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Coventry City have been linked with a summer move for former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, a report that Coventry Live have explored in depth.

With the Sky Blues having won the League One title this year and earned promotion to the Championship, manager Mark Robins has begun to bolster his side and make improvements in certain areas.

Gustavo Hamer was the first to arrive from PEC Zwolle to bolster Coventry’s midfield, before Julien Dacosta, Callum O’Hare, Marcel Hilssner and Ryan Giles all joined the club.

With the transfer window now in full swing, further arrivals could develop before the 2020/21 season begins.

One player linked with a move to Coventry is Balotelli, who is a free agent having left Brescia following their relegation from Serie A.

According to Championship Transfer News on Twitter, the Italian striker has been offered a one-year contract with the Midlands club.

Coventry Live have now looked at the transfer story and called it the “maddest” rumour, whilst also looking into another rumour regarding Balotelli and Romanian club CFR Cluj, who are interested in the one-time Premier League winner.

Would Mario Balotelli sign for Coventry? Would the Sky Blues have him?

This is quite possibly one of the strangest transfer rumours you will hear this summer and one that seems highly improbable, given that Coventry Live had downplayed it in reporting the link.

What do you think of the rumour linking Balotelli to Coventry? Let us know in the comments section below…

Leeds United are back in the top-flight for the first time in 16 years and they are going to have to bolster the squad this summer if they are to remain there for the foreseeable future. One position that needs added depth is central midfield…

What’s the word?

According to L’Unione Sarda (via Sport Witness), the Yorkshire giants are keeping an eye on Cagliari workhorse Nahitan Nandez, though they may have to activate his €36m (£32.5m) release clause.

It’s claimed that West Ham and Napoli are also interested in the 24-year-old with Gennaro Gattuso reportedly seeing a younger version of himself in the Uruguay international.

Whilst Marcelo Bielsa is said to believe that Nandez would be ‘perfect’ for his Leeds outfit in the Premier League.

Midfield upgrade

The 5 foot 7 powerhouse was a regular in the Serie A last season, recording 35 appearances where he provided two goals and three assists as well as averaging 1.7 tackles, 1 key pass and a 79% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

Nandez’s agent, Pablo Bentancur, believes he is a “great player” who “fans always like” because he “leaves the last drop of sweat on the pitch,” so he should have no trouble fitting in at Elland Road.

The 24-year-old is also a starter for his national side and started all but one game in the 2018 World Cup. He’s since totalled 31 caps playing alongside the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

It would be an interesting move to make with Mateusz Klich likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order, but with Adam Forshaw’s long-term absence from match action, it could be wise to add a player who’ll be ready to go in the PL.

Forshaw has only played in the top-flight once and that resulted in relegation with Middlesbrough and before his injury, he could only average 1.1 tackles per game.

Victor Orta must sanction this move, especially if Bielsa really does admire the player as much as reports say.

AND in other news, Leeds ought to make Championship STAR their top priority at JUST £15m…

According to Fanatik, Celtic remain interested in Trabzonspor attacker Caleb Ekuban.

What’s the word?

Despite signing Albian Ajeti from West Ham earlier this month, it appears Neil Lennon isn’t done trying to revamp his forward line. Reports in recent days had initially suggested that the Hoops weren’t keen on matching Trabzonspor’s asking price of £7m for Ekuban, but the latest news suggests that hasn’t completely put them off.

How’s your Celtic knowledge? Always been a loyal fan? Well can you spot Stilian Petrov from John Hartson? Give it a go if you’re brave enough …

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Turkish publication Fanatik claim that the Bhoys are still interested in the 26-year-old, and that whilst they may have signed Ajeti, they have “not let go” of Ekuban.

Forget Ajeti

Whilst Ajeti may not be too happy with the news that Celtic are targeting another striker, the simple fact is that Ekuban has proven himself to be a far more prolific, and dangerous forward than the Swiss man.

Last season saw Ekuban rack up an impressive ten goals and 11 assists in 34 games across all competitions, showcasing his versatility by playing all across the front-line and even as a number ten. That could well see the Ghana international dove-tail with Odsonne Edouard rather than just be a considered a like-for-like replacement in the starting line-up.

Ekuban is an explosive player who has the ability to fashion chances for others, and be on the end of them too. As per Sofascore, he averaged 1.2 shots, 0.7 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game in the Turkish top-flight last season, and showed off his defensive discipline by winning four duels per match.

And despite being compared to former Manchester City maverick Mario Balotelli in his younger days, Ekuban has since insisted that the two don’t share the same kind of outgoing personality or lifestyle. He said: “We are often compared. It is normal that I’d like to follow his career, but I’m Caleb Ekuban. When I go home I do nothing, believe me.”

Whilst Celtic may have their Edouard back-up in Ajeti, a move for Ekuban seems like a smart piece of business.

Leeds United must land Marcelo Bielsa one man in particular if they are to succeed in the big time next season…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Brentford striker Ollie Watkins was “a name mentioned” to the reliable Whites correspondent this week, meaning he could be someone that the Yorkshire giants are indeed taking a look at.

Elsewhere, it has been reported that the Bees value their leading talisman in excess of £25m following their failure to gain promotion in the Championship playoff final.

Aston Villa, who are managed by Watkins’ ex-coach Dean Smith, are also keen on landing the impressive forward.

Exactly what Bielsa needs

The striking position is an interesting headache for Bielsa, he clearly likes Patrick Bamford but he shouldn’t sniff away from upgrading that position now they’re back in the top-flight.

Despite hitting 16 goals for the season, Bamford was hugely wasteful and was one major cause of Leeds ranking inside the bottom five for chance conversion – the title-winners scored just 12.5% of their opportunities per Transfermarkt.

Watkins scored a whopping 26 goals in the second tier last season, averaging only 2.7 shots per game as well as 1.5 key passes and 0.8 dribbles, via WhoScored.

Meanwhile, United’s number nine scored ten fewer goals yet averaged 0.5 more shots each appearance. The difference is staggering.

It’s no wonder Trevor Sinclair described him as “lethal” before likening him to Jermain Defoe. His former Exeter boss Paul Tisdale believes he “has the ability and the perfect attitude”.

These are just further ticks next to his name on the scouting list.

His ability to run defences ragged is exactly what Bielsa needs in a striker next season, and the club should absolutely pay up to clinch him.

AND in other news, Leeds mustn’t hand a second chance to £10m flop…

Things may be a little big gloomy at Tottenham at the moment after their opening day loss against Everton, but they have made three of the most exciting signings of this transfer window.

Gareth Bale’s talents are obvious to all due to his incredible trophy haul and individual honour roll, but there are two other intriguing signings Jose Mourinho’s side have made this summer.

On the Chalkboard

Spurs’ signings of Sergio Reguillon and Matt Doherty have certainly raised a few eyebrows as the London club have spent a combined £45m on two areas that could easily have been pinpointed as weaknesses in the past.

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However, no matter how talented these players are, they will only flourish if the roles they’re asked to play in suit their skillset, and it’s quite obvious to see that both players are a modern mould of wide defender in that they love to go forward.

Doherty’s 16 goal contributions in the past two seasons from right-back show how much he likes to get up the pitch, while Reguillon’s eye-catching displays in the Europa League consisted mainly of him bombing down the wing, with the Spaniard completing 1.6 dribbles per game in the league last season.

Therefore, Mourinho needs a system to get the best out of these two, and it seems rather obvious as to what that should be.

5 at the back

Mourinho has often operated with a back four with sturdy defensive full-backs, think of Ashley Cole and Paolo Ferreira at Chelsea, but with the game evolving around him, he has to change tact.

With the talent he has at his disposal moving to a five at the back would make the world of sense, it would allow him to use Doherty and Reguillon as more attacking options, while also opening up the opportunity for Ryan Sessegnon to work his way into the wing-back spot.

It will also allow Eric Dier to play in his preferred centre-back spot, while also retaining some of the ball-playing responsibilities of a holding midfielder and not having to take on as much defensive responsibility as he would if he was playing as a part of a back four.

Once Reguillon is up to speed, it will be interesting to see how the former Chelsea manager lines up his side, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him switch to a back five.

West Ham are preparing to launch a late bid for Rangers right-back James Tavernier before Monday’s deadline but Steven Gerrard’s side must keep the club captain at all costs.

What’s the word?

According to a TEAMtalk exclusive, West Ham are looking for reinforcements at the back before the transfer window closes.

And David Moyes’ side are interested in the skipper even though Rangers have insisted that he is not for sale.

However, as we all know, anything can happen between now and the end of the transfer window, so Gers fans will have to keep their fingers crossed that he stays for the foreseeable future.

It remains to be seen how much it will take to prise Tavernier away from the Ibrox Stadium with the Englishman valued at a mere £4.5m on Transfermarkt, a short fall from £5.4m this time last year, but so far the Gers are refusing to sell him.

Keep Tavernier at all costs!

It is no secret that Tavernier has turned out to be a real bargain worth every bit of the £250k fee the club paid for him back in 2015.

This season, the Bradford-born right-back has scored six goals and supplied four assists in 11 games at the time of writing, taking 2 shots, averaging 2.3 key passes and 2.4 tackles per game in the Scottish Premiership so far, via WhoScored.

Over the course of his career at the Ibrox club, the Newcastle academy graduate has netted 52 times in over 250 appearances, incredible numbers for a right-back, with the majority of his goals coming in the Premiership.

Combined with 78 assists in as many matches, these kind of numbers would be hard to replace, especially considering the current circumstances.

Gerrard openly admitted he is his dream player because of how he conducts himself on-and-off the pitch.

Thankfully, the board seems to be in no rush to sell one of their key players, whilst more importantly the 28-year-old is happy to be where he is at the moment.

AND in other news, Defoe and Hagi start, no Cedric Kitten: Predicted Rangers XI vs Galatasaray… 

Spain suffered a shock defeat in their most recent UEFA Nations League clash as Viktor Tsygankov came up with a winning goal for Ukraine late into the second half.

Adama Traore played the full 90 minutes after being limited to just 33 in the previous match against Switzerland. The Wolves winger stood out as one of Spain’s better players, but couldn’t make his impressive efforts count. Operating on the right-hand side of Rodrigo – who earned a disappointing Sofascore rating of 6.7 – was perhaps where the performance went wrong from Traore’s point of view. Had he been setting up club teammate Raul Jimenez, the result would have been much different.

Adama Traore stats for Spain

The 24-year-old gave an electric performance on Tuesday in terms of creativity on the wing. Traore boasts a rare combination of both speed and strength, which makes him an extremely difficult player to defend against. Even Jurgen Klopp recently branded him as “unplayable” after Liverpool struggled to contain him in the Premier League last season.

According to FotMob, Traore completed the most dribbles in the match with an astonishing nine out of an attempted ten. He also won the most duels with 11, as well as maintaining a 94% passing accuracy. He was right on target with his shooting (100% accuracy) and created three goalscoring chances for his teammates as well.

If the £75million-rated attacker had been accompanied by prolific striker Jimenez, the duo would have dominated Ukraine’s backline. This could be something Nuno Espirito Santo might consider moving forwards. The Portuguese boss has been tweaking Traore’s starting position recently, even experimenting with him at right wing-back.

Formations of either a 3-5-2 or a 5-3-2 have been a popular choice in the Wolves camp, opting to play two central strikers up top rather than having wing options. However, with Traore’s recent impressive international displays, Nuno should surely opt for a tactic which would see Jimenez supported by Traore on the right and either Daniel Podence or rising star Pedro Neto on the left.

In other news, Comments on Leander Dendoncker could give Nuno a lot to think about…

The transfer window may be shut, but one West Brom star is being linked with an exit from the Hawthorns this week…

What’s the word?

According to Saudi Arabian outlet Okaz, Baggies centre-back Ahmed Hegazi is attracting the interest of Jeddah duo, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, with the latter appearing to be the front-runners to land his signature.

Saudi Pro League teams are able to sign players until November 12th despite the English window closing earlier this month.

The 29-year-old joined Albion from Egyptian outfit Al Ahly in 2017 for £4m and is thought to be on wages of around £26.5k-per-week.

Unforgivable mistake

This would be one baffling move to make on Luke Dowling’s part.

The Baggies picked up their first clean sheet of the season on Monday evening as they held fellow top-flight strugglers Burnley to a 0-0 draw.

Slaven Bilic made the bold call to completely tinker with his backline, dropping his usual first-choice duo Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi for the experience of Premier League champion Branislav Ivanovic and Hegazi.

The Egypt international was quickly becoming a forgotten man at the Midlands club having not made a single matchday squad since the season-opener until now.

His first start and full 90 minutes on the pitch resulted in a rare clean sheet, so it would be inexcusable to let him go after that feat.

Per SofaScore, the veteran centre-back recorded seven clearances, won 71.4% of his aerial duels and also made one interception.

If he were to depart the Hawthorns, Bilic would be left limited in options with genuine experience at this level – to add to the four names already mentioned, both Cedric Kipre and Dara O’Shea are still very raw.

Ivanovic is certainly hoping that he and Hegazi can “build on that” performance, so Dowling must resist the urge to cash in on the 29-year-old just yet.

AND in other news, Pulis signing proving to be a TOTAL WASTE of money after latest snub…

Everton appear to have dodged a bullet by failing to get a deal for Santiago Sosa across the line in 2019, given the defensive midfielder’s form with current side River Plate.

What’s the word?

According to Ole via Sport Witness, Everton had reached an agreement with River Plate to sign Sosa in the summer of 2019 during Marco Silva’s final market at the helm, but failed to see the deal rubber-stamped by the Premier League.

It’s claimed that league officials blocked the €15million (£13.5m) move, likely through issues relating to his need for a work permit, which would not have surfaced just days later when the 21-year-old secured a European passport.

The passport arrived just too late for Sosa to be registered for Everton and the deal never saw the light of day again, much to River Plate’s benefit as the Argentina U20 international is now being lauded by Ole for his form in South America.

However, when assessed on paper, Everton appear to have dodged a bullet thanks to the Premier League’s decision as Sosa is far from showing himself to be the defensive midfield enforcer Silva required at the time.

Why was Sosa not the answer?

During murmurs that Sosa could struggle obtaining a work permit in order to sign for Everton, the Liverpool Echo suggested he was a “tenacious and aggressive” player when out of possession while boasting the skillset of “a hybrid between a number six and a number eight”.

Information remains thin for the 5 ft 10 River Plate product, but Transfermarkt data shows he has seen a marginal decrease in his market value since the Toffees’ interest while rarely entering the first-team squad in their 2019/20 Superliga efforts.

All in, Sosa made only two noted appearances last season, while playing just 125 minutes in the group stages of the 2020 Copa Libertadores over three outings with one start.

His efforts in those Copa Libertadores fixtures would by no means suggest he would have made a successful adaption to the Premier League last year, as Sosa has averaged just 0.3 tackles, 0.3 interceptions, 1.0 key balls and 0.7 shots a game along with winning a mere 0.7 ground duels and 1.0 aerial duels, per SofaScore.

Had Everton spent €15m on Sosa and seen a similar output, questions would have been raised over Silva’s pursuit of a player the BBC’s South American football correspondent Tim Vickery described as an old-fashioned type.

“Sosa is a holding midfielder, better at picking a pass than the defensive side of his game,” Vickery told the All Football App. “He’s got a little bit of old-fashioned swagger. In the old days in Argentina, that No. 5 was the boss of the team, the man who played the vital first pass out of defence.

“But the thing with him is it’s so early. He’s only played a handful of games for River Plate, when they’ve fielded an under-strength side, so if Everton buy him now, to go straight into the first-team would be a massive step up.

“He’s one for the long-term and looks promising. He would worry me a little bit with his lack of pace for the defensive side of his duties, but he’s certainly an interesting player with the ball at his feet.”

AND in other news, Everton are yet to open talks with a key club figure who’s set to be out of contract next summer.

Ever since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund a couple of years ago, the big question undoubtedly was how the Gunners could get the most out of both him and Alexandre Lacazette.

The north London side shelled out big money to sign two forwards who had been scoring goals for fun in European football, but with less teams now using a pair of strikers up front, there was a real dilemma.

The likes of Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery flitted between using the duo as a twin strike-force and with one of them playing out wide, whilst current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has seemingly been fixated on using Aubameyang out from the left.

But with Lacazette still showing no signs of consistency – he bagged three goals in his opening three Premier League games before drawing blanks in his next four matches in all competitions – there’s a real argument to be made now that Aubameyang should be given the nod to start up front.

Speaking last season after his match-winning performance against Everton, former Manchester United defender and current Sky Sports pundit, Gary Neville, waxed lyrical about the Gabon international.

He said: “Including me, we have stopped short of announcing Aubameyang as world class. We’re happy to go with (Sergio) Aguero, we’re happy to go with (Sadio) Mane and (Mohamed) Salah, (Roberto) Firmino, (Harry) Kane… all these players who have graced the Premier League in the last two or three seasons.

“I feel that Aubameyang doesn’t get that same credit and maybe it’s something that comes from when he first entered into English football. I think he’s been absolutely sensational, and I think now’s the time for us all to start recognising the quality and the brilliance of this player. He fights for the team, he’s always there, and for me, he’s everything you would want in a football player.”

Arteta himself hinted that the Gabon international could be set for a run through the middle, saying: “Yes, that’s a very possible thing.

“It will depend on the games, it will depend on who he’s surrounded with. I think it’s very important to see who is around him and why we’re doing it. Not just the fact we’re doing it, why we’re doing that and what we’re going to get by doing these positive things. Of course, there’s a very strong possibility to play him as a (number) 9.”

If Arsenal want to see a different level to their £45m-rated talisman, now is the time to unshackle him from his left wing role, and give him a chance to shine up front.