manchester United player is looking more and more likely to stay at Old Trafford this summer.

This has lead to the club targeting other players as they look to bolster Moyes’ attacking midfield options, with West Bromwich Albion star Matheus Pereira also heavily linked as an alternative.

Now, 90min claim another player is on West Ham’s radar for that position.

The Latest: West Ham hold ‘conversations’ over signing Barkley…

As per the outlet, West Ham are still keen on Lingard, but have held ‘conversations’ with Chelsea over signing Barkley.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-news/” title=”West Ham news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Moyes is thought to be interested in reuniting with his former player at the London Stadium and the 27-year-old has also been told he can find a new club this summer.

Barkley spent the 2020/2021 season on loan at Aston Villa and impressed in spells, with the Hammers boss remaining a ‘big fan’.

It is also said that the former Everton ace may ‘jump at the chance’ to reunite with his ex-manager.

The Verdict: Good option?

Going by statistics, the £100,000-per-week midfielder, valued at around £18 million by Transfermarkt, actually doesn’t appear to be a bad option in the grand scheme of things.

According to WhoScored, he averaged 1.6 key passes per 90 in the final third over 18 Premier League starts for Villa last term – more than Lingard managed during his loan spell with the Hammers (WhoScored).

He also competed more dribbles in that time (1.2) than the Red Devils ace (1.1), not to mention Chelsea would apparently be ‘prepared to sanction’ a loan deal for Barkley.

The only warning sign could be his major dip in form after an impressive start to 2020/2021 under Villans boss Dean Smith, with the playmaker drawing some criticism thereafter (Birmingham Live).

Could Moyes give his former prodigy another fresh start at the London Stadium?

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Incredible’, ‘Please have truth in this’…West Ham fans flock to forward update, find out more here.