All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton have now made contact with AS Monaco over signing midfielder Aleksandr Golovin…

What’s the story?

The Toffees have made a couple of acquisitions already in this January transfer window, and it now appears that the Merseyside club have got their sights set on a play-maker.

According to a source who spoke to Sport Witness, both Everton and fellow Premier League side West Ham are “interested” in signing Golovin, and that they have already been in contact with the midfielder’s agent about a potential move.

Fans will love it

While the Toffees may be enduring a difficult campaign on the pitch under Rafa Benitez this season, a move for Golovin would certainly be a good victory off it.

During his work as a television pundit for broadcaster RT, Jose Mourinho revealed himself to be a big fan of the Russian saying: “Golovin is a playmaker, he’s a player that gives the dynamic of the team.”

And, his former boss at AS Monaco, Niko Kovac, simply said: “Golovin is a fantastic player. For his first start since August, he’s scored three goals. He’s a world-class player. He delivers delicious passes. I know the quality of his passing. That’s why I asked him to take the free-kick that led to the third goal.”

In fact, Toffees legend Tim Cahill has previously thrown his backing behind a potential swoop for the creative star, saying just last year: “He (Golovin) is a great footballer. After yesterday’s 4-1 defeat against Liverpool, it is clear that Everton needs good players. He could strengthen the team.”

As per Whoscored, he has averaged 1.5 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this season for Monaco, good enough to rank him inside the top 20 in the entire division – real evidence of the kind of creativity and guile that he possesses.

The £22.5m-rated midfielder could provide Everton with an extra spark in midfield, and have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Everton are considering a swoop for this Premier League outcast…

West Ham United must sanction a move for Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly in the upcoming January transfer window, ending David Moyes’ injury crisis.

The Hammers are currently sitting in fourth place in the Premier League table after a hugely impressive start to the season, but extensive fitness woes across the backline are threatening to unravel their hard work.

First-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with an ACL problem, while Kurt Zouma and Ben Johnson are also set for extensive spells on the sidelines.

That leaves just Craig Dawson and Issa Diop as the capital club’s only fit central defenders, meaning the winter window could prove pivotal in their future success.

According to 90min’s Toby Cudworth, West Ham’s hierarchy are assessing a raft of options as Moyes looks for the right candidate to slot into his impressive starting lineup.

One of those being watched is reportedly 23-year-old Kelly, who has put in a string of eye-catching performances for the Cherries throughout 2021/22.

He’s what West Ham are missing

After arriving on the south coast from boyhood club Bristol City back in 2019, the youngster initially struggled to settle, failing to produce his best form as Bournemouth were relegated from the top-flight.

However, he’s gone from strength to strength over the last 18 months, playing a pivotal part as the Vitality Stadium outfit reached the play-offs last term, earning the praise of former manager Jonathan Woodgate.

“He’s got talent. He’s got a lot of attributes that Premier League teams look at. But he needs to be consistent week in, week out now,” he said before lauding Kelly’s natural pace.

“At the minute he just looks like a bit of a Rolls-Royce doesn’t he? He looked very, very good (against Bristol City). I was impressed to be honest with you, especially when (Antoine) Semenyo tried to run him down the line and Semenyo gave him two yards and Lloydy overtook him.

“It’s eye-catching when things like that happen, especially as a fellow defender. When you see things like that, it’s like ‘you’ve got a bit’,” he concluded.

And the £9m-rated ace has taken his game to new heights this time around. As per WhoScored, Kelly has averaged 3.2 aerial duels won per league game, a whopping 5.2 clearances and 5.5 long balls while averaging 73.8 passes per game.

Those figures place him in the top two for each metric when compared to his teammates, illustrating his top-class potential.

Therefore, it’s clear that Kelly is exactly the sort of player that West Ham are missing in their first-team squad at this moment in time due to their injury woes, and Moyes must push the club’s hierarchy to secure his services in January.

And, in other news…Newman could seal dream West Ham deal with “outstanding” £21m “superstar”

Celtic currently have a significant number of players in their senior squad that have come through the club’s youth academy and play for the first team such as James Forrest and Callum McGregor, who have made a combined total of 42 appearances between them across all competitions this season.

Looking ahead to who could be the next regular figure for Celtic to come through the club’s academy, one potential candidate that could be set for a big future at the Parkhead club is 18-year-old Dane Murray, who has been touted to have a “bright future” ahead of him by Stephen Welsh.

As a product of Celtic’s youth system, Murray is predominantly a midfield player but has been deployed as a centre-back by Ange Postecoglou, which gives a clue as to what the Celtic manager sees in the teenager in terms of his skills and qualities on the pitch.

In Celtic’s 2-1 defeat against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League qualifying second-leg clash back in July, Murray played at the back for the full 120 minutes and managed to show everyone just what he’s capable of from a defensive point of view.

Murray managed to make six clearances, seven interceptions and three tackles as well as winning 11 duels and not getting dribbled past even once.

This display earned the youngster an impressive overall match rating of 7.3/10 according to SofaScore, making him Celtic’s joint-second highest rated player on the day, proving that he definitely has what it takes to play at a high level alongside the rest of Celtic’s more senior players.

In the first leg against Midtjylland, Murray played 45 minutes of action after Nir Bitton got sent off, after which fellow Hoops defender Welsh described the youngster’s performance as “fantastic,” which could be why Postecoglou selected him to start the second leg.

Looking ahead to the future, even though Murray hasn’t been involved in a matchday squad for Celtic in the league this season, he definitely has what it takes to break into Postecoglou’s side at some point in the future.

Consider the talent he’s shown so far and the fact that he has time on his side with his young age and he could save the club millions in potential future transfer fees.

In other news: “No estimated return date”: Devlin drops big Celtic injury update, Ange will be fuming

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have raved over a fresh transfer claim as new head of recruitment Rob Newman seemingly sets his sights on a brand new target.

The transfer chief, brought in to work with manager David Moyes and identify a mix of first team stars and talent for the future (The Athletic), comes in with plenty of credentials.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/” title=”West Ham developments” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Having worked with some prestigious figures at former club Manchester City, including their sporting director Txiki Begiristain, Newman has been credited with playing a role in the transfer of Aymeric Laporte among others (The Athletic).

As he now looks to orchestrate West Ham’s dealings, it appears the 57-year-old has his eyes on a new target as ExWHUemployee shares news on Norwich City star Todd Cantwell.

The club insider, speaking on his West Ham Way Podcast, explains that the Irons have been linked with a move for the Canaries playmaker.

His contract expires at the end of this season, meaning West Ham could sign him as a free agent in 2022, with many supporters raving over this update.

West Ham fans rave…

According to WhoScored, only 2020/2021 star men Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard averaged a higher rate of shots on goal per 90 than Cantwell domestically last season.

As well as this, out of West Ham’s squad, only Aaron Cresswell could match the 23-year-old’s impressive rate of 1.6 key passes per match in the final third (WhoScored).

Taking his creative quality into account, not to mention the fact he still has years ahead of him and could be on the move for absolutely nothing, it’s no wonder Irons supporters are raving over this link – even if his impressive 20/21 numbers to come from the Championship

Find all of their best verdicts down below:

“I think he would thrive under Moyes! Young, English, if we can get him for cheap/free it would be a steal!”

Credit: @WestHamNRU

“He’s a baller”

Credit: @prior19042000

“this makes me happy”

Credit: @WestHamAimee97

“Oh yes please”

Credit: @whualfie1

“Would love him tbh”

Credit: @Kayron27

“This is at the top of my wish list for us”

Credit: @SamSton13741567

“Yes yes yes”

Credit: @StefGoodridge

In other news: ‘Increasingly likely’…Sky reporter breaks news on ‘clinical’ striker in big boost for West Ham, find out more here.

Jamal Lewis could make his first start of the season when Newcastle United face Norwich City tonight, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old has only seen six minutes of Premier League action this season, having come on as a substitute in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester United. His solitary start in 2021/22 thus far came in the Carabao Cup defeat against Burnley back in August.

He may have hoped that Steve Bruce’s sacking would improve his prospects of game-time, but he didn’t feature under Graeme Jones’ caretakership and hasn’t been given a chance by Eddie Howe as of yet.

However, that could change when his former club visit St James’ Park tonight. Matt Ritchie, who started at left-back against Arsenal last time out, is suspended after picking up five yellow cards since the start of the campaign.

The latest

During a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday ahead of the match, one Newcastle supporter voiced concerns over Howe apparently being ‘uninterested’ in Lewis, but Waugh swiftly moved to allay those fears, even claiming that the Northern Ireland defender could come into the team against the Canaries.

The journalist stated: “As for Lewis, again, he was on international duty when Howe first arrived, but also his lack of game-time (and confidence) has been counting against him. But Howe is keen to improve Lewis, a young player he sees great potential in, and so in the medium term he the left-back could see more action – and could even start tomorrow night, with Ritchie being suspended.”

Waugh then added: “In time, I do think he will get more opportunities and I actually think he might start tomorrow night. It’s against his former club and Ritchie is suspended, so I do hope Lewis is given an opportunity.”

The verdict

Newcastle forked out £15m to sign Lewis in 2020 and they are paying him roughly £38.5k per week. It was a big investment, and expectations were perhaps heightened by the fact that Liverpool pursued him earlier in that transfer window.

If he can’t get a chance to impress now, so soon after a change of manager and with a positional rival suspended, then it mightn’t be long before he begins to consider his future.

On the other hand, if he does get picked, the challenge for the 23-year-old is producing a performance good enough to give Howe a selection headache when he’s had so few minutes under his belt and may be lacking sharpness as a result. Opportunity does seem to knock for Lewis tonight in the enforced absence of Ritchie.

In other news, Newcastle have enquired about this midfielder

A big claim has emerged from the Spanish press involving Tottenham Hotspur star Sergio Reguilon, and it could be worrying news for Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Spurs stars eye moves away…

Over the summer, it’s safe to say there were no shortage of Tottenham players eyeing moves away from N17.

The most high profile of them, star striker Harry Kane, was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City as their boss Pep Guardiola even confirmed interest in the player.

This move failed to come to fruition with more exit news then emerging, this time concerning another big name in Tanguy Ndombele.

Spurs’ club record signing told club chiefs he wanted to leave before August 31 but, yet again, a departure failed to materialise.

The Latest: Reguilon has ‘already said yes’ to Madrid…

As per El Nacional (via Sport Witness), yet another Spurs player appears to have one eye on a move away as news emerges on defender Reguilon.

According to the Spanish source’s information, is it only a ‘matter of time’ before Real Madrid decide to activate their €40 million (£33.7m) release clause and re-sign the 24-year-old.

The clause comes into effect next summer and was a major talking point of the deal which brought Reguilon to Spurs in 2020.

As well as this, El Nacional go on to claim that the player himself has ‘already said yes’ to the Galacticos with club president Florentino Perez set to green light a swoop at Carlo Ancelotti’s request.

While they claim this move ‘will not happen’ in January due to Tottenham’s stance on an early sale, it appears Real could take matters into their own hands later on in 2022.

The Verdict: Big blow for Spurs?

Losing Reguilon next summer would come as a major blow for Spurs given their lack of options without the Spaniard.

Ben Davies and Ryan Sessegnon are able to deputise in his stead but Fabio Paratici would more than likely have to take to the transfer market, especially given the latter man’s injury record and inability to work his way into Tottenham’s plans.

In other news: Growing frustrated…Alasdair Gold says ‘special player’ could now ‘potentially leave Tottenham’, find out more here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming as some early team news emerged ahead of their game away at Motherwell at Sunday lunchtime.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match in the Scottish Premiership, Steven Gerrard has now revealed that his team will be without Borna Barisic, Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack for the trip.

Jack seems to be suffering setback after setback, and so many members of the Ibrox faithful are desperate to see him back on the pitch again.

Kent has still not recovered from an ongoing hamstring injury, and the Light Blues have only managed to win three of their last six games in the SPFL without him (Transfermarkt).

Barisic has been rated as the Bears’ joint-second best player in the division so far this season with a 7.16 average rating from WhoScored, while he also ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (1.5), clearances (three), key passes (2.3) and crosses (3.2) per match.

Rangers fans on team news

These Gers fumed as the team news was shared on Twitter, with one RFC supporter claiming that it is a ‘blow’:

“A blow”

Credit: @legendsofibrox

“Hello darkness my old friend”

Credit: @scottfraser1972

“Sigh.”

Credit: @C0nnor1992

“Too soon… He was supposed to be back by Aberdeen.. How much longer 7-10 days?”

Credit: @Rangers4life_

“He told us Kent would be ready for Aberdeen that was 3 weeks ago”

Credit: @JUDSTER53

“You knew that was coming our record at getting players back from injury is nothing short of abysmal”

Credit: @coplandbear1872

In other news, find out what Rangers B update had Gers buzzing here!

Liverpool are reportedly one of the clubs in the mix to sign AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

What’s the story?

This comes after Italian media outlet Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) recently published an article claiming that the Merseyside club, fellow Premier League side Chelsea and Serie A giants Juventus are currently interested in signing the midfielder at some point in the future.

A replacement for Wijnaldum?

In terms of recent incoming transfer activity at Liverpool, the latest summer transfer window saw the Reds bring in defender Ibrahima Konate for a fee of £36m from German club RB Leipzig.

Regarding Tchouameni, the player joined Monaco back in the 2020 January transfer window from fellow French club Bordeaux for a fee of £16.2m.

Since then, the 21-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has made 60 appearances for the club across all competitions in which he has managed to score five goals and provide four assists along the way.

Given how Liverpool saw Georginio Wijnaldum leave the Merseyside club for a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, it’s understandable why the club would be interested in signing Tchouameni. He represents a long-term midfield option at a crucial point with Liverpool possessing the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner in their squad over the age of 30.

In his latest appearance for Monaco in their recent 3-0 Ligue 1 victory over Bordeaux, Tchouameni certainly showed what his previous club were missing.

He put in a near-perfect all-round display, demonstrating the type of qualities that Wijnaldum so regularly brought to Anfield.

Tchouameni scored a goal, hit the woodwork, made five tackles and won a whopping 13 of the 18 duels he was involved in. ultimately earning himself a very impressive overall match rating of 8.7/10, making him Monaco’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

This alone shows why the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and Chelsea are apparently interested in snapping him up.

Looking ahead to the future, if Liverpool are keen on strengthening their midfield either in the upcoming January transfer window or the next summer window, we feel that Tchouameni should definitely be an option to consider bringing in.

However, with other big boys of European football also pursuing him, it could end up being rather difficult to sign the midfielder, but one that could be very beneficial for the club for the next few years.

In other news: Klopp masterstroke: £50k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen value rise by £49.5m in 3 years – opinion 

A key update on the future of Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has emerged ahead of this weekend’s Premier League matches… 

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, the 60-year-old will be in charge against Tottenham as PIF are attempting to do things the right way instead of rushing into decisions.

Bruce is still expected to be relieved of his duties by the new owners, with the decision being delayed instead of changed.

Hope wrote: “We have been told that the new ownership model – led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and headed on Tyneside by Amanda Staveley – is ‘process driven’ and will be ‘methodical’ in their approach.

“However, sources say it would be wrong to accuse the consortium of ‘indecision’ and it is more a case of them doing things ‘properly’, suggesting the situation is a delay as opposed to a change of heart.”

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted by this update from Hope for several reasons. For starters, it shows that the plan is still to sack Bruce, and his involvement against Spurs does not indicate that he is set to be given a chance to stay on a longer-term basis.

A recent survey, prior to the takeover, by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust found that 94.3% of supporters are keen to see him depart St James’ Park, with 95.3% fearing that relegation is incoming at the end of the season.

This suggests that fans want Bruce to be sacked by the new owners, which is why the news that he will be managing the team against Spurs could have left them feeling concerned about the rest of the campaign. However, this update from Hope has allayed any fears they may have had, with the former Sunderland and Villa boss likely to go on his merry way after the weekend’s match.

Another reason why many supporters will be delighted with this report is that it proves PIF are not going to make rash, illogical decisions and risk ruining the club. They are on Tyneside for the long-term and are not looking to make a million and one changes in their first week, which could lead to chaos on and off the pitch, and that will surely be music to Newcastle fans’ ears.

Whilst most supporters may want Bruce out as quickly as possible, they could appreciate that PIF are working hard to have a replacement in situ beforehand in order to avoid a spell of time without a permanent manager in the role. Hopefully the club will be able to resolve the situation in the next couple of weeks and leave Magpies fans with something to enjoy when the new head coach is announced.

AND in other news, Newcastle make contact with £22.5m-rated “genius”, him and Saint-Maximin could be terrifying…

Tottenham Hotspur could find themselves a new Jan Vertonghen next year and he may not cost a penny…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Spurs are among the clubs interested in a move for versatile Borussia Monchengladbach defender Matthias Ginter in 2022.

The 27-year-old’s current contract is due to expire at the end of the season and his situation has alerted several clubs across Europe, including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and the Premier League outfit.

Capped 44 times by Germany, the 6 foot 3 colossus is able to negotiate with foreign clubs from January, meaning that the north London hierarchy could snap him up without having to pay a transfer fee.

That would certainly be a bargain move from sporting director Fabio Paratici and co, considering that Ginter is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt.

Shades of Vertonghen

Primarily a centre-back, Ginter can also be deployed at right-back and in defensive midfield. That may draw some comparisons to former Spurs star Jan Vertonghen, who left the club in the summer of 2020.

The Belgian is only one inch smaller than the Gladbach ace and he too was a solid option at both left-back and in the middle. Both can also chip in with the odd goal, as well.

Ginter featured in a back three on his way to the Confederations Cup in 2017, at right-back in Euro 2016 qualifying and the 2018 UEFA Nations League, and when you throw in his aerial ability and distribution, then you can really see why he has earned serious comparisons to former Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos.

That’s according to another great in the game, Lothar Matthaus.

“Ginter has become a leader at the back, in a similar way to Ramos at Real,” the German football legend told Sport Bild (via Bundesliga.com). “He doesn’t just give instructions to his teammates, but leads them as well. That’s what Ginter is doing really well at the moment. He reminds me of Ramos.”

The word “leader” isn’t a term used loosely around the German international either, with his former Gladbach boss Marco Rose echoing such thoughts.

Meanwhile, former national team head coach Joachim Low believes he’s “so solid, reliable and dependable.”

Throughout his career, Ginter has won an average of 2.7 aerial duels won per game, emphasising his ability in the air, whilst also averaging 1.5 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 3.1 clearances each outing too, as per WhoScored.

On the above evidence, the Gladbach defender would be a very astute addition to Nuno Santo’s playing squad next summer. Clearly, he’s respected on both a domestic and international level, and his figures back up exactly why.

Paratici could find Spurs’ next Vertonghen by launching a move for the soon-to-be free-agent.

AND in other news, Spurs may forever rue big summer blunder over £18m-rated “machine”, Nuno must be livid…