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Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson has said that Jack Diamond’s performances in training could hand him a ‘bonus’ squad addition next term.

The 20-year-old attacker scored Harrogate’s third goal as they sealed promotion to the Football League for the first time in their club history, beating Notts County at Wembley.

The youngster proved himself to be a trusted regular in Simon Weaver’s side through the campaign, having moved on loan last summer to the North Yorkshire club.

Returning to the Stadium of Light this summer, Diamond has been taking part in pre-season training following his own comments made on his desire to establish himself at the club.

With Parkinson seemingly handing the forward a chance to impress in training, the Sunderland boss has now revealed that both he and Elliot Embleton have ‘impressed’.

“A bonus for us as a staff this week is that Jack Diamond has come in and looked really good,” Parkinson told the club’s new podcast, #SAFCUnfiltered.

“Elliot Embleton has trained and each day has looked better and better. Those two are kind of bonus players for us as well.

“So I’m not saying we’re looking for 10 players.

“Ideally we’d like to bring in another five and if we do that, we’ll then have cover in all areas.”
Harrogate boss Weaver would undoubtedly be waiting in the wings for a potential second loan if Diamond did not impress enough with the Wearsiders.

Diamond had a superb season last time out and he will be an obvious and superb addition to Sunderland’s squad if he can continue to impress behind the scenes.

Of course, it is normal for Parkinson to make an assessment but the youngster could be the type of player he needs to bolster his attacking setup.

Do you think Diamond can become a first regular? Let us know in the comments section below…

The summer transfer window is only heating up and while there have certainly been some bombastic deals already done, the serious business is about to begin soon. For Everton and Carlo Ancelotti, this very much still involves a hunt for attacking reinforcements to the team.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Toffees are among a couple of Premier League sides that are still scrambling for the signature of Celtic’s young starlet, Odsonne Edouard.

But the forward wouldn’t exactly come cheap. The same source says the Hoops value their man at around £40m but when everything is said and done, he could indeed be worth it.

Everton, in particular, have been keeping tabs on the U21 star and have already scouted him a couple of times, even before lockdown. However, they are hardly the only ones as Daily Mail mention both Newcastle United and Aston Villa are interested in acquiring his services.

The Scottish Premier League giants would also love nothing more than to keep their hitman but this is also seemingly becoming an increasingly more difficult task as time goes on.

Not to mention that their recent elimination from Europe won’t do them any good on that front. The squad is bound to experience some changes and Edouard might be one of the players who leave the club sooner rather than later.

Can Everton really snatch him up and win the race against their Premier League rivals?

We’ll have to wait and see.

Verdict

There is no doubting Edouard’s current level and he is a youngster on the rise. If his performances so far are any indication, the sky could be the limit for the young Frenchman.

Of course, that also makes him an expensive target and Ancelotti may have to splash the cash to outbid his rivals in this race.

Aston Villa may have just walked straight into a massive mistake as they appear to have missed out on one of their reported summer transfer targets…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher is set to join Midlands rivals West Brom on a season-long loan after signing a contract extension at Stamford Bridge.

Earlier this month, Villa were linked with interest in the 20-year-old midfielder but it seems as if Slaven Bilic has won the race this week.

Gallagher was also a target for fellow Premier League teams Crystal Palace and Leeds United.

New Barry?

It would have been interesting to see Dean Smith add another central midfielder to his ranks this window as he’s got a plethora of talent with the likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz.

But in Gallagher, they would have been getting their next Gareth Barry – a player who was the heartbeat of Villa’s midfield for the best part of 12 years thanks to his excellent intelligence.

The Blues starlet has been likened to both his current boss Frank Lampard as well as Lee Bowyer, who aren’t too dissimilar to Barry. Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews describes Gallagher as “a classic No 8.” who “has unbelievable energy” and “does the ugly side of the game.”

In two loan spells in the Championship last season, the midfielder provided six goals and 11 assists whilst averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.7 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

This merely emphasises his box-to-box abilities and why, at his young age, he could have become the new Barry at Villa Park. He’s clearly a threat at either end of the pitch.

You can’t help but feel that Johan Lange has made a huge blunder by not pushing to sign Gallagher this summer.

AND in other news, Johan Lange could be making one huge mistake if they sign £14m “monster”…

Arsenal defender Calum Chambers would be the perfect Deadline Day alternative to Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car after West Ham United failed in a late summer swoop.

What’s the word?

According to The Guardian, Caleta-Car has snubbed the chance of moving to the London Stadium after making clear that his intentions are to remain with Marseille and compete in the Champions League this season.

West Ham had attempted to sign the 24-year-old as David Moyes continues his search for a new centre-half, having identified the position as one of great need approaching Monday’s 11pm deadline.

The Irons are said to have lodged a bid worth close to £20million for Marseille’s Croatia international, although reports by The Sun suggested West Ham could offer as much as £25m while tabling a £150,000-per-week contract.

Attentions in east London are now expected to turn elsewhere with cheaper options such as Watford’s Craig Dawson a potential loan option. Arsenal’s Chambers and Swansea City’s Joe Rodon are also on the table having considered the benefits of such moves.

Chambers the perfect alternative

Having been dealt yet another blow in their search of a new centre-half by Caleta-Car having no desire to leave Marseille and Burnley refusing all offers for James Tarkowski, West Ham would be wise to see Chambers as the perfect alternative.

Arsenal have been actively looking to sell the 25-year-old this summer after opting to retain Rob Holding amid interest from Newcastle United, with prior reports by TEAMtalk suggesting the Gunners value Chambers at just £12m despite curiosity from Fulham, Leeds, the Toon and Hammers.

That would appear a relatively low fee for a player who has featured 21 times in the Europa League, won an FA Cup, earned 139 Premier League appearances and endured all of the emotions connected with relegation – something West Ham will be adamant of avoiding after last season’s close shave.

Chambers is also a player capable of holding down duties in midfield and at right-back as well as in his natural centre-half role, while offering a threat at both ends of the pitch with two top-flight strikes to his name in each position.

He is also more than comfortable in possession having averaged 78.5 touches per Premier League appearance last season, with which he recorded 46.9 accurate passes having misplaced just 10% of efforts made in his own half, per SofaScore. Chambers also registered 1.1 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 2.9 clearances, while winning 5.5 duels and playing 0.5 key balls for four big chances over the 2019/20 campaign.

AND in other news, West Ham United are considering a late move to sign a Premier League player who recorded just 0.8 key balls a game in 2019/20…

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are interested in signing Everton winger Theo Walcott before the end of the transfer window.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have brought in some fairly impressive signings thus far, with the likes of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis walking through the door at St James’ Park.

And now, with only a few days to go before the window slams shut, Steve Bruce’s side are keen on making further reinforcements. TEAMtalk claim that intermediaries have already spoken to Newcastle about a potential deal for Walcott, adding that numerous Premier League clubs, including West Ham and Crystal Palace, are interested in the winger’s services.

Worse than Joelinton

An England international well past his best, with a history of injuries, and on massive wages. Does that sound familiar to Newcastle fans?

15 years ago the Magpies brought in Michael Owen from Real Madrid for a then club-record fee, and watched the former Liverpool starlet’s career at St James’ Park go from bad to worse. In the end, he managed just 79 games for the club, which is quite staggering given that he missed a total of 78 games alone due to a cruciate ligament rupture, let alone all the other niggling injuries he had as well.

Just like Owen’s move to the Magpies turned out to be an expensive disaster, so too does this potential move for Walcott. Now 31, he has endured a major downturn in form since his departure from Arsenal a couple of seasons ago, scoring a disappointing 11 times in 84 games for the Toffees.

In fact, when you compare some of his underlying stats to Newcastle’s big-money signing from last summer, Joelinton, it doesn’t look favourable at all. As per Whoscored, Walcott averaged 1.2 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League season. The Magpies’ Brazilian on the other hand, managed 1.3 shots, 0.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per match.

Whilst the transfer fee wouldn’t be too huge, the eye-watering £100k-a-week wages he is reportedly on at Goodison Park makes this all the more worrying from a Newcastle perspective. Add that to his Owen-esque injury record (he too has had an ACL injury and muscle problems), and it becomes move they simply have to avoid.

And in other news, this Newcastle transfer flop surely has to be Mike Ashley’s biggest disaster.

Newcastle United had conversations about potentially making a move for Watford striker Troy Deeney this summer, but the Magpies opted not to make any formal move for the 32-year-old.

Steve Bruce had been looking to add to his attacking options during the summer transfer window. That came after last season’s club-record signing Joelinton struggled in front of goal registering just two league goals last term. Newcastle eventually opted to bring in Callum Wilson from Bournemouth in a £20 million deal.

Magpies opted against move for experienced marksman

Deeney has been the subject of firm interest throughout the summer following Watford’s relegation from the Premier League. Both West Brom and Tottenham Hotspur had been amongst the clubs interested in the forward. While Newcastle also discussed the prospect of bringing him to St James’ Park, as per The Athletic.

The 32-year-old registered ten goals for a struggling Watford striker in the Premier League last term, despite suffering an injury layoff. Deeney also averaged 1.2 shots per game and created eight big chances, as per Sofascore. That shows he could still have had plenty to offer in the top-flight.

However, despite the interest in Deeney it now looks like he will stay with Watford and attempt to help them get back into the Premier League, as per The Athletic. Newcastle’s interest in the forward was never made concrete with Bruce managing to get his preferred target of Wilson through the door instead.

Deeney could have added different qualities to front line

The forward is very much a different kind of striker to Wilson. Deeney has the ability to link the play more than the 28-year-old, evidenced by him creating eight big chances last term. The forward’s form a few years ago had Alan Shearer labelling him as ‘outstanding’ and deserving of an England call-up, and he could have quite simply been a better version of Andy Carroll.

However, Wilson is much more of a natural finisher having already scored four goals in four league matches this term, as per Sofascore. Given the choice between the two Bruce made the right decision in going for a younger and more fox in the box type forward.

Toon Army, would Deeney have been a good signing for Newcastle? Let us know your thoughts below!

Speaking to Italian radio station Radio Punto Nuovo, via Tuttomercatoweb, Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has confirmed that striker Arkadiusz Milik could leave Napoli, with the reporter saying ‘I know that Milik wants to find a team in January’. 

Echoing these reports, another Italian outlet – Area Napoli – has relayed Di Marzio’s update whilst claiming Tottenham’s interest in bringing the forward to north London is ‘still alive’.

Milik heading for Spurs?

In addition, another potential boost for Spurs supporters is the rumour that Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis would be willing to accept a figure as low as £6.3m for the Poland international.

Milik was one of the names on Daniel Levy’s wish list in the summer transfer window, with the Tottenham chairman considering him as a back up to Harry Kane (Alasdair Gold).

Eventually, Spurs opted to bring in Carlos Vinicius on a season-long loan deal with a £40m option to buy, but these reports now claim Milik may still move to England in January with Spurs keeping a firm watch.

Even though Vinicius and Kane now bolster the striking positions under Jose Mourinho, another option for a potentially meagre seven-figure fee wouldn’t exactly hurt.

Transfer Tavern take

Amassing 54 caps for his country, Milik is an established attacker with a proven record, having netted 14 goals last season in all competitions.

His 6 foot 1 frame, and his endorsement from Carlo Ancelotti as ‘sensational’, all points to a prolific alternative striking option who fits the Mourinho mould.

Whether or not Levy takes the plunge remains to be seen, but at such a meagre value, there appears to be very little to lose.

In other news: This ‘unbelievable’ Spurs ace could soon leave Mourinho and co behind, find out who here and don’t forget to comment below with your views.

Despite Crystal Palace signing Nathaniel Clyne on a free in the summer, he is only contracted until January. This has clearly been noticed as the club are now being linked with right-back Djed Spence.

The latest reports on Spence

In the past, it was suggested that Middlesbrough have reportedly set a £10m price tag on Spence, with manager Neil Warnock comparing him to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

He said: “If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now — the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace [Aaron Wan-Bissaka] — they are all the same type as Djed.”

Now it is suggested by TEAMtalk that Middlesbrough face a battle to keep hold of the attacking full-back beyond January’s transfer window. Everton, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are all keen on the defender.

Would the defender be a good signing?

The right-back is only a teenager but made 22 appearances last season, winning 1.2 tackles a game, via WhoScored. He has also helped keep seven clean sheets last season, per Transfermarkt, and these statistics bode well for the youngster and highlight that he has considerable potential. With other Premier League sides interested in the teenager, it emphasises the scale of his potential.

Summer signing Nathan Ferguson is still injured and Clyne might not sign an extension. As a result of this, Joel Ward could be the only right-back available at the club post-January.

All this makes the possible transfer look like an astute signing. It could be a real coup for the South London side if they beat other sides to Spence’s signature.

In other Palace news, CPFC fans have been reacting to one Premier League star being linked to the club. Find out who it is here!

Harry Winks could be facing a surprise Tottenham Hotspur exit after an inconsistent start to the 2020/21 season. Alan Hutton has discussed the midfielder’s situation and believes that he could have some “big decisions” to make as the January transfer window approaches.

“I think over the coming months, you’re going to see a lot of these talks, especially when you’re coming up to a transfer window, because everybody’s got their eye on the Euros, everybody wants to be in the squad,” he told Football Insider. “He’s [Winks] either going to have to sit down with Mourinho and say: ‘What’s my plan moving forward, am I going to be a starter? If not, I need to look elsewhere.’”

Indeed, whilst the 24-year-old has fallen down the pecking order recently, Jose Mourinho will not want to see him leave the club.

Why Spurs must keep hold of Harry Winks

The three-time Premier League winner is an admirer of the midfielder and spoke highly of his “improving” status during a press conference in February. Mourinho applauded his spatial awareness and the rate of hard work he has been putting into his performances.

Similarly, Jamie Redknapp has heaped praise on Winks’ role in this Tottenham side and recently described him as “the glue” that holds the team together. The ex-Spurs man also went on to discuss how his position under Mourinho allows January signing Giovani Lo Celso to roam further up the field and join the attack.

Although Spurs recruited Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg over the summer, Winks had the better overall defensive performance last season. According to WhoScored, the former Southampton man had a rather disappointing passing accuracy of 78.1% whilst Winks boasted 90.3%. He also committed less fouls per match (0.8) and was dribbled past less times on average (1.2) than Hojbjerg’s numbers of 1.4 and 1.6 respectively.

This campaign, Winks has again been caught out less times by a dribbling attacker (1) and has less fouls per 90 minutes (0.5) to the Dane’s 1.5 and 1.8.

The England international still has a role to play in this Spurs side, which is currently undergoing a huge makeover. Mourinho’s engine room is struggling to create chances for star players Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, fielding Winks will allow his midfield partners to get forward and help catch the opposition off guard. Hojbjerg tends to juggle both an attacking and defending role, which could be why he is so prone to giving away free-kicks and being dribbled past.

Tottenham will regret the decision to sell Winks, especially with his current £75,000 per week contract running until 2024. If Mourinho values his contribution, he must let the player know and give him more time on the pitch to convince him to stay.

In other news, Spurs have perfect chance to offload Dele Alli as Leeds are linked…

Leeds may well have dodged a bullet by not giving in to the demands of Norwich City during their pursuit of signing Todd Cantwell over the summer. The Whites had eyed up the rising star as a top priority target to bolster their squad, but their £15million offer was not be enough to sway the Canaries.

Instead, Norwich decided that they wouldn’t shift on wanting £20million for the midfielder’s services, which forced Leeds to drop their interest. Now, according to Football Insider, this is something that they regret as they wish they’d have cashed in during the summer window.

However, for Leeds, this will be viewed as a Get out of Jail Free occasion. Cantwell has declined since the Canaries relegation last season and has been struggling with injury too.

Leeds right not to push for Cantwell

Despite being a hot transfer target eyeballed by the likes of Liverpool, the 22-year-old has hit a dip in his form. He has gone from being lauded as a “god-given” talent by his former youth Gary Cockaday, to struggling against the likes of Championship relegation candidates Wycombe.

Cantwell has made just five appearances under Daniel Farke this season, missing five matches through two separate injuries and he was left on the bench against Bristol City in his last-named feature (via Transfermarkt).

If the midfielder is becoming injury-prone, this will see him slip dramatically down the pecking order at Carrow Road. Particularly if he is struggling to make an impact in front of goal, he risks being left on the bench more and more as Norwich push to return to the Premier League.

Indeed, it could have been a similar scenario at Leeds. Marcelo Bielsa has already made some cut-throat decisions to his team this campaign, with Premier League survival in mind. Jamie Shackleton was recently axed from the squad after disappointing against Leicester and Pablo Hernandez also risks being permanently dropped, if not sold, for his recent actions.

Bielsa needs doers and Cantwell is not currently showing signs of being a player the Argentinian would want in his squad. Another of the midfielder’s youth coaches, Darren Huckerby, admitted that Cantwell would often get “intimidated” by other players on the pitch. Whilst this is a trait he may have grown out of, a manager like Bielsa cannot take the risk of signing a player who is afraid to give every game his all.

Whilst at the time, it seemed like the Whites missed out on a huge signing, Victor Orta made the right decision by not bowing to Norwich’s demands and splashing £20million on a player who, based on his recent performances, may not have impressed Bielsa.

In other news, Leeds will be forced to take a loss on this disappointing senior player…