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Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold has shared some details regarding a behind-the-scenes meeting between Antonio Conte, Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy ahead of the upcoming January transfer window. 

The Lowdown: Spurs’ transfer business under Conte

Since the Italian took charge of the north London club just over a year ago, he has been backed in the transfer market and been able to bring in numerous players.

Names such as Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison and Yves Bissouma, among others, have all made moves to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With the January transfer window set to open for business shortly after the conclusion of the World Cup, it seems that some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding what may happen in the window.

The Latest: Gold shares behind-the-scenes meeting details

In a recent online Q&A on the Football.London website, Gold was asked what he thinks the priorities will be for Spurs in terms of strengthening the side in January and when a meeting between Conte, Paratici and Levy will take place to discuss the upcoming winter window.

In response, Gold said: “Personally I think an attacking midfielder and a centre-back are priorities plus any upgrades Spurs can find in the market. As I said below, a right wing-back might end up becoming a requirement depending on Conte’s decision when it comes to Djed Spence.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] 

“The meeting between Conte, Levy and Paratici should happen after the head coach returns on November 28 when first team training resumes at Hotspur Way. Paratici and Conte speak most days so you would imagine they will still have some dialogue even during this rest period for the latter at some point.”

The Verdict: Reinforcements needed at Spurs

Given the hefty amount of deals that Spurs have been involved in since Conte took charge, this should fill a lot of supporters with confidence that the same thing can happen again this time around.

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In terms of what areas of the squad Spurs may need to strengthen in January, the fact that they have conceded more goals (21) than the likes of Brighton (19), Crystal Palace (18) and Everton (17) this season, some extra defensive reinforcements is what Conte needs for his side.

Also, with only two clubs making more errors that have led to an opponent’s shot at goal than Spurs (8), this is something that the manager will want to work on with his current players and whatever new faces come in during the January window.

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has handed an injury boost over the fitness of summer signing Tom Lawrence…

What’s the talk?

Gers reporter Joshua Barrie has revealed that the manager has allayed any fears that the Welshman has suffered a serious blow after the 4-0 win over Ross County in the Premiership.

The attacking midfielder appeared to come down with a knock towards the end of the match but it does not seem as though it will keep him out of action for any of the upcoming matches.

Barrie said: “Van Bronckhorst says Tom Lawrence is fine, no concerns after he went down late on.”

Van Bronckhorst should be delighted

The Ibrox head coach should be delighted by this news as the summer signing has been a terrific addition since he arrived in Glasgow on a free transfer from Derby County.

He came in to bolster the attacking options available to the manager and he has hit the ground running in Scotland with a number of eye-catching performances.

Lawrence played a huge role in helping the club qualify for the group stages of the Champions League this month. He scored a long-range free-kick, albeit aided by some less-than-convincing goalkeeping, against PSV in a 2-2 draw at Ibrox, before the Gers won 1-0 away from home in the second leg.

Meanwhile, he has also been superb in the Premiership this season. In five appearances, the midfielder has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.14 – the seventh-best in the entire squad – and produced two goals and one assist – starting four of those matches.

The former Derby man has created 1.8 chances per game, whilst completing 86% of his attempted passes, and this shows that he is efficient and effective in possession. He is able to deliver quality passes to unlock doors in the final third without giving the ball away on a regular basis, which suggests that his passing has been of high quality in the top-flight.

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Ryan Kent (3.0) and Borna Barisic (2.4) are the only players in the squad who are creating more chances per match than Lawrence, who has also shown that he is willing to put the hard work in off the ball.

Only Barisic (2.2) and James Tavernier (2.6) have made more tackles per outing than the Welshman’s 1.8. This means that he tops the chart in this statistic out of all of the midfielders and attackers at the club, which shows how much effort he puts into winning the ball back for his side.

Therefore, van Bronckhorst will be delighted that Lawrence has not suffered a serious knock and will now be hoping that he will be fit and available for selection against Celtic in the Old Firm clash next weekend.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an Everton transfer claim which will please both Frank Lampard and the Premier League club’s supporters.

What’s the word?

The Italian journalist tweeted: “No changes on James Tarkowski deal. Medical already completed one week ago, full agreement with Everton on personal terms and agent fees. Official statement pending.”

This is great news for Lampard, and it now seems just a matter of time before the ex-Burnley defender joins up with the Toffees’ squad in time for pre-season training.

Tarkowski can improve Everton’s defence

Having endured a tough start to his time in charge at Everton, Lampard managed to guide the club to top-flight safety following a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in their penultimate fixture of the season.

This won’t be enough to keep the supporters happy, though, and the 43-year-old faces a hugely important first month or so at the start of next season to prove to the fans that he is the right man to take the club forward.

Improvement is needed all over the pitch, especially in defence, as the Toffees conceded 66 goals in the Premier League last term, the fifth-worst record in the division.

With the signing of Tarkowski imminent, he could make a massive difference at the heart of the Everton backline, and that is exactly what Lampard needs.

Despite Burnley’s relegation, the 29-year-old ranked first in the squad with a rating of 6.97 on WhoScored, while also winning an incredible 4.4 aerial duels per match, the most of anyone at Turf Moor in 2021/22.

Compared to positional peers in the top five European leagues, the 29-year-old ranks in the top 1% for blocks (2.67 per 90) and in the top 3% for clearances (6.26 per 90), as per FBRef.

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Tarkowski also won 42 tackles last season, more than any Everton centre-back during the same time period; along with winning 171 aerial duels over the course of the campaign, 50 more than Michael Keane, who led the way for Everton.

These figures clearly show that the defender could be a crucial signing for Lampard as the Toffees manager looks to improve on the disappointing 16th-place finish from 2021/22.

AND in other news, Dele Alli 2.0: Everton plotting swoop for “average” £20m dud, supporters will be fuming

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a comfortable season, with Patrick Vieira bringing in a number of young new players this season to improve the squad, and all of his signings so far have made a great impact on the team.

Michael Olise, Conor Gallagher, Odsonne Edouard and Marc Guehi were all brought in last summer in the French manager’s pursuit to inject more youth into the team, as last season Palace had the oldest squad in the Premier League.

They have been doing an incredible job of integrating into the team so far, with Guehi and Gallagher in particular getting senior England call-ups this season as a result.

Despite building a team for the future, Vieira will have a dilemma hanging over his squad this summer as Gallagher is set to return to his parent club Chelsea when his season long loan deal ends, and Palace will be set to lose one of their most impactful players this season.

Gallagher has been having a season that all young footballers dream of having, with the 22 year old netting eight goals and assisting his teammates five times across all competitions so far this season from his midfield position and was named Young Player of the Year at the London Football Awards earlier this month.

Chelsea are in a vulnerable position with financial sanctioning taking hold of the club recently, as they await new owners to take over the club they are not able to make signings or offer new contracts to players currently, so bringing back Gallagher to play for the Chelsea team could be one of their only options moving forward, which means Crystal Palace’s chances of signing the player permanently are put into jeopardy.

It is clear that losing the £17k-per-week star who was hailed as “Kante with goals” by Tony Cascarino, would leave a huge hole for Vieira to fill if he did depart from the squad this summer, especially when you consider that the Eagles lost three out of the four games he didn’t play this season.

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The Palace boss will need to work hard to find a way to tempt Gallagher into a permanent move to the club as he has been a key component to their successes this season, and will be important in the final push for a top half finish for the club in the remaining games of the season.

In other news: Vieira must unleash CPFC’s £79k-p/w “special talent”, he’s being wasted at Selhurst

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reliable journalist Keith Downie of Sky Sports has shared what he knows as Newcastle United eye a move for Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier.

The Lowdown: Magpies eye Trippier move…

As per numerous sources, PIF and Eddie Howe have placed the right-back on their wanted list for a January transfer, with Mundo Deportivo claiming (via Sport Witness) they are even willing to make a €30m (£25.3m) offer.

Meanwhile, other reports from both AS and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed that Newcastle are in contention to sign the player, who is apparently yearning for a Premier League return.

In a fresh update, Downie has shared what he knows on the situation.

The Latest: Downie makes Trippier to NUFC claim…

According to his information, the 31-year-old is indeed a target for Newcastle, but the journalist admitted that there is still quite some way to go in this transfer saga.

He told GiveMeSport: “I certainly think he’s a top target, from what I’m hearing, for Eddie Howe. Whether they can get the deal done or not yet, there’s still a little bit of work to do.”

The Verdict: Priority signing?

Trippier would be quite an asset for Howe, judging by his endorsement from pundits and his experience on the biggest stages in world football.

Having brought joy to the nation with his sumptuous free-kick against Croatia at the 2018 World Cup, the England defender has continued to be an asset for Atletico.

Former West Ham and Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has lauded the 31-year-old as ‘sensational’ for his time at the La Liga giants and believes that the defender would be a ‘brilliant signing’ for Howe in particular (Football Insider).

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However, given his age, the former Manchester City academy graduate wouldn’t come with much sell-on value, so a lot could depend on how much Atletico will demand for his services.

In other news: Newcastle willing to table eight-figure bid to sign ‘sensational’ star for Howe, he wants to move…find out more here.

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Sunday’s Scottish Premiership fixture on the back of a 4-0 drubbing in the Europa League on Thursday, the 56-year-old manager will undoubtedly be hoping for a much better performance from the Bhoys against Aberdeen.

And, while Celtic are yet to pick up a single point away from Parkhead so far this season, Stephen Glass’ side also currently find themselves in a run of poor form, with the Dons being without a win in five league fixtures.

As such, the fixture at Pittodrie could provide Postecoglou with the perfect opportunity to finally secure a win away from home, however, with the Hoops having scored just once on the road this season, it may be wise for the Greek-Australian manager to change things up in his attacking lineup on Sunday.

Postecoglou must unleash Giakoumakis

While summer signing Georgios Giakoumakis did not have much time to make an impact on his club debut against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, being brought on with just 16 minutes left to play in the match, the centre-forward’s form for VVV-Venlo last season would suggest that the 26-year-old is an extremely exciting option for Postecoglou to be able to call upon.

Indeed, despite his side’s eventual relegation from the Dutch top flight, the £2.25m-rated man highly impressed over his 30 Eredivisie appearances for VVV-Venlo, scoring 26 goals, registering one assist and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.2 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Dutch journalist Jeroen Kapteijns dubbed a “phenomenon” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.35, ranking him not only as Jos Luhukay’s best performer in the league, but also as the joint sixth-best in the entirety of the division.

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As such, with Giakoumakis now appearing to be fit after suffering a number of injury setbacks in his short time at Parkhead, it would seem as if Postecoglou simply must unleash the striker against Aberdeen, as the 26-year-old’s goalscoring ability would undoubtedly terrify the Dons defence.

In other news: Huge boost: Ange drops Celtic injury update which is sure to have fans buzzing

An update has emerged regarding Southampton’s valuation of Newcastle transfer target Mario Lemina. 

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Saints are interested in signing Isaac Hayden from the Magpies and are now willing to offer Lemina in exchange for the 26-year-old.

The report claims that the Saints are in talks over a possible swap deal with Newcastle, with Hayden valued at £12m and Lemina at £4m, although it remains to be seen whether it would be a straight swap or cash coming Steve Bruce’s way along with the former Juventus man.

Bruce would love it

Newcastle must sanction a deal to sign Lemina from Southampton. Even if a swap deal with Hayden does not materialise, the Magpies should be looking to snap up the Saints enforcer if he is available for £4m as it could be a bargain deal for the Tyneside club.

Lemina is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt and arrived at St Mary’s from Juventus for around £15.5m in the summer of 2017. This suggests that £4m could be a terrific price for the midfielder, who has one year left on his contract on the south coast.

In terms of how he stacks up against Hayden, the Gabon international could be a significant improvement. In 11 starts as a central midfielder for Fulham in the Premier League, Lemina averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.88. Hayden, on the other hand, recorded an average rating of 6.66 in 16 starts in the same position for Bruce’s side, suggesting that Mike Ashley would be improving the squad by swapping the two players.

Garth Crooks once labelled the 27-year-old a midfield “powerhouse” and claimed that he was good enough to play for a Champions League club, citing his experience with Juventus in the Serie A earlier in his career.

The BBC Sport pundit said: “My goodness, this lad looks a powerhouse. I suppose when you’ve played for one of the biggest clubs in the world in Juventus, you should have all the tools to survive in any league.

“The former Juve man was composed on the ball and timely in the tackle – and for a holding midfielder, he was very capable of hurting the opposition. Lemina is a top-four player in my opinion.”

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Therefore, Bruce would surely be buzzing if Lemina arrived at St James’ Park. He could be getting a top-class midfielder who is an upgrade on Hayden, whilst potentially getting money to spend because of Lemina’s bargain £4m valuation. If Bruce can get the Gabon midfielder on song and playing at his best, then he could land a real coup this summer judging his performances for Fulham and Crooks’ previous comments about him.

AND in other news, “Would be unbelievable” – Exclusive: Howey drops verdict on potential next Newcastle owners…

After all the drama that came out of the training ground bust-up between Matt Ritchie and Steve Bruce a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that things have worked out fairly well since then for Newcastle.

Reports back in early March suggested that the two were involved in a heated confrontation, with the Scotland international even going as far as calling the Magpies manager a “coward”.

Fast forward a couple of months later, and things on the pitch are going far more swimmingly, with Ritchie instrumental in a superb 4-2 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Friday night.

The left wing-back was his usual snarling self, bombing up and down the flank and not being afraid to dish it out either to his teammates or the opposition.

As per Sofascore, Ritchie completed two of his three attempted dribbles on the night, which was a number only bettered by Allan Saint-Maximin (five). He also had the most touches and crosses of any Newcastle player – that’s not to mention the absolutely superb delivery from the corner which Paul Dummett headed the visitors’ second goal.

The vocal leadership was also something which was clear to see, with the Magpie 24/7 fan channel tweeting that he “didn’t stop shouting all night” and that “the difference he’s made to this team since that Brighton defeat isn’t commended enough.”

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy gave him an eight, saying: “A typical all-action display down the left. And, for a change, didn’t look open defensively. Two more assists to add to his tally for the campaign.”

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While many of the plaudits will naturally go towards the goalscorers on the night, Ritchie deserves plenty of credit for the way he set the tone with his intensity and energy.

He may not have been wearing the captain’s armband, but the £45,000-a-week machine was the leader the Magpies needed, and arguably Bruce’s real hero on the night.

According to an update by reliable club source ExWHUemployee, via West Ham News, the Hammers could look to overhaul their goalkeeping department either this summer or next summer, with main options Lukasz Fabianksi and Darren Randolph at the centre of growing injury concerns coupled with age.

Fabianski, who has made 89 appearances in all competitions for the Irons since signing from Swansea City in the summer of 2018 (Transfermarkt), is David Moyes’ number one choice between the sticks.

However, at 35 years old and with injury concerns mounting, ExWHUemployee claims the Poland veteran could make way for new blood either in this summer’s transfer window or next year.

The same goes for his deputy Randolph, who isn’t getting any younger himself at the age of 33.

Reacting to this update, dropping a wide array of opinions, some Hammers fans believe the change is long overdue, with others disclosing who they think West Ham should try to sign.

Find some of the best verdicts below.

West Ham fans flock to ExWHUemployee claim

“Yes it needs to happen. Randolph is liability now and we get scared when Fab gets injured”

Credit: @tonyclarke1

“Needs to be this summer we need decent back up to Fab”

Credit: @paulturner358

“I’ve said this before, can’t go at their age without consistent injuries like we’re seeing now… need a good keeper in their twenties”

Credit: @BillySullivan27

“Let’s hope this gets done properly this time, I’m sure it will. Was strange when we signed the 2 keepers in the same window. A backup keeper has to be good enough to be the number 1. Ours aren’t and we need to get it right. 2 top keepers to fight for a place”

Credit: @Deanoseabrook

“yessssss”

Credit: @brushheadd

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“Pope should be our top summer target after a striker. If we get European football we should be his best option to move his career forward.”

Credit: @slayburn

“I never understood why we gave Randy three and a half year deal. We will do well to move him on. But Sam Johnstone would be my pic if WBA go down.”

Credit: @IanDeakin16

In other news: West Ham fans also responded to this club update, find out more here.

Predicting Fulham’s starting XI in any of their games so far this season has been a tough task.

Scott Parker has been known to throw a few curveballs this season, whether that’s been dropping Aleksandar Mitrovic for the opening game of the season, switching to a back five against Wolves or continuing to select Dennis Odoi after numerous defensive errors.

Fulham’s squad looks a little different from the last time we saw them with the additions of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Terence Kongolo, Tosin Adarabioyo and Joachim Andersen adding some much-needed reinforcement in key areas.

However, we aren’t expecting many of those new signings to start, Andersen picked up a bad injury in training that will seemingly keep him out for some time, while Kongolo’s signing announcement hinted that he still isn’t 100% after picking up a problem in January.

We’ve had a go at predicting how Fulham will look against Wolves.

We expect Scott Parker to make three changes on Sunday.

The first interesting thing to note is that we expect the Whites to continue with the back five we saw against Wolves a fortnight ago, in order to counteract Chris Wilder’s preferred five at the back formation.

The defence looks largely the same, but there is one change as Tosin Adarabioyo comes in for Maxime Le Marchand.

The exciting Antonee Robinson again starts at the back, but his centre-back berth in this side may be somewhat misleading as we expect him to join in the attacks and even act as more of a left-back at times when Joe Bryan gets further forward.

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek will have to wait for his first start as we predict Tom Carney and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa to continue in the midfield, while there are changes on the wings as Ademola Lookman and Aboubakar Kamara come in for Bobby Decordova-Reid and Ivan Cavaleiro after their lively cameos against Wolves.

There are no prizes for guessing who starts up front as Aleksandar Mitrovic again spearheads the attack.