All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham have endured a very topsy-turvy start to the season with Nuno Santo overseeing three wins on the spin and then winning Premier League manager of the month.

However, after overseeing a wonderful August, Spurs were back in the dumps throughout September as they won just once in the league.

What’s the word?

What hasn’t helped Nuno’s men is a lack of goals from star man Harry Kane.

Tottenham managed to keep hold of the England captain despite rife speculation over the summer but he is yet to find the net in the top-flight during 2021/22.

His future at the club is still unclear but recent reports in Italy claim Spurs could sign Alvaro Morata as Kane’s replacement.

Currently valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, it would presumably be an expensive move to sanction.

Morata is currently on loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid but the Old Lady don’t want to see him become a permanent part of the furniture. Thus, it opens the door for Spurs to move in and swoop.

Soldado 2.0

Cast your minds back to the summer of 2013 and Tottenham fans will crawl up into a ball of fear.

The club sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid after using a portion of the eventual fee they received on acquiring Roberto Soldado.

The Spanish forward arrived in a then club-record deal worth £26m but it was a humungous waste of time and money.

Soldado struggled significantly in English football and only netted 16 times in 76 outings. His time in north London is a constant source of anguish for the striker who hardly spoke glowingly of his time there.

In an interview with The Guardian, he said: “I always say if there is one period of my career I’m not happy with, it’s my time at Tottenham.”

The forward continued: “I also had Harry Kane’s boom to contend with.”

Sadly, Morata is also a player who’s attracted fierce criticism for his performances, especially in England.

During his time at Chelsea, the attacker regularly missed simple opportunities to score, a habit that has continued throughout his time elsewhere on the continent.

He scored just 12 times in 34 outings for Atletico in 2019/20 and then bagged only 11 goals in 32 matches for Juve last season.

His form at the European Championships was also questionable. Like Soldado, he struggled in front of goal and was given quite the hammering by Gary Neville.

The outspoken pundit remarked: “He’s got that vulnerable look about him, almost like he needs a cuddle.”

“It’s like he apologises to the ball before he makes contact with it, ‘Sorry, I’m gonna have to kick you here!’ There is just no belief.”

Also described as “fragile” by Maurizio Sarri, Morata clearly lacks the ability to be a constant threat.

Considering he could act as a replacement for Kane, this is a disaster waiting to happen. If they do end up selling, they can’t afford to replicate the situation that unfolded when Bale walked through the exit door.

Morata is someone that Daniel Levy simply has to forget about.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Hojbjerg: Spurs eye move for £19.8m-rated “machine”, Nuno would love him…

With a price tag of £54m, Naby Keita is currently the third most expensive player Liverpool have signed behind Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

However, the midfielder’s time at the Merseyside club has not been a particularly smooth ride as of yet, with many injury issues damaging his playing time with the Reds.

Since arriving from German club RB Leipzig back in the 2018 summer transfer window, Keita, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £120k-per-week according to Spotrac, has made a total of 82 appearances for the Reds across all competitions. During his time in Merseyside, he has managed to chip in with eight goals and four assists.

In terms of his transfer value, Transfermarkt had his market value listed at £58.5m back in December 2018 but since then, it has dropped dramatically. Now it stands at £28.8m, which proves how disappointing the majority of his time at Anfield has been. It also suggests that the decision to lure him to Liverpool was a poor one from Michael Edwards.

Moving forward, it seems as though the key to unlocking Keita’s potential and getting the best out of him is if he could stay fit for a consistent period of time and gets the chance to play to show why Liverpool chose to splash such a significant amount of cash to bring him to the club.

Until that happens, it seems unlikely, in our view that his market value will be getting anywhere near where it was when he originally left Leipzig to join Liverpool. However, everyone at the Merseyside club will undoubtedly be more concerned over his fitness and playing time rather than his market value.

Given how Liverpool currently have Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott out injured, we feel that this is one of the times where they could do with having Keita fit and available consistently to give Klopp an extra option in midfield.

That, however, seems farfetched. A big reason behind his decrease in value is his fitness issues. Since moving to Englan,d the Guinea international has had 14 different spells on the sidelines, missing 54 matches as a consequence.

Looking ahead to the future, with the midfielder’s current contract at Liverpool set to expire in 2023, it would be intriguing to see whether the club would be willing to offer him a new deal. In our view, if he keeps missing games through injury, the club should consider letting him go if they can’t rely on him.

In other news: FSG currently face one of their biggest Liverpool dilemmas, they must act soon – opinion 

Celtic are now struggling in their attempts to sign Georgios Giakoumakis, according to Duncan Castles.

The Lowdown: Positive updates

There have been two positive updates in Celtic’s pursuit of the 26-year-old after Ange Postecoglou called him over a Scotland move earlier this month.

The first came from Greek reporter Giannis Chorianopoulos, who suggested that Celtic have agreed terms in principle with VVV-Venlo for Giakoumakis.

Derek Rae then claimed that Werder Bremen, who held face-to-face talks with the striker, moved on to Hannover’s Marvin Ducksch, with a transfer now announced.

The Latest: Castles’ post

Castles, who was the first to share Celtic’s interest in Giakoumakis on The Daily Record, posted on Twitter on Wednesday, sharing a link to The Transfer Window podcast.

In his post, he revealed that the Hoops ‘struggle’ on Giakoumakis, with The Daily Record sharing a €2.5m fee.

Giakoumakis is keen to leave VVV-Venlo and has held talks with Celtic, but a deal is not done yet, with any move possibly hinging on a potential exit for Odsonne Edouard. [The Daily Record]

The Verdict: Celtic need to take the lead

Dominic McKay and co need to take the lead in the final days of the window, even if that means signing Giakoumakis with Edouard still on the books.

What they don’t want to happen is to part ways with Edouard and then run out of time to secure a new forward before the deadline closes.

It appears as if a move for Giakoumakis has hit a snag, but hopefully, Postecoglou will get his man in the final few days.

In other news: Celtic now looking at late swoop for ‘fantastic’ defender alongside Liam Scales move.  

Despite having a solid start to their season in the Premier League with seven wins, four draws and one defeat under their belts and winning all of their Champions League and Carabao Cup games, Liverpool have a big issue on the horizon.

Their top two goalscorers in the league, Mohamed Salah (11) and Sadio Mane (seven) fly off to join their respective countries and take part in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in January.

With this in mind and the fact that the duo are such crucial goalscoring threats for Jurgen Klopp’s team, it’s safe to say that this will be a big blow for the Reds.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the Merseyside club have their eye on signing a new attacking player that could fill the void left by Salah and Mane’s absence.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Fichajes.net that Liverpool will target a January move for West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen to fill in while Mane and Salah are away.

With Bowen having been linked with a move to Anfield in the past and praised by Klopp, it’s easy to see why the club apparently see him as a potential January target.

Since joining West Ham from Hull City back in the 2020 January transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of over £20m, the 24-year-old, who has been described in the past by Grant McCann as “unplayable” has scored 12 goals and provided 15 assists in 72 appearances for the Hammers.

Labelled as a “world-beater” by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, Bowen showed in West Ham’s 3-2 win over Liverpool in recent weeks just how dangerous he is by assisting two goals and earning himself a strong overall match rating of 7.4/10 from SofaScore.

Taking all of this into account, if Liverpool were able to sign Bowen, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, in January, this could be a great piece of business from FSG and would certainly ease the burden of having Mane and Salah away.

However, with the winger having played in every single one of West Ham’s games across all competitions so far this season, it could be rather hard to get the east London club to part ways with the winger, who is clearly an important figure in David Moyes’ squad, and they probably wouldn’t want to let him go to a club so close to them in the league table.

In other news: Klopp can save LFC millions with “unbelievable” 19 y/o gem, he’s going to be “massive” – opinion

Southampton have recently been linked with a move for Manchester United centre-back Phil Jones, but it could prove to be a disastrous signing by Martin Semmens.

What’s the word?

According to 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, Southampton are among a number of Premier League clubs, including Newcastle United, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Brighton and West Ham, to be keeping tabs on the 29-year-old’s situation at Old Trafford.

Although the former Blackburn Rovers man has been surplus to requirements for some time at Manchester United, following the impending signing of Raphael Varane, it seems as if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is willing to let Jones leave on a free transfer in order to finally facilitate his departure, despite him having two years left on his deal with the Red Devils.

Jones was signed for United by Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2011 in a deal worth £17m but has struggled terribly with injuries during his 10 years at the club, Making 224 appearances to his name in all competitions, the 2011/12 and 2013/14 seasons were the only two where he managed more than 25 appearances in a top-flight campaign for the Red Devils.

Would he be a good signing?

Despite him reportedly being available for nothing, the report also suggests that Jones earns £100k per week at Old Trafford, which suggests that unless he took a serious pay cut, he would be one of the top earners at Southampton should he make the move to St Mary’s.

Unless the former England international is able to shake off his injury concerns and rediscover the form he was showing nearly a decade ago, then it is difficult to see him getting in ahead of any of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s current centre-back options. He will also turn 30 in February next year, so he would not be a signing for the long-term, while he has forged an unfortunate reputation for producing moments which wouldn’t inspire confidence.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, it makes very little sense to sign him, and Southampton fans would surely be less than happy if they were to waste a significant portion of their wage budget for the transfer window on an ageing, injury-prone player such as Jones.

In other news… Southampton look set to miss out on their next Sadio Mane as agent drops transfer update

Derby County have been handed a huge boost regarding their incoming transfer business at Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Chris Coles, with the BBC journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, following further discussions with the EFL, Wayne Rooney will now be able to make a further four loan signings in the summer transfer window.

This news comes following John Percy’s previous claim that the Rams would be able to make five new additions to their first team squad ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign despite still being under an EFL-imposed transfer embargo.

However, in Coles’ tweets, the journalist went on to state that further discussions between the club and the governing body are currently taking place, with a resolution regarding unpaid tax expected to be sorted out at the end of this week, which could subsequently allow Derby to sign a further 10 new players this summer.

Fans will be delighted

While Derby’s off-field issues appear far from over just yet, reports that Rooney now looks to be able to add four more players – albeit on loan deals – to his first-team squad ahead of the new season is sure to have left fans very pleased.

Indeed, with the Rams technically still having just 13 contracted players – although a significant number of trialists are training with the club while waiting for Derby to receive clearance in order to offer them contracts – and with the transfer embargo meaning that Rooney could not bring in any new faces prior to the easing of the sanction, the possibility of him not being able to field a team for the opening day clash with Huddersfield Town on August 7 was very real.

However, following Coles’ latest update, it would now appear that this particular worry for Derby is one they can start to forget about, with the Rams looking set to be able to secure multiple new signings in the coming days.

While a potential takeover of Derby still looks way off, and the Rams still have cash flow problems, at the very least the Pride Park faithful now know that Rooney and his men should definitely be in Championship action in a little under two weeks’ time.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops two-word Derby County takeover update that will have fans fuming

Aston Villa are still eyeing a move for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil after The Telegraph’s recent transfer update.

What’s the story?

A report from Football Insider had previously claimed that Dean Smith’s side have their eye on the 21-year-old, and that the Premier League club are “lining up a huge bid for him”.

Then, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans revealed: “Villa already recognise the need for another wide player, and The Athletic understands Burnley’s Dwight McNeil is of serious interest, as is Emi Buendia of Championship winners Norwich. Extensive groundwork has already been done on both of them.

“The scouting department has closely scrutinised his in-game contributions, and McNeil is recognised as a player who brings additional options to open up a game.

And now, The Telegraph have claimed that Villa still have McNeil high up on their target list as they look to reinforce their squad ahead of the new Premier League season.

Premier League quality

The £43m-rated winger has been one of the few standout players for the Clarets since breaking onto the scene, and it’s something which has led to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp raving about him.

He said: “Dwight McNeil is such a good player, lovely left foot, doesn’t stop running. Every time I watch him he gets better and better, he’s got real quality and certainly a player that the top six to eight clubs will be looking at, and that’s no disrespect to Burnley because I don’t like saying that sometimes, but he is that good.”

With his ability to beat players one-on-one – his average of 1.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League was the highest of any Burnley player last season – McNeil could bring a new and exciting dimension to Villa’s attack.

That dribbling, and McNeil’s composure on the ball, is something very much akin to Villa talisman Jack Grealish, andled to Burnley manager Sean Dyche waxing lyrical about the kind of talent he is.

He said: “He’s a real talent. He’s a really good player, he’s improving, his calmness at the end – I’m saying get it in the corner – but he cuts in, and his calmness to cross it into a dangerous area, and then gets his reward.

“Before then, his calmness to dribble out of trouble – he’s a really good player, really good, and he can only mature.”

The Telegraph’s update on their interest in McNeil should surely have Villa fans buzzing given the kind of attacking flair the winger could bring to the club.

Meanwhile, Matt Maher has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update…

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, Tottenham Hotspur reporter Rob Guest has made a claim about highly-rated youngster Dane Scarlett.

The Lowdown: Scarlett set for stardom?

The 17-year-old made his competitive Spurs debut against Ludogorets in the Europa League last season, becoming their youngest ever player to do that (Goal).

Following another cameo against Wolfsberger in the same competition, former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho lauded the forward as a ‘diamond’ whilst backing him to become a ‘fantastic player’ (BT Sport via The Sun)

The Portuguese also likened Scarlett to Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, with Guest now making a claim about the Tottenham teenager.

The Latest: Guest makes Scarlett claim…

Speaking in the Q&A, Guest said that the promising talent ‘should get plenty of minutes’ under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo this season.

Meanwhile, the reporter also said that Scarlett is ‘rated extremely highly’ within the club.

“Scarlett is rated extremely highly at the club and he should get plenty of minutes in Europe and the cup competitions,” Guest replied when asked exactly how much faith is being put in the youngster at Spurs.

“Chances will also more than likely be there for him in the league going on the lack of another out-and-out striker. However, he just needs to be eased into action given his age.”

The Verdict: Exciting times in the academy…

As well as Scarlett, there seems to be plenty of hype surrounding the likes of Oliver Skipp and Alfie Devine to name a few.

Tottenham’s thriving youth prospects have always been a major talking point at N17 and there have been no sign of that slowing down over the last two or three seasons.

Scarlett in particular, now Spurs’ youngest ever debutant, will have eyes on him this year and it will be very interesting to see just how much he will feature under Nuno.

In other news: ‘Finished article’…Sky pundit in awe of Spurs starlet who’s an ‘improved version of Ndombele’, find out more here.

Celtic are reportedly interested in obtaining ex-Celt Shaun Maloney’s services ahead of their summer rebuild, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Pandemonium in Paradise

Astonishingly, Celtic still find themselves without certainty as to who will be on the coaching pay-roll next season. Still without a manager following Neil Lennon’s resignation in February, they face considerable uncertainty at the club with the new campaign drawing ever closer [BBC].

Mass reconstruction is set to dominate the Celtic landscape this summer. Rumoured to be switching to a sporting director model, angst has increased amongst Hoops supporters due to dithering and inaction within their senior boardroom ranks.

The Latest: Celts eye Maloney swoop

As reports suggest, Fergal Harkin’s prospective move to Glasgow as sporting director may have stalled [The Celtic Star]. Consequentially, Maloney has emerged as a target to fill the vacant position.

Currently on the books of Belgium as an assistant coach, the Celtic hierarchy may see Maloney as an ideal fit for the role, as they look to wrestle the Scottish Premiership title back from rivals Rangers.

His progressive way of thinking, passion for the modern game and Celtic connections have caught the eye of the boardroom. Intriguingly, the Daily Record suggest the Hoops may pull on the latter to finalise the deal, while they also claim talks between Maloney and outgoing chief executive Peter Lawwell have already started.

The Verdict: Major coup for Celtic if they can make Maloney reality

In a year of turmoil at Celtic Park, innovation is necessary in order to get the Celts back on track. Described by Roberto Martinez as having an ‘elite brain’, former Aston Villa man Maloney could be the perfect appointment for Celtic [The Scottish Sun].

Having worked with world class Belgian players on the international scene since 2018, he has a unique understanding of what it takes to succeed at the top level. If he could translate this to club football, he could be an excellent addition to the Celtic fold.

In other news, check out the latest on Odsonne Edouard’s Hoops future!

West Ham United are interested in signing Cyle Larin this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Turkish newspaper Sozcu claimed (via Sport Witness) that the Irons are keen to bolster their frontline ahead of a campaign in the Europa League next season and the Besiktas talisman is a player they have been closely monitoring.

It’s claimed that the Super Lig outfit will command around €15m (£12.5m) for the 26-year-old striker, although West Ham are facing competition from West Bromwich Albion, as well as other unnamed Premier League and Championship clubs.

Larin has previously been linked with Leeds United, as per the report, whilst his £28,000-per-week contract isn’t set to expire until 2022.

Shades of Antonio

Hammers boss David Moyes has been longing for a new striker since the turn of the year after the club’s hierarchy sanctioned the exit of Sebastian Haller without finding a viable replacement.

It left the 58-year-old in a tricky spot as he could only call upon an injury-prone Michail Antonio to lead his line, whilst in his absence, the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Jesse Lingard were deployed as makeshift centre-forwards.

Clearly, he needs more options if the east Londoners are to put up a decent fight in Europe next season, on top of ensuring that this campaign was no mere fluke. Moyes could do with another forward in the mould of Antonio, which is where Larin could come in.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip-gsb-moyes-striker-future-signings” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

Also capable of playing out wide, the versatile 33-cap Canada international is most devastating through the middle, where he has delivered 23 goals and six assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Nine of those have come as a striker, playing in that role 16 times, and it is his form which has helped fire the Super Eagles to the Turkish title for the first time since 2016.

Once at Orlando City in Major League Soccer (MLS), Larin earned praise from then-teammate and legendary midfielder Kaka, who tipped him for big things.

“I think Cyle can go far,” Kaka said at an MLS media day, via Goal.com. “Cyle is a very good player and the third season for us will be great, but I think Cyle can play in a big team in Europe as well.”

His national team head coach John Herdman waxed lyrical about his qualities earlier this year, dubbing the 6 foot 2 beast “an absolute predator” who “has that ability”, via Total Soccer Project.

“There’s been real improvement and development in his game,” added Canada captain Atiba Hutchinson. “Not only the goals he’s been scoring, but his work ethic, his understanding of the game. He’s become a lot more tidy as a player.”

Larin earns further comparisons to the current Hammers star as he has a similar mix of explosive pace and brute power, having averaged 2.1 shots and 1.2 dribbles per game in the Super Lig, compared to Antonio’s 2.4 shots and 1.7 dribbles per match.

Moyes could well sign West Ham’s next versatile monster with a swoop for Larin, and at just £12.5m, you’d have to say it would be a snip.

AND in other news, GSB masterclass: West Ham hit gold with £35k-p/w “machine” who’s a “manager’s dream”…