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Things could hardly have got off to a better start for Marco Silva at Fulham, with the 44-year-old manager securing a number of impressive arrivals at Craven Cottage in the summer transfer window, as well as seeing his side top the Championship table going into the international break.

Regarding the Cottagers’ summer transfer business, Silva sealed the signings of Harry Wilson, Rodrigo Muniz, Paulo Gazzaniga, Nathaniel Chalobah and Domingos Quina, all of whom represent either an upgrade on a player the Portuguese manager previously had in a position or simply adding further depth to a particular area of his team.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Fulham have dropped just two points over their opening five games of the Championship season – as well as scoring a league-high 12 goals and conceding a joint league-low three goals – results that have left the club at the top of the second-tier standings.

As such, it is perhaps to be expected that a number of Fulham’s players have performed well this season, however, rather than any of the new signings topping the club’s performance charts – such as Harry Wilson, who has highly impressed since joining the club – it is actually a player who looked as if he could have been on his way out of west London this summer who has impressed most for the club thus far – Jean-Michael Seri.

Forget Wilson

As previously mentioned, Wilson has far from disappointed since making the move from Liverpool to Fulham this summer, with the winger scoring two goals, registering one assist and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.43 over his three Championship appearances for the Cottagers, however, the level of Seri’s performances for Fulham has perhaps been the most surprising factor of the club’s campaign so far.

Indeed, over his four Championship fixtures this term, the 30-year-old has made an average of 1.3 interceptions, 2.8 tackles, 0.8 clearances and won 5.5 duels per game.

The £3.6m-rated man has also impressed in a creative capacity, registering one assist, as well as making an average of 62.3 passes, 86.5 touches of the ball and 2.3 key passes per league appearance.

These returns have seen the player Xavi dubbed a “fantastic” talent earn a rather remarkable average SofaScore match rating of 7.60, not only ranking him as Silva’s best performer in the second tier but also as the third-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, while the Ivory Coast international may not have quite lived up to his £27m transfer fee just yet, the central midfielder certainly looks as if he could go on to play a starring role in Fulham’s push for promotion this season, something that may not have appeared all that likely to the Craven Cottage faithful just a matter of weeks ago.

In other news: Report sheds light on Fulham’s deadline day shocker which will have left Silva fuming

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Arturo Vidal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to reports from Chile (via Sport Witness), which claim that Antonio Conte has made contact with the Inter Milan midfielder regarding a switch to North London in the winter window.

The report goes on to suggest that, after speaking with a source close to the 34-year-old, the Chile international would be open to a move to the Premier League side, as one of his dreams has been to feature in the top flight of English football.

Speaking about Tottenham’s interest in Vidal, the source said: “His former Inter coach, Antonio Conte, contacted the player to find out his availability to arrive in London. Arturo has always wanted to play in England and the option of arriving in London is something that he doesn’t dislike either.”

Spurs must move

While it is true that Vidal is a player who is very much already well into the twilight years of his career at the top level of the professional game, it is undeniable that the midfielder would nevertheless make a fantastic addition to Conte’s current options in the middle of the park.

Indeed, the £8.5m-rated man played an important role for Inter over his 23 appearances Serie A appearances in the club’s title-winning campaign last season, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

The £86k-per-week central midfielder also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 27.8 passes and winning 2.8 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the player who himself said “many try to imitate” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80, with his performances playing a key role in helping I Nerazzurri seal their first scudetto in 11 years.

As such, with Conte looking to repeat his work at Inter by also restoring Tottenham to glory in the current campaign, it would indeed appear highly advisable for the 52-year-old coach to bring a player who played a key role for him in Italy to North London this January.

Under the management of the Italian, it is not difficult to imagine the midfielder going on to play a crucial role for Spurs in the middle of the park in the second half of the season.

In other news: Conte could save THFC millions by unleashing “quality” 18 y/o gem who has “great feet”

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Darwin Nunez to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness), who claim that the 22-year-old’s agent, Edgardo Lasalvia, has revealed that a number of top European clubs – including Spurs – have made contact with Benfica concerning a move for the centre-forward at the end of the current campaign.

The report then goes on to state that, as a result of the Uruguay international’s spectacular form both domestically and in European competition this season, the Liga Portugal side will demand a figure of around €100m (£83.5m) in order to part with the striker this summer.

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Tottenham’s next Poyet

Considering how impressive Nunez has been for Benfica in the current campaign, it is hardly surprising to learn that Fabio Paratici has been in contact with the Portuguese giants in order to sound out a move for the youngster this summer.

Indeed, over his 23 Liga Portugal appearances this term, the £36m-rated forward has been in breathtaking form for Nelson Verissimo’s side, scoring 21 goals, registering three assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £31k-per-week goal-getter average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.40, ranking him as the eighth-best player in the Portuguese top flight.

The 22-year-old who James Dodd dubbed a “sensational talent” has also been in rather remarkable form over his nine Champions League outings this season too, scoring five goals and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.02 – firing his side to the quarter-finals of the competition.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Nunez is one of the most exciting talents in world football at present, leading us to believe the centre-forward would make an excellent addition to Antonio Conte’s current options in attack – or even a potential replacement for Harry Kane, who continues to be linked with a move away from north London.

And, should Nunez be able to continue his impressive form after a theoretical switch to Spurs this summer, although they do not play in the same position, the Uruguayan youngster could well go on to become the club’s next Gus Poyet – Nunez’s compatriot and former Tottenham attacking midfielder who scored an impressive 23 goals over his 98 appearances in for the club.

AND in other news: Conte can form “dangerous” duo as THFC plot bids for £156m pair who “really get along”

Former Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes there is no chance that Manchester United will allow Jesse Lingard to return to West Ham.

The Lowdown: Lingard excels at West Ham

The Hammers enjoyed an excellent 2020/21 season and Lingard ended up being one of their star men, despite only arriving on loan in January. The midfielder scored nine goals and registered four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances, becoming an instant crowd favourite in the process.

The 28-year-old returned to United at the end of the campaign, but he has again struggled for playing time at Old Trafford, failing to start a single league game in 2021/22.

The Latest: O’Hara has his doubts

Despite rumours linking Lingard with a return to West Ham, O’Hara doesn’t see it happening for a second time.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast on Monday [via Read West Ham], the 35-year-old insisted that Manchester United wouldn’t sell to the Hammers now that they are a direct rival. He said:

“As if Man United are going to allow Jesse Lingard to go to West Ham – they are above them in the table. That’s not going to happen, that’s competition.

“There is no way they are going to allow a top player, who was brilliant for West Ham when he went there. They aren’t going to allow him to go on loan there this season when they are in direct competition. That’s never going to happen.”

The Verdict: Ideal January arrival

David Moyes’ Irons are on fire at the moment, sitting third in the table and having the strongest group of players at the club in years. If Lingard were to come back in January, it would arguably feel like the icing on the cake, giving West Ham even more quality in midfield and attacking areas.

It is sad to see him getting so little game-time at Manchester United, with the 28-year-old someone who should be starting regularly for a top-flight club based off his performances at the start of 2021. He has been described as ‘brilliant’ by Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite the Norwegian continually overlooking him from his team selection.

However, as O’Hara says, it would be a surprise if Lingard were to return to the London Stadium this season considering that the Hammers are in a top-four battle with Manchester United.

In other news, some West Ham fans love a recent update on a key Hammers player. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United have entered talks to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Dan-Axel Zagadou.

That’s according to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, and, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the rumours on social media.

Zagadou is 22 years of age and is out of contract with Dortmund at the end of June. The French centre-back has made 80 appearances for the club, however, he has suffered from numerous injury issues, missing 77 games since 2017/18.

Despite that, it seems as if United are keen to take advantage of Zagadou’s contract situation, with Aouna revealing on Twitter that Ralf Rangnick has started discussions with the defender’s agent.

Dortmund want to extend Zagadou’s stay in Germany, but he is now free to pen pre-contract terms at Old Trafford.

United fans react

@utdreport shared Aouna’s claim on Twitter on Wednesday morning. This is what these United fans had to say in reply, with many not keen on a transfer and one describing his injury record as ‘awful’.

“A extremely injury prone CB? Please no”

Credit: @MrCampbell98

“This can’t be true.. Very laughable”

Credit: @Sir_Skippa

“awful injury record NEXTTTT”

Credit: @UtdRajj

“He’d be our worst centre back”

Credit: @JoleanMU

“Just had a look at his stats….. this man is never going to be fit”

Credit: @TotalUnited

“A midfielder is more important”

Credit: @ShawzzyUTD

In other news: ‘Wow’ – Many MUFC fans erupt at journalist’s swap transfer news. 

Jamie Shackleton is the Leeds United youngster who has the best chance of earning regular minutes this season, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Shackleton impresses for Leeds

The 22-year-old has already made five Premier League appearances this season, including a start at home to Watford last weekend, as the Whites finally got their first win of the campaign in the competition.

With Luke Ayling out injured for the foreseeable future, it could be that Shackleton continues to fill in at right-back, hopefully making up for the loss of a key player.

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The Latest: Hay expects more minutes

That’s certainly the opinion of Hay, who took to The Athletic to claim that Shackleton is the standout youngster, in terms of getting minutes as the season progresses:

“Looking at Jamie Shackleton in the past two games, perhaps the door might open for him at right-back now, especially with Luke Ayling undergoing surgery on his knee.”

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The Verdict: Ideal Ayling replacement

Shackleton is capable of playing at both right-back and in midfield, but it looks as though he will get playing time in the former for now.

Ayling is expected to be out for around six weeks, so this is a wonderful opportunity for the Englishman to stake a claim and cement his place.

The signs are promising with Shackleton, with Leeds Live‘s Beren Cross handing Shackleton a seven-out-of-10 rating against Watford and Darren Bent calling him ‘superb’ last year.

In other news, Hay has also provided an update on Leeds’ potential January business. Read more here.

Carlton Palmer has offered his thoughts on speculation over Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa’s future.

What’s the talk?

Former Leeds midfielder, Palmer, has allayed fears that the club could lose manager Bielsa to Barcelona.

The Lillywhites head coach has been linked with the top job in Catalonia recently, but Palmer believes that he will stay at Elland Road for at least another season.

He told This is Futbol:

“Well, like I say, you can never say never, but there’s always going to be rumours. If you’re a manager that’s done well or if you’re a player that’s doing well, there’ll be rumours about you.

“I think Bielsa is one of those people. He seems a pretty straight up, straight down type of guy. He’s committed to Leeds for another season and he works from season to season.

“I think unless something drastically happens in terms of his arrangements with the hierarchy at Leeds in terms of recruitment and bringing players in and being able to do the job the way he wants to, I see Bielsa staying at Leeds for another season at least.”

Fans will be buzzing

Leeds fans will surely be buzzing to read this claim from Palmer following speculation over Bielsa’s future at the club. Losing the ex-Marseille manager would be a gigantic blow for the Whites and one that could leave fans feeling devastated, given what he has achieved in his time in Yorkshire.

He has taken the club from years of wallowing in the Championship to playing fast-paced, exciting, football and thriving in the Premier League.

Instead of turgid, boring, football in the second tier playing the likes of – with all due respect to them – Barnsley, Rotherham and Wigan each week, Leeds are going toe to toe with Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea as they compete in the top tier week-in-week-out and that is largely down to Bielsa’s work.

The head coach led Leeds to a third-placed finish – averaging 1.80 points per game – in his first campaign at the club in the Championship, losing in the play-offs to Derby. He was then able to build on that and secure the title the following year, averaging 2.02 points per game as Leeds won the league ahead of the likes of West Brom, Fulham and Brentford – highlighting his influence over the years.

The Argentine was then able to take the next step at Premier League level by keeping Leeds in the top-flight following their promotion. Leeds finished ninth in the 2020/21 season, averaging 1.55 points per game across the campaign.

This is why fans will be buzzing at the prospect of Bielsa staying at Leeds for the rest of this term and then potentially for another year, at least.

He has shown that he is an influential figure at the club as he has achieved relative success in both the Championship and Premier League, which is why supporters will surely want him to stay at Elland Road and would be gutted if he left to join Barcelona.

AND in other news, Fresh development emerges on “unlimited energy” beast that’ll leave Leeds fans excited…

It would take a “ludicrous amount of money” for Aston Villa to get Allan Saint-Maximin out of Newcastle United, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

There is nothing to suggest that Saint-Maximin is currently a target for Villa. And having already signed Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey to strengthen the wide positions, that is unlikely to change before the transfer window shuts.

However, former Villa striker Stan Collymore reckons his old side, as well as the likes of West Ham and Everton, should be trying to sign the 24-year-old (Daily Mirror via Chronicle Live).

Given his importance to Newcastle, though, and the fact that he signed and a new six-year contract last October, for Hatfield, it is practically a non-starter.

“It would take a ludicrous amount of money to sign Allan Saint-Maximin now,” Hatfield told FFC. “He’s just signed a new deal. He’s obviously a very talented player; he’s probably Newcastle’s most talented player.

“He’s shone in the Premier League for Newcastle. He’d be a nightmare to replace for them, so you’d imagine they’d want top dollar for him.

“I’d be massively surprised if Villa were to show any kind of serious interest in Saint-Maximin.”

Indeed, Saint-Maximin is not the kind of attacker that is easy to replace. The Frenchman averaged 3.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League last season, more than any player bar Wolves’ Adama Traore (via WhoScored).

Leeds United can count their lucky stars that they managed to return to Yorkshire with a share of the spoils on Saturday evening.

In what was described as an “important point for us” by manager Marcelo Bielsa, the Whites were far from the better side in their late-evening Premier League clash at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Indeed, the Seagulls hit the woodwork three times and arguably, they deserved to go into the break with the lead.

The Argentine was quite clearly concerned with their play as he made a double change for the second half, and perhaps surprisingly Kalvin Phillips was one of the two casualties – as well as left-back Junior Firpo, who was a complete walking liability at the Amex Stadium.

He endured a torrid time up against Brighton star Tariq Lamptey, who continued his impressive comeback from injury.

The former Spain under-21 international, who is currently valued at just £12.5m following his summer move from Barcelona, picked up a very early yellow card in the fifth minute for his troubles up against the English dynamo.

Lamptey continued to be a nuisance as the first half went on, so much so that Firpo was walking a tightrope and could have easily received his marching orders – it’s no wonder Bielsa hooked him so soon.

Across the 45 minutes, he committed four fouls, which would go on to be double what any other player managed, even those who played the full 90 minutes.

The 25-year-old, who earns around £55k-per-week at Elland Road, was also lightweight as he won just six of his 12 duels (50%), and was wasteful too, losing possession eight times on top of a disappointing 68% passing accuracy, as per SofaScore.

It made the decision to bring him back into the starting XI over Pascal Struijk, who had done no wrong up until this point, a rather baffling one to make.

Elsewhere, Firpo managed fewer touches (37) than all but one starter, including goalkeeper Illan Meslier (54), further displaying his lack of influence on the side.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross ranked the 6-foot defender amongst United’s worst-performing players. ‘Did well to stay on as long as he did. Lamptey had his number from the start and once he was on a yellow you were fearing the worst. Did not justify the decision to drop Pascal Struijk. 3/10,’ he wrote.

On the above evidence, Bielsa may want to rethink his approach with Firpo. He was a total calamity down on the south coast, and with his team sat just one place above the relegation zone, he cannot afford many repeat performances heading into a busy festive period.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops big Leeds United managerial update…

The Transfer Tavern’s EFL spy has suggested that Adam Armstrong might end up at Fulham this window.

The Blackburn striker has established himself as one of the most lethal second-tier goalscorers in recent seasons, scoring 44 times in the Championship across the last two years combined, including 28 last term.

Armstrong’s form has led to plenty of Premier League interest, with the likes of Southampton, West Ham and others battling it out for his signature.

But the Rovers frontman has made just a handful of Premier League appearances during his teenage years with Newcastle and doesn’t have a top-flight goal to his name.

With that in mind, another season at Championship level could benefit the 24-year-old, especially in a Fulham side that are expected to score plenty and challenge for promotion once again.

New Cottagers manager Marco Silva currently has Aleksandar Mitrovic at his disposal, but the Serbian scored just three times in the league last season and didn’t look up for the challenge for the majority of 2020-2021.

And with Fulham desperately needing another name regardless of whether Mitrovic sticks around, the EFL insider exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Adam Armstrong from Blackburn could be one, similar to Dwight Gayle, but has more goals in his game in my opinion.

“He’s proven now and a good bid might get him to move to a big club like Fulham, with its wealth.”