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Journalist Pete O’Rourke has offered his verdict regarding Arsenal’s reported interest in Lille midfielder, Amadou Onana.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider suggested that the 20-year-old shares similarities to that of Gunners legend Patrick Vieira, amid reports suggesting that the north London outfit have opened talks regarding a potential deal with the Ligue 1 side.

O’Rourke stated: “He’s got the stature of Patrick Vieira, and if he’s half as good as Vieira was for Arsenal then I think Arsenal will be delighted to have him at the club.

“He does have all of the attributes to be a success in England. He’s a good ball player and has great energy.”

The one-cap Belgium international is also reportedly the subject of interest from fellow Premier League side, West Ham United, with David Moyes and co having had a €30m (£25m) bid rejected for the promising starlet.

Patrick Vieira 2.0

It remains a sore point among the Emirates faithful that the club are yet to truly replace their former talismanic skipper – Vieira – 17 years on from the Frenchman’s departure from the club after a glittering spell under compatriot Arsene Wenger.

Plucked from AC Milan in 1996, the imposing midfielder went on to rack up 307 top-flight appearances over the next nine years, netting 31 goals and 34 assists in the league in that time, while also claiming three title triumphs and four FA Cups.

An integral part of the club’s famed ‘Invincibles’ side, the current Crystal Palace boss was a leader in every sense of the word, with his forceful, dominating presence in the centre of the park making him one of the most effective and respected midfielders of his era.

As the wait goes on to end the lengthy barren run with regards to league titles, the desire to finally replace the World Cup winner grows even stronger, with supporters no doubt desperate to see a midfield colossus of Vieira’s ilk join the club.

Many believed that Thomas Partey – who was signed on a £45m deal in the summer of 2020 – could be the figure to finally emulate the 46-year-old, although while the Ghanian still has time to blossom, he has largely been plagued by injury thus far.

As O’Rourke alluded to, however, the club could finally have the heir to Vieira’s crown in the form of young Onana, with the £9m-rated gem – who has been dubbed a “huge talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – having shone in France in recent seasons.

The towering 6 foot 5 giant shares obvious physical similarities to that of the club legend, while he is also a fierce competitor in the middle of the pitch, notably ranking in the top 6% for tackles made among those in his position across Europe’s big five leagues.

Although his youth would suggest he is far from the finished article, the £5.5k-per-week brute still enjoyed a strong 2021/22 campaign, averaging 1.6 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game and losing possession just 4.5 times per 90.

Clearly an impressive performer both with and without the ball, Onana could potentially be the man to lead Arteta’s side moving forward should sporting director Edu manage to strike a deal, with the Vieira-shaped void having the chance to be belatedly filled.

AND, in other news: Arsenal plotting move for £19.8m-rated “assist machine”, could be better than Raphinha

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Roma wonderkid Felix Afena-Gyan recently and his potential arrival could be the catalyst for Christian Benteke finally leaving Selhurst Park.

Reports from Italy have suggested that the Eagles are considering a €12m (£10.2m) bid for the 19-year-old, who burst onto the scene at Roma last season under Jose Mourinho.

After starring in the academy sides, the teenage forward was introduced into the first team and went on to make 22 appearances for I Giallorossi, in which he contributed two goals.

He has also earned six caps for Ghana already, scoring one goal, so he looks to have a huge amount of potential and he could be a great long-term option in Patrick Vieira’s side.

Ghana manager Otto Addo was highly complimentary of the youngster after his international debut, saying:

“He is just 19, wow, what a talent he is.”

Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher shared the bulk of the goalscoring responsibility in Palace’s side last season, which suggests that Vieira needs a more clinical striker if his side are to progress, especially since the latter is unlikely to return from Chelsea.

Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Benteke managed just 15 goals between them last season, with the Belgian managing only four, and as the oldest of the three strikers, he seems the likeliest to leave this summer.

Wolves have been linked with signing the former Aston Villa man, who has struggled to replicate his form with the Villans in his time at Palace, scoring 12 fewer goals in 76 more appearances.

Darren Bent didn’t hold back in his criticism of Benteke two years ago, saying:

“To see the Benteke that we see today at Crystal Palace where he can’t buy a goal, I can’t quite understand what’s happened there. Confidence is massive but the way he’s playing at the moment it’s like he’s got no confidence left.”

With just one year left on his £120k per week contract at Selhurst Park, this summer would be the ideal time to cash in on Benteke, and Afena-Gyan, while a different style of player, could be the man to replace him in attack next season.

AND, in other news: Vieira could unearth Palace’s next £40m talent with swoop for “massive” £15m target

Arsenal could spend close to £200m this summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, the journalist claimed:

“I think all of this business that Arsenal are doing, particularly last summer and this summer, just highlights how much they’re backing Mikel Arteta. He’s the long-term project for them. They’re backing him all the way.

“They didn’t have European football last season and yet they spent more than any club in Europe in the transfer window, in excess of £140m.

“Now the [Oleksandr] Zinchenko deal has gone through, I think they are almost at that level again for this summer with five or six weeks to go in the window and if they were to buy another player they will beat last year’s record.

“If they were to spend as much on a right-sided player that they were willing to spend on Raphinha, then you’re looking at a summer spend of close to £200m.”

Statement of intent

The Gunners spent heavily last summer but faltered at the final hurdle, missing out on Champions League football to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who thrashed them in the north London derby to all but seal that fate.

Now it appears that they were stung hard enough to react in the transfer market, having already bolstered Arteta’s squad with as many as five additions, including big-money moves for Gabriel Jesus (£45m), Fabio Vieira (£34m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£30m).

Matt Turner has also arrived from New England Revolution as a backup goalkeeper to Aaron Ramsdale, whilst Arsenal have looked to repeat their success with Gabriel Martinelli by signing unknown Brazilian talent Marquinhos from Sao Paulo.

Just as Sheth suggests, further additions would take the north London giants close to that £200m mark, with another midfielder and a right winger potentially on the shortlist, given their previous reported interest in Raphinha, who has since signed for FC Barcelona.

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans is another name that has been heavily mooted with a switch to the Emirates Stadium and he’s thought to be available for around £25m, whilst Lyon star Lucas Paqueta is also admired by the club.

Either way, it’s evident that Edu Gaspar and co are backing their manager this summer, and this latest claim from the Sky Sports journalist is sure to leave the Gunners’ faithful absolutely buzzing, as it appears that the club aren’t finished spending just yet.

If Arsenal were to break, or get close to, the £200m mark, then the Spanish head coach better hope that they qualify for the Champions League this time around, otherwise his position may be in jeopardy, given the financial backing.

AND in other news, In talks: Fabrizio Romano drops huge Arsenal update that supporters will love…

Santi Aouna has dropped an update on the future of reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target  Nicolo Zaniolo.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Foot Mercato journalist revealed that, following a number of reports linking Fabio Paratici with a move for the AS Roma midfielder this summer, the Italian sporting director is set to enter into fresh negotiations with the Serie A side over a deal for the 23-year-old this week.

In his tweet, Aouna said: “Info: New discussions planned this week between Roma and Tottenham for Zaniolo.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how exciting an addition Zaniolo would undoubtedly make to Antonio Conte’s options in the middle of the park next season, Aouna’s update concerning Paratici’s talks with the Giallorossi regarding a deal for the Italy international is sure to have left supporters buzzing.

Despite having already suffered two serious cruciate ligament injuries in his career, the £33.5m-rated talent more than proved last season that he is back on track to become one of the most talented Italian midfielders currently playing the game.

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Indeed, over his ten appearances in Roma’s Europa Conference League campaign last time out, the £76k-per-week centrocampista highly impressed, scoring five goals, providing four assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the former Inter Milan starlet – who is also more than comfortable operating from attacking midfield, as well as on either wing – average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Jose Mourinho’s sixth-best player in the Giallorossi’s European triumph. With that in mind, it’s clear to see why he’d be such an exciting signing to Conte’s ranks this summer.

Furthermore, although his returns were not quite as spectacular domestically, the 23-year-old still impressed over his four big chances for his teammates – playing a key role in his side securing a sixth-place finish in the Italian top flight.

As such, with it being reported that Conte would still like to add a new attacking midfielder to his Tottenham ranks prior to kick-off against Southampton on Saturday afternoon, Zaniolo would very much appear something of a perfect fit for the 52-year-old and his Spurs side – leading us to believe that Paratici must do everything he can to get a €50m (£42m) deal over the line for the nine-cap international in the coming days.

West Ham United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Dan-Axel Zagadou to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet CalcioMercatoWeb, who claim that, following the centre-back’s release from Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, and with the likes of West Ham, AS Roma and Inter Milan reported to be interested in the 23-year-old’s signing, the former France U21 international has now decided he would like a move to the Premier League.

Real boost for Moyes

While it is true that, following his 2017 move to Dortmund, Zagadou struggled with a number of different injuries, should the centre-back manage to keep himself fit after a potential switch to east London this summer, it is undeniable that the Frenchman would make a fantastic addition to David Moyes’ current options at the back.

Indeed, the £8.1m-rated centre-back proved just how talented a defender he truly is over his 15 Bundesliga appearances back in Dortmund’s 2019/20 campaign, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 tackles, one interception, 2.3 clearances and winning 3.2 duels – at a success rate of 72% – per game.

The 23-year-old also impressed going forwards that season, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 50.3 passes – at a success rate of 91% – 4.1 accurate long balls and 0.4 dribbles per fixture.

These returns saw the £35k-per-week Frenchman who Lucien Favre dubbed “outstanding” and Julian Brandt labelled “unbelievable” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as Dortmund’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of German football that year.

As such, with Zagadou quite clearly being a defender who is excellent in his reading of the game, confident in playing the ball out from the back and capable of launching counter-attacks with long balls, it is not difficult to see why Moyes would be interested in bringing the defender to the London Stadium on a free this summer.

And, following the latest developments, it would appear as if the 23-year-old has his heart set on a move to England prior to September’s transfer deadline – something that is sure to come as a huge boost to the 59-year-old Scot and his Hammers transfer team.

Wolves are eyeing up a summer move for out-of-favour Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi this summer, according to reliable journalist Steve Madeley.

The Lowdown: Batshuayi on the move?

The Belgian has had a nomadic career to date, spending numerous spells away from Stamford Bridge on loan, scoring 14 goals in 28 league starts for Besiktas last season.

Batshuayi’s current Chelsea deal expires at the end of next season, meaning they could offload him this summer in order to receive a fee for him.

Another loan move may be in the offing if they can’t pull that off however, which is where Wolves could come into play.

The Latest: Wolves keen on signing

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic‘s Madeley confirmed that Wanderers are eyeing up a temporary move for Batshuayi, with Hwang Ui-jo also mentioned as a potential addition:

“Michy Batshuayi and Hwang Ui-jo among the strikers being considered by Wolves.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“398117″]

The Verdict: Excellent Jimenez alternative

At 28, Batshuayi should be in and around the peak of his powers, so Wolves snapping him up this summer could prove to be an exciting signing.

[freshpress-poll id=“399044″]

Granted, things haven’t panned out the way he would have hoped at Chelsea but he has a fantastic record of 25 goals in 45 caps for Belgium, which speaks volumes about his ability.

Batshuayi could prove to be a strong alternative for Raul Jimenez, with more attacking options required this season, and a permanent move could even happen next summer if he impresses at Molineux on loan.

Tanguy Ndombele’s nightmare spell at Tottenham Hotspur may finally be coming to an end, with Napoli reportedly in talks with the Frenchman over a potential transfer.

What’s the word?

Ndombele has struggled to showcase his obvious talent since joining Spurs from Lyon in 2019, and issues with his fitness and work rate perhaps always meant he was going to be a victim of Antonio Conte’s ruthless training regime.

It was claimed earlier this month that the Italian manager had ‘banished’ the midfielder from his squad, so an exit was always likely to be on the cards for the 25-year-old maestro.

Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold has provided the latest on Ndombele’s situation on Twitter, writing:

“Tottenham are also in preliminary talks with Napoli over a move for Tanguy Ndombele, but that’s still very much in the early stages.”

Conte is ruthless

While Ndombele has been given regular chances to prove himself under Spurs’ previous managers, with Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo all offering the Frenchman a shot at redemption, he has been given no such chance under Conte.

The Italian has extremely high demands of his players and their fitness, so it is no surprise that the former Lyon man has made just seven appearances under the 52-year-old Italian, the fewest of any permanent Spurs manager during his time at the club.

Since Ndombele signed, he has seen the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma join the club, moving him even further down in the pecking order, so a move away from Spurs is best for both parties – although the chances of Daniel Levy recuperating his £63m transfer fee seem extremely unlikely at this point.

There is no doubting that, on his day, Ndombele can be a game-changer. Jose Mourinho called him “magnificent” after he scored a memorable goal in a win against Sheffield United, when it appeared as if he would finally turn his Tottenham career around.

But sadly the consistency has never been there, evidenced by the fact that he has made just 91 appearances in more than three years in north London, and the writing was on the wall when Conte allowed him to re-join Lyon on loan in January of last season.

Conte is certainly ruthless with his decisions on players he deems not good enough, but that is what makes him a winner.

Leeds United have been dealt a potential blow ahead of their Premier League meeting with Chelsea this Sunday.

What’s the latest?

In a recent report for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Joe Donnohue revealed that, despite Patrick Bamford having done the right thing when informing the bench he wished to be substituted due to a knock sustained in the first half of the Whites’ 2-2 draw with Southampton last weekend, the visit of Chelsea this weekend may come too soon for the centre-forward’s return to action.

Speaking about the 28-year-old’s current condition, Jesse Marsch said: “What I’m most pleased with is that he was honest with us and made the decision that it just wasn’t right. It’s just the reality and again, listen, we’ve even tried in the week to modify his [Bamford’s] loading and he’s been feeling great.

“But it’s obvious that when you’re out for so long that there’s going to be little things that pop up and so again maybe we could have made the decision not to play him [against Southampton] but he felt good. We have to manage him appropriately.”

Big blow for Marsch

With Victor Orta having yet to add a new centre-forward to Marsch’s attacking arsenal in the summer transfer window, coupled with 20-year-old Joe Gelhardt also struggling for fitness so far this season, the news that the Chelsea fixture could come too soon for Bamford to make a return to first-team football is sure to have come as a gutting blow for the American manager.

Indeed, although support striker Rodrigo has started the 2022/23 campaign in fine goalscoring form – bagging three goals over his two Premier League appearances thus far – it is nevertheless clear to see that the Whites are still heavily reliant on the goals of the England international.

This is evidenced by the club’s return of goals during the striker’s absence due to a series of injuries last season, with the Whites managing to hit the back of the net just 42 times in the Premier League last time out – with Bamford scoring two over his nine top-flight fixtures – while, in the campaign prior, Leeds scored a much more impressive 62 goals in the league – with the 28-year-old bagging 17 over his 38 Premier League outings.

As such, should the former Chelsea forward indeed be ruled out against his former club this weekend, it would not appear to bode well for the Whites’ chances of outscoring their seventh-placed opponents – something that is sure to come as a big blow to Marsch.

Arsenal are prepared to make another offer for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this week and also have other targets in mind, according to a tweet from Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

The lowdown

The 25-year-old is out of contract in less than 12 months’ time, and that may put pressure on the Foxes to sell in this transfer window.

The Telegraph reported earlier this year that the Belgian has been made available for £25m, and Tavolieri clearly believes that the Gunners have seen an offer rejected already.

Brendan Rodgers benched Tielemans for Leicester’s match against Southampton on Saturday because the midfielder wasn’t ‘in the right frame of mind’ amid uncertainty over his future.

The latest

Crediting journalist Abdellah Boulma, Tavolieri wrote on Twitter that the 25-year-old remains in ‘Arsenal’s target lists’ and that the north London club are ‘ready to make a second bid’ in the ‘next week’.

However, there are also ‘more options for [the] AFC board’ in the form of AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.

The verdict

The prospective addition of Tielemans would surely excite the Arsenal faithful given that he has been billed as ‘one of Europe’s top midfielders’ and an ‘outstanding’ player by Rodgers, but the alternatives also look pretty compelling.

Tonali forms part of a ‘sensational’ midfield duo at AC Milan with Ismael Bennacer, according to journalist Zach Lowy, and he has been dubbed a ‘king’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Meanwhile, Caicedo – who idolises and looks to imitate N’Golo Kante – is a ‘special’ and ‘complete’ number eight with ‘elite athleticism, pace and tenacity’, in the words of South American football expert Simon Edwards.

Either of those would appear to be a tantalising option for Mikel Arteta’s midfield along with Tielemans.

Aston Villa suffered yet another Premier League defeat at the weekend, this time to West Ham, as they slipped to 15th in the table.

The 1-0 loss marked the club’s third league defeat from four matches this season and gives Steven Gerrard another conundrum to fix before deadline day.

With the loss of Diego Carlos to injury until at least next year, Gerrard is eyeing a move for another centre-back to cover the Brazilian’s absence, with Jan Bednarek and Abdou Diallo linked amongst others.

Having only scored three goals in four matches, however, a new problem has developed: a worrying lack of creative input in the team.

This needs to be resolved soon or Gerrard could be under severe pressure. Thus, a move for Portuguese talent Otavio could alleviate his problems and add some dynamism to his midfield, ensuring the Villans end the window with an almighty bang.

Villa scouts were present at Porto’s 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon recently and with the move for Watford winger Ismaila Sarr breaking down, a move for Otavio makes a lot of sense.

Although Journalist Pete O’Rourke believes it might take something special for the club to secure the “phenomenal” player’s signature. Speaking to This is Futbol, he said:

“I think it’d be a big fee for Aston Villa because Porto don’t really want to lose him.

“It’s going to be an interesting one to see what Villa do for attacking reinforcements before the window closes.”

Porto could do business at around the £38m mark and this seems pricey but it could well revive Villa’s season.

Last season, Otavio played 41 matches in all competitions, scoring three times and registering nine assists, which was three more than the highest Villa player (Buendia and Ings with six).

Although mainly deployed as a right midfielder, he can be effective on the right wing, especially with his crossing ability. For instance, he delivered 87 balls into the opposition box last season, a tally that was only bettered by Matty Cash (94) at Villa Park. As a result, this would give the likes of Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings plenty of chances to grab more goals to send them soaring up the table.

With 5.17 shot-creating actions per 90, Otavio also presents a goal threat himself, something that is needed from the Villa midfield to take the pressure off the two forwards. After all, no player in Gerrard’s ranks last term managed anywhere close to that level, with Bertrand Traore sitting top on 4.50 and Philippe Coutinho in second with 3.66 per 90 minutes.

The Villa boss needs to ignite a bit of life into his side otherwise they could slip further and further into danger. Therefore, a move for the 27-year-old would certainly see them end their transfer window in stunning fashion as they bid to turn their fortunes around.