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Aston Villa, along with Midlands rivals Birmingham City and West Brom, have been linked with a move for Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper, Football League World report.

The Lowdown: Cooper profiled

Cooper is just 21 years of age and has already made 68 senior appearances for Argyle. Nine of those have come this season, with the shot-stopper keeping five clean sheets in Plymouth’s impressive start to the campaign.

Manager Ryan Lowe has hailed Cooper, claiming he has ‘quality in abundance’ and is ‘going to the top’.

Cooper is represented by Unique Sports Management, the same agency as Villa’s Jacob Ramsey, and has just under three years remaining on his Home Park deal.

The Latest: Villa links

Football League World shared a story on Thursday morning regarding Cooper. They were informed by a source that a number of clubs, including Villa, are keeping tabs on the ‘keeper.

Villa’s Premier League rivals, Brentford and Southampton, along with Championship sides Birmingham City, Coventry City, Sheffield United and West Brom have also been credited with an interest.

The Verdict: Shrewd target?

Villa have just two senior goalkeepers on the books in Emiliano Martinez and Jed Steer after failing to replace Tom Heaton over the summer.

So, bringing in Cooper could help Villa when it comes to solving their long-term goalkeeping plans.

Cooper is clearly highly thought of amongst a plethora of teams in the top two divisions, so Villa winning the race for his services and then potentially loaning him back to Argyle could be a smart call.

In other news: ‘Worst player at our football club’ – Many AVFC fans slam ‘mess’ who lost the ball 13x v Chelsea. 

West Ham are reportedly closing in on the loan signing of defensive midfielder Alex Kral from Russian side Spartak Moscow.

The Lowdown: West Ham doing deadline day business

The Hammers are in a good place on and off the pitch, shining in the Premier League under David Moyes and doing shrewd business in the transfer market.

Nikola Vlasic has already signed for West ham on deadline day and now another deal could get over the line.

The Latest: Kral set to join?

According to Russian Football News, Kral could join the Hammers on loan, joining up with Czech Republic compatriots Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal.

The source from a Russian outlet states the Irons want ‘one more RPL (Russian Premier League) player’ after Vlasic.

There will be an option to buy in the deal, with the 23-year-old winning 22 caps for his country to date.

The Verdict: Another shrewd addition

Kral could be a great signing for Moyes’ side, bringing more stability in the centre of midfield, especially with Mark Noble’s best days now behind him.

He could dovetail effectively in the middle of the park with either of Declan Rice or Soucek, having averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game for Spartak in the Russian Premier League last season.

This gives Moyes the chance to rotate his star men in the middle once Europa League matches roll around, adding depth to a vital position.

In other news, some West Ham fans are excited by another transfer rumour. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of signing Adama Traore in the future have been dealt a gutting blow…

What’s the word?

In the final week of the summer transfer window, the north London outfit were heavily mooted with a move for the Wolves winger.

According to the Telegraph’s Matt Law, Spurs were set to “accelerate talks” to sign the Spanish international on loan with a view to a permanent £40m move. The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke even suggested that a deal had actually been agreed.

Evidently, that did not come to fruition and now the Lilywhites’ may not be able to secure a move for the Nuno Santo favourite in the near future.

The Sun claim that Wolves now want to make Traore their highest-paid player by offering him a bumper £120k-per-week four-year contract extension.

It’s thought that this would more than double his current deal (£55k-per-week) and it is an attempt to keep teams like Spurs at bay heading into January and beyond. Talks will be stepped up after the international break.

Gutting setback

This will come as a massive blow to Nuno, who would have surely loved to see his former star reunited with him in north London.

A front three of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Traore would be one hugely frightening prospect as the explosive Wolves star has regularly troubled many a Premier League defence since his breakthrough at Molineux (largely under the Portuguese head coach, too).

For example, last season, the 25-year-old beast topped the charts for successful dribbles per game (4.1) and was the third-most fouled player (2.3x per match) in the division, per WhoScored.

Whilst in Spurs’ clash with Wolves this term, Traore bullied Nuno’s backline. He recorded nine dribbles, won 17 duels and created four key chances, via SofaScore.

After the game, Nuno claimed (via football.london): “I think Wolves have a very good team and created us enormous problems – big, big problems. One of those was Adama. Everyone knows Adama is unique, and he’s very hard to stop.”

Meanwhile, some of his past performances have earned high praise from many of the Premier League’s best – namely Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who once described the 5 foot 10 powerhouse as “unplayable”, and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who dubbed him a “machine” on BT Sport duties.

Neither of Nuno’s current right-sided options have performed to a similar output as Traore this season, with Lucas Moura (2.3) and Steven Bergwijn (1.3) recording fewer dribbles thus far.

If Nuno and Fabio Paratici have any plans to reignite their interest in the £27m-rated summer target, then they may well be hugely disappointed given this latest development.

The chances of Traore becoming a Spurs player anytime soon appear to be diminishing.

AND in other news, Spurs receive big transfer boost over “complete” £34m-rated beast, Nuno surely buzzing…

Many Sunderland fans are far from happy with the club’s online ticketing system as they aim to secure seats for their match against MK Dons this coming weekend.

The Black Cats’ campaign is already underway and they started in the best possible manner as they picked up all three points thanks to a 2-1 victory over Wigan on the opening day of the league season. Tonight they play Port Vale in the first round of the Carabao Cup before traveling to Milton Keynes this weekend for their next League One fixture.

With stadia now allowed to be full across England, Sunderland fans have the chance to travel down south for the match. However, judging by social media reaction, many supporters appear to be experiencing issues buying tickets as the interest in attending is naturally high.

The club announced the sale of tickets for the clash on Twitter, and that attracted plenty of attention from disgruntled supporters who encountered problems with the “pathetic” ticketing system. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the ticketing problems

“How the heck ordering 1 ticket do I get the message – Unfortunately, the items you have selected do not have a common delivery method assigned, please purchase them separately??? No hope in getting through to the ticket office either.”

Credit: @mrbowena

“Been trying for 3 hours but keep getting this error despite being a season ticket holder”

Credit: @timmyward

“Been trying to get tickets but the site and the phone lines are a shambles”

Credit: @johno31_safc

“I would love to.. been trying since 12pm and I’m well and truly peeved now”

Credit: @woodybp26

“System is pathetic & not fit for purpose..I have been trying for over 3 hours”

Credit: @justpassing73

“Been trying to all morning like many other people”

Credit: @numberoneskitz

In other news, many Sunderland fans lauded this man’s display against Wigan.

Crystal Palace have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Watford midfielder Will Hughes after seeing an opening bid for the 26-year-old rejected.

What’s the story?

The Eagles have been heavily linked with a move for the former England under-21 international in recent weeks after he turned down the offer of a new deal from his current club.

Hughes will be a free agent in 12 months’ time after entering the final year of his contract at Vicarage Road and has attracted the attention of multiple top-flight teams as a result.

According to The Sun (17 August, page 51, via HITC), Watford have rejected a £5m bid from Palace for the combative midfielder, with Xisco Munoz’s charges holding out for a £12m fee.

He’s a big upgrade on Riedewald

In Patrick Vieira’s press conference on Friday afternoon, the Frenchman admitted that he needs some added strength in depth in the middle of the park despite the arrival of Conor Gallagher on a season-long loan.

“When you look at the squad, we are maybe a little bit more light on numbers, and we are working hard to improve the squad (with) the window are still open. We will try to bring players that can improve our squad,” revealed the former Nice boss.

“I think where we are maybe a little bit more short is upfront and in the midfield, I think it would be good to reinforce those positions.”

With the departures of Andros Townsend, Michy Batshuayi and James McCarthy, it’s easy to understand why Vieira feels the need to address the aforementioned positions, and Hughes could be a significant upgrade on the current engine room options.

The Derby County academy graduate joined the Hornets back in 2017 in search of Premier League action and established himself as a solid top-flight player during his time at the club, scoring five goals and laying on a further eight assists in 77 appearances in England’s top division.

Javi Gracia, one of his many former Watford managers, lauded the defensive-minded maestro after an impressive return from injury, saying: “I think he did a very good job in the time he was on the pitch. He was very clever made a very good assist, and took care of the ball. I think he was very good for us.”

It seems clear that Vieira and Palace would benefit from his arrival. As per WhoScored, Hughes recorded an average of 1.9 tackles per league game last term and 1.2 interceptions, outperforming Jairo Riedewald’s tallies of one and 0.9 respectively.

It wasn’t just out of possession where Hughes excelled, either. The Englishman pulled off 0.6 key passes per game throughout 2020/21, bettering Riedewald’s 0.4 and showcasing his ability with the ball at his feet.

As a result, Palace chairman Steve Parish may be tempted to increase his offer for the Englishman, but whether he’s prepared to match the £12m asking price for a player who will be out of contract next summer remains to be seen.

In other news… CPFC receive boost in pursuit of “magnificent” £15.3m-rated gem, Vieira would love him 

Crystal Palace are looking to sign Arsenal ace Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to The Athletic journalist Matt Woosnam.

The versatile Maitland-Niles, 23, has been made available for transfer after failing to nail down a place in Gunners boss Mikel Arteta’s future plans.

Maitland-Niles made 15 appearances during a loan spell with West Bromwich Albion last season but he was unable to steer the Baggies away from relegation to the Championship.

However, Maitland-Niles remains on the radar of a host of top flight clubs, including Palace.

The Eagles, under new manager Patrick Vieira following his appointment earlier this month, face competition for Maitland-Niles’ services.

Newly-promoted Watford, along with Southampton, are also monitoring the situation ahead of the Premier League season getting underway next month.

Maitland-Niles, who has been capped by England five times, impressed Palace fans during West Brom’s 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in March, according to Woosnam.

The reporter believes Palace are vying to win the race for the Arsenal man’s services.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Woosnam said: “Ainsley Maitland-Niles did well last season at West Brom.

“Certainly, he was one of the two players that stood out when Palace hosted West Brom towards the end of the season, along with Okay Yokuslu.

“He would bring an element of positivity to Palace but it will come down to the cost.”

An update has emerged about Leeds target Mikkel Damsgaard, regarding Aston Villa’s pursuit of his services.

What’s the talk?

According to ClubDoria46, via Sport Witness, Aston Villa are set to make a £30m (€35m) bid for Leeds target Mikkel Damsgaard.

Leeds are reportedly interested in signing the 21-year-old Sampdoria forward, but Villa’s bid is said to be ready to be sent to the Italian side.

Bielsa will be livid

Marcelo Bielsa will be livid with this news as it seemingly decreases the likelihood of Damsgaard arriving at Elland Road this summer.

Villa have already prepared their bid and are on the verge of sending their proposal to Sampdoria, which shows that they are far advanced in their efforts to land him – whereas Leeds only have an interest in him at this stage.

Therefore, it looks like the Whites are lagging behind in the race for his signature and Villa could be able to wrap up a deal for the Danish gem before Victor Orta can make his move.

Ex-Leeds forward Noel Whelan labelled him as an exciting prospect earlier this summer and said that he would be a good addition to Bielsa’s squad.

He told Football Insider: “Wow, now he would be a signing. From what I have seen, he is the next big thing coming out of Denmark. Again, we are looking at players who are the right age and of the right profile. Somebody who would compliment what Marcelo Bielsa already has.

“Leeds nowadays are very intense and aggressive in their style of play and fitness plays a huge part. He looks to me as if he could do that as well, which is important because it’s not just about the little flicks. Damsgaard is a very exciting prospect. If we could get that deal over the line it would show just how far we’ve come in the last couple of years.”

The forward has four goals and three assists in his last six appearances for Denmark – averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.28 in five games in the European Championships this summer. This shows that he has the quality to perform at the international stage, boding well for any potential move to the Premier League.

He was on fire at the summer tournament, with 1.8 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.8 dribbles completed per game. Damsgaard was a constant threat and able to make the most of the chances he was creating with the aforementioned goals and assists, proving that he has the bite to match the bark.

His statistics for Denmark suggest that he could be a tidy addition to Leeds’ squad next season. This is another reason why the Argentine head coach will not be best pleased that Villa are seemingly closing in on the winger, as Leeds really should be doing more to battle them for his signature.

AND in other news, Forget Klich: Leeds must land £10m deal for “special talent”, Bielsa would love him…

Tottenham Hostpur have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Takehiro Tomiyasu to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Il Resto del Carlino (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs’ north London rivals are planning to hijack the Whites’ move for the Bologna FC 1909 defender, for whom Fabio Paratici was recently reported to have made a second offer of €23m (£19.5m) for.

However, according to the latest reports from Italy, Arsenal are upping the ante in their own pursuit of the Japan international, with Il Resto del Carlino claiming that the Gunners are being aggressive in their bid to steal the 22-year-old from Tottenham’s clutches.

Fans will be furious

With it appearing for a while that Spurs were very much the front runners in the race to sign Tomiyasu this summer, should the club eventually miss out on the defender, especially to their most bitter rivals, the Tottenham Hotspur faithful will be rightly furious.

Having said that, it is easy to see why Mikel Arteta’s side are keen on a move for the youngster, as he highly impressed in Serie A last season.

In 202021, the £13k-per-week man helped his side keep four clean sheets over his 31 appearances in the Italian top flight, in addition to making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, 3.3 clearances and winning 5.4 duels per fixture.

The £18m-rated centre-back also chipped in for his side going forwards, bagging two goals, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.3 key passes per league game.

These returns saw the man Mitchell Dijks dubbed a “very strong” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.86, ranking him as Sinisa Mihajlovic’s joint eighth-best performer in Serie A last season.

As such, the addition of Tomiyasu would appear to be a very astute piece of business for Spurs to get over the line this summer, however, with Arsenal also very much in the race for the Japanese gem, Paratici looks to have his work cut out in closing the deal.

In other news: Levy makes private behind-the-scenes Spurs decision that will leave fans buzzing

Newcastle United’s Kell Watts is the subject of interest as the club consider whether to sanction another loan move, Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder reports.

The lowdown

Watts spent the 2020/21 season on loan at League One Plymouth Argyle, racking up 50 appearances.

A versatile option, he has been used predominantly as a centre-back but also as a full-back and midfielder.

Watts’ one and only appearance for Newcastle’s senior team came on the final day of the 2019/20 season as he came off the bench against Liverpool.

But he featured for Steve Bruce’s side on Sunday in their friendly defeat against non-league York City and was described as the ‘bright spark’ by The Athletic’s Chris Waugh.

There could be a vacancy in Newcastle’s defensive ranks with Florian Lejeune set to seal a move away.

The latest

Ryder now reports that there are ‘a couple of clubs’ interested in signing Watts on a temporary basis.

It will be up to loan coordinator Shola Ameobi to advise Bruce on whether it’s the smartest move in the coming days.

The verdict

One of Ryder’s colleagues, Andrew Musgrove, has called for Watts to be integrated into the first-team this season. There’s clearly plenty of excitement about the youngster’s potential.

But this is why Newcastle employ Ameobi. He’s best placed to decide whether Watts would benefit more from a season playing week in, week out in a lower tier or from sporadic top-level involvement.

If he is to be loaned out, it ought to be the Championship, otherwise he might find the step-up too demanding when the time arrives to try his luck in the top flight.

In other news, read Chris Waugh’s worrying transfer update.

Liverpool just managed to limp over the line into the top four last season despite having several key players out injured, and their captain Jordan Henderson was one who picked up a serious knock during the season.

Former Liverpool star Paul Stewart believes that Aston Villa’s John McGinn could replace him.

Villa have reportedly slapped a £45 million price tag on McGinn’s head which certainly raised a few eyebrows considering he’s had just one season in the Premier League and only managed three goals and five assists last campaign.

Jurgen Klopp will be targeting the centre of midfield in this summer’s transfer window as he goes in search of a Georginio Wijnaldum replacement, and also to add some much-needed strength in depth.

McGinn featured for Scotland in all three of their Euro 2020 games but was unable to offer them any spark in the group stages and asked if he would be a suitable replacement for Wijnaldum, Stewart had this to say exclusively to Football FanCast:

“No, I don’t think so because they’re totally different players.”

The Scotland international is certainly a busy and energetic player as he attempted and completed the most pressures out of anyone in the Villa side last season, so he would be able to buy into Klopp’s demanding style of play and potentially replace another long time member of the squad, as Stewart added:

“You’d be looking at him taking the place of Henderson in midfield, and I can see that being more likely to happen than him replacing Wijnaldum.”

With Villa having to fight off interest in Jack Grealish, they will be hoping a £45 million price tag frightens off potential interest in McGinn as losing those two would essentially rip out the heart of their side going into next season.