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Burnley are interested in signing former Juventus striker Francesco Margiotta in the current transfer window.

That is according to a report in the print edition of The Sun (31 August, page 62, via HITC), which claimed that the Clarets could soon make their interest known to the 27-year-old’s current club Luzern.

Margiotta is a product of Juventus’ academy and looked a promising talent with their underage sides but he never managed to make an appearance for the Bianconeri’s first team and had a succession of loan spells away from Turin before moving to Lausanne in Switzerland, from where he subsequently joined Luzern.

He was a potent and creative presence for the Swiss top-flight outfit last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 12 assists in all competitions. While primarily playing as a centre-forward, he has also dropped back to a number 10 role on a handful of occasions (as per TransferMarkt).

Like Burnley, Luzern finished in a mid-table position in their league in 2019/20, with Margiotta’s goal tally the same as the Clarets’ leading scorer Chris Wood and three more than Jay Rodriguez. He therefore seems to be on a similar level to that duo, albeit in a lower-ranked league on UEFA’s association club coefficient.

Margiotta can score and create chances and has a cut-price TransferMarkt valuation of just £720,000, while Matej Vydra is the only current backup to Burnley’s two main strikers with Ashley Barnes still sidelined through injury.

The Italian forward has never played at a higher level than the Swiss Super League before, though, so even if he is purchased by Sean Dyche, it would probably be with the intention of being a backup striker rather than an instant first team presence.

Burnley fans, do you think Margiotta would be a decent addition to the squad? Comment below with your views!

The England under-21s’ victory over Austria on Tuesday night may have gone under the radar somewhat amid the senior team’s tepid goalless draw away to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League, but the match in Ried is one which Tariq Lamptey will remember for some time.

The Brighton right-back was given his England under-21 debut in the 2-1 win in Austria, with goals from Eddie Nketiah and Ben Godfrey taking Aidy Boothroyd’s side closer to qualification for next year’s European Under-21 Championship.

Lamptey played an important role in the win, making a timely block to deny Patrick Schmidt when the Barnsley youngster looked set to open the scoring in the first half (as per thefa.com).

After the match, the 19-year-old took to Instagram (via

/CE7QOg5Brhr/”>@tariq_lamptey) to reflect with happiness on making his Young Lions bow.

Unsurprisingly, several of Lamptey’s England colleagues offered their congratulations, as did many of his 125,000 followers. Brighton’s team-mates Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mat Ryan also expressed their delight with the youngster’s debut, with the Iran winger hailing him as a “baller” and the goalkeeper saying that the call-up was “deserved”.

Since leaving Chelsea in January, the teenager has carved out a regular place at right-back in Graham Potter’s first team at the Amex Stadium, making seven starts towards the end of last season and earning plaudits from his manager, team-mates and pundits alike.

Brighton sanctioned the departures of two right-backs in Ezequiel Schelotto and Martin Montoya in the summer transfer window, a clear sign that Lamptey is seen as the answer in that position for the foreseeable future.

If he can pick up where he left off in 2019/20, the 19-year-old is a strong contender to make England’s squad for next year’s European Under-21 Championship finals – and senior caps may even be within reach if he maintains his impressive progress.

Brighton fans, were you delighted to see Lamptey making his England under-21 debut in midweek? Comment below with your views!

Glasgow Rangers have just three days left to complete their transfer business before the window slams shut on October 5th.

The Gers have already been busy over the past few months, bringing in no less than seven players on a permanent basis. Steven Gerrard, though, has previously stated that he wants to bring in another midfielder and, following the Ibrox outfit’s qualification for the Europa League group stages, Gerrard teased that there would be new faces coming.

Over the past few days, Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic has been mentioned as a potential target, with Vital Football writing that he could be an interesting signing for the 54-time Scottish champions and Fourth Official going one step further to claim a medical is booked. He made just 13 appearances in all competitions last season, but he is valued at just £2.16m by Transfermarkt and has plenty of football left in him at just 28 years old.

The Gers supporters, it seems, would be delighted to take him north of the border if the possibility actually does arise. One fan suggested he would be better than Bongani Zungu, who has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Carlo Ancelotti has said that the director of Everton is working on transfers in his pre-game press conference ahead of the Merseyside derby.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match against Liverpool, the Italian said (via Phil Kirkbride):

“Honestly, I am not focused there in this moment. We are focused on the derby tomorrow. Our director is working on this.” What business could still be done at Everton?

It is perhaps safe to say that Ancelotti was rather cryptic in his message as he suggests that the director may be working on transfers in the background.

In terms of possible outgoings, Yannick Bolasie has reportedly been linked with a move to either Blackburn Rovers, Millwall or Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Indeed, a move away from Goodison Park, whether on loan or in a permanent transfer, would arguably suit all parties involved in the possible deal for Bolasie, who needs game-time as has not played for the Toffees since 2018.

He has also only managed to score two goals and supply four assists in 32 matches over all competitions for the Blues, according to Transfermarkt.

Bolasie is currently earning £75,000 per week, or £3.9m per year, as per Salary Sport, and so it may be an idea for Everton to try and get as much of those wages as possible off their books while he is not playing for them.

King move very unlikely

However, a possible move for Bournemouth striker Josh King is now very unlikely with so little time left in the window.

It was reported earlier today that the Norway international is not expected to move to Everton, but it has not yet been ruled out completely.

Evertonians, would you like to see any business done before 5pm? Comment below with your views!

After slipping to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday, Arsenal can get back to winning ways when they take on Dundalk in the Europa League.

The Gunners enjoyed a winning start in their first game of the competition, coming back from behind to beat Rapid Vienna 2-1, thanks to goals from David Luiz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

With manager Mikel Arteta facing a number of injury worries, and a huge clash against Manchester United on the horizon at the weekend, the Spaniard may take the opportunity to rest several of his key players.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, it appears Arteta is keen on using his number one goalkeeper in every single competition, so Bernd Leno will stay in between the sticks – that despite his gaffe against Vienna last Thursday.

In front of him, the Gunners will be without David Luiz, who was forced off mid-way through his side’s clash against Leicester. With the Brazilian missing, and the likes of Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari also unavailable for selection, Gabriel is likely to be partnered by Shkodran Mustafi.

The lack of defensive options may force Arteta into going with a 4-3-3 instead of the usual three-at-the-back formation, and that could see Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles operate as the two out-and-out full-backs.

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Arteta will also surely look to refresh his midfield set-up, and that could see regulars like Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos drop out of the starting line-up, with Mohamed Elneny and Joe Willock coming in to form a trio alongside Thomas Partey.

And up front, expect to see first-choice front three of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe all drop out, with Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Willian getting a taste of the action.

Predicted XI: Leno; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Gabriel, Kolasinac; Elneny, Partey, Willock; Nelson, Willian, Nketiah.

Following the news of Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury, it seems that Liverpool are wasting no time in bringing in a replacement for the Dutch colossus. Whilst reports have linked the Reds to former target Kalidou Koulibaly, the current financial climate would suggest the club want someone who will be a little kinder to their bank balance.

According to the Sport Mediaset, via Sport Witness, Jurgen Klopp has identified Schalke’s Ozan Kabak as a potential candidate to fill in for van Dijk. It seems Liverpool were hovering over the 20-year-old during the summer transfer window but opted to strengthen elsewhere. Now defence is a major problem for the reigning Premier League champions, it could cost just £27.5million to bring in a new centre-back come January.

Liverpool will struggle without van Dijk

The summer window was a rollercoaster of events for Liverpool, who teased fans with the idea that they wouldn’t be bringing in any marquee signings. However, Thiago and Diogo Jota arrived in the final weeks before the deadline, proving that the club are going to fight hard to retain their first ever title. But with key player van Dijk more than likely out for the season, those chances just got dashed.

It will be a tall ask for the Reds to continue their unstoppable form from last season without the Dutchman. As highlighted by Jamie Carragher, Joe Gomez hasn’t quite proven himself as a leading centre-half yet. Bringing in someone external could be the only logical option for keeping their title race alive.

When he was 19, Kabak spoke with Bundesliga.com about his desires for the future, and funnily enough highlighted the Liverpool talisman as an icon of his.

“My personal aim is to become a top defender in maybe two or three years, like Virgil van Dijk,” the youngster said. “He’s my idol, I really like him.”

Should Liverpool sign Ozan Kabak?

According to WhoScored, Kabak statistically had a stronger 2019/20 season than Gomez across the backline. The Turkey international averaged more clearances (3.6) and tackles (1.4) per game than Liverpool’s No.12, with 2.1 and 0.8 respectively. Kabak also proved to be better disciplined, picking up just four yellow cards compared to Gomez’s seven.

The 20-year-old also showed glimpses of van Dijk’s balance between defending and getting forward. Last campaign, Kabak netted three times for his club and provided one assist, with the Dutchman tallying five goals and one assist (via Transfermarkt).

Liverpool would also be getting Kabak for a cut price should they make a move for him in January. The Reds had identified the Schalke ace as an option earlier this year, but were put off by his reported £36.2million asking price (via Daily Mail). With a slashed transfer fee, Michael Edwards has incentive to revisit interest in the Turkish defender and look to secure a move that will hopefully ease Liverpool’s heavy defensive burden.

In other news, Kostas Tsimikas shares positive message that will please Liverpool fans…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Tottenham Hotspur icon Gary Mabbutt has slammed Jose Mourinho’s decision to offload young right-back Kyle Walker-Peters during the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old came through the academy ranks, making his full senior debut back in 2017 against Newcastle United, where he was even awarded the Man of the Match award after an impressive maiden bow.

But after a total of 24 appearances and the £15m arrival of Matt Doherty in north London, the Englishman was deemed surplus to requirements by the Special One, and was sold permanently to the club at which he was on loan at the season prior – Southampton.

They paid just £12m, as per the BBC, with ex-skipper Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also going in the other direction.

Mabbutt believes it was a “strange” decision given just how much potential Walker-Peters has at his feet, he told FFC:

“I was a Kyle Walker-Peters fan. I thought when he was coming through the ranks, I felt he was a player who could stake a claim for that position. It didn’t really happen as I expected it was going to.

“There are a lot of things that managers will get to know that you’ll never know and the fans will never know.

“I thought it was strange that a player of his ability was leaving the club, but we were bringing other players in who it was clearly felt could do maybe a job they were needing perhaps more of in that position.

“But I think he’s got a great future ahead of him, and for Southampton fans, I think he’s a great acquisition for them.”

The 11-time England U21 international has since gone onto become a regular under Ralph Hasenhuttl, starting all six matches in the Premier League this season.

In 540 minutes of action, Walker-Peters has delivered one assist, which actually came against Spurs in gameweek two whilst he has also averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.8 dribbles and 1.5 interceptions per appearance, via WhoScored.

Doherty has been averaging fewer tackles (1.8), dribbles (0.8) and interceptions (1.3) than the Saints star, so perhaps Mabbutt is right to question the decision to sell him so soon.

AND in other news, Gary Mabbutt tips £50k-p/w monster for Spurs captaincy, not Kane…

Local MP Chi Onwurah has expressed her concern to The Chronicle over the silence surrounding the proposed takeover of Newcastle United.

As per the news outlet, The Department for International Trade (DIT) is withholding correspondence regarding the failed takeover at St. James’ Park by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The Chronicle submitted no fewer than four freedom of information (FOI) requests about the takeover to Government departments and so far, none of them have agreed to release documents to do with the situation.

This has led Onwurah expressing her deep concern as to why this is the case when she spoke to the outlet:

“I am concerned that apparently, nothing of this correspondence can be shared with the public in whose interests it supposedly took place.

“I will ask them to, at least, set out whether they took a position on the takeover.”

What has Onwurah said about the takeover before?

Back in May earlier this year, Onwurah expressed that she was fully in favour of the prospective £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Saudi-led consortium, suggesting how good it would be for the city and demanding that the voices of the Toon Army should be heard in Parliament.

Indeed, a lot has happened since then, and now there is a deep concern, not only from her but from fans of the Tyneside club, that the takeover may not happen after the Saudis failed with their initial bid.

Nonetheless, through the FOI request, The Chronicle surely have the right to know about some of the details as to why the takeover bid was rejected by the Premier League, and the release of such information could settle a lot of the supporters in the North East down, or perhaps rile them up even further, depending on what is said in the documents.

In other news, find out which Magpies target shone on international duty here!

West Ham United may be about to pay the price for Manuel Pellegrini’s calamitous decision to sign Sebastien Haller in a club-record deal, with David Moyes potentially open to selling the striker in January.

What’s the word?

According to ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, there is a chance Moyes will listen to offers for Haller in the upcoming transfer market as the Scottish coach “isn’t convinced” by his potential.

Moyes may be forced into handing the 26-year-old his fourth start of the Premier League season when the Scot welcomes his former employer Manchester United to the London Stadium on Saturday, with Michail Antonio questionable after being replaced 45-minutes into his return from a hamstring injury.

But Moyes does not rate Haller highly, and may inform the Irons hierarchy that he would be comfortable with the east London side entertaining offers for the attacker Pellegrini brought to the club for £45million in 2019.

Haller struck his second goal of the league campaign in fine fashion to seal all three points for the Hammers at Sheffield United last month before falling to the bench against Aston Villa, while netting seven in 32 top-flight appearances during his maiden campaign.

Previous speculation has suggested Moyes favours Antonio over Haller purely through the English centre-forward’s relentless desire and high work rate to occupy the sole centre-forward position, while the former Everton head coach has also called for the Ivory Coast international to offer more.

Speaking on Haller and Felipe Anderson following West Ham’s Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic in September, via quotes by the Evening Standard, Moyes said: “I’ve got to say the two of them are great to work with, the two of them are really good lads – I like them a lot. Felipe is a terrific lad, so is Seb. But what I want them to be is terrific players every time they play, and I want them to make a difference.

“I think Seb, a 6 ft 4 centre-forward and you’re leading the line, I think you are expecting much more of that. Maybe Seb isn’t completely that type. We are still finding out exactly what Seb’s attributes are in that case.”

A costly blunder by Sullivan and Pellegrini

Should West Ham indeed listen to offers for Haller in January like ExWHUemployee has suggested could be the case, the decision would mark one mighty and expensive blunder by co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan, along with Pellegrini.

Since signing Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt for a club-record £45m in July 2019, the Irons have seen the striker’s TransferMarkt valuation drop to just £27m.

Add in the forward’s £115,385-per-week contract over the 72 weeks since his arrival, and West Ham would stand to lose £26.3m should they only receive offers matching Haller’s current TransferMarkt valuation.

West Ham’s decision to sign Haller can be deemed a failure in other ways, too, with the two-time Ivory Coast international so far costing the club £1.15m per appearance after 46 games or £4.1m per goal after 13 strikes in claret and blue across all competitions.

With his output reflecting those figures, Sullivan will surely urge Moyes to persist with handing Haller opportunities to impress rather than cashing in at one almighty loss come January.

AND in other news, David Sullivan is heading for another blunder in West Ham’s chase of an underwhelming £18m target.

David Moyes is to show West Ham United’s full force in the transfer market by objecting to interest from Liverpool in defender Issa Diop.

What’s the word?

Diop has emerged as a mid-season target for Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League title-holders, with ExWHUemployee claiming the Reds are ready to pounce on the centre-back’s fall from grace at the London Stadium.

The 23-year-old has played just 27 Premier League minutes since testing positive for coronavirus in September, despite being a firm favourite of Moyes’ plans last term with starting roles in 17 of the Scottish coach’s 19 top-flight matches at the helm.

Diop was omitted from West Ham’s last matchday squad for Watford loanee Craig Dawson, though ExWHUemployee insists the decision was purely tactical with there being no signs of a rift emerging between the defender and manager.

Moyes has doubled down on his commitment to Diop, stating ahead of Wednesday’s London Derby clash with Crystal Palace that the £22.5m-rated centre-half will be going nowhere in the upcoming January window.

“I’ve got no intention in letting any players go. Issa’s one of the players we really like,” said Moyes, via quotes by the Evening Standard

“He started in the team, he picked up the virus at the same time as I did. Fabian Balbuena has come in and played very well, you know that’s what happens in football. But we’ve got no intention whatsoever letting Issa go. None.”

Showing West Ham’s full force

Liverpool may have seen Diop’s decline in Moyes’ pecking order as the perfect opportunity to sign the defender and solve their own issues, with Virgil van Dijk still a “very long” way away from making his return from a knee injury.

Diop’s limited game time this season would have seen West Ham struggle to request any fee near to the £75million they demanded last year amid interest from Manchester United, at a time FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain were also thought to be keen.

Joel Matip is also a doubt for Klopp, after the Cameron international joined Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara in the physio’s room after suffering from back spasms, only strengthening Liverpool’s need for options.

But Moyes will show West Ham’s full force in the transfer market by retaining Diop against any interest from Liverpool, proving the London Stadium natives are able to fight off approaches from the best even when the Hammers may appear to be in a weaker position.

Diop remaining in claret and blue for the remainder of the season, at least, will also allow the Irons a chance to see the former Arsenal target rediscover his lost form and drive his market value back up ahead of the summer window when his situation can be reassessed.

It was amid interest from the Gunners that Moyes first spoke of his hope at working with Diop for a few more years, at least, and that clearly remains the case even if the former U21 international is yet to fulfil the potential the Scot saw in him.

“If you ask me, he still has development to do as a young centre-half, he has a long way to go. But I am looking forward to working with him over the next couple of years,” the Irons boss said in January, via quotes by football.london.

AND in other news, West Ham are showing short-term vision in the transfer market by targeting a £52k-p/w star who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny.