All posts by z3u9t.icu

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder Pedro Goncalves ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Portuguese newspaper Record (via the Daily Star), the Anfield outfit are interested in acquiring the 22-year-old’s services this summer as they aim to regain their Premier League crown.

A release clause of £52 million is thought to be included in Goncalves’ current contract, although Sporting are desperately trying to raise that fee by convincing the highly-rated youngster to put pen to paper on a new deal.

Bye-Bye Shaqiri

Liverpool endured a difficult 2020/21 campaign, falling from the summit of the Premier League table the previous season to a third-place finish, dropping 30 points in the process.

Injuries to their first-choice centre-back’s seriously hampered the progress of Jurgen Klopp’s charges, but a severe drop-off in form amongst the Reds’ attacking talents also caused major issues.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were far from their usual free-scoring selves, while the lack of quality options on the bench left Klopp with little room to manoeuvre.

The likes of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri have failed to produce the sort of displays required from players at a club like Liverpool for the last two campaigns now, and the duo have both been linked with a move away in recent weeks.

Who director of football Michael Edwards brings in to replace them could be a deciding factor in where the six-time European champions end up next season.

Having someone as talented as Goncalves to call upon when Liverpool are struggling to break teams down, or when one of the club’s famed front three needs a rest, would elevate Klopp’s squad closer to the level that Manchester City have been operating at for several years.

The youngster fired Sporting to their first Portuguese league title in 19 years in 2020/21, bagging 23 goals and providing four assists in 32 appearances.

His arrival could catapult Liverpool back into contention for major silverware, and therefore, Edwards must sanction an audacious swoop for the highly-rated creative talent this summer, he’d be a huge upgrade on Shaqiri.

And, in other news…Edwards must swoop for “sensational” £63m-rated gem lauded by Messi, LFC need him 

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to an article from Keith Jackson in the aftermath of the latest Old Firm clash.

On May 2nd, the Gers hammered Celtic 4-1 in the last Old Firm game of the season – it was their fourth win in five attempts against their fierce rivals in 2020/21 (Sky Sports). It means the Gers are still unbeaten in this season’s Premiership and they have just two games left (BBC).

The clash also marked Scott Brown’s last Old Firm appearance – he will join Aberdeen at the end of this season. Jackson has suggested that a highly-ranked Rangers official made a crude gesture towards Brown in the tunnel after that match, although Celtic have not chosen to lodge an official complaint since.

Unsurprisingly, this did not go down well with many Rangers supporters. The article from Jackson was shared on his official Twitter page, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers fans, one of whom called it “embarrassing”. These supporters took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Jackson piece below

“What an embarrassment Keef, imagine putting your name to such a toadying piece. Brown deserves every verbal, he lorded it over poor Rangers sides, he was a classless moron still goading his opponents and opposition fans, even when substituted at Ibrox he was still mouthing off.”

Credit: @Stanspadowski72

“Embarrassing article. Happy for Griffiths blowing his nose on corner flags and tying scarves to posts when playing against guys like Keirnan and Goss yet nothing said. Poor Broony finally exposed as the plastic hard man that he is”

Credit: @DangerousD1969

“Hibs & Saints have just made the cup final and this is what you decide to write about ? Brown, Griffiths and even Lawwell have had digs at Rangers over the years, it’s football that’s what happens. Pathetic stuff.”

Credit: @scottkirkwood72

“Laughable stuff from Jackson here yet again! The same Rodgers who bolted at the first sniff off the EPL! The same Brown who made a career of goading other players and fans!”

Credit: @deanomac55

“Keith this screams sour grapes. Scott Brown has been the luckiest footballer in Scotland in the last 50 years. He deserves a good old slagging for his and his teams performances this season.”

Credit: @Sneddon0472

“Brown has been dishing it out for years so forgive my lack of sympathy here. You reap what you sow, as they say. “Provocatively goaded”? Give me peace.”

Credit: @mox1872

In other news, many Rangers fans were livid at this journalist’s comments.

Daniel Levy has already been looking into a potential replacement for Harry Kane as his Spurs future has been thrown into uncertainty this week…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from the Daily Mail, who suggest that the Lilywhites chairman has been planning ahead for several weeks now after the 27-year-old talisman told the club that he wants to leave this summer.

It is thought that the North London giants have also identified players they may be able to take in a part-exchange swap deal for Kane, and the name of Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has cropped up.

Given the Lilywhites value their leading talisman at £150m, cash, as well as a player, will likely have to be parted with.

Both Manchester teams are said to be interested but Levy is keen not to do business with either.

A perfect replacement?

Spurs are going to be in for one long summer of speculation, and potentially turmoil, if Kane does leave N17, but Levy can make life easier by signing someone like Martial.

It’s evident that Spurs’ squad is in need of a major overhaul as many of the players still remain from Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club, and those very stars are the same ones that saw Jose Mourinho out the door.

If Levy is to drastically change things, then selling Kane may be the only way to raise enough funds to do so.

Although getting a player in return, along with a much-needed cash injection, could genuinely be a masterstroke as he’ll be getting a perfect replacement, too.

Valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, Martial has endured a tough campaign that has been blighted by a serious knee injury. He has directly contributed to 16 goals in 36 appearances, which is more than anyone not called Kane or Heung-min Son in North London.

His versatility to play out wide is another intriguing aspect to his game but his best-ever season came as United’s first-choice no.9, where he provided a whopping 23 goals and ten assists in 44 matches in the role during the 2019/20 campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

Former teammate and ex-Spurs man Michael Carrick believes that the frontman is “unplayable” on his day and that’s the sort of phrase you’d attribute to Kane.

Overall, Martial has managed a goal or assist every 134 minutes in the Premier League since arriving in 2015, so it’s no wonder he’s also been lauded as a “beast of a player” as well as an “exceptional talent.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

By comparison, the Spurs superstar sits at a direct goal contribution once every 99 minutes in that same time frame, so he’s not as far off as you might think, especially when he has played out wide more than Kane, too.

Of course, the England international is as irreplaceable as they come but given Martial’s top-flight experience, proven goalscoring record and Tottenham’s likely need to fill a void, there cannot be many better options out there.

For now, he’d be about as perfect a realistic replacement for Kane that Spurs could hope to get – whether it can actually happen or not, only time will tell.

AND in other news, Time to go: Levy must axe shocking £75k-p/w dud, he must never play for Spurs again…

West Ham United defender Issa Diop will quite possibly be at a career crossroads this summer, and fresh claims cast doubt over his future in east London.

In 2018, the French centre-back cost the Irons a then club-record £22m, and at one stage he looked to be set for huge things as the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United were credited with interest following an impressive start to life in England.

However, he has now found himself in and out of the team under David Moyes and is potentially West Ham’s fourth-choice centre-back heading into next season.

This week, The Athletic’s ‘U Irons’ podcast discussed the 24-year-old, who is soon to enter the peak years of his career, and journalist Sam Delaney hinted that the Hammers could be enticed into a sale this summer.

He said: “I think from West Ham’s point of view, considering that we never have much money to spend, who does? And if we want to make some decent signings, we’re going to have to sell.

“To me, he’s a prime candidate because usually, we sell players who don’t have much value. So really, it’s just an exercise in getting them off of the wage bill. But you look at Diop’s age you sort of think he’s someone who can still fetch a reasonable fee for but he is not first choice.”

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

If GSB are to sanction any exit, they won’t be too pleased with how Diop’s value has crashed in recent years. Back in July 2019, he was valued at a whopping £31.5m, so it’s no wonder the aforementioned interest from West Ham’s top-flight rivals were alongside a mooted £60m asking price.

However, due to a lack of game-time and poor form, the 6 foot 4 colossus is now rated at just £16.2m, a drastic decrease of 48%, as per Transfermarkt.

Once lauded a “monster” by Jose Mourinho, Diop has slipped behind Moyes’ first-choice duo Craig Dawson, who signed permanently from Watford earlier this month, and Angelo Ogbonna as well as Aaron Cresswell, who has often acted as a third option in a centre-back three.

It would therefore make sense to cash in on the former Toulouse defender if he’s not going to contribute considering that he’s only 24, but it’ll be a huge blow to GSB that his value has dropped substantially.

AND in other news, Moyes could seal WHU bargain in 62-goal beast who Haaland dubbed “crazy”…

Manchester United will be without one first-team star when they head to Italy this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Red Devils face AS Roma in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final tie, and arguably they already have one foot in the final, having won 6-2 at Old Trafford last week.

However, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won’t be able to call upon Daniel James after ruling him out ahead of tonight’s kick-off.

He told reporters, via the club’s official website:

“We didn’t get any injuries at the weekend. We trained well after that but Dan James is not available. He’s still out for a little while.”

Gutting blow

This will come as an annoying blow to the Manchester giants, even if they are in a very strong position.

It would be a massive surprise to see the Serie A outfit turn around a four-goal lead, especially after their capitulation in the first leg, so to not have a player that was in line to start this sort of encounter is certainly a setback.

James has started three of United’s last six league games, when fit and has emerged as an interesting option on the wing in the recent absence of Anthony Martial, who also remains out.

The 23-year-old did not feature in the 6-2 whitewash but was named on the bench, and given Solskjaer is likely to rotate his squad tonight, James would have undoubtedly been in line to start the match.

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He has featured in all but one of their Europa League matches since exiting the Champions League group stages earlier this year, starting five of seven outings, as per Transfermarkt.

Solskjaer may be understandably angry to not have him available here.

Furthermore, United’s crucial game with Liverpool on Sunday was postponed due to a fan demonstration inside and outside the ground, as well as at the team’s hotel.

That game will now be played in a week’s time, meaning they’ll have four games in the space of a week, making the need for rotation tonight all that more important so not having James available is a huge blow.

Without the Welshman, Solskjaer will now frustratingly need to turn to one of his usual starters, one that he would have probably liked to have seen rested ahead of a tough week against Aston Villa, top-of-the-table rivals Leicester City, and now their Merseyside enemies.

In his absence, we could see teenage starlet Anthony Elanga, who could make his senior debut after being named in the 24-man squad, feature whilst Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Juan Mata will also make the trip.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit claims Man Utd youngster can be the best in the world…

Michael Edwards appears to be getting Liverpool’s summer business underway early in 2021 as The Reds’ are in the final stages of agreeing a deal to sign RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate, according to The Athletic.

The centre-back could be just the man to see Liverpool get back to the top of the Premier League standings in 2021/22.

In his time in the Bundesliga, the 21-year-old Frenchman has developed a reputation as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe.

Having broken through at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, he moved to Leipzig when he was just 17 years of age and has gone on to amass 89 appearances for the club since – including eight in the UEFA Champions League.

Even before making his Leipzig bow, big things were expected of the defender, with former manager Ralf Rangnick suggesting that Konate was “so good” that he could one day represent either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Whilst he has fallen down the pecking order slightly at the Red Bull Arena throughout the current campaign, with Julien Nagelsmann preferring a defensive pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Willi Orban, Konate’s statistics remain hugely impressive.

According to WhoScored, he is bettering the likes of Joe Gomez and Rhys Williams with his 0.4 tackles per game in all competitions. He is also outperforming Gomez and Joel Matip with his 0.7 interceptions per game in league play, a number that jumps up considerably when his European form is taken into account.

It seems then that as he continues to overcome his Liverpool opposite numbers, he could actually be the perfect partner for Virgil van Dijk at Anfield, with the Reds having struggled defensively this season having shipped 36 goals in just 29 games.

So, with Liverpool closing in on an early deal for his signature, they finally seem close to securing the centre-back that they need in the form of £31.5m-rated Konate.

AND in more news, take a look at which current Reds star they should shockingly consider selling…

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has been linked with a move to Aston Villa and, as to be expected, it has caused quite the stir on social media.

According to an exclusive report from Football Insider, Villa chief executive Christian Purslow holds a “strong interest” in hiring Gerrard ahead of the summer.

The pair know each other well from their time at Liverpool, with the report claiming that Dean Smith’s position as Villa manager is uncertain in the long-term despite a solid season.

Villa sit ninth in the table with nine games remaining, racking up 47 points so far.

Gerrard is under contract at Ibrox until 2024 and it remains to be seen what his views are on a possible move to Villa Park.

Villa fans react

Football Insider shared the story on their Twitter page on Thursday morning. It didn’t take long for numerous Villa fans to have their say on the story, with one describing it as ‘stupid’.

“That’s enough Twitter in the day for me”

Credit: @AnonymousAVFC

“More stupid click bait!”

Credit: @Deankerr04

“This has come out of nowhere!”

Credit: @MitchM77

“Utter dross Gerrard is Liverpool bound soon enough. Smith is doing a great job, summer & next season will tell if Smith can take us to the next step, if not then owners may want to change tact, and go for a top pedigree manager to take us there”

Credit: @kpvilla

“Surely no Villa fan wants this?”

Credit: @jpriesty4

“Another one to the block list. Silly season already”

Credit: @villa_b6

In other news: Many AVFC fans buzz at John Percy update on Villa star, find out more here. 

Newcastle United may potentially be facing a significant injury blow after The Northern Echo claimed that Isaac Hayden may be out for the rest of the season.

As per the news outlet, it is feared that that he has suffered a season-ending knee injury after he was forced to make way for Jeff Hendrick in added time in the first half of the 3-0 loss at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday night.

With Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson already out injured, it would be another huge blow to Steve Bruce if another key first team player in Hayden were to be ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Newcastle need Hayden

Newcastle need Hayden to be fit and playing if they are to boost their chances of avoiding relegation from the Premier League at the end of the campaign.

The central midfielder has only missed five games for the Magpies in the top flight so far this season, and they only managed to win one of those, drawing one and losing the other three (WhoScored).

Hayden has put in some very good performances for the Toon, with Alan Shearer even going as far as to call him ‘outstanding’ after a stellar display in their 3-2 home win over Southampton back in February.

Nonetheless, losing the 25-year-old for the rest of the campaign would be a massive blow for Newcastle, especially with their Premier League status in the balance.

In other news, find out what inside claim Mark Douglas has dropped from takeover sources!

In one of the biggest transfer roller-coasters in recent memory, Daniel James looked set to join Leeds United, before eventually seeing a move from Swansea collapse at the final hour.

Such was the drama, the deal and all the behind-the-scenes footage of it made it onto the Whites’ documentary released by Amazon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side had reportedly agreed a loan deal with the Swans in the 2019 January transfer window, with the move being made permanent for around £8.5m if the Whites earned promotion.

However, it all fell apart in the closing stages, and while it seemed like Swansea completely blindsided Leeds by pulling the rug from under the table, it appears the Yorkshire club left their counterparts with no option after looking to weight things heavily in their favour.

According to a report by BBC Sport: “It is understood Leeds wanted to defer the initial loan fee until the summer, while the proposed permanent transfer fee following potential promotion, would have been spread out over as much as three years.

“It is believed Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins felt he was not prepared to accept the terms and brought a halt to discussions.”

Since then, James has, of course, made the move to Premier League level with Manchester United, and while he hasn’t exactly set Old Trafford alight, has begun to feature more prominently under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in recent weeks – he’s started four out of the last five top-flight games, including scoring against Newcastle in a 3-1 win.

Now, CIES value him at the £60m mark, a quite remarkable rise for a player who had a deal gone through with Leeds, the Whites could have signed on a permanent basis for less than six times that.

And as if to underline that point about Leeds missing out on a potentially exciting talent, James struck the winner for Wales in their World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, getting on the end of a Gareth Bale cross.

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Given that the Yorkshire club supposedly missed out on James because they were playing extremely stingy with the way the transfer fee would have been broken down, this surely must go down as a shocking blunder from Victor Orta.

And at still only 23, the Welshman has got plenty of time to develop even further and make Leeds regret that 2019 call even more.

Meanwhile, Leeds keen on striking deal for this starlet…

Liverpool slipped to their fifth-straight home defeat in the Premier League as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea on Thursday night.

Pearce reacts

The Reds lost out to a well-taken Mason Mount strike just before half-time, in a game where Jurgen Klopp’s side only managed to register just one shot on target during the 90 minutes.

The German tactician’s substitutions raised some eyebrows on the night – taking off the Premier League’s top goalscorer Mohamed Salah after the hour mark. Despite having Naby Keita at his disposal, he brought James Milner on as his final change as opposed to the more creative midfielder.

This move from Klopp confused Pearce. Replying to a fan on The Athletic’s Q&A session after the full-time whistle, the journalist seemed baffled by the decision not to feature Keita when Liverpool were chasing a goal.

He said: “Naby Keita would have been [a better choice to bring on]. Very odd decision. The subs didn’t improve LFC tonight. Liverpool just don’t attack with the same kind of fluidity and intensity. The structure of the team looks wrong.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Pearce is spot on here. It looks as if Klopp made changes just to go with some fresh legs – as opposed to a shift of tactics.

Keita’s attacking prowess could have provided Liverpool with a different dimension. While they were much better in the second half, the Reds’ number eight may have provided some cutting edge in the final third.

While injuries at the back have been an issue, going forward, Liverpool look incredibly lacklustre and some tough decisions need to be made.

In other news, Emile Heskey believes Liverpool mainstay needs to ‘take a backseat.’