JUST NOW: Spurs considering a last-minute bid of £60 million for a "world-class" player Declan Rice. - sportroomnews

JUST NOW: Spurs considering a last-minute bid of £60 million for a “world-class” player Declan Rice.

JUST NOW: Spurs considering a last-minute bid of £60 million for a “world-class” player Declan Rice.

 

Last Friday, Tottenham Hotspur’s most likely route toward silverware was severed after Manchester City struck late in north London to knock Ange Postecoglou’s side out of the competition.

It would be unjust to claim that this was a detrimental blow for Spurs, who failed to qualify for European football last term and underwent a big transformation in the summer upon Postecoglou’s appointment, multiple new signings integrated and club record scorer Harry Kane sold to Bayern Munich.

harry-kane-tottenham-hotspur-premier-league

An early Carabao Cup exit against Fulham highlighted the lack of depth and defeat against the Citizens at the weekend leaves a bitter taste but, candidly, an acceptable one to swallow.

Tottenham will now place full focus on the Premier League and have much to fight for in the division, currently in fifth place and just three points behind Arsenal and Aston Villa above – though table-toppers Liverpool are eight points ahead of the London side.

Nonetheless, Tottenham have strengthened this month and look stronger with Radu Dragusin replacing Eric Dier in defence and Timo Werner adding some depth and dynamism to the frontline.

A centre-midfielder is still coveted and Conor Gallagher has been on the radar this month, but Chelsea look unlikely to let him leave Stamford Bridge.

Spurs eyeing stunning late swoop

Spurs supporters need not worry regarding Gallagher; late-window news has filtered in concerning one of the most prominent midfield stars in Europe.

Indeed, according to recent news from Football Insider, Spurs are lining up a stunning late swoop for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich, with the German Bundesliga champions willing to let the midfielder leave this month.

The German international is out of contract in 2025 and Thomas Tuchel’s side would want somewhere in the region of £40-60m to grant his departure.

How Joshua Kimmich would fit in at Tottenham

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been on the periphery under Postecoglou’s management and could complete a move away in the coming days, rejecting an offer from French strugglers Lyon but still likely to transfer away.

The Dane’s sale is crucial to facilitate the incoming of a high-profile, large-outlay phenom such as Kimmich, who has been one of the gold standards in deep-lying midfield over much of his time at the Allianz Arena, moving from right-back to the midfield anchor some years ago.

joshua-kimmich-bayern-munich-premier-league

Once dubbed an “absolutely phenomenal” player by former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, the 82-cap international has completed 370 fixtures for Bayern and won the complete gamut of silverware domestically, also gleaning the Champions League in 2020.

In the Bundesliga this season, as per Sofascore, Kimmich has sustained some sublime showings, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 2.7 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 6.1 ball recoveries per game and winning 58% of his ground duels.

Situated at the base of the midfield, Kimmich drifts forward and orchestrates openings with supreme ability and would be a sensational addition to the Spurs team.

Given that he is probably more comfortable in sticking to a deep-lying role than Gallagher, the 28-year-old might actually be the best option for transfer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, allowing the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison to operate further upfield.

Of course, Yves Bissouma is one of the meanest tough-tackling players on English shores but he has proved himself unreliable on the disciplinary front this season and a “world-class” – as hailed by former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – in-team rival in Kimmich would only improve the overall quality of Postecoglou’s team.

Joshua Kimmich: Similar PL Players
# Player Club
1. Casemiro Manchester United
2. Declan Rice Arsenal
3. Moises Caicedo Chelsea
Source: Football Transfers

Of course, the added bonus that he offers a skill set similar to that of Arsenal star Declan Rice hardly hampers his chances of a transfer to Tottenham, with Postecoglou sure to relish capturing his own version of the England international.

How Joshua Kimmich compares to Declan Rice

Arsenal completed the £105m transfer of Rice from West Ham United in the summer to replace Granit Xhaka and continue the remarkable growth under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta.

Declan-Rice-Arsenal-Luton

A sense of malaise might have crept into the Emirates Stadium following a blip after Christmas – failing to win three straight matches – but there’s no disputing the fact that Arsenal have come on leaps and bounds over recent years and have signed one of Europe’s best midfielders in Rice, who has been lauded for his “sensational” performances since his cross-London switch by journalist Matt Scott.

Sure, Postecoglou thinks that’s cool and everything but he would only find true felicity in securing the services of a midfield machine to springboard his side into ascendancy in the Premier League – and, down the line, on the continent.

Joshua Kimmich vs Declan Rice (Stat Comparison 23/24)
Stat (per 90) Kimmich Rice
Matches played 14 21
Goals 0.08 0.15
Assists 0.25 0.10
Pass completion (%) 91% 91%
Progressive passes 10.9 9.21
Progressive carries 1.48 1.93
Successful take-ons 0.00 0.64
Shot-creating actions 5.82 2.03
Tackles 1.97 2.13
Tackles won 1.39 1.24
Interceptions 0.82 1.53
Blocks 1.23 1.14
Source: FBref

Now, the player comparison presented above displays variegated strengths when assessing Kimmich and Rice’s skill set, and how the former would enhance Tottenham’s squad, with similarities to Rice but advantages across key areas that make him the perfect fit down N17. Let’s elucidate this matter.

First, Rice is superior in his ball-carrying ability, surpassing Kimmich in progressive carries (1.93 vs 1.48) and trumping the German in successful take-ons, though given that the Munich player has not actually completed a single take-on, this speaks of positional choice, rather than deficiency.

In this way, metrics can appear to favour one player on surface value, but deeper analysis illuminates the reasoning behind certain segments of a player’s skill set.

joshua-kimmich-transfer-gossip-bayern-munich-arsenal-edu-arteta-serge-gnabry

Further on this point, Rice surpasses Kimmich in rate of tackles (2.13 vs 1.97) but is actually far less accurate in reclaiming possession from a carrier.

Kimmich’s tactical role requires him to remain deeper and cling to the anchor rather than pivot between the thirds – though that’s certainly not to say that he isn’t active and ubiquitous in his movement and command in the midfield.

And though Kimmich tends not to drift into the box, he eclipses Rice in shot-creating actions (5.28 vs 2.03), denoting his celestial range of delivery – indeed, the £322k-per-week star has been dubbed a “passing master” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

In summation, Kimmich and Rice might share many similar skills – notably in their defensive attributes – but the German would actually be the perfect addition for Tottenham with a tactical style that suits Postecoglou’s system and the player required to complete the transformation in the centre of the park.

It’s a big, bold approach, but then Postecoglou is hardly proving himself to be circumspect at Tottenham and Kimmich would be a stunning acquisition for an outfit on the rise.

Wolves could sign their own Jude Bellingham with late transfer

BYROSS KILVINGTON

Wolves are showing interest in a teenager shining in the Championship

Wolverhampton Wanderers face a busy final few days of the January transfer window as Gary O’Neil looks to bring in at least one new signing.

The Old Gold secured passage into the fifth round of the FA Cup over the weekend with a victory over rivals West Bromwich Albion, but they have yet to make a new signing this month.

This could all change over the coming days, however, as they are showing interest in a talented midfielder shining in the Championship…

Wolves search for new signings

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Molineux side are keen on Jordan James, who is currently playing for Birmingham City in the second tier.

The youngster is showing vast promise and a £3m bid by Italian side Atalanta was deemed unsatisfactory as they currently value the 19-year-old at £10m amid the recent interest.

The Blues have endured a dismal few months, but James has been one of their only shining lights and his performances have clearly impressed O’Neil.

Jude Bellingham was the last young talent to make quite an impression in the Birmingham first team, and he has emerged as arguably one of the finest midfielders on the planet.

James has shown significant potential over the previous 12 months. While lauding him as Bellingham 2.0 may be a tad hyperbolic, he could certainly forge a wonderful career in the Premier League should he move to Molineux this month.

Jordan James - Birmingham City

How Jordan James compares to Jude Bellingham

The current Real Madrid starlet only made 44 senior appearances for Birmingham, yet his impact was immeasurable.

He joined Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2020/21 campaign and developed into a true world-class talent in Germany, leading to the move to Spain.

jude-bellingham-real-madrid

18 goals in just 26 matches this season is a stunning return and Bellingham has come a long way since his days in the Championship.

James has already double the number of appearances for the Blues as Bellingham since making his debut in the 2021/22 season and his meteoric rise has been exceptional.

This season has seen the young midfielder enjoy his most productive spell in front of goal, netting six times in 26 Championship matches, and this has him ranked third across the squad in the second tier.

Both James and Bellingham excel at finishing and defensive contributions according to WhoScored, suggesting that they offer wonderful qualities at both ends of the pitch and this is something which could give O’Neil a big boost in the heart of his midfield.

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Only seven goals have been scored by midfielders this season in the Wolves squad, and it is clearly an area which could do with some more attacking qualities added to it ahead of a crucial few months.

James might not be the finished article, yet a move to the Premier League could allow him to blossom against the elite similar to Bellingham when he moved to the Bundesliga in 2020.

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