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Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson has delivered his reaction on the future of Tottenham defender Matt Doherty this summer. 

The lowdown: Out of favour

Signed by then Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo in order to reunite in north London from Wolves in August 2020, Doherty has struggled to recapture his best form in N17.

So far, the 30-year-old Republic of Ireland international right-back has made 54 outings for the Lilywhites and directly contributed to 14 goals in the process, way short of the 28 goals and 41 assists in 302 appearances whilst becoming a favourite in the Midlands.

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Now, following a report from talkSPORT claiming Doherty is free to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the ongoing transfer window, one invested pundit has admitted the early exit would be somewhat premature.

The latest: ‘It would surprise me’

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Tottenham stopper turned Sky Sports contributor Robinson has suggested that the 29-cap ace still has plenty to offer Antonio Conte’s side.

He said: “If that is true, I am surprised. He had a slow start to the season. He looked a little lost but when he got in the side under Conte he improved massively. We saw the reason Spurs signed him.

“He suits the system at right wing-back. Offensively, he did really, really well. I feel like we were finally starting to see the best of him. For that reason, if they did let him go it would surprise me.

“They are obviously in the market for a right wing-back but I don’t think that means there isn’t a place for Doherty in the squad. It would be difficult to lose him at this stage of pre-season.”

The verdict: Spot on

After a difficult first season for the club that saw the Irishman make just 29 appearances across all competitions, Doherty returned from injury to start seven consecutive Premier League matches from February to April and began to show the form that earned the switch initially.

Even prior to that prolonged spell in Conte’s plans, the Dublin-born star had been hailed for an ‘absolutely class’ second-half performance against Leicester City on January 20 that saw the marauding defender awarded a 7.20 Sofascore rating whilst providing one assist and four key passes.

Overall last season, Doherty scored twice and provided four assists in 15 Premier League outings, operating as both a left and right wing-back, roles that would make him ideally suited to Conte’s preferred 3-4-3/3-5-2 style.

However, it does seem as though a move could be on the cards before the window closes as Tottenham edge closer to the capture of Djed Spence and as such, Fabio Paratici and ENIC will be looking to recoup a healthy fee from what could be a list of numerous takers for the £10.8million valued former Wolves man.

It appears that Conor Gallagher is keen to stay at Chelsea, dashing Crystal Palace’s hopes of signing the midfielder permanently.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Simon Johnson, who wrote this transfer update on Twitter about the young midfielder:

“It’s been a given for months but Conor Gallagher will be part of #CFC squad this season. Tuchel loves him. Wanted him last season too but was convinced by club that Gallagher would be better off playing on loan at Palace for a year and coming back an even better player.”

Supporters will be gutted

The old saying to “never fall in love with a loan player” has seldom rang truer than with this young English midfielder who embodied everything that Palace stood for last season.

The 22-year-old bagged eight goals and offered a further three assists across his 34 league appearances, and his tenacity in the middle of the park was instrumental in Patrick Vieira’s side finishing so clear of the relegation zone.

It was unsurprising to see him record a fine 7.08 SofaScore rating over the campaign, the highest rating of any player in the Eagles’ squad.

His absence will be felt heavily in the coming months, and Vieira has had to pack his midfield this window to make up for the loss. The 22-year-old’s 24.71 pressures per 90 ranked him in the 93rd percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues as the midfielder covered an ungodly amount of ground over the season.

Combining this hard work with incredible talent, he also ranked in the 92nd percentile for dribbles completed and the 96th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90. He broke up the play phenomenally but also had the ability to push his team forward.

Vieira had admitted to finding it hard to replace Gallagher when he was absent last season, claiming that “it is difficult to find in the squad a player with Conor’s type of energy”.

Alas, the Palace boss must now find something from elsewhere to replace everything that the £17k-per-week ace had given to the club.

This is something that the manager and team will miss greatly, and this piece of transfer news will act as a dagger to the hearts of Palace supporters who may have been hoping for Gallagher’s permanent signing.

Unsurprisingly, they did fall in love with this particular loanee, but sadly it seems doomed to end in heartbreak.

AND in other news: Vieira plotting Palace bid for “outstanding” £5k-p/w “rising talent”, he’s Gallagher 2.0.

Long-time Everton target Gleison Bremer is now set to join Juventus.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who issued this update on his Twitter:

“Gleison Bremer to Juventus, here we go! Full agreement now in place with all parties, final bid accepted today by Torino and player side – after the bidding war with Inter.

“Bremer will sign his long-term deal with Juventus soon. €40m (£34m) fixed fee plus add-ons.”

Everton had reportedly been interested as far back as April. 

Supporters will be gutted

What looked like a promising capture for a club that leaked goals last season, the news that he is set to join another club is sure to have left supporters gutted.

A defensive powerhouse with speed and intelligence, he could have proved to be a fine partner for James Tarkowski and perhaps pushed the other centre-backs to improve their game.

Featuring 33 times last season, the Brazilian was a stalwart at the back for a Torino side that finished comfortably mid-table.

Across the league campaign, he accumulated an average SofaScore rating of 7.13, which makes him Torino’s second-highest rated player of those who have played over ten games.

His defensive stats also make for phenomenal reading, as he is clearly outstanding in his field. The Brazilian loves to defend, and could certainly have taught the likes of Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate a thing or two.

He ranks in the 98th percentile for interceptions, the 99th percentile for blocks, the 96th percentile for clearances, and the 99th percentile for aerials won.

His teammate Mergim Vojvoda was full of praise for the 25-year-old and said the following, which was quoted by TuttoMercatoWeb:

“[Bremer] is very strong, an animal. He has made an incredible leap in quality in the last year. But he can still improve a lot because he is young. He has renewed, we hope he stays because he is really strong.

“Physically, he is strong. He works hard and as soon as I arrived, I was impressed by how much he trained. He is also fast, he is tall and has made a great leap in quality on a technical level, with the ball at his feet. Work pays off, you can see it with him.”

A phenomenal defensive powerhouse, with Juventus now on the verge of sealing his signature, it appears the opportunity may have passed the Toffees by.

Supporters should be equally as gutted as the gaffer, as they look resigned to another tough year unless they make some signings fast.

AND, in other news: Imagine him & DCL: Lampard can form “world-class” duo as Everton eye 308-goal dynamo.

Glasgow Rangers have been told to make a move for one young English prospect who may be available for loan.  

The lowdown

The Athletic reported on Friday that Manchester City may be receptive to loan offers for James McAtee given the extent of interest in the 19-year-old.

Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell tweeted earlier this month that the Light Blues ‘had interest’ in a temporary move in the player in January, but the Premier League champions wouldn’t let him leave ‘without signing a new deal’.

McAtee then penned fresh terms at the start of February, committing to Pep Guardiola’s side until 2026, although reports at the start of this month claimed that the Ibrox club could submit another bid to try and land the teenager on loan.

An attacking midfielder who can also play in a deeper role, he has made six appearances for City’s first team thus far (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

Rangers insider The 4th Official, who first broke the news of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s appointment at Ibrox last November, argued that the club should arrange a loan move for McAtee, claiming that the youngster could improve the Light Blues’ creative output.

They tweeted: “Rangers should try and get James McAtee on a season long loan. A ridiculously talented player and will instantly increase the creativity quotient of this side.”

The verdict

Rangers’ next transfer priority may be signing a ‘creative attacking player’, and McAtee certainly fits that bill. He has set up 19 goals in 52 appearances for Man City at under-23 level, having also notched eight assists for the under-18s.

At the end of 2021/22, McAtee was named Premier League 2 Player of the Season and also won the Player’s Player of the Year award at City’s academy. He has already been nicknamed ‘The Salford Silva’ because of supposed likenesses to club legend David Silva.

At the Etihad Stadium, he’s competing with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan for minutes. The reigning English champions believe that he could break into the side within a couple of years, but 2022/23 may be too soon for the youngster.

If given the opportunity by Rangers, McAtee looks like a player who could light up Scottish football for a season.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Harry Kane.

What’s the latest?

Speaking on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, the Italian journalist revealed that, following several reports claiming that Bayern Munich are interested in a move for the 28-year-old, the Bundesliga club are indeed keen on the idea of bringing the England captain to Allianz Arena in the summer of 2023.

However, the transfer insider did go on to state that, in a bid to deter Julian Nagelsmann’s side from launching a bid for the centre-forward in 12 months’ time, Antonio Conte, Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy are planning to offer the Spurs talisman a new long-term contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming weeks.

Regarding the future of Kane, Romano said:

“Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte are working together – of course, with Daniel Levy – to build a future around Harry Kane.

“Now the atmosphere around Tottenham is completely different. They have Champions League football and Harry Kane seems to be happy with the team, with the atmosphere. He is English so to stay in England is always the best solution.

“At the moment everything is perfect between Tottenham and Kane.

“They want to offer him a new contract to avoid an attempt from Bayern for next summer in 2023, and so it is true that Bayern are in love with Harry Kane. But Tottenham have no intention to let him go, not just this summer but for the future. Conte considers him a key part of his project.”

Conte will be fuming

While the news that Paratici and Levy look set to offer Kane a new contract to extend his stay in north London beyond the summer of 2024 is undoubtedly good for all involved with Spurs, Romano’s confirmation that Bayern are extremely interested in a move for the 28-year-old is nevertheless sure to have left Conte fuming.

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Indeed, the Italian manager recently chastised Nagelsmann for speaking publicly about his interest in the 73-cap international, stating his belief that the 35-year-old’s remarks regarding the 247-goal Spurs striker were “disrespectful” to Tottenham.

However, while it would appear as if Kane is more than happy to remain with the Premier League side while Conte is at the helm, should the 52-year-old leave at any point over the course of the next year – with the former Inter Milan, Juventus and Chelsea manager not exactly being known for his longevity at any particular club – the centre-forward’s future at Spurs could become much less certain.

Furthermore, with Kane himself revealing that he wants to be winning trophies over the peak years of his professional career, a poor start to Tottenham’s 2022/23 Premier League campaign, or a group stage exit from the Champions League next season, could also see the £81m-rated talent begin to question his immediate future at the club.

As such, Romano’s confirmation that Bayern are indeed waiting in the wings for the £200k-per-week forward is sure to come as a source of great frustration to Paratici, Levy and Conte – as being aware that the six-time European Cup winners are ready and willing to make a move for his services next summer will undoubtedly be a very tempting prospect for Kane.

AND in other news, “Maybe Spurs will…”: Reliable journo drops big transfer claim supporters will love…

West Ham United have made an offer to sign Napoli star Piotr Zielinski, with a report from Italy also sharing a boost in club negotiations.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Zielinski move…

The Serie A star is a target for Irons manager David Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman, with the latter also personally determined to get a deal for the 28-year-old over the line.

He has been linked with a move to east London over the last few weeks after West Ham sealed deals for Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola (loan made permanent) and Gianluca Scamacca.

The 2022/23 Premier League season is imminent and Moyes’ side play host to champions Man City on Sunday, a match which could be considered the most challenging opener for any top-flight team.

West Ham will ideally want as many targets as possible wrapped up soon, with news emerging on their attempts to sign Zielinski.

The Latest: West Ham bid ‘cannot’ be refused…

According to Il Mattino on Sunday (via Sport Witness), Napoli simply ‘cannot’ refuse West Ham’s latest offer.

It is believed that the Irons have lodged a bid of close to €40m (£34m) for Zielinski, a proposal that the Azzurri seem happy to accept, but the problem lies on the player’s side.

He is apparently still unconvinced by a move to the London Stadium but Napoli are allegedly pushing him to green-light the move in order to facilitate the sale.

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The Verdict: Get it done…

While Zielinski will take convincing, we believe that he could be worth close to £34m given that he is still in his prime and comes with a glowing reputation.

The 28-year-old, who has been likened to Man City star Kevin De Bruyne, has also been called ‘amazing’ by former Poland national team coach Paulo Sousa. A return of 73 goal contributions in 281 Napoli appearances might go some way to explaining that glowing verdict.

It appears that West Ham have one foot over the line with Napoli willing to accept their bid, but Moyes will be hoping that Zielinski elects to make the move to England.

West Ham United manager David Moyes will have to cope without defender Angelo Ogbonna again today as the Irons prepare to face Manchester City.

The Lowdown: West Ham face tough test…

The east Londoners could not have asked for a tougher opening weekend fixture as Premier League champions City travel south to face off against Moyes’ side.

No top-flight team scored more goals or won more games than the Sky Blues last season, with Pep Guardiola retaining their domestic crown in dramatic fashion.

City will be hungry to mount a fierce challenge on all four fronts in 2022/23 and West Ham will need to be at their very best to trouble them, although Moyes and co will also be determined to get off to a flying start.

The Latest: Moyes without Ogbonna…

However, it appears that West Ham have been handed a slight setback before City with Moyes giving an update on Ogbonna.

Despite featuring for the Irons’ under-21s recently, the Italian still isn’t ready to return to the first team and is set to miss the London Stadium clash this afternoon.

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Moyes explained to the media (via whufc.com): “He had his first 90 minutes last week so he’s doing really well, but he’s obviously not ready yet to be to be considered for the first time at the moment, but he’s coming along nicely and maybe in another three or four weeks he’ll be much closer to that.”

The Verdict: Blow for West Ham…

Not having the 34-year-old back today does come as a blow for West Ham, as they have missed his reliability and leadership for quite a while.

As per Transfermarkt, before his season-ending injury in 2021/22, Ogbonna was a mainstay for the Hammers, starting all 11 of his league matches and attracting plenty of praise.

Speaking last November, Darren Gough branded him ‘outstanding’, a ‘threat on both ends of the pitch’ and a ‘consistent pick’ for Moyes, following on from James Collins also calling Ogbonna ‘phenomenal’.

West Ham supporters will surely be eager to have him back as soon as possible, but it appears that he will miss out today.

Recent reports have seen Sunderland linked with a move for Manchester City-owned forward Marlos Moreno, with the Black Cats one of a number of Championship clubs who are believed to be keen on signing the 25-year-old.

Having returned from a recent temporary stint at KV Kortrijk in Belgium, the Colombian gem is currently training with French side Troyes – part of the City Football Group – although is keen on a stay in England this summer, having spent the past six years out on loan at clubs across the globe.

Signed by the Etihad outfit from Atletico Nacional in 2016 on a £4.75m deal, the winger – who has just a year remaining on his existing contract with Pep Guardiola’s side – is yet to feature for his parent club, with a departure, either permanently or on loan, seemingly an inevitability this summer.

Despite never managing to force his way into first-team reckoning with the Premier League champions, the £810k-rated menace has still blossomed elsewhere, notably enjoying a fine loan stint at Belgian second division side Lommel during the 2020/21 campaign, scoring six goals and providing four assists in 25 games in all competitions for the club.

That sparkling spell saw the eight-cap international lauded by journalist Sven Claes, who stated that he “was the best player of the league”, while also highlighting that the forward had so often “embarrassed” defenders with his mix of speed and trickery down the flanks.

A player with 40 goal contributions in 189 club career games thus far, the 5 foot 7 star is no doubt a real talent, with the fact having been emphasised by comparisons to Brazilian icon Neymar by South American expert Tim Vickery upon his signing for City.

He said: “There are no guarantees but not since the likes of Sergio Aguero, Alexis Sanchez and Neymar have I been so enthusiastic about a young player.”

Although that high-profile move has since failed to work out, it is still telling that Moreno was likened to a player of such magnitude in Neymar, with that perhaps illustrating a talent that simply needs to be unlocked.

While he has his controversies, the Paris Saint-Germain genius is a player that any manager would likely welcome into his side, with the 30-year-old having lit up European football over the last decade or so.

The 119-cap superstar – who is the second highest scorer in his nation’s history – has netted 278 goals and provided 174 assists in 466 club career games to date across his spells at Santos, Barcelona and at the Parcs des Princes, with such figures the envy of most in the modern game.

That electric form continues even as doubts creep in regarding his long-term, playing future, having registered six goal contributions in just two games thus far for the Ligue 1 champions in the new season, with the mercurial magician a truly unique asset.

While Moreno is far from reaching such heights, for those of a Sunderland persuasion it will no doubt be intriguing that they could have a Neymar-esque figure on their hands if the player can live up to Vickery’s past claim.

That assessment would seemingly indicate that the “wonderful” gem – as dubbed by Claes – has the raw talent to be a real success at the Stadium of Light, with so much potential there to be unleashed.

Aston Villa may have made the wrong decision by sending Kaine Kesler-Hayden out on loan, Birmingham Live journalist Ashley Preece says. 

The lowdown

It was confirmed on Friday that Villa had sent Kesler-Hayden to Championship outfit Huddersfield Town on a season-long loan deal.

The right-back made two temporary moves last term, spending the first half of the campaign with Swindon Town and the second with MK Dons.

Steven Gerrard has two out-and-out right-backs in his squad – Matty Cash and Frederic Guilbert – but the latter’s day at Villa Park look to be numbered after he was sent to train with the Under-23s.

The latest

Writing on Twitter, Preece said he is ‘disappointed’ that Villa have decided to loan Kesler-Hayden out rather than integrating him into the first-team set-up.

Having ‘watched a lot of him’, he reckons he’s ready ‘to push for game time at AVFC’.

The verdict

Does Preece have a point?

Well, the young starlet did a decent job in League One last season, winning the majority of his ground duels (53%) and creating just under one chance a game (0.8).

He’s earned international recognition too, featuring six times for England at Under-20 level.

Swindon Town reporter Jonny Leighfield has raved about his ‘brilliant turn of pace’ and his ability to ‘do damage’ going forward.

He even went as far as to claim that he has ‘got everything’ to play ‘Premier League football regularly’, including ‘the out-and-out quality’.

Perhaps he viewed the potential departure of Guilbert as a potential opportunity, but clearly Villa don’t see it that way.

Liverpool have been verging on a midfield injury crisis since the season began, and now a reliable source has put even more stress on the problems in the centre of the pitch with a Naby Keita contract update.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, a new contract for midfielder Keita is seemingly not on the table at the moment.

Plettenberg tweeted on Sunday morning:

“Update Keita: Very important game against Man Utd regarding his plans in this transfer window.

“Nothing has changed. LFC wants to extend, Klopp wants him to stay. But talks have stopped, an agreement is not in sight at this stage. He wants to play regularly.”

It’s a blow for Liverpool

At this moment Liverpool are in no position to be allowing more exits from Anfield with nine players already making the move away from the Merseyside giants, especially in the midfield positions that have been considerably weakened with ongoing fitness issues. As a result, the continued doubts surrounding Keita’s future is certainly a blow for Klopp, particularly as he wants him to remain in Merseyside.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara are all currently sidelined for the foreseeable future, so unless Liverpool are going to make a last-minute swoop for a midfielder this summer, there is no way they can afford to let go of Keita.

Despite his constant injury problems that have hindered his opportunities to become a consistent feature in the Reds’ midfield three, Keita is a reliable player in the team when fit and replacing that experience in the centre of the pitch will be a struggle over the remaining ten days of the transfer window.

Keita ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues over the last year for progressive carries, progressive passes, touches, pressures and tackles, proving that he is comfortably fluent in working to a high standard in Klopp’s pressing machine at Liverpool.

However, the £120k-per-week Guinea international has one flaw in his game and that is availability. Keita has been unavailable on 16 separate occasions ranging in absence lengths between five and 60 days, amounting to 62 fixtures missed so far.

If the powers at Anfield do manage to come to an agreement to extend the midfielder’s contract at the club they will need to take the risk on his inconsistent availability, or commit to making multiple signings in the midfield to ensure they are fully stocked with high-quality players.

With that being said, the contract extension is up for debate as to whether Liverpool really need to extend beyond June 2023, but what isn’t debatable is the fact the club must convince Keita to remain for the last season of his contract unless they find a replacement in the next few days.