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Southampton have reportedly had a £3m bid accepted for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele as Nathan Jones edges closer to bolstering his attacking options.

What’s the news?

French News outlet Foot Mercato reported on Monday afternoon that Southampton submitted a late bid for the striker and, according to Football Scotland, the Saints have had their bid of £3m accepted with just under 24 hours left of the transfer window to thrash out personal terms.

The former Celtic frontman is out of contract at the Ligue 1 club at the end of the season, and it is clear that they are looking at cashing in on the player as they undergo an attacking revamp.

“Powerful” prospective addition

Southampton are in urgent need of someone who can pose a significant goal threat, with Jones’ side proving to be quite goal-shy during the Premier League campaign.

In 20 top-flight matches so far, they have netted just 17 goals, the joint-fourth worst record in the division. If they are to maximise their chances of retaining their Premier League status for next season, they need to work on this major issue.

Dembele has had a campaign to forget for Lyon, featuring 16 times but scoring only twice, and it’s evident that he needs a fresh start in order to get back to his goalscoring best. His decline from an impressive 2021/22 season will be something that Jones will hope is merely temporary.

Last term, the 26-year-old netted 21 goals in 30 appearances while achieving an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.11/10. The Frenchman was a constant goal threat, taking 2.9 shots and playing 0.9 key passes per match while also creating six big chances, proving how effective he was in leading the line for Lyon.

Overall, his record for Lyon has included 69 goals across nearly five years, and if Jones could get the Frenchman firing like he did last season, it could be a wonderful bargain which may just save Southampton from relegation.

Dembele’s former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers previously dubbed him “powerful”, and the 26-year-old appears to have all the tools required to succeed in the Premier League.

Journalist Charles Watts has claimed that the Arsenal move for Jorginho will leave Mikel Arteta happy as he is getting a good player and will still have money to spend next summer

What’s the latest?

On transfer deadline day, the Gunners completed a £12m transfer for the Chelsea midfielder who signed an 18-month contract with the option of a further year.
Of course, we all know Arsenal were prepared to spend big on trying to land Moises Caicedo instead but Brighton refused to sell their key man.
What’s more, the north London outfit have also been linked with a move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and while neither of those deals were sorted in the winter, the money spent on alternative signing Jorginho will not halt the club’s transfer plans next summer.
While speaking on YouTube, Watts explained why it was a “sensible” deal for a number of key reasons.
He said: “I think he’ll make Arsenal stronger in the second half of the season. And that is obviously the most important point of the January transfer window. So I can see why they’ve done it.
“And I can see why Arteta will be quite happy about it. And importantly, it leaves a lot of money in the bank for the summer when Arsenal are really going to really push for their big priority targets again in midfield.
He added: “It’s one that I can understand and it looks sensible. It’s definitely safe.”

Wise call?

Of course, some fans may feel slightly underwhelmed when the club looked ready to spend over £70m on 21-year-old Caicedo but they end up handing £12m to rivals Chelsea to land 31-year-old Jorginho.
However, if he can play a key role in the club’s title push – having won the Champions League, Euro 2020, and more in his career so far – and end the campaign a Premier League winner with Gunners, supporters won’t mind one bit.
And, as made clear by Watts, whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Arsenal will still have the funds to go out and strengthen their squad with a move for someone like Caicedo, Rice, or even both, next summer.
And seeing as this deal already looks to have the approval of the squad – with the transfer sparking “excitement among the players and staff” – this may well be quite a savvy stop-gap signing.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has backed Allan Saint-Maximin to leave Newcastle United in the summer after they signed Anthony Gordon from Everton.

The Lowdown: Exit-linked

Saint-Maximin was linked with an exit towards the end of the January transfer window, but he ended up staying at Newcastle.

They ended up splashing £45m on Everton’s Gordon, suggesting that the Frenchman may fall down the pecking order at St. James’ Park, and could be linked with an exit once again in the summer.

The Latest: Summer exit backed

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson has backed Saint-Maximin to leave in the summer, claiming that Gordon has been signed to ‘replace’ him:

“I would say I would be surprised if they let him go but there is a reason why they have brought Gordon in though.

“They pushed hard and got it through. They wouldn’t have spent all that money on him unless they thought he was going to be a regular in the first team.

“I think Saint-Maximin will be looking elsewhere. It is a shame because when he’s on the top of his game, he is amazing. He is a better player than Gordon in my opinion.

“Gordon has been signed to replace Saint-Maximin. He has not been signed to play alongside him. I think that is a move that we will see happen in the summer.”

The Verdict: Time to go?

Saint-Maximin has seen his game time fairly limited so far this season, having made only five starts in all competitions, with four of those coming in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

As Robinson alludes to, the North East club have not spent £45m on Gordon to sit on the bench, which means that Saint-Maximin’s game time is likely to become even more limited.

The 25-year-old has made an impact in games when coming off of the bench, as none of his team-mates average more dribbles per match than him in the Premier League, and his contract on Tyneside does not run out until 2026.

However, given his age and contract situation, the Magpies could still demand a sizeable fee for Saint-Maximin, and so should consider selling him this summer and invest the money in other positions.

Manchester City should sign James Maddison as a replacement for Bernardo Silva, according to former BBC radio pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Silva’s future in doubt?

The Portugal playmaker’s contract with City is not due to expire until the summer of 2025, but there has been talk about him leaving the Etihad Stadium, with his future said to be up in the air prior to the January transfer window.

The Sky Blues rejected a late loan proposal from Barcelona for the 28-year-old, although his long-term future at the club may still be in doubt, and Maddison has been identified as a potential target at the end of the season.

The Latest: Maddison backed as ‘great replacement’

Whelan was speaking to Football Insider about the impact that the Leicester City ace could have at the Etihad if Pep Guardiola’s side were to land him.

The former Leeds striker said: “I think if you’re going to let someone like Bernardo Silva go, you have to match that creativity. James Maddison certainly does that.

“Silva is someone you can sell on for a lot of money, whereas you could get Maddison relatively cheap because of the contract. In my eyes that would be good business.

“I think Maddison would be a great replacement. Playing for Man City would enhance his game, as well – I think he’d go to a new level.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

The Englishman has previously been hailed as an ‘elite baller’ by some members of the media, and he has been in fantastic form with the Foxes this season. He has weighed in with eight goals and four assists in 15 Premier League outings, most recently scoring in yesterday’s 4-2 win against Aston Villa.

Despite playing in a lower-placed team, the 26-year-old has amassed far more goal contributions than Silva in the current campaign, with the Portugal international only scoring twice in the top flight across 20 appearances, also getting five assists.

Maddison is also two years younger than the current Manchester City player, and with the Englishman’s contract expiring at the end of next season, the Sky Blues will be in a strong negotiating position with Leicester in the summer.

As such, the Foxes maestro should be one of Guardiola’s top targets in the next transfer window, as he could be the perfect candidate to replace Silva if the latter does exit Manchester this year.

ExWHUemployee has given a worrying injury update on West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta.

What happened to Lucas Paqueta?

The Brazilian midfielder was withdrawn early on in the first half of his side’s draw with Chelsea, with what appeared to be an injury to his collarbone.

This will be of some concern to David Moyes, despite his side fighting back to rescue a point in the game, as his summer signing now faces a potential spell on the sidelines.

Speaking on The West Ham Way Podcast, ExWHUemployee revealed that it may be tough to determine how long the Brazil International will be absent for, as West Ham face a tough relegation battle.

“Paqueta was taken off after 14 minutes after what looked like an injury to his collarbone and that is what the club fear,” he stated.

“Paqueta has already missed matches with a similar injury when he first joined and a reoccurrence of the same unique injury would not be good and would have a difficult-to-determine analysis of how long he could be out.”

Big blow for Moyes

The former Lyon star had a difficult start to life in East London as his team has had endured a tough season, but is starting to thrive under Moyes, and has scored twice in his last five appearances.

Given that West Ham are just two points ahead of the relegation zone, another injury to a key player is the last thing they need, as they are already missing Gianluca Scamacca, Kurt Zouma and Maxwel Cornet.

They will be hoping that his injury is minimal and the midfielder can return soon, but if he is to miss an extended period, their survival hopes could be somewhat dented by such a blow.

Journalist Charlie Wyett has insisted Southampton will put Ruben Selles in charge until the end of the season, while criticising the ongoing mess at St Mary’s.

The Lowdown: Southampton taking a huge risk

Southampton have found themselves in a whole load of trouble this season having sacked long-term boss Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier in the campaign before appointing Nathan Jones, only to hand him 14 league games.

This then saw the Saints approach recently sacked Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, but talks broke down at the final hurdle, which has left assistant coach Selles as the man in the hotseat.

It is indeed yet another huge risk for Sport Republic to be taking if they do leave Selles in charge until the end of the season as he has no experience of being a first-team manager, while the Saints’ Premier League status is at stake.

The Latest: Selles has huge pressure on his shoulders

Speaking on Sky Sports, Wyett was far from thrilled by Southampton’s managerial situation and the mess which occurring on the south coast.

He said: “I think, probably, Southampton will stick with Ruben Selles, who’s the caretaker, who was assistant to Nathan Jones and Ralph Hasenhuttl. But again, this is a big ask.

“He’s 39, he’s only ever been an assistant manager. He only became an assistant manager 13-14 years ago; he was pretty much a fitness coach before that. So this is a big ask.

“Maybe the other option is to bring in an experienced coach to work alongside him, but it is a bit of a mess, that’s for sure.”

The Verdict: Sport Republic taking a huge gamble

The club’s downturn in fortunes was arguably set in motion during the summer, when Southampton made the bold and risky decision to recruit a number of young players with either none or very little Premier League experience which now appears to be backfiring.

Then the merry-go-round of managers followed, and that has done nothing to help their form on the pitch this season, with the Saints sitting rock bottom of the Premier League with just four wins to their name.

Selles will likely be delighted if he’s handed the job on a full-time basis, but it’s a big ask for someone so young and inexperienced to lead a club like Southampton out of the rut they are in and away from relegation trouble.

Tottenham Hotspur are among the teams lining up a summer swoop for Marcus Thuram, who will be available on a free transfer…

What is the latest on Marcus Thuram to Spurs?

According to The Times, Spurs are one of several teams looking to sign the France international after his £54k-per-week contract expires at Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, with the club confirming that the versatile forward will leave at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old, who is the son of Lilian Thuram, rejected an offer of a new deal and is expected to explore his options across Europe, with Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Serie A giants Inter Milan among those named with interest.

Thuram was valued at as high as €35.9m (£31.6m) at one stage of his Borussia-Park career, per FootballTransfers.

What is Heung-min Son’s future at Spurs?

Among the report, it’s also suggested that the Lilywhites view the Frenchman as a potential long-term replacement for Heung-min Son, who has endured quite a rocky season on the pitch in 2022/23.

Despite scoring off the bench against West Ham United recently, the South Korean has largely been a shadow of himself in north London. That strike was only his second goal in 15 outings, whilst his only other contribution in front of goal in the seven games before that was a hat-trick against Leicester City.

At this stage last term, Son already had over double his current returns, having found the net nine times before exploding towards the back end of the season.

Meanwhile, Thuram has been in “clinical” form – in the eyes of journalist Raj Chohan.

The versatile 6 foot 4 forward, who can play wide left and through the middle just like Son, has scored 14 goals and laid on four assists, including efforts against German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

He also ranks inside the top 11% of his positional peers across Europe for progressive carries (2.73 per 90), as well as the top 9% for successful take-ons (1.53 per 90), via FBref, who have also likened his statistical profile to that of Robert Lewandowski and Victor Osimhen.

With a clear eye for goal and a desire to get past his man to contribute in the final third, it appears as if Thuram is an ideal signing for Tottenham and Antonio Conte.

Son, who will be 31 at the end of the season, isn’t going to be able to keep up with his best form and if anything, he’ll only start to regress now – perhaps, we’re seeing signs of that this campaign, which is why a long-term solution must be sought sooner rather than later.

The nine-cap powerhouse, once dubbed a “physical monster” by Saudi Arabia boss Herve Renard, could be an absolute steal from sporting director Fabio Paratici, one that could have an instant impact on Spurs’ fortunes heading into next season, given the evidence above.

Therefore, the Italian supremo must look to sign the free agent as he could well become the bargain successor to Son’s throne at Hotspur Way this year.

AND in other news, Spurs in race to sign £118k-p/w “special talent”, it’s bye-bye “nightmare” Poch flop…

Manchester United are currently gearing up for what could be a pivotal few days in their season, with the Carabao Cup final showdown with Newcastle United now looming large.

Prior to Sunday’s Wembley encounter, however, the Red Devils are set to take on Barcelona in their Europa League, play-off, second-leg clash at Old Trafford this evening, with Erik ten Hag’s men having produced an impressive display in Catalonia last week to claim an encouraging 2-2 draw with the La Liga leaders.

Ahead of the finely-poised reverse fixture later today, United will be able to welcome back Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer after the pair missed the trip to Camp Nou through suspension, while both Harry Maguire and Antony are also in line to return from their recent injury absence.

What could Man United’s XI look like against Barcelona?

With that in mind, Football FanCast predicts that Ten Hag will make five changes from the side that beat Leicester City at the weekend, with the most notable alteration set to see Casemiro return at the base of the midfield.

4-3-3: (GK) De Gea; (RB) Wan-Bissaka, (CB) Varane, (CB) Martinez, (LB) Shaw; (CM) Casemiro, (CM) McTominay, (CAM) Sancho; (RW) Fernandes, (ST) Weghorst, (LW) Rashford.

Ahead of long-serving stopper David De Gea there could well be some tweaks made to the backline, with defensive “Rolls-Royce” Raphael Varane – as described by Statman Dave – set to return after sitting out the win over the Foxes, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka could take the place of Diogo Dalot, with the latter man having somewhat underwhelmed on Sunday – losing possession on 12 occasions.

As for the midfield, the aforementioned Casemiro could be joined by Scott McTominay following the Scotland international’s recent return from injury, with Fred – who has been branded “erratic” by journalist Tom McDermott – having again frustrated last time out.

The final midfield berth may be taken up by Jadon Sancho once again as the Englishman netted off the bench against Brendan Rodgers’ side, with that tactical shake-up likely to see Bruno Fernandes remain on the right wing.

That alteration should also see Wout Weghorst restored to his usual striking berth – amid Anthony Martial’s continued injury woes – while Marcus Rashford will be hoping to bolster his already career-best tally of 24 goals off the left.

NFL star Kelvin Beachum Jr of the Arizona Cardinals has hailed Tottenham after they announced a partnership with Formula One.

The Lowdown: Spurs seal Formula 1 agreement…

On Tuesday, the Lilywhites confirmed a 15-year deal with the mega-money racing league which adds to their state-of-the-art new ground’s current trend of welcoming many other sports outside of football.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium plays host to Boxing and the NFL with F1 now included in the list.

Spurs say the deal will create career opportunities and bring a new motorsport experience to London, alongside building the world’s first in-stadium electric karting facility and London’s longest indoor track.

The track will apparently be constructed beneath Spurs’ south stand and is described as a soon-to-be ‘one of a kind’ experience.

The Latest: NFL star praises Spurs deal…

Taking to Twitter, NFL star Beachum Jr has praised the club for their initiative partnership – explaining:

“As if Spurs weren’t reason enough to visit the new stadium!! @F1 and @SpursOfficial is the partnership I never knew I needed.”

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The Verdict: Interesting…

Amid the protests surrounding ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy, this is certainly an interesting move, especially considering the rumoured takeover talk also.

Tottenham supporters who have voiced frustrations over on-pitch investment may be taken aback by this news that more funds are going into off-field resources.

However, from an economical standpoint, Levy has found yet another avenue for Spurs to benefit from their incredible new stadium and one which may bring in a stream of new revenue.

As Tottenham seek to rebuild their profits after nearly two regrettable years in COVID wilderness, this off-field move could be hugely lucrative in the long-run.

Manchester United are reportedly one of several big Premier League clubs showing an interest in signing Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

The Lowdown: Mac Allister shines for club and country

The 24-year-old’s stock has risen greatly in the past six months or so, following a string of impressive performances for both Brighton and Argentina.

Mac Allister tasted World Cup glory with his country in Qatar, registering an assist in the final win over France, and he has also scored six times in the league for the Seagulls.

The Argentine is likely to be a wanted man come the end of the season and a new update further suggests that that is the case.

The Latest: United eyeing up move

According to Football Insider, United are ‘registering an interest’ in Mac Allister ahead of a potential summer move, although Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are also in the mix.

The player himself is thought to be ‘ready to go’ to a bigger team, having spent four years in a Brighton shirt since joining from Argentinos Juniors in 2019.

The Verdict: Could be an ideal signing

Mac Allister could be a great signing by United if they manage to get a deal over the line, with the 14-cap Argentina international possessing so many attributes that could appeal to Erik ten Hag.

A player full of intelligence, quality and hard work, the £63,000-a-week midfielder has averaged 2.6 tackles per game in the league this season, as well as enjoying an 88.6% pass completion rate.

Mac Allister could be a perfect link between Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in United’s midfield, proving to be a long-term replacement for Christian Eriksen, who turns 31 this year.

It clearly won’t be easy to sign him, given the level of interest in him, but he feels like a player who is gradually heading into the peak years of his career, having been hailed as ‘very intelligent’ by Sergio Aguero.