Fulham have now made an approach to sign a “fantastic” midfielder, who has been impressing in the Europa League this season.

Cottagers keen to strengthen in the engine room

The Cottagers are looking to bring in a striker, central midfielder and right-winger this month, with Marco Silva recently insisting the uptick in form hasn’t changed his plans, saying: “It’s not because we won games and we are looking for a different position right now that we are changing ourselves,

“We look with full ambition for the season like we did before, and even if the results were not so good, we will not change completely the scenario because it’s clear what we need.”

Silva’s side have been on a strong run in the Premier League, collecting 11 points from their last five matches, recently extending the unbeaten run to five games courtesy of Harrison Reed’s last gasp equaliser against Liverpool.

Despite Reed’s heroics, Fulham remain keen on signing a new central midfielder, and they have now made preliminary contact over a deal for Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimara, with it being revealed the Spanish club could be willing to sanction a departure for the right price.

Indeed, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Betis have set an asking price of around £22m for Altimira, but the Cottagers are not alone in their pursuit, with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt also very keen on securing his signature.

Betis are in a strong negotiating position, with the midfielder tied down on a contract until 2029, which suggests the west Londoners may need to fork out the full asking price to tempt his current employers into a sale.

Related Fulham leading the charge to sign "skilful" forward, willing to make £35m bid

The Cottagers are prepared to make a big bid for an attacker.

Posts ByDominic Lund "Fantastic" Altimira impressing in Europa League

The 24-year-old has been an important player for Betis in the Europa League this season, featuring in all six games, and he was particularly impressive in the 3-1 win against Dinamo Zagreb last month, making three tackles and winning four duels to help keep the Croatian side at bay.

Lauded as “fantastic” by Spanish reporter Mateo Gonzalez last season, the Betis ace has strong defensive attributes, while he is also comfortable in possession of the ball, as showcased by his performance across some key statistics over the past year.

Sergio Altimira’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

3.02 (94th percentile)

Interceptions

1.56 (91st percentile)

Clearances

2.17 (80th percentile)

Pass completion %

91.5% (96th percentile)

Perhaps the Spaniard’s best moment this season came in La Liga at the end of November, however, scoring in Betis’ 2-0 derby victory away at Sevilla.

Having put in some promising displays in both La Liga and the Europa League, Altimira could be an exciting signing for Fulham, and £21m feels like a reasonable fee to shell out.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has now dropped a new update on West Ham United’s interest in an “incredible” English ace, who’s keen on a move to the London Stadium.

West Ham in real danger of relegation after Wolves defeat

Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their first Premier League victory of the season at West Ham’s expense on Saturday afternoon, securing a 3-0 victory at Molineux, which leaves Nuno’s side in real trouble.

Following the latest setback, the Hammers are four points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, having collected just 14 points all season, which suggests they are in urgent need of reinforcements during the current transfer window.

Max Kilman was particularly disappointing in the defeat against Rob Edwards’ side, receiving a SofaScore match rating of just 5.9, the lowest of any player, while Jamie Carragher criticised the defender for not doing enough to prevent Igor Thiago scoring for Brentford earlier this season.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “He’s the leader at the back for West Ham. I used to really like him at Wolves but he probably didn’t have that responsibility at Wolves.

“When you are the leading main centre-half, you’ve got to dominate that situation.”

With Kilman struggling, bringing in a new centre-back may be of key significance before the January transfer window closes, and Plettenberg has now dropped a new update on West Ham’s interest in Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell.

Taking to X, the Sky Sports reporter confirmed Cresswell is being closely monitored by the Irons, but they are yet to open formal negotiations.

ExWHUemployee has previously confirmed the centre-back is keen on a move to the London Stadium, with reports from elsewhere revealing it may take at least £18m to get a deal done.

"Incredible" Cresswell impressing in Ligue 1

Lauded as “incredible” by scout Jacek Kulig, the English defender has been impressing over the past year, placing in a high percentile for some key defensive statistics, when compared to other centre-backs.

Charlie Cresswell’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Blocks

1.50 (82nd percentile)

Clearances

7.03 (88th percentile)

Aerials won

3.71 (96th percentile)

Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley has also called out Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo and Kilman for their subpar performances this season, saying they’ve been “well short” of their best.

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The Hammers have shipped 41 goals in the Premier League this season, the highest number of any side, which means it will be vital Nuno strengthens his backline before the end of the month.

Related West Ham offered former Tottenham star who had a 'good relationship' with Nuno

There’s been a transfer ‘twist’ out of West Ham.

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Cresswell’s performances for Toulouse suggest he could have what it takes to help propel West Ham to safety, but they will have to hope their recent form doesn’t dissuade the centre-back from making a move to the London Stadium.

The secret to understanding sport is examining a series of moments which explain how a game is won or lost. Take the first six overs of the T20 between South Africa and New Zealand, for example.In that period, the hosts were barely hanging on. They were still sussing out the early-season surface, which was not sprinkled with the usual spice of a South African strip. Their seamers steered away from a short-ball barrage and pitched it up instead. Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson took advantage of the fielding restrictions and the width on offer, and found the boundary 10 times in the Powerplay. New Zealand were stringing together what they thought would be the foundation of their success and AB de Villiers was unhappy with the lack of bite from his bowlers.

August pitch earns praise

South Africa had never played an international in August before Friday and they will be pleased to know pre-season is actually a perfect time to host cricket, at least in Durban where summer rainfall often pours a wet blanket on the action in the peak period. Both captains described the Kingsmead pitch as a “good wicket” with enough in it for both batsmen and bowlers. Kane Williamson went as far as to say it was “probably a 180 wicket” even though his team could only muster 151. AB de Villiers agreed but added that there was also some spice for the seamers and surprisingly, turn for the spinner, Aaron Phangiso, who also expressed surprise at the assistance he got. “I got value for shots,” de Villiers said. “But then the ball also beat the bat and that’s the kind of cricket you want to see: high scoring games but always something in it for the bowlers.”

“It’s an area we will discuss again – the first six overs because we are not as good as we wanted to be there. We wanted to be a little more aggressive,” de Villiers said. “A couple balls were maybe a little bit too full, which is not a bad thing, but you also want to see the aggression.”The game changed, however, in the moments after that. Immediately after the Powerplay, de Villiers gave the ball to left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso, his last hope in stemming the flow. Phangiso’s first over ended with the wicket of Williamson, who admitted he was hoping to take on the spinner but could not. “Phangiso bowled nicely and changed his pace. With the short boundaries, you think you can go after the spin but he controlled his length,” Williamson said.Phangiso, who finished with 2 for 29 in four overs, was also pleased with the show of confidence from his captain. “It was great to see the captain give me the ball under pressure,” Phangiso said. “All players want to succeed under pressure. I enjoyed the pressure and I enjoyed the confidence of the captain giving me the ball at that time.”The sequence of events that followed explain how South Africa went on to win the game. David Wiese took pace off the ball, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel held back the lengths and Kyle Abbott mixed it up to keep New Zealand guessing, prompting de Villiers to call the team’s bowling comeback “near perfect”.”We slowed the game down and turned the momentum around and then ran with it,” de Villiers said. “All the seamers who came back for their second spells bowled really well. We mixed it up exceptionally well. The last 15 overs of our bowling performance was near perfect.The guys had really smart plans. When I spoke to them between balls, the guys knew exactly what they wanted to do. I saw all the variations from them: yorkers, good length balls and bouncers.”As much as South Africa applied the chokehold, New Zealand allowed themselves to be cornered. “We weren’t quite at our best in the last 10 overs. We know we have the firepower in that lower middle order to cash in on situations like that and we weren’t quite on top of things,” Williamson said.The collapse of 7 for 40 was partly due to no one in the middle order taking responsibility of the latter part of the innings and Williamson has challenged his team-mates to change that in the next match. “It’s a fine line when you lose wickets, and we lost two wickets in a row a couple of times which never helps but it takes one other bloke or two other blokes to get going and get the score moving.”

For many Manchester United fans, Anderson is a classic example of what might have been. An injury blighted career has stalled his progress at Old Trafford, and has effectively rendered him a dead weight.

However, his talent is still well known, and there are many clubs who would happily have the 24 year old in their team. The question is, who should he join?

According to several reports throughout the transfer window, it seems there were several clubs regularly linked with the Brazil international, the most commonly reported being that of; Tottenham Hotspur, Benfica, or AC Milan. All three of these clubs are well known, and are regular challengers for European competition places. The choice now for Anderson, who only made ten appearances last season, is which club would be the best to revitalise his career.

Benfica

Having been spotted in Portugal by Manchester United while plying his trade for Porto, Anderson would quite easily slide back into the Portuguese League style of play. An added benefit to joining Benfica is the ability to regain his grasp of football, without the added pressure of playing in a more competitive league such as La Liga or the EPL.

AC Milan

Sporadically linked with a move for Anderson during the transfer window. AC Milan have been looking for a midfielder who can boss the centre of the park and believe Anderson, who is well known when he does play for his great tackling ability, will provide the answer. Serie A is also known for it’s slower tempo in comparison to the Premier League, which will suit Anderson, and his methodical playing style.

Tottenham Hotspur

The club most regularly associated with signing Anderson during the Summer, the Brazilian would have several decent motives for joining the North London Club.  Scott Parker is their only high class midfield talent who is focused more on winning the ball in the centre of the pitch, rather than immediately pitching it forward. With Parker also getting on in years, Anderson would have the perfect opportunity to stake a first team spot at White Hart Lane. Despite all his injuries, Anderson has now been in England for five years, and by now will be more accommodated to the rigours and style of the Premier League.

This would ensure he beds in a lot quicker at Spurs, then he would do in another league. Whether Manchester United would willingly sell him to a rival of theirs, is yet to be seen.

Who should Anderson join? Leave your comments below

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Tottenham Hotspur could welcome back Oliver Skipp from injury this weekend as a promising update has emerged…

What’s the latest?

The 21-year-old midfielder has missed their last four outings in the Premier League after sustaining a groin problem after their 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.

Skipp was not risked on Wednesday evening with the north Londoners said to be taking a cautious approach over his availability, as per the Evening Standard, who recently claimed that the England U21 international developed an infection during the recovery process.

In that time, Spurs have lost three of those four matches but manager Antonio Conte could be handed a major boost ahead of Saturday’s early encounter with Leeds United.

According to Daily Star journalist Paul Brown, who delivered an encouraging claim to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“I think his injury is taking longer than people thought, definitely,” he said. “But we’re told there’s a chance he could be back this weekend [against Leeds].”

Could be huge

This would be a major boost for the Italian head coach.

Spurs are a much more solid outfit with Skipp in the side, it’s that simple.

After Conte’s arrival, the Lilywhites recorded five clean sheets in his six appearances. In his absence, Spurs have leaked ten goals in five games, owing to the fact that he was not on the pitch for either of the Blues’ two goals at Stamford Bridge.

As per WhoScored, he has averaged 1.8 tackles per game, which is amongst the best in the team.

The Premier League and FA Cup winner is renowned for his defensive nous, so he will be fuming to be leaking an average of two goals per game over the past month or so.

“This player is very young, he has a lot of space for improvement. He played with great passion and heart. It was important. We are talking about an important prospect,” Conte said of the £18m-rated academy graduate back in December.

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His replacement in recent outings, Rodrigo Bentancur, picked up a problem at Turf Moor, making the need for Skipp’s return all that more pressing.

Therefore, he ought to be hugely buzzing by the prospect of having Skipp involved on Saturday, where they have the perfect opportunity to bounce back against a leaky and out-of-form Leeds side at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Forget Romero: “Disappointing” Spurs star who had 0 shots badly let Conte down at Burnley…

Celtic travel to Almondvale on Sunday to face Livingston in a clash that’s proved difficult for the Hoops in recent times.

This time the game holds extra significance though with Ange Postecoglou’s side needing to win in order to open up the gap to them and their fierce rivals in the Premiership to three points.

It has been a difficult few weeks for Celtic who will need to bounce back after scoring just twice in their last three matches in all competitions.

With that in mind, will the manager make any changes for the clash with Livi today? Here’s the starting XI that Football FanCast predicts to see…

We are predicting to see two changes from the squad that beat St Mirren 2-0 last time out.

We anticipate the backline to stay the same which means there is no place for Anthony Ralston with Josip Juranovic and Greg Taylor maintaining their places at full-back.

There is one change in midfield, however, where Matt O’Riley drops out in favour of Tom Rogic.

The winter signing has been in and out of the starting XI since being acquired from MK Dons and we reckon he’ll have to take his place on the bench once more.

Rogic has been inconsistent himself but his cutting edge and drive from midfield could be exactly what the Bhoys need to beat Livingston.

The only other change is at the top of the team where Giorgis Giakoumakis returns to the squad. The Greek forward, who was once dubbed a “phenomenon” by Jeroen Kapteijns missed out last time through illness but has been in a rich vein of form, scoring a hat-trick against Dundee FC just a few games ago.

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He comes in at the expense of £1.3m acquisition Daizen Maeda who in the words of former Scotland international Alan Hutton, has been “struggling” of late.

The Japan international signed just a few months ago but has now failed to score in his last four Premiership outings. As a result, he is axed from the team as Postecoglou aims to secure all three points.

AND in other news, Sold for £2.1m, now worth 224% more: Celtic may rue call on 26-cap “laughing stock”…

Southampton are confident that they will be able to keep in-demand right-back Tino Livramento beyond the summer, journalist Tom Barclay has claimed.

The Lowdown: Livramento transfer interest

Since arriving at St Mary’s last summer in a deal worth £5m, the teenager has gone on to make a fantastic impression in the English top flight. The 19-year-old has made 23 league appearances for the Saints and has shown no sign of being out of his depth, despite failing to get a senior bow for his former club Chelsea.

As a result of his fine form and exciting promise, a number of suitors are reportedly interested in luring the youngster away from the south coast, including the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United.

The urgency in the deal comes as Chelsea have a buyback clause which activates in 2023, when they can re-sign the teenager for a sensational £38m. With the Blues’ current delicate situation, this eventuality is unclear, although it has sparked the beginning of a hectic transfer pursuit.

The Latest: Barclay’s claim on Livramento…

Barclay believes that Southampton are hoping to keep Livramento until at least next summer, adding that the defender is keen on remaining with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side until such time.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the journalist claimed: “I’m told that Southampton are very keen to at least keep him for another year and I think Livramento thinks that’s a good idea as well.”

The Verdict: Great business

If Southampton are able to keep hold of Livramento until the summer of 2023, this will work out to be an incredible piece of business by the south coast club.

Regardless of their current situation, with Chelsea’s buyback clause waiting, clubs will be frantically trying to negotiate with one of England’s brightest prospects, who has been hailed by Saints teammate Theo Walcott as a “future star”.

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With a minimum return of £33m potentially arising from the buyback clause, an extra season will give Southampton time to find a suitable replacement for the 19-year-old, whose eventual departure will provide Hasenhuttl with plenty of funds to bolster his squad elsewhere.

In other news: These were Southampton’s three worst players against Watford

Alex Neil has been handed a key Sunderland injury boost over wide attacker Nathan Broadhead… 

What’s the latest?

According to The Chronicle, the Black Cats are set to monitor the forward’s fitness ahead of their clash with Lincoln in League One at the weekend.

He has been dealing with a tight hamstring for a number of months and has only made one competitive appearance for the club since the turn of the year – featuring in the 0-0 draw with Charlton on the 5th of this month.

They also quote Neil as saying: “It’s not a massive issue.

“We were disappointed he missed out, because him and Alex [Pritchard] have been very good since I’ve been here and even before that.“It was really pleasing to be able to get the win without them, as well.” Delight

This update will surely delight Neil and supporters as it suggests that the Welshman is closing in on a return from injury and could be in contention to play against the Imps.

His availability would be a major boost to the head coach as he has the quality to be a difference-maker for the club in League One. He has had fitness issues throughout the campaign but has proven his ability to find the back of the net when he has been able to get out on the pitch.

Broadhead, on loan from Everton, has eight goals for the side in all competitions – with five in League One, two in the League Cup and one in the EFL Trophy. His five strikes in the third tier have come from just nine starts and 13 appearances in total, showing that he can score on a regular basis when fit.

The attacker excelled in Everton’s youth side last season prior to his loan at the Stadium of Light. He scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 18 outings in the Premier League 2 and this suggests that his Sunderland form is not a flash in the pan as he has been able to score regularly at youth level as well as in a first-team set-up.

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Broadhead can play through the middle as a centre-forward, as a number 10 and on either flank, which means that he is a brilliant and versatile option for the ex-Preston coach to call upon in the coming weeks and months in the fight to secure a play-off spot. His goalscoring knack has the potential to win valuable points for Sunderland and that is why having him back is a huge boost and Neil will be delighted with this update.

AND in other news, Moyes flop who’s “like Eden Hazard” has seen value rise by £14.4m after leaving SAFC…

Newcastle United are on course to avoid relegation from the Premier League after heavily investing in their squad in January.

PIF sanctioned a number of impressive winter deals as Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Chris Wood all came through the door, leading to the Magpies going on a nine-game unbeaten run to take them nine points clear of the bottom three.

Whilst they will be attempting to improve the first-team squad by bringing in established players to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad in the immediate future over the summer, they should also be looking at financing the academy to create a conveyor belt of prospects to develop over the next few years.

Light up

PIF must look to light up Darsley Park this summer with an influx of young talent to enhance the core of homegrown talent that they already have coming up through the ranks.

It was reported last month that the Magpies are among the clubs keeping tabs on talented teenager Josh Stones, and Football Insider recently claimed that Rangers have now joined the race for his services.

The Guiseley centre-forward can be Newcastle’s first foray into the youth market to develop their academy side with new additions. His form for the National League North outfit has been impressive and he would be an exciting player to add to the Tyneside club.

Stones has found the back of the net 21 times in 13 games for their youth team throughout the 2021/22 campaign and been rewarded with senior appearances in National League North. This suggests that the goalscoring menace has shown enough behind the scenes to warrant playing in the first-team at such a young age.

Therefore, he has the potential to push on further and play at a higher level, as his record at youth level is outstanding and proves that he is a natural goalscorer, marking him out an exciting potential signing. This is why Newcastle must snap him up to come and light up Darsley Park in their academy matches at the training ground, with the view to him making the step-up to Howe’s squad in the future.

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They could either seek to develop him in youth matches for the Magpies or loan him out to a Football League club in order to accelerate his progress.

This way of going about signing players could also save PIF millions down the line, as any academy player who makes the step up could claim a first-team place which may have otherwise been filled by a big-money acquisition.

AND in other news, Howe’s first mistake: NUFC dud who lost possession every 3.1 touches flopped big time…

Sunderland are currently in their fourth successive season of League One football following their relegation from the Championship in 2018.

The Black Cats suffered back-to-back demotions between 2017 and 2018 after being in the top flight for a number of years, having made a number of poor transfer decisions whilst playing in the Premier League leading up to the 2016/17 campaign.

Nightmare

One of those was the signing of Jack Rodwell from Manchester City, who Gus Poyet snapped up for a fee of £10m in 2014.

He had only played 25 times for City after joining them from Everton two years prior, but his move to Wearside ended up being one big nightmare.

In four years at Sunderland, he played 76 times and failed to win any of his first 37 Premier League matches at the club – setting a league record as he started 39 top-flight games in total without picking up a win before a 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace in February 2017.

Former Black Cats boss Chris Coleman previously ripped into the player whilst the club were in the Championship, saying: “He trains with the U23’s every morning, in that nice, safe umbrella, he’s not in the spotlight or the firing line with the rest of us, which he chose.

“When I say don’t know where he is I mean physically and mentally, and there’s no interest [from me] because he’s not the answer for us.

“He’s got one more year on his contract and he doesn’t want to play for us, so fine, go and play for somebody else, but the stumbling block is the contract.”

Rodwell eventually left in the summer of 2018 on a free transfer as he signed for Championship side Blackburn Rovers upon Sunderland’s relegation to League One, finally ending his Stadium of Light nightmare.

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This means that the Wearsiders paid £10m for him to go practically an entire Premier League season without picking up a win for the Black Cats, before deciding that he did not want to play in the second tier whilst still being paid each week. They also failed to recoup any money for him as he was allowed to leave on a free transfer.

It was a dreadful piece of business and a nightmare that the club will surely be desperately trying to avoid repeating if they ever make their way back to the top flight…

AND in other news, Left for £0, value soared 14900%: SAFC fumbled gem with a “wand of a left foot”…