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Nottingham Forest reportedly ‘want’ to sign Real Madrid defender Alvaro Odriozola this summer, according to AS (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Career so far

A product of the youth academy at Real Sociedad, Odriozola completed a £28.8million switch to Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2018 before spending time on loan at Bayern Munich and Fiorentina.

The 26-year-old Spain international has made 43 appearances for Los Blancos and was part of the squad that lifted the UEFA Champions League for Bayern as well as the Bundesliga title and German Cup.

Now, despite already adding Neco Williams this summer, it appears as though Forest could be eyeing up a move for the trophy-laden Spaniard…

The latest: Forest ‘want’ Odriozola

As per AS, translated by SW, Nottingham Forest are believed to ‘want’ the four-cap right-back.

It’s claimed that the Reds have emerged as a ‘new suitor’ for Odriozola and an ‘interesting proposal’ is already in play.

The report also states that the man who currently earns £105,000 per week at the Bernabeu would be open to a ‘possible departure to England’ this summer.

The verdict: Not needed

With new arrivals Williams and Harry Toffolo impressing in the opening weeks of the season as well as Omar Richards and Giulian Biancone waiting in the wings, Steve Cooper already has an embarrassment of riches in the full-back department.

That’s not to say that the talented Spaniard wouldn’t be a smart capture for the Reds, particularly given the calibre of clubs he’s represented.

Operating almost exclusively as a right-back, Odriozola – who shares similar stylistic traits to Jordi Alba, Achraf Hakimi and Davide Zappacosta (FBref) – made SofaScore rating whilst winning 2.0 duels and making 1.0 key pass per game in the process.

However, all told, there simply is no call for yet more full-back additions at the City Ground and the money put aside to sign the £10.8million valued star would be best spent elsewhere, such as the ongoing pursuit of Houssem Aouar.

West Ham United chiefs believe they can strike an agreement for Belgium international Hans Vanaken before September 1, according to reports

The Lowdown: Moyes keeping busy…

The Irons, having sealed their latest signing in left-back Emerson Palmieri from Chelsea, have been tipped to keep busy towards the final stretch of this summer transfer window.

West Ham boss David Moyes reportedly wishes to strengthen his midfield and could be set for a ‘flurry’ before September 1.

Club Brugge star Vanaken, who has been the subject of intense Hammers interest, seems to be a prime target for the east Londoners as they gear up for a long and challenging 2022/2023 Premier League campaign, with a new bid going in this week.

The Latest: West Ham believe they can seal Vanaken…

According to reports out of Rush Green, London Stadium chiefs are confident of signing the 30-year-old.

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Indeed, The Evening Standard suggest West Ham are ‘optimistic of striking a deal’ for Vanaken as Moyes pushes for further signings.

It’s added that the attacking midfielder has made it clear he wishes to join and the Hammers ‘hope to push through a deal this week’, which coincides with the reports of a new and improved offer going in.

The Verdict: Get it done…

A crucial player for Brugge, now could be the perfect time for Vanaken to seal his long-awaited big move to England.

Over his six Champions League outings last season, the towering playmaker stood out as Brugge’s best player by average match rating whilst netting three goals in the group stage (WhoScored).

Vanaken also attempted more shots at goal per 90 than any of his teammates, potentially proving he can perform on the biggest stages like European football.

Taking this into account, it’s hardly surprising West Ham think he is a solid option – nor is it a shock Vanaken’s former teammate, Onur Kaya, has raved over his superb technique while labelling him a ‘big player’.

Manchester City have been known to splash out vast transfer fees to bring new players to the club over recent years.

One player for whom the club once broke their record transfer fee to sign is Rodri, who came in from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019.

With 155 appearances for the Citizens to his name, the Spaniard has scored 13 goals, provided ten assists and won two Premier League titles.

As the latest summer transfer window draws to a close, the remaining days until Thursday’s deadline could give Pep Guardiola the chance to bring in someone who could be their next version of Rodri.

One man who has been mentioned with a move to the Etihad Stadium recently and who could fit this bill is AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer.

After making 77 appearances for Empoli, in which he scored two goals and provided six assists, the 24-year-old joined his current club in 2019. Since then, the Algerian has played 107 times for the Rossoneri across all competitions, chipping in with four goals and seven assists.

To give an insight into what sort of player Bennacer is and how he operates on the pitch, legendary former Milan boss Arrigo Sacchi had this to say about the midfielder earlier this month: “He’s always ready to press the opponents and shorten the space between the lines. Also, he is good at moving the ball quickly. The speed of touch is fundamental in modern football.”

Having also been described by Giuseppe Bergomias a figure who “dominates in the middle on the pitch due to his personality and technical qualities”, only Sandro Tonali (309) made more midfield pressures for Milan than the Algerian (213) in Serie A last season. 

In comparison, Rodri topped City’s list for the same statistic by making 254 pressures in the midfield third of the pitch.

Both players also came third in their respective squads in terms of the number of passes they played into the final third of the pitch, with Bennacer making 94 passes and the City star making 242.

Overall, as another young midfielder who is currently making a name for himself at one of Europe’s big clubs, a switch to the Etihad this summer for the Milan ace could mirror the Spain international’s 2019 move to City and give the Premier League champions their next version of the 26-year-old.

While Rudy Gestede’s time at Aston Villa was a disappointing one from a playing perspective, his career after leaving suggests that the club did remarkably well to sell him for £6m.

Gestede joined the Villans from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2015 after the rangy striker hit 22 goals for the Ewood Park outfit the season prior.

During his time with the Midlands club, he would contribute just ten goals and four assists in 55 appearances, with his poor form in front of goal one of several reasons why Villa were relegated from the Premier League in the 2014/15 season.

After the Benin international managed just four goals in 18 appearances in the Championship, Villa were keen to move him on, with Middlesbrough paying £6m for his services in January 2017.

Gestede certainly didn’t win over many Villa fans during his time at the club, while he was labelled a “disgrace” by Manchester Evening News journalist Stuart Brennan after some unsportsmanlike behaviour against Manchester City.

It seems remarkable that Villa were able to receive so much for Gestede, as his performances since leaving have suggested that he was worth nowhere near that, and those on the Villa board deserve a lot of credit for their negotiations with Middlesbrough.

During his time on Teesside, Gestede managed just eight goals in 71 appearances, which is a shocking return for a striker, and his one goal in 16 appearances once again played its part in relegation as Boro returned to the second tier for the 2017/18 campaign.

After another poor few seasons, in which he scored only five EFL goals, Gestede was eventually released following the 2019/20 season and has subsequently spent time in Australia, Greece and Iran.

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Even in comparatively poor leagues, the 33-year-old has still struggled for consistent form, managing just nine goals across his spells with Melbourne Victory, Panetolikos GFS and Esteghlal FC, before he was released earlier this year.

Gestede remains without a club and looks unlikely to return to England, which emphasises just how well Villa did to sell him for £6m in 2017.

James Maddison has issued a response to the reported summer interest of Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s been said?

Speaking to Sky Sports (via the Evening Standard) following Leicester City’s 6-2 humbling by Spurs on Saturday afternoon, the Foxes’ talisman revealed that his club breathed a sigh of relief upon the closing of the summer transfer window on September 1 – with Tottenham reportedly having been interested in a £60m move for the 25-year-old midfielder.

However, a Fabio Paratici bid for the England international would ultimately not materialise, something the Leicester hierarchy are clearly delighted about, with Maddison revealing: “After [the transfer market] shuts, I think there is a bit of a sigh of relief – especially some of the staff at football clubs.”

Paratici will be red-faced

Considering just how impressive Maddison was against Tottenham last weekend – despite the scoreline – in addition to Paratici’s failure to land an attacking midfielder over the course of the summer transfer window, the Italian sporting director will surely have been left red-faced on Saturday evening.

Indeed, over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the £45m-rated talent bossed the midfield, enjoying 74 touches of the ball – more than all but one of the Spurs side – completing four key passes – with no player from either team making more – finding his man with four of his six long balls and taking a remarkable seven shots at goal.

One of these attempts saw the Foxes draw level in the match, when the player who Shaun Goodwin dubbed “unreal” expertly looped Timothy Castagne’s cross over a helpless Hugo Lloris between the Spurs sticks shortly before the half-time whistle.

The £110k-per-week sensation also impressed in a defensive capacity, making a total of four tackles – more than any other player aside from Davinson Sanchez – winning seven of his ten duels – a success rate of 70% – making one interception and drawing three fouls for Brendan Rodgers’ outfit.

These returns not only saw the former Norwich City star earn an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.7 – with only hat-trick hero Son Heung-min and Rodrigo Bentancur receiving higher ratings than the Englishman on the day – but also saw Maddison earn a significant amount of praise on social media.

Indeed, Geoff Shreeves stated his belief that the playmaker is a “top class pro who gives everything on the pitch” after the match, Jack Johnson claimed the 25-year-old was “running the show” in the fixture and Gary Lineker suggested that the midfielder had been “superb” before adding it was “baffling” how Gareth Southgate did not include the talent in his latest England squad.

As such, with Maddison showing Paratici exactly what he missed out on at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, the Italian must be starting to seriously regret not pulling out all the stops to bring the Leicester sensation to north London this summer.

Bruno Fernandes has shed further light on his failed move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2019.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the Manchester United midfielder revealed that, following Daniel Levy’s failed attempt to bring him to north London in August of 2019 – when Spurs saw a €65m (£57m) bid rejected due to the offer including €20m (£17.5m) in bonuses for winning the Premier League and Champions League – he was furious to see Tottenham’s proposal knocked back by Sporting Lisbon.

Regarding Spurs’ failed move, Fernandes said: “Obviously I wanted to go to the Premier League. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me.

“The president [Frederico Varandas] spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day. It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry. Luckily for me, the manager [Marcel Keizer] was the right one at the right time.”

Levy must be red-faced

Considering just how impressive Fernandes has been ever since his €80m (£67.7m) move to Old Trafford in January of 2020, Levy must be incredibly frustrated that he did not simply up his offer for the attacking midfielder in order to get a deal over the line while he had the chance.

Indeed, the £96.5m-rated talent made an immediate impact over his 14 Premier League fixtures in 2019/20 after his winter move, scoring eight goals, registering seven assists and creating three big chances, with these returns seeing the playmaker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.71 – ranking him as the second-best performer in the league that year.

The Portugal international has far from slowed down in the time since, scoring a total of 51 goals and providing 41 assists over his four games against Spurs – with the midfielder averaging a direct goal contribution every 120 minutes of football played for the Red Devils.

As such, when taking into account just how much of a success Fernandes has been in Manchester, and with United having ultimately secured the signing of the £240k-per-week sensation for just £10m more than Levy offered Sporting, the Spurs chairman must be red in the face whenever he watches the 28-year-old in action – as not increasing his initial offer for the playmaker will undoubtedly go down as one of the 60-year-old’s biggest mistakes of his time in north London.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been found wanting in front of goal in recent times, having scored just three goals in their opening seven Premier League games of the season, failing to provide that much-needed cutting edge in the final third.

The Midlands side had scored at a rate of just one goal per game last season, while netting at a rate of just 0.95 goals per game the year prior, with that record a significant drop off from the 2019/20 campaign, in which the Old Gold scored 51 goals in their 38 top-flight games, at a rate of 1.34 goals per match.

A notable factor in that difference could well have been the loss of current Liverpool star Diogo Jota in the summer of 2020, with the Portuguese star having proven a real lethal presence in front of goal prior to his departure, scoring 16 goals in all competitions during that 19/20 season, including seven in the league.

Operating off the central focal point of Raul Jimenez, the dynamic forward dazzled with his creative flair and cold-blood nature in front of goal, providing 44 goals and 19 assists in 131 games during his time at Molineux after arriving from Atletico Madrid on an initial loan deal in 2017.

The 25-year-old’s departure to Anfield on a £41m deal just over two years ago has clearly left a void in the Wolves side that is yet to be filled, with the club forced to watch him shine under Jurgen Klopp’s tutelage, with 34 goals in just 88 games for the Merseysiders to date.

While replacing the 29-cap gem has proven difficult thus far, current boss Bruno Lage could well have a perfect heir in his ranks in the form of teenager Lee Harkin, with the 19-year-old currently starring at youth level.

The diminutive gem has scored eight goals in just 32 games at U21 level to date, having previously netted seven goals and provided five assists in 30 games at U18 level, proving himself a real threat with his ability to feature all across the frontline – much like Jota.

The Northern Irishman notably netted in the recent EFL Trophy victory over Stockport County, with that performance seeing him lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, who stated on Twitter:

“Lee Harkin scoring for Wolves Academy against Stockport County tonight, really rate him, for such a young player not only is he clinical but he’s also intelligent with his movement. Very smart at opening up the space to get shots away, can adapt all across the front positions.”

That glowing assessment no doubt showcases the youngster’s similarities to that man Jota, with the latter star having also been praised for his “understanding and intelligence” by pundit Noel Whelan earlier this year.

While Harkin is still waiting for his first team bow, the signs are that he could well prove to be the successor to the former Molineux hero, if handed a chance by Lage.

Manchester United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst has provided an update on the ankle injury Raphael Varane picked up against Manchester City on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Derby day to forget

Erik ten Hag’s first experience of the Manchester derby was certainly one to forget, with the Red Devils’ four-match winning run in the Premier League coming to an end.

United were blown away by Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, with the pair both scoring a hat-trick each in a 6-3 win. Things went from bad to worse at the Etihad just before the break, with Varane going off injured with an ankle issue.

The Latest: Luckhurst update

Luckhurst shared an update regarding Varane for The Manchester Evening News on Monday morning.

He said that ‘sources’ have described Varane’s injury as ‘not bad’, however, United will be ‘cautious’ due to the Frenchman’s injury problems last season.

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The Verdict: Good news

It looks as if Varane has avoided any serious ligament damage with his injury thought to be ‘not bad’, so that is a positive update. The defender also reportedly drove himself to Carrington on Monday, which again, is a good sign.

However, United have a quick turnaround with a trip to Cyprus to take on Omonia Nicosia on Thursday in the Europa League.

Therefore, it could be wise to leave the Frenchman at home, giving him extra time to recover to possibly return against Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth was a busy man throughout the summer transfer window as he attempted to improve Eddie Howe’s squad.

The former Brighton chief brought in Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett on permanent deals to bolster the manager’s options across the park.

However, the Magpies chief did not manage to recruit any players in the attacking midfield or wide areas despite targeting talent in those positions.

One player the club were reportedly interested in signing was Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, who Graeme Bailey claimed was Newcastle’s number one attacking target.

Ashworth was unable to secure a deal for the France international as the attacker ultimately opted to remain in Germany to compete in the Bundesliga this season and the club did not bring in an alternative before the window slammed shut.

The Frenchman has gone on to score one goal and provide three assists in nine appearances for Leverkusen in the German top-flight this season, after producing an eye-catching 13 goals and 12 assists in the division last term.

Newcastle’s failure to sign a winger may have left supporters worrying about a potential lack of end product from the existing options in that area of the pitch.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Jacob Murphy, Miguel Almiron, and Ryan Fraser produced four goals and five assists from a combined 90 appearances in the Premier League.

However, Howe has worked his magic on the training pitch and has struck gold by unearthing the best of Almiron for Newcastle in the top-flight.

The Paraguay international has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.16 in the division across nine appearances and has found the back of the net four times, whilst winning 55% of his individual duels.

Reach editor Adam Musgrove recently claimed that the £42k-per-week gem is “riding on a wave of confidence” and that he “looks like a totally different player” for the Magpies this season.

Almiron’s statistics back that up as he only scored once in 30 Premier League outings last term and averaged a dismal, in comparison to his current form, SofaScore rating of 6.68.

The difference in his form between last season and this campaign is night and day and a credit to him and Howe for the hard work that has seemingly gone on behind the scenes to extract the best out of the former MLS man on the pitch.

He has as many goal contributions (four) as Diaby in the same number of league matches (nine) so far this term and his transformation under Howe should be allaying any fears supporters had when the club failed to sign a winger in the summer.

Leeds United could be set to move for a new midfielder in January, with Jesse Marsch & Victor Orta already drawing up their plans…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who spoke about Weston McKennie’s future to GIVEMESPORT: “I’m sure Leeds will try and use that American connection to try and help any deal to get over the line if they do pursue a move for McKennie.”

The Italian giants were reportedly willing to sell the 24-year-old over the summer but had slapped a €30m (£26m) price tag on him.

With January soon to come around, perhaps Victor Orta will be able to tempt him to Elland Road for a far smaller fee, provided he does not star in the upcoming World Cup.

He can bring energy

Although Marsch completed a midfield rebuild over the summer following the sale of Kalvin Phillips, perhaps he sees his addition as the extra quality that can steer them away from the relegation zone.

The Whites currently sit two points adrift from safety, having won just once in their last nine Premier League games.

Marc Roca and Tyler Adams are both fine players in their own right but lack the creativity and classiness to carve a team open.

Although the American ace is not a wholly creative force himself, he can be a success at Elland Road due to his work rate and ability to push forward too.

In his debut season for Juventus, he scored six and assisted a further three across various competitions, and he would bring incredible experience to the Yorkshire outfit.

Clint Dempsey’s comments further support this, as he dubbed him as someone who can “bring that energy” as well as being “dangerous on the set pieces or crosses. And the way he elevates and gets over people and scores goals.”

He has featured 23 times in the Champions League already, and if he were to make the drop-down it would mark a huge coup for Marsch.

This season has not been a standout for McKennie, but then again, the fall of the Old Lady is one which will have affected all involved.

Perhaps a move to Leeds could reignite his talents in a far less pressured environment, and he could be the added impetus to spark the midfield into life.