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After highly impressing in the various age groups of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, hopes for the future of Troy Parrott amongst those in the know in north London were extremely high.

It is not difficult to understand why this was the case. Over his 15 appearances for Spurs’ under-18s, the centre-forward bagged an incredibly impressive 17 goals, also hitting nine in nine for Tottenham’s under-19 side in European action and five in 14 for the under-23s.

This form led to comparisons with current Spurs striker Harry Kane, with it being reported last year that Tottenham’s backroom staff were trying to convince Daniely Levy not to block the Irishman’s pathway to first-team football due to their faith in his ability.

However, whether or not the £3.24m-rated youngster does indeed have the same level of potential as the England captain is very much up for debate. Over two loan spells at Milwall and Ipswich Town respectively, the 20-year-old hardly took either club by storm, failing to score in 14 outings for the Lions and bagging just twice in 18 fixtures with the Tractor Boys.

Things have improved for the forward somewhat this season, with the £7k-per-week hitman beginning to find his feet over 34 League One appearances at MK Dons. He has scored five goals, registered five assists and created four big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 2.2 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

On Tuesday night, he also had the pleasure of scoring a dramatic late goal in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 friendly win over Lithuania, with the youngster’s 97th-minute rocket giving his team victory.

The Spurs academy graduate has not only improved his reputation on the pitch at Stadium MK, but also off it, with Republic of Ireland assistant manager Keith Andrews stating of Parrott’s work ethic: “Troy has been flying in training. There has been a real noticeable difference, I would say, in Troy between this and the last camp. You sometimes forget how young Troy is.

“I have a really good relationship with him. Up until a certain point in Troy’s career, he was just on that upward trajectory. And then there were a couple of loan moves but they are invaluable experiences.

“Even at MK Dons during that spell when he was a little bit out of the team he pressed the reset button and just started to work hard. He has got his reward for that from his club manager and what we have seen this week. He has been really, really sharp. We have a lot of belief in him.”

As such, while the 20-year-old – who MK Dons midfielder Scott Twine claimed “runs over every blade on the pitch” and dubbed a “class” talent – undoubtedly has a long way to go if he is to emulate Tottenham’s £90m-rated Kane at some point in the future, there would appear to be similarities between the duo’s progression in north London.

Indeed, with the 28-year-old having similarly struggled on a number of lower-league loan spells in his youth, before exploding into the 243-goal Spurs sensation that he is today, there is still hope for Parrott at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It could just be a matter of Antonio Conte giving him a chance in the team.

AND in other news: Daniel Levy had a Spurs nightmare on £204.2m “alien” who has “magic in his boots”

According to reports out of Spain, as shared by Sport Witness, there has been an update on Southampton’s pursuit of Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

The Lowdown: Semmens eyeing summer moves…

Ahead of what could be an interesting 2022 summer window, the Saints, and by extension their transfer chief Martin Semmens, have been tipped to bolster Ralph Hasenhuttl’s options.

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It is believed the south coast side are still in contention to sign England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone with links also emerging to some lesser known names like South Korea international Son Jun-ho.

The striker position is another area Southampton could strengthen as news comes to light involving Bundesliga forward Awoniyi.

The Latest: Report makes Awoniyi claim…

As per Spanish sources (via Sport Witness), Semmens and the club have ‘set their sights’ on the striker who could cost around £21 million.

The report also claims Southampton, alongside West Ham and Newcastle, will ‘bid for Awoniyi’ with a summer attempt to sign him on the cards.

The Verdict: Great option…

Members of the media, like journalist Stefan Bienkowski, have praised the Nigeria international for his ‘remarkable’ season in the Bundesliga with the in-form attacker coming as a good option for Hasenhuttl.

Union Berlin have previously heaped praise on their ‘hero’ who has played a major role for them this season, having scored 12 goals in 25 appearances in the German top flight this season.

He comes as a solid alternative to loanee Chelsea striker Armando Broja this summer as Semmens reportedly casts one eye on the 2022/2023 season now his club are clear of relegation for another year.

In other news: ‘It is true’ – Southampton backed by close source as they also eye ‘star’ international, find out more here.

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Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a summer move for Hoffenheim striker Joelinton, and it looks like something that the club has been working on for quite some time.

What’s the story?

According to Florian Plettenberg, chief reporter for Sport1, Newcastle are set to land Joelinton this summer for a whopping €60m (around £52m).

He even goes so far as to claim the Magpies have been in negotiations with Hoffenheim for “weeks” and that those talks are close to a conclusion.

The full report also claims that the move depends on Newcastle staying in the top flight, though that is seemingly obvious anyway.

The 22 year-old has scored ten times this season, and if the move comes to fruition then Mike Ashley and the Magpies’ transfer team deserve immense credit.

Rondon upgrade?

West Brom named their price for Salomon Rondon recently, telling the Magpies they must shell out £16m to make his loan move permanent this summer, per The Northern Echo.

The powerful Venezuelan got on the scoresheet again on Saturday in the win over Huddersfield, taking his tally to seven league strikes this campaign, and he is adored by both Rafael Benitez and the Toon Army.

However, he will turn 30 towards the start of next season, and the 22 year-old Joelinton represents a much better investment.

Able to play anywhere across the front three but at his best through the middle, the Brazilian youngster is an excellent dribbler, and will get fans off their seats every time he has the ball.

He has excellent pace, good link-up play and you won’t find many strikers around Europe that press and harass the opposition defence quite so intently.

£52m would blow the record-breaking Miguel Almiron fee out of the water, but if the pair can form a long-term pairing packed with pace, creativity and goals, it would be worth every penny.

Newcastle United have seen numerous players join the club before being sold for significant sums of money over the past few years, such as Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Georginio Wijnaldum and Aleksandar Mitrovic among others.

One player who departed from St. James’ Park in recent years in what can now be seen as a great piece of business from the club during Mike Ashley’s much-maligned tenure at the Toon is Ayoze Perez.

Signed in 2014 from Tenerife for £1.5m, the Spaniard went on to make 195 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions, with 48 goals and 17 assists to his name before joining fellow Premier League side Leicester City in 2019 for £30m, highlighting the massive profit the Toon made on him.

Since making the move to the King Power Stadium, the 28-year-old has made 92 appearances for the Foxes across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists along the way.

In December 2019, just a few months after leaving Newcastle, Transfermarkt had Perez’s market value listed as £27m, the highest it has been throughout his career. It now stands at just £13.5m, which is 55% lower than the £30m transfer fee the Magpies recouped for him when Leicester came calling.

With just eight appearances under his belt in the current Premier League campaign, the attacker – who is currently picking up £83k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has more red cards than goals, having failed to find the net at all.

In addition to his lack of goals, his overall performances for Brendan Rodgers’ side have been rather disappointing. WhoScored list him as Leicester’s second-lowest rated player (excluding those who haven’t started a league game), with an underwhelming rating of 6.24/10, which would also place him among some of Newcastle’s lowest-rated players for this campaign.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Newcastle and Ashley pulled an absolute blinder in selling the Spaniard when they did for the amount of money they got for him.

Even though the Magpies have been involved in a relegation scrap for most of the season before reviving their fortunes over the past few weeks, it seems unlikely that many Toon fans will have been missing Perez in the meantime.

In other news: NUFC dealt setback on “sensational” £180k-p/w ace, supporters will be gutted

As Manchester City reportedly set their sights on an heir to club legend Fernandinho, some major news has come to light involving candidate and Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino.

The Lowdown: End of an era…

The Brazilian has already confirmed his intention to leave Eastlands nearly 10 years after signing for the club from Shakhtar Donestk in 2013.

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Since joining the Sky Blues, Fernandinho has gone on to become a mainstay and pivotal figure – both on the pitch and behind-the-scenes under two different managers.

Previously, the 36-year-old signed one-year contract extensions in both 2020 and 2021, but it seems the defensive midfield colossus is now finally drawing the curtain on his City career.

In some sad news for supporters, watching the last of the old guard depart Manchester will be a tough one to take.

Club chiefs, following the announcement from Fernandinho, have allegedly got to work on a list of possible replacements.

The Latest: Spanish source shares Merino update…

As per Spanish sources, City and sporting director Txiki Begiristain have Real Sociedad star Merino as a candidate, alongside previously reported Toni Kroos.

Allegedly, ‘in recent days’, it is believed that the Premier League champions are now ‘willing to pay the €60 million (£50m) clause’ in order to avoid negotiations with the La Liga side.

Guardiola, as per this report, also likes Merino ‘a lot’.

The Verdict: Make a move?

While truly succeeding Fernandinho is a near-impossible task given his contribution over the last decade, the Sky Blues and Guardiola could do far worse than Merino.

According to WhoScored, the former Newcastle United star has stood out as a crucial man for Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil, making more tackles per 90 than any regular in the side with over one league start.

He’s also their best performing player domestically going by average match rating over 2021/2022, perhaps backing why Guardiola loves the player who can break up play and spread the ball around with equal aplomb.

In other news: Guardiola may now convince ‘spectacular’ £307k-per-week star to join City! Find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a late blow over one of their mooted January transfer window targets this week…

What’s the word?

There were reports suggesting that Spurs had agreed on a deal with AC Milan for midfielder Franck Kessie, who is out of contract in the summer, after sporting director Fabio Paratici tried to sign him immediately instead of waiting until the end of the season.

However, it appears as if he won’t be joining this month – if at all – as according to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, the 25-year-old star has verbally agreed to join LaLiga giants Barcelona in June.

“Verbal agreement between #Kessie and #Barcelona for June when the contract with the midfielder’s #Milan will expire. No signature for the moment but the #Blaugrana aim to get to the definition of the details with the player’s entourage,” he tweeted.

Gutting blow for Conte

This will come as devastating news to Antonio Conte, who has previously been said to have requested Kessie’s signature heading into this month – and it’s easy to see why.

The £25m-rated Ivory Coast powerhouse would be an instant upgrade to the bulk of the Italian’s options, especially as the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso are free to leave before Monday’s deadline.

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Kessie is capable of not only providing a physical presence in the engine room but also goals with his set-piece talents and ability to drive the ball forward into the final third.

Indeed, only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15 goals) found the net more times than the AC Milan midfielder (13) last season, whilst he also averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

That sort of style has earned comparison to former Premier League star Yaya Toure after Antonio Cassano also dubbed him “devastating” to Bobo TV (via MilanLive).

Elsewhere, Kessie has been described as an “extraordinary player” by his ex-Milan boss Vincenzo Montella.

Therefore, Conte will be truly gutted to have missed out on a player that he’s asked for, one that has been regularly linked with the north Londoners in recent months.

It comes late in the window, so Paratici and co will have their work cut out to find an alternative with just a handful of days remaining.

AND in other news, “In talks”: Sky Sports journo drops huge Spurs transfer update, Conte will be buzzing…

Tottenham Hotspur are now attempting a move for star Villarreal defender Pau Torres as claims emerge from Spain in the last week.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites fail with bid…

Torres, who has been a crucial player under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery at the La Liga side, is absolutely no stranger to Lilywhites supporters.

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Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici has held a serious interest in the 25-year-old before with Torres even confirming himself that the club made a summer approach before 2021/2022.

The Spain international claims Tottenham even offered him a better deal in terms of salary than Villarreal.

However, Torres goes on to say that his club’s presence in the Champions League was a deciding factor in rejecting Paratici’s advances.

Now, as per La Razon (via Sport Witness), as Antonio Conte’s side chase qualification for Europe’s most elite competition, they are back in the picture to sign him.

The Latest: Tottenham attempting Torres move…

It is claimed that Spurs are ‘seem to be trying’ to sign the central defender this summer.

As well as this, Villarreal have decided to green-light the player’s summer sale if any interested side can offer around €60 million (£50m).

The Verdict: Get it done?

An accomplished centre-half is reportedly among many of Conte’s transfer demands this summer with The Telegraph believing he could demand as many as six fresh faces.

Bearing this in mind, Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy will have to operate smartly in the market and offload surplus players like Tanguy Ndombele before making such huge investments.

As Spurs allegedly attempt to sign Torres, there is no denying they have a better chance of doing so than last year as things stand, especially as they chase a top-four finish.

His £50m price tag remains a huge obstacle, but if Paratici can work his way around the finances and Tottenham’s homegrown quota problem this summer, there is little denying he would be a major upgrade.

Spain manager Luis Enrique, calling Torres and Aymeric Laporte ‘sensational’ due to their defensive partnership at international level, is arguably proven right by the player’s impressive La Liga stats this season.

Over his 28 league starts, the colossal defender has averaged more successful aerial duels per 90 (1.9) than anyone under Emery whilst also making the second-most clearances behind Raul Albion (WhoScored).

A crucial mainstay, only goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli has played more top flight minutes over 2021/2022, backing just how integral he is to Villarreal.

If Conte can snap him up, there is no reason why he cannot become just as pivotal in north London.

In other news: Tottenham in pole position to sign ‘unreal’ 6 foot 3 powerhouse for Conte! Find out more here.

According to journalist Gabriel Sans (via Managing Barca), Tottenham Hotspur are very interested in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay, having made an offer to the Catalan club.

The Lowdown: Depay’s Barcelona tenure

Upon the expiry of his contract with Lyon, the 28-year-old signed a two-year deal with La Liga giants Barcelona last summer. Since his arrival at Camp Nou, the Dutchman has netted an impressive 10 goals in 20 league appearances.

Whilst this suggests a strong start to life in Spain, Depay has suffered from multiple injuries this season, as a hamstring issue and Achilles problems saw him sidelined for 13 games. This has consequently raised general concerns over his fitness and availability.

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The Latest: Tottenham linked with Depay

As reported by Spanish journalist Sans (via Managing Barca), Spurs are very much interested in signing Depay in the summer. To that effect, they have already made an offer to Barcelona for the player.

Due to his injury issues and the club’s financial problems, it has been reported that the Catalan outfit are open to offloading the Netherlands international when the transfer window reopens at the end of the current campaign.

The Verdict: Would be a great signing

Spurs manager Antonio Conte could do with the addition of a forward alternative who can play in a different system to Harry Kane, who is the club’s only out-and-out senior striker.

Depay certainly has that killer instinct in front of goal – at Lyon he scored 76 goals in 178 games, while for the Dutch national side he has amassed a stunning 39 goals in 76 caps.

Hailed by former La Liga striker and Dutch compatriot Roy Makaay as a “quality” player, the Barcelona ace has even received plaudits from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who would agree with Ronald Koeman’s assertion that the 28-year-old is “a joy to watch”.

Given such glowing praise and a fantastic goal record, along with being in the peak of his career at 28, Depay would no doubt be a brilliant signing for Paratici and Conte if they can pull it off.

In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim

Liverpool have been tracking Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph Fernandez over the past 12 months, LeedsLive report.

The Lowdown: Phillips and Raphinha interest

Leeds duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha were wanted by West Ham towards the end of the January transfer window, however, as we know, the pair remained at Elland Road.

The two Whites stars have also been linked with Liverpool in recent months. Reports last month claimed that the Reds have been tracking Raphinha and they have also been linked with a £33.4m bid for Phillips.

However, it’s not just the English midfielder and Brazilian winger they have had their eyes on at Thorp Arch.

The Latest: Spanish sources

Leeds’ only January signing was Fernandez, who penned a three-and-a-half-year deal at Elland Road from Espanyol and will initially join up with the club’s Under-23s.

According to sources from Espanyol, relayed by LeedsLive, Liverpool and the three Spanish giants had all been keeping tabs on the award-winning 18-year-old over the past 12 months.

The Verdict: Major coup

With Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid also interested in the forward prior to his move to Yorkshire, it seems as if Victor Orta could have landed a major coup for the Whites.

Leeds have reaped the rewards of a young forward initially linking up with the club’s academy in Joe Gelhardt, who now seems to be a first-team squad member rather than an Under-23’s star.

Therefore, Fernandez could end up taking Gelhardt’s place in Mark Jackson’s side until the end of the season – should he impress at Thorp Arch, he could be the next talent to break into Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.

In other news: ‘Nice to see’, ‘Go on’ – Leeds reporters Phil Hay and Graham Smyth buzzing at free transfer news

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has cast doubt over the availability of two more defensive options for the Premier League meeting with Watford. 

The lowdown: Walker worry

The Sky Blues are currently in the midst of a gruelling fixture schedule and are likely to remain without Kyle Walker with an ankle injury after Ruben Dias also spent time on the sidelines recently.

As just a solitary point separates Guardiola’s side and the chasing Liverpool, every remaining league game has been billed as a must-win encounter by the Spanish boss.

Walker appear to roll his ankle in the win at Atletico Madrid and has since been spotted in a protective boot, raising plenty of doubts over his availability for the run-in.

However, it seems he’s not the only defensive issue for Pep to worry about…

The latest: Defensive duo doubtful

Speaking during the pre-match press conference, as relayed by the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola is unsure about the availability of John Stones and Nathan Ake.

When asked over fresh team news, he said: “A niggle [Stones]. Little problems, like Nathan today we make an assessment, tomorrow we decide.”

Regular England international Stones is believed to have felt tightness during the 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek whilst Ake had to be replaced at half time due to a twisted ankle.

The verdict: No risks required

In truth, the potential defensive absentees shouldn’t cause too many headaches for City in a game the hosts should dominate at the Etihad.

Albeit Roy Hodgson’s side will arrive with their Premier League status hanging in the balance, Watford have only mustered 30 goals in 32 matches this season and therefore Aymeric Laporte alongside a fit again Dias should be more than enough to cope with any threat posed by the visitors.

Allowing key players such as Stones, recently hailed as ‘phenomenal’ by Guardiola, time to recover ahead of crunch clashes still to come is vitally important as the Citizens still harbour ambitions of completing a historic double this season.

In other news, a journalist has shared a major City transfer breakthrough. Read more here.