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West Bromwich Albion have been warned about allowing Sam Johnstone’s contract situation to roll into January.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with West Brom News, the former Albion centre-forward Kevin Phillips warned Valerien Ismael that not tying the 28-year-old down to a new deal before the start of the January transfer window would be disastrous for the club, as the goalkeeper would be free to talk to other teams about a potential move on a free at the end of the season.

Speaking about Johnstone’s future, Phillips said: “January comes around fast. It’s only three months away and you’re into January so before you know it, it’ll be on top of you. If you haven’t got it sorted then he can talk to people and behind the scenes, things will be happening.

“It’s a slight concern. You don’t want that going on when you want to challenge for promotion, you don’t want an upheaval for your main goalkeeper. You’d like to get that new deal done as quickly as you can as long as the player wants to stay and wants to get it done.

“From my experience, I’d want that done now so it doesn’t distract away from what they’re wanting to do.”

Ismael should be worried

With it being reported that Johnstone is waiting to see exactly how West Brom’s Championship campaign pans out before putting pen to paper on a new deal at The Hawthorns, the situation Phillips is warning the Baggies about appears to be a very real possibility, and is something that should have Ismael worried.

Indeed, it would be far from ideal for West Brom to be pushing for promotion in the second half of the season while arguably their most important player may be planning an escape route out of the club, as Johnstone’s attention would naturally not be 100% focused on doing all he can to help his side go on to secure a top-two spot in the league.

Furthermore, the uncertainty surrounding the £28k-per-week shot-stopper would also more than likely be playing on the Frenchman’s mind, as, if the 28-year-old has not signed a new deal by January, Ismael would undoubtedly be questioning whether or not the man Micah Richards dubbed an “exceptional” player is committed to the club, as well as beginning to think about who he could sign to replace the England international next summer.

These are all distractions that West Brom could do without in their push for an immediate return to the Premier League, leading us to believe that it would indeed be a very smart move to determine, one way or another, what Johnstone is planning to do with his future before the January transfer window kicks off.

In other news: Forget Grant: “First-class” West Brom ace who made just 6 passes stole the show vs QPR

According to RMC Sport, Marseille chiefs have been left angry with defender Duje Caleta-Car after he refused to join West Ham United or Wolverhampton Wanderers before the deadline.

The Lowdown: West Ham summer completed…

As the Irons have completed their summer business, it’s safe to say most supporters will be fairly happy with the outcome given they had just Alphonse Areola to show for a majority of the window.

In the end, manager David Moyes came out with Aroela, centre-back Kurt Zouma, midfielder Alex Kral and attacker Nikola Vlasic – with only the lack of another striker being a sour point.

The central defensive area was a big topic for much of the window, and before West Ham landed Zouma, they were apparently in the mix to land Caleta-Car from Marseille.

The Latest: Marseille chiefs angry with Caleta-Car…

As per RMC Sport, chiefs at the Ligue 1 giants are angry with Caleta-Car after he refused to join West Ham a few weeks ago, or Wolves before the deadline.

Marseille apparently needed to ‘lift some of the constraints’ weighing on the club in this transfer market and were desperate to find a solution to sell the player.

Valencia came forward in the last minute but to no avail, with the 24-year-old now set to stay at the Stade Vélodrome in January.

The Verdict: Blessing in disguise?

Despite Caleta-Car having perks of his own, standing at a colossal 6 foot 4 and possessing the physicality for Premier League football, Zouma stands out as the better option.

The latter man has a wealth of experience both in Europe and the English top-flight – all while being a calm and composed option at the back for West Ham.

He averaged an impressive 90.9% pass accuracy out from the back over 22 league starts for Chelsea last season and even pitched in with five goals going forward (WhoScored).

Missing out on the £22.5 million-valued Caleta-Car could actually come as a blessing in disguise.

In other news: ‘Yayyyy’, ‘Ooooo’, ‘Actually mental’…West Ham fans rave over ‘fantastic news’, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold has dropped a worrying claim on the saga around Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez.

The Lowdown: Trio worries

Both Lo Celso and Romero started in Argentina’s abounded World Cup qualifying game with Brazil on Sunday and both face fines from their employers.

On Monday, Gold shared a statement by the official Argentina national team’s Twitter page that stated both players wouldn’t be involved in the game with Bolivia and have returned to their club.

Gold also stated that the three players would miss the Premier League tie with Crystal Palace this Monday and next Thursday’s Conference League opener with French side Rennes.

The Latest: Gold looks to the future

After calling the situation at Spurs a ‘farcical mess’ on Monday, Gold has now provided another update on the situation.

On Twitter, the Football London correspondent replied to a Tottenham fan by saying: “You realise there are three international breaks before the end of November all currently with the same situation?”

With Argentina and Columbia still on the red-list, this situation could next arise again when Argentina prepare to face Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru in October.

The Verdict: Continuous problem

Whilst there is an argument that the players should listen to what the clubs say – they pay their wages after all – most players love representing their nation and are, clearly, willing to break the rules to do so.

But from a Tottenham perspective, losing Sanchez, who has started every top flight game so far this season, would be a massive blow. The defender averaged 2.46 tackles per 90 last year, with over six clearances a game.

Lo Celso and Romero are yet to start in the league as of yet, but the latter was of course signed to come in and be the star man in defence, so missing both him and Sanchez for considerable time as we approach the hectic winter schedule could become a huge issue.

In other news, young defender’s strong start to the season was influential in decision not to bring in player. Find out more here.

Get French Football News’ Adam White reckons Manchester United are going to be left disappointed in their pursuit of teenage sensation Eduardo Camavinga, with the midfielder eyeing a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

United are one of numerous clubs courting the 18-year-old, who is currently on the books of Ligue One side Rennes.

Despite still being in the early stages of his burgeoning career, Camavinga has already made 82 senior appearances.

The central midfielder featured 39 times last season, scoring one goal and adding three assists. He has also won three caps for France thanks to his impressive form.

United’s fierce rivals Liverpool have been tracking Camavinga, along with Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Arsenal.

Camavinga is thought to be available for as little as £25.7million as his Rennes contract expires next summer and the French outfit do not want to risk seeing the exciting youngster leave for free.

But French football expert White feels Manchester United will not win the race for Camavinga’s signature.

He told Football FanCast: “It’s very possible but there are a lot of moving parts. PSG are involved in the situation and Camavinga wants to go to PSG. I think they are his priority.”

Fulham are interested in a deal to bring Bruno Paz to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese media outlet Record (via The 72), who claim that the Sporting Lisbon defensive midfielder has emerged on the radar of Marco Silva, who could be planning for life after Jean-Michael Seri, with the 30-year-old being linked with a move away from west London this summer.

The report goes on to state that Sporting may be willing to allow the 23-year-old to leave the club for nothing in the summer transfer window, however, they are hoping to insert a €2.5m (£2.1m) buy-back clause into any potential deal, in addition to a further sell-on clause.

Bye-bye Seri

While Paz has struggled to establish himself in the Sporting first-team after graduating from the club’s youth system, making just one senior appearance so far in his career, it would nevertheless appear the midfielder is a player with a significant amount of potential.

Indeed, the £518k-rated man has featured for every Portugal age group from U15 to the U21 team, while the 23-year-old has also racked up 47 appearances for the Sporting U19, U23 and B-team sides – with Portugal Resident journalist Skip Bandele dubbing the Paz a “promising” talent.

And, with the youngster having been stuck behind the likes of William Carvalho, Joao Palhinha, Manuel Ugarte and Idrissa Doumbia for the defensive midfield role during his time at Sporting, perhaps his failure to break into the first team is less a reflection of his own talent, but more so that the Leoes have been blessed with a number of exceptional players in the position in recent years.

Furthermore, considering the player looks to be available on a free transfer, as well as his salary not even being listed by Capology, should Silva go on to sanction the sale of the £65k-per-week Seri this summer, Paz would not only seem to be a replacement with a much higher ceiling than the Ivory Coast international, but also a substantially more cost-effective player.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Tony Khan to take something of a risk-free gamble on the Sporting starlet this summer, as the bargain signing of Paz could turn out to be something of a masterclass by the Fulham director of football.

In other news: Silva drops claim on “important” hardly-seen Fulham gem that’ll leave fans buzzing

Writing on Twitter, Sportitalia TV journalist Gianluigi Longari has dropped a big transfer update involving Tottenham Hotspur and long term target Cristian Romero.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Romero talks…

Spurs, and managing director Fabio Paratici by extension, have been in crunch talks to sign Romero over this last week with Sky Sports even detailing an original offer of ‘at least’ £34m (€40m).

Negotiations remain ongoing over the player as it stands but Atalanta seem unwilling to grant his move to England too easily.

Tottenham, however, are apparently leading the chase for his signature and it is even said that personal terms have been agreed (Fabrizio Romano).

The Latest: Longari drops big update…

Taking to Twitter, journalist Longari has now shared an update on Tottenham’s pursuit of Romero.

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The Italian reporter explains that Spurs are ‘very confident’ of signing the Argentine this summer and are even ‘ready’ to increase their offer to around €50 million (£42.6m) plus €5 million in bonuses (£4.2m).

“Tottenham ready to increase their offer to around 50M plus bonus (5M),” he explained.

“Spurs very confident to find an agreement with Atalanta. Talks on.

“Barcelona still pushing and studying structure for their new bid (payed loan with obl to buy).”

The Verdict: Encouraging?

Spurs feeling ‘confident’ of signing Romero could come as an encouraging sign for on-looking supporters who are desperate to see Nuno Espirito Santo’s defence strengthened at last.

There is little doubt the 23-year-old would add plenty of steel to Tottenham’s backline, especially going by the fact he averaged far more interceptions per 90 (3.1) than any Lilywhites player over 2020/2021 (WhoScored).

He has also been called ‘spectacular’ by Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni (archysport.com), leaving little wonder why talks have been tough to prise him away from Atalanta.

In other news: Talks underway: Nuno green lights yet another Spurs exit as update emerges, find out more here.

Joe Wainman, formerly of All Leeds TV, expects Leeds United to make a serious push for FC Midtjylland midfielder Jens Cajuste after missing out on Conor Gallagher to Crystal Palace.

Leeds were said to be keen on bringing Gallagher in on loan from Chelsea but, in the end, the 21-year-old opted for Palace.

The Yorkshire club will now have to turn their attention elsewhere and have been linked with Cajuste.

Prior to losing the race for Gallagher, SportExpressen reported that Leeds have shown concrete interest in the Sweden international.

They could face competition, though, with The Athletic claiming that Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Wolves and Palace are also interested.

Whatever the case, for Wainman, Cajuste is now likely to be a priority for Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds.

“He seems to be the next target on the list, Jens Cajuste,” Wainman told TT.

“I think we do need someone who can go box-to-box, you know, a little bit like Conor Gallagher really, to be fair. I think he would have been the ideal signature, but I think the thing with Jens Cajuste, he’s 21, Swedish international, clearly a prospect. 

“I think the figures, I think it’s around 15 million I’m seeing that he could move on for, so I think he would be a great signing.”

Described as an “all-action” midfielder who has flair to his game by Leeds Live, it looks like the Whites have stumbled across a gem in the 21-year-old.

After watching Gallagher go to Palace, Bielsa will surely be desperate to get this one over the line.

Aston Villa have confirmed hat young winger Indiana Vassilev has joined MLS side Inter Miami on loan, and a number of Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts on the news on social media.

Vassilev will link up with Inter Miami, who are owned by David Beckham and coached by Phil Neville, and will play alongside the likes of Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain.

The 20-year-old, who made the move to the Midlands in 2017, has been out on loan at Burton Albion and Cheltenham Town during his time with Villa, making 12 appearances each for those clubs.

He has turned out on six occasions for Villa’s first team but the American will return to his native country in a temporary deal until December 31, and many Villa fans seem excited for the youngster.

Villa fans react

Villa posted the news regarding Vassilev on their official Twitter page and here is what some Villa fans had to say in reply, with one supporter describing the move as ‘awesome’ for the youngster.

“Great move”Credit: @OwXnJ”Oh wow. Hopefully he gets a decent amount of playing time.”Credit: @eliasxcastro”Fantastic stuff”Credit: @TheAsgardian”a reason to watch MLS more often I guess.”Credit: @MarkJirobe”I rate that”Credit: @WeDoingAVilla”Awesome, go get them Vassilev”Credit: @79RogerPedersen

In other news: ‘We making moves’ – Many AVFC fans buzzing as ‘great news’ is confirmed, find out more here. 

Sides from Italy are keen on signing Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi this summer, according to Gregg Evans of The Athletic.

The Lowdown: El Ghazi’s Villa career

El Ghazi made the move to the Midlands on loan back in 2018. He helped Villa earn promotion to the Premier League and was signed permanently from Lille in a deal worth £8.1m the following summer.

The 26-year-old, on £38,000-a-week, has made over 100 appearances for Villa in all competitions, with 62 of those coming in the Premier League.

He netted 10 times in 28 top-flight appearances last season, four of which came in Villa’s last seven league games.

The Latest: Evans’ claim

Evans shared a Villa mailbag on Thursday, answering numerous questions from supporters on a number of topics.

He was asked if any permanent departures were expected at Villa Park, aside from Jack Grealish, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City.

Evans said that Conor Hourihane is the most likely to leave but revealed that a few clubs from Italy are keen on El Ghazi.

El Ghazi, described as ‘remarkable’ by pundit Adrian Clarke, has two years remaining on his Villa deal, and Evans admitted he would be surprised to see the Dutch winger leave.

The Verdict: Keep

Although Villa have already bolstered their wide ranks with the club-record signing of Emiliano Buendia this summer, it would make sense to keep El Ghazi ahead of the new season, unless a big-money bid that proves too hard to turn down comes in.

He was Villa’s second-highest scorer last season and now appears to have adjusted to Premier League football following a tricky first season.

Trezeguet is also out with a serious injury, so El Ghazi, Buendia, Jack Grealish, Ashley Young and Bertrand Traore are currently Dean Smith’s wide options at this moment in time.

In other news: ‘I beg we sack Smith’ – Many Aston Villa fans react as plans for £50k-p/w ace emerge.

Barry Fry believes Aaron Ramsey would be a superb, if expensive, signing for West Ham United this summer.

The Juventus midfielder has been heavily linked with a potential departure from the club this summer amid links with the Premier League.

The Hammers have again been touted as potential suitors, along with Crystal Palace and, potentially, former club Arsenal.

Ramsey, of course, made his name in the Premier League, making 371 appearances in total for the Gunners, and scoring 65 goals, while also registering 65 assists.

However, he is reported to earn £400,000-per-week in Turin following his free transfer to Serie A, though he has made just 46 appearances for Juve.

Fry does not believe that the Hammers will give him anything close to those wages at the London Stadium but he feels that if they can make a deal happen, it would be a superb signing for them.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “They could possibly make it happen but I’m sure they wouldn’t pay him 400 grand a week.

“Ramsey’s been outstanding for Wales, he makes fantastic runs from midfield, he’s a perfect player to fit into that West Ham style of play and he would be a great asset and a great signing but they won’t go to that much, there’s no doubt in my mind.”