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An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Burnley centre-backs Ben Mee and James Tarkowski…

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, the Magpies are willing to offer the dynamic duo £100k-per-week each, doubling their current wages at Turf Moor.

The report claims that both players are out of contract in the summer and could leave on frees, with Eddie Howe desperate to land both of them to strengthen his defence at St. James’ Park.

Fans would be buzzing

Newcastle fans would be buzzing as the pair have proven themselves to be an excellent partnership at Premier League level for Burnley. Howe could bring in a ready-made defensive unit to come in and improve the back line heading into next season by signing them both.

They have played 12349 minutes alongside each other across 151 matches, with Burnley averaging 1.34 points per game in that time. This averages out at roughly 50 points per 38-game season, whilst 29 points would have been enough to retain a place in the top-flight last season.

Mee is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, whilst Tarkowski is said to be worth £22.5m. This means that they are £27.9m-rated as a pair and the Magpies could be landing a gigantic bargain in terms of the initial fee by signing both on free transfers next summer. However, they would be splashing out £200k-per-week in wage, a startling amount of money.

This season, Tarkowski has averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.11 in the Premier League, with Mee averaging a solid score of 6.81 as both players continue to show that they are reliable performers in the top-flight for Burnley. Therefore, they could be excellent additions to the Toon squad, as they have a proven track record of playing well at this level.

They also, as aforementioned, have a pre-existing relationship on the pitch that could translate over to St. James’ Park instantly. With over 150 matches played alongside each other and an impressive points return, they know how to work well as a pair and could come in and be effective for Newcastle in the Premier League, which is why fans would love this deal.

It is now down to PIF and Howe to do as much as they can to tempt both of them into making the switch, providing the offer of £100k-per-week each is not enough on its own.

AND in other news, “Among leading NUFC targets”: David Ornstein drops transfer update that’ll excite fans…

Tottenham Hotspur could seal their best signing since Heung-min Son following an exciting claim from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

The north London outfit are in desperate need of fresh additions this month, certainly if Antonio Conte is to stand a chance at reviving this sinking ship.

Given his tactical system – primarily deploying three-at-the-back – he needs further reinforcements to his backline, where left-back Ben Davies has been plugging a gap and the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga have had to be trusted.

One player that Spurs appear keen on is Villarreal defender Pau Torres, who rejected a move to the club during the summer window but back then, it was the underwhelming Nuno Santo in charge – rather than the trophy-laden Italian.

And Romano believes their interest is something to keep an eye on heading into deadline day in a little under two weeks time.

“Let’s see what happens with a centre-back. Tottenham want to sign a new centre-back in January. Pau Torres has always been on their list since last summer, but Villarreal have no intention to let him leave in January,” he told the ‘Here We Go’ podcast last week.

Torres’ desire may well hinge on any sort of Champions League involvement but Spurs are firmly in the race for a top-four finish and that could well be achieved with the Spaniard’s arrival.

He played an integral role for former Arsenal boss Unai Emery at the Yellow Submarines as they defeated Manchester United to clinch the Europa League title last season.

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Meanwhile, domestically, the 25-year-old colossus ranked as their fourth-best player (6.76) in La Liga last season. Across 33 starts, he proved to be an excellent ball-playing option by averaging an 87.8% passing accuracy and 0.8 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.

“When he was small you could see he had an extraordinary talent to construct the play, I even played him for a few games in midfield, but he told me he was more comfortable at the back. Bit by bit he picked up more intensity, more strength, becoming more physical and he kept developing,” once claimed his former youth coach, ex-Villarreal midfielder Javi Calleja.

His profile is exactly the sort of one that Conte would love in his backline – an aggressive but astute on-the-ball beast to pair alongside summer signing Cristian Romero and Eric Dier.

As such, any move for Torres would surely excite the manager and fanbase alike. He’d be such a necessary addition that it could well equal the arrival of Son, who has quickly become one of Tottenham’s most reliable players over the years.

Fabio Paratici and co must seal a move for the £45m-rated Villarreal star at all costs this month.

AND in other news, “I understand..”: Sky Sports reporter drops transfer claim that’ll anger Spurs fans…

According to reports, Leeds are interested in signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles amid speculation he could leave Arsenal on a more permanent basis this summer.

What’s the story?

The England international is currently on loan at fellow Premier League side West Brom, but with the Baggies set to go back down to the Championship, there appears to be a real window of opportunity for other clubs to come in.

Now, The Daily Mirror claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are the latest team to be watching developments over Maitland-Niles, while the likes of Crystal Palace and French side AS Monaco are also said to be in for him.

The perfect Bielsa player

If Bielsa and the club’s fans love Stuart Dallas for his sheer versatility, then Maitland-Niles is cut from that same cloth, being able to play in a number of different positions and roles.

It was something that former Premier League striker Chris Sutton once lauded, saying: “The young man’s versatility is a weapon. He is such a versatile talent – a diamond.”

Maitland-Niles, who earns around £45k-per-week at the Emirates, was dubbed a “Rolls-Royce of a player” by Martin Keown a few months ago when Arsenal beat Rapid Vienna 4-1 in the Europa League (BT Sport via football.london).

His former teammate at Arsenal, Sead Kolasinac, raved about his pace too, saying: “He’s so quick and he reads the game well, so he knows what to do before the ball arrives. He’s shown that in the last couple of games.

“I’ve spoken to him. I told him that he’s so quick – if I had that pace, I’d never stand still, I’d just run! When you’re that quick, it’s difficult to stop someone. ‘He has the acceleration and when he gets going, he’s tough to defend against. That can be a weapon for us.”

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Given his affinity for players who can play in multiple roles and can really get attuned to the kind of transition football that Leeds enjoy, Maitland-Niles appears to be the perfect player for Bielsa. The Leeds boss will surely be buzzing at the links with the Arsenal star.

Meanwhile, this Leeds ace was shocking vs Liverpool, he has to go…

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting an ‘ambitious’ bid to sign Serge Gnabry, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Star claim Spurs are keen on landing the Bayern Munich contract rebel as he enters the final year of his current contract at the Allianz Arena, where he is thought to be holding out for a salary of around £13m-per-year.

The Bundesliga champions won’t be held ransom by his demands, so that has alerted many teams around Europe, including the Lilywhites and Real Madrid, though it remains to be seen how much the German side would sell him for – if at all, given their track-record in letting players leave for nothing.

CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of £60m.

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Major coup

Whilst an ex-Arsenal player, Gnabry would be something of a coup for Spurs, should they manage to secure his signature in the coming months.

The German international struggled to make much of an impact during his time in England, eventually being sold to Werder Bremen for just £5m in 2016 but he has since emerged as one of the best wingers in Europe.

Across 168 appearances for the Bavarian giants, Gnabry has provided 63 goals and 40 assists, averaging a direct contribution once every 104 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Spurs know too well of his ability after he absolutely tore Mauricio Pochettino’s side apart with four goals in Bayern’s 7-2 win in the Champions League back in October 2019.

His form has led to quite the praise indeed, including a particularly glowing endorsement from BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who claimed last season:

“His stats are phenomenal. He’s sitting in the top-level, world-class. He’s come to Germany and set the place on fire, he was absolutely stunning tonight. His decision making has been extraordinary.

“I’ll go as far as to say he’s one of the most improved players in football at the moment. I don’t think anyone’s upwards trajectory is as sharp as his.”

Also lauded as a “real weapon” by his former manager Niko Kovac to Bundesliga.com, Gnabry would certainly add a new dimension to Conte’s attack and given his links to the Gunners and exploits for Bayern, he’d be quite the stunning signing for the north Londoners.

If sporting director Fabio Paratici can pull this off, it would certainly be another one of his masterclass-like swoops.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs in talks for “phenomenal” £33m signing, he’s better than Bremer…

Kevin Phillips has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes Sunderland are “capable” of finishing in the automatic promotion places this season.

Lee Johnson’s team have won six of their previous seven League One matches to move into top-two contention, and have already enjoyed success in the Papa John’s Trophy following Sunday’s victory over Tranmere courtesy of Lynden Gooch’s second-half strike at Wembley.

Sunderland’s impressive recent form has seen them climb to fourth in the third-tier standings, just two points behind second-placed Peterborough United, who currently occupy the second automatic promotion place.Much of Sunderland’s good results have been down to the goals of Charlie Wyke, whose the League One top scorer with 21, and Phillips reckons that their automatic hopes could rely on the fitness and form of the former Bradford City striker.He told Football FanCast: “I think they’re hitting form at the right time. My only concern is if they were to lose Charlie [Wyke] or if he was to go off the boil, or if they were to lose [Aiden] McGeady, the two players that have been so influential in this run.“I think defensively they’re looking fairly solid, Dion Sanderson, whose come in, has looked really strong. From what I’ve seen, they’re capable of finishing in the top-two.”Sunderland travel to Accrington Stanley on Wednesday evening knowing another three more points could send them into the top-two for the first time since April 2019.

According to a report by Italian news outlet Tuttosport (via violanews.com), Tottenham Hotspur and managing director Fabio Paratici are eyeing Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Paratici on the prowl…

Since Paratici’s official arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there have been no shortage of links to star players in Serie A.

The likes of Domenico Berardi, Manuel Locatelli and Lorenzo Pellegrini are indeed just some of the names who have been mentioned alongside Tottenham.

Amid an exit saga surrounding superstar striker Harry Kane, Spurs could be on the lookout for possible replacements this summer, with Tuttosport now sharing news on Vlahovic.

The Latest: Vlahovic eyed by Spurs

As per the Italian newspaper (via violanews.com), Tottenham have their sights on Vlahovic but face competition from Serie A giants Juventus.

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The forward enjoyed a blistering 2020/2021 campaign and bagged 21 goals and two assists over 37 Italian top flight matches (Transfermarkt).

Regarded as one of the most promising strikers in Europe, it is believed that Paratici is now looking to Italy for new additions and could compete with his old colleague from Juventus, Federico Cherubini.

The Verdict: Do it…

Enjoying a remarkable season for Fiorentina, it’s safe to say Vlahovic would be a monumental coup for Spurs this summer.

Lauded as ‘incredible’ by Forza Italian Football chief Conor Clancy (via This is Futbol), his numbers certainly back that statement.

Alongside his goals, Vlahovic managed a threatening 2.3 shots per 90 over his Serie A appearances – even more than superstar Son Heung-min averaged last year at Spurs (WhoScored).

Former Italy international Antonio Di Natale is one of his many admirers and believes he is a ‘phenomenon’ (Rtv38 via TUTTOmercatoWEB).

With so much praise and a fantastic goal tally this season, it is hard to envisage the towering 6 foot 3 striker not being a success wherever he lands next.

In other news: ‘I am hugely surprised’…Sky pundit baffled by alleged transfer development at Spurs, find out more here.

Helder Costa will leave Leeds United if they sign Adama Traore from Wolves this summer, according to former England striker Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Costa struggles for playing time

The Whites enjoyed a triumphant return to the Premier League last season, finithing ninth in the table and playing some eye-catching football.

Numerous players had key roles for Leeds throughout the campaign, but Costa was more of a peripheral figure, starting just 13 league games.

The Portuguese has been linked with a move away from Elland Road this summer, even though his current deal doesn’t expire until 2024.

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The Latest: Winger tipped to leave

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips claimed he could see Costa moving on during the summer transfer window, especially if Leeds-linked Wolves winger Traore signed for the Whites:

“The way it’s looking at the moment, it would, unfortunately, probably be him.

“It would be quite ironic that he was at Wolves and it might well be another Wolves player coming in for him as well.

“It’s amazing how football works out like that sometimes, isn’t it?”

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The Verdict: Time for a fresh challenge

Costa is a player who boasts plenty of quality – he has been described as ‘very talented’ by former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo and still ended the league season with six goal involvements despite rarely starting – but now is the right time for him to move on.

That’s regardless of whether or not Leeds sign Traore, with the 27-year-old not an essential part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.

Given Costa’s aforementioned contract situation, Leeds should be able to receive a hefty fee for him too, with that money possibly being spent on new signings.

In other news, one Leeds player has been receiving some harsh criticism from a Premier League legend – find out who it is here.

Leicester City have reportedly made an offer to sign Florian Thauvin, according to Estadio Deportivo.

The report claimed that the East Midlands club offered him a four-year deal and a salary of €3.5m (£3m) per season, but Thauvin has not yet made a decision over his future at Marseille.

Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma and Napoli are also closely following any further developments with the player, but it has not been ruled out that he may leave in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Leicester should sign Thauvin

Brendan Rodgers’ team could do with a player like Thauvin in their ranks in order to boost the numbers in their squad for the 2021/22 season.

The 28-year-old has a lot of pedigree in the beautiful game, having won the World Cup with France back in 2018. He has been enjoying a good campaign so far, with no fewer than eight goals and a further nine assists in 37 games across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Football legend Paolo Maldini described him as a ‘high level’ player back in November of last year, which is noteworthy praise given the Italian’s glittering CV.

Currently rated at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, the French winger is certainly a player who the Foxes should be looking at signing come the end of the season.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ ace Leicester are eyeing!

After Tottenham Hotspur announced the establishment of a Club Advisory Panel and subsequent fan representation on the board (official), Alasdair Gold has relayed this news whilst lifting the lid on a crucial detail. 

The Lowdown: Super League shame…

Tottenham faced unrelenting criticism for their involvement in the European Super League saga, with the Lilywhites opting to join the breakaway division as a founding member alongside Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

After the backlash from supporters, Spurs quickly announced their withdrawal from the project and have been attempting to rebuild bridges ever since.

ENIC out protests have occurred outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the relationship between supporters and Spurs seems in a very delicate state.

The Latest: Gold relays Spurs board news after big announcement

In a move to garner trust with supporters, Tottenham officially announced and confirmed there will be fan representation on the board coupled with the establishment of a Club Advisory Panel.

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The head of this panel will be elected to the Tottenham Hotspur board as a non-executive and have full voting rights on all subjects brought forward affecting the club.

Gold, going into more detail, shares that these voting rights include all football-related matters on and off the pitch.

“The chair of the new Club Advisory Panel of fans, who will be elected to the Tottenham Hotspur board as a non-executive, will have full voting rights on matters decided by the board,” he explained on Twitter.

“For those asking, I’m told that also means the right to vote on all football matters put to the board.”

The Verdict: Good move, but still a way to go…

This move by the club will go some way to building bridges with supporters who have arguably lost a degree of trust after the ESL saga.

Tottenham fans being able to have a voice at the very top of Spurs could be huge in terms of major future decisions, especially Gold’s detail that the chair of this advisory panel will have full voting rights on every club topic, even matters on the pitch.

A step in the right direction to move on from what was a bleak week in the history of Tottenham, and Lilywhites can only hope this will go on to mark historic change.

In other news: 47-year-old now pushing strongly for Tottenham job, find out more here.

Sheffield United have confirmed Robin Olsen’s arrival at Bramall Lane.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the Sheffield United website, the Blades revealed that the AS Roma goalkeeper had completed his switch to the Championship side, with the 31-year-old linking up with Slavisa Jokanovic’s side on a season-long loan deal.

The statement went on to claim that, following Aaron Ramsdale’s move to Arsenal earlier this summer, United have filled the 23-year-old’s gloves with an established international ‘keeper in the form of Olsen.

Jokanovic will be buzzing

While losing the services of Ramsdale will have undoubtedly come as a blow to Jokanovic, who himself claimed that he had no intention of parting with the England international this summer, the fact that the club have managed to replace the departed shot-stopper with a ‘keeper as talented as Olsen is sure to have left the 53-year-old manager buzzing.

Indeed, the £14k-per-week man highly impressed over his seven Premier League appearances while on loan at Everton last season, keeping two clean sheets, as well as conceding an average of just 1.3 goals and making three saves per game.

These returns saw the man Alexander Isak dubbed an “incredible” goalkeeper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the Toffees’ 12th-best performer in the top flight.

The £2.7m-rated Olsen also impressed over his four appearances for Sweden at Euro 2020 this summer, keeping two clean sheets and making an average of 2.8 saves per match for his country – seeing him earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.05.

As such, the addition of the 48-cap shot-stopper certainly looks to be something of a coup for Sheffield United, with his last-minute arrival undoubtedly providing Jokanovic with a substantial boost at a time the Serbian manager desperately needs one – with his side currently sitting in 23rd place in the Championship standings.

In other news: Reliable journo sheds light on failed last-gasp SUFC swoop, Jokanovic will be fuming