All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to recent reports, Norwich City have made a new approach for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp.

The report by Football Insider claims that a source close to Tottenham has revealed that Championship table-toppers Norwich City, where Skipp is currently on loan, have enquired about the possibility of taking the £6.48m-rated 20-year-old on a temporary basis once again next season.

Football Insider reported that the England under-21 international is viewed as a key figure at Carrow Road, with Daniel Farke’s side keen to retain the services of the Spurs youngster for their likely Premier League campaign next term, should the Canaries go on to secure promotion from the second tier.

Transfer Tavern Take

Skipp has certainly impressed during his time spent in Norfolk so far, with the midfielder playing every minute of the Canaries’ 35 Championship fixtures. In that spell, the defensive midfielder has averaged two tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 0.5 blocks and 0.6 key passes per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.88 – ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-best player in the second tier.

However, with Jose Mourinho referring to Skipp’s displays at Norwich as “phenomenal” earlier this season, as well as suggesting he believes the 20-year-old could be the “future captain” of Spurs, it remains unclear as to whether the 58-year-old would be open to letting the midfielder leave north London once again next season, even on a temporary basis.

In other news: Tottenham are also monitoring this attacker, find out more here.

Earlier this week, Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a potential swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach and emerging Germany star Florian Neuhaus.

According to Sport1, the north London outfit are one of several elite teams keeping tabs on the 23-year-old sensation as he continues to make waves in the Bundesliga.

From the summer, he’s set to be available for just €40m (£36m), as per the report, while CIES Football Observatory currently value him around €10m (£8.8m) more at €50m (£45m).

Indeed, the 6-foot midfielder has enjoyed quite the breakthrough in the past 18 months, but what would he bring to Spurs?

Unlike much of Jose Mourinho’s engine room options, Neuhaus is a pure box-to-box enforcer who is capable of consistently having a major influence at either end of the pitch.

This is something that just simply isn’t among the current Spurs squad and hasn’t been for quite some time. Therefore, a swoop for him this year would give the perennial underachievers something brand new.

According to The Sunday Times’ Duncan Castles, the Portuguese manager is chasing a box-to-box midfielder, so perhaps links to Neuhaus shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, though they will need to beat the likes of Bayern, Dortmund and Real Madrid to his signature.

Tanguy Ndombele is finally starting to show why Daniel Levy splashed a club-record £55m to secure him last year, he’s already contributed to four goals in 14 appearances at the half-way stage of the season, matching his returns from last season while he’s seen progression in dribbling, shooting and tackling numbers, per WhoScored.

All key facets to a box-to-box maestro. The Frenchman certainly seems to be filling that role for the time being, but that’s going to starve his attacking returns in the long run – after all, he delivered three goals and seven assists in his final season at Lyon.

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Moussa Sissoko is far from filling that role, averaging a paltry 0.1 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per game, and Giovani Lo Celso’s recent absence through injury will make it hard for him to emerge back into the starting XI.

Neuhaus eclipses all of these options.

Across the Bundesliga and Champions League this term, the three-time international has averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, showing his imperious presence and off-the-ball tendencies as well as also managing an average of 1.5 shots, 0.9 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per game, meaning he’s bustling up the pitch to contribute in the final third.

He also covered 7.4 miles of pitch per Bundesliga game in 2019/20. Industrious would be one word to describe it.

By comparison via Sky Sports, Sissoko managed a total of 196.36 kilometres, which is an average of 4.3 miles covered per game with Ndombele recording a total of 108.3 kilometres at an average of 3.2 miles per match, though he was restricted to only 12 starts.

Similarly, Neuhaus’ head coach Marco Rose lauded him an “exceptional talent” who has “the potential to become an even better player” earlier this season, echoing thoughts of Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who dubbed him the “complete midfielder.”

The German monster claims he has taken inspiration from and idolises former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, when asked about childhood idols, he said, via Bundesliga.com: “My uncle was a Bremen fan, I had a Bremen poster on my wall of Mesut Özil. I love watching Özil and Toni Kroos play.”

If Spurs want that different threat from midfield, then Levy should absolutely sanction a move for Neuhaus, whether that be now or in the summer. As evident above, he’s a completely new dimension and one that would certainly bolster Mourinho’s midfield armoury.

AND in other news, Spurs should sign “extraordinary” out-of-contract STAR over Gareth Bale this summer…

He is finally gone. On Wednesday morning it was announced that Neil Lennon was leaving his post as manager of Celtic. With that, Parkhead can finally celebrate the dawn of a new era.

Their biggest rivals now need just seven points to win the SPFL but who will be the man to replace Lennon in Glasgow?

On the chalkboard

There have been a whole crop of faces linked with the Celtic hot seat but one of the newest names is that of Scotland manager Steve Clarke.

The 57-year-old has taken the national team to the European Championships this summer and is now among the favourites to replace Lennon.

The Express claims that he is one of the frontrunners for the job, but that’s hardly surprising when you consider Clarke is someone that’s been discussed for the role in the past.

Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes talked up the coach in November last year, only having kind words to say of him: “I am looking at the job that Steve Clarke’s done. I know that Steve Clarke has previously been courted and been interviewed for the Celtic manager’s job previously.

“I think the job he’s doing is reminiscent to Craig Brown. He’s basically shoring up the backline. That’s his absolutely key attribute as a manager.”

His defensive nuances might be important in turning round Celtic’s defence, but when it comes to his attacking philosophy, it is hardly positive.

For context, Neil Lennon has managed a record of 2.1 goals per game during his managerial career. Even when Celtic struggled this term his team still managed to score two goals a match.

Clarke, on the other hand, has seen his team score only 1.3 goals per game during his various stints in the managerial world.

Bad for Christie

If you factor this into consideration, it doesn’t particularly bode very well for Celtic’s forward line. Though, it has the potential to be disastrous for a certain Ryan Christie.

The winger netted 20 times last term but in 2020/21, he has been a shadow of his former self. He has scored on only five occasions and has found the net just once in his last 23 appearances.

There has been plenty of criticism for his performances and if Dermot Desmond brings a manager who doesn’t favour offensive football to Parkhead, it would only heap further pressure upon Christie.

The Celtic forward may have scored four goals under Clarke for the national team, but with Christie now in such bad form, a defensive manager would see his performances falter more.

Christie is someone who prefers a license to go forward, a player who thrives with plenty of creative freedom. Though, judging by the stats, he could found life difficult under Clarke.

At Kilmarnock, the 57-year-old saw his team find the net only 1.4 times per game. At Reading, meanwhile, it was even worse; just 1.1 goals per match.

If Christie can’t find form under Lennon, a manager who has given plenty of freedom to his attackers, he would surely continue to waver under Clarke’s stewardship.

This doesn’t feel like a match made in heaven.

AND in other news, Hammond could end Christie’s Celtic stay by signing 54-cap ace once hailed by O’Neill…

Marcel Brands must seal a January loan move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite after Carlo Ancelotti lauded the turnaround of Yerry Mina’s season.

What’s the word?

Branthwaite smashed into the senior fold as Ancelotti faced an injury crisis at centre-half last season, but took to the top-flight like a duck to water with the Italian left impressed by how the 18-year-old coped with replacing Mason Holgate at home to Aston Villa.

The Carlisle-born teen had only played 45 minutes of Premier League football before replacing Holgate after he suffered a recurrence of a shin problem, yet settled in as if he had played alongside Michael Keane for years.

Ancelotti lauded Branthwaite as being a “fantastic player” for Everton and one the former Chelsea boss felt was calm with the ball yet aggressive in chase of possession. He has, however, been unable to see more from the January arrival after the towering 6 ft 4 prospect tore ligaments in his left ankle against Salford City in the Carabao Cup.

Branthwaite stepped up his recovery with an impressive performance for David Unsworth’s Under 23s as they beat West Ham United 2-1 on Monday, catching the eye with a vital recovery early in the first-half to deny Sean Adarkwa a certain goal.

But the route back to senior football at Goodison Park is blocked, with Ben Godfrey, Holgate, Keane and Mina all securing minutes thus far this term and Ancelotti growing increasingly pleased with the efforts of his Colombian rock.

“I am happy with his level. He is doing better. He had some problems in some games but is now more focused and playing with confidence,” Ancelotti said of Mina, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

One door closes, another opens

Mina has been the focus of criticism at times this season, with Ancelotti forced to defend himself from accusations the Italian’s decision to favour Holgate earlier in the term led the former FC Barcelona flop to collapse mentally.

Ancelotti had also questioned the level of Mina’s performances, stating “sometimes he makes mistakes”, but is clearly fond of how the 26-year-old has responded to the situation.

But Mina’s turnaround has closed the door for Branthwaite to worm his way back into the fold, and Everton Director of Football Brands must now see that another opens by securing the 18-year-old a move away on loan this winter.

Branthwaite will struggle to move up the pecking order on Merseyside without seeing those currently in favour sustain any injuries, and will be eager to earn another taste of first-team action than being stuck in the reserves biding his time.

Plenty of sides should show an interest in signing Branthwaite on a temporary deal if Ancelotti and Brands do put his services on the market, as the £1.8m-rated talent has plenty to offer.

Aside from being praised by Ancelotti for his calmness in possession and aggression to snatch the ball back, Dominic Calvert-Lewin also praises the youngster for being one of the fastest men at Everton.

“If it was a flat-out race, 100-metre race, you would have me, Ben Godfrey, probably Jarrad Branthwaite and I probably have to throw Richie [Richarlison] in there,” the frontman told Sky Sports, via quotes by the News and Star.

AND in other news, “Do they need him?” – Exclusive: Pundit rejects Ancelotti’s desire to sign £185k-p/w outcast.

With Celtic badly depleted ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Hibernian on Monday night, it was a much-changed line-up from the one that lost to Rangers last time out.

And one of the changes came up front, where 19-year-old Cameron Harper got a rare chance to impress – the American hadn’t made a single competitive appearance for Neil Lennon’s side before then.

The Hoops, who had Gavin Strachan in the dugout at Parkhead, badly needed the teenager to offset the loss of both Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths, but sadly for both him and the team, he just struggled to deal with the pressure.

As per Sofascore, he won just two out of the seven duels that he contested, whilst he just couldn’t get involved in the game either, making a measly total of 13 passes.

Apart from one effort that saw him hit the side-netting, Harper didn’t look anything remotely like someone who could be challenging for a first-team spot at Celtic Park anytime soon.

GlasgowLive gave him a match rating of 5 for his performance, saying that whilst he had “lots of energy”, he “didn’t have the end product to match”.

And it was a display that left some fans really scratching their heads about whether he can make a real career at the club, with a few insisting that he just looked so out of his depth.

Harper was gifted an opportunity to really put a marker down and send a message to Lennon about being involved in the first-team for the rest of the season.

But instead, he badly fluffed his lines, and once both Edouard and Griffiths return, it’s hard to imagine Harper seeing any meaningful action anytime soon.

Tyrone Mings has been dealt a lucky break by the Premier League postponing Aston Villa’s upcoming clash with Newcastle United amid an outbreak of coronavirus cases at the St. James’ Park outfit.

Steve Bruce’s Toon were due to visit Birmingham on Friday night but lodged a request with the league for the match to be delayed after a “significant increase” of covid-19 cases, which saw Public Health England advise the closure of the club’s training ground at Darsley Park.

Five Newcastle players and two members of staff are believed to have tested positive, resulting in the Premier League reaching the verdict that Friday’s fixture had to be postponed with group training not permitted until Friday at the earliest.

Newcastle being unable to visit Aston Villa on Friday night will be welcome news for Mings, as the extended break following Monday’s defeat at West Ham United will afford the centre-back a chance to reset after underperforming in recent weeks.

Mings has been letting Villans boss Dean Smith down badly with his displays of late, that are far from befitting of a player England boss Gareth Southgate lauded as an “outstanding” leader after handing the 27-year-old his senior international debut last year.

“Since I have been watching him for the past 12-months or so, he’s displayed outstanding leadership qualities. I thought I would see that [against Bulgaria] and I did. He’s an impressive young man,” Southgate said, via quotes by iNews.

Mings has started all nine of Aston Villa’s Premier League fixtures thus far this season and is yet to miss a minute of action, but was miles off the pace in last month’s 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion and was at fault for overplaying in Monday’s loss at West Ham.

Danny Welbeck picked Mings’ pocket for Brighton’s opener at Villa Park upon the defender’s return from England duty, having been handed his sixth and seventh Three Lions caps in UEFA Nations League fixtures with Belgium and Iceland.

Mings’ error that led to Welbeck opening the scoring for Brighton was not the £80,000-per-week defender’s only mishap, either, with Smith let down by his star man who won just two ground duels, one aerial contest, lost possession 12 times, made one successful tackle and failed to register an interception, per SofaScore.

Smith would have hoped to see Mings bounce back at West Ham, but rather witnessed the 27-year-old fail to register a single successful tackle or interception, lose possession 15 times, attempt – though win – one ground duel and misplace nine of ten long passes.

Mings must now use the extended break between fixtures to hit the reset button to ensure he can hit the ground running when Aston Villa visit West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 12, as Smith can ill-afford to see another woeful display.

Sheffield Wednesday will need to act during the upcoming transfer window if they are to salvage their season in the Championship, and there’s one name that could help them tenfold…

What’s the word?

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast over the weekend, Owls legend Carlton Palmer tipped his former club to make a move for prolific goalscorer Dwight Gayle.

He believes the 30-year-old would be a “good fit” for the Yorkshire outfit whilst reliable reporter Dom Howson revealed last month that the Newcastle United forward was someone the club had looked at previously.

The £7.2m-rated talisman is yet to feature this campaign due to injury but is set to return in the New Year, and he could well face a battle for minutes at St James’ Park with Callum Wilson looking the obvious first-choice for Steve Bruce.

Striking solution?

Gayle is also out of contract in the summer, so his future as a Magpie is by no means certain, so Hillsborough chief Dejphon Chansiri ought to strike next month.

It’s no surprise that Wednesday are rock bottom of the Championship given they started the season with a points deduction but the signs would still be there regardless.

They are among the lowest scorers in the division, managing just nine goals in 17 appearances – that’s barely a goal every other game. That right now is Pulis’ biggest headache.

Garry Monk never truly replaced the goalscoring exploits of Steven Fletcher, his 13 from last term will take some doing to match this time around.

Currently, there are three players on two goals as the Owls’ top scorers – Barry Bannan, Callum Paterson and Josh Windass – whilst Jordan Rhodes only has one goal and summer signings Izzy Brown and Elias Kachunga are yet to score, per WhoScored.

In Gayle, the Yorkshiremen would be getting a proven striker at this level as he’s bagged 59 goals in 100 appearances in the Championship, most recently notching a whopping 23 in 39 matches whilst on loan to West Brom in 2018/19.

Former PL shot-stopper Paul Robinson praise Gayle to Football Insider earlier this year, he said: “He is a great striker. His movement, he brings something different to Joelinton. He needs players around him but Gayle brings other players into it. He brings the team together.”

Whilst Kyle Bartley once hailed him as “immense” and “dangerous,” also claiming that he’s a “proven goalscorer.”

This is exactly who the Owls need to target in January, so it’ll be on Chansiri to get a deal done for the £40k-per-week monster.

AND in other news, Sheff Wed passenger who had fewer touches than Wildsmith let Pulis down vs Huddersfield…

West Ham United would be wise to ignore calls from Irons icon Frank McAvennie to sign Tottenham Hotspur outcast Danny Rose.

What’s the word?

Speaking with Football Insider, McAvennie has suggested Hammers boss David Moyes ought to look into signing Rose with the England international in the final year of his Spurs contract.

McAvennie feels Rose would offer Moyes much-need competition for places at left-back, having seen the defender’s future in north London thrust into further doubt by Jose Mourinho omitting the 29-year-old from his Premier League and Europa League squads.

Moyes has so far chosen to field Aaron Cresswell as his left-sided full-back once and trusted Arthur Masuaku in the role in four top-flight fixtures, while Rose has not featured in a Premier League game since the final day of last season when on loan with Newcastle United.

“He was a top player at Tottenham, but he seems to have fallen away recently,” McAvennie said. “A fantastic player on his day and he is not that old yet. I do not know if he would go to West Ham, but I always say it is good to have somebody pushing you.

“Cresswell is doing well at the moment but the team is doing well. He needs some competition to push him and Rose could do that.”

Rose, who earns £70,000-per-week with Spurs, snubbed a potential permanent move to Newcastle this summer following his half-season on loan in the North East, noting in August that he wished to play at least one more game for Tottenham.

Mourinho, however, overlooked the defender in Tottenham’s opening fixtures and will now no longer have the option of calling on Rose to feature in a league or European match until February at the earliest.

Moyes must ignore McAvennie

Like Mourinho, Moyes must overlook the prospect of calling on Rose to feature in his plans and ignore McAvennie’s suggestion to strike a deal for the 2021-free agent, as the Irons boss already has a better option in Masuaku.

Over his 23 Premier League appearances in the 2019/20 campaign – with both Tottenham and Newcastle – Rose only managed to record a mere 0.6 key balls, 0.4 accurate crosses, 0.7 successful dribbles and 1.7 tackles a game, per SofaScore. He also only managed to create just one big chance to score, never took a shot and committed two errors that led to goals.

Meanwhile, Masuaku has started the 2020/21 season in much stronger fashion with 1.5 key balls, 1.3 accurate crosses, 3.3 successful dribbles and 1.0 tackles a game. He has also already created two big chances to score and attempted 0.8 shots over his four appearances.

As well as Rose offering less in the Premier League last term than Masuaku has thus far this season, Mourinho’s comments on the outcast defender highlight further reasons why he would not aid Moyes in the way McAvennie has used to justify a swoop.

Speaking in September amid interest from the Serie A, Mourinho said of Rose via quotes by The Sun: “If Genoa get Danny Rose, they get a good player. If they get a good player in the last year of his contract, they’re in a privileged position to do a good deal.

“If Danny Rose goes there, I wish him all the best. It’s one of the things that was very clear from one of the Amazon bits is that Danny is the kind of guy who wants to play all the time.

“Some players are more adapted to belong to a squad with quality where competition is higher. Other players are only happy if they’re in a club where they play all the time.”

Rose falls into the latter category of wanting to play every game, but his form over recent years would not suggest he would be a certainty at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, West Ham frustrated a rival club with one of their summer deals and could spark greater anger by reviving efforts to sign a 6 ft 1 ace.

Neil Lennon is currently under a lot of fire as the Celtic engine continues to chug and splutter. The Hoops are now without a win for the third game in a row, with the start of their dip in form stemming from their Old Firm loss.

Rangers handed them their first loss in nine games and Celtic have struggled to regain their form since. Whilst Lennon is a long way off from being dismissed – and has even addressed this himself – there’s a lot that can be worked on in camp.

Looking back at their recent transfer history, it’s now proving to be a disappointment that the Hoops didn’t sign Scott McTominay when they were linked last year.

Would McTominay improve Celtic?

As a senior Scotland player, it goes without saying that the midfielder would be proud to represent his country on both the international and domestic stage. It would also be even sweeter to be able to challenge for silverware, with McTominay yet to win anything as a professional yet.

Celtic have struggled under the constant chopping and changing of their starting lineup over the last few fixtures. With several senior personnel ruled out through injury or coronavirus, Lennon has been moving his chess pieces about to search for a winning formula. For example, his choice to deploy a back four against Aberdeen is something he has only done once in the last eight matches.

His choice of attack has also changed up over the last few games, showing his lack of confidence in players like Leigh Griffiths Albian Ajeti and David Turnbull.

Last season, McTominay featured in 27 Premier League matches for Manchester United and his minutes in action gradually decreased towards the end of the campaign. Although, he was still able to contribute four goals and one assist (via Transfermarkt).

Solskjaer a fan of McTominay

Whilst his goal contribution numbers for the season weren’t groundbreaking, his other statistics were impressive. According to WhoScored, the Scot averaged a higher passing average (80.9%) and more long balls (2.3) compared to teammate Andreas Pereira with 78.3% and 1.2 respectively. The Brazilian also tallied less dribbles per game (0.8) compared to McTominay (1.1) despite playing in a more attacking role.

After a win against Spurs in December, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer waxed lyrical over the 23-year-old’s performance and labelled him as ‘undroppable’ during that time (via Daily Mail).

With McTominay just signing a new contract to keep him at Old Trafford until 2025, it doesn’t look like much will tempt him away from the club. Lennon and co will be disappointed they didn’t capitalise on snapping up the £20.2million-rated midfielder when they could, as they continue to battle their crisis at Celtic Park.

In other news, Albian Ajeti was a disappointment for Celtic in another Neil Lennon switch up…

With the new season just around the corner – there has been plenty of action in the transfer market this summer despite the financial difficulties that the world is facing during the Coronavirus outbreak. Clubs up and down the country are gearing up for the start of the Premier League on 12th September, with many teams looking to reinforce their squads ready for a very unique and different look at the game we know and love.

Previous transfer windows have seen mega-money spent by the big clubs in the league, with plenty of Premier League teams breaking world transfer records multiple times over. With that being said, all clubs operate on different budgets, and transfer records can differ greatly between them – but of all the current Premier League clubs, what are all their record signings?

Here, we are going to rank every current Premier League club’s current record signing from lowest to the highest amount spent according to the website Transfermarkt – many of which could even be broken this summer…

20. Burnley – Ben Gibson, £15.21 million

Burnley signed Ben Gibson from Championship side Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018 for £15.21 million – and since then has only played one game for the club.

The 27-year-old had enjoyed a great season at Middlesbrough during 2017/18, but his career at Turf Moor has failed to take off, and Gibson has found himself on the bench for most of it due to the form of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee.

It is unlikely that this record will be broken this summer, with Burnley not linked with any big-money signings.

19. West Bromwich Albion – Salomón Rondón, £15.30 million

The Venezuelan joined the Albion in the summer of 2015 for a fee of £15.30 million – and hit the ground running at the Hawthorns. In his three seasons at the club – the now 30-year-old scored 24 league goals in 108 games, but after the club’s relegation in 2018, he joined Newcastle United.

Since then, Rondon has gone on to play for the Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional FC, where he still plies his trade. West Brom doesn’t look on course to break this record this summer, after the permanent signing of Matheus Pereira for £8.19 million.

18. Brighton & Hove Albion – Adam Webster, £20million

The 25-year-old defender joined Brighton from Championship side Bristol City at the start of last season and has had a great impact on the club since. Webster made 31 league appearances last season – averaging 1 tackle, 1.5 interceptions, 3.5 clearances, and 3.6 aerial duels won per game.

The defender has been a worthy record signing for Brighton, and this form will likely continue – and the club likely won’t break the record anytime soon.

17. Southampton F.C. – Danny Ings, £20 million

Since his move to St Mary’s at the start of the 2018/19 season – Danny Ings has revitalised his career and regained his goalscoring form from his time at Burnley.

The club signed the striker for £20 million from Liverpool F.C. and last season finished the campaign with an impressive 22 goals. Ings’ time at Southampton so far has been a big hit, and he has warranted his club-record signing status for the Saints.

Recently, however, the club has been linked with a move for Schalke 04 midfielder Weston McKennie, in a deal that could exceed £20 million, making the USA international the club’s new record signing.

16. Sheffield United – Sander Berge, £22 million

Norwegian midfielder Sander Berge joined the Blades from Belgian side Genk during the January transfer window this year, for a fee of £22 million – and has since gone on to make 14 league appearances for the side, including a goal and an assist from defensive midfield.

The 22-year-old has a big career ahead of him, and Sheffield is a great club for him to take the next steps in his career in the Premier League. The club has only been linked with a move for Nottingham Forest right-back Matty Cash, but not for a price that would break the club’s record signing.

15. Aston Villa – Wesley, £22.50 million

The Brazilian striker joined the Villans at the start of last season from Belgian side Club Brugge for a fee of £22.50 million and started his career at the club positively.

After his first 8 league games, the striker had scored 4 goals but was injured at the start of January and missed the rest of the season. Despite the setbacks, I believe that Wesley will be an overall success for the club next season, and will be well worth the fee that the club paid for him.

The club has been linked with a move for Brentford striker Ollie Watkins this summer, and if the deal is agreed, it would make him the club’s new record signing with Brentford wanting £25 million for Watkins.

14. Leeds United – Rodrigo Moreno, £27 million

The newest player on the list – Spanish international Rodrigo Moreno recently signed a four-year deal for the striker, for a fee of £27 million, surpassing the previous record signing of Rio Ferdinand for £23.40 million back in 2000.

The striker had a moderate season for Valencia last time out, scoring 4 goals with 7 assists in 27 league games – and realistically has only had one great season back in 2017/18, scoring 16 goals.

His move to England could prove me wrong, however, and Leeds fans will be hoping he will be a hit for the club in their first season back in the Premier League for 16 years.

13. Fulham F.C. – Jean Michael Seri, £27 million

The Ivorian midfielder joined the London club back in 2018 from the French side OGC Nice, for a fee of £27 million. After spending last season on loan at Turkish side Galatasaray, Seri will be joining back up with the Fulham squad after their promotion back to the Premier League.

His first season with the club saw him play 32 league games, scoring 1 goal with 2 assists, but has always been a great passer of the ball, and bring a great influence once again to the squad given the step up from the Championship to Premier League football.

Fulham has been linked with a move that would bring back Ryan Sessegnon to the club, but only on loan, meaning that there record transfer signing won’t be broken this season.

12. Crystal Palace – Christian Benteke, £28.08 million

The Belgian striker joined Palace from Liverpool back in August 2016, with the London club spending £28.08 million on the player. During his first season for the Eagles, Benteke scored 15 league goals – a stellar first season with the club and seemed well worth the price tag that Palace paid for him.

Since then, however, Benteke has only scored 6 league goals in the past three seasons. The club is close to sealing a deal for QPR’s Eberechi Eze, but only for £19.5 million, nowhere near the record-breaking fee for Benteke.

11. Wolverhampton Wanderers – Raul Jimenez, £34.20 million

The Mexican striker initially joined the club on loan from Benfica in 2018 and left a great impression that the club signed him permanently for £34.20 million at the start of last season.

Since joining Wolves, Jimenez has gone on to score 30 league goals in 76 appearances – more than certainly warranting the record-breaking money that the club signed him for.

It doesn’t look as though the record will be broken by the club this window – with the only definitive transfer so far reportedly being Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Arsenal.

10. Newcastle United – Joelinton, £39.60 million

Last summer, the Magpies broke their transfer record to sign Brazilian forward Joelinton from German club Hoffenheim, for a fee of just under £40 million. Since joining the club, the striker has only managed to score 2 goals with 2 assists from 38 league games.

As of yet, Joelinton has failed to live up to his value, but net season ould prove pivotal for his career at St James’ Park. The club doesn’t look set to break their transfer record this summer, having spent big last summers ahead of the previous season.

9. Leicester City – Youri Tielemans, £40.50 million

The Foxes secured the signature of Youri Tielemans from the French side AS Monaco for a fee of £40.50 million after a successful loan move with the club at the start of 2019. Since making his debut for the club, Tielemans has scored 6 goals with 10 assists for the club and has been a regular starter for Leicester ever since.

At just 23-years-old, the Foxes have found themselves a real gem and a worthy record transfer.

The club may be linked with a move for Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico as a replacement for Chelsea bound Ben Chilwell, but for nowhere near the fee paid for Tielemans.

8. Everton F.C. – Gylfi Sigurdsson, £44.46 million

Everton broke their transfer record for Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson back during the 2017 transfer window for a fee of £44.46 million. His first season at the club was difficult and failed to initially find the form he had showed at Swansea the season before.

The 2018/19 season was his best in an Everton shirt, scoring 13 goals with 6 assists, and was starting to look as though he was worth every penny. Last season was a tough one for Sigurdsson, scoring just twice with 3 assists – and hasn’t really warranted the price that the Toffees paid for him. The club has been linked with a move for Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez – and it is likely that the signing of James would beat the current record set by Sigurdsson.

7. West Ham United – Sebastien Haller, £45 million

The Hammers signed the French striker from German club Eintracht Frankfurt for £45 million – and the forward enjoyed a modest start to his career at West Ham. In his first 32 games for the London club, Haller scored 7 goals with 1 assist.

So far the striker hasn’t lived up to the price that West Ham paid for him – but not all transfer kick-off to the best starts in their careers at new clubs, so there is plenty of time for the player to prove himself. After the impact of COVID-19, the club doesn’t look likely to break this record this summer.

6. Tottenham Hotspur – Tanguy Ndombélé, £54 million

Spurs completed the signing of the French midfielder Tanguy Ndombélé in the summer of 2019 from French side Olympique Lyonnais, for a fee of £54 million – and had started the season with the club relatively well under then-manager Mauricio Pochettino, but after the Argentinian’s sacking and the introduction of Jose Mourinho as the club’s new manager, appearances started to slow down for Ndombélé.

With just 2 goals and 2 assists to his name, the midfielder has been linked with a move away from the club, but Spurs are willing to give the player another chance.

5. Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne, £68.40 million

Arguably one of the best signings the Premier League has ever seen, let alone just at Manchester City – the Belgian midfielder maestro joined the Citizens from German side Wolfsburg back in August 2015 and has gone on to prove himself as one of the best players in the world since.

Last season just proved how important a player he has been for the club, registering 13 goals and 20 assists, as well as winning the PFA Player of the Year award. De Bruyne has well and truly been worth every penny for the club – and it would be unlikely for the club to break their transfer record this summer.

4. Arsenal F.C. – Nicolas Pépé, £72 million

The Gunners signed Ivorian winger Nicolas Pépé from French club LOSC Lille last summer for £72 million and has proved to be a hit with the Arsenal faithful. In his first season at the club, Pépé scored 5 goals with 6 assists in the Premier League and proved to be an influential player in their starting XI.

It would be unlikely for Arsenal to break this record this summer, but the Gunners have been very active in the transfer market this month, already signing Willian from Chelsea, and close to completing the signing of Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhães from Pépé’s former club Lille.

3. Chelsea F.C. – Kepa Arrizabalaga, £72 million

Chelsea signed Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world-record fee of £72 million for a goalkeeper – and the player has had a turbulent career at Stamford Bridge since joining. His first season at the club showed glimpses of the ability that he has and showed great promise for the future – but midway during Frank Lampard’s first season at the club, Kepa was dropped as his No.1 after a poor run of form.

He has since regained his No.1 spot, but the club is reportedly looking for a new goalkeeper in the current market – with reports linking them to Jan Oblak, a move that could see there transfer record and the world record broken once again, with the Slovenian’s current market value at £72 million.

2. Liverpool F.C. – Virgil van Dijk, £76.19 million

Calm as you like. The Reds broke their transfer record in January 2018 and has gone on to become one of the best defenders in the world – the club paid £76.19 million for van Dijk from Southampton, and has since helped Liverpool win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, and Premier League in the past two seasons, ending their 30-year wait for the league title.

Van Dijk has been worth every penny that was paid for him, and will likely see the rest of his career out with the club. It is unlikely the Reds will break this transfer record any time soon, with Liverpool’s usual transfer policy not allowing for such astronomical money to be spent very often.

1. Manchester United – Paul Pogba, £94.50 million

The Red Devils had originally sold Pogba to Italian side Juventus for free in 2012 – but signed the midfielder back for a then world-record fee of £94.50 million, after growing to become one of the best players in the world with the Old Lady. Since joining the club, Pogba’s form has been mixed, with difficulties between himself and the managers the club have had in his time there.

Pogba is no doubt one of the best players in the world, and United should do everything in their power to keep hold of him. Pogba is a fine talent, and can easily flourish with the club to help them back to the pinnacle of English football once again.

The club came close to breaking their transfer record after signing Harry Maguire last summer from Leicester for £78.30 million, but look unlikely to break the record this summer given the current financial climate.