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Southampton have been very active in the transfer window so far this summer, bringing in a lot of young talents for the future, and it seems as if they are set to complete a double swoop from Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s the word?

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have already brought in Gavin Bazunu and Romeo Lavia from Manchester City and they look set to poach some more talents from a fellow Champions League outfit in the coming days.

According to Fabrizio Romano: “Southampton are set to sign England U16 talents Sam Amo-Ameyaw and Jayden Meghoma from Tottenham. Full agreement in place for €1m total fee.”

Amo-Ameyaw is a winger and Meghoma is a left-back, and while we are unlikely to see the teenagers feature for Southampton’s first-team anytime soon, the club clearly has a long-term plan for them.

Supporters should be excited

The Saints are clearly offering these players a clearer pathway into the first team in order to sign them permanently and it could prove to be superb long-term business by the club, especially if they prove themselves in a similar way to Valentino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters, who have both been very shrewd acquisitions in recent seasons.

This transfer strategy is likely to reap rewards both on and off the pitch, as we have seen with Livramento, who was superb in the first-team after signing from Chelsea’s academy last summer, with reports linking him with Manchester United before his injury, while the Blues also have a £38m buy-back clause.

Southampton have long held a reputation of developing young talents, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and club captain James Ward-Prowse having all started their careers with the South Coast club.

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While it is difficult to say whether Amo-Ameyaw or Meghoma will go on to have similarly impressive careers to any of those three, it is certainly good to see Southampton working hard to identify the best young talents in the country, something that will no doubt excite supporters.

AND, in other news: Romano: Saints target “one step away” from joining another club, he’s the next Hummels 

Arsenal have entered discussions with Juventus regarding a move for midfielder Arthur Melo, according to Italian outlet TuttoJuve. 

The lowdown: Interest revived

Brought to Europe by Barcelona from Brazilian outfit Gremio in 2018, the midfield maestro joined Juventus two years later for a whopping £72.5million (Sky Sports).

The 25-year-old Brazil international has since made 63 outings for the Serie A giants to add to the 71 appearances made during his time in Spain, lifting the La Liga title, Italian Cup and the Copa America so far in his career.

Having previously chased a move for Arthur during the January transfer window, it appears as though the Gunners are continuing their push to bring the Brazilian to north London…

The latest: Talks ‘activated’

As per TuttoJuve, Arsenal are believed to have ‘activated’ talks regarding a possible loan swoop for the 22-cap star this summer.

It’s claimed that the Gunners are ‘considering whether to make the decisive thrust’ for Arthur in this window as Mikel Arteta and Edu attempt to strengthen the midfield ranks accordingly.

The report also states that Arsenal would be required to pay a fee in the region of €30million (£27million) in order to make the move for the man once hailed as ‘very good’ by Lionel Messi a permanent one.

The verdict: No brainer

Having already profited from initial loan arrivals when signing Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on a permanent basis, landing Arthur with an option to buy would be an exceptional piece of business from the Emirates Stadium hierarchy.

Last season, the Brazilian – who predominantly operates as a conventional central midfielder – earned a 6.83 Sofascore rating whilst winning 3.5 duels and completing 90 per cent of his passes in 20 Serie A outings, with Fbref revealing he sits in the 96th percentile for pass accuracy amongst midfielders in Europe’s top leagues.

Currently earning a reported £125,000 per week in Italy (Salary Sport), Edu should have no problem sourcing the funds to make the loan move happen and indeed the potential subsequent permanent switch.

With issues remaining over the consistency of performance from Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey, we feel that adding a player of Arthur’s calibre to the N7 ranks should be regarded as a top priority, even ahead of the heavily linked Youri Tielemans.

Nottingham Forest are in ‘talks’ to sign Watford forward Emmanuel Dennis this summer, according to The Athletic’s Adam Leventhal.

The Lowdown: Dennis’ departure expected

According to The Athletic, Watford are willing to sell the 24-year-old this window, which has been their stance since their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

The Nigeria international expects to leave this summer and the club seem to be in agreement that this will be the case.

The Hornets striker is available for a fee in the region of £20m, guaranteeing the club a considerable profit on the player, given they paid £3m for his services just last summer.

The Latest: Leventhal’s news

Leventhal has shared the latest news surrounding Dennis’ heavy transfer interest. Taking to Twitter, the reliable journalist claimed West Ham, Fulham, Everton and Forest are all in “talks” over a move and both Watford and the player are “optimistic deal will still be struck before end of window”.

The Verdict: Great signing for Forest

When analysing the Nigerian’s underlying stats, it is easy to see why Steve Cooper’s side are keen on bringing the striker to the City Ground this summer.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, Dennis ranks in the 95th percentile for aerials won, in the 89th percentile for dribbles completed and in the 81st percentile for non-penalty goals.

Having scored 46 goals throughout his senior career, the forward continued to impress after arriving in the Premier League, for which he was hailed “a superb signing for Watford” by members of the media.

And he could be an equally great signing for Forest, given that he is a proven source of end product in the English top-flight.

Celtic not only secured the SPFL title last season but they also did it with the best defensive record in the division.

Having only conceded 22 goals from their 38 league games, the Hoops also faced fewer shots on target than any other side in the division (76).

One player that enjoyed a rather successful debut season at Parkhead was Carl Starfelt.

With 34 league appearances to his name, only Cameron Carter-Vickers (43) racked up more interceptions than the 27-year-old and only Anthony Ralston (31) won more tackles than him (30).

He also ended the campaign with the second-highest average of clearances per game (3.6) in the Bhoys squad.

With the end of the current summer transfer window on the way, this period could give the Parkhead club the chance to bring in what could be their next version of the Swede.

In terms of who that could be, one name that has been mentioned with a potential move to Paradise is Joseph Okumu.

The centre-back also enjoyed an impressive debut campaign at a new club last season as he joined KAA Gent during the previous summer transfer window.

In terms of his defensive output, the Kenyan made 49 interceptions and won 41 tackles across his 27 league appearances, putting him in third place for each statistic at the Belgian club.

This highlights the similarities between the duo and how tough they are to play against for opponents.

In fact, according to SofaScore, the 25-year-old’s attribute rating for his defensive skills (82) is higher than Starfelt (75), which suggests that not only could he be the next version of him at Celtic Park, but also a potential improvement as well.

Hailed as a “perfect” player that can develop into “something special” according to Dan Egner, Okumu would certainly be a very useful addition to Ange Postecoglou’s ranks and give them a great chance to once again end the SPFL season with the best defensive record in the top-flight.

Moving forward, with Christopher Jullien linked with a Parkhead exit this summer and with the Hoops set to take part in the Champions League this season, securing a late summer move for the Gent defender could be just what Celtic need to give them the best opportunity of being successful once again, domestically and in Europe.

Nottingham Forest remain in talks with Wolverhampton Wanderers over a move for Morgan Gibbs-White, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

The Lowdown: Interest in Gibbs-White

The 22-year-old has received heavy interest from a number of Premier League clubs this summer, with the most prominent speculation emerging from the City Ground.

On Friday, The Athletic reported that Wolves had rejected Steve Cooper’s latest offer for the England under-21 international,, which totalled £35m (£25m upfront plus £10m in add-ons).

Forest are said to have made it clear that this was their final offer, but the Old Gold have insisted that Gibbs-White is not for sale. However, The Athletic claim that conversations are expected to continue if the proposal is improved.

The Latest: Galetti’s news

Galetti has shared an update on Forest’s pursuit of Gibbs-White, suggesting that a deal could still be struck.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist claimed: “Morgan #GibbsWhite: talks between #NottinghamForest and #Wolves are still ongoing. #NFFC

“The attacking midfielder could leave #WWFC once again.”

The Verdict: Great signing

The 22-year-old had a fantastic campaign in the Championship last season; he added 11 goals and nine assists to Sheffield United’s promotion push, scoring and providing an assist for the Blades in the play-offs as they lost out on penalties to Forest.

Averaging 2.5 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game, Gibbs-White was rated the team’s most impressive player of the season, averaging an impressive 7.14 rating (via WhoScored).

Dubbed an ‘outstanding’ midfielder by former Barnsley head coach Poya Asbaghi, it is easy to see why Cooper is so keen on adding the midfielder to his squad.

However, with Wolves proving resistant in negotiations, this could be a difficult deal to get over the line for Forest.

Aston Villa are one of several clubs looking to tempt a Premier League giant to sell their club-record signing.

What’s the word?

According to French publication Foot Mercato, the Villains are interested in the possibility of signing Tanguy Ndombele from Tottenham Hotspur.

With Villarreal and Napoli frontrunners, Steven Gerrard will also have to battle it out with the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest before convincing the £120k-per-week star to move to the Midlands rather than abroad.

With the Frenchman desperate for playtime, perhaps he could be tempted to move further down the Premier League table in search of some consistency with far less pressure. 

He would be their most creative midfielder

Villa currently possesses quite a strong and deep squad, however in central midfield, they are inundated with hard workers who do not quite possess the creativity needed to transition defence into attack.

That would leave a huge hole for Ndombele to fill, as a tricky midfielder whose first thought is always to go forward after receiving the ball.

He ranked in the top 1% for dribbles completed per 90, and combined with his progressive carries, of which he ranked in the top 4%, he is clearly a standout candidate for pushing his team up the pitch with the ball at his feet.

There must a reason that Jose Mourinho dubbed him “absolutely phenomenal”.

This outperforms any of Villa’s current crop of midfielders, with Jacob Ramsey’s 6.02 progressive carries, Boubacar Kamara’s 4.22, John McGinn’s 3.71 and Douglas Luiz’s 3.34 not even close to the creative force that is Ndombele.

His 88.4% pass completion rate also suggests that the “relentless” maestro can sit deeper and be something of a metronome for Gerrard’s team, allowing the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendia to have less defensive constraints.

Managing 30 appearances across both the Premier League and Ligue 1 last season due to his loan move to Lyon, he still has featured a substantial amount, suggesting he will still be on top of his game. He also chipped in with six goal contributions.

He is a versatile midfielder and arguably is better than what can already be found at Villa Park. If he was to join, there is no doubt he would walk in as their most creative midfielder by some distance.

A move for Manchester United target Cody Gakpo could be done this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown: Gakpo targeted

The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for PSV Eindhoven winger Gakpo recently as Erik ten Hag attempts to strengthen the Old Trafford ranks following a humbling opening day defeat.

With the saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo continuing to rumble on and after a promising pre-season was curtailed by an injury to Anthony Martial, United are in need of dependable attacking reinforcements.

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Both Arsenal and Leeds have also been indexed to Gakpo this summer, however, one well-informed onlooker believes a move to Manchester could be possible…

The latest: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me…’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones – a journalist for Eurosport – claimed that Manchester United could land the seven-cap Holland ace.

He said: “I have seen Leroy Sane linked, but they don’t feel like he’s that gettable at the moment.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if United do try and get Gakpo, though, because there could be something to be done there.”

The verdict: No brainer

Available for £35million according to Sky Sports, signing Gakpo would be an exciting piece of business from the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Linked elsewhere to Ismaila Sarr, there is clearly a desire for versatile and direct attacking options in the ongoing window, with Gakpo described as ‘outstanding’ by Football Oranje editor Michael Bell.

Last season, the dazzling Dutchman – who was dubbed a ‘wizard’ by reputable statistician source OptaJohan – scored a remarkable 21 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for PSV.

Predominantly operating from the left wing in his career to date, Gakpo would provide competition for Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga, although an ability to play on the opposite side and in central areas could also prove imperative.

Southampton return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon as they face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side looking to pick up their first victory of the new season.

After a disappointing 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in their opening game, the Saints looked to be heading for another loss when they went 2-0 down against Leeds United last weekend.

However, they battled back to earn a point after goals from Joe Aribo and Kyle Walker-Peters, and after the former helped to turn the game around as a substitute, Hasenhuttl should reward him with a start against Brendan Rodgers’ team on Saturday.

As per SofaScore, the former Rangers man earned a 7.2/10 rating for his performance, the second-best of any Southampton player, which emphasises how much of a difference he made against the Yorkshire outfit.

The Saints registered just four shots on target in the game, two of which were from Aribo despite the Nigeria international spending just 28 minutes on the pitch, which again highlights the attacking impetus that he added from the bench.

Aribo showed fantastic composure to round Illan Meslier before finding the net, and his impressive dribbling and eye for goal could be the difference against Leicester, who have endured a similarly difficult start to the season as they shipped four goals against Arsenal last weekend and blew a 2-0 lead at home to Brentford the previous week.

In the defeat against Spurs, Aribo played as an auxiliary striker, and his ability to drop deep and execute through balls could work well against a makeshift Leicester back three which last week included a natural midfielder in Daniel Amartey.

The 26-year-old contributed Rangers last season, so he can clearly make the difference in attacking areas, as no Southampton player managed more goal contributions in 2021/22.

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Aribo, who has previously been labelled “exceptional” by Nigerian icon Viktor Ikpeba, ranks in the 96th percentile for expected assists when compared to other attacking midfielders in major European competition over the past year, which shows that he has the ability to unlock defences.

With Leicester looking vulnerable at the back once again this term, Hasenhuttl must start the Nigerian on Saturday, as he showed when coming off the bench a week ago that he can make a game-changing difference.

Fabrizio Romano has relayed an update regarding the future of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, Romano relayed comments made by City’s CEO Ferran Soriano, originally to El Chiringuito TV, when asked whether the 28-year-old will remain at the Etihad Stadium this summer amid rumours linking him to Barcelona.

In response, Soriano said that the Portuguese international is “of course” staying with the Premier League champions.

A recent report from The Athletic claimed that the player is now focused on staying with the Citizens, which – in addition to these latest comments from Soriano – should be a massive weight off the shoulders of not only a lot of City fans but Pep Guardiola as well.

Guardiola should be buzzing

City signed the Portugal international from AS Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth £43m. Since then, Silva has gone on to make 254 appearances for the Manchester club across all competitions, scoring 49 goals and supplying 51 assists along the way.

His latest goal ultimately rescued his side a point during their recent 3-3 draw against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

To highlight how much adoration the City manager has for the player, Guardiola said about him following his performance against Burnley last October. “He is so intuitive; he always gives us the extra ball that we need. The performance of Bernardo has been extraordinary again.

“He is so generous and the effort and the way he plays is fantastic. We are so lucky to have him. He was an incredible signing for us. All I want is his happiness. He deserves the best. He is a joy to have as manager. When he doesn’t play he always tries to do his best.”

In terms of what Silva offers to the team, in 2021/22 no other player in Guardiola’s squad completed more live-ball passes which led to a shot at goal than the 28-year-old (100).

In fact, only Bruno Fernandes (109) and Martin Odegaard (105) delivered more of these passes than the City star in last season’s Premier League.

Taking all this into account, this latest update regarding the former Monaco gem’s future at the Etihad should hopefully put to bed any doubts over a potential exit this summer, which will surely be a massive positive for everyone connected to the club.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in talks to make a late move for Leeds United winger Daniel James as the last day of this transfer window fast approaches.

The Lowdown: Spurs keep busy…

The Lilywhites have already sealed eight major summer signings if you count the deal to make Cristian Romero’s transfer from Atalanta a permanent one.

Indeed, apart from the Argentine, Spurs have also completed the captures of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici’s showcase of real ambition will undoubtedly please manager Antonio Conte as he aims to build upon Tottenham’s Champions League qualification and guide them through a memorable Premier League season.

However, despite their business, it is believed Spurs may not be done there.

The Latest: Journalist shares ‘reported’ James talks…

Taking to Twitter, verified broadcaster and journalist Bolarinwa Olajide has shared some ‘reported’ Spurs transfer news involving Leeds winger James.

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It is believed that the Lilywhites and Paratici are ‘in talks’ to sign the Wales international as they eye a last gap addition for Conte before it’s too late.

The Verdict: Make the move?

The 24-year-old averaged 1.6 shots per 90 for Leeds last season, the third-highest rate in their squad, whilst also proving a real mainstay by playing the fifth-most league minutes (WhoScored).

Lauded for his ‘frightening’ pace, James could come with uses for Conte, but it’s a move which should be treated with caution as the player has also attracted criticism for his time at Elland Road.

Depending on the conditions of a potential deal, it will be interesting to see if Paratici takes this move further in the final hours of this summer window.