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Fulham are plotting a late swoop to land a Premier League rival’s target…

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Nottingham Forest could falter in their pursuit of Brighton and Hove Albion striker Neal Maupay.

Despite the Reds having seemingly finalised the deal, both the Cottagers and Everton are now considering pushing to seal his signature late on.

Writing on Twitter, Crook claimed that there “could be a late twist in Neal Maupay’s move from BHAFC to NFFC with both EFC and Fulham pushing for the Frenchman”. 

Imagine him and Mitrovic

With the season starting off relatively well for Marco Silva’s side, it has already become clear that they will rely heavily on the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Serbian bagged an astounding 43 Championship goals last season in just 44 games, smashing the record for the most goals in that division in a 46-match campaign, and bringing in Maupay alongside him could quickly form one of the better strike partnerships in the top flight.

To place the hulking 27-year-old beside the 5 foot 8 Frenchman could see the latter latch on to Mitrovic’s flick-ons, as the Serbian won just over 50% of his aerial duels last season.

Conversely, Maupay could thread through some astute passes his potential strike partner, with his 77.8% pass success rate ranking him in the top 13% for strikers among Europe’s five biggest leagues over the past 12 months.

Dubbed “exceptional” by journalist Andy Naylor, the Brighton marksman can also be proficient in front of goal, as highlighted by his eight Premier League strikes last season, while his lethal touch in front of goal earned the 26-year-old the praise of being a “brilliant finisher” by journalist Joe Chapman.

Adding another proven goalscorer at this level to Fulham’s ranks could go a long way towards ensuring that they will not be dragged towards a relegation battle this season. Maupay has featured 102 times in the Premier League across his career, scoring 26 goals and setting up a further eight.

Also, the symbiotic partnership that he would likely form with Mitrovic could be one of the most feared in the league for opposition centre-backs, so Silva should swoop quickly to ensure that this idea can become a reality.

Tottenham Hotspur snatched a point from Chelsea as Antonio Conte’s return to his former club ended in a fiery manner with both managers receiving a red card in the Premier League’s second gameweek.

It means the Italian will not be in the dugout when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers in north London next weekend, though he will still be picking the team. He’ll have a big decision to make at wing-back as Ryan Sessegnon was just not at the races at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs should be encouraged because they not only picked up a point late on but also scored twice against the Blues, two feats that they could not manage across four encounters in 2021/22.

The England U21 international was hooked after just 57 minutes as he was being given the run around all evening – indeed, he won just two of his 11 duels at a win success rate of 18%, committed two fouls and lost possession eight times from only 28 touches (some three fewer than even goalkeeper Hugo Lloris), as per SofaScore.

Elsewhere on the pitch, the 22-year-old liability failed to register a single successful dribble or record an attacking contribution of note, with zero crosses, zero key passes and zero shots, which is a worrying sign from an attack-minded wing-back, particularly one that scored last weekend.

And when there’s a Champions League winner in Ivan Perisic sitting on the bench, it could soon become an easy switch for Conte to make, given his vast experience and quality in such a role.

The entirety of Chelsea’s right flank, ranging from Reece James to Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kai Havertz all recorded a better SofaScore rating for the game than the young Englishman, who was slammed as being “awful” and a “rabbit in the headlights” by former Head of GOAL, James Dickens.

Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard was less than impressed too as he graded the former Fulham gem as the Lilywhites’ joint-worst performer with a 4/10 in his post-match ratings column.

‘Picked ahead of Perisic, the wing-back was overrun defensively and fluffed his chance to quickly equalise when his effort was saved by Edouard Mendy,’ he wrote.

As such, Sessegnon badly let his manager down considering the faith put in him to start such an important and huge fixture. He had every right to given his display down against Southampton but last season’s third-placed finishers a different kettle of fish indeed.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold: Spurs could seal late “amazing signing” in 19 y/o gem, he’s the future…

Everton are competing with three clubs for the signature of Wolfsburg midfielder Aster Vranckx, according to Voetbalkrant.com, as the youngster has gone missing from his current team’s plans.

The lowdown

Central midfielder Vranckx only joined Wolfsburg from Belgian club KV Mechelen last summer for a fee of £7.2million.

He would make 24 Bundesliga appearances, and play four Champions League games too, in his first year at the Volkswagen Arena.

But so far this season, he’s logged just seven minutes of action, watching on from the bench against Werder Bremen on the opening day and missing out on the squad altogether against Schalke on Saturday.

The latest

The report states that AC Milan have now joined the race to sign Vranckx, having been impressed by his breakthrough campaign last term.

Vranckx’s omission from the squad on Saturday suggests the interest is ‘more than concrete’.

Everton are interested too, along with fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Ligue 1 outfit Lille.

Vranckx is said to be available for a fee of €10million, which equates to about £8.4million.

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The verdict

What kind of midfielder is Vranckx? Well, he’s actually fairly similar in profile to Abdoulaye Doucoure, according to FBRef, ranking in the 86th percentile for shots per 90, the 95th for dribbles completed, the 94th for pressures and the 84th for tackles.

Indeed, football journalist Ronan Murphy has billed him as ‘a brilliant all-rounder’.

He’s an exciting talent, as evidenced by his nomination for this year’s Golden Boy award, given to the standout under-21 player in Europe’s top five leagues.

For a fee of just £8.4million, this looks it could be very good business for Everton.

Glasgow Rangers turn their attention back to playing in the Premiership today as they face Ross County at Ibrox.

The Gers come into the game off the back of a 1-0 win against PSV in the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday night, which secured their place in the group stage of the competition.

Antonio Colak’s finish from close range, after Malik Tillman’s sublime work to win the ball back in the penalty box, was enough to send the club through with a 3-2 win on aggregate.

Their last outing in the Scottish top-flight was not as joyous, though, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Hibernian away from home.

Alfredo Morelos and John Lundstram were both shown straight red cards in the match, although the latter has since had his ban overturned after an appeal.

How many changes will Van Bronckhorst make from the win over PSV in midweek? Here is our predicted XI…

Jon McLaughlin; James Tavernier (c), Conor Goldson, Leon King, Ridvan Yilmaz; John Lundstram, Steven Davis, Malik Tillman; Rabbi Matondo, Antonio Colak, Ryan Kent

We are predicting that he will make four changes to the team from midweek, with King, Yilmaz, Davis, and Matondo coming in for Borna Barisic, James Sands, Glen Kamara and Tom Lawrence.

Starting off at the back, the manager may look to bring in the academy graduate defender to give the USA international a chance to rest.

Alan Hutton once described King as a “Rolls Royce” and he was handed two starts in the Premiership last term. He has played twice, both times off the bench, in the top flight this season and he could now be given an opportunity to show what he can do from the start, whilst affording Sands – who has already started six matches – a breather.

Meanwhile, FFC published an article explaining why Yilmaz should come in at left-back for the £18k-per-week Croatian.

In the middle of the park, Davis could come in for Kamara, who is ruled out due to injury. Van Bronckhorst has a plethora of options in that position including Lundstram, Lawrence, Tillman, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack, and rotating them regularly could help to keep them all fresh.

Finally, Matondo could come back in after being an unused substitute against PSV. He has been electric in the Premiership this season, creating five chances and registering two assists in two starts, and the manager may look to his creativity to service Colak.

West Brom are likely to appeal after their proposed signing of Fulham midfielder Josh Onomah collapsed, according to reliable journalist Mike McGrath.

The Lowdown: Baggies miss out on Onomah

On deadline day, it looked as though the Baggies were going to complete the signing of Onomah, bringing him in as a late injection of pace and exuberance into their midfield.

Instead, the deal fell through in an eleventh hour twist because the paperwork did not go through in time before the 11pm transfer cutoff.

This is a saga that could rumble on, however, with West Brom clearly unhappy about the situation.

The Latest: Appeal expected

Taking to Twitter late on Thursday night, McGrath claimed that the Baggies would now ‘likely’ appeal the ruling, hopefully getting a deal for Onomah over the line:

“This can be appealed, which WBA are likely to do.”

The Verdict: Big late blow

Onomah felt like he was going to be an exciting signing throughout deadline day, bringing with him proven Championship quality, as well as an Under-20 World Cup winners’ medal with England from 2017.

Instead, Steve Bruce was dealt a hammer blow right at the end of the window, leaving a bad taste just when it looked as though some key business would be completed.

The hope is that West Brom appeal the decision and that it is successful – if not, Bruce’s squad is going to look worryingly light in the attacking third ahead of a hopeful surge up the Championship table.

West Ham and GSB faced a lot of backlash when Grady Diangana was sold to West Brom in 2019 but it now appears as if the board made the right call with the young winger.

After starring in pre-season ahead of the 2019/20 campaign it appeared as if Diangana would get a chance to shine in West Ham’s first team before he completed a surprise move to Championship side West Brom in a deal worth £18m.

Club legend and former captain Mark Noble spoke out about his disappointment with the decision to let the exciting young winger go, writing:

“As captain of this football club, I’m gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!”

Diangana would play a key role in the Baggies’ promotion to the top flight in the 2019/20 season, contributing eight goals and seven assists in 30 appearances, which will have no doubt infuriated plenty of people inside West Ham, not least Noble himself.

However, the youngster struggled to adapt to the demands of the Premier League and managed just one goal and no assists in 20 top-flight appearances the following season, as West Brom were immediately relegated back to the second tier.

He followed that up with another disappointing season in the Championship, registering just two goals and one assist in 41 appearances for the Baggies, which suggests that he might never be good enough for the Premier League.

Although he has started this campaign in much more impressive form, with one goal and three assists in eight Championship fixtures thus far, it is difficult to suggest that West Brom got their money’s worth when they signed him for £18m, and West Ham’s subsequent winger addition of Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma might have been better business.

Indeed, that has clearly been seen in Bowen who is now a member of the England team after scoring 18 times and registering 13 assists in all competitions last term.

Therefore, while it was a big risk for GSB to take in selling such a highly-regarded prospect, especially considering their strained relationship with West Ham fans, it appears as if they certainly made the right call with Diangana.

Celtic target Oscar Gloukh could earn a move away from Maccabi Tel Aviv in the January transfer window, their owner Mitchell Goldhar says. 

The lowdown

Mark Lawwell and Ange Postecoglou have drawn up a list of potential targets for the winter market, and Gloukh’s name features (via The Daily Record).

After the 18-year-old won the approval of club scouts, Postecoglou views him as a potential replacement for any Celtic stars who are lured away following the World Cup.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, who are currently top of the Israeli Premier League, value the attacking midfielder at £8million.

The latest

Goldhar, speaking to Israeli outfit Ynet (via The Daily Record), waxed lyrical about the qualities of Gloukh.

He says it’s almost inevitable that the teenager takes the next step, and admits that moment could come at the turn of the year.

Goldhar said: “Gloukh is one of the best players who grew up here in our academy.

“He has abilities that remind us of the greatest of them all.

“He will continue with us a little longer. Maybe in January or at most in the summer he will progress.”

The verdict

Celtic are bound to face plenty of competition for the signature of Gloukh.

Indeed, recent reports from France (via The Scottish Daily Express) claim that Ligue 1 giants Marseille are also interested, while Tottenham Hotspur were also linked back in June.

That’s no surprise when you consider that the youngster has scored three goals and provided four assists in just five league appearances so far this season.

Gloukh also shone for runners-up Israel at the Under-19 European Championships in the summer, netting three times and setting-up two goals on his nation’s run to the final.

And, on the back of that tournament, compatriot Gil Vermouth labelled him ‘something special’.

Crystal Palace youngster David Obou is set to sign a three-year professional contract at Selhurst Park when he turns 17 in November, The Guardian report.

The Lowdown: Obou profiled

Obou joined Palace’s academy back in January 2021 and has seemingly gone from strength to strength with the club.

The 16-year-old has made eight appearances in the U18s Premier League in midfield and on the left-hand side, as per Transfermarkt, scoring once.

He also netted a ‘brilliant’ goal against Manchester City in the U18s PL Cup last year, and it looks as if Obou will now take a big step in his bid to become a Premier League player.

The Latest: Professional Palace deal

The Guardian shared a story on Tuesday looking at 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs.

Obou was Palace’s inclusion in the story, with Ed Aarons claiming that the creative teenager is set to sign a three-year pro deal with the Eagles following interest from Bayern Munich and PSV Eindhoven in the summer.

The Verdict: Good news

Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman appear to have found a real gem in Obou, so it is good to see that the club are being proactive when it comes to offering the player senior terms.

Obou may well have been tempted by the reported interest from Bayern and PSV, especially as a number of English youngsters have gone abroad and successfully developed into first-team players.

Noni Madueke, previously on the books at Palace, is a prime example and is now considered a PSV star, so it is exciting to know that Obou will seemingly remain at the club for the next three years.

Glasgow Rangers journalist for The Athletic Jordan Campbell was left slamming the work rate of Malik Tillman as they lost 2-0 at Anfield on Tuesday night.

The Lowdown: Outplayed

It is safe to say that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team were just outplayed once again in the Champions League, as Liverpool recorded more possession, shots, passes and dribbles.

Trent Alexander-Arnold gave them the lead early on with a superb free-kick before Mo Salah made sure of the points with a penalty in the second half, but in truth the result never really looked a doubt.

The Latest: Tillman criticised

Taking to Twitter after the Ibrox outfit found themselves in an attacking position, Campbell criticised Tillman for his lack of energy and work rate, as the Bayern Munich loanee failed to support Ryan Kent when he was running at the Reds defence:

“Tillman stood still and watched as Kent turned and ran at Liverpool’s defence. Looked like he couldn’t be bothered making an option. He has talent but needs to be more energetic in these big games as it’s passing him by.”

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The Verdict: Must do more

In a game at Anfield, where Liverpool are expected to have more of the ball and play with high intensity, Tillman simply needs to do more in order to help his teammates.

Coming from such a prestigious club in Bayern, the attacking midfielder is perhaps not used to working as hard off of the ball, as he is used to his side dominating possession.

Nonetheless, having recorded no shots on goal or dribbles, and making just three accurate passes in the entire match (SofaScore), Tillman did not contribute much at all going forward, and so the Gers will need him to step up his game in the return fixture next week.

Sheffield Wednesday losing George Hirst in 2018 has proven to be a disaster as the young striker is continuing to impress higher up.

The teenage forward was impressing in the Owls’ academy but made just two appearances for the first team before his move to Oud-Heverlee Leuven in 2018.

Hirst was described as “arguably the most exciting, talented youngster to emerge from the club’s academy in decades” but Owls supporters never really got to enjoy having him in the team.

The teenage forward’s move to OH Leuven was certainly suspicious, as it meant that Leicester City, wouldn’t have to pay the compensation to Wednesday that would have come with signing him on a free transfer, as the Belgian side who are also part of the King Power group could sign him with no such problem.

The move was described as “fishy” by the Guardian’s Daniel Taylor but that situation may not have manifested itself if Wednesday had offered Hirst more assurances of first-team football in the future.

After a year in Belgium that returned continued his fine goalscoring form with the academy, scoring 15 goals in 21 appearances.

Last season saw the young forward loaned to Portsmouth in League One and he certainly impressed, hitting 13 goals for Danny Cowley’s side in the third tier, including a consolation goal in the 4-1 defeat against his old side on the final day of the season.

Cowley was full of praise for Hirst after he scored a brace against Crewe, saying:

“He is looking a real handful, a really powerful performance and two really good headed goals.

“I thought the first goal looked a really good goal, a great cross from Connor and then the second one as well. He’s in a good moment.”

Another loan spell would follow this summer as he joined Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, although he has been limited for game time there, with just 150 minutes of league action under his belt thus far.

However, he still would have been a great player to have in Wednesday’s current squad and looks likely to have a good career, so the Owls will be gutted to have lost him in such strange circumstances and for such a minimal fee in 2018.