All posts by z3u9t.icu

Adama Traore’s ‘next adventure could be at Liverpool’, according to a report from elnacional.cat. 

Jurgen Klopp, a keen admirer of the Spain winger, is said to be waiting at Anfield ‘with open arms’ ahead of the January transfer window. Traore, for his part, feels he would be well-suited to the Reds’ style of football and ‘would not say no’ to an offer from the six-times European champions.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, who are of course managed by former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, are also said to be interested in the 25-year-old, who is renowned for his pace and power but has a less than stellar scoring return.

A long-term Liverpool target?

This isn’t the first time Traore has been linked with a move to Merseyside. Back in August, 90min reported that he was on Liverpool’s shortlist as they looked to sign another forward option before the end of the transfer window.

No such move materialised, so perhaps it’s still a priority for the side currently second in the Premier League.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed the report, and here’s what supporters made of it, with one complaining that Traore’s finishing is worse than that of former Reds winger Raheem Sterling, who has been maligned over that particular attribute.

“The guy can’t even get into the first team of Wolves, he might know how to run fast, and have big muscles but he doesn’t do much else it feels! I don’t see this as a good move for LFC.”

Credit: @Viral_Advocates

“I’m assuming they haven’t seen his final ball”

Credit: @claydencows

“hope not, not a big fan his, dangerous but finishing worse than Sterling’s”

Credit: @lfc_lew_08

“Hell no. It is just a bulk fast version of Ox, one without football brain can never be top.”

Credit: @Ericccccccc2

“Quality dribbler but we need end product so no thanks”

Credit: @SznKonate

“We don’t need someone who can’t do anything besides run fast”

Credit: @the_czar_

In other news, many LFC fans were delighted with this contract development

Everton were reportedly interviewing former Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira on Monday afternoon, with a number of candidates already holding talks with the club, but there is one manager who would be the perfect fit over all the potential candidates.

Duncan Ferguson has taken on the role as the caretaker manager whilst Farhad Moshiri decides on his sixth manager since he became owner of the club in 2016, and the fans have had just about as much as they can take from the board, with protests taking stage at the last few games, which have both ended in defeat for the Toffees.

Ferguson is a club legend and hero at the club, as he played most of his career at Goodison Park and won the last trophy Everton have achieved back in 1995 when he won the FA Cup, the fans adore him and his passion for the club, but his lack of senior managerial experience leaves the question as to whether he is able to lead the side out of the tumultuous situation they have found themselves in during the Premier League campaign.

However, there could be another candidate for the job who is loved by the fans and has a connection to the club who would be the perfect fit in the eyes of the Everton supporters, with Wayne Rooney one potential suitor that has been named.

Rooney began his iconic career at Goodison Park, with 117 appearances, 28 goals and four assists, rising through the ranks from the youth team before eventually signing for Manchester United in 2004 when he caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The rest was history, until he made a surprising return to the club for one season in 2017 towards the end of his career.

The Evertonian who was hailed “incredible” by former QPR midfielder Shaun Derry, is currently managing Derby County, where he is doing an exceptional job given the financial turmoil that saw them hit with a 21 point deduction this season but their league position due to that is not a reflection of Rooney’s work at the club, with the side only losing eight of their last 27 matches, and only eight points adrift of safety.

The 36-year-old refused to rule himself out of taking the role at Everton when asked about it in his press conference last week, where he said: “I’m flattered to get brought up in those conversations, but I know Everton know that to have any communication with me they have to go through the administrators.”

Rooney has an invaluable connection to the club that will push him to do whatever it takes to pull Everton back into safety amid a potential relegation battle and an understanding of the fans expectations being a fan of the club himself.

Thus, if Moshiri wants to get the fans back on board and create a harmonious atmosphere at Goodison Park, the ex-Everton star is surely the right man for the job.

In other news: Moshiri must sign Dele Alli following Doucoure injury

Kevin Phillips has urged Glasgow Rangers to sell Alfredo Morelos as soon as possible and believes it is the right time for the Colombia international to leave.

The Lowdown: Morelos future up in the air

Morelos’ future has been the subject of much speculation this summer, with Porto in particular said to be interested in his services.

The 25-year-old was even said to have agreed personal terms with the Portuguese outfit (Antena 1), but there has so far not been any concrete offer for the striker.

The Latest: Phillips urges sale

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips has urged the Gers to sell Morelos this summer. He said:

“I’ve been saying it’s time for Morelos to go for a while now.

“It would help them out financially too if they need that extra cash now.

“There are always issues with him, you know he will miss games in the season.

“Whether that’s through a red card or an accumulation of quite a few yellows.

“I would imagine Rangers are expecting an offer for him now, other clubs know all about the financials.

“I think he will go.”

The Verdict: Will there be a better time?

Unless Morelos signs a new contract at Ibrox – which would be a shock considering he has previously revealed his desire to play in a more prestigious league (Goal.com) – there will surely never be a better time for the Gers to let Morelos go.

With two years left on his current deal (Transfermarkt), he still has a strong sale value. If the Gers were to wait another year, the potential fee they could receive for his services would be significantly lower.

Of course, Morelos is a striker with plenty of talent as he has shown with 95 goals in 185 appearances for Rangers, but Steven Gerrard does have a number of other options at his disposal in Fashion Sakala, Cedric Itten, Kemar Roofe and Jermain Defoe. If Morelos wants to leave, the Gers should respect his wish.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this interview.

Donny van de Beek only became a Manchester United player a year ago, but the writing could already be on the wall for the technically gifted midfielder.

After joining the Red Devils from boyhood club Ajax in a £40 million deal last summer, Van de Beek struggled for game time during his maiden Premier League campaign, starting just four top-flight fixtures.

His lack of action led to speculation that the Netherlands international could seek pastures new in the recently concluded transfer window, with a loan move to Everton widely rumoured.

However, the midfielder has played down any talk that he was close to leaving in an interview with former United ace Rio Ferdinand, insisting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was certain about his future at the club.

“No, I spoke with the manager and the club, and they said they wanted me to stay here,” Van de Beek explained to Ferdinand on his YouTube channel (as relayed by The Mirror).

“The manager was really positive about me, and he said ‘I need you, and I want to keep you here’. He also said: ‘What I see from you every day at training, is a different Donny now’,” he added.

“He was really positive about me, and now I am feeling well, I am in good shape, and I hope that I can show the fans that I have improved a lot. He said he sees a big difference, maybe I am a bit stronger now, and he can see that I have one year of experience in England now.”

Nevertheless, despite Van de Beek’s positive outlook, it appears as though the Old Trafford outfit are already lining up a potential replacement for the 24-year-old.

Well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that Leicester City maestro Youri Tielemans is on United’s wishlist, possibly resulting in the Dutchman’s departure.

“I am told that he is on many top clubs’ list. Real Madrid have his name in mind for the future, Barcelona the same,” Romano said (as relayed by the Leicester Mercury).

“In England, many clubs are interested. Manchester United have to decide on Paul Pogba, but Tielemans is one to watch for the future for Manchester United.”

Although Pogba has entered the final year of his current contract with the 20-time English champions, his style varies greatly from that of Tielemans, and it’s unlikely that the Leicester gem would be considered a direct successor for the World Cup-winning colossus.

As a result, it’s likely to be Van de Beek that makes way for the Belgium international should United make their move, with Bruno Fernandes instrumental to their play and Fred and McTominay positioned further back.

It’s been a frustrating spell on English shores for Van de Beek, and he’ll surely be hoping to use this season as a platform to showcase his true ability on the biggest of stages.

And, in other news…Man Utd suffer potentially huge selection blow pre-NUFC, Ole will be absolutely gutted 

Southampton suffered their third Premier League defeat of the season last weekend in their 3-1 loss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, leaving Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side still without a win.

Heading into the game against Thomas Tuchel’s men, Hasenhuttl gave Saints winger Theo Walcott his first start since recovering from an injury.

On The Chalkboard

During the match, Walcott, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £75k-per week, the highest of any Southampton player according to Spotrac, had very little impact on the game in an attacking sense for the Saints.

Before being replaced at halftime by Ibrahima Diallo, the winger had just 17 touches of the ball, failed to have any shots on target and missed one big chance, ultimately earning himself a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.6/10 according to SofaScore. Furthermore, he could only manage a measly nine passes.

What made his outing even worse was the surprising nature of Walcott’s selection. Southampton writer Glen de la Cour noted: “I was absolutely stunned that Walcott came straight back into the team.”

Early in his playing career, Walcott worked his way through Southampton’s youth academy before making his senior debut for the club in August 2005 in a 0-0 draw against Wolves in the Championship under former Saints boss Harry Redknapp.

The speedster then left the club for a move to Arsenal in January 2006 before eventually returning on a loan deal from Everton in October last year and ultimately signing back to the Saints on a free transfer during the recent summer transfer window.

Overall, the 32-year-old, who is currently valued at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 50 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, bagging eight goals and providing three assists along the way.

Moving forward, with Southampton set to take on Leeds United in their next league fixture after the international break, we feel that Hasenhuttl would be better off dropping Walcott for this game and perhaps start Mohamed Elyounoussi instead.

The Norwegian has more game time under his belt this season having played 90 minutes on four occasions in the league.

However, with Southampton having failed to score a goal in three of the four games that Elyounoussi has played the full 90 minutes in, this could potentially put some doubt in Hasenhuttl’s mind as to which winger he decides to start against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

With that in mind, we feel that Walcott didn’t do enough in the Chelsea match to show he should be starting against Leeds.

In other news: Signed for £0, now worth £28.8m: 26 y/o gem has become a Southampton masterclass – opinion

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has dropped a Newcastle United update that is sure to leave Steve Bruce buzzing.

What’s the story?

While the Magpies are closing in on the signing of Joe Willock from Arsenal on a permanent deal, it appears they have received a significant windfall from a player they let go a couple of years ago.

Former Newcastle academy graduate Adam Armstrong saw his move to fellow Premier League side Southampton confirmed, and Downie has revealed the positive implications it has for Bruce and Newcastle.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Southampton agree a fee with Blackburn for striker Adam Armstrong. Newcastle to net 40% of the profit from their £1.8m sale three years ago. Personal terms not expected to be a problem.”

Bruce will be buzzing

It was only a few months ago back in May that reports had suggested Bruce had been informed by the Newcastle hierarchy that he would have a transfer kitty of less than £10m to work with this summer.

It was even suggested that the budget ruled out any potential chance of signing Willock permanently, unless the Magpies cashed in one of their prized assets.

But now, with the club close to sealing a deal for Willock, the good news doesn’t seem to end there.

Confirmation of Armstrong’s switch to St Mary’s sees the Tyneside club net a very healthy sum of money as part of the 40% clause that Downie claims was inserted into the deal to sell him in the first place.

With reports claiming that the fee Saints are paying Blackburn to be in the region of £15m, and Newcastle having initially sold him for £1.7m, the Magpies stand to make a fee in the region of £5m for Armstrong.

While the striker’s departure from St James’ Park may not have gone down too well with supporters, the fact they’ve made a good chunk of money on him years later, and at a time when they could desperately do with the cash to strengthen their own squad, is sure to have Bruce delighted.

That extra bit of money could be crucial in landing another signing after Willock.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could sign a dream partner for Joe Willock in this star…

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side head into Saturday afternoon’s Premier League fixture in rather dire straits, having picked up just one win in their last five league outings, as well as being in the midst of a considerable injury crisis.

Indeed, all of Rodrigo, Robin Koch, Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper look set to miss the trip to Chelsea due to various knocks, leaving the Whites manager with a threadbare squad to face Thomas Tuchel’s third-placed Blues.

How will the Argentine line up his team at Stamford Bridge this afternoon? Here’s how we think the Leeds starting XI could look.

With the Whites’ aforementioned injury woes somewhat forcing Bielsa’s hand today, we predict that the 66-year-old will make three changes to the team which started the 2-2 draw against Brentford last time out.

In the back four, 22-year-old Pascal Struijk is thrown straight back into the side following his own recovery from injury, taking the place of Cooper alongside Diego Llorente at centre-back, while Junior Firpo and Luke Ayling start at left-back and right-back respectively.

The middle of the park also sees one change, with the stricken Phillips making way, Adam Forshaw dropping back into the England international’s usual role in front of the back four and Mateusz Klich coming into the side alongside Stuart Dallas in the central midfield two.

In attack, Daniel James and Raphinha retain their places on the left and right flanks, while Tyler Roberts is replaced by Joe Gelhardt up front, with Bielsa dubbing the 19-year-old a “human wrecking ball” who can do serious “damage” in the opposition penalty area. Those traits will almost certainly be needed if Leeds are to have any chance of securing a result at Stamford Bridge.

In other news – He’s ready: Bielsa must unleash “outrageous” Leeds beast today, he can terrify Chelsea

Everton manager Frank Lampard has revealed a massive team news boost ahead of the Toffees’ clash against West Ham on Sunday.

What’s the latest?

Taking to Friday’s press conference ahead of the clash at the London Stadium, the 43-year-old provided an update on Dominic Calvert-Lewin which will be music to Evertonian ears.

Speaking to the club’s official website about the 25-year-old, Lampard said: “He’s in a really good place. The break has been positive for Dominic (Calvert-Lewin).

“We’ve worked well, really closely with him over the past couple of weeks. Without putting unnecessary pressure on him, because it’s tough to be a striker with expectation. He’s in a really good place.”

Huge boost for Everton

Lampard’s latest update regarding Calvert-Lewin comes as a huge boost for Everton. The Toffees have often struggled in front of goal this season and, with just 29 goals in the Premier League, find themselves ranked as the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the top flight.

It is clear that Everton have missed their 25-year-old talisman this season, as indeed any team would be badly affected if they had to do without a player who netted 16 goals in his most recent league campaign and began this term with three in as many matches before injury struck.

Extra clarification of how poor Everton’s goalscoring numbers have been this season comes in the form of Liverpool superstar; Mohamed Salah. So far this season, the Egyptian has 30 goal contributions to his name, in the form of 20 goals and 10 assists. In other words, he has been involved in more goals on his own than Everton have scored as a team this season, a stat which will no doubt infuriate Toffees fans.

Lampard’s side find themselves in a precarious position in the table and will need all help they can get if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Calvert-Lewin’s return also adds some enhancements which cannot be quantified, such as his ability to act as a focal point and create space for a team-mate, or his ability to hold up the ball in the attacking third; giving his team-mates the chance to make runs out wide. Whilst his end product should certainly aid Everton in their hunt for Premier League survival, his playing style as an out-and-out physical striker could indeed prove to be the difference between staying up and going down for the Toffees.

His impending return is undoubtedly a huge boost for Everton and will eave Lampard ecstatic ahead of a testing fixture this weekend against Europa League quarter-finalists West Ham.

In other news – Everton must finally unleash £19.8m “freak of a talent” who has been “destroyed”

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’/club source John Wenham has shared his thoughts on a recent development involving Inter Milan star Stefan de Vrij.

The Lowdown: de Vrij emerges as Conte target…

As per numerous claims from Italian, Spanish and English media, Nerazzurri defender de Vrij is very much on new manager Antonio Conte’s list of targets.

The 29-year-old is apparently one of many Serie A big names who could be targeted by the Spurs boss and managing director Fabio Paratici, with Calciomercato.it listing him among six others in Federico Chiesa, Matthijs de Ligt, Marcelo Brozovic, Alessio Romagnoli, Dusan Vlahovic.

Meanwhile, Fichajes believe that things are slightly more advanced – claiming last week that the Dutch international is edging ‘closer and closer’ to signing for Spurs as Conte seeks to solve his major defensive problems.

Last but not least, Football Insider have the most recent development, stating de Vrij is personally open to the idea of a Spurs move – wanting more information and telling friends he is ‘very keen’.

The Latest: Insider backs realistic Spurs chance…

Speaking to FI, in reaction to these developments, insider Wenham believes that the centre-back is indeed a ‘realistic signing’ if the Lilywhites can negotiate a reasonable fee – certainly not his reported £40m valuation.

“He’s clearly a player Conte trusts. if he does want De Vrij then that is a deal I can see us doing,” said the Spurs source.

“He’s an international player with 55 caps, he’s a trophy winner and he’s an instant improvement on Ben Davies.

“The £40million fee is a bit steep for a player who doesn’t have that long left on his contract.

“I think Tottenham would look for a discount there, a £25million deal seems fair to me.

“Especially if you look at his age as well. He is a more realistic signing.

“If Conte really wants him then the club have to back that decision.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

If Tottenham can indeed whittle his price down to around £25m, even despite his age, we believe it is certainly a deal worth pursuing.

Racking up over half a century of caps for the Netherlands, de Vrij has not only played in two major international tournaments, but also possesses lots of Champions League and Europa League appearances at club level.

Making 44 cameos across the continent’s most elite European competitions since 2010/2011, de Vrij’s wealth of experience on the biggest stages in football could be invaluable to Conte and Spurs.

A remarkable ball-playing centre-back, de Vrij averaged a higher pass accuracy (93.8%) than any Tottenham player last season as Inter ended Juve’s stranglehold on the Scudetto (WhoScored).

We believe his composure and assurance would complement Cristian Romero to superb effect and potentially educate Tottenham’s relatively young defender in the process.

Lauded as a ‘worldbeater’ by pundit Noel Whelan, this could be one major potential coup for Spurs.

In other news: ‘Understand’, ‘In recent weeks’…Alasdair Gold shares exciting development out of Hotspur Way, find out more here.

Planning should be underway for Newcastle United’s targets for the summer transfer window as Eddie Howe looks to take his team to the next level.

The Toon have been linked with a seemingly endless stream of players in recent months and one gem who has been tipped to make a return to the club is Spanish international Mikel Merino.

Last week, reports from Spain claimed that the Magpies – and Liverpool – are interested in signing the midfielder and are plotting a bid for his services this summer.

He reportedly has a £50m (€60m) release clause in his current contract, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City also said to be monitoring him.

He’d get St. James’ Park rocking

PIF can get St. James’ Park rocking by securing a deal to sign the midfielder this summer as the fans would surely love to see him back in the black and white strip.

FFC published an article earlier this year explaining why the sale of the Spaniard to Real Sociedad in 2018 was a huge blunder from Mike Ashley at the time. He has come on leaps and bounds since departing from Tyneside and supporters would be over the moon to see PIF right Ashley’s wrong by bringing him back to England.

Merino played 25 matches in his single season for the club before heading to Spain and he has played 147 matches back in his home country to date, earning himself 11 caps for the national team along the way.

He was hailed “the best player in the league” by Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil earlier this season and this illustrates how well he has performed in La Liga this term. The midfielder has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.07 across 27 matches in the Spanish top-flight, making 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game and chipping in with five direct goal contributions.

Meanwhile, Bruno Guimaraes’ average SofaScore rating of 6.95 is the highest of any Newcastle player in the middle of the park. Joe Willock and Joelinton have averaged scores of 6.71 and 6.74 respectively and this suggests that Merino would be a major upgrade on what Howe currently has to work with in his position.

Therefore, the Spaniard would be a fantastic signing and PIF must work hard to ensure that they can bring him to the club this summer. They can finally give the 25-year-old the St. James’ Park career he deserves, instead of having just one season to show his quality, and his arrival would leave the stadium rocking with excitement.

AND in other news, Howe must boldly axe NUFC’s “breathtaking” £93k-p/w “jewel” who drives Shearer “mad”…