Fresh Football Fresh quotes, opinion and reaction to the beautiful game.
With the domestic football seasons over, the transfer window has really kicked into gear and now the stories and gossip are flowing. Here at Fresh Football we will bring you the best (and worst) of it. For extended coverage please follow us @FreshFootball on Twitter.
Chelsea in talks to sign River Plate defender Emanuel Mammana (Sport Italia)
According to SportItalia, Mammana’s agent has flown to London to hold talks with Chelsea. The 20-year-old has just made 32 senior appearances for River Plate and made his international debut for Argentina in 2014 - he has not been capped since. Mammana is an aggressive 20-year-old defender that is highly rated across Europe and it seems that a move to the continent is highly likely in the near future. Antonio Conte will not officially take charge of Chelsea until after Euro 2016, but there is an extensive set of scouting in place to try and complete most of the clubs transfer business before the tournament kicks off. Mammana could be a much cheaper alternative to other young defenders that Chelsea are pursuing, these include Everton’s John Stones and PSG’s Marquinhos.
Swansea pondering £10million bid for Joe Allen (Daily Star)
Swansea could be set to re-sign Joe Allen from Liverpool. Liverpool signed the Welshman for £15million just a couple of years ago, and now may be prepared to sell him for less, although they are believed to be asking for at least £10million. Although this story comes from The Star, a not very reputable source - it does appear to have legs. Swansea are looking for reinforcements to their midfield and few come more ready made than Allen, a former Swan. Liverpool seem to be looking to actively offload the central midfielder so its likely a deal shouldn’t be too hard to reach. Allen would be an upgrade on current central midfielder Jack Cork. Allen has managed more key passes (1.31 vs. 0.99), more goals scored (0.24 vs. 0.04) and more tackles won (2.27 vs. 1.97) per 90 minutes than Cork this season. The Welshman’s pass completion rate is also marginally higher (84%).
Leicester ready bids for Lyon’s Ghezzal and N’Zonzi (Mirror)
Leicester have identified their replacement for N’Golo Kante, should he leave, says The Mirror. That is former Premier League player Stephen N’Zonzi. N’Zonzi, as most of you will know, it a strong, lanky, dominant central midfielder capable of playing in a deep or central midfield role. Since he moved from Stoke he has become a regular in the Sevilla side and has been fairly impressive for the La Liga outfit. He’s a lot taller than Kante but maybe doesn’t work quite so hard. He likes to stay on his feet and use his tactical nous to play short passes around the opposition. TalkSport also report that Leicester want to sign Lyon midfielder Rachid Ghezzal has 8 goals and 8 assists in 29 Ligue 1 games this season. He is an attacking midfielder that has thrived in the absence of Nabil Fekir. With Fekir returning to full fitness he may no longer be a starter for the club. Sunderland and Everton are also listed with interest in for the impressive 24-year-old Algerian. Ghezzal is a brilliant dribbler of the ball and is well known for his impressive technical attributes that include key passes and through balls. Ghezzal can play on either wing and would most likely compete with Jeffrey Schlupp and Marc Albrighton to play on the left wing. Leicester are also closing in on a deal to sign Ahmed Musa from CSKA Moskow.
