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Erik ten Hag has struggled to progress from his triumphant debut campaign this season, with continuous injuries and underperforming players letting his side down.

Manchester United can only challenge for silverware via the FA Cup and the Premier League, but given their seventh position, the former seems the only route to success this season already.

With that in mind, the former Ajax boss will look to reignite the fans' excitement by eyeing up a move for a tricky attacker in January.

Man Utd transfers latest – Takefusa Kubo

According to The Sun, Takefusa Kubo is being linked with a move to Old Trafford as a possible Antony replacement.

Ten Hag has reportedly sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old on numerous occasions this season, including last weekend’s game versus Real Betis.

Real Sociedad will accept an offer of £43m and the Brazilian could be used as a bargaining tool, potentially in the form of a loan deal.

How Takefusa Kubo compares to Antony

The Japanese star has developed into one of Sociedad’s best players since arriving at the club for just £5.5m last season, and he seems to have developed into an extremely “special talent” this campaign – as described by journalist Josh Bunting. Kubo has featured 17 times in La Liga, scoring six goals and registering three assists.

The ex-Real Madrid ace can play in the number ten role, yet he excels and mainly operates at right wing, making him a potential direct replacement for United’s £86m forward. The table below highlights Kubo’s playstyle and how he compares to Antony based on statistics from the last year across the top European leagues.

As you can see by all the attacking stats, Kubo would be a huge upgrade on Antony. The first difference between the two is that the Japanese international is a much more direct winger, using his quick feet and small stature to wriggle his way past players and carry the ball forward with intent.

The former Madrid youngster is extremely intelligent and combines the traditional style of a winger with the more modern output-focused inverted forwards. He’s the type of player to make the crowd get off their feet by dribbling and putting the ball in the back of the net, which the ex-Ajax player has yet to display in a United shirt this season by failing to register a single goal contribution.

Although Kubo doesn’t get massively involved in play compared to other wingers, he is constantly receiving the ball and using it effectively in the final third. He is extremely difficult to mark because if the defender gets close, he will skip past them, but if they stand off, he has the ability to play deft passes that slice the opposition open.

Furthermore, as per Transfermarkt, Kubo (£43m) is valued more than even Alejandro Garnacho (£26m), which just highlights how talented and highly rated the Sociedad creative mastermind is.

Man United having two destined-for-success prospects on each wing would be frightening, to say the least, and if they continue to develop, Ten Hag would have one of the deadliest duos in the Premier League.

Inter Miami teenage star Diego Gomez has been linked with a shock transfer move to the Premier League.

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• Diego Gomez linked with Premier League move
• Teen is attacking star for Miami
• Will play with Paraguay in Olympics

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Versus.com, West Ham United are keen on securing the services of Gomez on a full transfer from Inter Miami this summer. The teenage star, currently sidelined with a minor injury, has four goals in 25 appearances for the Herons across all competitions.

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  Gomez's rise has been quick, and not surprising to many. When he joined Miami in 2023, he was touted for greatness, and has since flourished in the midfield. In CONMEBOL Olympic Games qualifying, he led La Albirroja to the top of the standings with five goals and two assists in seven appearances. He's set to star for them at the Paris Games this summer, and a Premier League transfer could follow.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Gomez could follow the likes of Miguel Almiron and Jhon Duran to England – both of whom left MLS for the Premier League. To surpass the transfer fee of either, the deal would have to worth in excess of $27m.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MIAMI?

  Miami clash with Atlanta United Wednesday evening and St. Louis CITY SC Saturday night in MLS action. Both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are expected to take part in the matches before they depart for Copa America. Gomez, meanwhile, still remains sidelined with a knock but is expected to return in early June.

Glasgow Rangers have already made their first signing of the January transfer window, which opened for business at the start of last week.

Philippe Clement swooped to sign Portuguese centre-forward Fabio Silva on loan until the end of the season from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Belgian head coach could now look to use the next few weeks to make further additions to his playing squad despite an impressive start to life at Ibrox, with the League Cup trophy secured with a win against Aberdeen at Hampden in 2023.

Nils Koppen has been brought in as the club's new director of football recruitment and the pair appear to be working hard behind the scenes to improve the quality of the group.

The Gers are being linked with moves for signings to join on top of the move for Silva and a swoop for another central midfielder looks to be on the cards.

Rangers transfer news – Steven Alzate

Football Insider have claimed that the Light Blues are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a deal to sign Steven Alzate from Brighton & Hove Albion.

LaLiga duo Sevilla and Granada also interested in the 25-year-old dynamo and look set to provide competition in the race for his signature.

Rangers are said to be in the hunt to secure an agreement for the Colombia international, who is due to be out of contract with the English side at the end of the campaign.

However, the Seagulls have an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months and this means that they could decide to trigger that to avoid losing him for nothing this summer.

The report stated that the Scottish giants are keeping tabs on Alzate's situation as they weigh up a move to improve their options in the middle of the park.

There is no mention of how much it would take to strike a permanent deal for his signature, though, and he is currently on loan at Standard Liege in Belgium.

This means that Brighton would need to recall the central midfielder from his spell there before being able to sell him to Rangers permanently, or the Gers would have to wait until the end of the season to sign him.

The Light Blues have already signed one player from the Seagulls this term. They brought Abdallah Sima in on a season-long loan to bolster their forward line and the Senegal international has produced ten goals and two assists in 15 Scottish Premiership starts so far this term.

That deal has proven to be a fantastic one but Clement could replicate the masterclass the club played with Nicolas Raskin by snapping up another midfield talent from Standard Liege – albeit via a parent club this time.

Nicolas Raskin's time at Rangers so far

The Belgian midfielder recently made his comeback from injury with a one-minute cameo against Kilmarnock in the Premiership, which was his 31st appearance for the club in all competitions.

Former Gers head coach Michael Beale swooped to sign the central midfielder from Standard Liege on a permanent deal in January of last year, shortly after Todd Cantwell was signed from Norwich City.

He hit the ground running in Scottish football with 11 starts and 12 appearances in the top-flight during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, Raskin was a solid performer in the middle of the park for the Light Blues without being outstanding in his work on or off the ball.

The 22-year-old has taken a big step in the right direction with his performances this season as the Belgian whiz has improved over the past year.

He has made eight appearances in the Premiership this term and averaged 2.7 tackles per game alongside a duel success rate of 58%, which includes a success rate of 75% in aerial contests.

The Rangers maestro has also produced one goal, one assist, and two 'big chances' created in those eight games to go along with a pass success rate of 88%.

Clement could now bring in another midfielder from Standard Liege with the potential to successfully make the transition from Belgian football to the Premiership.

The statistics that show why Rangers should sign Alzate

Firstly, Alzate is 25 and could be an ideal player to come in as John Lundstram, who will be 30 at the end of the season, and Ryan Jack, who will be 32, are out of contract in the summer.

The Colombian whiz has plenty of years left to develop and improve, just like Raskin at the age of 22, and could arrive as the long-term heir to Lundstram and Jack's positions at the club.

His performances in the Belgian top-flight suggest that he has the potential to be an excellent addition to the playing squad for Clement.

Alzate has averaged 3.2 tackles and interceptions combined and won 5.0 duels per match across 11 Pro League appearances this season.

Meanwhile, current holding midfielder John Lundstram has made 2.8 tackles and interceptions combined and won 3.8 duels per game across 18 Premiership outings.

This suggests that the Brighton loanee could provide more grit and defensive steel in the middle of the park in comparison to the English battler.

The £15k-per-week ace, who was once hailed as "creative" by journalist Josh Bunting, also has quality in possession to progress his side up the pitch.

Alzate ranks within the top 5% of midfielders in the Men's Next 14 Competitions over the last 365 days for assists (0.24) per 90 and the top 20% for progressive passes (6.43) per 90.

Whereas, Lundstram has averaged 0.17 assists and 5.33 progressive passes per 90 over the last 365 days for Rangers in his European appearances.

These statistics suggest that Alzate could offer more than the former Sheffield United man in and out of possession with his creativity and progressive playing style to go along with his ability to consistently win the ball back for his side.

Therefore, Clement could repeat the club's blinder with Raskin by securing another star from Standard Liege as the Brighton gem has the quality to be a terrific addition.

Sepp van den Berg accused Liverpool of sabotaging his future as he looks to exit Anfield permanently this summer.

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• Van den Berg hits out at Liverpool
• Spent last season on loan at Mainz
• Made only four senior appearances for the Reds

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dutch defender joined the Reds in 2019 from PEC Zwolle but in the last five years he made just foursenior appearances for the club and had three different loan spells at Preston North End, Schalke and most recently Mainz.

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  The Reds are now looking to sell the player permanently in the upcoming summer transfer and have set a price at £20 million ($25.6m) amid interest from Premier League clubs Brentford and Southampton. Mainz too attempted to make his signing permanent for under £5m ($6m) but the Merseyside club are not ready to let him leave for such a small sum of money.

• WHAT VAN DEN BERG SAID

  In an explosive interview with , the 22-year-old claimed that the Premier League giants are trying to spoil his future as he said, "I knew that I couldn't get from PEC Zwolle [straight] to Liverpool's first team. I could have been at Liverpool for one or two more years, but I wanted to play with all my might. I demanded to be [loaned] out. Every time, because I felt that I was getting better and better. I also made great strides physically.

  "Just the whole [first] season. On the one hand, that was great. Yes, how does that work, you're 17, 18 years old, you're central to the defence in training against the starting XI, you have to build up and then Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah come running towards you. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. But in all honesty, I wasn't looked after anymore. I also felt 'ready' [in 2021]. I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn't going to play Van Dijk, Matip or Konate out [the team]. But I thought I could be right behind it. When I didn't get a chance again, I said: 'Figure it out, I want to leave."

  He added, "You (Liverpool) didn't exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further. In Germany, I enjoy Dortmund away with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich away against Harry Kane, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Leverkusen, against clubs like that I am challenged every week."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The young defender who appeared in 36 games across all competitions this season for the German side, will aim to find an amicable solution with the Premier League giants to seal a move away from the club.

It seemed for some time that Leicester City and Ipswich Town were destined to run away with the automatic promotion places in the Championship, only for the latter to enter their first rough patch of form. In doing so, the promotion hopefuls have opened the door to a Southampton side looking to make an instant return to the Premier League, having suffered the heartbreak of relegation last time out.

Russell Martin's side, who sit just three points adrift of Ipswich, could yet receive a major boost in their pursuit of promotion in the January transfer window. The Saints are reportedly keeping tabs on a striker who has more than double the amount of goals that Che Adams has managed so far this season.

Southampton transfer news

Given that automatic promotion is no longer a world away, Southampton would be wise to go all out to land vital reinforcements for Martin this month. The Saints are currently on an unbeaten run of 18 games and could take full advantage of Ipswich's change in fortunes, which has seen Kieran McKenna's side go five games without a victory.

To take advantage, Southampton may need to look towards the transfer window and one particular striker, however.

EFL Championship done deals: Every January 2024 transfer

As the January transfer window closes, FFC has you covered for every in and out involving your club in the EFL Championship.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

According to Graeme Bailey, Southampton are keeping tabs on Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland. They're not the only Championship side interested in the forward though, with Hull City and Middlesbrough also eyeing moves.

Meanwhile, the Hearts captain has also reportedly attracted the interest of Crystal Palace, Burnley, Celtic and Everton in what will be a busy race for his signature this month. A man in demand, it looks as though Shankland could have a crucial decision to make in the near future, with several clubs circling.

If it is Southampton who land the forward, should they step up their interest, Martin would be getting himself a potential game-changer in the race for promotion.

"Incredible" Shankland would be an upgrade on Adams

Despite Southampton's recent run of form, Che Adams' goal tally hasn't been a standout in the Championship with just six goals to his name. It begs the question of just where the Saints would be if they had a truly clinical striker.

And Shankland could be the man to answer that question. The Hearts forward has enjoyed an excellent season in the Scottish Premiership, more than earning the interest of English clubs. Shankland's stats paint the perfect picture, with the striker's 18 goals highlighting a player at the top of his game.

Shankland recently earned the praise of Hearts manager Steven Naismith, who said via Irish News: “I look at him and compare him and he’s completely different from (Celtic striker) Kyogo but he’s slightly like (former Rangers forward Alfredo) Morelos. Lawrence has more in his overall game and a better mentality.

"When Morelos was at his prime, it’s a tough one but I’m probably taking Lawrence 18 goals in all competitions, half-way through a season, is incredible numbers. It’s not just against us either, he’s scoring all types of different finishes against everyone.”

Harry Kane has been reassured by Harry Redknapp that trophies will come, while also being nudged in the direction of an MLS pay day at Inter Miami.

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• England striker without major silverware
• Tied to a long-term contract in Germany
• May spread his wings again before retiring

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international had hoped that a 2023 transfer to Bayern Munich would bring his barren run on the silverware front to a close, but the German giants have just ended a rare trophyless campaign. Kane is, however, tied to a long-term contract at the Allianz Arena and is captain of a Three Lions squad that is strong enough to compete for continental and global honours.

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• WHAT REDKNAPP SAID

  With that in mind, former Tottenham boss Redknapp has – while speaking in association with the free to play fantasy game at that will see him compete with supporters for bragging rights at Euro 2024 this summer – told GOAL of Kane’s silverware hunt: “It would be nice obviously for him to win a trophy. I’m sure he will eventually – whether it is with Bayern Munich or England. No-one has won a trophy with England since 1966, so that’s not an easy thing to do as an England player. Club-wise, he’s an amazing player. He is the best centre-forward in the world. He can do absolutely everything. He’s got a big opportunity this summer to win a trophy with England. We have got the best squad in the tournament and I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t go all the way and win it."

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  Quizzed on whether the lack of major honours will be annoying Kane, Redknapp added: “No, it won’t. He won’t be thinking about it. Look at how many goals he has scored again at Munich this year – a crazy amount. He has done his job. There are players that win trophies that are bang average but happen to be in a good team. He’s a fantastic player. He will go down in history at Tottenham as the leading goalscorer of all-time. Nobody will probably beat that. He’s a special player. I don’t think it will be bothering him. I do think he’ll win trophies before he retires.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kane severed ties with Spurs as they were unable to deliver on his ambition, and Redknapp said when asked if the club’s all-time leading goalscorer could retrace steps to north London at some stage: “I doubt it. I doubt he will want to go back. It’s always a difficult one, going back. Bayern Munich have had a bad year, but it’s a massive club. Vincent Kompany going in there, I’m sure he can’t wait to work with Harry Kane. He can build a team around him next year. I would be surprised if he came back to Tottenham.”

It has been another season of misery for Chelsea this year, as new boss Mauricio Pochettino has overseen a terrible campaign that, at the midway point, sees them tenth in the Premier League, miles off of Champions League qualification and 1-0 down heading into the second leg of their League Cup semi-final.

Aside from Cole Palmer, the summer signings have been massively disappointing, and former Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson has been perhaps the most underwhelming of all.

The Senegalese forward has been incredibly wasteful in front of goal, which has not helped the side's creative players like Raheem Sterling, although the latest name touted for a move to Stamford Bridge could supercharge the Englishman's numbers with his clinical finishing: Napoli's Victor Osimhen.

Chelsea transfer news – Victor Osimhen

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are on the lookout for a new striker in 2024, and they have a 'strong interest' in Napoli's free-scoring number nine, Osimhen.

The bad news for the Blues is that they will have to cough up a lot of money if they want to sign the Nigerian this year, as the English publication has revealed that he has a £103m release clause in his contract.

However, the good news is that according to the report, the former LOSC Lille striker is 'open to joining the Blues', which is quite an essential thing to know before starting any negotiations.

While it will be an expensive deal to thrash out for Todd Boehly and Co, the team's need for an out-and-out goalscorer makes it one they must complete – and it should supercharge Sterling's creative numbers.

Victor Osimhen could supercharge Raheem Sterling

The former Manchester City ace is an incredibly experienced professional, one with a genuinely impressive back-catalogue of performances, but his time at Stamford Bridge has been rather underwhelming – to put it lightly – having scored just 16 goals in 61 games, albeit while also providing ten assists.

Chelsea could sign Jackson upgrade in £100m ace who's like "Aguero & Falcao"

The 26-year-old would become the first name on the team sheet.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 11, 2024

He hasn't been terrible, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he just hasn't been as effective as Chelsea fans might've hoped he'd be, and while some of that will be down to him, the lacklustre players around him are clearly not helping.

For example, Jackson has been outrageously profligate in the league this year, and while his seven goals may look impressive on the surface – three of them did come against a nine-man Tottenham Hotspur side, mind – the fact that he has an expected goals figure of 10.6 proves that he is about as far from a natural finisher as you'll find in the top-flight.

In comparison, Osimhen has scored his seven league goals from an expected goals figure of just 6.7, meaning that on average, he is scoring more goals than you would expect from the sort of chances he is getting, proving just how lethal he is and making the claim that he's "even better than Haaland" from Italian agent Andrea D'Amico a little easier to understand.

So, if Sterling were playing alongside the Nigerian "hitman", as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he could reasonably expect his creative numbers to skyrocket from their current – already fairly reasonable – level, as not only would the Napoli icon finish the great chances he was given, he would also be able to turn the half-chances into goals – thus increasing the Englishman's number of assists.

At the end of the day, while this would be an incredibly expensive deal to complete and Jackson could eventually come good, the state that Chelsea currently finds themselves necessitates such a transfer, and while the fans would be understandably thrilled with Osimhen's arrival, Sterling would surely be just as excited.

Celtic made their first signing of the January transfer window earlier this month as they swooped for German winger Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Wien.

The Hoops may not be done there, though, as Football Insider claimed that Brendan Rodgers is also eyeing up a left-back, a goalkeeper, and a centre-forward to bolster his squad.

One striker who has been linked with a possible move to Parkhead ahead of the second half of the season is Aberdeen number nine Bojan Miovski.

The Scottish Sun reported in December that Celtic were considering a swoop for the impressive attacker, who would cost £4.5m or more as the Dons want more than the £4.4m current transfer record between Scottish clubs – held by Scott Brown's £4.4m switch to the Hoops from Hibernian in 2007.

Rodgers could now land a big upgrade on current striker Hyeon-gyu Oh by securing a deal to sign Miovski before the end of the window next week.

Hyeon-gyu Oh's goal record at Celtic

Since arriving at Parkhead at the start of last year, the South Korea international – who is currently away at the Asian Cup – has plundered 12 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions, with 11 of those goals coming in his 35 appearances in the Scottish Premiership.

This means that the 22-year-old forward has found the back of the net once every 3.75 matches for the Hoops, and once every 3.18 games in the top-flight.

The South Korean marksman has struggled to create for his teammates in Scotland. To date, he is yet to register an assist for Celtic and has only created one 'big chance' for his fellow attackers in 35 league outings.

Miovski could could come in as a centre-forward who can offer a greater goal threat whilst also being able to set up others in the final third.

The stats that show why Miovski could offer more than Oh

The North Macedonia international has racked up nine goals and two assists in 18 Premiership appearances for Aberdeen so far this season, and has racked up 16 goals and four assists in 30 outings in all competitions.

As you can see in the table above, his form this term has not been a flash in the pan as the SPFL whiz has been in fantastic form since his move to Scotland in the summer of 2022.

The 24-year-old marksman, who was hailed as a "brilliant" boy by his manager Barry Robson, has produced 34 goals and seven assists in 72 matches for the Dons over the last season-and-a-half.

This means that the Celtic target has averaged a goal every 2.12 games for the Scottish side, which is considerably better than Oh's return for the Bhoys.

He has also created one 'big chance' every 7.9 games (seven in 55) in comparison to the South Korean's one 'big chance' created in 35 league clashes for the Hoops.

Therefore, Miovski could be a big upgrade on Oh due to his ability to offer more quality as a scorer and a creator of goals, which is why Rodgers should sign him to compete with Kyogo Furuhashi during the second half of the season.

Bayern Munich may make a summer transfer bid for Joe Gomez from Liverpool as Vincent Kompany wants to sign the defender.

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• Kompany hopes to strengthen Bayern defence
• Sees Liverpool's Gomez as a good option
• German side also in talks with Colwill and Tah

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kompany is looking to rejuvenate the Bayern defence since taking over as head coach after Thomas Tuchel's departure at the end of the season and reports that the Belgian has highlighted Gomez as a top target.

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  Liverpool have no intention of selling Gomez to the German side as they see him as an important player as they prepare for life under new manager Arne Slot. The 27-year-old is coming off the back of his best season in senior football and is part of Gareth Southgate's England squad at Euro 2024.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Gomez is not the only Premier League defender on Bayern's radar. They have already held talks with Levi Colwill, it was reported this week, but Chelsea are not interested in selling the centre-back. The Bundesliga side are expected to sign Jonathan Tah amid reports he has told Bayer Leverkusen he wants to make the move.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GOMEZ?

  Gomez, who played at centre-back, full-back and in midfield throughout the season for Liverpool, will hope to be given a chance to shine for England in the summer tournament before he returns to Anfield for the 2024-25 campaign.

Well, that's that. Done and dusted. Not the most enthralling transfer window in memory by half, but Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed richer fruits than most and will be delighted with his side's activity.

At the start of a new era, heartened by the promise of an exciting ideology and judiciousness in the transfer market, Tottenham have enjoyed a pleasing introduction to life under their Australian manager and currently perch fourth in the Premier League table after 22 matches.

Injuries to key players laid waste to a stunning start to the season but the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison are now fit and firing once more and a top-four finish is something attainable, tangible, heading into the next stretch of action.

Of course, reinforcements were necessary and Daniel Levy has delivered, bolstering the backline with Radu Dragusin, augmenting the attack with the shrewd loan signing of Timo Werner, who has two assists from two league fixtures in Tottenham white.

To cap a rosy month off, Spurs showed Barcelona who's boss and hijacked the signing of prodigious talent Lucas Bergvall – it is, genuinely, a jaw-dropping coup for the London side.

Lucas Bergvall: A glittering gem

Hark back to Tuesday, on a cloudy afternoon in Catalonia, 17-year-old Bergvall had met with Barcelona bosses over lunch, canvassing a proposal expected to convince the midfielder to join the fold and realise his exciting potential at Camp Nou.

Two days later, Bergvall now turned 18, Spurs have completed the acquisition for €10m (£8m) plus add-ons, with the Swede linking up with his new teammates in the summer.

Said to be a "generational" talent by one scout, Bergvall has the making of a high-class, multi-functional midfielder and has drawn comparisons to Real Madrid phenomenon Jude Bellingham given this protean ability.

A fledgling ace, the teenager has only made 29 appearances for his homeland outfit Djurgårdens IF but has impressed during his time on the pitch and posted three goals and an assist to highlight a budding strength in attacking sequences.

How does this come about? Bergvall is an adept ball carrier and completed 88% of his passes and 68% of his dribbles in the Allsvenskan in 2023, as per Sofascore, highlighting strength and elegance on the ball that allows him to break lines single-handedly, arriving in circles of space to either strike on goal or place passes to breaking teammates.

Effectively, Bergvall is a roaming playmaker with notable intelligence and savvy decision-making; tall, strong and commanding, Tottenham have signed a player touted for stardom and the fact that he resisted the allure of La Blaugrana and opted to sign for Spurs bespeaks his prudence.

For now, Lilywhites supporters must shelve their excitement and focus on the current squad, with much to play for and Bergvall's immediate future to be spent honing his craft with Djurgårdens.

A wonderful talent, but maybe not Tottenham's biggest – not when Jamie Donley continues to make waves, pushing ever closer toward a regular spot in Postecoglou's first team.

Jamie Donley is Spurs' biggest talent

Donley has been highly regarded at Spurs for some time but is now starting to earn attention within wider circles, having made four senior appearances for the club after several years of precocious performances at youth level.

This season alone, the 19-year-old has plundered six goals and 12 assists from 12 matches, praised for his "perfect" creative support by correspondent Alasdair Gold as he thrives in a central offensive midfield role.

An attacking midfielder with varied and devastating attacking abilities: Donley could be the perfect understudy to James Maddison over the coming years, the 27-year-old one of the Premier League's finest players this season after completing a £40m transfer from Leicester City last summer.

Podcaster Chris Miller has actually suggested that Donley is Tottenham's "closest thing to Maddison", and given the blistering success that he has found in the Premier League 2 and EFL Trophy this term, it might be wise to hand him increased responsibility sooner rather than later.

Of course, Tottenham are not playing in Europe this season and are out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup – frankly, this makes regular minutes for the club's up-and-comers hard to come by given the importance of qualifying for next term's Champions League.

Nonetheless, his regular inclusion in the matchday squad across recent months – absence due to injury notwithstanding – indicates that Postecoglou has a plan for this young gun, talented enough to wedge his way into the conversation.

Take his efforts in the EFL Trophy, for example; excelling across three matches against League One & Two opposition, the teenager scored two goals and supplied three assists, averaged 3.3 key passes, 10 ball recoveries (an extraordinary rate by the way) and 2.7 tackles per game, completing 80% of his passes.

With Maddison clinching three goals and five assists across 12 Premier League matches this term, completing 86% of his passes and averaging 2.9 key passes and 1.5 tackles per match, it's clear to see that Donley has qualities that could emulate that of the England international.

Bergvall's acquisition is just another illustration of a new, lucrative direction that Tottenham are heading toward after a few seasons of uncertainty and strife.

The Scandinavian midfielder is undoubtedly one of the best talents in his age bracket, but it's difficult to say that he surpasses Donley's potential at this stage given the Northern Irish starlet's clinical start to life.

Is this a problem? Hardly. Tottenham are on the rise, buttressed by a robust crop of youth talent that will slot into the senior set-up like a dovetail joint.