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Aston Villa are eyeing a move for Stoke City star Harry Souttar in the January transfer window, and Alan Hutton has given his seal of approval behind a move.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side have got their eye on a new year swoop for the centre-back, and former Villa man Hutton has insisted Souttar would be a great signing for them.

He said: “I think when you look at the boys who are there, they’re all good in the air. I’ve worked with them, I know they can be physical but they like playing with the ball at their feet as well.

“I think it’s very good to have those different styles of footballers within your armoury. It gives you the option if you want. If somebody’s injured, you want to play four at the back, three at the back or something may happen, you’ve got room to manoeuvre. I think that was Dean Smith’s plan moving forward. The starting XI was very good but they needed to bolster the squad.

“I think that’s the situation that they’re in at the moment. He obviously ticks all the boxes. He’s very physical, he’s there to win the ball and it’s good to have someone like that in your backline.”

Shades of Tyrone Mings

Once described as a “Rolls-Royce” by Stoke stalwart Ryan Shawcross, the defender has been compared to a number of different big-name players, including the likes of Harry Maguire and Virgil van Dijk.

His manager at Stoke, Michael O’Neill, is clearly a big fan of the kind of modern, ball-playing centre-back that Souttar is, saying: “He’s a player blessed with great natural attributes. Obviously his height but also he’s got good game intelligence and he’s a great user of the ball as well. That’s something which I think will set him apart from the other defenders in this league.”

And, when you compare his physical attributes (he’s an inch taller than Mings at a towering 6 foot 6), as well as his key defensive stats to the Villa man, they favour well.

As per Whoscored, he averages a whopping six times the amount of tackles per game as Mings, while he also boasts more interceptions per match in the Championship too. Not only that, but Souttar also makes close to eighty passes per game on average for Stoke (29 more than Mings), and at a far better accuracy too.

The Stoke beast could bring some added physicality to Villa’s back-line and give Smith some extra depth in that centre-back role. His height, reading of the game and ability to play out from the back has got real shades of Mings.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has confirmed an Aston Villa “blow”…

Joe Wainman has dropped an exciting Leeds United transfer claim about their chase for Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have had preliminary discussions with the Terries over signing him, and now, Wainman has revealed a major development.

Speaking on the latest edition of The Daily Leeds show, he said: “I have it on good authority, a little bit of ITK for you, that Leeds United have agreed a fee with Huddersfield Town.

“I believe it was done yesterday, I can’t be privy to how much, if it does include a player – but I think by the sounds of it, it looks like it is just going to be cash and whether it will be close to £10m, I’m not sure.

“It seems hefty, but Leeds have that money, we need a midfielder, Lewis O’Brien’s liked by Bielsa. He wants him in the door, he’s seen him numerous times and it looks like that one’s going to be done.”

Fans will be excited

Having missed out on the signing of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher – the England youth international instead made the loan switch to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace – Marcelo Bielsa is no doubt desperate to strengthen his options in the middle of the park.

And in O’Brien, the club would be getting someone who has the kind of energy and dynamism that can match the high-pressing philosophy Bielsa has employed at Elland Road.

Former Huddersfield goalkeeper, Matt Glennon, said: “Lewis O’Brien wants to put the hard yards in and wants to be at the very top of where he can get to.

“He’s one of those lads who works ridiculously hard which, for me, is your minimum in any league, but he’s got that quality, the drop of a shoulder, that strength to keep people off him, a low centre of gravity to glide past people, arm aloft when they try to knock him off the ball.”

At just 22, and with bundles of Championship experience to his name (he’s played 80 times in the competition), O’Brien could come into Elland Road to provide the likes of Kalvin Phillips with some genuine competition, and keep everyone on their toes.

While high-profile international signings like Rodrigo and Raphinha may be the ones fans typically get excited about, O’Brien’s tenacity, and value for money if Wainman is correct, se

Given Phil Hay’s update that a new central midfielder has been the priority for Leeds since the signing of Junior Firpo from Barcelona, Wainman’s latest claim that the club have agreed a fee for O’Brien is sure to excite Bielsa and the club’s fans.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a new Leeds United transfer update…

Some Southampton fans have been left blasting the performance of Oriol Romeu in their 4-0 loss at Liverpool on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men got a real battering at Anfield, with two goals from Diogo Jota and one each from Thiago and Virgil van Dijk more than enough to give the home side all three points.

Romeu was simply run ragged in the centre of midfield at times, as he lost out on four of his duels, while he also failed to block any shots on his goal and made no key passes, losing possession of the ball 12 times, the seventh-most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, he will now be hoping to make amends when his team host Leicester City in midweek.

Southampton fans on Romeu performance

These members of the St. Mary’s faithful blasted his display on Twitter, with one Saints supporter even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘disgrace’:

“Romeu and JWP are too slow to play PL football together in a two”

Credit: @DanJean09

“Bednarek, Livramento and Romeu have been awful. Should be subbed at half time and dropped until they earn there place back”

Credit: @willdebruin27

“Romeu laughing and smiling with Thiago at the end of that shocking half. Absolute disgrace, how can you be doing that after being hammered for 45 minutes and not having a care in the world?”

Credit: @ralphexpress

“Romeu leave out of respect thanks”

Credit: @Im_Jammyyyy

“Romeu has been way off it today, don’t know what’s wrong with him today, but he could have done a lot better on 3 of the goals”

Credit: @EddySFC

“Jesus, Romeu is having an absolute shocker today”

Credit: @babarussi

In other news, find out whose performance against Liverpool was also slammed here!

Steven Gerrard is dreaming of bringing Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres to Aston Villa, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes. 

The lowdown

The 24-year-old is enjoying a first taste of Champions League football with Villarreal this season, having helped them defeat Manchester United to win the 2020/21 Europa League. He featured in the tournament’s Squad of the Season in recognition of his performances on the road to triumph in Gdansk.

Torres also earned a call-up to the Spain squad for last summer’s European Championship, featuring in all six of their matches as they reached the semi-final, where they lost on penalties to eventual champions Italy.

Javi Calleja, one of his former coaches, has marvelled at his ‘extraordinary talent to construct the play’, which saw him occasionally used as a midfielder. Another mentor, Miguel Alvarez of Villarreal B, has spoken of his ‘barbarous natural talent’ (via The Athletic).

For an idea of his playing style, he boasts a similar profile to Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte, former Arsenal defender David Luiz and Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger (via FBRef).

The latest

The report from Fichajes stated that Torres is a player with whom Gerrard ‘completely falls in love’.

The Villa manager apparently intent on upgrading at centre-half, with captain Tyrone Mings and Axel Tuanzebe adjudged to be in a ‘significant slump’ of form, and Gerrard knows he has ‘a lot of money’ at his disposal in his new position to strengthen the squad.

However, Villa will apparently need to shell out €50m, which equates to around £42m, to persuade Villarreal to part with Torres. His name has been mentioned in connection with Real Madrid and Manchester United, but there is a feeling that he’s not quite reached the elite level just yet.

The verdict

Signing Torres would be quite some coup for Villa. He has not only held his own against United but also, Calleja says, against the likes of Karim Benzema, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

He’d be a real asset to Gerrard when it came to building attacks from deep – his passing success rate of 89.1% is better than anyone who has started a Premier League match for Villa this term.

Is it a realistic signing? If the top clubs haven’t seen enough yet to take the plunge on him, and the Midlanders have the money, then it’s just a matter of persuading Torres to swap Villarreal for Villa.

Given that Villarreal are currently 12th in La Liga, they might not have the advantage of European football next season, which could be another factor in Villa’s hopes of luring him to England.

In other news, this is who Gerrard wants at left-back for Villa

Following Toby Alderweireld’s exit from Tottenham Hotspur, Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has made an exciting prediction which will undoubtedly delight Spurs fans.

What’s the word?

After it was confirmed that Alderweireld had left Spurs to sign for Al-Duhail SC, Romano wrote on Twitter: “Official. Tottenham have reached an agreement with Al-Duhail SC in Qatar for the transfer of Toby Alderweireld. New centre back coming soon for Spurs…”

Spurs have already completed the signings of Pierluigi Gollini and Bryan Gil so far this transfer window, and it seems as if a third incoming is not too far away for the north London club judging by Romano’s tweet.

Although Alderweireld was past his peak and was struggling to replicate the performances he consistently produced under Mauricio Pochettino, he still made 25 appearances (all of them starts) in the Premier League last season, which emphasises that he needs to be replaced.

Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier will likely be given opportunities to impress under the new manager but both have proven themselves to be far too unreliable in recent seasons, whilst Joe Rodon has very little Premier League experience, so it was perhaps always likely that a new top-quality centre-back was going to be brought in.

As it stands, it seems as if that man will be Atalanta’s Cristian Romero, who has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs in recent weeks.

The latest report suggests that Spurs are in talks with the Serie A club over his potential transfer, although they remain quite far apart in terms of his valuation at the moment, with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kurt Zouma and Nikola Milenkovic other potential options at the back should they fail to agree to a deal for Romero.

Regardless of who they sign, Spurs fans must surely be delighted that Paratici is working quickly to bring in new signings, as a rebuild has been needed for some time given the club’s declining fortunes over the last couple of years. Swapping Alderweireld for a promising young centre-back such as Romero would appear to be a great step towards a better future at the north London club.

In other news… Nuno can save Levy millions with Spurs academy startlet 

Leeds United have been offered Olympique Lyonnais star Maxwel Cornet, as reported by the Daily Mirror.

The Lowdown: Leeds United look ahead to 2021/22

As the Whites aim to get their ducks in a row ahead of the 2021/22 season, there has been much discussion surrounding their potential transfer activity at left-back.

Though Marco Bielsa has not yet ventured into the current transfer window, the Elland Road side have been linked with moves for Adama Traore and Borna Barisic respectively, while left-backs Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski could both leave.

However, it now seems that a new potential signing could be on the horizon in the form of the 24-year-old Ivorian.

The Latest: Cornet offered to Leeds

Leeds United are said to have been offered the chance to sign Cornet as they step up their hunt for a left-sided defender [Mirror].

Some reports have suggested that the versatile ace could be available for around £20 million, a fee which the Whites are currently not willing to pay [Mirror].

Cornet actually made his name as a winger before moving to a left-back position this season, so he appears to be a perfect like for like replacement for Alioski.

The Verdict: Cornet would be a shrewd addition

Fundamentally, signing someone of Cornet’s quality could be a real coup for the Whites as they look towards the new season, providing they can negotiate the fee down to something they are happier with.

Posing an intense attacking threat, the Ivory Coast internationalist has scored 51 goals and laid on a further 29 assists in 251 games for Lyon [Transfermarkt].

While many of those came during his time further up the pitch, he still supplied 10 goal contributions in 39 games across all competitions this season playing mostly in defence; four goals and six assists [Transfermarkt].

As Bielsa’s men look to improve upon a solid 9th placed Premier League finish last year, bringing in someone with Cornet’s end product could considerably enhance the quality of their high-octane brand of football.

Leeds United should be pulling out all the stops to get the deal over the line.

In other news, Real Madrid are said to be eyeing up a key Leeds United man.

Despite making just one substitute appearance in the Premier League for Southampton this season, Jan Bednarek produced a dominant display for Poland in their 4-1 win against Albania earlier this week.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has left the former Lech Poznan man on the bench for each of Southampton’s Premier League fixtures so far this season, with Mohammed Salisu and Jack Stephens getting the nod ahead of him at centre-back.

Whilst he did come off the bench against Manchester United to play at right-back, it looks as if it will be difficult for him to regain his starting spot, especially with the recent addition of Lyanco, who will provide added competition in Southampton’s defence.

However, the 25-year-old is a regular for his country and started at centre-back as they took on Albania in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, producing a superb display at the back for Paulo Sousa’s side.

As per SofaScore, Bednarek earned an impressive 7.5/10 rating for his performance, with only Robert Lewandowski (8.3/10) earning higher from all the players to feature in the game.

During the 90 minutes, the Saints man contributed an impressive eight clearances and six interceptions, which was the most of any player on the pitch. By comparison, his centre-back partner Kamil Glik managed just four clearances and three interceptions, which emphasises just how important Bednarek was to the win.

The 25-year-old cut an imperious figure for Poland as Albania’s attackers struggled to best him, with the centre-back dribbled past just once in the 90 minutes, whilst he also won all six of his aerial duels during the game.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Hasenhuttl will surely take note of Bednarek’s impressive performance and it will be interesting to see who the Austrian selects at centre-back for Southampton’s next match after the international break, which sees them take on West Ham at St Mary’s.

In other news… Southampton could’ve signed Hasenhuttl his ideal number 6 with swoop for £10.3m beast

Ex-Premier League footballer Dean Windass believes that Conor Hourihane joining Sheffield United is a great move.

The Yorkshire outfit announced on Monday that Hourihane had joined the Blades on loan from Premier League outfit Aston Villa.

The 30-year-old 23 assists.

Hourihane has plenty of previous Championship experience as he has played for Ipswich Town, Barnsley, Aston Villa and Swansea City, and Windass believes that joining Sheffield United is a great move for the midfielder.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “What a great signing that’ll be for Sheffield United – good experience, played in the Premier League, knows his way around a football pitch, good midfielder player, good passer, can get you a goal as well.

“Sheffield United need somebody like that now, you can’t just keep relying on Billy Sharp all the time. Yeah they’ve struggled in the Championship at the start but I’m sure they’ll be alright in it.”

Sheffield United currently find themselves in 23rd position in the Championship table, with a poor start to the season seeing them pick up just two points from a possible 15.

However, after a summer of recruitment, everybody will be hoping that the Blades can turn their fortunes around and start pushing up the league standings.

Sunderland midfielder Josh Hawkes is attracting interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Sheffield Echo, who claimed that Ipswich Town, along with a number of Premier League clubs – including West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United – are interested in a move for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder in the upcoming transfer market.

The East Anglian Daily Times reported that the £510-per-week man, who has one year left to run on his contract at The Stadium of Light, is understood to be keen to leave the Black Cats this summer as a result of his lack of first team football under Lee Johnson.

Huge mistake

Having shown a great deal of potential for the club’s under-23 side this season, should Sunderland go on to lose the services of Hawkes this summer due to Johnson’s apparent reluctance to give the youngster first-team minutes, the argument could easily be made that it would be something of a catastrophe for the 44-year-old.

Over his 20 Premier League 2 fixtures for the Sunderland under-23s this term, Hawkes scored 13 goals – the joint-most in the competition – and registered six assists, with the 22-year-old’s goals often being game-changing. He also fired the youth team to the play-offs, in which Sunderland narrowly lost on penalties in the final against Crystal Palace.

Indeed, on numerous occasions throughout the course of the season, many Sunderland fans appeared eager for Johnson to include the youngster in his matchday squad, with one claiming that Hawkes had “needed to be in the first team for weeks,” while another stated that he “surely has to be in the first team” as the midfielder was “banging them in every week.”

However, despite this, Hawkes made just one appearance for the Black Cats this season, in the 2-1 loss to Fleetwood Town in the Papa John’s Trophy.

As such, if the man Jeff Stelling dubbed a “free spirit” does wish to leave Sunderland this summer in search of regular first team football, it appears as if Johnson will have nobody to blame other than himself.

In other news: Sunderland dealt transfer blow over “brilliant” £6.4k-p/w beast, Johnson will be devastated – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Sean Walsh has now shared a major midweek update on Antonio Conte’s future at the Premier League club, and it’s exactly what supporters need to hear.

The Lowdown: Conte eyeing PSG?

The Italian, who reportedly has a clause in his current Spurs deal which would allow him to leave at the end of this season, has been at the centre of claims linking him with a move to Ligue 1 giants Paris-Saint Germain.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Former Lilywhites manager Mauricio Pochettino is allegedly set to depart the French capital despite their Ligue 1 title win, prompting rumours of a possible Conte move to succeed the Argentine.

Le Parisien claimed last week that the 52-year-old is seriously interested in a PSG switch, even apparently telling their club chiefs that he is considering the job.

Amid these worrying developments, Walsh has now taken to social media with a positive update Spurs supporters may need to hear.

The Latest: Walsh makes major midweek Conte claim…

According to the reporter, who covers the north Londoners for 90min, Tottenham are ‘confident’ Conte will stay despite the PSG updates.

He goes on to say that former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane is actually their top target, not Spurs’ man.

Walsh explained (via Twitter): “Understand that #THFC are confident that Antonio Conte will stay this summer despite reports linking him to PSG job. PSG’s top managerial target remains Zinedine Zidane.”

The Verdict: Great news for Spurs fans

Zidane, currently out of work and a proven Champions League-winning manager, is arguably a shoe-in for the Parc des Princes given his availability and how the fans there would idolise the France legend.

He would certainly be an easier appointment than Conte and one with just as much pedigree.

Taking this into account, Walsh’s update certainly makes sense and PSG director Leonardo may be best placed leaving Spurs’ manager and prioritising a move for Zidane.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.