This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
The Athletic have indicated that Chris Hughton could take over as West Ham United manager if Manuel Pellegrini is sacked.
What’s the story?
Pellegrini is certainly a man under pressure, with his Hammers side having not won a single one of their last eight games across all competitions.
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This has already led to talk around who could take over from the Chilean if he is to be dismissed, with The Athletic stating that Rafael Benitez won’t be heading to East London, but Hughton could.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion manager is said to be interested in the role, while he also has support at London Stadium.
ExWHUemployee has also said that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the 60-year-old in charge of the men in claret and blue at some stage this season.
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Early speculation
There are other options available to West Ham, with Sean Dyche having approached the club already, according to ExWHUemployee.
This indicates that there are options for the Hammers, but there should be a reminder that Pellegrini hasn’t actually vacated his role just yet.
Lukasz Fabianski continues to miss out through injury, so any incoming manager would still have one of the Chilean’s biggest problems, which is the goalkeeper situation.
This was highlighted on the weekend, as goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane were added to the list of those Roberto has conceded too easily since deputising for the Poland international.
Therefore, it should still be questioned as to whether now is the right time for West Ham to change the manager.
Whether or not it should be done immediately, it doesn’t seem as though discussion surrounding possible candidates to replace him will be going away anytime soon.
Leeds United should have been heading into the international break with a very impressive Championship away win versus Sunderland under their belt until the inexplicable happened at the death at the Stadium of Light.
Illan Meslier had other ideas, as the nervy Leeds goalkeeper somehow misjudged picking up a ball in the dying moments of the game, which ended up handing the Black Cats a share of the points in a 2-2 draw.
However, minus this moment of madness from the ex-Lorient ‘keeper, the defensive unit in West Yorkshire had been tight in recent league clashes, with only five second-tier goals shipped prior.
There’s definitely more confidence amongst the Leeds ranks with the likes of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk at the back when compared with one centre-back flop who struggled all across his stay in England.
Robin Koch's struggles at Leeds
Purchased in the same disastrous transfer window that saw duds such as Helder Costa and Diego Llorente enter the building, Robin Koch proved to be another expensive misfire on Leeds’ end when arriving from SC Freiburg in the summer of 2020.
He would end up costing the Whites a hefty £13m, money that should have been better spent on recruiting a more comfortable option for the level, with Koch never settling in well to his new surroundings.
Leeds defender Robin Koch.
The lofty 6 foot 4 defender only made 17 league appearances in total during his first season, owing to an injury-disrupted second portion of the campaign, whilst later terms saw his time in West Yorkshire unravel due to abject performances at the back.
The atrocious year of 2022/23 from Leeds’ perspective, which saw the Whites fall back down to the Championship, was the final straw for the below-par German, who collected just five clean sheets in league action from 36 contests.
It’s fair to say the move now goes down as a failure, even if Koch was complimentary of the club on his exit this January, after making his switch to Eintracht Frankfurt permanent.
It feels like even more of a misstep when you take into account who Leeds could have got in over the inconsistent German, with a one-time Whites target then going on to be a £50m buy for a Premier League giant down the line.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
The player Leeds could have signed over Koch
The player in question is Arsenal star Ben White, who was keen on a permanent move to Elland Road in the summer of 2020, having helped his loan employers triumphantly return to the Premier League under the expert guidance of Marcelo Bielsa.
Ben White
The lively former Leeds manager took a real shining to White when the pair were together in West Yorkshire, with the now more experienced 27-year-old playing every single minute of action available to him in the second tier during the successful 2019/20 season.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig would even refer to the wide-eyed White as a “warrior” when playing in the Championship, with his time at Leeds extremely formative.
Season
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Clean sheets
24/25
5
0
0
3
23/24
37
4
4
13
22/23
38
2
5
9
21/22
32
0
0
13
Sourced by Transfermarkt.
He has never looked back since joining Arsenal either, with his 2022/23 season going far more swimmingly than Koch’s back at the Whites, picking up five assists when playing out from the back for Mikel Arteta’s men.
White would have been a far more appropriate fit for Bielsa’s men right after promotion over Koch, but the four-time senior England international agreed a new deal with Brighton and Hove Albion instead, after a return move to Elland Road unfortunately collapsed.
White even openly stated that he was ‘disappointed’ about a reunion never materialising, as per his agent, but he is more than content in North London right now, whilst Leeds are still left to rue their decision-making by shopping in Germany for Koch.
Leeds had interest in £25m PL star in the making but kept Bamford instead
The Whites were reportedly interested in signing the centre-forward in 2021.
In the 1982 European Cup final Aston Villa proudly triumphed over Bayern Munich. Sadly, they were not ready for the next 40-odd years.
The Villans have rarely dined at Europe’s top table since that famous night but they are back and poetically, they’re beating Bayern again.
Wednesday night’s win encapsulated what’s so special about football, what’s so special about the Champions League. We’ve hopefully waved farewell to any Super League nonsense – a competition that would have deprived a club like Villa of this famous evening.
Unai Emery’s men were brilliant. Pau Torres was a pillar at the back, Emi Martinez proved why he’s one of the game’s best and Jhon Duran, oh Jhon Duran, you’re a little bit special, aren’t you?
You’re just going to lob one of football’s best-ever goalkeepers? Of course, you are. It was stunning, it was effortless, it was oh-so excellent.
Jhon Duran
So, Villa have two wins from two in the Champions League, this is all a bit easy, isn’t it? It raised a colossal smile and roar from Prince William and no doubt from another famous fan Tom Hanks. Somewhere, former club captain Jack Grealish will have been delighted too. Imagine if they had him in their ranks last night.
Well, as it happens, they may well have just discovered their next Grealish.
Aston Villa's new Jack Grealish
A boyhood Villlan, the England international decided to leave for pastures new in a record-breaking deal back in 2021.
He was leaving behind the club of his dreams – of course it was going to be emotional – but few could blame him for exiting when Manchester City came calling. Few could blame Christian Purslow and Co for not accepting a mega £100m fee either.
At the time, he became the most expensive player in British football, a record that has since been broken by Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.
Have City got bang for their buck? Arguably not. Having scored 32 goals and registered 41 assists in 213 outings for Villa, he has since found the back of the net just 14 times in 133 games for City. That’s around £7m for every single goal he’s scored.
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2020/21
27
7
10
2019/20
41
10
8
2018/19
35
6
8
2017/18
34
3
8
2016/17
34
5
5
2015/16
21
1
1
2014/15
24
0
3
That said, he’s still a marvellous player and entertained many at Villa throughout the early stages of his career.
To receive such a massive fee for an academy player was no doubt a proud moment, and they may well get a similar fee for a certain Duran, who is just going from strength to strength under Emery’s tutelage.
Jhon Duran's impact this season
The man is a monster, there’s not much else to say really. Shall we wrap this article up now?
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
We jest, of course, but the Colombian forward is beginning to show this season the very reason clubs like Chelsea were interested in signing him over the summer.
We have seen flashes of his brilliance over the last year or so but eyebrows were raised when a player with just five Premier League goals to his name was linked with Stamford Bridge.
Well, in the early stages of the new campaign he’s already nearly matched that tally, scoring four top-flight goals in just six games and 157 minutes of action.
He is the ultimate super sub and just can’t stop scoring, having found the net twice more – once in the Carabao Cup – and now against Bayern in the Champions League.
It’s the quality he’s showing, however, that makes him such a hot commodity. The goals he’s scoring aren’t simple. The stonking finish from range against Everton nearly took the net off and his strike against Bayern oozed quality.
Running onto the ball from Pau Torres he took one look – he didn’t even need a touch to set himself – before sending the ball over Neuer. Bedlam. Utter bedlam. Villa Park has arguably never been noisier.
It perhaps feels unnecessary after such a big game to discuss where he could end up next but the future is undoubtedly bright for Duran. As analyst Ben Mattinson remarked at full-time, this is a potential £85m player in waiting.
It’s not quite the levels of Grealish but like the Birmingham-born playmaker, he is going to generate quite a sizeable fee for Villa, that there is no doubt.
100% ground duels: 9/10 Aston Villa star was as key as Duran & Martinez
Aston Villa managed to pull off a fantastic Champions League win by toppling Bayern Munich 1-0.
West Ham United supporters will no doubt be telling themselves that it is still early days in Julen Lopetegui’s tenure, there is no time to panic just yet. Rome wasn’t built in a day – and all that jazz.
That said, the initial signs under the Spaniard are rather worrying, with the Hammers having seemingly gone backward, rather than forward, following the departure of David Moyes.
While the Scotsman was long criticised for his often dour style of play when in the hot seat at the London Stadium, it would appear that the club have merely made a like-for-like change. As ex-Hammer Dean Ashton has stated, ‘he’s not necessarily this swash-buckling character or manager in the way that he plays’.
West Ham United manager David Moyes.
Moyes 2.0, perhaps?
Alas, as we say it would be harsh to judge the former Wolverhampton Wanderers too strongly just yet – only six games into the new Premier League season – with tomorrow’s clash with newly-promoted Ipswich Town providing the perfect opportunity to leave off on a positive note heading into the international break.
If the east Londoners are to see off Kieran McKenna’s visiting side, however, they will need their attacking unit to finally click into gear.
How West Ham's attack should look vs Ipswich
With summer signing Nicolas Fullkrug still frustratingly sidelined with injury, Lopetegui will no doubt look the way of West Ham’s all-time top Premier League goalscorer, Michail Antonio, to lead the line once again, with the Jamaican international having been involved in Tomas Soucek’s equaliser against Brentford last week.
While the veteran striker is yet to score so far this season, his presence up top is needed to offer a focal point for Lopetegui’s other attacking talents to feed off, with the hope that Mohammed Kudus will be given another chance to shine after harshly being hooked at the break last time out.
With three points needed, there may be a desire to see the Ghanaian operate in a number ten berth behind Antonio, particularly with Paqueta having been so poor against the Bees.
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta
On the left flank, Lopetegui could then unleash another exciting addition in Crysencio Summerville, with the Netherlands international having notably scored against tomorrow’s opponents last season, during a 4-0 triumph for Leeds United.
The 22-year-old – who recorded 31 goals and assists in all competitions in 2023/24 – is not the only member of the West Ham ranks to have previously terrorised the Tractor Boys, with club captain Jarrod Bowen no doubt looking to continue his fine record against the away side on that right flank.
Jarrod Bowen's record vs Ipswich
While this will be the first meeting between the two sides since back in January 2012, Bowen has previously caused havoc against Ipswich during his days at former club Hull City.
Ipswich Starting XI
West Ham Starting XI
GK – Arran Lee-Barrett
GK – Rob Green
RB – Carlos Edwards
RB – Julian Faubert
CB – Ibrahima Sonko
CB – James Tomkins
CB – Tommy Smith
CB – Winston Reid
LB – Aaron Cresswell
LB – George McCartney
CM – Andy Drury
CM – Mark Noble
CM – Luke Hyam
CM – Henri Lansbury
RM – Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (2)
RM – Jack Collison (1)
AM – Lee Martin (1)
AM – Kevin Nolan
LM – Daryl Murphy (1)
LM – Matt Taylor
ST – Michael Chopra (1)
ST – Carlton Cole
Remarkably, the 27-year-old – who joined the Hammers on a £20m deal back in January 2020 – has chalked up three goals and one assist in just four meetings with the Portman Road side in the past, proving a real thorn in the side of the Suffolk outfit.
In the 2018/19 season, the England international scored in a 2-0 home win for Hull against Ipswich, prior to then registering an assist in another 2-0 triumph in the reverse fixture later in the campaign.
West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen
The winger’s other two goal involvements against the Tractor Boys came in the previous term, as he netted one apiece in both meetings, including the third in the 3-0 victory shown below.
Of course, prior records in the second tier may matter little in the context of West Ham’s current plight, but if anyone is to emerge as Lopetegui’s hero tomorrow, you’d bet your bottom dollar on it being Bowen once again.
What Julen Lopetegui has done to leave West Ham players very "surprised"
The Spaniard is dividing opinion behind the scenes.
Aston Villa are reportedly leading the race to sign Juventus forward Federico Chiesa, however the move could prove to be a repeat of the past for the Villans.
A report from Italian outlet Calciomercato earlier this week claimed that Villa have ‘led above all’ in the pursuit for the Italian winger, with the Turin giants reportedly keen to sell the 25-year-old this summer.
A separate report from the Daily Mail claimed that Juventus have ‘offered’ the former Fiorentina whiz to Premier League clubs, with Villa named as one of those interested.
Unai Emery is keen to equip his side with star quality this summer after securing European football next term, however not all stars are worth aiming for, as seen in the Midlands before.
Would Federico Chiesa be a good signing for Aston Villa?
Lauded as a “diamond” by scout Antonio Mango, Chiesa was once regarded as a shining light in Italy for his time at Fiorentina.
The 25-year-old was snatched up by Juventus back in 2020 on an initial two-year loan deal before making the move permanent last summer.
In his final full Serie A campaign with Fiorentina, the versatile attacker contributed to 19 goals in 34 appearances, scoring 10 and assisting nine in a dominant individual year to showcase his breakthrough as one of the continent's best.
The 2020/21 season marked his first in Turin, where he made 30 appearances and both scored and assisted eight goals in the process.
Since that campaign, the Italian has failed to hit over 30 appearances in a league term for Juve, in an unfortunate sequence of events that have seen him miss a host of game time due to injury.
An anterior cruciate ligament rupture in January 2022 saw the 25-year-old sidelined for 36 games, with his record not getting easier for the player, missing a total of an additional 55 days of action since his recovery.
Players that face individual battles with staying fit face cruel paths, whether that be struggling to rediscover form after time away from action, or returning to find their spot no longer vacant, with Chiesa discovering such hardships at Juventus.
Making just six starts in Serie A last season, the Genova-born gem has fallen down the pecking order in Massimiliano Allegri’s side, not helped by him scoring just four goals over the previous two league campaigns.
Villa could learn from past mistakes before opting to take the £51m plunge to sign Chiesa, who despite his fitness woes is a superb talent, but could present the Villans with more burdens than success.
Villa Park has seen such disappointment with Philippe Coutinho, who arrived in the Midlands in January 2022 with an extensive injury history and has struggled to perform since trading Catalonia for Birmingham permanently last summer.
In 2020, the Brazilian sustained a rupture to his knee, leaving him sidelined for a total of 220 days, which like Chiesa, didn’t mark the end of his injury woes, with the 31-year-old missing an additional 81 days on separate occasions after.
Since returning to England, the former Liverpool gem – who has been linked with a move away from the Midlands side this summer – has scored just six goals in 41 appearances in all competitions, while starting just seven league games for the Villans last campaign.
Spending on Chiesa could implement a repeat of the woes surrounding the fitness and lack of performance from Coutinho, using funds that could allow for a better-suited individual to grace Villa Park.
Arsenal have already strengthened their midfield this summer by signing Kai Havertz, while Declan Rice is set to undergo a medical at the club and could be announced by the start of next week, as Edu Gaspar looks set to give Mikel Arteta all the tools at his disposal to challenge for the Premier League title.
The signing of the West Ham United skipper may not be the last midfield addition of the summer, however, amid the club's apparent pursuit of Southampton's Romeo Lavia.
Is Romeo Lavia going to Arsenal?
Graeme Bailey of 90min has dropped a recent update regarding Arsenal’s pursuit of the Saints midfielder, saying: “Romeo Lavia is emerging as one of this summer's most in-demand players.
“Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea have all held talks, whilst former club Man City, Man Utd and Newcastle are being kept informed.
“Southampton want £50m…”
It’s evident that Edu faces stiff competition in order to lure him to the Emirates, however, Arteta could offer the youngster Champions League football next season, something which Liverpool and Chelsea can't and this may prove to be the main incentive for a player who is clearly ready to make the step-up.
Who are Arsenal interested in signing this summer?
Along with Rice, the Gunners look to be close to signing Jurrien Timber, while Dutch sensation Xavi Simons has even been offered to the club as the summer overhaul continues ahead of a season which will see the club play in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2016/17.
Lavia – who has been described as "special" by Manchester United's Jadon Sancho – could add some solidity to the midfield, screening the defence and acting as Arteta’s own version of Gilberto Silva, who shone under Arsene Wenger between 2002 and 2008, making 243 appearances and becoming a key part of the club's last title-winning side of 2003/04.
The World Cup winner was primarily deployed in a defensive midfield slot during his spell in London, similar to Lavia’s role at the Saints and his tenacious nature mixed with the ability to allow others to flourish, such as Patrick Vieira, made him a key player for Wenger – who lauded the Brazilian for bringing "tactical stability" to his side.
The Belgian exuded the qualities which made Silva such an important member of that wonderful era at the club as he ranked second in the Southampton squad for tackles made per game last season (2.1) while also ranking sixth for accurate passes per game (29.5) and seventh for interceptions per game (1.1), showcasing his defensive ability across a campaign which ended in relegation for the South coast side.
To put this into context, no Arsenal player achieved more interceptions per game or tackles per game than Lavia, with only Thomas Partey coming close, making 2.1 tackles per match and this suggests he could improve the Arsenal midfield.
Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Jean Kindermans, the head of the Anderlecht academy claimed that Lavia is “always calm on the ball” and this is what Arteta requires in order to dominate the midfield battle during matches and even though he isn’t even out of his teens, the Belgian could certainly play a key role in the Arsenal side which will aim to win at least one trophy next season.
Edu played alongside Silva during his time with the north Londoners, and it’s clear he sees the same sort of attributes in the former Manchester City youngster to spend £50m on him this summer.
Manchester United are "looking at" Firorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat as a potential summer target, but any deal would be "contingent on sales", claims Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
Manchester United transfer news – What's the latest on Sofyan Amrabat?
United have made a positive start to the summer transfer window, finally securing the signature of Chelsea academy star Mason Mount after their bid of £55m was accepted by the west London club following weeks of back-and-forth negotiations.
Chelsea's Mason Mount
As good a signing as Mount is for the Red Devils, to compete for the title again, they will need to add yet more talent, and that is exactly what it looks like they plan on doing after Erik ten Hag told the United higher-ups: "If you want to play top four, you have to invest."
That investment looks to be going towards additional midfield reinforcements following their recent purchase.
Morocco star Amrabat is a player in which the club is particularly interested and could be available for as little as £30m, per the Daily Mail.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Group F – Belgium v Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar – November 27, 2022 Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat celebrates after the match REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
However, if the three-time European champions want to secure the signature of the 26-year-old, they will first have to free up the finances by selling several players in their squad, per Dharmesh Sheth.
He explained the situation on Sky Sports News, saying:
"We are told that he's a player that Manchester United are looking at and are aware of, it's thought though that anymore midfield additions at Old Trafford would be contingent on sales."
How good is Sofyan Amrabat?
It's been an unbelievable last 12 months for the Huizen-born "monster", going from a popular and effective player in Serie A for club side Fiorentina to a worldwide superstar thanks to the crucial role he played in helping his national side make their fairytale run to the World Cup semi-finals.
Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
Either side of his performances in Qatar, he had a solid domestic season, with WhoScored giving the 6 foot 1 warrior an average rating of 6.46 across his 29 league appearances.
His underlying numbers suggest that there is even more to come from the battling midfielder.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, he sits in the top 5% for pass completion, the top 8% for progressive passes and the top 11% for attempted passes, all per 90.
However, it was on the biggest stage of all, the World Cup, where he truly shone and demonstrated to the world just how good he could be.
So good were his performances for the Atlas Lions that journalist Nigel Adderley proclaimed him Morocco's "player of the tournament."
Sofyan Amrabat shields the ball for Fiorentina in Serie A.
It was his display against France that drew particular praise from ex-pro Stuart Pearce, who lauded the midfield dynamo, saying:
"His drive, his energy, his leadership, everything that he stood for today, the French didn't have in their ranks."
If United can secure Amrabat's signature and do it for a price as low as the reported £30m, it could end up being one of the deals of the summer and, combined with Mount, make their midfield so much stronger for years to come.
Manchester United will come close to Benfica's valuation for striker Goncalo Ramos this summer, believes Benfica president Rui Costa, via Correio da Manha.
Manchester United transfer news – will they sign Goncalo Ramos?
Correio da Manha reported, via Man UTD News, that Costa rejected €50m (£43m), plus €10m (£9m) in add-ons from an unnamed club for Ramos previously, and wants €80m (£69m) for his star forward this summer.
The hefty fee could see Manchester United back away from any potential deal, but the Benfica president believes that the Premier League giants and Paris Saint-Germain are well-placed to afford such a fee.
Given that Erik ten Hag's budget is reportedly just £120m this summer unless he clears out some deadwood, however, a deal for Ramos doesn't seem entirely likely at this stage. Though, there is still plenty of time for that to change this summer.
Nonetheless, it appears the Red Devils are finally making headway in the transfer market having agreed a £60m package with Chelsea for Mason Mount last night.
Would Goncalo Ramos and Mason Mount work well together?
Such is Ramos' goal-scoring ability, he is a striker that could be paired with just about any midfielder in Europe's top leagues. The particular quality of Mount would only result in more goals, though.
Last season, the Benfica forward netted 27 goals whilst making 12 assists in all competitions in what was an outstanding campaign. With numbers like that, Costa's price tag comes as little surprise.
Add a passer of Mount's ability into the mix, and you'd potentially have yourself one of the best duos in the Premier League. The Chelsea midfielder made over 5.36 progressive passes per game last season, as per FBref.
Ramos' Benfica teammate Rafa Silva, meanwhile, made 5.21 progressive passes per 90. Even with what may seem like a small difference, the forward could go up another level.
Mount also attempted more than double the number of long passes than Silva, which means that should Ramos spin in behind, the passing range of the England international would find him well.
For Mount, too, it would be a beneficial partnership. At Chelsea, he had the likes of Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling to assist, who scored a combined 13 Premier League goals last season, with seven and six respectively, despite the aforementioned passing range of their teammate in the last campaign.
Ramos, on the other hand, scored 19 goals in the Portuguese Primeira last season with an expected 20 goals in what was a clinical campaign in front of goal. Give Mount a player of the forward's finishing ability, and his numbers should increase.
Speaking about Ramos' quality, the 21-year-old's youth coach said: “I would like to see Goncalo Ramos as Benzema substitute at Real Madrid. I think he's perfect for that spot, he fits as 'next Benzema' in future in my opinion.”
Since then, Madrid have signed Joselu which could give Man United a freer run at the Portuguese forward.
It's a long summer ahead, but if Manchester United get their desired targets, then we could see an unstoppable partnership formed at Old Trafford next season.
Leeds United are interested in replacing Illan Meslier between the sticks with Rotherham United goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, who dazzled in the Championship this year.
What's the latest on Viktor Johansson to Leeds?
The latest reports come from Leeds Live, which underscore the Whites' interest in the player and state that the club are expected to sign a new 'keeper following Joel Robles' departure and Meslier's possible exit.
This follows claims from Football League World that the 49ers are keeping tabs on the Swede, who was central to the Millers' successful campaign in the second tier this past year.
Leeds transfer news has been somewhat sparse since the club's relegation from the Premier League, amid the wait for confirmation of the ownership takeover before commencing the systematic reconstruction that is inevitable following the club's bitter fate.
How good is Viktor Johansson?
According to Opta, no goalkeeper in the second tier prevented more goals than Johansson's 8.5, highlighting an innate shot-preventing prowess that has attracted Leeds' attention.
Having played 43 of the 46 matches this season, the £3.5k-per-week 24-year-old earned an average match rating of 7.11 – as per Sofascore – saving 74% of his shots faced – including one penalty – and keeping 13 clean sheets.
Millers boss Matt Taylor is certainly an admirer of the Scandinavian sensation, waxing lyrical over the calibre of his displays this term when asked who the standout star has been as Rotherham ended a tumultuous 'yo-yo' period over the past several years and retained their Championship status with a 19th-place finish.
Rotherham United goalkeeperViktor Johansson.
He said: “His level of performance has been above the level of other players, if not the level of the league, in every single game this season. He has saved us so many points. He has been outstanding.”
Indeed, Johansson claimed the Players' Player of the Season award and could now complete a transfer to Elland Road, with Meslier's future at Leeds uncertain after a subpar season that left him ousted from the No 1 role in the crucial closing weeks.
Describing himself as an "explosive" shot-stopper, Johansson could emulate his compatriot Pontus Jansson at Elland Road, with the 32-year-old centre-half making 120 appearances for the outfit across three seasons in the Championship before departing for Brentford in 2019.
Described as a "top defender" with "defensive robustness" by Bees boss Thomas Frank, Jansson seems to match his glove-wearing countryman with toughness and grit, who could inject such attributes back into the Leeds backline after several shoddy years defensively.
It is all change at Chelsea, particularly in the centre of the park.
N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are close to departing Stamford Bridge as the club is set for a completely new era under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues are very interested in Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, however, Tony Bloom’s £120m asking price is a stumbling block and the deal is likely to drag out across the summer.
A cheaper and more attainable alternative to the Ecuadorian is Everton’s Amadou Onana.
What’s the latest on Amadou Onana to Chelsea?
Last week, Sacha Tovolieri reported that Chelsea could be in the market for Onana who may cost around £55m.
Now, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, reputable journalist Dean Jones has delivered his own thoughts on whether a move could go through, saying: “Onana's an interesting one. Ideally, Everton won't let him go. He's had a great season, but he's very young. He does fit the profile that we're seeing Chelsea go for at the moment.
"He's 21 and he's new to the Premier League. He's making his impact and, as part of that, he'll have huge resale value if he does come through the door. And this is part of Chelsea's new model."
How would Amadou Onana fit in at Chelsea?
After making a £33m move to Goodison Park last summer, the Belgian made 33 Premier League appearances in his debut year in England, averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, and 1.1 clearances per game in a solid defensive season.
Described as “outstanding” by journalist Connor O'Neill, the six-cap international ranks within the top 26% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for the aforementioned metrics, as well as the highest 7% for aerials won per 90, according to FBref, to underline his dominant presence.
As such, the 6 foot 4 colossus has the potential to form a formidable partnership with Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea.
Since the Argentine’s record-breaking £106.8m move to west London, he has flashes of his wondrous brilliance, particularly with his pinpoint long-range passing and close control. This is demonstrated by his rank within the best 3% for passes attempted and progressive passes per 90.
But, we are yet to see the best of the World Cup winner on a consistent basis as he has often been deployed as a lone pivot, where he has been exposed due to his lack of pace and dynamism.
Enzo Fernandez
In Onana, this ball-winning, athletic titan would therefore be able to take the burden off Enzo and their differing styles of play make for a perfectly curated combination in the middle of the park.
In a deal worth potentially just half of what may be paid for Caicedo, the signing of Onana would be a rarely astute piece of business under the new ownership.