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Aston Villa appear to have had the last laugh despite seeing former goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini now play for Champions League side Atalanta.

What’s the story?

The club signed the Italian shot-stopper back in the summer of 2016 when Roberto Di Matteo was in charge, and the then Villa boss made it clear that they had made a major statement of intent with his signing.

Di Matteo insisted: “We have managed to sign him despite the fact he was being chased by a number of top sides and that is a great sign. He’s a young man but has plenty of experience and I’m sure he’ll prove to be an excellent signing for the club.”

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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In the end, Gollini managed just 20 appearances in total for Villa, before Steve Bruce made the decision to let him leave the club permanently for just £3.75m. Whilst things have worked out for him back in Italy, Villa shouldn’t feel too regretful now.

Emi Martinez’s arrival

Make no mistake about it, prior to the summer transfer window, Gollini’s exit would surely have been looked at by Villa with a sense of regret and ‘what if’.

The Italian has established himself as the number one goalkeeper for Atalanta who stunned sides across Europe by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, before eventually losing to Paris Saint-Germain.

A cruciate ligament injury has kept him out of action for the start of this season, but with 41 appearances across all competitions in the previous campaign, there’s no doubting he will reclaim his spot in between the sticks.

But whilst Gollini has impressed, Villa have solved their goalkeeping conundrum with their summer move for Emiliano Martinez. The massive Argentine arrived off the back of a FA Cup and Community Shield victories with the Gunners, and has helped his new club keep the best defensive record in the Premier League with just two goals conceded.

What was initially a massive Bruce blunder in letting Gollini go, has now seen Villa enjoy the last laugh, with Martinez set to form the backbone of their side for the next few years to come.

Hands up if you saw that performance coming after the dismal opening day defeat to Newcastle?

West Ham finally got their Premier League campaign up and running with a superb 4-0 win over Wolves at the London Stadium on Sunday night, with goals from Jarrod Bowen (2), Sebastien Haller and an own goal from Raul Jimenez ensuring they got their first points of the season.

But whilst Bowen capped a fine individual performance with a brace – including an excellent run and finish for his first goal – it was Michail Antonio who set the tone for the Hammers and arguably stole the show.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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As per Sofascore, he won a mammoth 14 duels on Sunday which was a game-high, whilst he was also the most fouled player on the pitch, earning five free-kicks.

The 30-year-old never stopped fighting for the cause, and despite having to come up against Wolves’ back-three of Roman Saiss, Conor Coady and Wily Boly, he ran them ragged – the centre-back trio recorded a match rating of 6.2 or less.

Despite having a thankless task and often being asked to do a one-man job as the lone front-man, Antonio rose to the challenge with aplomb.

Even though he lost possession 21 times, it wasn’t for a lack of effort or ability, instead more an indicator of the kind of risks he was willing to take whenever he had the ball – it was no surprise that by the end of the game, his total of six completed dribbles were the highest of any Hammers ace.

So whilst Bowen may be the one to take all the headlines in the aftermath of a stunning victory, Antonio’s display was the epitome of everything that West Ham did well on the night.

Despite signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton earlier this summer, it appears Tottenham aren’t done with beefing up their midfield options.

According to Italian publication Il Secolo XIX (via Football Italia), Jose Mourinho’s side are interested in Sampdoria ace Ronaldo Vieira.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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The report claims that the Italian giants are looking to offload numerous players this summer in order to raise some funds, with Vieira amongst those who could be gone. However, Spurs are set to face competition from the likes of Leeds United (his former club), West Ham, Burnley, Southampton, Leicester and Everton, and that he is likely to cost €10m (£9m).

Having made the move to Serie A, Vieira has somewhat fallen off the radar, but there can be no questioning that he has developed into an impressive holding midfielder.

As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old averaged 1.2 tackles and 3.7 duels won per game last season in the Italian top-flight. Vieira also picked up an astonishing 11 yellow cards and one red in those 27 games for Sampdoria, and that combative approach could see him be a decent back-up to someone like Hojbjerg.

After seeing him deliver a particularly dominant performance for Leeds back in 2017, then Derby County boss and former England manager, Steve McClaren, said: “(Ronaldo) Vieira, wow. At 18 years old he’s got a bright future. He ran the show tonight and gave us a bit of a lesson.”

If Spurs are looking for someone to rotate with Hojbjerg next season in the Premier League, then Vieira could be a shrewd signing for Mourinho.

Manchester United will be desperate to bounce back from their FA Cup semi-final exit when they welcome West Ham to Old Trafford.

Man United slumped to a disappointing defeat to Chelsea at Wembley, which ended their chances of a first final under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils had enjoyed a 19-game unbeaten run up until that point, although they will get another shot at silverware this season when the Europa League returns in August.

United will want to make swift amends, although they won’t have an easy task on their hands, as West Ham have pulled off some remarkable results in recent weeks, including a 3-2 victory over the Blues at the London Stadium at the start of the month.

Transfer Tavern has put together a predicted starting lineup, which sees Solskjaer make five changes to the side that lost to the Blues last weekend.

Solskjaer admitted his team selection in the FA Cup defeat “didn’t work” and he will want to rectify that mistake.

The Red Devils are firmly in the race for a top four finish, although they face stiff competition from Chelsea and Leicester City.

Solskjaer’s side are currently fifth in the table, tied with the Foxes on 62 points, with two games left to play in the campaign.

United’s main attacking quartet had earned rave reviews until they started without Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood, as Solskjaer made four changes to the side that beat Crystal Palace, and he will surely return to the team that had performed so well since the Premier League restart.

He switched to playing three at the back which turned out to be a terrible decision as the Blues ran riot on Sunday.

Solskjaer will likely revert back to his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, as Martial resumes his fine form at the top of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Greenwood will regain his place in the starting lineup, meaning Daniel James will make way as a result.

After his decision to give Pogba a rest proved costly, the Frenchman will resume his partnership with Bruno Fernandes in the midfield, and Fred will drop to the bench instead.

Eric Bailly is expected to miss the match with West Ham after sustaining a head injury, allowing Victor Lindelof to slot into place next to Harry Maguire.

On the other hand, Solskjaer has a fully fit squad to choose from, and Luke Shaw could earn his first start for the club since the 2-2 draw with his old side Southampton, replacing Brandon Williams at left-back.

David de Gea’s performances have come under scrutiny this season and the Spaniard did himself no favours after being at fault for two of Chelsea’s goals. The Spaniard looks short of confidence and Sergio Romero could earn a surprise call-up from the bench to deputise for the erratic goalkeeper.

United will most likely start the game as favourites, but they must be at their very best if they want to turn things around. There is no room for error in the race for the top four.

United fans, do you think this is how Solskjaer will lineup against West Ham? Let us know your views by commenting below!

Chelsea are reportedly on the market for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer. 

The Blues are not messing around when it comes to bolstering their squad ahead of what promises to be an exciting 2020/21 season. The newest name on their radar is Lazio’s Serbian playmaker, who reportedly has Real Madrid also chasing his signature (according to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness).

According to the Italian report, both Madrid and Chelsea have ‘started to move’ on bringing Milinkovic-Savic to their respective grounds next campaign. Lazio’s asking price for the 25-year-old was €100million (£89.1m), however this valuation was from two years ago so a much lower price tag could be on the table.

The midfielder currently has a Transfermarkt value of £57.6m, which is much more reasonable given the current financial climate. However, Milinkovic-Savic still has four years on his current contract, so Lazio may be hesitant to let him leave for cheap.

Chelsea are still chasing hot Bundesliga target Kai Havertz this summer, who has also attracted heavy attention from the likes of Manchester United. The 21-year-old will command a hefty fee of £90m, so shifting attention to Milinkovic-Savic could be a smarter move for the Blues.

The Serbian has a total of 46 goals and 28 assists throughout his career and has contributed six goals and seven assists this season (via Transfermarkt).

Although Havertz has the more impressive portfolio (17 goals and nine assists this term), his asking price may be too high for a side who has already recruited two top signings. The additions of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner have started Chelsea off on the right foot but could mean a move for their first choice midfielder is off the cards.

Milinkovic-Savic has more senior experience, having enjoyed spells in Italy, Belgium and Serbia. He is also capped 15 times by his national team. His knowledge of the game and ability to set up goals would still be a valuable asset to Lampard’s midfield. He would also help influence up and coming talent like Billy Gilmour.

For what could be half the price of Havertz, this move could be a smarter option as the Blues focus on silverware next season.

Should Chelsea sign Milinkovic-Savic this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

One signing that Everton fans must wish never happened was the acquisition of Davy Klaassen back in 2017. Ronald Koeman seemed to have started his summer transfer window off well after poaching Jordan Pickford for a record fee for a British goalkeeper. Next through the door came the manager’s fellow Dutchman Klaassen, who penned a five year deal with the Blues (via BBC Sport).

It seemed a smart and apt signing for Koeman at the time, who had his finger on the pulse of the talent pool in his home country. Plus, the midfielder joined from a strong Ajax side, where he sported the armband and led his team to the 2017 Europa League final against Manchester United.

However, the manager’s take proved to be a huge lapse in judgment.

Klaassen arrived at Goodison Park after Everton forked out £24.3 million for his services. The Dutch international featured just 16 times for the senior team and contributed one assist, which was against Ruzomberok in the Europa League qualifying rounds (via Transfermarkt).

The man who brought him to club was given the boot in October 2017 following a humiliating 5-2 home defeat to Arsenal which saw them slip into the relegation zone. After also failing to make the desired impact on the team, Klaassen departed just 12 months into his five year deal and signed for Werder Bremen, where he still plays today.

The sale of the 27-year-old saw Everton pocket just £12.15m, exactly half of what they paid for him the previous year meaning they made a 50% loss on him.

The whole Klaassen era is an embarrassing one for the club, who were forced to take a substantial loss on a player who couldn’t find regular minutes under three different managers in the space of 12 months – in all honestly he totally flopped at Goodison Park. However, with Carlo Ancelotti now in charge, hopes are higher that a similar scenario won’t happen again.

What did you think of the signing of Davy Klaassen, Blues? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Name: Frankie Maguire

Club: Sheffield United

Date of Birth: 29 July 2003

Position: Midfielder

Frankie Maguire – his career so far

Frankie Maguire is one of the youngest bright talents that’s already dubbed to be a great success over at Sheffield United. The young midfielder is only 16 years of age and yet, it seems that he’s been impressing the right people at such a rate that the word has already spread through the media and possibly even other clubs.

But Maguire has been with the Blades since before the U12 level and has only recently signed a two-year scholarship deal after turning 16 in July 2019. Needless to say, he is still far too early into his development to be in the conversation for a possible first-team appearance or even to be knocking on the door for an opportunity within Chris Wilder’s squad.

Still, despite his young age and clearly lack of any kind of experience under his belt, the 16-year-old prodigy has gotten a taste of the U23 level action due to his sheer talent and potential that simply had to be tested against the older squads who would be more of a challenge for someone of his skill set.

Maguire progressed onto an apprenticeship at Sheffield United Academy, which is divided between his development as a footballer and also ensuring he continues his education, after finishing his studies at the UTC in June 2019.

So at the very moment, he is studying a BTEC Level 3 NVQ qualification in Sport along with an FA coaching qualification while also spending time ironing out his technical abilities, tactical knowledge and also working on his overall fitness.

For a youngster at the very beginning of his career, he’s taking big steps to ensure he’s ready once the opportunity arises. And given the talent he possesses, that opportunity might be just around the corner for the young gem.

Transfer latest

Since we are talking about a 16-year-old kid who’s still in the academy at the club, it doesn’t surprise that there are currently no transfer rumours or transfer news surrounding Maguire. The latest piece of Sheffield United news coming out of the camp was the signing of his two-year scholarship last year but other than that, the mill has gone silent.

Of course, the midfielder has been named as the top young talent at Sheffield United for the year 2019 by Guardian last year, which is definitely a big recognition of his potential and current state of development.

As time goes on and Maguire manages to tally more minutes under his belt in the development squads, we are bound to start hearing of him again.

Player profile

Not much footage is available for scouting when it comes to the young prodigy but what we can gather from the limited data that’s available is that Maguire is an industrious midfielder, good on the ball, fast on his feet and with a keen eye for a pass.

So far, he’s been excelling in the technical department and also showing a certain dose of maturity when it comes to decision making, leadership skills and overall mental prowess that seems to be developed beyond his young age.

But there is also the physical aspect and he is fitter and more aggressive than most of his peers, which mixes well with his great on the ball abilities. Maguire is quite tall as well and can be an asset when marking or tackling the ball away from the opposition players.

It does seem like he could transform into a great box-to-box midfielder in due time and is well on his way towards reaching the highest levels.

On this day four years ago West Ham fans were made to say goodbye to the Boleyn Ground ahead of a hugely controversial move to London Stadium in Stratford.

At the time, fans were carefully of optimistic of what a new 60,000 capacity stadium could help them achieve moving forward, but what has transpired since will have led to much larger opposition to the move had the fans known what a mess the stadium move was to cause.

The Boleyn Ground was a classic football ground with a reputation of being very intimidating for opposition players. It was the home of every single West Ham fan who had the pleasure of going there, but all they have now are fantastic memories of the great stadium.

So, to mark the four-year anniversary of that emphatic final match at Upton Park, we’ve put together the Ultimate Boleyn Ground quiz for Hammers fans to test their knowledge of the place they used to call ‘home’…

Good luck!

It has been a couple of months since Romelu Lukaku swapped the Manchester United shirt for Inter Milan and so far he’s been having a good time over in Serie A.

The big Belgian has already bagged ten goals in 13 league games and if these early signs are anything to go by, the Nerazzurri might have struck gold with his transfer from the Premier League.

The Red Devils, however, could sure do with a striker of his profile to lead their generally young squad and add some much-needed experience and know-how to the mix.

After all, they were bound to miss someone of Lukaku’s stature, seeing how the now 26-year-old forward managed to net 42 goals and 13 assists in a total of 92 games played for the English side.

And interestingly enough, a recent report from ESPN stated the same thing – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants a well-developed and experienced name to lead the line alongside his talented youngsters.

Having the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood bodes well for their future but it feels like they also need someone for right here and now to get them out of their slump and back into the top region of the table.

Luckily for them, there’s one man who simply ticks all the boxes and would be able to arrive either for free or on a big discount, seeing how his contract expires next summer already.

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Of course, we are talking about none other than Edinson Cavani, the current Paris Saint-Germain forward who’s recently fallen out of favour at Parc des Princes.

The 32-year-old has tallied only 431 minutes under his belt in the ongoing season, scoring two goals in seven Ligue 1 appearances but with the likes of Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Junior in the squad, the Uruguayan is bound to struggle for playtime moving forward as well.

But even though it feels like he’s been made redundant in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly lost all of his ability.

Just last season, Cavani managed to bag 18 goals and five assists in Ligue 1 and averaged 2.5 shots and 0.6 key passes per game, even edging out Lukaku’s 12 goals and 1.7 shots per game and only falling short to his 0.7 key passes per game.

By all standards, the man who can boast with nearly 300 games for the Saints with 195 goals scored is definitely someone who would bring both experience and proven goal-scoring prowess to the table.

That seems exactly what Manchester United need.

And have we mentioned that he’ll be a free agent come next summer?

Pick up the phone, Woodward, and make the call. It’ll be worth it.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Football Insider, Paul Robinson has suggested that Felipe Anderson needs to improve to reach last season’s level.

What did he say?

There are so many West Ham United players who have been disappointing during the club’s seven-game winless run.

One of those men is Anderson, who is still yet to score a single goal this season, while he has got three assists in the league.

The Brazilian has been working hard, as signified against Newcastle United when he ran back to cover Pablo Zabaleta and challenge Allan Saint-Maximin, but the Hammers need more from him going forward.

When discussing Manuel Lanzini’s injury with Football Insider, Robinson veered off to speak about the 26-year-old: “I think it’s a boost for Anderson as he has struggled for his form this year. I think at the end of the last season, he set himself a bar as his performances were outstanding.

“I don’t think he’s nowhere near reaching the same levels he did last year and this gives him the opportunity to have a run of games in the team.”

Drop in productivity

Anderson actually makes 0.4 more dribbles per game this term compared to last, but he is doing less with them, playing an average of 0.4 fewer key passes.

In addition, he has been barren in front of goal so far this time around, while he had the ball in the back of the net nine times in the league last campaign.

It would be harsh to question Anderson’s desire to help the team, as he has averaged 2.5 tackles, 1 interception and 0.7 clearances per game, but that doesn’t change the fact the team needs more from him in the final third.

If Manuel Pellegrini decides to play him in a more progressive role, closer to Sebastien Haller, this could help the Brazilian begin doing that.