JANUARY HIJACK: SEE WHY WEST HAM AND SUNDERLAND ARE OFFICIALLY FIGHTING FOR ARTEM DOVBYK
Roma has reportedly offered Artem Dovbyk to Sunderland and West Ham for £19m as AC Milan closes in on striker Niclas Füllkrug.
AC Milan might make a move that kicks off a £19m transfer thing that could mess with Sunderland this January.
Word is, Sunderland's in the mix to grab Artem Dovbyk. Apparently, Roma's trying to ship him out during the January transfer window.
Orazio Accomando, an Italian journalist, mentioned West Ham was interested, but Gazzetta dello Sport is saying Sunderland's seriously looking at him now. The Italian paper's saying Roma's not sure about Dovbyk's future and would sell the 28-year-old if they get good offers.
They're saying West Ham might want Dovbyk to take Niclas Füllkrug's place, since he might be heading to AC Milan. Also, Roma's sporting director, Ricky Massara, has supposedly offered the striker to Sunderland, giving them another option.
The report says Sunderland's sporting director, Florent Ghisolfi, could be involved in talks, since he used to work at Roma. His ties inside the Italian club might help if Sunderland wants to chase this.
Roma's supposedly looking for buyers; someone will bite. But Dovbyk apparently doesn't want to go to Turkey, which cuts down his options. Sunderland and West Ham would need to cough up around €22 million (£18.8 million) for the Ukraine guy, who's scored a couple of goals in Serie A this season.
He's been hurt a bit this season, so he hasn't been scoring as much. Roma tried to get rid of Dovbyk this past summer, but AC Milan was really interested. With the Premier League a possibility again, January might sort things out for him.
What did Régis Le Bris say after the Brighton game?
Le Bris thought Sunderland deserved their point against Brighton because they held strong when Brighton put on the pressure at the end. Sunderland was in charge for a while, despite missing some players who were called up for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Brighton was also missing some folks due to injuries, suspensions, and sickness, and they got stronger as the game went on. Sunderland couldn't score when they had chances earlier, but Le Bris was happy with how his players defended to keep a clean sheet.
A draw was probably fair, Le Bris said. The guys in the locker room were a little bummed [that we didn't win], which is a good sign for later. We had two parts to the game. We were in control until about 65 or 70 minutes, which is impressive for an away game.
The Echo's got a new WhatsApp SAFC channel for all the latest news, analysis, team stuff, and injury updates right on your phone. Just click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
We showed some good stuff, real grit. We had the ball and could have scored then. But if you don't score away from home when you get those chances, you know the other team's going to push hard at the end.
They did well for the last 20 or 25 minutes. We stayed tight and kept that clean sheet. They crossed a lot, like we thought they would, so we were ready for that. We have guys who really want to defend the box and the goal, and they did. They defended well.
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
_1777371632.webp)
