All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal are the latest club to be linked with a move for Tammy Abraham this summer…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, the Gunners are interested in the 23-year-old striker, who Chelsea have already offered out to a number of clubs in recent weeks.

Abraham has been made available to Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, along with Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, whilst other reports suggest that he’s the primary target for West Ham manager David Moyes in this transfer window.

Several Blues players have swapped Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium in recent years, including David Luiz and Willian, so the England international could be the next man to do so.

With Alexandre Lacazette’s contract expiring in a year, he could well be sold to fund a potential £40m move for Abraham, who is widely expected to be departing Chelsea this summer.

Shades of Henry

Interestingly, Abraham was a boyhood Arsenal fan who idolised the legendary Thierry Henry. Speaking during a loan spell at Bristol City in 2016/17, he claimed: “To be honest I was an Arsenal fan. It didn’t make any difference at Chelsea.

“When you’re young and you choose who to support, if it’s a family thing, it’s a family thing. Luckily for me, it was a family thing, so it wasn’t really a problem at Chelsea.

“Someone I looked up to was Thierry Henry. His variations of finishing, his movement, the way he dribbles… someone like that has a key impact on me. I would love to be as big as him and maybe even better.”

Could Mikel Arteta be about to find the Gunners’ next Henry?

Abraham has fallen heavily out of favour since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in the dugout at Stamford Bridge, although the England international still finished the season just one goal behind Jorginho, the club’s top goalscorer in the Premier League with seven.

His overall record for Chelsea is 30 goals in 82 appearances, which is a pretty respectable return at this level.

The 23-year-old is certainly a different presence to what Arteta currently has at his disposal in Arsenal’s attack. At 6 foot 3, he offers the same sort of rangy presence as Henry during his heyday, and the fact that he has effectively modelled his game on the Frenchman only bodes well.

Furthermore, former academy teammate Kasey Palmer once dubbed him a “goal machine.”

Lacazette is more stocky, whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has seemingly cemented his place down on the left flank, thus opening up a spot in the current squad.

A move to the Emirates should appeal greatly too, with Abraham targeting a return to Gareth Southgate’s England squad in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Also described as a “phenomenal player” by former Premier League manager Alex McLeish, the £36m-rated forward would surely be an interesting acquisition for Arsenal this summer.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Arsenal transfer update…

The last thing Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright will have envisaged this summer was finding a new manager.

Carlo Ancelotti was supposed to lead Everton to greatness but instead, the Toffees are now back at square one after his departure to Real Madrid.

The Italian left Merseyside behind with a lot of unfinished business and they now look set to replace him with Nuno Santo.

He left Wolves a number of weeks ago and after a move to Crystal Palace fell through, is primed and ready to take on the Everton hot seat.

His appointment shouldn’t fill supporters with too much excitement but he has been a consistent and reliable figure in the Midlands for four years.

Nuno has a year’s experience of European football but with Everton holding ambitions of a place in the Champions League, they need someone with a bit more know-how.

That man could be Erik ten Hag. Also fielding interest from Tottenham, the Dutchman is one of the most improving coaches around.

The Athletic claimed that Everton have the 51-year-old on their shortlist last week and as a result, they should engage in discussions with him.

After all, Ten Hag’s style of football and his philosophy is everything the Toffees should lust after.

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He has won the Eredivisie on two occasions and was named the fourth-best coach in the world by FIFA during 2019 for his incredible Champions League run with Ajax.

They reached the semi-finals of the competition in 2018/19, knocking out Real Madrid but losing to Spurs in the dying embers of the last four.

Ten Hag’s record with the Dutch giants is rather incredible. Ajax have scored 452 goals in just 167 games with him at the helm, leading to a goal difference of +299.

A keen exponent of the high press, the coach has taken great influence from Jurgen Klopp but he also raves about Pep Guardiola; “I learned a lot from Guardiola. His philosophy is sensational, what he did in Barcelona, Bayern and now with Manchester City, that attacking and attractive style sees him win a lot,” he said.

The Ajax boss has tried to replicate that in the Netherlands and has combined elements of Barcelona’s captivating style with the total football created by the late Johan Cruyff.

Daley Blind told BT Sport (via Planet Football) in May 2019: “Johan Cruyff’s philosophy and spirit still flows around in this club. Erik ten Hag is doing very well now. He wants us to play attacking football but most of all without any fear.”

The Independent’s Will Magee added: “When it comes to Ten Hag’s favoured style of play, the Cruyffian influence is unavoidable. There is a reason that his approach has been dubbed ‘Total Football 2.0’.”

This shines through in the interchangeable nature of his side’s play. Unlike Nuno, Ten Hag is extremely flexible in the way he wants his players to set up.

The full-backs push high while Ajax’s wingers are capable of moving inside and occupying spaces in the middle, as well as on the flanks.

As for Dusan Tadic, he operates in a frightening fashion as a roaming forward, leading the line astutely with 76 goals and 70 assists in 149 outings.

With total football the modus operandi by which Ten Hag lives, he’d be a stellar acquisition for Everton.

He looks like a man with all of the tools to fix their mediocre league finishes.

AND in other news, Moshiri can make the biggest statement of his Everton tenure by hiring 51 y/o “genius”…

Manchester United’s hopes of Europa League glory were ended in dramatic fashion as Villarreal triumphed 11-10 in a thrilling penalty shootout.

After Gerard Moreno put the La Liga outfit ahead, connecting with a well-taken Dani Parejo free-kick, United struggled to break down their organised and compact opponents.

The Yellow Submarines had been well-drilled by former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, but a deflected shot fell kindly into Edinson Cavani’s path early in the second half for the Uruguay international to slot into an unguarded net.

However, the Red Devils failed to build any momentum on the back of their fortuitous equaliser, and in a game lacking in quality where only three shots on target were recorded, the game meandered through extra time without any incident of note.

After 20 successful penalties from both teams, it was down to the respective goalkeepers to decide the tie, and after Geronimo Rulli cooly tucked his spot-kick into the top corner, the Argentine keeper got down low to keep David de Gea’s tame effort out and a lot of focus post-match has been on De Gea’s performance.

Whilst questions can be asked of De Gea’s shootout showing, it’s hard to pin all the blame for the loss on him. No United player covered themself in glory bar the impressive Scott McTominay, although one man, in particular, let his teammates and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer down with an extremely underwhelming performance.

As per SofaScore, Marcus Rashford won just six of his 19 duels on Wednesday evening, epitomising his desperately poor showing in Gdansk.

The lightweight display meant the Old Trafford outfit struggled to keep hold of the ball in the attacking third of the pitch, with him often losing out to a Villarreal defender before any meaningful progress had been made and allowed the Spanish side to regain possession far too easily.

Rashford has had a fairly impressive season for his boyhood club, scoring 21 goals and providing 15 assists for his teammates in all competitions, yet the £76.5m-rated forward (as per Transfermarkt) was unable to find his best form in the biggest game of the campaign.

The England international is often very effective at dragging his team up the pitch and creating havoc with his direct nature and dazzling dribbling, but even that side of his game let him down in midweek.

Only three of Rashford’s nine attempted dribbles were successful as attack after attack was broken down with the ball at the 23-year-old’s feet.

We’re sure the young winger will come back stronger next season for his shocking experience in this European final, but it was certainly a night to forget for Rashford and on a night where he was needed to stand up and be counted, Rashford was a shadow of himself and he let his manager down with his poor showing.

And, in other news…James Cooper drops huge Man Utd transfer claim that’ll surely have fans buzzing 

Lee Johnson has been dealt a huge blow to his chances of keeping Charlie Wyke at Sunderland this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a Sunderland source has revealed that the centre-forward looks set to reject the offer of a new deal at The Stadium of Light, and as such, he will leave the Black Cats upon the expiry of his contract next month.

A number of Championship clubs have been linked with a move for the 28-year-old, while Ipswich Town are also reported to be in the running to land the striker in the coming weeks, should he indeed quit Sunderland.

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Johnson will be devastated

Considering just how impressive Wyke has been for Sunderland this season, the news that the £270k-rated man looks to have played his last game for the club will undoubtedly come as a devastating blow to Johnson.

Over his 45 League One appearances this term, the striker scored a whopping 26 goals, provided three assists and created six big chances, as well as taking an average of 2.4 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns saw the £6.4k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.36, ranking him as Sunderland’s best performer in the third tier of English football – playing a huge part in the club’s securing of a play-off spot.

However, after losing 3-2 over two legs of their play-off semi-final with Lincoln City, it would appear as if that the fact the Black Cats will be playing their third consecutive season in League One has cost them the services of Wyke – who, at 28, will undoubtedly want to be playing at the highest level possible as he hits the peak of his career.

Indeed, should the player dubbed a “brilliant” striker by Lynden Gooch go on to leave The Stadium of Light this summer, it would certainly not do Sunderland’s chances of mounting a promotion push once again next season very much good at all, with Johnson looking likely to have the unenviable task of replacing a 26-goal forward ahead of the kick-off of the new campaign.

In other news: Johnson heading for SAFC transfer disaster over “magnificent” £7k-p/w troublemaker – opinion

Everton have decided to offer 20-year-old starlet Ellis Simms fresh contract terms, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

The Lowdown: Everton gear up for 2021/22

As the Toffees look to get their ducks in a row ahead of the 2021/22 season, you could be forgiven for thinking that player imports were the only concern of the Goodison Park hierarchy.

Everton have been linked with the likes of Matheus Nunes from Sporting Lisbon in recent weeks [ToffeeWeb].

However, preserving their key crop of young talent has also seemingly become a priority for the Merseyside giants this summer, in particular, Simms, who may become a younger alternative for the now-departed Joshua King [Guardian].

The Latest: Simms has been offered a new deal at Goodison Park

The Oldham-born forward has been given the chance to sign an extension at the club, as his current contract is due to expire in the summer of 2022, meaning he would be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club next January [Liverpool Echo].

Despite this, the Finch Farm product has previously discussed a move away from Merseyside, saying in a previous interview: “Who knows what the future will bring?” [Liverpool Echo].

The Verdict: Simms should receive first-team openings next season

Undoubtedly, Everton fans will be hoping that those at the club do all they cato keep hold of their premium talent. Enjoying a sparkling 2020/21 on loan at Blackpool; he helped the Seasiders to promotion from League One, scoring 10 goals from 23 appearances [Transfermarkt].

Once labelled ‘outstanding’ by Everton Under-18’s coach Keith Southern, he is someone with a bright future in the game and it would be a blow to lose his services [Liverpool Echo].

Nevertheless, the inkling that he has been guaranteed some sort of future at the Blues through having a new deal on the table is a positive for the Everton faithful.

Should he elect to stay at Goodison Park, the Toffees should look to pre-season as an opportunity to bed him into a senior environment as he’s shown whilst out on loan that he’s deserving of a chance to make a name for himself at Goodison.

In other news, Lawrie Sanchez has commented on Everton coach Duncan Ferguson.

Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell is not convinced that Josh Doig would be a good enough signing for Celtic this summer.

The Lowdown: Doig linked with Celtic move

The Hoops have had a season to forget in the Premiership, losing their league crown to bitter rivals Rangers and under-performing all too often. A big summer is required in the summer transfer window, with Eddie Howe rumoured to be arriving as manager and new signings also required.

Hibernian left-back Josh Doig has been strongly linked with a move to Celtic, with the 18-year-old considered an exciting young talent.

The Latest: Pundit not sure about Doig move

While it’s hard not to feel that Doig would represent a good long-term investment, Campbell told Football Insider that Celtic need to recruit established players in order to hunt down Rangers. He said:

“Doig is a bargain at £1million but you have to ask yourself the question, how much football has he played?

“It is a signing that is all about potential. Celtic would be signing huge bags of potential. While it could be a great long-term investment, they need players who can knock Rangers off their perch next season.

“Doig has obviously done really well but is he going to take Celtic to the next level?”

The Verdict: Proven players needs

There is no issue with Celtic signing Doig, assuming that older, more proven individuals also arrive at Parkhead in the coming months.

As Campbell hinted, the Hoops aren’t going to make giant strides with teenagers coming into the squad, regardless of Doig’s potential, as the Hibs teenager has played only 42 senior matches.

A mix of youth and experience is surely needed in the summer, allowing Celtic to excel in both the present and the future.

In other news, a pundit has urged a Celtic star to join a Premier League club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Carlo Ancelotti could discover Everton’s next Tim Howard by unleashing Harry Tyrer after the academy goalkeeper earned vivid praise from West Ham United striker Mipo Odubeko.

The Toffees lost 2-1 away to the Irons on Monday afternoon after a second-half brace from Odubeko, but the 18-year-old found himself denied the treble by Tyrer.

Everton’s young up-and-comer clearly left an impression on the Hammers hopeful, who kept David Unsworth’s side in the game with a string of solid stops.

Tyrer started on the front foot by palming a Manuel Lanzini delivery out for a corner and stood firm to save a thumping header from Fabian Balbuena inside the opening twenty minutes.

Lanzini tried his luck with a free-kick approaching the break but Tyrer did well to get a hand on the 28-year-old’s swerving strike, and got down to stop a fierce hit from Odubeko inside the box early in the second period.

Odubeko unleashed another emphatic shot just after the hour mark that Tyrer had to do wonders to keep out, stretching well to keep the ball out from the bottom corner of his net. But he was eventually beaten when Odubeko rose highest at the back post to head home and soon had a brace from the penalty spot.

Tyrer’s string of saves may not have allowed Unsworth’s side to claim only their ninth win in 21 Premier League 2 fixtures this term, but offered plenty of promise for his future and praise from West Ham’s star U23s striker.

“I thought the Everton keeper was class. He got down to make a good couple of saves – shots that I thought would’ve gone in – but, obviously, I had to keep at it,” Odubeko said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo (21/4, 07:43).

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Ancelotti has clearly been impressed with Tyrer’s progress as well, with the Everton boss naming him on the bench for five Premier League fixtures plus two FA Cup ties this season.

Tyrer is yet to make his senior debut but has kept three clean sheets in 27 U23s games across all competitions over the past two campaigns, including shutting out League One side Burton Albion in an EFL Trophy clash at Pirelli Stadium last term.

Ancelotti now unleashing the academy stopper could see the Italian discover his side’s next Howard, who similarly earned lavish praise from rivals during his days at Goodison Park.

“He is a really experienced goalkeeper who has played many, many games in the Premier League,” David de Gea told ManUtd.com last year. “He is brave, quick around his goal and a great shot-stopper. He is a great keeper.”

Howard enjoyed a 10-year career with the Toffees after an initial loan spell from Manchester United for the 2006/07 campaign, in which he kept 134 clean sheets in 414 games across all competitions and even scored once.

Tyrer could one day occupy the same position between the sticks at Goodison Park with Ancelotti said to be searching for a potential Jordan Pickford replacement, and should look to see what the Crosby-born prospect has in his locker.

If not over the remainder of the current Premier League campaign, Tyrer has to be given his chance to impress in Everton’s pre-season plans or seal a loan switch in the summer market and gain valuable first-team experience that could see him become Ancelotti’s future number one.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti could have Everton’s next Idrissa Gueye on his hands in a “terrific” academy talent…

Numerous Manchester City fans have been reacting to the bizarre news that Sir Alex Ferguson visited the Lowry Hotel, where Paris Saint-Germain are staying, ahead of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

The Citizens face the Ligue 1 champions at the Etihad Stadium tonight as they aim to reach the final of Europe’s premier club competition. They won the first leg at the Parc des Princes last week 2-1, so a solid performance this time around should be enough to see them through.

Ferguson is a Manchester United legend, having won numerous trophies at Old Trafford during a 26-and-a-halfyear spell at the club. It may seem to some that he doesn’t want to see City succeed though, as he just so happened to visit the same hotel at which PSG are staying hours before kick-off.

The news was shared on Twitter by the Manchester Evening News’ official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of interest from City supporters. These fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ferguson news below

“Disgusting”

Credit: @ThisIsDIR

“This club are sinking deeper than I ever thought was possible”

Credit: @Dylan_Currie01

“This has to be a joke”

Credit: @CjKofi

“they’re so obsessed with us”

Credit: @jessmcfcx

“imagine such hatred”

Credit: @FaraiCharuma

“So weird. Honestly.”

Credit: @CSR2693

In other news, some Man City fans fumed at this Premier League news.

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.”

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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…

Wesley is ‘fit and well’ after being substituted early for Aston Villa’s under-23s on Friday, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The striker departed after just 38 minutes of the Premier League 2 Division Two clash with Wolves as Wesley apparently felt a ‘sharp twinge’ in his right knee following a 50-50 challenge.

Wesley’s grim absence

The Brazilian, a £22m signing from Club Brugge two summers ago, hasn’t featured for Villa’s first team since New Year’s Day 2020, when he sustained a cruciate ligament rupture in a 2-1 win at Burnley.

Thankfully though, what would have come as a major scare on Friday is apparently nothing to worry about.

“It’s been a long, hard road back for him,” Dean Smith said last month, adding: “As coaches and staff we just have to be patient and work hard with him.”

When he is fully fit, Wesley will be able to provide competition for Villa’s top scorer Ollie Watkins. The Brazilian had scored five Premier League goals in his debut season before it was cut short.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Off the back of this update, you might think that Wesley would be able to get some first team minutes under his belt before the end of the season.

Villa’s under-23s are back in action on Friday against Fulham, and if indeed Wesley is ‘fit and well’, you’d hope he can come through that match unscathed.

Smith will be keen to give him a morale-boosting runout soon enough. He has effectively lost more than a year of his fledgling career, and seen Watkins arrive to tie down the centre-forward role long-term given his impressive 2020/21 season.

In other news, what’s the latest on Jack Grealish?