All posts by hc12369.com

Southampton have now booked a medical to sign a “fantastic” ace, who has “proven” himself in the Champions League.

Saints looking to get play-off push back on track

Tonda Eckert was rewarded with the manager’s job in early December, after winning four out of five Championship games in an interim role, but the Saints’ hopes of mounting a promotion push have since been dented significantly.

Eckert’s side are without a victory in their last six matches in the second tier, and they were on the receiving end of a very heavy defeat last time out, succumbing to a 4-0 defeat against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough.

Consequently, the St. Mary’s outfit now sit in 15th place, eight points adrift of the top six, and they may need to make some new additions this month if they are to stand any chance of returning to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Eckert has confirmed there won’t be wholesale changes before the January transfer window closes, saying: “You never do a lot in January, and we don’t plan to do a lot, but if we come to the conclusion that there is somebody who can really help us, it needs to be spot on.”

However, goalkeeper has been a problem position for Southampton, with Gavin Bazunu making an error leading to a goal in the heavy defeat against Boro, and they are now closing in on the signing of Bayern Munich’s Daniel Peretz.

That is according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, who has revealed Peretz is set to travel this evening, before completing the move after completing a medical, which has been booked in for tomorrow morning.

The Saints are set to pay the German club a loan fee of €400,000 (£347k), and will have the option to make the Israeli’s stay permanent for €8m (£7m) in the summer.

"Fantastic" Peretz could be upgrade on Bazunu

The 25-year-old has been a back-up player throughout his career with Bayern, but he did manage to impress when given the opportunity in the Champions League last season, with sporting director Max Eberl saying: “Daniel Peretz is a fantastic backup. He’s proven himself in the cup, Bundesliga, and now the Champions League. He also delivered great performances for the Israeli national team against Belgium and France.”

Before moving to the Bundesliga, the shot-stopper also caught the eye when playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv, shipping just 15 goals in the Israeli Premier League in the 2022-23 season, and keeping 16 clean sheets in 26 outings, to help his side secure a third-place finish.

Related Live Football Streams: Watch Premier League, Championship, La Liga & more

All the fixtures and channels to watch live football on TV this week can be found here.

Posts ByCharlie Smith

Bazunu, on the other hand, has been criticised by former player Jo Tessem, who said last month: “I don’t have anything personal against Bazunu, but football-wise, you have to criticise what he is as a goalkeeper.

Subscribe to our newsletter for sharper transfer insight Join our newsletter to deepen understanding of transfer moves and squad planning, with clear analysis and expert context that helps you interpret signings and their impact on club ambitions.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“He is a young keeper learning his trade, but if you are going to be a top, top team, you have to have a keeper who will bail you out.”

Southampton need to bring in a new goalkeeper if they are to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs, and Peretz could be a smart addition to the squad.

Thierno Barry and Beto scored in the same game for Everton for the first time in the club’s 4-2 loss to Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday.

The French striker scored his third Premier League goal of the season, having started the match, whilst Beto came off the bench to score just his second goal of the campaign.

Five goals between the two forwards is a disappointing return, particularly given that the Toffees spent £27m on Barry and £26m on Beto to bolster their front line.

David Moyes is not getting consistent quality out of his two main centre-forward options, despite a combined £53m cost, and that is a cause for concern moving forward.

Everton offered chance to sign new striker

The Toffees could permanently bench both of them from the starting line-up, though, by adding another option in that position to their squad this month.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Expand Collapse

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of a number of Premier League sides in the race to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Jorgen Strand Larsen.

The report claims that Wolves are ready to cash in on the Norway international in the January transfer window, as they are heading toward relegation and are wary that he will lose value if they go down.

It adds that the Toffees, Newcastle United, Spurs, Crystal Palace, and Fulham have all been contacted to be told that he is available to be bought this month, which means that they have been offered the chance to sign him.

TEAMtalk also reveals that the relegation-threatened side want a fee of around £40m in order to sell the Norwegian number nine, despite rejecting an offer of almost £60m in the summer from Newcastle.

How Strand Larsen could be the end of Beto and Barry

Strand Larsen may not seem like an attractive target for Everton given that he has scored one goal in 18 Premier League matches, but he is playing for a team that has racked up six points and won one game this season.

His statistics in previous seasons suggest that his current struggles are mainly down to the team around him, given the drop-off has happened alongside the team’s horrendous form, which means that there is now an opportunity for the Toffees to take advantage of.

The 25-year-old marksman scored an eye-catching 14 goals from 10.27 xG in his first Premier League season with Wolves in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore. This shows that he is capable of delivering goals on a regular basis in the top-flight.

Only nine players scored more goals than him in the division last term, per Sofascore, whilst Beto scored eight goals in 30 appearances for the Toffees last term. In fact, Beto and Barry have never scored more than 11 goals in a single league campaign in either of their careers.

This suggests that Everton should not be expecting them to improve too much on their current struggles, as they are yet to prove that they can be prolific scorers at any level, let alone in the Premier League.

Strand Larsen

23/24 LaLiga

24/25 PL

Appearances

36

35

xG

14.55

10.27

Goals

13

14

Minutes per goal

222

187

Big chances created

5

6

Assists

3

4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Strand Larsen’s form for Celta Vigo and Wolves in the last two full seasons shows that he can offer a greater threat in front of goal than both of them.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Everton transfer insight Dig deeper into Everton’s striker options by subscribing to the newsletter for focused transfer coverage and expert analysis on targets like Strand Larsen – understand what signings mean for the squad and starting choices without losing key context.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Norway international, despite his struggles in a dismal Wolves team this season, does have the quality to score goals on a regular basis in major European leagues, which suggests that he could be a good signing for Everton this month.

Strand Larsen, who was described as a “proper no.9” by analyst Ben Mattinson, also delivered seven assists in those two seasons, whilst Beto and Barry have assisted five goals in all competitions between them since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.

Overall, the £40m-rated star’s experience and Premier League-proven record suggest that he could be the end of both Barry and Beto as starters for Everton, as he has the potential to come in and be the main man for Moyes.

Related Everton now keen on signing £4m AFCON star who Victor Osimhen called "exceptional"

The Toffees could land a January addition.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

Therefore, the club should push to win the race for his signature before the end of the January transfer window, in the hope that they can get him back to his best in the top-flight.