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Summer Transfer Talk 10th August 2023

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SPURS

I thought the Harry Kane deal was going to be done this week. I had a feeling that Bayern were going to bid just enough to lure Daniel Levy and Tottenham into a sale but the story rumbles on. The new premier league season is just 2 days away now and it has been reported that if he plays in that first game he will be here for the whole season. Bayern have upped their bid to around £95m in a last ditch attempt but will they get the move through.

While Harry Kane is clearly worth more than some of the players that have been going for £100-120m he is a different animal at 30 years old so represents no resale value, which is becoming increasingly more popular in todays market. Clubs need to have something at the end but really this is Kane’s last big move so Bayern are reluctant to pay ridiculous money for him. Bayern do have a blueprint for this with Robert Lewandowski who was then allowed to leave very cheaply aged 34/35 after smashing in the goals for years.

 

CHELSEA

Chelsea are still active in the market which is pretty crazy after their last 2 windows and Pochettino even coming out to say they have not got any depth in centre midfield. They are letting Casadei go out on loan, they have Andrey and have just bought Ugochukwu in, both central midfielders as well as Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, it’s just they want a more seasoned, premier league ready central midfielder. They are still in the hunt for Caicedo with talks apparently going well.

Chelsea’s last bid was around the £90m mark but Brighton are holding out for a figure over £100m with £90m the base up front fee. Interesting news coming from Italy is Juventus are interested in a swap deal involving Lukaku and Dusan Vlahovic. I have thought for a few years that Vlahovic is ready made for the Premier League, with his pace, power and raw physicality a threat for anyone. He didn’t have the most prolific year last year but Juve were in turmoil off the pitch so I think it would be wise to look past that.

 

BREAKING NEWS

Regarding Chelsea they have just made a £48m bid for Romeo Lavia, after Liverpool have had 3 bids rejected. And Kepa, has been subject of a loan bid from Bayern Munich to replace the outgoing Yann Sommer. Remember they have just signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton to compete for first choice at Chelsea.

 

LIVERPOOL

Over to Liverpool as that Romeo Lavia deal is going to affect them. Who is their next choice? It seemed they had all their eggs in this basket but maybe they’re slow negotiation is going to haunt them here? I still think they desperately need a right back, they have Trent and Calvin Ramsey but will Trent play in midfield? If so they are very light at Right Back. They could go for someone like Joe Gomez who has played there before if they go for a Man City like system. At Man City they play Walker and he doesn’t really bomb on, hes there to support the 2 centre backs, tuck inside to make a 3 and move into central midfield at times so maybe that’s what Klopp will go for.

 

WEST HAM

West Ham finally seem to be making progress in the market. Scamacca however is on his way to Atalanta, for around £27m. I had high hopes for him but he just couldn’t settle in England and fitness was an issue,. I’m sure he will bang the goals in back in Italy. Harry Maguire looks set to join the club, a fee of around £30m agreed. I know he gets ridiculed for his Man Utd performances but I think West Ham is the perfect choice for him. They like to sit deeper and play on the break.

They also place heavy emphasis on set pieces, with the likes of Soucek and Zouma also major threats. Which is why James Ward-Prowse is also perfect for them. Another £30m fee agreed, and this would be a bargain in my opinion. He is the best dead ball specialist the premier league has ever seen. You could argue David Beckham but JWP is going to have far more free kick goals and assists, and i think his delivery has more pace and dip than prime Beckham.

Don’t believe me? Go back and watch some old Beckham clips, there is a lot of curl but lacks a bit of pace, and the game has become much faster. Edson Alvarez from Ajax is another £35-40m signing on the verge of completion so that would be 3 players for the same price as they got for Declan Rice but they are sensible, solid signings.

 

Stay tuned to Football Kids for more transfer news, premier league predictions, previews and much more. Let me know who you think the best transfer of the window so far is?

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Aston Villa

Summer Transfer Talk 26th July 2023

Emirates Stadium Home To Arsenal Football Club

Well there really is only one place to start this week. And that is with a certain French footballer by the name of Kylian Mbappe, you may have heard of him! Already earning a reported £2m per week as well as bonuses he has locked horns with the owners and cheque writers at PSG. so much so that he was left out of recent pre-season games and forced to train alone. 

 

While that isn’t uncommon, we are talking about one of, if not THE most talented player on the planet right now. It all really comes down to money, and the look from the outside is unsavoury. Mbappe is happy to sit on the bench all year because he knows he is going to get a £100m loyalty bonus before he can leave for free. 

 

Reports in the media suggest he has been speaking with Real Madrid and already has an agreement in place for a £160m signing on bonus as well as high wages.If that’s true it is illegal and against the laws of the game for someone under contract but it is a sort of unwritten rule, and widely known that this goes on so therefore it goes unchallenged and unreported. 

 

Nonetheless it is troubling that a player can just down tools and say I’m not playing and collect a ridiculously high bonus, while also agreeing other deals elsewhere outside of his or her own contractual boundaries. The players now run the game, you only have to look back 25 years or so when the clubs had huge power and the Bosman ruling was brought in to allow players a way out of a club at the end of a contract. Now it seems to have gone too far the other way, but I can’t see it changing soon with a new influx of cash from Saudi Arabia poisoning the game.

 

Back to the story though, Mbappe has been subject of a £259m bid and apparently it has the option that he can leave for Real Madrid next year as he had planned while picking up £30m a week in wages. The numbers are eye watering but if they are able to pull this deal off, whether he stays for 1 year or longer, this is a huge coup, will bring broadcasters and Media companies to the table who will want to show Mbappe matches it will represent a sliding doors moment for the country. Think of it as a £1bn marketing budget. Huge corporations around the world spend this already to advertise their own products, whether that’s Google, Apple, Mcdonalds and so on.

 

My gut feeling is he will actually go for a year, the money is almost too much to turn down, and I believe Mbappe to be a fairly narcissistic money driven player, or that’s how it comes across and he will take the money. We will see if we have a concrete deal by this time next week.

 

Back to the UK, Henderson has now completed his deal to Saudi for £13m. West Ham are scrabbling around for players. They are looking at James Ward-Prowse again after having a bid rejected for Conor Gallagher, and being told a massive price for Scott McTominay. I think they should pay what it takes to get JWP, he is a quality player, years of experience in the premier league and brings leadership they will have lost with Declan Rice. They are also apparently in for Harry Maguire.

 

Aston Villa have been doing there business quietly and efficiently this summer. They look a real threat, Unai Emery is a top manager, they have some quality players already and have signed Tielemans and Pau Torres already. Now they have tied up a deal for Moussa Diaby who had been linked with a clutch of top clubs across Europe. He also had a massive offer from Saudi Arabia which he has turned dow to join this exciting project at Villa. Could they be the big surprise for the upcoming season.

 

Manchester City still haven’t sealed the deal for Josko Gvardiol, and a lot of players have already left with more potentially going. Not many other rumours to be fair to replace them but if there was a team to trust to get their transfer business correct then it’s Man City. Man Utd are still in the hunt for Atalanta Hitman Rasmus Hojlund, but £60m seems steep for a player who has scored just 8 Serie A goals thus far. We will see if there is further negotiation. Dean Henderson looks close to a loan deal to Nottingham Forest and Anthony Elanga has signed permanently for a fee of £15m.

 

Stay tuned to Football for Kids for more transfer news and please let us know what you’d like to know or hear about next!

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Arsenal

Summer Transfer Talk 21st June 2023

Another week, and plenty more rumours and deals to satisfy us all. With the international matches now completed, England were sensational by the way, the players have all gone off for their Summer holidays. After the longest season in history, their holidays won’t be long as most will be back by the 2nd week of July for pre-season.

 

That doesn’t stop deals being made between clubs and agents are in overdrive. Saudi Arabia’s march to buy every player on the planet continues, Kante has been sealed, Ruben Neves is expected to sign in the next coming days for a £47m fee. A lot of this is convenient, as Wolves were facing FFP difficulties.

 

A clutch of Chelsea players are set for the Middle East, inlcuding Eduoard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech, Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku. The targets are becoming more adventurous, and the ages and profile of the player is becoming more exciting. By moving for players more in their prime, Saudi Arabia could become a disruptor in the market in the longer term.

 

I am also a boxing fan, and I was hoping we would have seen Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk by now, but because of Saudi money this fight has not been made. This is happening in other sports, and I’m not sure it’s a good thing for sport as a whole. It will be interesting to see who has made the move to the Petro state by the end of the Summer Window.

 

Could Mbappe be on the move? It is still unlikely at this stage, but with only one year left on his deal, and the optional year held by the player not the club, I wouldn’t rule it out. The player has stated he is not going to extend that, but also he is prone to U-turns. President Macron, whom Kylian is close to has apparently tried to persuade him to stay in France but it looks like he has his heart set on the Spanish goliaths Real Madrid. Whether they have the budget is the thing, they have just shelled out £115 for Jude Bellingham but I’m sure they could rustle a few quid from their luxury sofas if they needed to. 

 

On to the Premier League and the main story of course is around Declan Rice, his favoured move is to Arsenal and they have 2 bids rejected. One at £80m and on at £90m, both structured and apparently with unrealistic bonuses. West Ham have rejected both out of hand, as they are holding out for a British transfer record fee which is the £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish’ services. I think Arsenal are making a mistake by stalling here, as Manchester City are prowling and other clubs are interested.

 

Arsenal are also bidding for Kai Havertz of Chelsea, a £60m fee mooted. It seems such a strange one for me, but again Bayern Munich are very keen on him too. In my opinion he is one of those players who promises much, but constantly under delivers. Jurrien Timber of Ajax has been subject of a £30m bid too, although competition is expected to be fierce here, with Manchester United very keen (Ten Hag worked with him at Ajax) as well as Romeo Lavia of Southampton, so bids in but nothing signed yet.

 

Manchester City are close to signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, does this signal the end for Ilkay Gundogan, who was Pep Guardiola’s first signing? They are also in for Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol who I have been keeping an eye on for a few years since his Dinamo Zagreb days and he could be the best defender in the world, that isn’t a joke.

 

Manchester United are trying to ship out a few players first, Harry Maguire, Jaden Sanchio potentially. Fred has interest from Fulham if a fee can be agreed. Their key target at the moment is definitely Mason Mount, 2 bids have been made, the current one £50m but that is expected to be rejected with Chelsea wanting £70m. The player is set on a move so its just a matter of time. They also want “the next Haaland”, Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta, but that’s a complicated deal, Atalanta are tough negotiators.

 

Liverpool are still looking for midfielders, James Ward-Prowse has appeared on their shortlist, as well as Kephren Thuram and Manu Kone who looks an exciting young player. No concrete bids on the table as far as I’m aware.

 

Tottenham’s Son has been subject of a bid from the Middle East and all has gone quiet on the Harry Kane front, looking increasingly more likely to stay at the club. A big boost for them. Harry Maguire has been touted, and I think he has a point to prove, but I don’t think he’s the right fit for Ange Postecoglou’s approach as he loves a high line and Maguire just doesn’t have the pace.

 

For now the rest of the league are just drawing up their targets, but if there’s any breaking news, we will be on top of it here at Football For Kids. Let us know your thoughts or transfer rumours in the comments, catch you next week!

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Arsenal

Summer Transfer Talk 14th June 2023

£20 notes

Well a lot changes in a week in football. Developments and steps have been made in the market. Declan Rice looks on the verge of joining Arsenal. I reported as much last week however I had my doubts as to whether Arsenal could win trophies and he would actually sign. Looks like £100m up front with a few add-ons is enough to get this deal over the line, and Arsenal are continuing to build an exciting young squad. They are still hopeful of signing Moises Caicedo, too from Brighton to fully overhaul that central midfield but we shall see as they have lots of competition for his signature.

 

Tottenham are rumoured to have agreed personal terms with David Raya of Brentford, who in my opinion was the best goalkeeper in the Premier League last season. His distribution is exceptional and he had the highest save percentage in the whole league. But David De Gea wins the Golden Glove? Don’t get me started on that! So just a fee to be agreed between the clubs, Tottenham want to pay £20m, Brentford want £40m, but a deal looks close.

 

The Harry Kane interest seems to have died down, and it looks ever more likely he will stay at the club. With only a year left on his contract though, will he sign a new one or leave for free next Summer? Daniel Levy is insistent he will not sell to a rival and Real Madrid look like they are now on high alert with Kylian Mbappe as a replacement for Benzema, who departed for the Saudi League.

 

And what’s going on with that now? Benzema and Kante this week have gone, Lukaku, Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and more are being strongly linked. No one was taking them seriously but if this keeps happening for a few years then they may become a serious threat to European leagues. Not necessarily the premier leagues best stars, as the economics are far higher than other leagues but one to be wary of.

 

Newcastle have been linked with a couple of players. Harry Maguire for £30m, seems a strange one for me, but he would certainly have a point to prove and under the right management he may still have a lot to offer. Great experience, in both International and European competition, he would aid in thickening their squad for the Champions League campaign this season. Talks of a double raid from Leicester City emerging for both Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, although Leicester ant £60m for the latter. For a man with one year left on his deal, it looks to be a waiting game there, Leicester can’t afford to lose him for nothing but £60m is unrealistic given their position.

 

Chelsea are busy as usual, many ins and outs on the cards. Outs will include Kepa, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Aubameyang and possibly Trevoh Chalobah. Mateo Kovacic looks close to signing for Manchester City, seems kind of a strange deal to me, but perhaps he is a replacement for Gundogan who hasn’t renewed a contract yet. Andre Onana, Inter Milans superb keeper has reportedly agreed personal terms and a fee should be agreed. They are also looking to raid the other half of Milan for their keeper Mike Maignan but the player and club seem much more resistant. A much more exciting development might be the Victor Osimhen rumour. It will take a fee over £100m but they need a number 9 and he would be exceptional for many years.

 

The main story this week though is still the ongoing saga with the Manchester United takeover. It still isn’t completed but it doesn’t seem to be stopping them in the market. The thought I’ll leave you with this week though is if they do get taken over should they go all out for Mbappe and really try to challenge Man City?

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