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According to respected journalist Alan Nixon on Twitter, Che Adams could be available for just £12 million in the last knockings of the January transfer window. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at Championship outfit Birmingham City and has done so since leaving Sheffield United back in 2016, with his fine goal-scoring exploits seemingly attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League.

And that’s because a recent report from Sky Sports suggests that Burnley have failed with a Deadline Day move for the striker, although Nixon on Twitter suggests that the young Englishman could be available for just £12 million.

And with Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham reportedly (as per The Sun’s Live Transfer Blog at 10.53am) eyeing up a last-gasp move for Stoke City’s Mame Biram Diouf, the Hammers simply must end their somewhat strange interest in the forward to instead target a late move for 22-year-old Adams.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Stoke striker Diouf has found first team football hard to come by at the bet365 Stadium this season with only seven Championship appearances to his name so far, in which time the Senegal international has failed to net to underline his difficulties at the Staffordshire-based outfit.

And with no appearances for Nathan Jones’ side since the middle of November, it’s pretty clear that the former Manchester United forward is some way down the pecking order at the Potters, which makes West Ham’s reported (as per The Sun) interest somewhat strange – he can’t get into a Championship team, let alone one in mid-table in the Premier League.

Ultimately, the Hammers are likely looking for strikers that can hit the ground running were they to move to the London Stadium this month, and while Diouf performed solidly last term in the top-flight with six goals for Stoke, his lack of regular football suggests that he simply isn’t the answer – and at the age of 31, he’d hardly be a nod to the long-term either.

Whereas 22-year-old Adams has not only shone and thus out-performed the Potters striker this season, but the Birmingham sensation looks set for an extremely bright future in the game to suggest that £12 million could prove to be an absolute bargain.

The Englishman has enjoyed his best season in front of goal this term since moving to St Andrew’s back in 2016, with the 22-year-old having bagged 15 goals in just 29 appearances for Garry Monk’s side – in fact, only four players have netted more than Adams in the Championship this term.

And this campaign doesn’t appear to be a complete one-off either given the 22-year-old scored seven times in his first season at Birmingham in 2016/17 before adding nine for the Blues last time round – he has been threatening to go on and exceed double figures, which is exactly what he’s done this season.

Clearly then, Adams appears to be improving and very much on the upward curve, which at the age of 22 suggests that he could be destined for big things in the game – big things that could happen at West Ham.

The Hammers are seemingly in the market for a forward on Deadline Day hence their reported interest (as per The Sun) in Stoke’s Diouf, which isn’t overly suprising given strikers Javier Hernandez, Lucas Perez, and Andy Carroll have bagged just 11 times between them in all competitions this term – for what it’s worth, Marko Arnautovic has eight himself.

Yet Stoke’s Diouf simply hasn’t done enough this term to suggest that he could be the man for Pellegrini’s side going forward, yet Birmingham’s Adams certainly appears to be given his form, but also the fact that, at 22, he is only likely to improve.

And for just £12 million, it’s a move the East London outfit simply must make before this evening’s 11pm deadline.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

A number of Wolves supporters are delighted after Bruno Lage provided a positive injury update regarding long-term absentee Pedro Neto.

The young Portuguese was a star figure for much of last season, scoring five goals and registering six assists in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, he was struck down with a cruel injury blow towards the end of the campaign, suffering a serious knee issue.

The winger hasn’t featured for Wolves in the seven months since his setback but a positive update has finally arrived regarding his recovery.

Speaking to the press on Friday [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], Lage confirmed that the 21-year-old will be back at Wolves in a few days and could start working outside at the training ground.

Wolves fans delighted with Neto update

It is big news for Wolves considering Neto’s influence last season – he was their joint-highest rated player for 2020/21 according to WhoScored – and these fans took to Twitter to show their happiness over the “unreal” maestro’s looming comeback.

“Going to win the Prem once he gets back”

Credit: @addiraesimp

“Stick this fella in our squad… so many attacking options!”

Credit: @OutofDarkness19

“Couple days?? I smell a title charge”

Credit: @haydenbd_

“Yeah, we are getting Europe”

Credit: @tylerwwfc

“Ahhh, he’s gonna be unreal when he’s back”

Credit: @eve_elizabethxx

“Neto, Raul, Hwang is gonna be absolutely ridiculous”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

In other news, this Premier League star has gushed over one Wolves player. Find out who it is here.

West Bromwich Albion will be looking to add attacking quality to their side during the upcoming winter transfer window, especially now that Jordan Hugill is reportedly set to be recalled early by Norwich from his loan deal with the Baggies.

One player who has been linked with a move to the Hawthorns again is Josh Windass, who was previously tipped for a move to the club last year.

Windass currently plays for Sheffield Wednesday, despite signing a new contract in the summer and only recently coming back from injury, the 27-year-old has been linked to a number of clubs including Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Stoke City and of course West Brom.

Since coming back from an injury a few weeks ago, the £1.8m-rated attacker has been making up for lost time by scoring twice and assisting once in his first three appearances, which will be pleasing to see for Valerien Ismael who really needs to find a player to add to his attacking third that can offer creativity and finds the back of the net confidently.

Sheffield Wednesday teammate, Barry Bannan, has already hailed the midfielder after speaking to the club’s media upon Windass’ return to the team after injury:

“Josh Windass is massive for us and a top, top player. He makes good runs, has pace and scores goals.” he said.

Ismael will be working to find solutions to the inconsistencies with goal scoring that the current West Brom side have been facing. Having scored just 29 times this term, 31 fewer than first placed Fulham, it has put them further back in the table with automatic promotion a big ask after a run of one win in their last five games.

However, the addition of Windass, somebody with 45 goals in the English Football League to his name, could prove extremely fruitful in turning their season around.

The Baggies have been linked with a number of attacking players already this season due to such a lack of goals, and have been reportedly scouting Windass since he has been back in action, which suggests he could be a strong candidate to be snapped up in January for the club.

West Brom have an important game coming up on Friday evening when they will host Reading at the Hawthorns, they will surely be hoping to stick to their winning ways from their 2-1 victory over Coventry City last weekend.

In other news: Ismael must unleash Reyes Cleary in the first team

Rangers have not been shy when it comes to signing players from other clubs’ youth ranks, either on loan deals or a permanent basus.

However, as tends to be the case with almost all clubs, not all transfers end up being particularly successful, either for the club, the player or both.

One example of Rangers taking a punt on a young player which didn’t end up being worthwhile for any parties involved is their 2019 deal for winger Brandon Barker.

Brought in from Manchester City’s U23 side that year in a deal worth a reported £300k, the Englishman made just 13 appearances across all competitions in his debut season at Ibrox, scoring just one goal and providing no assists for his team-mates.

The 2020/21 season saw the 25-year-old make another 13 appearances across all competitions, this time doubling his goal record from the previous year with two scored this time around, once again with no assists, before joining Oxford United on loan in the winter transfer window.

After scoring three goals and providing four assists in 19 League One games, the former Man City youth prospect returned to Ibrox. However, he had just one more outing in a Rangers shirt before being released by the club in January, ending his spell with the Gers with just three goals in 27 appearances.

Once dubbed an “unbelievable” player by former Ibrox team-mate Andy Halliday, Barker now finds himself with English Championship side Reading – who picked him up as a free agent in February – where he has since played just 13 minutes across two matches.

Rangers may not have needed to break the bank from a financial point of view in order to sign him, but with the benefit of hindsight, it now seems like they ended up pretty much wasting the £8.5k-per-week wages that he was earning during his stint at Ibrox.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Mark Allen had a nightmare by bringing Barker to Ibrox, as he clearly couldn’t hit the ground running or kick up any momentum during his spell in Glasgow.

In other news – Wilson nightmare: Rangers dropped the ball on 23-year-old gem who “looks beyond his years”

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Burnley central defender James Tarkowski…

What’s the talk?

Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards has claimed that the defender is keen on a switch to the club, but there is still a stumbling block in the club’s path.

He Tweeted: “I wouldn’t get Trippier printed on the back of any #nufc shirts just yet but this looks like a goodbye to me. As for Tarkowski, he’a not exactly playing his best games for Burnley at the moment. I’m told he also wants to come to #nufc but Burnley very reluctant to sell.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this claim from Edwards irrespective of the Clarets’ desire to keep him this month.

The news that he is keen to join the Magpies will get the fans excited as it shows that there is an interest from the player and he is out of contract in the summer, which means that he could join on a free if he does not arrive in the next few weeks for a transfer fee.

They will also be delighted as he could be an excellent signing for the side. In the past four full Premier League seasons, he has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.02 or higher, showing that he has performed to a high standard in the top-flight over a long period of time.

Meanwhile, no Newcastle centre-back has averaged a score higher than 6.42. This suggests that Tarkowski could vastly improve the standard of Eddie Howe’s options in that position.

His teammate Ben Mee previously lauded his professionalism, saying:

“Obviously there was a lot of talk around Tarky. I’ve said to him, ‘I’m glad you’ve stayed.’ He focused really well and he showed that on Saturday.

“He had the attitude of what will be, will be. He never once stepped out of line. You see other players at other clubs, you hear about something and they can go a bit off the rails. He’s stuck to it and trained really well and stuck with the group. He’s fully focused on playing for us.”

This suggests that he is a player who is able to cope with the speculation over his future, which is good news for Newcastle as it means that he could have a seamless transition into playing for the Magpies. He will not allow a big move to get to his head and will be able to come straight in and perform well.

The key question is whether or not he will join now or at the end of the season. Either way, Edwards’ update provides the exciting prospect of him joining the club and fans will be buzzing with it, regardless of when it happens.

AND in other news, Contact made: NUFC can kickstart PIF era with a bang in £20m deal for “phenomenal” gem…

After being forced off the pitch through injury during their 2-2 draw against Brentford, Leeds United have been sweating over the fitness of midfield maestro Kalvin Phillips.

With the England international also missing Leeds’ recent 3-2 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, there has finally been some clarity about Phillips’ injury.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from The Athletic, Phillips has undergone surgery to repair the hamstring injury he suffered and is now expected to be out for at least two months, which is news that will surely have a lot of Leeds fans fuming.

With Marcelo Bielsa’s men having the tough task of taking on Manchester City at The Etihad Stadium later tonight in their latest Premier League match, it seems that they will have to take on the reigning league champions without Phillips.

Last season, Leeds lost seven of the nine league games that the England international wasn’t involved in and haven’t managed to win any of the league games that he’s not played in this term, highlighting just how important he is for the team and how much of a major blow it will be to have him out of action for two months.

This season, the 26-year-old has managed to rack up an average of 2.3 tackles per game and 1.2 interceptions per game in the league, which is a clue as to why the Yorkshire side don’t win many games when he’s not playing given how much of a useful defensive player he is from midfield.

This, therefore, doesn’t make Leeds’ chances of picking up too many points in the next two months look very high, especially with the Whites also having the likes of Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk out injured as well.

Their period without Phillips could get off to a bad start tonight when they take on Pep Guardiola’s side who have scored a total of 33 goals and conceded just nine so far this season in the league.

However, with Leeds managing to secure a win at The Etihad last season thanks to a brace of goals from Stuart Dallas, they should be heading into this game with the confidence and belief that they can cause another upset and come away with three points again.

Although, their injuries will undoubtedly make it much more difficult for Leeds.

Now, everyone at the Yorkshire club will have their fingers crossed that Phillips will be able to make a full recovery as soon as possible and end the season fit and firing with Leeds and away from a potential relegation scrap.

At the moment, though, it’s nothing short of a huge blow to see him ruled out for so long.

In other news: Exciting 4-word January transfer claim emerges that will have Leeds fans buzzing – opinion

With West Brom’s first team not in action until later this month due to the current international break, it seems like a good time to focus on what’s going on in the youth ranks at the Midlands club.

One player that has been in cracking goalscoring form for the U18 side as well as the U23 side on occasion this season is 17-year-old striker Reyes Cleary.

In five league appearances for the U18s, Cleary has scored eight goals and has chipped in with three goals in six league appearances for the U23s, showing how comfortable he is in front of goal at both levels.

Unsurprisingly, possibly as a result of his incredible goalscoring efforts this season, it has recently been reported by the Daily Mail that Bayern Munich are interested in signing the youngster after sending scouts to watch him play in recent weeks.

Given how impressive Cleary, who has been described as a “powerful forward player with an eye for goal” by U18 manager Peter Gilbert, has been for the youth teams this season, it should be a big priority for the club to secure his future at The Hawthorns and keep him out of the German club’s clutches so he can continue to progress and develop his game there and potentially force his way into the first team.

This would also stop the club from having another situation like they previously had with former Baggies youth prodigy Louie Barry who left West Brom for a move abroad to Barcelona back in July 2019 before eventually ending up at Aston Villa just a few months later in the 2020 January transfer window.

Barry is currently on a loan spell with League One club Ipswich Town where he has made just two league appearances.

Moving forward, Albion chairman Li Piyue should now be trying his best to keep hold Cleary for the foreseeable future and the best way they could persuade him to stay would be to outline how he can make it into the first team in the near future and give him the chance to do so when they feel he’s ready, which may not be that far away given how well he’s done this season.

In other news: West Brom handed major injury boost over “massive” 26 y/o beast, fans will be buzzing – opinion

Leeds United youngster Sam Greenwood has confirmed that he is the latest player to pick up an injury, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay reacting to the news in frustrated fashion.

The Lowdown: Leeds suffer constant injuries

The Whites have had a disappointing season so far, and while performances have often been poor, injuries have played a huge part in their struggles.

Marcelo Bielsa has had to deal with an endless stream of fitness issues to key men, whether it be Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips or Patrick Bamford, among others.

On Monday, Greenwood confirmed on Instagram that he picked up an injury during the FA Cup defeat away to West Ham at the weekend, in a further blow for Leeds.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Hay reacts to Greenwood update

Taking to Twitter shortly after, journalist Hay reacted to the news with a frustrated four-word verdict that sums up the thoughts of most Leeds fans:

“This is beyond ridiculous.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-31/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Bad luck continues

Any team expects to suffer a few injuries during the course of a season but what Leeds have experienced since August is simply bad luck.

The number of absentees has made it extremely difficult for the Whites to find any sort of rhythm for weeks on end and aforementioned key figures such as Phillips and Bamford have been big losses – the former has missed eight games while the latter has been absent for 18.

Greenwood’s setback only further highlights the need for new faces to arrive in the January transfer window or risk a depleted squad getting sucked into a Premier League relegation battle.

In other news, Leeds’ long-term interest in one Premier League midfielder has been confirmed. Find out who it is here.

Over recent years, Aston Villa have not been shy when it comes to spending money on new players to help strengthen their squad.

They signed the trio of Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia in the previous summer transfer window for a combined total of £89.84m according to Transfermarkt, and followed that by splashing £25m on Lucas Digne this month.

With that in mind, there’s no doubt that the Midlands club is capable of paying vast sums of cash in the transfer market when they think they need to.

Looking ahead to the remainder of this current window or even towards the summer window, one figure that Villa could look to bring in that would certainly add an extra attacking dynamic to Steven Gerrard’s team is Bayer Leverkusen’s 18-year-old attacking-midfielder Florian Wirtz, who Villa have been linked with in the past.

Despite his young age, the teenager, who is currently valued at a whopping £63m by Transfermarkt, has made 70 senior appearances for Leverkusen across all competitions, managing to score 17 goals and provide 20 assists along the way, highlighting the attacking talents he has.

Labelled as the “total package” by Germany head coach Hansi Flick in terms of his ability on the pitch, Wirtz has managed to rack up five goals and nine assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances this season.

Furthermore, he’s earned an overall performance rating of 7.41/10, making him Leverkusen’s second-highest rated player according to WhoScored, which would also comfortably make him Villa’s highest-rated player by the same metric.

With previous reports claiming that Villa’s current teenage attacking-midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka will not be signing a new deal at the Midlands club due to his lack of game time, his potential exit from Villa Park could pave the way for the club to launch a move for Wirtz to see if he would have a better chance of competing for a place in Gerrard’s side than Chukwuemeka.

Given the goals and assists he’s managed to deliver for Leverkusen so far in his short career, it wouldn’t be too difficult to see Wirtz getting regular playing time if he can have a similar sort of attacking impact in the Midlands.

In other news: Sky Sports drop fresh Aston Villa transfer update, Lange could be making a big mistake – opinion

Arsenal made a miserable return to Premier League action last night after losing 3-0 away against Crystal Palace following the latest international break.

Goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew in the first half gave the Gunners a tough task in the second period of the game at Selhurst Park.

However, a penalty from Wilfried Zaha sealed all three points for Patrick Vieira’s side and put the nail in the coffin for the visitors on this occasion.

In terms of the individual performances for Arsenal, one figure that stood out for all the wrong reasons was midfielder Thomas Partey.

With 56 touches of the ball in total, the Ghanaian ended up giving the ball away for his side on 14 occasions, once every four touches.

From a defensive perspective, off the ball, the 28-year-old, who has been slammed for his “stupid” decision-making in the past, gave his side next to nothing, which is reflective of the scoreline.

The midfielder ended up failing to make even one tackle, block, interception or clearance, in addition to getting dribbled past twice and giving three fouls away, picking up a yellow card for his troubles, making him a real liability in the middle of the pitch on this occasion.

The former Atletico Madrid figure also managed to lose 78% of his duels, showing how easy it was for the Palace midfielders and attackers to play against him.

This display ultimately earned Partey a disheartening overall match rating of 5.9 from SofaScore, making him the joint-lowest rated player for Mikel Arteta’s side, lower than defender Nuno Tavares who was hooked at halftime after an abysmal showing himself.

Football.London also picked up on Partey’s poor performance by saying that he was “hideously loose in possession.”

To make things worse for the midfielder on a personal level, he was forced off the pitch with an injury after 75 minutes, as just moments before he allowed the Palace offence to stroll past him before Martin Odegaard gave away a penalty.

Taking all of this into account, it was definitely a night to forget for Arsenal and their midfield man and despite his poor showing, everyone at the north London club will be hoping that his injury is not a serious one.

In other news: Arteta must ruthlessly axe “shocking” £18m-rated AFC liability, he’s “not world-class”