All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero was a reported target for Everton in the summer transfer window.

The Blues pursued a loan move for the Argentine on deadline day but United held out for a loan fee of £8m and the deal was scuppered (via The Athletic).

Everton subsequently turned their attentions to Roma’s Robin Olsen, who arrived as competition for Jordan Pickford.

Romero still has sights set on working with Ancelotti

However, this proposed transfer may not be dead in the water. According to the Daily Mail, Romero remains hopeful of a move to Goodison Park come the end of the season.

Significantly, the 34-year-old will be out of contract by then, meaning that United can no longer stand in his way.

The Daily Mail also claimed that there is interest from Romero’s homeland, with Boca Juniors and River Plate potentially readying competing offers.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed the news, and there was mixed reaction from Everton supporters. Some no longer saw the sense in the move, while others were still keen on it.

These Everton fans aren’t sold on Romero

“Don’t see how we need him IF we can keep who we already have”

Credit: @maynard_hanna

“Basing my opinions on who I think is the better keeper simple. Romero is 7 years older than Pickford not a chance he is coming in as a no1 FACT!!”

Credit: @stewart35539171

“Can someone tell me what’s so good about Romero”

Credit: @premier_rumours

“Sounds like a nice comfy retirement plan for Romero. Pickford has improved since Olsen arrived to be fair.”

Credit: @LuvEvertonForum

While these Everton fans would approve of the signing

“His performance in 2014WC still makes me love him so much”

Credit: @wearealvin

“Still want this me”

Credit: @leftbacklenny

“Be a great addition to the squad.”

Credit: @mattyrei83

“Sound if he’s coming on a free”

Credit: @davidh_5

In other news, some Everton fans also weighed in on this potential exit.

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…

As per an LUFC Fan Zone source, Leeds United target Josip Brekalo is closing in on a move to Lazio from current club Wolfsburg.

The Lowdown: Leeds want Brekalo

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Brekalo, who represented Croatia at the European Championships this summer.

However, Lazio were also in the race, and now an update has been provided on the future of the forward.

The Latest: Brekalo closes in on Lazio

According to a claim from a source to LUFC Fan Zone, Brekalo will sign for the Serie A outfit next week.

The source said:

“Leeds have pushed all the way, but next week Josip will sign for Lazio.

“We have been in contact with Leeds every day, but Sarri really wants the player.

“Next week the transfer will be completed”.

The Verdict: Disappointment

This will no doubt be a disappointment for Marcelo Bielsa and co, and Brekalo is clearly a player they were very eager to capture. In 120 games for Wolfsburg, he has managed 21 goals and 16 assists, with seven strikes coming last term – he has 25 goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt).

Wolfsburg sporting director Jorg Schmadtke even called him “integral” to the side (via pressfrom.info).

He also has 27 caps for his country, scoring four times. While he has not yet reached his full potential, he still has plenty of time left ahead of him to improve, and it is therefore a blow to Leeds that they appear to unable to capture the services of this young and versatile winger.

In other news, Leeds wants to sign this Real Madrid ace.

Leeds United have been handed a late Premier League boost after confirmation that fans will be allowed to return to Elland Road for the final game of the season against West Brom.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side haven’t been able to welcome their supporters for the club’s return to the top-flight after 16 years away, but Boris Johnson’s announcement that up to 10,000 fans will be permitted at outdoor sports venues from May 17 has opened the door for that to finally happen.

And, in response to the news, former Leeds goalkeeper Paddy Kenny admitted that it would be a major boost for the club to have their fans back inside the stadium, and that it will be “even harder” for visiting teams.

He said: “This record against these very top teams is without any fans being there for the full season. I can only imagine with fans being there it will be even harder for these teams coming to face Leeds.

“In the Premier League, with a full crowd, it would be absolutely frightening for an away player. Every club could say they will have a boost. But Elland Road when it’s rocking is a really, really special place to be.”

Bielsa will be buzzing

As Kenny says, when Elland Road is rocking, there’s not many stadiums up and down the country that can better the kind of atmosphere that gets built up.

While 10,000 fans is hardly going to have the stadium filled to the rafters, it’s certainly more than enough to make a major impact on proceedings, especially when you consider players have gone months without really playing in front of anybody at all.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Bielsa and the club’s fans have built a really close relationship since the Argentine became manager a few seasons ago, so he will be absolutely buzzing to have some of them back and witnessing their first Premier League game in the flesh since well over a decade.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing Gjanni Alioski’s successor in this star…

Ange Postecoglou took charge of his first Celtic training session on Thursday as he begins to assess his squad and where he feels improvements could be made.

With Scott Brown no longer at the club, central midfield could be somewhere he looks to strengthen with fellow Australian, Aaron Mooy, mounted as good option by former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey.

Mooy has spent the last 10 months out in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port who signed him for £4.05 million from Brighton, having made 22 appearances for the south coast club, and he has been linked with a move to Glasgow to play under fellow countryman Postecoglou.

The 30-year-old was a Manchester City player when he was starring at Huddersfield Town during their remarkable promotion season, which saw them finish the campaign with a negative goal difference and not winning a match in 90 minutes during the play-offs.

Brown leaving Celtic will have left a huge hole in the dressing room as well as on the pitch, so adding someone with Mooy’s experience and technical ability could certainly help soften the blow and he could turn out to be a good signing, according to Howey who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I always thought he was good at Huddersfield and if his standard hasn’t dropped from playing in China, then going to Celtic could be a good move for him.”

Mooy, who has 43 caps for Australia, was hugely influential during his 120 appearances for the Terriers and when they were relegated into the Championship, the Australian international got a move to Brighton where he only ended up making 32 appearances before jetting off to China.

His time in China will have been disrupted because of the pandemic and he may want to leave and get back to playing regular football and try and help Celtic regain their crown at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

Football is a sport based around constant progression and that means that squads are constantly changing and evolving, and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has overseen plenty of development on the pitch in his time at Ibrox.

He has brought in the likes of Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi and Connor Goldson to Ibrox from other teams in the transfer market, but buying ready-made stars is not the only way to go about improving your team. Utilising the academy set-up can be a profitable and worthwhile method of acquiring talented players and Gerrard has been able to bring through young defender Nathan Patterson.

The 20-year-old has emerged as a first-team player over the past 18 months and is currently competing for the first-choice right-back spot with captain James Tavernier.

At the start of the year, Transfermarkt valued him at a measly £225k. This was after he made a couple of cameo appearances in the first-half of the 2020/21 campaign, with Gerrard easing him into the first-team picture slowly.

The Gers coach has been able to pull off a masterclass with the full-back by integrating him into the team bit by bit in 2021. Patterson has now made 20 first-team appearances in the Premiership, cup and Europa League to date and recently started and picked up an assist in a crucial 2-1 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. This has also led to him being capped five times by Scotland at international level.

Head of academy Craig Mulholland once heaped praise on the young full-back, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“Again, we started the project five, six, years ago to get a level of player that we felt could go and compete in the Europa League, could go and compete in Old Firm games.

“And if you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

At the time of writing (18/10/2021), Transfermarkt value Patterson at £1.17m. This is a 420% increase from his initial £225k valuation back in January, perfectly illustrating his meteoric rise over the course of the year whilst working with Gerrard at Ibrox.

Therefore, the ex-Liverpool player and coach has pulled off a masterclass with Patterson. He has turned a talented young player into a serious first-team option and someone who could either earn the club a healthy payday, with Manchester United one of the clubs reportedly interested in the 20-year-old.

It is down to the Scottish international to keep working hard and ensure that he is constantly putting pressure on Tavernier. If he can earn a regular starting position in the team then his development could accelerate with the experience gained from minutes week-in-week-out.

AND in other news, Major update emerges on key Rangers figure that’ll leave fans worried…

Aston Villa rate Tyrone Mings very highly and are willing to accept his flaws, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

This comes after former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor claimed his old side would not sell Mings for £60m.

The 28-year-old central defender has been such an important figure for manager Dean Smith, making 36 appearances in the Premier League last season.

Mings can be prone to making the odd mistake now and again, something some pundits have been quick to notice and criticise.

Given his playing style, though, it is something Villa accept and they still rate him very highly, according to Hatfield of the Express & Star.

“He does have a little bit of a mistake in him now and then, but I think Villa are willing to accept that, because he is brave on the ball and willing to play out,” the Aston Villa journalist said.

“He is capable of those long passes in behind and I think we’ve seen it, not only for Villa but also for England at times, where he is willing to put that long ball forward. So he does have his flaws it’s fair to say, but he’s still an improving player as well and at centre-back, you’ve got plenty of years left in the tank.

“Villa clearly rate him highly and Dean Smith does see him as one of his favourites.”

£60m would obviously be a lot of money to turn down. But given all of the above, it is not hard to imagine Villa rejecting big bids for the England international.

When you also look at their determination to keep hold of captain Jack Grealish, simply put, the Villans are not coming across as a selling club.

Liverpool’s summer transfer window passed without too much drama or excitement, much to the disappointment of the supporters, although that could be about to change in January.

What’s the story?

Former RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate was the only arrival at Anfield despite several senior players departing the Merseyside outfit.

Gini Wijnaldum’s decision to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer left many expecting a new engine room operator to grace Jurgen Klopp’s first-team setup, but a successor was never found.

However, according to Metro Sport reporter Aden-Jay Wood, Liverpool will attempt to replace the Netherlands international in just a few months’ time after eyeing up a move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma.

He tweeted: “I’m told there remains long-standing interest in Brighton’s Yves Bissouma from several clubs including Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Bissouma, who has 2yrs left on his current deal, is happy on the south coast, but one that could be revisited in January.”

Liverpool fans will be buzzing

After a steady first season in English football, Bissouma has established himself as one of the most impressive central midfielders outside of the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs.

Although he doesn’t grab the headlines through goals and assists, the Mali international provides a solid base for the more attack-minded members of the squad to work from, forming the foundations of an exciting Seagulls side.

In 2020/21, the combative dynamo recorded an average of 2.9 tackles per league game, the highest total amongst his teammates who made over three appearances, as per WhoScored.

The 25-year-old also outperformed his colleagues when it came to interceptions, making 1.8 per Premier League fixture, and it wasn’t just his off-the-ball work where Bissouma excelled.

He achieved a passing accuracy of 87.4%, the third-highest tally in the whole of the Brighton squad, showcasing his adeptness at kickstarting attacks as well as breaking up the opponent’s play.

Therefore, Liverpool supporters will surely be buzzing to learn of the club’s reported interest in the highly-rated midfielder.

Bissouma could be a perfect fit for Klopp’s high-energy pressing game, and ease the transition into life without Wijnaldum, allowing the 19-time English champions to return to their previous lofty perch.

So, while a move may not have materialised on transfer deadline day, Wood’s claim that the Reds remain interested in Bissouma is an exciting one and something that will have fans buzzing.

And, in other news…FSG let Klopp down by failing to sign £30m “conductor”, Liverpool fans will be gutted