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Former Premier League star Steve Howey believes that Arsenal have signed a very good player in Ben White.

The 23-year-old defender joined Arsenal from Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of last month for £50m, after a very good season with the Seagulls.

White was virtually ever present in the Brighton side in the Premier League only missing two games all season and helped the club to finish 16th in the league on 41 points.

As well as being able to play centre-back, White can also play in front of the defence as a defensive midfielder and also featured as a right-back and right midfielder for Brighton last season.

Howey was full of praise for the new Arsenal signing, telling Football FanCast: “I mean obviously you’ve got a versatile player in Ben White, he made the England squad, had a good season last season as well.

“I think you’re getting a very good player as I said he can play at the back, he can play in midfield. Gareth used him in a couple of games leading up to the Euros and he did play in those positions as well and did excellently well.”

Arsenal will be hoping to take their form at the end of last season into the new campaign. The Gunners ended the season with five straight victories, scoring eleven goals and conceding just two.

According to a report by Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici has now made an offer to sign Cagliari star Nahitan Nandez.

The Lowdown: Spurs enter Nandez chase…

As backed by reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have taken an interest in signing the Uruguay international – coming amid reports of unrest surrounding Tanguy Ndombele.

Daily Star reporter Paul Brown claimed last week that the Frenchman is now considering his options after being frozen out by Lilywhites boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Spurs are also apparently targeting new midfielders as a result, with Joao Palhinha, Denis Zakaria and Corentin Tolisso among the names being considered (Daily Star).

Now, Calciomercato bring an update on yet another midfield target for Tottenham.

The Latest: Paratici makes Nandez offer…

As per the Italian news source, Spurs are now ‘trying’ to sign the 25-year-old and managing director Paratici has personally made Cagliari an offer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, the Tottenham transfer chief, who is in charge of developing on-field sporting operations, has tabled an ‘onerous loan’ bid with an obligation to buy – with the ‘total operation’ amounting to €30 million (£25.5m).

This comes after Serie A giants Inter Milan abandoned their pursuit of the 41-cap dynamo as Paratici aims to take full advantage.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Out of all Spurs’ midfield targets, we believe Nandez has emerged as the biggest potential bargain of them all.

If Paratici can secure him by offering that loan with an obligation to buy deal, a total cost of around £25.5m looks like pocket change when taking into account his plaudits from the press.

Pundit Mina Rzouki of BT Sports and ESPN waxed lyrical over Nandez and called him ‘one of the most underrated players’ and ‘unstoppable’ on Twitter.

He is just nine international caps short of half a century at just 25, telling you all you need to know about Nandez’ standout performances for both Uruguay and at club level.

Tottenham should certainly bring him in as midfield reinforcement and it will be interesting to see how this link develops before August 31.

In other news: ‘I beg’, ‘Yessss’, ‘Omg’…Many Tottenham fans erupt as ‘perfect’ news emerges, find out more here.

As we’ve seen over time, making predictions about what young players will achieve in the game can be fraught with danger.

For every Wayne Rooney, there’s a Francis Jeffers waiting to bring you down to earth, but the 10 young players featured on this list do look primed for excellent Premier League careers.

Could any of them make the breakthrough in 2021/22? They’ll certainly hope so, as will the teams they play for.

Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)

Having leapt to prominence as the youngest player ever to appear in the Premier League, a spell at Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers last term has prepared Harvey Elliott for his first full season at Liverpool.

A nimble left-footer playing primarily on the right-hand side, Elliott could be the ideal understudy for Mo Salah at Anfield, and Jürgen Klopp is known to be a big fan.

At 18, Elliott is barely old enough to be served in a bar and still couldn’t legally play online casino games in Canada and beyond, but he already has a UEFA Super Cup winner’s medal, a Championship Young Player of the Season nod, and has broken the record for most assists from a teenager in the second tier in a single campaign (11).

Liam Delap (Manchester City)

There is something of a vacancy at Manchester City in attack after Sergio Agüero’s departure, and you wonder if Pep Guardiola will be tempted to throw Liam Delap into the mix?

The 18-year-old had a stellar campaign for the club’s development side last term, blasting 24 goals at a rate better than a goal per game.

Having already made his Premier League debut and scoring in the EFL Cup, Delap is very much knocking on the door of the Manchester City first team – could this be his breakthrough year?

Anthony Elanga (Manchester United)

The 19-year-old has already caught the eye of Manchester United fans after scoring a stunning goal in a pre-season friendly against Brentford.

This was no flash in the pan either, as the Swede notched nine goals in 16 games last season for the Under-23s team.

Able to play out wide or through the middle, Elanga has already netted his first Premier League goal and can expect to follow in the path of fellow youth-teamers-turned-Old-Trafford-stars Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

Marcelo Flores (Arsenal)

Born in Canada and representing Mexico at the youth level, Marcelo Flores has now settled in England at Arsenal.

He has performed well for the Under-18s team at the Gunners, and Flores is so mature for his age that he was even called up to the provisional Canada squad for their Gold Cup campaign, despite not yet making his first-team debut at Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is known for giving youth a chance, and so Flores could reap the rewards of that approach in 2021/22.

Harvey White (Tottenham Hotspur)

The hope is that a loan spell in lower-league football can work wonders for young talent.

Harvey White earned rave reviews for his 22-game spell at Portsmouth last term, and the hope is that he can kick on and challenge for a first-team place at Tottenham under Nuno Espírito Santo.

With 10 goal contributions for their Under-23s last term, alongside his stint on the South Coast, White is certainly heading in the right direction.

Louie Barry (Aston Villa)

Having become the first Englishman to join Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Louie Barry has been earmarked for success for some time.

Still only 18, he already has a winner’s medal from the Spanish ‘Juvenil’ division, plus a Youth Cup medal earned with Aston Villa last term. As if that wasn’t enough, he netted on his senior debut against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Averaging a goal a game for the Villa Under-23s, despite his fledgling years, Barry could yet figure for the first team this year, with Dean Smith fearless in his blooding of the club’s talented youngsters.

Jean Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

New Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has made it abundantly clear that he plans to play a more possession-orientated style in 2021/22.

This is bad news for the burly Christian Benteke, and may mean more game time for Jean-Philippe Mateta in attack instead.

The 24-year-old has scored goals for the likes of Mainz and Le Havre, but he wasn’t really given a chance to shine by Roy Hodgson – perhaps Palace’s new dawn could be to his benefit?

Conor Coventry (West Ham)

There are plenty of West Ham fans who think that Conor Coventry is good enough to play for the first team already, especially if Declan Rice moves to pastures new.

Coventry’s form in pre-season has been eye-catching, and with 15 caps for the Republic of Ireland at the Under-21 level, he already has some experience in big games.

Having signed a long-term deal at the club, and with a first-team debut in the EFL Cup to his name, Coventry looks set for an exciting career at the Hammers.

Nathan Broadhead (Everton)

At 23, success at Everton has been a long time coming for Nathan Broadhead.

The winger finally made his debut for Brighton’s first team last season, and this could prove the catalyst for a more concerted run in senior football.

He notched 11 goals for Everton Under-23s last term, mainly from the wide areas, and his eye for goal could come in handy at the Toffees as Rafa Benítez plots his first campaign in charge.

Sam Greenwood (Leeds United)

A young striker will always find it tough to usurp Patrick Bamford at Leeds United, but if you’re good enough, then Marcelo Bielsa will give you a chance – and Sam Greenwood certainly looks to have the ability to go far in the game.

Leeds won the development Division 2 last season with Greenwood finding the net 12 times – could he prove to be an able deputy for Bamford?

Many West Ham United fans want the club to sign Jonathan Bamba after they were linked with a move for the Lille forward this summer.

The end of the transfer window is fast approaching, but the Hammers have so far have made just one new signing in goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (Transfermarkt). That is despite being in the group stage of the Europa League this term, so they surely need to bring in some new players if they want to be competitive in four competitions.

According to The Daily Express, the Irons are interested in signing Bamba from Ligue 1 champions Lille, with the report describing him a transfer alternative to Jesse Lingard, who is set to stay at Manchester United.

Bamba is believed to be valued at £25m, which is a good fee for a player who managed seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions last term as he helped his side to a shock title triumph.

These Irons supporters appear eager for their club to sign the 25-year-old, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Bamba link

“That would be class”

Credit: @whualfie_

“please happen”

Credit: @ConorB0712

“Please”

Credit: @_Jwoodzy

“words can’t describe how much I want this to happen but I’m not gonna get my hopes up with these shambolic owners”

Credit: @G0atfal

“They need to make this happen, would much rather a young raw talent like Bamba join than a player who’s reluctant to join, Bamba would be incredible under Moyes no doubt.”

Credit: @_connorpoole_

“this would be such a good deal”

Credit: @Bennywhu

In other news, West Ham have agreed a deal to sign this defender.

An update has emerged on Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, regarding Liverpool’s interest in signing him next year.

What’s the talk?

According to InterLive, Liverpool are serious about signing Brozovic on a free transfer in 2022 and are ready to offer him £6m (€7m) per season in wages to arrive at Anfield.

The report claims that Inter are attempting to tie him down to a new contract and are willing to offer him £4.3m (€5m) per season in wages, with bonuses on top of that.

Fans would love him

Jurgen Klopp must ensure that he can reach an agreement to sign the 28-year-old on a free transfer next summer, or in January on a pre-contract deal. The Reds boss must convince Brozovic that Liverpool is the best club for him to take the next step in his career, rejecting Inter’s contract offer and allowing him to arrive at Anfield for nothing.

Liverpool fans would love him on Merseyside as he is a gifted, experienced midfielder, who could add some extra quality to Klopp’s midfield options. The £36m-rated Croatian international has been capped 63 times by his country and has made well over 200 competitive appearances for Inter, including exactly 200 in the Serie A.

Former Inter coach Luciano Spalletti admitted that the midfielder has ‘great quality’ and said that he is capable of playing as a striker. He said:

“Marcelo has great quality and the characteristics to play as a trequartista on the shoulders of a centre-forward.

“I am fortunate to have different players who can occupy that role and I’m rotating them. I don’t see a problem with that.

“It is certainly an option [to play a second striker]. We might be able to score some more goals but I always need to judge what the best balance for the team is.”

Last year, Inter midfielder Matias Vecino claimed that Brozovic was the best player in the Serie A side’s squad, ahead of the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku. He added:

“Marcelo is, for me, the best player we have in the squad. From the outside, you might get an image that is different from the reality. Marcelo is a special guy.”

Last season, Brozovic averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.03 in 33 Serie A appearances and he has scored an impressive 7.20 in his first two starts of the current campaign.

In fact, he has averaged a score of 7.03 or higher in his last six seasons for Inter, whilst Thiago was the only Liverpool central midfielder who managed a WhoScored rating above 6.82 in the Premier League last term.

This suggests that Brozovic, if he is able to translate his form over to England, could provide serious competition in the central midfield position. He has proven his quality over the last six years with Inter and is not a player coming off the back of just one good season.

This could give him a higher chance of coming in and being successful as he has shown he can do it over the course of a number of seasons – another reason why fans would love him as he could make an instant impact.

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes that Aston Villa were signing both Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey regardless of whether the club kept Jack Grealish or not this summer. 

Villa signed Buendia for fellow Premier League side Norwich City for a fee that according to Sky Sports could rise to £38m. Last season’s Championship Player of the Season penned a five-year deal at Villa Park and has started the new Premier League campaign featuring in all three of his new club’s matches, getting himself on the score-sheet against Brentford.

Leon Bailey put pen to paper on a deal that will run until 2025 with Aston Villa, with the club paying Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen £25m. The winger featured in his new club’s opening game of the season against Watford and provided an assist for John McGinn’s goal.

Hatfield believes that even if Jack Grealish had stayed with Aston Villa, both Buendia and Bailey would have been signed by the club, telling Transfer Tavern: “Buendia and Bailey, I think they were going to come in regardless.”

Villa had a good summer in terms of incomings to the football club as alongside Buendia and Bailey, the club also signed Danny Ings, Ashley Young and Axel Tuanzebe. Since their opening day defeat to Watford, Villa have collected four points from a possible six, with a victory against Newcastle United and then a draw against Premier League newcomers Brentford.

Liverpool’s convincing 3-0 victory over Leeds United was marred by the shocking injury sustained by Harvey Elliott, but their midfield appears to be in safe hands.

Spain international Thiago put in a stellar performance on his first start of the season, and he was able to play with such courage and attacking freedom thanks to the brilliance of Fabinho.

After collecting three points at Elland Road, Liverpool have now won the last nine games that the duo have started together in midfield, highlighting their effectiveness when paired together.

It perhaps would have been the easier and safer option for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp if he’d kept the diminutive gem on the bench for one week longer, allowing him to match the frenetic, all-action style of Leeds in the engine room.

However, that wasn’t the case. The German manager opted for the alternative option and chose a midfield full of thinkers rather than hard-working sprinters.

“That Liverpool midfield wasn’t perhaps the most athletic or mobile,” said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville on the Gary Neville Podcast after the game. “Klopp could have played Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Naby Keita to match Leeds up. But it was all about composure.

“Thiago reminded me of the way Paul Scholes played at Anfield. There would be a frantic spell in the game, and all of sudden, there would be a small guy in the middle of the pitch who would get his foot on the ball, and there would be calm and peace.”

And Klopp was rewarded for his tactically brave decision. During the 90 minutes, Fabinho made a whopping five interceptions, far more than anyone else on the pitch, as he constantly cut off Leeds’ attacks before they could really get going.

The South American provided the perfect platform for Thiago to showcase his true talent, and the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich ace duly obliged.

As per SofaScore, the 30-year-old made two key passes during his time on the pitch, created one big chance and capped off his fine afternoon’s work with an assist for Sadio Mane’s long-overdue strike in the final few minutes of action.

It felt like the game when the £27m-rated dynamo, who was once hailed as “extraordinary” by Barca and Spain legend Xavi, finally announced himself to English football after struggling with his fitness and underperforming teammates last season.

Injuries to key centre-backs robbed Thiago of the chance to build up a meaningful relationship with Fabinho in his maiden campaign on English shores, but it appears that the duo are about to make up for lost time in the months ahead.

One man who may suffer as a result is Keita, who failed to impress during his two top-flight starts of 2021/22, but Liverpool’s manager, fans and hierarchy alike are unlikely to care about that given the potential of their new formidable duo in the centre of the pitch.

And, in other news…LFC suffer potential blow in pursuit of “devastating” 24y/o gem, Klopp will be gutted 

Derby County have confirmed the arrival of Malcolm Ebiowei at Pride Park.

What’s the latest?

In a short statement posted on the Derby County website, the Rams confirmed that the 18-year-old had joined the club on a free transfer, putting pen to paper on a one-year deal following his completion of a medical.

The statement went on to touch on the attacking midfielder’s history, stating that he has represented both England and the Netherlands at international youth level, as well as spending time in both Arsenal and Glasgow Rangers’ academies.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering Derby’s troubles in the transfer market this summer, with Wayne Rooney having only been given permission to add a limited number of free agents and loan signings to his first-team squad as a result of an EFL imposed transfer embargo, the fact that the Rams have still been able to add players to their youth setup is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, while Ebiowei is yet to make a senior appearance in his career to date, the forward will nevertheless provide a further option for Rooney in attacking midfield over the course of what is sure to be a long and arduous Championship campaign for the Rams – who currently only have just 17 fit outfield players.

Furthermore, regardless of whether or not the 18-year-old does go on to feature for Derby this season, the fact that the club look to be planning for their future with the signing of an exciting young player would appear to be a positive step for the Championship side, who find themselves in their current mess as a result of signing a number of over-the-hill players on expensive contracts.

As such, regardless of everything going on behind the scenes at present, the signing of Ebiowei is undoubtedly good news for Rooney and his team.

In other news: John Percy drops fresh Derby County EFL update which will worry Rams fans

With Valerien Ismael having seen his West Bromwich Albion side labour to a disappointing 1-1 draw in their last Championship outing, the Frenchman would have undoubtedly been hoping for the Baggies to quickly get back to winning ways against Derby County on Tuesday evening.

However, despite dominating possession of the ball – 64% to 36 % – taking a total of 25 shots, creating three big chances and completing 166 more passes than Wayne Rooney’s side, Albion failed to make the breakthrough against the Rams, with the fixture ending 0-0.

As such, while the 45-year-old’s side maintained their position at the top of the Championship table ahead of Wednesday night’s round of games, as well as kept their unbeaten record in the second tier intact, the point against Derby will very much be viewed as two dropped rather than one gained.

Furthermore, perhaps unsurprisingly considering the result, a number of Ismael’s attacking players failed to impress against the Rams, with Callum Robinson, Karlan Grant, Jordan Hugill and Matt Phillips all receiving a distinctly average SofaScore match rating of 6.8.

However, it will undoubtedly be Albion winger Grady Diangana most disappointed with his performance on Tuesday.

Lost possession 23x

Indeed, over the 23-year-old’s 90 minutes on the pitch against Derby, the forward missed one big chance, failed with all three of his attempted dribbles and his one attempted long ball and found his man with just one of his four attempted crosses.

The £9m-rated man also gave away possession of the ball on 23 separate occasions, lost 73% of his duels, conceded two fouls and was dribbled past by an opponent once.

These returns saw the £36k-per-week winger earn a highly disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.2 for his efforts, with no player from either side receiving a lower score than the former England U21 international.

As such, with West Brom’s upcoming clash against Preston North End this Saturday now appearing to be something of a must-win game for Ismael, in order to quell any doubts that may be starting to creep in about the Frenchman, it would seem highly unlikely the 45-year-old will stick with Diangana for the fixture, as the 23-year-old badly failed his manager’s trust on Tuesday.

In other news: Journo reveals “complete” 27 y/o failed to secure WBA move, would’ve been a huge coup

Leicester City will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on Millwall in the third round of the Carabao Cup tonight.

The Foxes fell to successive Premier League defeats over the weekend after losing 2-1 against a much-improved Brighton and Hove Albion side, but they’ll be confident of getting a positive result this time around.

It has been a slow start to the new season for Leicester, who have now lost three of their opening seven games in all competitions, and Brendan Rodgers will be keen to get his side back on form as quickly as possible.

Nevertheless, their participation in the Europa League means that the Midlands outfit have a hectic schedule this season, meaning that several fringe players could get their chance to impress at The Den tonight.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the Foxes to line up against Millwall, with nine changes from side which started on the south coast on Sunday…

Welsh goalkeeper Danny Ward is expected to replace club captain Kasper Schmeichel between the sticks after impressing while on international duty.

Ahead of him is likely to be a much-changed back four, with Luke Thomas, Daniel Amartey and Timothy Castagne all coming into the starting XI. Caglar Soyuncu should keep his place in the side despite a tricky start to 2021/22 for both club and country.

The engine room will also have a rather unfamiliar feel to it as Hamza Choudhury and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall partner summer signing Boubakary Soumare in the middle of the park, allowing Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans a well-earned rest.

Rodgers could decide to rotate his forward line as well. The £49.5m-rated James Maddison is currently enduring a desperate run of poor form, so Marc Albrighton could partner Ademola Lookman and the exciting Patson Daka in attack.

In other news… Leicester liability who had just 62% passing accuracy had a nightmare against Brighton