All posts by z3u9t.icu

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to a shocking deadline day revelation, as their deal for Swansea attacker Daniel James fell through at the last minute.

Leeds fans have been absolutely desperate to sign James this month as they look to improve the depth in an injury-hit squad.

However, the deal is 100 per cent off, as reported by Phil Hay, after the Swans quite literally stopped responding to Leeds’ calls.

The young winger was set to join on an initial loan deal with a view to a permanent move in the summer, reported The Yorkshire Evening Post on Thursday afternoon, but the turmoil at the south Wales club has clearly played its part.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

James, 21, can play in various positions across the attack, but is probably most comfortable on the left wing, where he was seen as the long-term successor for Pablo Hernandez.

The youngster scored eight goals and added 12 assists for Swansea’s Under-23 side before graduating to the senior side, where he has found the net three times and chipped in with four assists, per Transfermarkt.

Victor Orta has taken plenty of stick since he took over the transfer dealings at Elland Road, but the Spaniard surely can’t be blamed for this one, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Aston Villa have been particularly busy over the past few years when it comes to being active in the transfer market.

The previous summer and winter windows saw the Midlands club bring in numerous new faces to Villa Park, with some arriving on permanent deals and others joining on temporary loan deals.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer window, it seems as though some behind the scenes details have emerged regarding one potential deal that could take place which would really excite a lot of Villans.

What’s the news?

During a recent online Q&A on the Birmingham Live website, Villa journalist Ashley Preece was asked if he thinks the Midlands club will be able to secure Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal when his current loan spell from Barcelona comes to an end.

He said: “Coutinho and his family have settled in really well. It’s certainly pointing towards a permanent deal. Coutinho really happy here. A lot depends on the salary now. Villa will crunch the numbers over the next few weeks. Transfer window opens on June 10 and Gerrard wants all of his business done prior to the last week of pre-season in late July/early August.”

Supporters will love it

Since arriving at Villa Park back in January, the Brazilian has scored four goals and provided three assists in 11 league appearances. As a result, the news that a permanent deal could now be on the cards is likely to be music to the ears of the club’s fanbase.

To highlight how much of an attacking impact the former Liverpool star has had since joining Steven Gerrard’s side, he has racked up an average of 2.5 shots per game, higher than any other Villa player, while further stats make for impressive reading too.

Only John McGinn (1.5) has a higher average of key passes per game than Coutinho (1.4), who has also made more dribbles per game (1.5) than any of his teammates, showing how much of a threat he is for the Villans going forward.

The Barcelona loanee’s overall performances have earned him a season rating of 7.18, making him the second-highest rated player at the Midlands club according to WhoScored.

This shows just what a good bit of business it was from the club to get him back in England.

Taking all of this into account, it should be one of Villa’s top priorities to secure Coutinho on a permanent deal when his loan deal ends.

With Preece revealing that the player and his family have settled in well and that things are pointing towards a deal being put together in the summer, this will undoubtedly be very pleasing for the Villa fans to hear as it would represent a huge boost to their chances next term.

In other news: Wonderkid: Gerrard can unearth AVFC’s new Luiz in “super impressive” rarely-seen 18y/o

Everton are once again on the hunt for a new permanent manager with Duncan Ferguson having to hold the fort on a temporary basis in his latest caretaker role after the sacking of Rafa Benitez.

Before even officially being appointed at Goodison Park, protests began from Toffees fans against the former Liverpool manager.

With just seven wins, four draws and 11 defeats in the 22 games he had in charge of Everton across all competitions with the latest being a disheartening 2-1 defeat against Dean Smith’s relegation battling Norwich City at Carrow Road, it’s safe to say that Benitez’s second spell of managing in Merseyside did not go too well, thus leaving Ferguson to pick up the pieces and steady the ship.

While Farhad Moshiri is on the lookout for a new permanent manager for his side, there has, unsurprisingly, been a significant number of names linked with the position.

One name that has been mentioned with the role that a lot of Premier League followers will be familiar with is AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho.

Despite having success managing in England in the past, mostly with Chelsea where he won three Premier League titles and one FA Cup across two spells in charge of the west London club as well as winning the Europa League with Manchester United, things haven’t always been smooth-sailing for the 58-year-old.

Having admitted to being “arrogant” during his early days of managing in England, there have been occasions where claims have emerged suggesting that he had lost the dressing room during his time at Tottenham and United.

Given the drama that Mourinho has been involved in during his previous spells at clubs in the Premier League, like having rocky relationships at United with the likes of Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw, he could end up being another version of Benitez; somebody who arrives with previous experience of managing in the Premier League and at top clubs, but ultimately dragging Everton towards the relegation zone and falling out with players, as the Spaniard did with Lucas Digne.

Also, in a recent poll run by Football FanCast, it seems as though 77% of voters think that Mourinho would not be a good appointment for Everton, further suggesting that the Toffees should be looking elsewhere for their new permanent manager instead of risking a potential disaster at the helm.

In other news: Moshiri must appoint “perfect” 46 y/o as next EFC manager, he’s miles better than Rafa – opinion

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Arthur Cabral to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report by Goal Brazil, who claim that David Moyes and his West Ham transfer team are set to make an offer for the FC Basel centre-forward this Thursday, with the Swiss Super League side believed to be commanding a figure in the region of €15m (£12.5m) in order to part with the 23-year-old this month.

The report goes on to state that the Brazil international is demanding a salary of €2.5m-per-year (£2m-per-year) in wages – roughly £40k-per-week – following a potential switch to East London, while it is also claimed that Barcelona and Newcastle United are two further clubs pursuing a deal for the forward in the current transfer window.

Cabral can finally replace Haller

Considering just how impressive Cabral has been in Switzerland so far this season, it would appear an extremely wise move for Moyes to do all he can to secure a deal for the FC Basel centre-forward this month.

Indeed, over his 18 Super League appearances in the current campaign, the £13.5m-rated striker has already scored a whopping 14 goals, registered four assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 4.2 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Jacek Kulig dubbed a “machine” average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.49, ranking the 23-year-old as the second-best player in the entirety of the Swiss top flight.

However, it is not only domestically that Cabral has been impressing, as the former Palmeiras hitman has bagged a further five goals over his six appearances in the Europa Conference League, in addition to averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.35 in the competition.

Further still, the Brazilian also scored eight goals and registered four assists over Basel’s six Europa Conference League qualifying fixtures – taking his total haul for the season to an astonishing 27 strikes and eight assists in just 31 appearances in all competitions.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Cabral is undoubtedly the man to finally replace Sebastien Haller as Michail Antonio’s primary competition for the centre-forward spot at the London Stadium, with the 23-year-old looking to be a contender for the bargain of the season if he is indeed available for just £12.5m this month, as has been reported.

In other news: “I doubt…”: ExWHUemployee reveals big transfer twist that will have WHU fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur was at least three additions before transfer deadline day on January 31st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ever-reliable Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel, who delivered an exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“My understanding is that Conte wants a new right wing-back, he wants a new striker to supplement [Harry] Kane and a central midfielder,” he said. “Whether they can do all of those, I’m not sure they will, but that’s what they’re aiming for.”

One name heavily linked with the north London outfit has been Adama Traore, who fits the bill as their potential new right wing-back, though Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly knocked back Spurs’ initial offer of £15m this week.

Meanwhile, the Lilywhites could look to seal a move for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie now, rather than the summer, when he’s out of contract at the San Siro.

Hugely exciting news

Spurs remain unbeaten under the Italian in the Premier League, which already displays the sort of magic he’s been able to pull off at Hotspur Way. However, he needs to be backed to truly elevate the club to the next level.

There have already been fears behind-the-scenes that he could walk should he not get such financial support during the transfer window. Not only is Conte dealing with injuries but largely, they lack the strength in depth that those in the top four possess.

The former Chelsea boss seemingly doesn’t trust summer signing Emerson Royal at right wing-back, particularly in the final third, so it’s easy to see why they are targeting Traore, who on his day is “unplayable” in the final third, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

And whilst the north Londoners are well-stocked in the engine room, it’s believed that Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli are free to leave and there isn’t much quality behind the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skip anyway.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-conte-paratici-levy-premier-league” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

As talented as he is, it’s rather telling that the 21-year-old gem has walked straight into the starting XI after a loan spell in the Championship last season.

Then there is the striker issue – it’s a catch-22 for Spurs. They need an alternative to Kane but no one in their right mind will want to play second fiddle to him. Although, there’s a chance that Conte reverts to his title-winning tactics at Inter Milan, where he played two up top.

Either way, this exciting revelation from Mokbel should leave much of the Lilywhites faithful absolutely buzzing heading into the final ten days of the transfer window.

It’s time for chairman Daniel Levy to open the chequebook. They now have a world-class manager capable of giving this club the silverware they are desperately craving but he needs to be backed, starting with this current window.

AND in other news, “Tottenham will”: Sky Sports reporter issues “exciting” transfer claim…

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic tenure is really gathering pace at the moment but they did have to leave it late in their latest win.

Of course, it would not be following the script of the last 18 months if the Hoops didn’t make life difficult for themselves.

If you’d told supporters a year and a half ago that Anthony Ralston would be scoring the winner in a game for them, they’d have laughed and probably spat out whatever they were drinking.

Yet, under Postecoglou, the Scot has become an unexpected key cog in the wheel and his last-gasp header against Ross County on Wednesday evening summed that up.

He has stopped new signing Josip Juranovic from getting the game time he expected at his favoured right-sided role.

Instead, the Croat has been featuring on the left-hand side of defence. However, one can make the argument that left-back is still very much a problem position for the Bhoys.

Greg Taylor has spent time out injured while Liam Scales and Adam Montgomery still have some convincing to do.

The future of Boli Bolingoli still remains up in the air too. It was a surprise to see the Belgian receive match action earlier this term but he’s now not been seen in the first-team picture since he started during the win over Motherwell back in October.

His time in Glasgow seems to be coming to an end and that shouldn’t be unexpected. After all, he did well to even play a game this season.

When football returned in 2020 following the worst of the pandemic, the defender decided to put both himself and his teammates at risk, all but ending his chances of making the grade at Paradise. He went to Spain on an unsanctioned trip and then failed to quarantine upon his return.

Bolingoli subsequently featured in the matchday squad against Kilmarnock a few days later before everything was uncovered.

Neil Lennon, the man who signed him, was rightfully left furious with his player, calling him “stupid.”

The Northern Irishman continued: “This has been premeditated. You don’t book a flight to Spain on a whim. He knew exactly what he was doing. So this has been quite calculated. It’s been total disregarding of the outcome and the risks involved, so he will be dealt with in the strongest possible way by the club.”

He was loaned out and has been fighting for his Celtic career ever since. Postecoglou hasn’t taken a liking to him and fresh transfer reports suggest he could finally be axed for good.

That’s because they’re interested in Niko Giesselmann who currently plies his trade for Union Berlin.

Capable of being deployed at left-back or further forward in an offensive role on the wing, he possesses a blend of characteristics that would make him perfect for Postecoglou.

First and foremost, the 30-year-old loves a goal. He scored what was described as an “unstoppable” strike for Union earlier this term, hammering home the ball home from inside the area at a rate knots.

So far this campaign, Giesselmann has been involved in six goals, while winning one tackle and one header per game in the Bundesliga.

Those numbers demonstrate that not only does the ageing defender love to compete physically, but he also loves to bound forward.

In a Celtic side who dominate possession under Postecoglou, those are traits he’s surely lusting after from his new recruits over the winter.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Jota: Ange must seal Celtic swoop for “extraordinary” £1m-rated “magician”…

Liverpool have been plagued with injury problems for the last 18 months, with the defence heavily effected last season and now the midfield having an injury crisis this season.

The Reds have been dealt a number of injury blows to their midfield this term with Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones all picking up issues over the first three months of the campaign so far.

Thankfully, Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson and Milner are all back available for selection, with James Milner pictured in training ahead of the Champions League game against Porto tonight.

The 35-year-old took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to confirm his availability for the European clash accompanied with a number of training pictures:

The tweet simply captioned; “Back and ready for Porto #ucl #YNWA”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-liverpool-news” title=”Check out the latest Liverpool news!”]

Milner was a free transfer for Liverpool back in 2015 and has certainly proved he’s worth his weight in gold by being part of winning the first-ever Premier League title for the side in 2020 and contributing to the Champions League win in 2019 too.

He has currently achieved 258 appearances for the side, with 26 goals and 43 assists, playing in a number of key roles in the team over his six-year stint in Merseyside.

Despite slowly coming to the end of his career, Milner has been an important and reliable part of the team yet again this season, filling in for missing starters in a number of positions already, offering his experience and presence in games where younger and less experienced players are starting alongside him. Thus, the club’s manager will undoubtedly be buzzing to see such a valuable asset back and ready to use.

It would make sense to add him into the starting line up straight away this evening against Porto. Although Liverpool have qualified for the last sixteen already, Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly still want to maintain his system, style of play and hold lots of possession in the game, something Milner is extremely familiar with.

If Klopp does intend to play a much weaker side, which we imagine will be the case due to his comments in his press conference yesterday, Milner will be a fantastic addition to a midfield that is likely to not include starters like Fabinho and Thiago who have only recently returned from injury, where an opportunity is there to give them both a break.

Liverpool have already qualified for latter stages alongside Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich, but Jurgen Klopp will still be hoping to remain unbeaten in the competition.

In other news: Liverpool predicted Champions League XI vs Porto

Manchester United are attempting to hire their next manager to take control at Old Trafford this summer with Erik ten Hag the clear favourite for the challenging role, however a new update has emerged in another set-back for the club.

What’s the word?

According to Mail on Sunday’s Chief Writer, Rob Draper, Manchester United have now got some competition to secure the appointment of the Ajax boss.

In a report for the Daily Mail, Draper wrote that a leading Bundesliga club are also interested in hiring ten Hag this summer, and there are many issues that need to be resolved before he considers a move to Manchester at the end of the season.

Supporters will be fuming

Ten Hag has been the clear front runner and favourite to take over from Ralf Rangnick for weeks now, and losing the manager to another club this late in the process would be a devastating blow that would surely leave Man United supporters fuming and disappointed.

The Ajax boss was originally linked with the job leading up to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being sacked, but the manager committed himself to see out the season with his Dutch side, so after a long wait for the appointment it will be a widely unpopular outcome if the United board and the Glazers don’t seal the deal.

The Red Devils have had an abysmal season by their standards considering they finished second in the Premier League last season. They have crashed out of all competitions and will enter their longest trophy drought in 40 years, so the addition of a manager like ten Hag with a winning mentality is essential for bringing back trophies to the club.

He has won two Eredivisie titles and impressively took Ajax to a Champions League semi-final in 2019 to name just a few of ten Hag’s achievements at his current club, and the supporters of Man United will surely be desperate for him to emulate his success with their side too.

The powers at Old Trafford must do everything they can to keep the deal on the table with the 52-year-old manager as it would be a disaster to lose him to another club and go back to square one in their manager search.

In other news: Journo reveals what he’s heard from senior figures at MUFC on Ronaldo, it’s bad news

An update has emerged on Ivorian gem Ibrahim Sangare, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are keen on a deal to sign the PSV midfielder as Eddie Howe looks to strengthen his Magpies squad in the coming weeks.

The report, however, does not state how far along a move is or how much the Eredivisie club want in return for his services.

Midfield beast

Howe can find the midfield beast his side has been lacking this season by securing a deal to sign Sangare from the Dutch giants in January.

He has been sublime for PSV this term and is producing performances that suggest he could be a huge asset for the Magpies in the Premier League. Sangare has averaged a brilliant WhoScored rating of 7.59 in the Eredivisie – making a whopping 5.6 tackles and interceptions whilst also producing 2.8 key passes and dribbles per game.

Meanwhile, Sean Longstaff’s 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game leads the way for Newcastle in the Premier League, with the academy graduate averaging 0.8 key passes and dribbles per match. This suggests that the Ivory Coast international would come in as a sizeable upgrade in the middle of the park as he is efficient from box to box and can dominate teams with his physical strength.

PSV head coach Roger Schmidt showered the midfield monster in praise earlier this season, saying:

“Ibrahim Sangaré is important in any system. It has nothing to do with a system. He has everything a central midfielder needs. He could already win balls, but now he makes better decisions and uses his ability to dribble. He had to hold the ball a little longer for that. Sometimes he is just unstoppable.

“He really grows into a very crucial player for us. He is better on the ball, makes fewer mistakes and plays forward more often. Last season he could be characterized as a player with quite a few lateral and backward passes during the game and that is a lot easier. Passing forward is more difficult, but you have to show that at the top level. He does that now.”

It is worth saying that it is impossible to guarantee that he will be able to translate his form over to the Premier League, but there is risk attached with every signing and Newcastle can only go off the sample size he has provided in the Netherlands.

His statistics and these quotes from Schmidt suggest that he could be a monster for Howe and the ex-Bournemouth boss must ensure that a deal gets done this month.

AND in other news, Howe can land NUFC’s new Andy Carroll in swoop for £72k-p/w beast who’s “Sheareresque”…

Tottenham Hotspur are in line for a game-changing boost if behind-the-scenes claims are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Lilywhites insider John Wenham, who was speaking to Football Insider, the north Londoners are holding out for a mega deal over their stadium naming rights which could earn them in excess of £400m and would certainly be a major financial boost for the club.

Spurs are yet to find a sponsor since opening their new ground in April 2019 and they recently posted a pre-tax loss of £80.2m.

“We are still waiting on the stadium naming rights deal. That’s massive. We are holding out for a super-deal of something like £20million over 20 years,” Wenham revealed.

“There is £400million straight away. Let’s just keep an eye on that one. I know the stadium naming rights thing is going on in the background.

“The club could accept a deal tomorrow, they want this massive deal. When it gets sorted and is announced, it will be significant. We have been waiting on it for years.”

Game-changing boost

This latest development should raise excitement levels around N17 as it could massively help elevate the club to where they need to be if they are to truly contend again.

Their facilities are definitely up there with the best in the world right now, but with no top-four finish in two seasons and on the cusp of being knocked out of UEFA’s third-rate competition, the Europa Conference League, they are streets off reaching this standard on the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

A major financial injection like this could help sporting director Fabio Paratici to seriously bolster Antonio Conte’s squad, so many will be encouraged by this prospect as it’s evident that the current crop of players just isn’t good enough.

As the club insider states, this would be ‘significant’ for the club and it is something they are working very hard on behind the scenes – as such, it would hand them a game-changing financial boost on and off the pitch.

Back in 2011, league rivals Manchester City sealed a similar deal, raking in £400m from Etihad to rename their stadium, and you only have to look at what they have achieved since to know how big a move like this can be.

The defending champions are the barometer and Spurs must do all in their power to head towards that, starting with finding their own suitable sponsor for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Gollini: Spurs disaster who lost 80% of his duels betrayed Conte v Mura…