Maurizio Sarri has breathed life into his new Chelsea career by tipping Manchester City to the signing of Jorginho, but reports in the British media suggest he is keen to sign more than just one player from his former club this summer. 

There was a feeling of inevitability about Jorginho’s proposed transfer to Manchester City, however, in the blinking of an eye the Italy international was stood alongside Sarri holding a Chelsea shirt. The conclusion of the Jorginho saga served to emphasise the influence of managers in the transfer market who are often capable of single-handedly swaying the decision of a potential target.

Maurizio Sarri is a manger who commands deep respect from his players and peers alike for his achievements in the game so far, but the Chelsea job represents his first opportunity to test himself away from the comfort of his home nation.

With the financial backing of Roman Abramovich on his side, Sarri should have access to a significant transfer kitty this summer despite concerning murmurs regarding the Russian’s inability to fund the building of a new stadium in west London.

According to the Daily Express, Sarri wants to use the funds available to him to reunite with his former Napoli talisman, Gonzalo Higuain. The report claims that the Old Lady are open to the possibility of offloading Higuain in light of their mega-money acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The fact that Sarri and Higuain previously worked alongside each other during the 2015/16 campaign before Juventus’ acquisition will certainly be a factor in influencing the Argentina international’s decision this summer.

The circumstances that have manifested at Stamford Bridge over the weekend have added a significant weight of credibility to the rumours linking Higuain with a move to Chelsea, and Sarri’s influence is largely responsible for that.

Higuain is a striker who, for a handful of critics, has flattered to deceive throughout his career, but his strongest of sceptics simply cannot argue with his formidable record in-front of goal: 107 goals from 190 La Liga appearances and 111 from 177 in Serie A prove that onlookers should not be fooled by his seemingly languid approach.

Higuain’s most identifiable personal traits relate to his rather introverted and erratic nature which have made him a figure of interest away from the field throughout his career.

The method could well be in the madness for Higuain, but a report from Goal detailing an enlightening assessment of his personality suggests that his best form arrives under a manager who can help him to suppress his hot-headed nature – Sarri could well be the key to striking a balance between head and heart.

During Sarri’s debut season as manager of Napoli, Higuain broke the Serie A record for the most goals in a single-season by notching 36 goals from just 35 appearances, including a hat-trick on the final day to clinch a startling personal achievement.

The tough loving approach which Sarri showed towards Higuain that season clearly worked wonders for the player’s form, and he later credited the Italian manager for giving him mental clarity.

Midway through Higuain’s record-breaking campaign which earned him a transfer to Juventus the following summer, he stated, “Sarri has given me peace of mind” despite spending just a few months with the new manager by that point.

Higuain’s admission bodes well for Chelsea’s upcoming campaign as Sarri’s ability to bond with the players in a short space of time is exactly what the club need following a drab, disconnected season which saw the players, manager and owner fall miserably out of love with one another.

However, in relation to the latest transfer rumour, the admission suggests that Higuain’s relationship with Sarri is bound by respect and admiration, and that could take Chelsea a long way in their bid to revamp their attacking options this summer.

Alvaro Morata’s maiden season with Chelsea ended in disappointment despite a thoroughly promising beginning, with a lack of desire and homesickness widely cited as core reasons for his dip in form.

At the spearhead of Chelsea’s attack, Morata cut a disinterested and rather meek figure who didn’t look up for the fight for the majority of the 2017/18 campaign, but the arrival of a lively character, such as Higuain, with the fire in his belly to impress one of the most important influences in his career so far could provide the Blues with their perfect replacement for the Spaniard.

The arrival of the multi title-winning centre-forward in the Premier League would be a transfer for the neutrals to get genuinely excited about. His past history under Sarri bodes well for a potential career at Chelsea, not only because of his sensational goal-scoring return under his leadership, but also due to the mental clarity the new manager is able to install within a player who reaches the pinnacle of his game when a strong influence is present to channel his emotions effectively.

Chelsea fans – thoughts on Higuain? Let us know below!

Newcastle United have had a relatively modest transfer window so far as only two players have arrived at St James’ Park, one of which was a free transfer. 

Rafa Benitez’s frustration in the transfer market looks set to continue whilst cash-strapped Mike Ashley remains at the helm.

Recent reports suggest that Newcastle will target Solomon Rondon from West Bromwich Albion once they have sold Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham, but another Championship star could be following the Venezuelan to Tyneside this summer according to The Sun.

According to the report, Newcastle are set to table a £6 million bid for Bristol City’s Joe Bryan this summer in a bid to bolster their options on the left-side of defence and midfield.

Bryan is left-back by trade who likes to move forward with the ball and make a difference in the final-third – a quality which he demonstrated to devastating effect against Manchester United last season.

After impressing in The Robin’s 4-1 demolition of Crystal Palace in the 4th round of the Carabao Cup, Bryan shot to fame with a stunning opener against Manchester United in their 2-1 quarter-final victory.

Bristol City’s manager Lee Johnson got his tactics spot on that evening as he moved Bryan further forward into a left-wing role where the 24-year-old was able to express himself in the final-third and offer solid protection in-front of the full-back.

With Newcastle expected to be facing another relegation battle next season, there’s no doubt that his versatility and balanced approach to playing out wide could be a valuable asset to call upon in fixtures against the top-six clubs.

Bryan’s arrival would also provide strong competition for fan-favourite Paul Dummet and allow Benitez the opportunity to utilise Kenedy’s creative qualities in a number ten role behind Rondon or Dwight Gayle.

For a small price of just £6 million there’s no doubt that Newcastle would be getting plenty for their money, so Ashley must stump up the cash for Bryan as soon as possible to secure a bargain acquisition.

Newcastle United fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Newcastle United have agreed to sell Aleksandr Mitrovic to newly-promoted Fulham for an initial £22m, bringing the protracted negotiations to an end, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the latest, then?

It has been clear all summer that Slavisa Jokanovic’s play-off winners wanted to sign the Serbian on a permanent basis but could not agree on his valuation with the Magpies, until now.

Sky Sports report that Mitrovic has left Newcastle’s training camp after an initial £22m fee, which could rise to £27m, was agreed to take him to Craven Cottage.

The report also quotes Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez as saying the money will allow him to bring in another striker, with reports linking Salomon Rondon with an instant return to the Premier League refusing to go away.

Forget Rondon, Ings’ pace makes him a better option

Playing the lone striker role for Benitez’s workmanlike, organised Newcastle is a thankless task and while Rondon is used to that from his time at West Brom, he was unable to combine off-the-ball work with finding the net regularly.

Rondon is a strong target man but if Newcastle are to become more incisive this season, they need to rely on a more pacey counter-attacking style and the pace of Liverpool outcast Danny Ings would be more conducive to that.

Ings is reportedly the subject of a £20m bid from Crystal Palace – another counter-attacking side in need of more pace than Christian Benteke can offer – but the Mitrovic windfall means Newcastle can match that.

The Englishman would be a much more potent threat, and with Ayoze Perez, Christian Atsu and potentially Andros Townsend lining up behind him, Benitez would suddenly have a dangerous frontline to go with his disciplined unit.

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Thanks to the Premier League’s decision last year, this summer’s transfer window actually closed on the eve of the first game week of the season, meaning teams are unable to buy in the market.

The majority of player’s contracts run until the summer and if they cannot secure a new deal, then they are left as free agents. Free agents are available to clubs to sign at any time of the season.

This is great for Premier League teams who want to avoid paying high transfer fees but is a little worrying for those players who are without a club.

In this article we have found players of real Premier League quality who for one reason or another are without a club and are wanting to secure a move as soon as possible.

Patrice Evra

The former Man Utd defender made a return to the Premier League in 2018 with West Ham but only made five league appearances. The Frenchman has had a turbulent year after he kicked a fan in Marseille and was banned by UEFA for six months.

Could he make another sensational return to the Premier League? At 37, he will surely be hoping to pick up one last big contract.

Dimitar Berbatov

We are not sure what’s more incredible, the fact that 37-year-old Dimitar Berbatov is still playing football, or the realisation that he doesn’t currently have a club.

The Bulgarian goalscorer may be beyond his best years, but surely worth taking on a free transfer? He’s certainly better than Indian side, Kerala Blasters, where he was last season.

James Collins

Collins, played for West Ham for a total of ten years for the Hammers over two spells, but was unceremoniously dumped from the club via email towards the end of last season.

The Welshman has had many injuries over his long career so you can understand why some clubs may be reluctant to offer him a contract.

Bakary Sako

Sako joined Palace in 2015, signing a three year contract and has been unable to convince boss Roy Hodgson he deserves another one, probably because of his poor scoring record.

With just 6 goals in 50 appearances, it will be hard for Malian to convince Premier League suitors he is worthy of a contract.

Robert Huth

In a way it is incredible to think that Robert Huth is only 33 years old.

The German defender has had a long a successful career in the Premier League, peaking with winning the title in 2016. He is another player on our list who could definitely offer a Premier League or Championship team something next season.

Stephen Ireland

Admit it, you had forgotten about this former Man City and Aston Villa man.

At 31, Stephen Ireland is some years off announcing his retirement, but injuries and a lack of opportunities has seen him play just 46 times in four years at Stoke. With the Potters relegated, the Irishman’s contract was not renewed.

It’s rumoured that Bolton Wanderers have taken the midfielder on a trial before the start of the season.

Loads of West Ham fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as Moussa Marega is getting closer to becoming a Hammer.

According to reports, Porto striker Marega has skipped training and is now close to getting his dream move to the Premier League.

According to Record, the powerful 27 year-old has refused to train, hoping for a €30m (£26.7m) switch to West Ham.

Following the reports that the player skipped training, O Jogo have also reported that the move is edging closer.

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The two clubs have reportedly been in talks over a deal that would add Marega to the Hammers’ impressive range of attacking talent.

Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic should kick on under a more attacking manager, and the arrivlas of Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson add even more pace, creativity and goals.

Marega scored 22 league goals for Porto last season playing as a “second striker” just off of Vincent Aboubakar, so he could play a similar role alongside Arnautovic.

Still, because of the sheer range of attacking options already at Pellegrini’s disposal, this is a surprising swoop, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Loads of fans have been giving their verdict on his decision to force the move, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

It’s always unwise to attach too much importance to Community Shield results but Manchester City will feel they laid down an important marker on Sunday with a 2-0 win, one that highlighted the gap between themselves and opponents Chelsea and reminded everybody of the manner in which they completely dominated English football last season.

Following the Wembley curtain-raiser, we asked Manchester City fans to issue player ratings for each of those involved in the victory over the Blues. Here’s a rundown of the three players who impressed them the most, picking up the highest average scores…

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Phil Foden – 7.4: The midfield prodigy produced arguably his most encouraging performance yet in a City shirt, looking almost effortless against quality opposition as he continued to pull the strings in midfield. In fact, it was the teenager’s daring gallop onto the Chelsea defence that created the first goal; as David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger continued to back off, Foden squeezed a cute pass to Sergio Aguero who opened the scoring with a precision finish.

Bernardo Silva – 8.0: Foden’s engine room accomplice made Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva’s incredible partnership from last season seem like something of a distant dream. Many believe the Portuguese will eventually take the Spaniard’s place in central midfield and Sunday’s performance only supported that argument, supplying Augero for his second as the key orchestrator of City’s attacking play.

Sergio Aguero – 8.0: We’re often told Premier League footballers forget about the Community Shield as soon as the final whistle goes but Sunday’s instalment gave Aguero something to remember for the rest of his life – surpassing the 200-goal mark for City in front of the Wembley crowd. If there’s one blotch on the Argentine’s performance its that he probably should have made it three; in between his two strikes, Foden whipped a delicious ball around the defence but as Aguero attempted to sidestep Willy Caballero he put his effort wide.

View the results in full below…

According to a recent report from The Northern Echo, Achraf Lazaar could be set for a move away this summer. The 26-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League side Newcastle United and has done so since the summer of 2016, although his lowly position in the pecking order was highlighted by the fact that he was shipped out on loan to Italian side Benevento for the entirety of last season.

And it appears that Magpies chief Rafa Benitez is reportedly seeking to get rid of the Premier League flop before the end of the international window, and this may well be of interest to Rangers manager Steven Gerrard following the departure of Declan John at the end of the English window.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, left back John made the move to Championship outfit Swansea City on deadline day last week to leave Gerrard slightly short in that department, despite the summer arrival of Borna Barisic from NK Osijek.

And while Wales international John failed to make a single appearance in the early stages of this season, albeit a knee injury did scupper his chances, Gerrard could likely still be eyeing up a replacement in a bid to offer genuine competition to current first-choice Barisic, especially given fellow left back Lee Wallace remains out of contention.

And while Lazaar endured a turbulent spell at Newcastle, he could well be the man Gerrard eyes to replace Welshman John.

The 26-year-old made the move to St James’ Park back in 2016 after a two-year stint at Palermo, in which time the left back scored three goals and laid on six assists for the Italian outfit, one goal and one assist of which came in his final season to thus earn a move to the North East.

Yet the Morocco international has only mustered ten senior appearances for the Magpies since his arrival two years ago to underline his lowly position in Benitez’s pecking order, to the point that he returned to Italy with Benevento last term in a bid for much-needed game time.

However, the full back is dynamic and is able to get up and down the flanks to offer an option in attack but also fulfil defensive duties, while his ability to play further up the left-hand-side in a more attacking role, having done so often for Palermo, is likely to be of interest to Gerrard as he seeks to continue bolstering several positions of his squad.

Add in the likelihood that any deal, loan or permanent, is likely to be cheap, and Rangers seemingly have little to lose from attempting to bring the 26-year-old to Ibrox.

So not only would Lazaar offer competition to new signing Barisic at left back, but he’d also give Gerrard the option of playing him further forward in a more attacking position – options that Gerrard is sure to want to have as the season progresses.

And with John having left the club last week, alongside reports that Lazaar will be let go by Newcastle this summer, the Rangers boss should seek to pounce by bringing the left back to Ibrox.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Everton defender Brendan Galloway took to Twitter earlier this week to reveal his delight at being back at Goodison Park.

The 22-year-old joined Everton from MK Dons in 2014, and has made 21 first-team appearances for the Merseyside outfit in all competitions.

During the 2015-16 season, Galloway actually played 15 Premier League games for Everton, but the defender has since been on loan at Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion.

Galloway was in action for Everton’s Under-23 team against Leicester City Under-23s on Monday night, and took to social media after the match.

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As expected, the Everton fans filled the response section, with many claiming that Galloway could yet have a future under new head coach Marco Silva.

It is going to be tough for the former England Under-21 international due to the presence of Leighton Baines and Lucas Digne, but he has a number of Everton supporters on his side.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s fans – who also loved the performance of Joe Williams for the Under-23s – can be seen below:

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According to a recent report from the BBC, Yannick Bolasie is closing in on a move to Championship side Aston Villa. The 29-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League side Everton and has done so since 2016, although the arrival of Richarlison over the summer appears to have pushed the winger down the pecking order at Goodison Park, and potentially out of the club altogether.

And reports suggest that Aston Villa are on the verge of landing the Toffees star, who is without doubt the calibre of player Sheffield Wednesday so desperately need to land this month.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Bolasie struggled for form for the Toffees in the Premier League last season, the 29-year-old has proven enough during his career at the top tier to suggest that he could be a huge asset to any side in the Championship this term.

And Villa appear to have won the race for the DR Congo international as they seek to go one better and achieve promotion this time round, this all after a summer of turbulence in which the club were on the brink of financial disaster.

And Owls fans can likely sympathise somewhat given their side were placed under a transfer embargo for much of the summer, leaving manager Jos Luhukay having to make-do with what he already had at Hillsborough ahead of the start of the season.

But with that embargo now lifted, the Yorkshire giants have the chance to sign players on loan, and there’s little doubting after their slow start to the season that Bolasie is the calibre of player they so desperately need to bring in this month.

The 29-year-old earned a move to Everton back in the summer of 2016 as a result of impressing at Crystal Palace, netting 13 goals and laying on 30 assists in 144 appearances for the Eagles, but it was the attacking threat he brought to the table every week which had opposition defenders quaking in their boots.

The winger is extremely quick and possesses the sort of trickery that can tie defenders in knots – significantly though, he has the desire to take defenders on and run at them, which appears to be something that has become less prevalent in the modern game.

Ultimately, defenders don’t like defending against someone running at them with pace, and that is exactly what Bolasie would bring to Villa if and when he officially makes the move to the Midlands giants.

In fact, any side in the division would benefit from someone like the 29-year-old in the attacking third of the pitch, not least a Wednesday team that have won just one of their opening four league games, and were unable to strengthen the squad until only recently.

Wednesday and Villa fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Leeds United should have tried to swoop in to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Cameron Carter-Vickers before he joined Swansea City on loan.

What’s the word?

Everything is going to plan for the Yorkshire outfit at the moment in the Championship.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently sit at the top of the league table following four wins and a draw.

The club, though, are experiencing a slight problem in defence due to injuries suffered by Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson.

The latter returned to action on Saturday afternoon, but with Cooper on the sidelines, Gaetano Berardi was selected to start.

Even though the injuries have not hampered Leeds’ results, it is a warning that the team could suffer without the right personnel.

On Saturday, Swansea confirmed the signing of Carter-Vickers from Tottenham on loan for the season, but Leeds should have considered a move.

Why?

Carter-Vickers is certainly not the finished product at the age of 20, but now is when he needs regular game time to prove himself.

Leeds have coped so far with their injury struggles at the back, but a long, arduous season is likely to throw up more problems of a similar nature.

Having Carter-Vickers as an option would have been beneficial for Leeds given that the centre-back is determined to prove himself.

Despite being a young player, the defender is a fully-fledged USA international and he has experience playing in the Championship.

Last season, Carter-Vickers spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Sheffield United and the second spell at Ipswich Town.

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