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Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has provided an update on Steven Bergwijn’s Tottenham future, with Ajax keen on the winger, Give Me Sport report.

The Lowdown: ‘Final stages’ claim

Bergwijn has started just three Premier League fixtures this season and is currently sidelined with a calf issue.

Ajax submitted a bid for the Dutch attacker earlier this month, with recent reports claiming an agreement is in the ‘final stages’.

Antonio Conte and Daniel Levy are apparently willing to give the green light to a north London exit for the 24-year-old, and reliable reporter Bridge has now been having his say.

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The Latest: Bridge’s comments

Bridge, talking to Give Me Sport, revealed that there has indeed been discussions between Spurs and Ajax.

He says Tottenham aren’t willing to accept an offer of £15m, however, especially with Levy forking out £27m two years ago.

“We do know that a bid has come in from Ajax. My understanding is that there has been a few bits of discussions, whether that’s a £15m offer or a loan with an obligation to buy in the summer for nearer the fee that Tottenham want.

“I know that Tottenham won’t accept £15m, but that’s the offer they had from Ajax.”

The Verdict: Understandable

A Jose Mourinho addition, it’s safe to say that Bergwijn hasn’t lived up to expectations in England following a big-money move from PSV.

He has scored just five goals in 64 appearances, with Conte yet to start the wide man in the Premier League. It doesn’t seem as if the Spurs boss is a massive fan of Bergwijn, however, Spurs still need to get the best deal possible when it comes to a sale.

Hopefully, they can recoup the majority of the £27m they spent on the player, but to do that, they need to negotiate with Ajax following a rumoured £15m bid.

In other news: Alasdair Gold drops ‘positive update’ as Tottenham close in on first piece of major Jan business.

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), a fresh Tottenham Hotspur transfer whisper has surfaced involving Antonio Conte and AS Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Conte makes transfer demands…

Even though the Italian has notoriously denied speaking about transfers behind closed doors to the press, reports from his homeland suggest otherwise.

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For example, Calciomercato said that the 52-year-old has already demanded a €280m (£239.4m) transfer kitty, whilst TUTTOmercatoWEB suggested that both Conte and Fabio Paratici have ‘agreed’ on their targets.

Zaniolo is one Serie A star who has been mentioned in recent weeks, with Corriere now sharing the latest on Conte’s wishes to sign the player.

The Latest: Conte ‘really’ wants Zaniolo at Spurs…

As per their sources (via Sport Witness), it is believed that the Tottenham boss is desperate to sign the Roma playmaker and ‘really likes’ him, with the report going on to say that Conte would also ‘really like’ him to make the move to north London.

While they rule out the possibility of a January transfer, it is believed that it could be possible in 2022 and that Spurs’ interest will be strong in the summer.

The Verdict: Perfect playmaker?

It is no secret that Tottenham have missed Christian Eriksen’s presence in the final third since his departure to Inter Milan, but would Zaniolo be right man to finally replace him?

The Italy international, who La Gazzetta (via Sport Witness) believe is rated at around €70m (£59m), was actually a real target for Spurs in 2020 according to reports, with Corriere dello Sport claiming that they made a ‘dizzying offer’ in 2020.

Even before that, Spurs were said to be weighing a move as far back as 2019, with the Daily Express believing that he could be a ‘perfect replacement long-term’ for Eriksen.

According to WhoScored, he has averaged the same amount of shots per 90 (2.3) as superstar Spurs duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, with only Lucas Moura completing more dribbles than Zaniolo in that time.

However, at such a lofty price tag, coupled with Roma’s reluctance to let him leave, this transfer could be a tall order for Paratici and co.

In other news: Tottenham in contact over signing ‘phenomenal’ star as club directors spotted in London, find out more here.

A number of West Ham fans have been praising Pablo Fornals after he appeared in his 100th game for the club at the weekend.

The Hammers were held to a 0-0 draw as they faced off against Burnley in an underwhelming performance at Turf Moor. However, there was one positive from the game – fan favourite Fornals racked up a century of appearances for the east London club.

The Spanish midfielder came on as a substitute in the 80th minute, replacing Argentine international Manuel Lanzini.

Despite recently losing his place in the starting XI, the attacking-midfielder remains the Irons’ second highest scorer in the Premier League this season behind centre-forward Michail Antonio,  having scored four times in 16 top-flight appearances during the current campaign.

Fornals has been hailed for his great attitude and hard-working nature. The club’s former defender Tony Gale praised the Spaniard in a recent interview, saying: “I don’t think there’s a fitter man at West Ham. He’s a workaholic, his work rate is phenomenal.”

Since joining the Hammers from Villarreal in 2019 for £24m, the 25-year-old has contributed 14 goals and 13 assists, making himself a near-permanent fixture in the first XI under David Moyes. He is also among the squad’s top performers in terms of tackles, shots and key passes per game, an indication of his all-round value to the team.

Fans flock to praise Fornals

West Ham took to Twitter to congratulate Fornals in a post celebrating the Spaniard making his 100th appearance for the club. Many supporters posted their appreciation for the player’s efforts in response, with one fan hailing him as a “baller”.

Here a flavour of the reactions:

“Hope there’s 100 more to come, what a baller he is”

Credit: @jw12045

“That’s gone so quick”

Credit: @DJS97_

“Quality, Quality player, congratulations Pablo!”

Credit: @rickwhufc

“He’s a future West ham legend”

Credit: @fornalsSZN

“Get him back in the starting eleven plz!”

Credit: @FernsSeniors

“What a signing he’s been!”

Credit: @jlouwnel

In other news: ‘Owners taking cheap shortcuts’ – These West Ham fans fume over David Moyes’ comments

Manchester United have an illustrious history when it comes to producing world-class homegrown talent, and the next superstar could be set to come off their conveyor belt in the near future.

Shola Shoretire forced himself into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-team plans towards the end of last season, becoming the Red Devils’ seventh youngest player of all time when he made his debut against Newcastle United.

His two-minute cameo in the 3-1 victory over the Magpies back in February 2021 got people excited over the versatile forward’s future, with former United academy graduate Luke Chadwick amongst his admirers.

“He (Shoretire) is a hugely talented player,” said Chadwick. “I watched him play in the youth team as an Under-16 player, he was so clever – fantastic awareness knows how to play on the half-turn, can see a pass as well.

“He’s so sharp in his mind and even if he doesn’t start a lot of matches yet, he can come on in games and make an impact.”

And Shoretire’s taste of senior football didn’t stop there. Solskjaer tipped the 17-year-old for a bright future after he came on against Real Sociedad in the Europa League, becoming United’s youngest-ever player in European competition.

Just four days after his substitute showing versus Newcastle, he broke Norman Whiteside’s record after entering the field of play at just 17 years 23 days old.

“Shola is going to be a good player for us and sometimes you need to test them against good players,” Solskjaer said. “We knew Real Sociedad are a good team with good individuals and they press.

“We felt today Amad (Diallo) – he had to come on, of course, Dan (James) had to come off – and Shola, the two of them will need these little introductions to this type of level.

“He’s a young kid that we believe in. Great attitude. You can see the shape of him. We think physically he’ll be an athlete and technically very, very good. Makes good decisions.”

Shoretire only received one more appearance in the senior setup last term, but it was a deserved reward for a fabulous campaign at youth level, with the England U19 international bagging ten goals and providing five assists in 24 appearances.

The diminutive star is yet to feature in a matchday squad for Solskjaer’s struggling side this term, but he’s carried his eye-catching form into 2021/22 nonetheless.

A total of eight goal contributions in 15 outings has shown the teenager is continuing to develop his skills, and although Amad Diallo for a whopping £19m, it could well be Shoretire who has the brightest future.

Only time will tell if the local lad can make the grade at his boyhood club, but it certainly appears to be a matter of when rather than if he becomes a regular name on Solskjaer’s teamsheet.

And, in other news…“Talks on..”: Journalist issues big Man Utd manager update, fans will be buzzing

West Ham United manager David Moyes has some massive decisions to make as his side returns to Premier League action this afternoon.

The Irons head north to face defending champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in a huge clash which sees third face fourth.

After a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, the east Londoners bounced back with a routine victory over Rapid Wien in the Europa League, a win which sealed top spot in their group and their place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Moyes rang the changes in Austria, so it will be interesting to see what sort of line-up he will select against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens today, especially after they sealed an impressive three points against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

Here’s the Hammers XI that we’re predicting…

There could be as many as eight changes from the side which won in Vienna on Thursday night.

Lukasz Fabianski did not make the trip, so he will be well-rested for his return between the sticks this afternoon, whilst Irons “monster” Issa Diop is the only defender to keep his place, meaning 31-year-old Craig Dawson is axed, having started twice in the last nine days and been unconvincing against Wolves.

The £12.5m-rated Frenchman will join his fellow countryman Kurt Zouma in the heart of defence, with Aaron Cresswell returning at left-back and academy gem Ben Johnson continuing to get the nod on the right over Vladimir Coufal, who got some much-needed minutes in midweek.

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Tomas Soucek is the second player to feature in back-to-back matches this week and he should be rejoined by Declan Rice, who will lead the team out in Manchester, taking the place of club captain Mark Noble.

Further up the pitch, Jarrod Bowen is another to keep his spot in the starting XI but he will be joined by his usual league allies, Pablo Fornals in the no.10 role and Said Benrahma on the other flank. They take the places of summer signing Nikola Vlasic and Manuel Lanzini.

Up top, Thursday’s goalscorer Andriy Yarmolenko is axed as Michail Antonio is due to return.

The leading £70k-per-week West Ham talisman, who was dubbed a “complete monster” by journalist Paul Brown earlier this season, didn’t travel to Austria, so he should be raring to go today.

AND in other news, “A definite target”: Ex drops big West Ham transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

With eight goals scored in their opening nine Premier League games of the season, it’s safe to say that Southampton haven’t been brimming with goals so far in their latest top-flight campaign.

One Saints player who has yet to get off the mark in terms of Premier League goals is winger Nathan Redmond, who has played in all but one of their league games so far this term.

Since joining the club back in the 2016 summer transfer window from Norwich City for a reported fee of £10m, the 27-year-old has gone on to make a total of 209 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 28 goals and providing 24 assists in the process.

Looking ahead to the future, we feel that the club have an ideal next version of Redmond on their hands in their youth ranks with 18-year-old winger Fedel Ross-Lang.

Who is Fedel Ross-Lang?

The winger joined Southampton’s under-18 side back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Manchester City’s under-18s for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, the Englishman, who has been described as a “talented” player by Southampton’s academy director Matt Hale, has made 19 appearances for their under-18 team, with four goals and provide four assists to his name as he has shown his attacking prowess.

Ross-Lang has also made one appearance for Southampton’s B team in Premier League 2 this season, showing that they have an eye on progressing him further up their youth system, even though it was just a one-minute cameo.

Given the ages of both players, we believe there is every possibility that Ross-Lang could well go on to be Southampton’s long-term replacement for Redmond if the starlet manages to fully cement himself in the Saints’ B team first and show the same level of attacking talent for them as he has done with the under-18s.

If he manages to do that, then Ralph Hasenhuttl could well unearth the next attacking star at St. Mary’s if he feels that Ross-Lang has what it takes to mix in with the rest of the senior squad in the next few years.

In other news: Southampton dealt massive injury blow ahead of Watford clash, fans will be absolutely gutted

Sheffield Wednesday have been handed an injury boost ahead of their League One clash against Oxford United at Hillsborough this afternoon.

After securing a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium in midweek, the Owls are now set to welcome Karl Robinson’s men to Hillsborough for their next slice of league action.

What’s the story?

This comes after Owls manager Darren Moore revealed in his press conference on Friday ahead of the Oxford clash that Sam Hutchinson was taken off during the win over Wigan as a “precaution” but has trained alongside the rest of his teammates in preparation for the match today.

That means the 32-year-old could be available to take on the U’s at Hillsborough in what would be a big boost to the manager and his team.

Wednesday fans will be thrilled

Given how Hutchinson missed Wednesday’s league games against Rotherham United and Morecambe after picking up an injury against Fleetwood Town back in August, it’s good to hear that he has not suffered another injury and was taken off against Wigan merely as a precaution.

Taking into account how the 32-year-old has played in numerous positions for Wednesday so far this season such as centre-back, defensive midfield and central midfield, it’s safe to say that he has been an important figure for the team based on his versatility when called upon and the abundant experience he has under his belt.

Wednesday originally signed Hutchinson back in February 2014 on a loan deal from Chelsea before securing him on a permanent basis in the following summer’s transfer window. He joined Pafos FC on a free transfer 13 months ago before returning to Wednesday on a free back in January.

Overall, he has made 184 appearances for the Yorkshire club across all competitions, chipping in with seven goals and five assists along the way (per Transfermarkt). He is the Owls’ second-highest rated player so far this season according to WhoScored performance metrics, with a squad-high two interceptions per game illustrating his importance in stifling opposition attacks.

Looking ahead to the Oxford clash today, we feel that if Hutchinson in fully fit enough to play, he should definitely be in the starting XI, playing in whichever position Moore thinks he is needed.

In other news: Moore must ruthlessly axe £450k-rated dud v Oxford, he’s not good enough 

West Ham are among the teams linked with a move for Belgium wonderkid Charles De Ketelaere…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Irons are monitoring the 20-year-old attacker ahead of a potential move, though they are not the only ones, with Premier League rivals Everton also keen.

Serie A giants AC Milan and Napoli are also courted with interest in the Club Brugge sensation.

Earlier in the summer, Football Transfers suggested that the Belgian outfit would only be prepared to part with him for a fee in the region of €25m (£22m).

He has since picked up his second cap and first goal for his national side, whilst his form has continued domestically, so it remains to be seen if there has been an increase on that figure.

Star of the future

The £22.5m-rated dynamo is an intriguing prospect and one that is certainly going to have a big career in the game, going by what those have said around him.

Standing at a towering 6 foot 4 inches, De Ketelaere is capable of playing upfront, out on the flanks, in the no.10 and much deeper in midfield. It’s this sort of versatility and physical presence that should have David Moyes and co drooling.

“His versatility is a huge asset. He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities,” legendary Club Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen explained to Het Nieuwsblad (via Goal).

Despite being a titan, he has been likened to Roberto Firmino as a potential ‘false nine’ as he continues to search for his best position on the pitch but given the Hammers’ need for a new striker, it’s that role where he could find his feet.

Last season saw him find the net only five times in all competitions but he also provided eight assists, and he’s well on course to surpass such returns this time around, having delivered four goals and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

He may only be 20 but the Brugge star is already nearing 100 senior appearances in Belgium, where he has been backed to stay by talkSPORT’s European football expert Andy Brassell.

“He’s got loads of potential,” Brassell said on Hawksbee and Jacobs. “I’m really interested to see what he can do for the rest of the Champions League. The move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs is too soon. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, of course.”

Well, if a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs is too soon, then perhaps a move to the London Stadium would make sense, with the Hammers on the way up after qualifying for the Europa League this term.

West Ham’s new head of recruitment Rob Newman could really strike gold with the 20-year-old, so he must consider a swoop for him in January.

AND in other news, Big injury update emerges on West Ham’s £18m-rated “machine”, Moyes is surely buzzing…

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Thursday’s Europa League clash knowing that nothing but a win would preserve their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage, it would be understandable if the 56-year-old was feeling the pressure shortly before kick-off.

However, a third-minute strike by Kyogo Furuhashi would have certainly settled any nerves on the Celtic bench, before Jota fired the Bhoys ahead once again shortly before the break after a cruel deflection off Josip Juranovic had drawn Ferencvaros level.

A spectacular through ball from Kyogo for Liel Abada saw Celtic take a 3-1 lead at the Groupama Arena midway through the second half, and while Myrto Uzuni did pull a late goal back for the hosts, the Hoops were more than worth the 3-2 victory they took back to Glasgow.

While Kyogo, Jota and Abada will steal Friday morning’s headlines as a result of their goals, the performance of David Turnbull in central midfield also deserves considerable praise.

Five key passes

With Tom Rogic being ruled out of the match due to injury, Postecoglou was presented with something of a selection headache in the middle of the park, as the pivot of Callum McGregor with Turnbull and Rogic in more advanced positions on either side of the 28-year-old has been working extremely well for Celtic in recent weeks.

However, with Nir Bitton coming into the team as the holding midfielder and McGregor joining Turnbull in a more advanced role, the trio immediately looked as if they had been playing together in their new respective roles all season.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, Turnbull was continuously making things happen for Celtic, with the £4.5m-rated maestro enjoying 74 touches of the ball – the third most of any player to feature in the match – completing 42 passes, completing his one attempted dribble, making five key passes and creating one big chance for his teammates.

The player who Alan Rough dubbed a “quality” talent also had two shots at the Ferencvaros goal, won eight of his 11 duels, made one interception and two tackles and drew five fouls for his side.

These returns saw the £14k-per-week midfielder receive a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 8.2, with no player from either team being awarded a better rating than the 22-year-old. It is not difficult to see why, as Turnbull ran the show for Ange Postecoglou’s side on Thursday.

In other news: Ange must unleash “aggressive” rarely-seen 20 y/o gem, could solve a huge Celtic issue

Brentford centre-forward Ivan Toney has dropped an interesting transfer claim about Rangers…

What’s the talk?

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has revealed that he came close to signing for Scottish giants Rangers, when asked about his failed move to Celtic in 2020.

Toney joined Brentford from Peterborough in the summer of 2020 and the forward has now said that he could have been strutting his stuff for Steven Gerrard’s side instead.

He told TalkSport, via the Daily Record:

“Like you said, I was going to sign for Celtic – but I was also going to sign for Rangers.

“So you might react to that…”

Gutted

Rangers fans will surely be left feeling gutted after reading those quotes from Toney. It suggests that a switch to Ibrox was well and truly on the cards for the English forward, but – for whatever reason – it failed to materialise before he signed for Brentford.

The Bees will be counting their lucky stars as he went on to have a phenomenal season for the club in the second tier of English football. He scored 33 goals and provided 10 assists in 48 appearances across the Championship regular season and play-offs, helping them secure promotion to the Premier League.

Toney has started the top-flight campaign with two goals and two assists in six appearances, showing that he can have an impact in the Premier League too. He has averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.63 and earned high praise from his manager.

Earlier this season, Bees boss Thomas Frank hailed Toney as a lion and lauded the way he goes about improving himself. He said:

“Ivan is very intelligent, because he’s reflecting, and he deserves a lot of praise himself for also coming into a well-run club and listening to all the small bits and adding extra layers to his development and performance.”If you want to be a top player you need to work hard, constantly reflect and want to learn and then of course you need to have that confidence that he’s got so naturally.”He’s coming across so fantastically: he’s humble, calm, but with a mindset of a lion.”These quotes and the aforementioned statistics highlight why Rangers fans will be gutted that the £21k-per-week beast did not end up playing in blue in Scotland.His form for Brentford in the Championship and Premier League suggests that he would have been a prolific scorer for the Gers in the Premiership, potentially helping them win more trophies with his goals.It will be interesting to see if the reason behind the collapsed deal is ever released.AND in other news, Gerrard must unleash “exciting” £4.5m-rated Rangers beast, he may get fans off seats…