All posts by z3u9t.icu

Millwall are closing in on a deal to bring Dan Ballard to The Den this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that the Arsenal centre-back is set to complete a medical with Gary Rowett’s side this week, ahead of a season-long loan switch to south London.

The report goes on to state that the two clubs have agreed a deal in principle for the loan of the 21-year-old, with the finalisation of the defender’s temporary move to the Lions looking on course to be tied up in the coming days.

Millwall fans should be buzzing

Considering just how much potential Ballard appears to possess, should Millwall indeed go on to land the centre-back this summer, his signing can easily be viewed as a massive coup for the Championship side, one that should have fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 28 League One appearances while on loan at Blackpool last season, the Northern Ireland international highly impressed for Neil Critchley’s side, helping the Seasiders keep 14 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 0.7 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning a whopping seven duels per game.

The £3.4k-per-week defender also chipped in for ‘Pool going forwards, scoring two goals, providing one assist and making an average of 0.3 key passes per league fixture.

These returns saw the man Critchley dubbed a “faultless” centre-back earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as the club’s joint second-best performer in the third tier of English football, demonstrating just how important Ballard was in helping Blackpool secure promotion back to the Championship.

As such, with Millwall looking to mount a push for a top-six finish of their own next season after a highly impressive 11th place finish last time out, the addition of Ballard to Rowett’s options in the centre of defence would very much seem to be a big step in the right direction for the Lions, who will almost certainly be one of the teams to watch in the upcoming Championship campaign.

In other news: Get it done: Rowett must seal Millwall swoop for “explosive” 15 G/A beast this summer

Celtic have told Ewan Henderson that he can leave during the January transfer window, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Hibs links

The midfielder is into the final six months of his current Parkhead deal and has recently been linked with a move to Hibernian, whose new manager Shaun Maloney (once a Hoops player) is thought to be keen on bringing the 21-year-old to Easter Road on a long-term deal.

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Exits appear to be inevitable at Celtic Park over the coming weeks, which could then fund further winter additions.

John Hartson said it was ‘very special’ after Henderson scored his first goal for Celtic last month, and it seems as if that strike against Real Betis could be his first and last as a Hoops player.

The Latest: Monday update

The Scottish Sun seemed to share an update regarding Henderson’s Celtic future on Monday morning.

Within their live transfer blog, they said that Ange Postecoglou is considering offloading fringe players such as Henderson, Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide. They added that Henderson has ‘been told he can leave’, with his deal expiring at the end of June.

The Verdict: The right call?

If Postecoglou isn’t convinced about Henderson, then looking to move him on this month is the right call. January will be the last time that the Hoops can receive any money for the midfielder, who will become a free agent in the summer should his situation remain the same.

He has featured just once all season, taking his total appearance tally for Celtic to 11, so it may be best for all parties involved if he leaves permanently and plays regular first-team football, with Celtic then putting any money they receive for the 21-year-old towards further signings who may have a brighter future at the club.

In other news: Celtic may swoop for 6 foot 1 beast who had Sadio Mane in his ‘pocket’ 

A report from 90min at the beginning of the month claimed Everton had joined the race for Zenit St.Petersburg forward Sardar Azmoun, with the 26-year-old set to be available for free next summer.

However, with the January window now just days away, it would be a good idea for the Toffees to further their interest next month.

Dubbed previously as ‘the Iranian Messi’, the £22.5m-rated forward has scored ten goals in 21 appearances across all competitions for Zenit so far this campaign, including a goal against Chelsea in the Champions League recently.

Furthermore, having joined Zenit from Rubin Kazan three years ago, Azmoun has a prolific record of 62 goals and 23 assists in 104 appearances for the Russian giants. A goal contribution every 1.2 games.

The Iranian has reportedly attracted interest from Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, who is of Iranian decent, and, according to a previous coach of Azmoun, Moshiri previously contacted him and “tried to negotiate a transfer.”

The Russian Premier League side may have no choice but to sell the 26-year-old next month in order to receive a fee, with his contract set to expire in just seven months time.

The Toffees have appeared stuck all season, sitting in an underwhelming 14th place in the Premier League and are in desperate need of some extra firepower to propel them up the table in order to avoid any nervy moments in the second half of the campaign.

Luckily, signings that initially received a mixed reaction from fans in the summer have exceeded expectations with Demarai Gray (five goals) and Andros Townsend (three goals) helping to fill the void left by star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Moreover, with the lack of goals from Rondon who has netted only once, Rafa Benitez’s side’s attacking output could’ve been much worse.

Alas, extra options in that department will be welcomed with open arms by the Everton faithful, and a possible deal for Azmoun would be shrewd business given his goals record for Zenit.

The only doubt would be the fact that the Iranian hasn’t played professional football outside of Russia, and therefore the jump up to the Premier League may prove a tricky one…at least initially.

AND in other news, Time to go: Benitez should axe EFC’s “reckless” £18m-rated dud, he’s not good enough…

Steven Bergwijn endured a disasterclass as Tottenham Hotspur’s second-string were embarrassingly beaten by Dutch outfit Vitesse.

Nuno Santo left the bulk of his first-team stars back in north London ahead of this weekend’s crunch match with local rivals West Ham United in the Premier League but it was a call which failed to pay dividends.

The Lilywhites picked up their first defeat in the UEFA Europa Conference League and slipped to third in Group G, which means they have it all to do to secure qualification into the next round.

Whilst players like Harry Kane and Heung-min Son did not travel, several senior professionals did, including the Dutch international, but he struggled to repay his manager’s faith on his return to the side.

Valued at £26m by CIES Football Observatory, Bergwijn was one of the more costly players in the starting XI in the Netherlands, so you’d expect him to have stepped up and been counted – even more so as he was given a full 90 minutes on the pitch.

Instead, he was absolutely anonymous and offered Spurs very little in attack. 17-year-old striker Dane Scarlett struggled at his young age but that was largely due to a lack of service, so the 5 foot 10 winger also failed his teammates.

As per SofaScore, Bergwijn recorded the second-fewest touches (36) of any starter – even goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini (38) had more – which isn’t an encouraging sign as one is between the sticks and the other is an attacking threat.

Elsewhere, the 24-year-old failed to register a shot on goal and wasn’t successful in any of his two dribbling attempts, which has to be a worrying sign considering the quality of opposition, who on the day were much the better side, of course.

He was also weak in possession, losing the ball 11 times from those 36 touches, whilst he won just two of his six duels (33.3%).

Alasdair Gold at football.london was far from impressed with the winger, who returned to his home country, handing him a 4/10 in his post-match ratings column.

Overall, on the above evidence, the 13-time international endured a shocker at the GelreDome on Thursday night. Nuno will be far from pleased with what he witnessed.

AND in other news, Forget Lo Celso: £27m-rated Spurs lightweight who lost 89% duels failed Nuno yet again…

Leeds United have picked up a bit of form at just the right time, and having picked up seven points from a possible nine, they head into tomorrow’s clash against Watford with a whole lot more confidence.

Jesse Marsch’s side picked up some much-needed victories over Norwich and Wolves before drawing 1-1 to Southampton at Elland Road last time out.

Their trip to Vicarage Road may prove to be a stern test given that Roy Hodgson’s men are currently battling for their lives in the Premier League relegation battle, and Marsch will have some big calls to make on his starting line-up.

One decision he might be compelled to make is dropping Diego Llorente.

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The Spain international has found himself in and out of the side in recent weeks and months, with niggling injuries disrupting him from really putting together a run of consistent games together.

After being forced off inside the first half against Wolves at Molineux in mid-March, Llorente made an immediate return against the Saints last weekend, but he looked off the pace and nervy on occasion.

As per Sofascore, while he made a team-high six tackles, he also committed the joint-most fouls, finding it difficult to balance being aggressive and playing on the edge, and sometimes losing his cool and composure. In fact, this season has seen him lose 80 duels in total in the Premier League, while winning only 97.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him a five, saying: “Can be unconventional, but brilliant at times or just verging on calamity in the backline. Armando Broja gave him a difficult afternoon without dominating him.”

Those sentiments were echoed by The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who awarded him a six, before adding: “Brought an element of drama at times that felt unnecessary, some mixed moments of defending and in possession.”

Pascal Struijk was the man to find himself out of the team following the return of club captain Liam Cooper, and the Scot was partnered with Llorente in central defence.

While the Dutchman may have had a difficult time of late, at just 22 he remains a big part of the future of this Leeds team, and he would surely learn a lot more from playing rather than sitting on the bench.

Indeed, speaking earlier this year, Cooper himself said of Struijk: “Pascal has absolutely everything to be one of the best centre-backs out there, he really has. He’s unbelievable on the ball, he’s strong, good in the air. I always knew. We all know now. His improvement speaks for itself.”

Bringing the youngster into the line-up and having someone as experienced as Cooper alongside him should see him return to much better form, knowing that he has someone to fall back upon and organise the defence rather than feeling the pressure to do so himself.

Valued at £12m by CIES, Llorente should be dropped from the starting line-up against Watford, with Struijk coming back in to take his place and resume his fledgling partnership with Cooper.

AND in other news – Signed for £5m, now worth 700% more: Orta struck dream Leeds deal with “quality” 22 y/o

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 

Champions League outfit Atalanta are interested in Everton winger Alex Iwobi, according to Tutto Mercato Web.

The report states that a move for Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham has been abandoned, but Atalanta remain interested in acquiring a Premier League attacker.

They have made enquiries for Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino, Aston Villa’s Bertrand Traore and Manchester United’s Daniel James, but ‘above all’ they’re keen on Iwobi.

One possible ‘hitch’ in any move, though, would be the player’s salary. He may have to agree to a pay cut if he’s to make the move to Serie A.

Iwobi has struggled to live up to Everton price tag

Everton signed Iwobi from Arsenal ahead of the 2019/20 season for a fee of up to £34million.

The Nigerian has gone on to make 65 appearances for the Blues, scoring only four goals and providing four assists.

His contract runs for another three years and he’s valued at £19.8million by Transfermarkt.

Fan feed Toffee TV relayed TMW’s report, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Everton fans hopeful of Iwobi sale

“I’m free, I’ll pick him up in 20 mins”

Credit: @CharlesJones96

“Best news all day. Been bad since day 1. Gives nothing to the balance of the team. When he plays what is our W/L ratio?”

Credit: @waynec83efc

“Please lord be true”

Credit: @liamtownson

“Don’t get my hopes like this”

Credit: @_ch1878

“He’s all yours”

Credit: @DanielE25044152

“It could be the Atlanta Falcons and I’d still drive him there.”

Credit: @pauldaley73

In other news, Michael Ball has urged Everton to make this move.

Everton could be set to repeat their Thierry Small disaster after reportedly making no progress in their attempts to tie Lewis Dobbin down to a new contract.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland, the 18-year-old could depart Goodison Park next summer, with his current deal set to expire at the end of July and fresh terms yet to be agreed.

The report states that: “He is set to be out of contract next July, with talks yet to resume since Everton’s initial offer made earlier this season.

“As things stand, the impasse means Dobbin would be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs in continental Europe from January 1. Failing that, he would be able to move to a fellow English club when his deal expires this summer.”

Could repeat Thierry Small disaster

Unless Dobbin puts pen to paper soon, the growing fear that the teenager may follow in the footsteps of former teammate Small could become a reality.

Small was one of Everton’s brightest prospects in recent years, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Sheffield Wednesday, aged just 16 years and 176.

However, the full-back failed to return to Merseyside for pre-season training over the summer after making his intentions to leave clear, signing professional terms for Southampton after exiting his academy scholarship 12 months early.

And now, the Everton hierarchy could be about to make the same mistake all over again.

Dobbin has been one of the Toffees’ U23s standout performers this season and put in a stellar display against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out, bagging his second goal of the campaign in a 2-1 victory.

Preventing Everton’s top young stars from seeking pastures new needs to become a priority for director of football Marcel Brands, and the Dutchman will be desperate to start that process with Dobbin.

It remains to be seen if Brands can convince the versatile forward to commit his future to the club, but the fanbase will be hoping Small’s exit doesn’t pave the way for a mass exodus.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Godfrey: EFC must swoop for £45m-rated “monster” who fans would love

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.

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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.

Fraser Forster has reportedly rejected a new deal at Southampton, which will surely concern Ralph Hasenhuttl considering the lack of goalkeeping options at St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, the 33-year-old shot-stopper has rejected a reduced deal at St Mary’s, which opens the door to a potential return to Celtic this summer.

The Hoops have been linked with the English ‘keeper in recent weeks after his impressive performances on loan there in the 2019/20 season, although Hasenhuttl had suggested earlier in the summer that he and Alex McCarthy would be competing for a starting spot in his side during the 2021/22 campaign.

Could Forster leave Southampton?

Forster is one of the top earners at Southampton but spent the majority of last season on the bench, before an impressive run of form in the FA Cup led Hasenhuttl to give him more opportunities in the Premier League.

The former England international would make 13 appearances in total for the Saints, eight of which came in the Premier League, where he averaged a solid 6.70 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Southampton have already sold Angus Gunn to newly-promoted Norwich City, so if Forster were to depart on loan or a permanent deal this summer, it would leave Hasenhuttl with very few options in the goalkeeping department, with young Harry Lewis perhaps not ready to deputise for McCarthy.

It is no surprise that Celtic want Forster to return, given his performances there during the 2019/20 seasons, which led French defender Christopher Jullien to sing his praises in 2019, saying:

“There are no words! There are no words to describe that. He’s been unbelievable since he’s come here.”

“At the end of every game, I tell him he’s the best goalkeeper I’ve played with. I’m so happy to have him behind me. He just makes so many saves.”

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Therefore, unless Southampton can bring in a new goalkeeper, it is bad news for Hasenhuttl that Forster has reportedly rejected this new deal, as it would leave the Austrian’s squad looking even thinner if the 33-year-old were to depart this summer.

And, in other news… Southampton dealt huge transfer blow with “exceptional” transfer target