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USMNT star Gio Reyna may have been out of sight and mind at Borussia Dortmund, but he could still land himself a Champions League medal in 2024.

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• American left for England in winter window
• Has seen BVB reach European final
• In contention for one of 40 mementos

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  With Bundesliga giants presenting the American playmaker with limited opportunities to impress this season, the decision was taken to put a loan deal in place during the winter transfer window. Reyna opted to head for the Premier League at Nottingham Forest, only to find regular minutes in short supply there.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Reyna is due back in Germany this summer, after representing his country at the Copa America and potentially the Olympic Games in Paris, with some big decisions needing to be made on his future. Prior to that, Dortmund have a European clash with Real Madrid to contend with.

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  TELL ME MORE

  Reyna will not figure in that contest at Wembley Stadium, as his move to England took him out of Dortmund’s squad, but he has played 20 minutes of Champions League football for BVB this season – across two appearances in the group stage against Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  UEFA will present 40 gold medals and the same number of silver to the two sides on show in the Champions League final on June 1. There are no restrictions regarding who gets those medals, with mementos usually handed out to anyone that has figured in the competition.

Tottenham Hotspur swooped to appoint Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach at the end of the 2022/23 campaign after his treble-winning season north of the border.

The Australian head coach was brought in from Celtic and backed in the summer transfer window, with the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Manor Solomon, Guglielmo Vicario, and Brennan Johnson all coming through the door.

Injury and suspension issues have caused problems for Spurs throughout the season but they are currently fifth in the Premier League and one point outside of the top four as it stands, as they look to compete for a place in the Champions League for next term.

The January transfer window opened for business last week and have already brought in Timo Werner on loan from German side RB Leipzig, whilst Radu Dragusin is closing in on a permanent switch from Genoa for a fee in excess of €30m (£26m).

Spurs transfer news – Morgan Gibbs-White

Postecoglou may not be done there with those two additions, though, as the head coach could look to bolster his options in the middle of the park.

At the end of 2023, The Daily Mail named Nottingham Forest central midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White as one of the players on the club's radar heading into January.

They claimed that Tottenham had sent scouts to watch him in action for the Tricky Trees against Manchester United on the 30th of December.

The England U21 international scored the winning goal, as shown above, in a 2-1 victory for his side with a stunning finish from the edge of the box in the 82nd minute to secure all three points for his side.

It was reported by The Daily Mail that Spurs wanted a centre-back, a forward, and a midfielder in January. They already have the forward – in Werner – and look set to secure the centre-back – in Dragusin – and that leaves a midfielder as the last piece of business on their to-do-list.

Tottenham should now push ahead with their interest in Gibbs-White as the impressive gem is a proven Premier League performer who also has the potential and room to improve and develop over the years to come.

The club could repeat the masterclass they played with Maddison last summer by looking further down the league to land a terrific creative midfielder.

Maddison's season in numbers

The England international is currently out of action with an ankle injury that has caused him to miss ten matches but his start to the campaign was electric.

Spurs snapped him up on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £40m from Leicester City after they were relegated to the Championship last year.

As you can see in the table above, Maddison's impressive start to the season has kept him in excellent company as his statistics have been similar to some of the best players in the division, including teammate Heung-min Son.

The former Foxes star currently ranks within the top 1% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive passes (9.91) per 90 and the top 1% for shot-creating actions (8.17) per 90. This shows that he has been one of the most progressive and creative players in his position in the division this season.

Maddison, who has racked up three goals and five assists in 11 league games this term, arrived in North London off the back of a return of ten goals and nine assists in 30 top-flight matches for Leicester during the 2022/23 campaign.

He had, therefore, already proven himself in the Premier League for a team competing at the opposite end of the table and this allowed him to hit the ground running for Spurs before his ankle injury.

The statistics that show why Spurs should sign Gibbs-White

Forest signed Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2022 in a deal that could reach £42.5m including add-ons and he has been a terrific addition to their squad.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the English whiz racked up five goals, eight assists, and nine 'big chances' created in 37 Premier League appearances, to help his side avoid relegation from the top-flight.

He ranked within the top 16% of the league's attacking midfielders and wingers for Expected Assisted Goals (0.24) per 90, which also placed him within the top 6% of forwards.

This season, Gibbs-White has chipped in with two goals and three assists in 20 Premier League games. The talented gem has also created five 'big chances' and produced 1.8 key passes per match in that time.

U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed him as a "menace" in the final third and described his style on the pitch as "arrogant", which suggests that he could carry the same swagger that Maddison carries himself with in matches.

His form at Championship level for Sheffield United during the 2021/22 campaign, prior to his move to Forest, also indicates that he has another level to get to at the top end of the pitch.

Gibbs-White, who still has plenty of time left to develop and improve at the age of 23, racked up 11 goals, nine assists, and 16 'big chances' created in 35 league outings for the Blades, on loan from Wolves.

This suggests that the potential is there for the 23-year-old ace, who can play as a number eight or ten, to reach Maddison's level of contributions in terms of goals and assists.

It would be a gamble, given that he is yet to reach the very top end of those statistics in the Premier League, but it is one that could be worth it if Gibbs-White fulfills his potential and turns out like the former Leicester star has.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

Therefore, Postecoglou could repeat his Maddison masterclass by swooping for another mercurial English playmaker from a team struggling at the bottom of the table this month.

Chelsea have reportedly made an offer to sign an "awesome" new striker, with those at Stamford Bridge already receiving a response.

Chelsea striker rumours

The Blues brought in a new striker over the summer with a move for Nicolas Jackson, however, it seems as if the club want another in 2024. Only Manchester United (22) and West Ham United (33) have scored less than Chelsea (34) in the Premier League out of the sides in the top half.

There have been plenty of rumours over a new attacking addition, with Mauricio Pochettino claiming last month that the club could be active this month, saying:

"After the first half of the season, we need to check. That is the reality. If we are not receiving enough, maybe we need to do some movement.

"That is the thing to analyse with the sporting directors, to see if we can change this dynamic and improve in the second half of the season. We need to be more aggressive. Then it's a massive assessment and when the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do.”

However, it looks as if not all of Chelsea’s targets are ones who could come in and strengthen Pochettino’s side immediately, with the club, and by extension owner Todd Boehly, seemingly looking at the bigger picture with a move for an in-demand teenager.

Chelsea make Milos Lukovic bid

According to The Secret Scout on X, Chelsea officials flew to Serbia to discuss a move for striker Milos Lukovic and even made a £4m offer, although it was turned down with FK IMT wanting a sell-on clause.

Reports elsewhere have claimed that Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg in France are locked in a battle with Eintracht Frankfurt for the 18-year-old. Lukovic appears to be a man in demand this month, and if the Blues do come out on top for his services, it looks as if he will go on loan to France with Strasbourg, managed by Patrick Vieira.

Already the captain for FK IMT, Lukovic has made 70 senior appearances for the club and has starred this season. His form has also caught the eye of Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who said:

It looks as if Lukovic will be a name to keep an eye on in the future, so if Chelsea manage to win the race for his services and loan him to France, it could prove to be a brilliant piece of business further down the line.

Erik ten Hag was told he would be getting sacked by Manchester United in the aftermath of the abysmal 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace.

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• Dutchman informed of decision in early May
• Pundit claims he was told week before Arsenal
• United had just been thrashed by Crystal Palace

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dutchman is preparing for the FA Cup final against Manchester City amid a torrent of stories that he is about to be sacked by United after overseeing the club's worst season in the Premier League era. Fanning the flames, former footballer and pundit Jan Age Fjortoft has revealed that he was informed of the decision by United's minority owners INEOS three weeks ago, between the 4-0 thrashing by Palace and the 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  United have reportedly already begun the search for Ten Hag's successor. The club's incoming CEO Omar Berrada is said to have met with Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna while it is being reported in Germany that Thomas Tuchel rejected the chance to remain at Bayern Munich in order to take over at United.

• WHAT FJORTOFT SAID

  “To think that ONE game at Wembley is decisive for Ten Hag’s future is lack of respect and knowledge for how INEOS works,” Fjortoft wrote on “Stay or go? Decided weeks ago. I understand he was told the week before the Arsenal game. Was always a gamble to think that this could be a secret till after the FA Cup final."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ten Hag has claimed that he is planning for next season and said he had already spoken to INEOS about his future but did not need assurances. He intends to go on holiday immediately after the cup final.

It was like being back in 2016 as the Three Lions were again frozen out by the boys from the land of fire and ice

Just when you thought England had banished the ghosts of their past, they succumbed to another shock defeat to Iceland, throwing their preparations for Euro 2024 into disarray.

Iceland produced one of the greatest shocks in international football history when they knocked Roy Hodgson's England out of Euro 2016 the day after the United Kingdom had voted to leave the European Union. And while the Three Lions have felt like a much stronger team in the subsequent years, here was a reminder that they are far from the finished article as they head out to Germany.

Their status as favourites will have been rocked by this defeat, and so will their confidence as they quickly ran out of ideas as to how to get past the compact visitors.

Aaron Ramsdale's confidence will also be affected after conceding a near-post strike from Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson while Southgate must have also been concerned when John Stones, his only centre-back to have major tournament experience, picked up an ankle injury and was then withdrawn at half-time.

The performances of Anthony Gordon and Marc Guehi were the few bright spots of a dark night for England on what should have been a rousing send off. Instead, they head to Germany with plenty of unanswered questions.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Wembley Stadium…

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  LOSER: Aaron Ramsdale

  Southgate declared before the game that Arsenal man Ramsdale was his second-choice goalkeeper behind Jordan Pickford, and his performance here appeared to confirm that status.

  Ramsdale has committed far bigger errors than conceding the goal he let in at Wembley, but he still will be disappointed with how he let Thorsteinsson's low shot beat him at his near post. When your side do most of the attacking, you need to be extra concentrated and be on top of the few shots you do face, and Ramsdale fell short in that respect.

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  WINNER: Iceland

  Rishi Sunak, King Charles, Gareth Southgate, your boys took a hell of a beating! The country's leaders have changed, but England are still no match for the tiny volcanic island which has a smaller population than Croydon.

  Iceland must have thought their shock elimination of England in Euro 2016 was a once-in-a-lifetime result, but eight years later they pulled off another huge surprise, claiming their first ever win at Wembley.

  The stakes were lower here, but the result and performance from England was no less concerning. While Roy Hodgson's side lost to a team at their peak, in a tournament in which they had already held Portugal to a 0-0 draw, Iceland are no longer the force they were a few years ago, having finished fourth in their qualifying group before falling to Ukraine in the play-offs.

  But they still know how to organise a defence, frustrate a more illustrious side and how to take their few chances, which is what Thorsteinsson duly did.

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  LOSER: England's attack

  England's biggest strength on paper is their attacking quality, but their star players were all stunted by Iceland's defensive organisation.

  Harry Kane missed the type of chance he had been scoring all season for Bayern Munich, somehow sending Cole Palmer's inviting ball wide over the target. The captain's all-round game was also uninspiring, perhaps the result of the back injury he picked up late in the season.

  Palmer and Phil Foden managed to create some space with their nifty footwork, but the Manchester City midfielder's passing left a lot to be desired, while he also missed the target from a promising opening.

  Anthony Gordon was England's brightest attacker and was the only player to get the fans inside Wembley off their feet thanks to his darting pace. But they were soon sitting down again due to his poor final ball, which he hit either at Icelandic defenders or into the crowd.

  Bukayo Saka looked rusty when he came off the bench while Eberechi Eze, one of the standout players against Bosnia, offered little in his 12 minutes on the pitch.

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  WINNER: Serbia

  Serbia might have felt disheartened about their prospects for the tournament after losing their first warm-up game against Austria, but their spirits would have been lifted by watching England struggle so much against a disciplined low block.

  Dragan Stojković's side will be fired up for their game against the Three Lions in Gelsenkirchen in what is set to be their first game at a European Championship since Euro 2000, and now they have a clear blueprint to follow thanks to Iceland.

  England will still be favourites, but Serbia will know they have a good chance of causing an upset so long as they can prevent their opponents from cutting inside too much and block their passing lanes, as Age Hareide's side did to perfection.

  Serbia also have far superior attacking quality to Iceland in the form of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Luka Jovic, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, giving them real hope of getting at England's depleted backline.

With Leicester City top of the Championship and well on their way to securing a Premier League return at the first time of asking, the Foxes have reportedly turned their attention towards the transfer market. Enzo Maresca could now land some reinforcements capable of helping to shape a potential top-flight side next season.

Leicester transfer news

Leicester did well in the summer to keep hold of the likes of Ricardo Pereira and Jamie Vardy, albeit whilst losing James Maddison. And now they must shift their focus towards further incomings. The Foxes are in the privileged position of enjoying a 10-point gap at the top of the Championship, meaning that it won't be long before they can start thinking about preparing for the Premier League.

EFL Championship done deals: Every January 2024 transfer

As the January transfer window closes, FFC has you covered for every in and out involving your club in the EFL Championship.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

Those at The King Power have already missed out on one target, however. Lucas Beraldo rumours suggested that Leicester had held talks to sign the Sao Paulo ace, only to watch on as the defender joined Paris Saint-Germain this month. It is a mistake that the promotion hopefuls will be desperate to avoid repeating in the January transfer window.

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport via FC Inter News and the Leicester Mercury, Leicester City have agreed a deal with Stefano Sensi and must now complete negotiations with Inter Milan to secure the midfielder's signature.

This comes just days after reports claimed that Leicester had made an approach to sign Sensi this month in a deal that could reportedly cost as little as €2m (£1.7m). The 28-year-old, in the last six months of his contract at Inter, will be hoping to see both clubs reach an agreement after reportedly saying yes to a move to Leicester. A player with plenty of experience, Maresca could be getting a player who is more than ready to step into the Premier League.

"Extraordinary" Sensi would be a major coup for Leicester

Once playing a part in helping Inter win the Scudetto, Sensi has since struggled for game time at the San Siro but that doesn't take away the midfielder's clear ability. The Italian earned the praise of Antonio Conte when at his best for the Serie A giants, with the former Inter manager saying via Forza Italian Football: "We are talking about someone who sees football and implements everything that I tell him. I think he was a bit underwhelming in the first half today, but then he stepped up and was extraordinary.

“We have players that have the same characteristics that I did: [Matias] Vecino, [Nicolo] Barella and [Marcelo] Brozovic if he were to play as a mezzala, along with Sensi. We must get everyone in their best form. For example there are Vecino and [Roberto] Gagliardini.

"The Uruguayan can shine in this system and Gaglia must return to being the player that we loved in the past. Sensi plays that right away, while Barella is struggling a bit more. Nicolo can’t play in front of the defence as he is more of a mezzala, but he has everything that is needed to become very good.”

Now potentially handed the chance to earn consistent game time at Leicester City, Sensi could return to the form that saw him earn the praise of Conte in what would hand Maresca an instant boost this month.

France defender Theo Hernandez hinted he could consider leaving AC Milan amid interest from Bayern Munich.

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• Theo Hernandez has yet to decide on his future
• Bayern eyeing Hernandez as Davies' replacement
• Player remains focused on Euro 2024

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hernandez, who joined AC Milan from Real Madrid in 2019, has yet to decide whether to leave the Serie A giants this summer. According to , he has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich and Chelsea amid uncertainly over his future.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Bavarian club have reportedly identified the France international as a replacement for Alphonso Davies. The Canadian has refused to extend his contract with the German side as he could leave them for Real Madrid in the future.

• WHAT THEO HERNANDEZ SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the 26-year-old said, "Whether I will stay at Milan or leave, we will see later. We'll see later whether I stay or not. At the moment I'm only focused on the European Championship."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THEO HERNANDEZ?

  The defender will be in action for Les Bleus as they begin their Euro 2024 journey against Austria on Monday at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly keen to add another centre-forward to their ranks before the January transfer window slams shut tonight.

Latest Wolves transfer news

Gary O'Neil has found reliable goalscorers in Matheus Cunha and Hee-chan Hwang, who have combined for 16 Premier League goals this season, and is now looking for a third.

According to HITC, the Old Gold had opened talks with Brazilian side Corinthians over a deal to snap up impressive young striker Yuri Alberto in a late swoop.

Wolves were plotting a move for the 22-year-old marksman that would comprise an initial loan until the end of the season with an option to then make it permanent for a fee of £18m.

The report stated they had turned their attention to Alberto after they failed in an approach to sign Albania international Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea.

However, at the 11th hour, a deal is now off with David Ornstein revealing the following news late on Wednesday night.

Armando Broja's Premier League goal record

The English-born has made 58 Premier League appearances throughout his career for Southampton and Chelsea combined and has plundered eight goals and three assists.

This is a startling return of just one goal every 7.25 top-flight matches on average, which shows that he is far from a proven goalscorer at that level.

In fact, Broja has managed two goals in 25 Premier League games for the Blues since the start of last season – one every 12.5 outings on average.

The 22-year-old striker, who has scored three goals in 38 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, has shown little sign of being a reliable goalscorer in England, albeit he still has plenty of time left to develop and improve at his young age.

The stats that show why Alberto would have been better than Broja

The Brazil international's form for Corinthians since his move to the club in January of last year suggests that he has the potential to be far more prolific in front of goal.

Alberto has racked up 26 goals and 11 assists in 95 appearances for them over the past 12 months, which is a return of one goal every 3.65 matches on average.

The £18m-rated whiz, who was capped by Brazil in March of 2023, has showcased his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals from a centre-forward in that time.

He previously caught the eye in his home country with 31 goals in 85 appearances for Internacional – one strike every 2.74 matches on average – before a short spell in Russia with Zenit led to his switch to Corinthians.

Alberto, who was once described as "clinical" and "complete" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, could, therefore, offer far more than Broja in the final third.

The Brazilian's goal record is considerably better than the Albania international's poor return in front of goal in the Premier League and that is why a late swoop for his services could well have turned out to be a masterstroke from O'Neil in his quest to add more goals to his side.

It looks as though they may well have to go back to Broja, after all.

Football FanCast brings you the latest Brighton transfer round-up.

The Seagulls made just two signings during the January transfer window, which may have been influenced by the dangers of FFP as it's had pretty much every Premier League club looking over their shoulder.

Roberto De Zerbi's side did have links to other players that arose during the winter window but they decided only to pull the trigger on two, so it's now all eyes on the summer transfer window, with a European place up for grabs.

Latest Brighton transfer rumours

According to TalkSPORT, Brighton have beaten West Ham United to the signing of Ibrahim Osman, who will join for a potential £17 million from FC Nordsjaelland in the summer.

According to Sport, Brighton are seeking around £42.7 million for Kaoru Mitoma with Barcelona eyeing a deal. It's stated that Ansu Fati could join the Seagulls permanently as part of a deal for the Japanese star.

Speaking to SPORT Bild, Denis Undav has stated that he's interested in securing a permanent move to Stuttgart once his loan deal expires.

Brighton 2023/24 transfers

The Seagulls had big money to spend this summer after a number of key sales, but in typical Brighton fashion, they decided to spend it mostly on young, up-and-coming players like Joao Pedro, Carlos Baleba, Bart Verbruggen and Igor.

As well as this, they added experience in the form of James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud, plus Ansu Fati on loan.

And, a couple of promising January additions to round things off.

Brighton 2023/24 sales

The summer was absolutely massive for Brighton, as they received around £167m for players.

Of course, the biggest, most notable exit was Moises Caicedo who joined Chelsea for an incredible £115m.

Other notable exits were Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez.

Lionel Messi has been notorious for walking on the field during matches throughout his illustrious career and he has now explained why.

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• Messi speaks about walking on field
• Says he doesn't like to run without the ball
• Explains he used to hide as a kid when asked to run

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has been arguably the greatest player of his generation if not of all time. Over the course of his 20-year-long one peculiar habit of his has been how often he can be seen strolling on the field, scanning the field before making the move to get in sync with the rest of the attack.

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• WHAT MESSI SAID

  Speaking in an interview with Clank Media, Messi has now explained why he walks: “When I was at Newell’s, there were two or three times a week we were sent to run around the grounds. I used to hide behind a tree. Running without a ball was never my thing. Heh.

  “I have always been very self-critical. I am the first to know what I do right and what I do wrong. When I walk I analyze the opponent’s positioning, how we stand when we don’t have the ball, get away from the marker and be able to initiate a counterattack.

  “I don’t pay much attention to GPS, statistics or data. I never cared how much I ran in a match.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi completed all that football has to offer when he won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina as he also won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball for good measure. In the summer of 2023, he made the move to Inter Miami and has since admitted he thinks the MLS side will be his last club before he hangs up his boots.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

  The World Cup winner is still involved with Argentina and is leading La Albiceleste in the 2024 Copa America in the United States. He will be in action on Tuesday, June 25 against Chile at the MetLife Stadium.