Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly eyeing a Serie A ace this summer, as Julen Lopetegui confirms his place in the front seat ahead of the transfer window.
Ongoing speculation regarding the Spaniard’s future at Wolves was ended this week as the Telegraph confirmed his choice to stay at Molineux amidst Financial Fair Play (FFP) woes.
Regardless of having to remain on a budget, the Old Gold must introduce reinforcements to improve on this season's mishaps, which they could do in signing the latest talent linked to the club.
What’s the latest on Antonio Sanabria to Wolves?
As reported by Italian outlet Torino Granata – relayed by Sport Witness – Wolves are interested in Torino striker Antonio Sanabria.
The report claims that Wolves are ‘chasing’ the forward, along with fellow Premier League competition in Everton and Crystal Palace.
It’s added that club chairman Urbano Cairo has set the 27-year-old’s price tag at €25m (£21m) however ‘will sell’ the Paraguayan for €20m (£17m) if a suitable offer is made.
What could Antonio Sanabria bring to Wolves?
In a season lacking inspiration in all areas, Wolves’ requirement to obtain a goalscorer is critical this summer having scored just 31 goals in 38 games.
Such perished form in the final third ranked the Midlands side as the lowest scorers in the Premier League, averaging just 0.82 goals per match in a campaign that highlighted what the club needs to return to its former heights.
The drop in form of Raul Jimenez following his devastating head injury is a subject damning to both player and club, with the Mexican ending the term with no goals in 15 appearances.
Wolves striker Raul Jimenez
Across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, Jimenez contributed 44 goals and assists in the Premier League in a streak of form that is greatly missed at Molineux, via Transfermarkt.
The 32-year-old has enjoyed a memorable career at Wolves, however could now see his place taken by fellow forward Sanabria.
As per Sofascore in 33 appearances for Torino in Serie A this campaign, the Paraguayan contributed to 16 goals, scoring 12 himself and assisting four in a strong personal year of football.
Hailed as “brilliant” by Serie A and Roma legend Francesco Totti, the 27-year-old could be exactly what is required to kickstart Lopetegui’s side into producing in the final third again.
Averaging 2.1 shots per game in the league, the San Lorenzo-born ace is a live wire in front of goal as well as being a playmaking outlet for those around him as highlighted by his seven big chances created, via Sofascore.
Lopetegui must identify what is required to get his side firing after a testing Premier League season, in signing Sanabria the Spaniard could inspire his attack with the essence of the striking flair that once ascended on Molineux through Jimenez.
Manchester United are keen on signing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, but they may have to do battle for his signature with one of their Premier League rivals…
What's the latest Man United transfer news?
As a result of his public fallout with Erik ten Hag, Jadon Sancho will look to leave Man United in the January transfer window, with the winger expected to leave on loan initially, before making a permanent exit from Old Trafford next summer.
Sancho is not in the manager's plans at the moment, with the 23-year-old not being named in the squad for the recent trip to the Emirates Stadium, while Antony has been given a leave of absence, amid off-field allegations.
Having recently left PSV Eindhoven by mutual consent, Anwar El Ghazi has now emerged as a target for the Red Devils, with the Dutchman available on a free transfer, but he is not the only player on Ten Hag's shortlist.
According to reports from Spain (via The Hard Tackle), Man United are looking for a right-winger who can "stand out in the short and long term", and Williams fits the bill, but he is a "highly sought after" asset ahead of next summer's transfer window.
Not only are United keen, but Barcelona and Liverpool are also interested, with Jurgen Klopp eyeing a right-winger who can take the place of Mohamed Salah, who is being tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia.
The Athletic Bilbao winger's contract is set to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign, at which point three of Europe's top clubs are set to do battle for his signature.
The report makes it clear that Man United's interest stems from the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Antony and Sancho, and Ten Hag's poor relationship with the latter player could open the door to Williams' arrival.
What position does Nico Williams play?
The 21-year-old is capable of playing on either flank, but he has predominantly featured on the right wing during his time with Athletic Bilbao, weighing in with 17 goals and 20 assists in 71 appearances in that area of the pitch.
Scout Antonio Mango has previously explained why the Spaniard prefers playing on that side, saying:
"Nico is best suited on the right because he likes to cut inside a lot, looking to either carve a shot out for himself, dribble past opponents or cross into the box. Nico excels is his close ball-control dribbling, he ghosts past opposition as if they weren’t there.
Mango has also lauded the Bilbao starlet as "extremely dangerous", which is demonstrated by the fact he ranks in the 92nd percentile for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.
Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams.
The Pamplona-born winger has made a flying start to the current season, recording four assists in his opening four La Liga games, and it is no wonder so many top clubs are queuing up for his signature next summer.
It is exciting news that Man United are one of the teams in the race for Williams, and they should continue to monitor his performances between now and the end of the season.
Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham United could owe millions in unpaid fees to Russian clubs and it could result in a transfer ban.
What are the latest West Ham transfer rumours?
In the summer transfer window before last, Nikola Vlasic arrived from CSKA Moscow on a permanent transfer, while Alex Kral joined on loan from Spartak Moscow for the 2021/22 season.
It's safe to say those moves didn't go great for either player. Indeed, Vlasic is now on loan with Serie A club Torino after one goal in 19 Premier League outings for the Hammers, while Kral finished his loan with just six appearances under his belt across the entire season.
On top of that disappointment, it seems as though West Ham now have another headache to consider relating to the flops.
Indeed, while speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed the club still owe money relating to unpaid fees, with payments affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The insider said (0:21): "West Ham apparently owe a collective amount of £7.8m to the Russian authorities over unpaid transfer fees.
"So the first one is for Alex Kral’s loan move from Spartak Moscow, apparently, we still owe £4.38m for that. And that we still owe CFK Moscow £3.5m for Vlasic.
"Now, West Ham are arguing that you're not allowed to send money to Russia, obviously as a result of the Russia-Ukrainian war.
"But the Russian authorities are saying they're owed that money, and there's even talk that they're applying for us to have a transfer ban as a result of not paying these figures.
"I mean, the figure is so small that I'm sure if that ever became a realistic penalty, then then we would just pay it. But we're still disputing this."
Why did Alex Kral flop at West Ham?
It's fair to say Kral didn't enjoy his time with the East London football club. Indeed, he told Capital Football in a interview earlier this season: “Really fast I recognised I won’t play in too many games, so I worked on my weaknesses in each training.
“Moyes didn’t speak much with me, he was detached.
“I only spoke to him one time when I went to him, asking him what I needed to improve to play, at a time when Rice and Tomas were out of the game.
“But something was off because if I had been doing everything right I’d be playing, no? So, I tried to speak like this with him, I didn’t go and ask: ‘Why am I not playing?’.
“But he kept saying that I needed to wait for my chance, the rest was between him and me."
In the end, he left West Ham have played for just one minute in the Premier League, so it's safe to say it wasn't a good loan spell – nor was he worth that £4.38m still owed.
Vlasic also struggled as mentioned earlier and seeing as he cost an initial £25.7m plus £7.7m in add-ons, which seems to not have been paid yet, the Irons must truly regret these deals now.
Manchester United have identified a "massive" Premier League player as their "number one target" in a key position in the January transfer window, according to a new update.
Man Utd targeting January signings
The Red Devils have suffered huge injury problems in defence this season, with Lisandro Martinez a long-term absentee who has been a big loss, given his influence since arriving from Ajax. Raphael Varane has also continued to struggle with fitness issues, while the likes of Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are others who have been unavailable at different times.
In fairness, Erik ten Hag's side have done well to tackle these problems, winning five of their last six Premier League games., despite having so many defenders out of contention. While Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have largely performed well of late, including in Sunday's 3-0 victory away to Everton, it is clear that reinforcements are needed at the back, with neither representing the future at Old Trafford.
United have been linked with various centre-back options in recent times, with Sporting CP youngster Goncalo Inacio one player who has emerged as a potential addition at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, a broader report has claimed that the Red Devils are prioritising the signing of a central defender in January.
"Incredible" Man Utd player lined up for shock move amid frustration at ETH
Manchester United could offload one of their first-team stars in January….
BySean Markus Clifford Nov 27, 2023 Man Utd want Marc Guehi
According to Football Insider, Manchester United have made Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi their main January target in defence, seeing him a great option to boost Ten Hag's back-line.
malick-thiaw-marc-guehi-tottenham-opinion
"Man United are planning a January move for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, sources have told Football Insider. The centre-back, 23, is firmly on the radar of the Premier League giants ahead of the winter window.
"A senior source has told Football Insider that Guehi is the 'number one target' for United going into January. The club are keeping close tabs on the England international and doing background checks."
Guehi is someone who looks like a perfect centre-back choice for United in the January window, with the 23-year-old becoming such a consistent performer for Palace in recent years, arguably making Chelsea look foolish for deciding to sell him to the Eagles back in 2021.
The United transfer target is enjoying an excellent individual season once again in 2023/24, having a 89.3% pass completion rate across 12 Premier League appearances, as well as averaging 4.8 clearances, 1.4 aerial duels and 1.2 tackles per game in the competition.
Pass completion rate
89.3%
Clearances per game
4.8
Aerial duel wins per game
1.4
Tackles per game
1.2
Guehi could even feel that moving to Old Trafford increases his chances of featuring prominently for England at Euro 2024 next summer, potentially even taking Maguire's place in the Three Lions' starting lineup. He would be noticed more playing for one of the biggest teams in the country, and he could immediately come in as an upgrade on the former Red Devils captain.
The Palace ace has been hailed as both "massive" and an "absolute tank" by former Stoke City goalkeeper Josef Bursik in the past, having played together for England's Under-21s, and at 23 years of age, he should only get better as the years pass, possibly even proving to be a key man at United for the next decade.
Manchester United have been in hot pursuit of Mason Mount over the last few weeks and now a new update has emerged on their pursuit of the player this summer.
What's the latest on Man United's move for Mason Mount?
According to The Times, the Chelsea midfielder has agreed personal terms to become a Man United player this summer.
As per the report, it is claimed that the Red Devils are closing in on making Mount their first signing of the summer with Erik ten Hag keen to add more creativity into his midfield set up this summer and Chelsea are keen to cash in to ensure they don't lose a huge asset on a free next summer.
Would Mason Mount be a good fit for Man United?
Whilst the most pressing concern for Erik ten Hag will be the centre-forward role this summer, an opportunity to strengthen the quality and attacking perspectives in the centre of the pitch is a chance they cannot afford to pass up on.
Although Man United boast a number of highly-respected talent in midfield it is definitely an area of the squad that is starting to age with Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Fred all in their 30s at this point and other than Bruno Fernandes, are three of the most experienced first teamers.
As a result, the signing of Mount presents an opportunity for the Dutch coach to continue his rebuild at Old Trafford by injecting not only some youth into the midfield personnel but also maintaining a high level of quality and a winning mentality to match those decorated players who surround him.
The 24-year-old Champions League winner – who has been "unbelievable" in the words of Joe Cole – offers flexibility in his positioning with experience operating in a number of roles over his illustrious career so far, but could be the dream creative outlet that Ten Hag is searching for who can combine with one of his England teammates to make United an unstoppable force.
Marcus Rashford has been one of the standout performers on the red side of Manchester this season – tallying up 30 goals and 11 assists in all competitions with a goal contribution every 104 minutes, an impressive output unmatched by any player in the team as Fernandes came in second scoring less than half (14).
Now, Mount could provide the pacey winger with even more opportunities to convert chances by injecting some consistent creativity into the midfield and breaking the lines of attack to form a dangerous attacking threat.
The Chelsea academy graduate ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers in midfield across the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions, shots on goal, progressive carries, touches and progressive passes received, proving that he could be a key asset in playing that final ball into the box or even taking the goal-scoring opportunities for himself with confidence.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see how Ten Hag will deploy Mount if he joins the Red Devils this summer and whether he can reach the high expectations that will come with his reported £70m price tag next season.
Manchester United are still positive over their pursuit for Mason Mount, despite their latest bid being rejected, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.
What's the latest on Mason Mount?
The Chelsea star looks set to leave the club as he has no intention to renew his £80k-per-week contract, as he enters the final year of his deal.
The Blues are seemingly keen to offload players this summer with a number of their players headed for new experiences in Saudi Arabia.
Man United are heavily interested in the 24-year-old, and have seen two bids rejected, but remain confident that they will land the midfielder.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Mount has agreed personal terms with the Red Devils, and that United will not be swayed in their attempts to sign him despite Chelsea's strong stance over the transfer fee.
"There was also an official bid from Manchester United, the second to Chelsea for Mason Mount. Bid rejected, because the Manchester United proposal was still not what Chelsea wanted, it was around £45m fixed fee, so this was the idea of Manchester United for Mason Mount, but also with some add-ons," he stated.
"This is still not enough because Chelsea want more. Now the feeling is still positive around Mason Mount and Manchester United, because the player agreed 100% all the personal terms with Man United, so the contract is ready, it is done.
"Everything is okay between Mount and United, and Mount's camp confirmed again to Chelsea in recent hours that he's not signing a new deal, at least this is the situation as of now."
Will Mount be a good signing for Man United?
The midfielder would arrive on the back of one of the worst seasons in his career, as injuries limited him to just 24 league appearances, where he notched up just three goals and two assists as Chelsea finished in 12th place.
Chelsea's Mason Mount
The Champions League winner has been a strong servant for Chelsea over the years, providing 70 goals and assists in 195 appearances, and he could slot straight into Man United's midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
Erik ten Hag is seemingly aiming to bolster his midfield, and the arrival of Mount could see Fred depart, as the Brazilian has been linked with Fulham.
Despite his relatively young age, Mount will arrive with plenty of experience domestically and in Europe, and if United can get a deal over the line soon, he could be a top signing to kick off what will be an important summer transfer window for the club.
Leeds United winger Jack Harrison could be "snapped up by a Premier League team" this summer due to a release clause in his contract, claims journalist Alex Crook.
What is the latest Jack Harrison transfer news?
It has been a busy summer of transfer activity for the recently relegated Leeds this year, but perhaps not in the way fans would've been hoping, as the club have already seen 11 players go out the door, some on loan like Brenden Aaronson, but some permanently, like Tyler Roberts.
That list of departing players could soon have another name as Spanish striker and Leeds' top scorer last season Rodrigo Moreno has completed his move to Qatari side Al Rayyan.
Soccer Football – Pre Season Friendly – Everton v Valencia – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – August 4, 2018 Everton’s Michael Keane in action with Valencia’s Rodrigo Moreno Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes
The Peacocks won't even earn much for the move; his £3m price tag will actually represent a £27m loss on the former Valencia man. The fee is so low due to a release clause in his contract that could be activated after the team's relegation to the Championship last season.
In yet more bad news for new boss Daniel Farke, Football Insider revealed last month that exciting attacker Harrison also has a similar release clause in his contract that could see him leave for just £16m this summer.
With his performances for the Whites over the last few years and that appealing price tag, it shouldn't be a surprise if he ends up playing in England's top flight again next year, per Alex Crook.
Jack Harrison's contract reportedly includes a release clause.
He explained the situation on air, which was posted on TalkSPORT's YouTube channel, saying:
"Most of that squad have got similar clauses, I think Jack Harrison will be snapped up by a Premier League team."
Is Jack Harrison good enough for the Premier League?
Harrison has had an interesting journey to get where he is today, moving to the USA in his teens before playing in the MLS and signing for Manchester City.
Following that, he spent four seasons in Yorkshire, making himself one of the first names on the teamsheet for much of that time.
Leeds' Jack Harrison
He has certainly proved that he has what it takes to play in England's top tier, and even last season, as the team around him was crumbling, he was able to put in consistently decent performances, with WhoScored giving him an average rating of 6.72 across his 36 appearances.
His underlying numbers were also solid, with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, placing him in the top 8% for blocks, the top 15% for clearances, the top 21% for interceptions, and the top 32% for assists, all per 90.
His talents are clearly appreciated by his teammates, as left back Junior Firpo waxed lyrical about his teammate on the Leeds official podcast, saying:
"He's one of the best wingers I had, in terms of helping the fullback. This is really important for the fullback when you have a winger that is committed to the work and helps you with the 2 v 1's, especially here in the Premier League where every team has amazing wingers. It's unbelievable to have him."
While Leeds would undoubtedly miss him, for the reported fee of just £16m, he would represent outstanding value for any mid-table team in the Premier League, and it's likely just a matter of when and not if he makes that move this summer.
Chelsea have missed out on a transfer target, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano sharing news that the player is poised to remain at his club instead.
Enzo Maresca has watched BlueCo orchestrate a fairly productive transfer market thus far.
Maresca is now pushing Chelsea to sign £150k-per-week World Cup winner
The Italian and his staff are big fans.
2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 28, 2025
The Blues sealed a £30 million move for highly-rated young English striker Liam Delap, who’s already got on the scoresheet with his first-ever goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, and it is believed that optimism is growing over a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
Cole Palmer
7.33
Moises Caicedo
7.02
Enzo Fernández
6.95
Nicolas Jackson
6.88
Noni Madueke
6.82
via WhoScored
They haven’t had it all their own way, though, as Dortmund rejected three bids from Chelsea for the 20-year-old before the last transfer deadline on June 10.
Chelsea also failed with an attempt to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, with the Rossoneri insisting on a far higher price tag than Maresca’s side were willing to pay, and talks surrounding a pre-CWC move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké didn’t go anywhere either.
Maresca’s side are in the market for a centre-back too, but according to Romano, they’ll have to move on from Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite – who’s now been added to the list of players who Chelsea won’t be signing.
Jarrad Branthwaite set to reject Chelsea and sign new Everton deal
Earlier this month, journalist Simon Phillips reported that Chelsea were planning to push for Branthwaite, and there was a possibility that the 23-year-old could ask to make the move to Stamford Bridge.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite
“Chelsea intend to push for him [Branthwaite] again and there is a possibility that they offer players to Everton in an attempt to get the fee down and make the deal more appealing on both sides,” said Phillips.
“We’ve also heard that he is a little frustrated, on Everton putting such a big valuation on his head. We had initially heard that Branthwaite would not actively push for a move. But it has now transpired that he is keen on Chelsea and could end up asking for the move.”
However, despite Chelsea’s intention, the £70 million-rated centre-back has just been put out of Maresca’s reach.
Romano confirms that Branthwaite will commit his future to Everton by signing a new long-term deal until 2030, dealing a blow to Chelsea and other suitors, who are poised to miss out on the Englishman tipped for a very bright future.
The former PSV Eindhoven loanee was also a wanted man at Tottenham, according to some reports, but any potential move to London will have to be put on the back-burner for a long while.
Liverpool's pursuit of Alexis Mac Allister has certainly been no secret, and manager Jurgen Klopp is now homing in on his first major signing of the summer.
What's the latest on Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool?
According to Football Insider, Brighton & Hove Albion's imminent capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud indicates that Mac Allister's transfer to Liverpool is approaching completion.
These claims are bolstered by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who recently tweeted to say that the Reds have a full agreement on personal details with the Argentine, with a deal expected to be concluded in June.
Arsenal and Chelsea are also keen on a deal for the 24-year-old but with Liverpool moving swiftly and with conviction, the Seagulls ace's signature should be shortly secured, with fees as high as £70m being touted.
How would Mac Allister do at Liverpool?
Mac Allister has enjoyed something of a meteoric rise since arriving in England to sign a deal with Brighton, leaving his homeland and club Argentinos Juniors in 2019, where he made 83 appearances, scored 12 goals and provided nine assists.
Last season, he played an important role for Albion and found success in the Premier League, scoring five times and earning 22 starts as he grew into his skin on the English south coast.
And now, the £50k-per-week star is flourishing with unrelenting might, having scored ten goals from 33 matches in the top-flight and playing an important role in Argentina's monumental triumph in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was heralded as "sumptuous" by Gary Lineker.
As per FBref, the dynamo ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 20% for progressive carries and the top 17% for successful take-ons per 90, indicating he possesses a robust core and is willing to seek out offensive openings through his driving presence on the ball.
Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
This progressive element to his game is something that could bode well for Klopp's stratagems when considering how the midfielder would link up with Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose superlative ball-playing skills from deep could benefit Mac Allister when making surging runs into the final third.
Liverpool's £180k-per-week right-back ranks among the top 12% of positional peers for rate of assists, the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 2% for passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90, recently hailed as a "genius" by Goal's Neil Jones.
The 24-year-old's newfound success following a tactical tweak, inverting from his usual marauding up and down the wings to occupy a role within the half-spaces and inflicting creative damage from deep could also be of interest to Mac Allister.
Indeed, he would find Alexander-Arnold in closer proximity and able to pick exquisite passes from behind as he makes his darting runs into danger areas, becoming the Reds' "golden boy" – as he was hailed by Albion-focussed content creator Ryan Adsett.
While Liverpool may not qualify for the Champions League this season, bolstering the middle of the park with Mac Allister will only enhance the intensity and verve of Klopp's outfit, and with Alexander-Arnold returning to his best after a lacklustre campaign, it could be a devastating concoction that truly takes the Liverpudlian to the next level.
Crystal Palace have made a strong start to their Premier League campaign, defeating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and despite tasting a narrow loss against Arsenal, followed that up with a respectable point at Brentford and a thrilling 3-2 victory over Wolves.
For their strong start to the season, the Eagles have soared up the league table without significantly strengthening in the transfer window compared to their rivals.
Who did Crystal Palace sign this summer?
Making four acquisitions for a combined cost of £32m, it's fair to say that the purse strings have been tight at Selhurst Park this summer having ended the window without a direct replacement for Wilfred Zaha.
Although Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are more than capable of shouldering the weight of goal contributions in his absence, the lack of ambition shown in this window was underwhelming to say the least.
Palace brought in attacking midfielder Matheus Franca, box-to-box midfielder Jefferson Lerma, goalkeeper Dean Henderson and lastly, centre-back Rob Holding.
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
For all of his top-flight experience at Arsenal, it was the latter of those signings who raised the most eyebrows and that isn't surprising given his career has gone on a downward spiral recently.
How many games did Rob Holding play for Arsenal?
In his seven-year stay at Arsenal, Holding made 162 appearances and scored five goals but has never really shown the ability to become a regular starter for the Gunners.
He was frozen out for the majority of last season, until star defender William Saliba sustained an injury in April and the Englishman was entrusted into the starting XI, going on to make seven starts in the last month of the season.
Despite scoring a consolation in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester City, Holding has struggled to become the ball-playing defender that Mikel Arteta desires, ultimately leaving him surplus to requirements.
During the Gunner's London derby defeat against Tottenham in May, which was a result that handed Man City the initiative in the title race, Holding's reckless sending off for making two silly fouls cost his team in their biggest match of the season.
After the game, many pundits heavily criticised Holding as Jamie Redknapp made his thoughts known on Sky Sports.
He said: "'That's a silly thing, he's doing judo moves on the football field. Then he gets caught again, and it becomes an accumulation."
With Holding enduring a reckless end to his Arsenal career, a fresh start in the Premier League is what he needed and got, but it still begs the question as to why Palace didn't take up their interest in fellow Gunner Takehiro Tomiyasu, who would have been a huge upgrade on the Englishman.
How good is Takehiro Tomiyasu?
According to a Daily Mail report in late August, Palace were showing an interest in signing Tomiyasu but following the injury to Jurrien Timber, Arsenal were reluctant to sell the Japan international.
Since joining the club from Bologna two years ago, the £55k per-week "warrior" – as he was once lauded by former teammate Mitchell Dijks – has gone on to make 56 appearances under Arteta and during the 21/22 season, Tomiyasu made 20 Premier League starts. He was impressive during that spell, averaging an impressive 1.7 tackles per game, completing 60% of his dribbles and winning 55% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
Takehiro-Tomiyasu-Crystal-Palace
However, after a promising debut season, his second term was hampered by separate knee and calf problems, making only 21 appearances in the top flight with the majority of those coming from the bench.
Despite this, the 33-cap titan has still been highly regarded by many during his time at north London with Martin Keown waxing lyrical about his performance against PSV in the Europa League last season, saying:
“Tomiyasu is probably Arsenal’s best out-and-out defender, in a one-on-one situation. Look at how dominant he is in the air. He’s a big boy actually. They have dealt with that problem [of Gakpo] really well,” he told BT Sport.
Keown's comments are supported by Tomiyasu's defensive and attacking metrics, ranking highly when compared against his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for the former of those. He places in the top 10% for tackles per 90, top 19% for interceptions per 90 and top 1% for aerial duels won per 90, via FBref.
While his defensive capabilities shine through, his ability to progress the ball up the field is second to none, ranking in the top 8% for passes completed and the best 1% for progressive carries.
Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu reacts after being sent off by refereeDavidCoote
In a Crystal Palace team that has to do a lot of defending, Tomiyasu would excel at both winning possession back and being proactive with it, unlike Holding, who falls well below his former teammate for those aspects of his game.
During the last 365 days, Holding has only recorded one tackle per 90, 0.69 interceptions per 90 while falling lower for progressive passes than Tomiyasu (4.37/7.76) and progressive carries (0.54/2.00).
When being tasked to defend, the 27-year-old has fallen well short in the past year and will find it difficult to dislodge Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, who are forming an indispensable partnership at the heart of the Eagles' defence. Indeed, the former has played so well over the last year that he's now in and around the England squad, even being touted at an eye-watering £50m during the summer window.
Although Holding and Tomiyasu predominantly play different positions across the back line, the defensive solidity and dependability that the Japan international would have brought to Selhurst Park is levels ahead of the declining Englishman. After all, the latter does present you with more versatility too, boasting the ability to play in the centre-back role and on both sides as a full-back.