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Tottenham Hotspur could look to swoop for James Ward-Prowse to bolster their homegrown quota this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who claims the Southampton skipper is among the options to replace Harry Winks, should he leave the north London outfit.

It’s thought that Spurs had agreed on a deal to sign the England international three years ago but did not pull the trigger – he’s now worth a lot more than then.

CIES Football Observatory currently estimate his worth to be in the region of €50m (£45m).

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Shades of Eriksen

Spurs have long lacked a playmaking talent capable of delivering from dead-ball situations and open play – ever since the departure of Christian Erisken in January 2020, to be more precise.

The likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli have all struggled to cement their place as a creative, attacking midfield option, with all three failing to end the 2021/22 campaign in a Spurs shirt.

Ward-Prowse, however, has continued to deliver on the Premier League stage, all for a somewhat struggling Saints side.

In each of the last four top-flight seasons, the Englishman has delivered at least five goals and three assists, including ten goals and five assists last season, via WhoScored.

Furthermore, the 27-year-old maestro ranks amongst the top 15% of his positional peers in the Premier League for shot-creating actions (3.16 per 90), as well as the top 1% of inswinging and outswinging corners and top 3% for passes from free-kicks, per FBref.

It’s no wonder he has been lauded as a “machine” by Southampton boss Hasenhuttl and compared to David Beckham by ex-Spurs striker Peter Crouch.

As such, it would be a very wise move for sporting director Fabio Paratici to make, given the need to bolster homegrown numbers, particularly if Winks does indeed depart.

AND in other news, talkSPORT transfer expert drops Djed Spence update…

Everton are expected to have a busy summer transfer window following a disappointing season in the Premier League, and now a new update has emerged with one particular player on Frank Lampard’s transfer wish list.

What’s the latest?

According to The Telegraph, Everton are interested in signing Harry Winks this summer but are looking to loan the player.

As per the report, the Toffees are likely to be unwilling to pay the £20m transfer fee that Tottenham Hotspur are demanding but would be interested in taking on the player for a season-long loan spell instead with an option to make it permanent.

Imagine him and Doucoure

There is no doubt that Everton are in desperate need of reinforcements, with Donny van de Beek’s loan deal coming to an end and Fabian Delph set to leave the club this month when his contract expires meaning the midfield could definitely use some fresh legs.

Winks has been falling down the pecking order at Spurs ever since Antonio Conte arrived with the player only making substitute appearances since March, but has put in 30 appearances overall in all competitions so Everton will have a general idea of his current strengths and weaknesses.

In his 19 Premier League appearances for the north London club this season, the 26 year old has an impressive pass accuracy of 92% in his own half, with one assist and three big chances created, as well as winning the majority of his duels combined (51%) and successful in the majority of his dribbles (53%).

The midfield maestro has been the recipient of high praise from Paul Robinson who claims Winks “dominates” when he gets the opportunity to play.

Robinson told Football Insider:

“For me, I think Harry Winks is one of the best of the bunch. He dominates the game, defensively and offensively he offers you both and his ball retention, the stats speak for themselves.”

If Everton were to agree a deal with Daniel Levy to acquire Winks’ services next season, Lampard could stabilise the midfield by forming a well-oiled partnership in the centre of the pitch between the Spurs midfielder and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

He could deliver balls to the Toffees ace who takes on a more advanced midfield role and gallops forward more regularly than the more reserved Winks.

Ultimately, despite the struggles for game-time that the England international has faced with Tottenham, it could be a shrewd piece of business if Farhad Moshiri could secure a loan deal for the player ahead of next season.

AND in other news: Offer accepted: Everton closing in on 1st summer signing, Lampard will be ecstatic

A huge Newcastle United claim has emerged on their interest in Christian Eriksen heading into the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

Reporter Jacque Talbot has teased that the Magpies are going to hold discussions with the Denmark international later this month.

He Tweeted: “Some further details on the Christian Eriksen and Newcastle story. Heard a whisper Howe and the player set for talks next week.”

The former Tottenham midfielder joined Brentford on a short-term deal in January and is now a free agent ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Supporters will be excited

Toon supporters will be excited by this claim as Eriksen would be a fantastic addition to Eddie Howe’s midfield options.

The 30-year-old made a stunning comeback to Premier League football after suffering a cardiac arrest at the European Championships last year to lead Brentford to survival this term.

In 11 appearances in the top-flight, he averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.54 as he chipped in with one goal and four assists. The gem produced consistently brilliant performances whilst proving that he can still have a big impact in the final third, particularly when it came to helping his teammates.

He was at his creative best as he provided 2.8 key passes and created five ‘big chances’ in total for the Bees, ending the campaign with 3.73 Expected Assists.

This shows that he is capable of teeing up teammates with opportunities to score on a regular basis. The likes of Chris Wood, Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, and any other forward the club may sign will now be salivating at the prospect of being on the end of his passes and crosses.

Meanwhile, Matt Ritchie topped the charts for the Magpies with 1.6 key passes per game – with Saint-Maximin in second with 1.4 – and this suggests that Eriksen would be a huge improvement on Newcastle’s current levels of creativity.

Bringing him in on a free transfer would also be an astute piece of business by Dan Ashworth. Whilst they will still need to afford the wages that he will demand, the club will not have to pay a transfer fee for his services and this can free up funds to be used elsewhere.

Supporters will now be hoping that the ex-Brighton chief and Howe can wrap up a deal for the 30-year-old as they will be excited by the thought of him delivering teasing deliveries into the box at St. James’ Park next season.

AND in other news, Ashworth “looking” at Newcastle deal for “clever” £75m gem, he can be Howe’s own Salah…

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou could be heading for an early summer transfer disaster as the Hoops are at risk of losing defender Osaze Urhoghide permanently.

What’s the news?

According to a recent article from the Daily Record, Belgian club KV Oostende are weighing up a permanent move to sign the centre-back just a year after he signed for Celtic.

Last July, the Hoops secured a deal for the defender from Sheffield Wednesday, making him the first signing of the Postecoglou era at Parkhead.

After making just one senior appearance for the Bhoys, which came during their 3-2 win over Real Betis in the Europa League in December, the 21-year-old joined Oostende on loan in the January transfer window. Since then, the former Hillsborough youngster has made seven league appearances for the Belgian club.

In those appearances, he showed what a capable defender he is by averaging 2.1 tackles, 2.9 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game. He also earned himself an overall performance rating of 6.81/10 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated player at the club in the 2021/22 season.

Taking this into account, and with Urhoghide still having a lot of time ahead of him to grow into an important and very capable first-team figure for the Hoops, seeing him potentially leave on a permanent basis this summer after barely getting a chance to show what he can do at Parkhead could be a big mistake from Postecoglou.

Bearing in mind how the Hoops have seen young players leave the club in recent times such as Ben Doak and Leo Hjelde, having Urhoghide added to that list of ex-Parkhead youngsters to potentially thrive and blossom elsewhere would not be a good look for the Bhoys.

While Oostende are reportedly weighing up a decision as to whether or not they will use their option to sign the 21-year-old on a permanent basis, the Hoops will need to hope that the Belgian club don’t trigger this option and instead send the player back to Glasgow.

Otherwise, if they do sign him outright, Celtic’s decision to put in a purchase option when they loaned him out could well come back to bite them.

In other news – “Celtic have..”: Transfer insider drops exciting claim that’ll have supporters buzzing

Everton are eyeing up a bid for Brazilian midfielder Eric Ramires as Frank Lampard aims to rebuild his squad ahead of next season.

What’s the news?

According to Ge Globo, the Toffees have made an inquiry over Red Bull Bragantino midfielder Eric Ramires, although the Merseyside club believe his asking price to be too high.

The interest stems from a report by UOL as Lampard aims to bring more talent to Goodison Park. The Brazilian club are unwilling to sell the 21-year-old cheaply as he is in the first year of a four-year contract.

Better than Delph

This news might not be what Lampard would have hoped for, but there is no doubt that Everton could afford the player, who is valued at just £3.6m by Transfermarkt. Even if the Brazilian club want significantly more than that amount, the 43-year-old should be doing all he can to secure the youngster’s services.

Everton urgently need some signings to rejuvenate their squad following their brush with relegation this season. Lampard will be entering his first summer transfer window at Goodison Park with one goal on his mind – improvement.

Signing Ramires would clearly be one for the future due to his age. However, with 84 appearances for his current club and a loan spell in Europe with FC Basel, he doesn’t lack for experience either.

The 21-year-old could be a more prominent member of the Everton squad than Fabian Delph, who made only 11 Premier League appearances this term while earning a staggering £92k-p/w.

Ramires is the much better option going forward. In only six matches, the Brazilian has 1.02 shots per 90 minutes, compared to Delph’s 0.27, and the 21-year-old has played five fewer matches.

The youngster has made five fewer fouls than the ex-Man City midfielder too (six to 11) and also has a slightly better temperament, receiving only one booking in his six matches, while the Englishman has two in 11 appearances.

While he may still be raw, there is no doubting the talent that Ramires possesses, with 14 goal contributions already during his fledgling career, and Everton supporters will surely love another Brazilian at the club to accompany Richarlison.

AND in other news, Lampard could unearth the new Richarlison with Everton bid for “dangerous” £58m talent

Sunderland will either be celebrating with tears of joy or wallowing in tears of sadness by the end of the day as they face the daunting prospect of a play-off final.

The Black Cats are up against Wycombe in the League One showpiece clash at Wembley this afternoon as they battle for a place in next season’s Championship.

Alex Neil’s men made their way through to the decider by beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, drawing the second leg 1-1.

Will the Black Cats boss make any changes to his starting XI from that match? We are suggesting that he makes at least one by unleashing Jay Matete from the start, as he can win promotion for the club.

Matete must start for Sunderland

Corry Evans struggled in the middle of the park against Wednesday, and his experience may be of more use off the bench if Neil needs to bring on a calm head to see out the game in the second half.

Against the Owls, the ex-Blackburn man failed to impress. As per SofaScore, he lost five of his seven individual battles and was unsuccessful in two of his three tackles as he was dribbled past twice. He also completed just 69% of his passes – including one of his seven long passes – and did not create a single chance.

Meanwhile, Matete is a machine in midfield and will be able to slot into the team and break up Wycombe’s play throughout the match. In League One this season, he has made three tackles and interceptions per game and won 58% of his duels in total, showing that he is a strong presence in the team.

Journalist Josh Bunting previously heaped praise on him, tweeting: “Jay Matete again for me Sunderland’s best performer this afternoon, broke the play up when he needed to and drove forward trying to get the Black Cats on the front foot, he’s been a real master stroke of a signing, that run that he got the shot away from was superb #SAFC”

These quotes, and the aforementioned statistics, show that Kristjaan Speakman played a blinder by bringing the 21-year-old in from Fleetwood in January.

That deal can now win Sunderland promotion, as starting him at Wembley today can seal the win for the Black Cats against Gareth Ainsworth’s outfit.

Matete has shown that he has the bite required to compete in big games, and Neil will need that drive and strength to break up Wycombe attacks before attacking the space and allowing his side to dominate the game, which is why the youngster’s presence could make the difference today.

AND in other news, “He’s trained..”: Huge Sunderland injury update emerges that’ll leave supporters buzzing…

Everton are to hold fresh talks with Sporting Lisbon over a potential move for Joao Virginia, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

Virginia has now reached the end of his season-long loan spell with the Primeira Liga outfit, who have qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

He had the opportunity to play eight times, including in a UCL group match against Ajax in December.

Sporting agreed a €5million (£4.3million) purchase option with Everton back in August.

The Blues already have Asmir Begovic as cover for Jordan Pickford, and have decided to extend his contract by a further year.

Virginia has only played three times for the Merseyside outfit but has won some won rave reviews in his time, with former coach David Unsworth describing him as ‘unbelievable’.

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The latest

The report claims that representatives from both clubs will meet this week in the hope of reaching a deal.

Sporting believe that the option to buy included in the deal is too expensive and will pursue a compromise, but Everton are apparently ready to play hard ball.

The verdict

It might be in Everton’s interests to reduce their demands. After all, Sporting may have something they want.

23-year-old midfielder Matheus Nunes, who’s valued at £27million by Transfermarkt, confirmed in December that he’d been made aware of a summer approach from the Toffees.

Perhaps it would be smart for Kevin Thelwell and his team to make concessions here, especially given that Virginia doesn’t appear to be part of their plans anyway. They could then sweeten relations with Sporting, which will serve them well should they wish to return for Nunes or indeed any of their other assets.

In other news, Sky Sports have dropped a further update on the FFP dispute.

Everton will host Brentford at Goodison Park this afternoon in their penultimate Premier League home match of the season, and although the Toffees’ home record is much better than when they play away, there has been some disappointing injury news which could be a huge blow for Frank Lampard.

What’s the latest?

The Toffees manager took to his pre-match press conference to deliver the bad news that Fabian Delph will not be available for selection after sustaining an injury.

Lampard told the press (via Liverpool Echo): “Fabian won’t be fit for the game against Brentford, we’ll see for the rest of the season. It’s a small injury, a muscle injury, but it’s an injury and enough to keep him out of this game.”

Lampard will be gutted

There is no doubt that Delph has made a huge difference since he returned to the team following a long-term injury which kept him out of the side for most of the season, and his influence will surely be sorely missed in midfield when you consider how his impact aligns with the team’s recent results.

After suffering a hamstring injury in January and missing 12 games for Everton, the 32-year-old returned to action just in time to make a crucial impact for his team in the middle of the park last month, and Lampard’s selection of the experienced midfielder seriously paid off.

In their last six games, Everton have won three, drawn two and lost one, with Delph featuring in every match apart from the one they lost, illustrating that he has become a real leader and a hugely positive influence for the team since his return.

That being said, it will be interesting to see how the Toffees manage without him against Brentford today. However, they have had a potential boost in midfield with Donny Van de Beek available for selection either today or against Crystal Palace on Thursday.

If Everton can take all three points from their clash on Merseyside this afternoon, it will take a lot of pressure off them in their final two games, especially if Tottenham can take all three points against the Toffees’ relegation rivals Burnley in the early kick-off. However, a win for Lampard’s men may be harder to come by without Delph to call upon, which will leave the 43-year-old gutted.

AND in other news: Huge boost as Lampard drops Everton transfer update that’ll delight supporters

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Fiorentina defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to French outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Well-traveled star

A product of the youth academy at Utrecht, the 25-year-old made a switch to Feyenoord in 2017 before spells with Belgian outfit Club Brugge, Serie A side Hellas Verona and current club Fiorentina.

The tenacious midfield destroyer has made 57 appearances for La Viola, scoring just once but picking up 12 yellow cards, and has become a mainstay for the Morocco international team.

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Now another move could be on the horizon for Amrabat as Spurs boss Antonio Conte begins to plan for the summer transfer window…

The latest: On the radar

As per Foot Mercato, translated by SW, Tottenham are believed to ‘want’ the 34-cap ace who also represented Holland at youth level due to being born in the European nation.

It’s claimed that Spurs are ‘preparing’ for their end of season business and the man tipped to become ‘world class’ by BBC Africa journalist Mohamed Qoutb is seemingly a top target.

The report states that Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have ‘targeted’ Amrabat as Inter Milan also ‘strongly appreciate’ the Moroccan.

The verdict: No brainer

Despite injuries ruling out the combative midfielder for 44 days, so far this season Amrabat has earned a 6.75 Sofascore rating from 22 league outings, winning 2.0 ground duels per game, completing 90% of all his passes and only being dribbled past on 0.3 occasions per game on average.

Ironically, the £8.1million valued man compares stylistically with Spurs youngster Olivier Skipp as well as Leeds United ace Kalvin Phillips and former Liverpool general Lucas Leiva (Fbref) – that last one is perhaps no surprise given his record of picking up yellow cards.

With the futures of Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks still in doubt, signing a player of the quality of Amrabat would be a huge boost to the defensive solidity in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium squad.

In other news: Conte admits one thing this season left him ‘very angry’, find out more here

Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that Newcastle United have now been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Ismaila Sarr in the summer.

The Lowdown: Injury woes

Sarr has suffered from a few injury problems this season, which has seen him only manage make 21 appearances in total over all competitions.

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Watford have only managed to win 12 goals in 30 appearances and ended Liverpool’s unbeaten run.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘offered’

Taking to Twitter, Talbot revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful have now been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Sarr this summer, although the Hornets want around £40m if they are to let him go:

“Newcastle have been offered Watford’s Ismaila Sarr. Representatives met with club in London. Told his side would want about £40m. Deal makes sense but striker and centre-back (right-sided) are #nufc priority.”

The Verdict: Too expensive

Given that he currently holds a market value of £24.3m, £40m does seem a bit excessive for Sarr, especially if Watford are relegated down to the Championship.

The North East club will be cautious of the injury problems he has had, and the five goals and two assists that he has managed in the top flight so far this term (Transfermarkt) is not exactly prolific to justify the high price tag.

If they could get him for a much cheaper price, given his Premier League experience and the fact that he is only 24 years of age, it could well be a good signing for the Tyneside outfit, but at £40m they should really be looking elsewhere for now.

In other news, find out which Magpies star is now ‘close’ to returning from injury here!