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Adam White of Get French Football News believes that Kurt Zouma is an underrated player amid links with West Ham United and Sevilla.

The Chelsea centre-back has been linked with an exit from the club in recent weeks, amid links with Sevilla star Jules Kounde.

The 6 ft 3 defender was reportedly set to be involved in a swap deal designed to bring Kounde to Stamford Bridge.

Zouma was also linked with a potential move to West Ham United, although it appears that deal has stalled, leaving the Hammers instead pursuing a deal for Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic.

The 26-year-old has made a total of 150 appearances for the Blues but has had to put up with being in and out of the team in recent months.

And White is of the opinion that he does not quite get the credit that he deserves.

He said: “I think Zouma’s a slightly underrated player. I think he gets marginalised occasionally.”

Zouma made 22 starts in the Premier League last season and scored four goals in the top-flight.

Kevin Phillips has offered his thoughts on Leeds’ interest in Huddersfield midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

What’s the talk?

Former England international Kevin Phillips has urged Leeds to push the boat out to sign Lewis O’Brien from Huddersfield this month. Leeds have had an offer rejected for the Championship battler, with Phillips now expecting them to go in with another bid.

He told Football Insider:

“Huddersfield’s season has already started so Leeds will have to push the boat out a little bit more and I’m sure they will because he is a very good player.

“If we are talking about a few more million then just go and get the player because the last thing they want is the second season syndrome. They do not want to be caught short. A player like O’Brien would definitely strengthen their squad.

“It is critical that Leeds get off to a good start in what is a huge game against United. If O’Brien came in, I think he would be a real good addition.”

Imagine him and Dallas

As per Phillips’ suggestion, Leeds must splash the cash by pushing the boat out to bring O’Brien to the club this summer. He could be a shrewd addition to the squad as he provides what the club want from a central midfield player and he could be the replacement needed for Mateusz Klich, who struggled for consistency last season.

The Polish international averaged a poor WhoScored rating of 6.51 in the top-flight for Leeds, which suggests that he was not cut out for Premier League football week-in-week-out. Stuart Dallas, meanwhile, averaged an impressive score of 6.87 in midfield next to him.

Therefore, O’Brien could come into the midfield alongside Dallas for Marcelo Bielsa’s team. It remains to be seen whether or not the 22-year-old would be an immediate upgrade on Klich, but at the age of 22, he has room to develop further and he has the physical qualities needed to impress at Leeds.

Anyone who has watched Bielsa’s team play will know how much hard work is required from the two central midfielders ahead of Kalvin Phillips, with pressing constantly a key component of their role. To that point, Huddersfield writer Steven Chicken claimed that O’Brien is the type of player managers love due to his work rate on the pitch. 

He said: “He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already. His fitness is incredible and he just never seems to get tired, which is one of the biggest difficulties Championship players have when stepping up to the Premier League.

“He’s never going to be a big glamorous name in the Premier League, but he is the kind of wholehearted, committed player that managers love because they do so much of the hard work that helps other players to shine.”

This suggests that he has the attributes required, physically and mentally, to succeed in a Bielsa team. Imagine Dallas and O’Brien bursting their lungs to get up and down the pitch throughout the 90 minutes battling it out for Leeds, it could be great to watch!

This is why Victor Orta must get on the phone to Huddersfield with an improved offer.

AND in other news, Orta must sanction Leeds swoop for “god-given” talent, Bielsa would love him…

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has claimed that Aston Villa striker Wesley could leave the club this summer.

What’s the story?

Following the arrival of Danny Ings from Southampton in recent weeks, Dean Smith’s side have bolstered their options going forward, and Preece has now indicated that this could have an impact on Wesley’s future at the club.

He said: “Yep, there’s a realistic possibility of Wesley heading out. I must be in the minority here but I’d like to see him do well at Villa. I was hard on him when he first joined but he was showing signs before he got injured. I think he’ll be loaned out now though; Ings and Watkins will start pretty much every game.

“Interesting to hear Smith say Watkins will be a central striker and nothing else this season. I can see Ings as a No.10 at times. There is a need for a striker on the bench, though, knowing Traore/Ghazi played there last week vs Salernitana.”

Dean Smith’s making a mistake

While Ings’ arrival certainly puts Wesley down the pecking order at Villa Park, it’s a bit of a hasty mistake from Smith to let the Brazilian go this summer, even on a temporary basis.

Watkins was a man of steel last season in the Premier League, only missing the one match all campaign, but whether that level of fitness can hold up for a second successive campaign remains to be seen.

Add to that the fact Ings missed several games last season for Southampton with a knee injury, and of course has ruptured his ACL previously, and Villa could be left really short up front if they suffer some misfortune.

A report from The Birmingham Mail recently said: “It has been rumoured that Ings’ arrival from Southampton could see Villa operating with two strikers up front in a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 formation this term as the new man plays alongside last season’s great transfer success, Ollie Watkins.

“Playing two up top was used in just 2% of Villa’s games last season, but proved to be effective in games such as the 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion, the 3-0 win over Arsenal and the 3-1 victory over Fulham. The 4-4-2 has been trialled on several occasions in pre-season, most recently in the 3-1 win against Salernitana.”

If Smith does intend to operate with a two-man strike force, he surely needs a back-up centre-forward either as an option off the bench, or as someone he could rotate his main pairing with.

Letting Wesley go without first bringing in another striker would be a massive oversight and mistake on the part of the Villa boss.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

Carlton Palmer is adamant Rafa Benitez could persuade Euro 2020 star Lorenzo Insigne to join Everton before the transfer window closes.

Benitez was appointed as the Toffees’ new boss in June and has made three signings – in the form of Andros Townsend, Asmir Begovic and Demarai Gray – since taking charge.

But Benitez is now looking to make a marquee signing to satisfy the Everton supporters and the Merseyside club are being heavily linked with Napoli talisman Insigne.

The creative midfielder is regarded as a legend at the Serie A club, having made 397 appearances and notched 109 goals.

He also shone at Euro 2020, starting six clashes and claiming two goals as Italy broke England hearts to be crowned European champions last month.

Benitez worked closely with the 30-year-old during his time in charge of Napoli and former Premier League midfielder Palmer insists Insigne would be interested in a move to Goodison Park despite the close ties to his current employers.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Palmer said: “The Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world, so of course he would leave for Everton.

“Working with a manager that you’ve had success under is always an attraction for a player.

“Everton are a massive club which is fantastically well supported.”

According to The Daily Express, Southampton are interested in signing Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham this summer.

The Lowdown: Saints eye Vestergaard replacement

The Saints have already been busy during this transfer window, making five signings in Romain Perraud (southamptonfc.com), Danyl Simeu (chelseafc.com), Valentino Livramento, Armando Broja and Adam Armstrong.

However, the departure of Jannik Vestergaard to Leicester City (lcfc.com) means the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit could do without another centre-back.

The Latest: Saints eye Adarabioyo

Now, it seems Southampton are interested in signing Adarabioyo.

As per the report, the 23-year-old has a £10m release his contract at Craven Cottage, while Norwich City are also believed to be interested in his services.

The Verdict: Solid option

The Saints have been looking to bring in young players during this transfer window – they have not signed anyone over the age of 25 – and Adarabioyo certainly fits that billing.

Former Blackburn defender Darren Lenihan called him “exceptional” (Goal.com), while Pep Guardiola even had praise for the defender (allnigeriasoccer.com).

He also has 33 Premier League appearances (Transfermarkt), showing he has already held his own at the highest level. £10m for a player of the former England U19 international’s man potential is hardly a huge fee – Ralph Hasenhuttl and co should make their move quick to make sure they get their man.

In other news, Southampton fans want to sign this four-time league winner.

Graham Roberts exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Harry Kane deserved the warm welcome he received from Tottenham fans at Wolves on Sunday.

Despite his late return to Hotspur Way and the whole missing training fiasco, Kane’s introduction at Molineux was met with a chorus of ‘he’s one of our own’ from the travelling Spurs faithful.

Those chants came exactly seven days after many of the crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were making their feelings clear about Kane by belting out ‘are you watching Harry Kane?’ as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side defeated the Premier League champions on the opening day.

Kane almost gave the visiting supporters something to cheer about soon after he replaced Heung-min Son, but the usually reliable striker was thwarted his first goal of the season by an alert Jose Sa.

Despite everything that has happened this summer, Kane was given another warm reception at full-time after Spurs secured yet another 1-0 success.

When asked whether he was surprised by the reaction from the Tottenham fans, Roberts told The Transfer Tavern:

“Not at all. He deserves everything he gets. The PR hasn’t been the best, but Harry Kane is a Tottenham player, and he will give 100 percent to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.”

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will not be leaving Old Trafford over what remains of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, despite reports suggesting otherwise, the Frenchman will not be leaving United this summer, and the central midfielder was never discussed as a potential makeweight in the club’s proposals to Juventus in their signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In his tweet, Romano said: “Paul Pogba is also staying and he’s never been involved in any proposal to Juventus.”

Further reports have claimed that Paris Saint-Germain have been considering a move for the 28-year-old, who has just one year remaining on his current contract at Old Trafford – with no agreement reached between the club and the player concerning a new deal at present.

Music to the ears of fans

While it would indeed appear something of a priority to ensure that Pogba does put pen to paper on a contract extension this season, as the possibility of the midfielder leaving the club for nothing next summer is currently a very real one, Romano’s claim that the France international will remain a United player beyond Tuesday’s transfer deadline is sure to be music to the ears of fans.

Indeed, since his return to Manchester back in 2016, the 28-year-old has consistently been one of the club’s most consistent performers in the Premier League, earning seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 7.66, 7.40, 7.21, 7.13 and 6.98 over the past five top-flight seasons respectively.

And, the £54m-rated man has already highly impressed over his two Premier League appearances for the Red Devils this term, having provided a whopping five assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making three key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £290k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.55, ranking him as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s third-best performer in the league.

As such, it is evident that Pogba is a crucial component within the Manchester United side, who will undoubtedly play a key role in any success the club manage to achieve this season.

So, Romano’s claim that the Frenchman does not look likely to leave the club over what remains of the summer transfer window is sure to delight Solskjaer and fans of the club alike.

In other news: Man Utd make contact over £27m-rated “complete midfielder”, Ole would love him

Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey has been nominated for the Premier League 2 player of the month award for August after a stellar start to the campaign, as per the club’s official website.

In two appearances for the Villans’ under-23 side last month, the 18-year-old registered four goal contributions, with two goals and two assists [Transfermarkt], and he has won recognition for his fine displays.

He has been selected as a nominee for the Premier League 2 award and will be up against Omari Giraud-Hutchinson, Evan Ferguson, Harvey Vale, James McAtee, Dylan Stephenson, Jonathan Tomkinson and Dilan Markanday for the honour [avfc.co.uk].

In light of this news, plenty of Aston Villa supporters took to social media to celebrate Ramsey’s award nomination.

Aston Villa fans react

Replying to the club’s official Twitter account, here is what some fans had to say about the nomination, with some describing the teenage prospect as a “baller”:

“* 2 goals and 2 assists.”

Credit: @Flatsy1

“Such a baller, massive potential”

Credit: @thawkk__

“Baller”

Credit: @calsteedd

“Aaron Ramsey is bigger than your club”

Credit: @josephavfc

“Standard”

Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ

 “This man’s having a sublime few weeks”

Credit: @ViIlaI_

In other news, many Aston Villa fans react to events from the international break. Find out more here.

Giorgos Giakoumakis didn’t feature for Celtic against Ross County this weekend because he’s still getting up to speed, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin. 

The lowdown

The Bhoys ran out 3-0 victors on Saturday, returning to winning ways after their derby defeat prior to the international break. New signing Cameron Carter-Vickers put them in front before Albian Ajeti scored twice in the final 20 minutes.

The Swiss striker led the line for the Hoops, with deadline day signing Giakoumakis left out of the matchday squad by Ange Postecoglou.

The Greek has arrived in Glasgow as a replacement for Odsonne Edouard, who has moved on to Premier League side Crystal Palace.

The latest

In a Q&A for The Athletic on the day of the match, one Celtic supporter fumed that Ajeti was the only centre-forward in the matchday squad and referenced how Postecoglou had said that the Greek striker did not have the benefit of a pre-season at Lennoxtown.

In reply to that comment, Devlin said: “Been told Giakoumakis will need some time to get up to speed yeah, apparently rusty (to put it mildly) in training.”

The verdict

It’s probably sensible in the long run for Postecoglou to hold Giakoumakis back until he’s ready. By throwing him in at the deep end too early, he might lose confidence.

However, that pragmatism from the manager needs to be balanced with the demands of Celtic’s schedule. For instance, they face a tricky Europa League group stage opener at Real Betis on Thursday evening.

If Celtic lose in Spain and Giakoumakis, a scorer of 29 goals last season, is left at home, some fans might be asking questions of Postecoglou’s decision in that scenario.

In other news, Chris Sutton floats this intriguing possibility in the wake of Dominic McKay’s exit.

Celtic head into their match this weekend needing an immediate response from what occurred in the Old Firm derby.

The Hoops were beaten by their biggest rivals and, all of a sudden, Ange Postecoglou’s men look as though they lack a bit of confidence again.

However, as the Bhoys get ready to face Ross County on Saturday afternoon, they will do so boosted by three deadline day signings.

Will any of those new faces start today? Here’s our predicted XI…

We anticipate Celtic to make four changes to the side which lost to Rangers two weeks ago.

The first change comes in the centre of defence, where Carl Starfelt – a man with an error in his system – is axed in favour of Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The Tottenham defender was a surprise late arrival on deadline day as Postecoglou managed to secure him on loan.

With Greg Taylor’s fitness unknown after pulling out of the Scotland squad, Josip Juranovic starts again on the left, with Anthony Ralston on the right.

The biggest change is in attack, where Kyogo Furuhashi is forced to drop out. The forward picked up a knee injury on international duty which will rule him for a month at least.

That means there is also a Hoops debut for Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is likely to be charged with leading the line.

There is no Odsonne Edouard anymore either, so he is replaced in the starting XI by Jota, who penned temporary terms from Benfica and could be the third of the Celtic debutants today.

The final change is behind the striker, where Ryan Christie is replaced by Tom Rogic. The former sealed a late move to Bournemouth and is no longer on the wage bill at Parkhead.

David Turnbull is likely to feature in midfield alongside the in-form skipper Callum McGregor.

Celtic have played some excellent attacking football this season, so it will be interesting to see how they fare with a huge change in personnel.

AND in other news, Forget Soro: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 20 y/o with a “wand of a left foot”…