All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to a report by Fichajes, West Ham United are now eyeing another defender for David Moyes as news emerges on Athletic Bilbao ace Dani Vivian.

The Lowdown: West Ham in summer defence chase…

West Ham were linked with a plethora of centre-backs over the latest summer before they eventually managed to capture France international Kurt Zouma.

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Indeed, the likes of Nayef Aguerd and Duje Caleta-Car were also being eyed by GSB and the Irons but it appears that, despite signing Zouma, the club could still add another defender to Moyes’ ranks.

This comes amid question marks surrounding the future of Angelo Ogbonna with the Italian still yet to put pen to paper on an extension at the London Stadium.

The Latest: West Ham now eyeing Vivian…

As per Fichajes, the Irons are now eyeing promising Bilbao defender Vivian – with some work being done behind the scenes.

It is claimed that West Ham are ‘compiling statistical reports’ on the player and have been following him very recently alongside the likes of Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The report claims that Vivian is ‘on the agenda’ of West Ham and they also lift the lid on his €40 million (£34m) release clause.

The Verdict: Bigger priorities?

While Fichajes make it clear that the 22-year-old is a top talent with ‘tremendous physical power’ and £34m could be a bargain considering his potential, West Ham arguably have bigger priorities for the moment.

New head of recruitment Rob Newman needs to prioritise the signing of a new back up striker for Michail Antonio after the club’s failure to bring one in over 2021.

The Jamaica international has been in sublime form under Moyes but his injury history always proves to be a concern.

Indeed, an alternative goal scorer is arguably imperative over the signing of Vivian.

In other news: ‘Yessss’, ‘Beautiful’, ‘This is massive’…Many West Ham fans erupt as ‘actually brilliant news’ confirmed, find out more here.

Spanish outlet Sport have provided an update involving Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale. 

The lowdown: Bale in Madrid

Out of contract at the end of the season (Transfermarkt), it now seems inevitable that the 32-year-old will finally leave Spain this summer.

Despite being an integral part of a successful time in the history of the La Liga giants, the Welsh forward has been castigated by fans and media alike in recent years at the Bernabeu due to an ongoing battle with fitness issues.

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Having spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Tottenham – scoring 16 times and providing three assists – a fresh claim has now emerged from Spain…

The latest: Spurs keen

As per the report from Sport, Spurs, and by extension Fabio Paratici, are among the clubs plotting to offer Bale a contract should the Welshman indeed decide to continue with his career.

Hometown club Cardiff City, Newcastle United, Rangers and a move to the MLS are also cited as possible destinations for the man once hailed as ‘one of the best in the world’ by former interim Tottenham boss Ryan Mason following a hat-trick against Sheffield United.

However, it’s suggested that the 102-cap ace may yet hang up his boots should Wales fail to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The verdict: Still got it

If there was any doubting whether the enigmatic Welshman still has the quality to perform at the elite level, a recent stunning brace for Wales in the World Cup playoff against Austria put the questions to rest.

Managing Director of Football Paratici will attempt to strengthen the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer and a move for Bale, who Antonio Conte actually tried to sign whilst at Inter Milan, would be an interesting option.

Whilst a return would excite supporters, since moving to Madrid in 2013 Bale has missed an eye-watering 134 matches through injury and fitness woes. Therefore, to make this move a feasible option certain assurances would either need to be in place over fitness or it would need to come at a low financial cost.

In other news: Report makes swap deal claim as Spurs open talks! Find out more here.

According to a report in the print edition of Record, via Sport Witness, West Ham United have now joined the race to sign Benfica star striker Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Nunez wanted across Europe…

The 22-year-old is a wanted man across the continent amid his eye-catching performances for Benfica in the Primeira Liga and at Champions League level.

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Often linked with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United from the Premier League, he has also been attracting interest from Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and even Newcastle United (Sport Witness).

There are no shortage of suitors for the Uruguay sensation as he becomes the latest South American in an ever-growing line to now be linked with West Ham as well.

Indeed, the club’s head of recruitment Rob Newman, who is said to have his eyes on two Brazilian strikers in Gabriel Barbosa and Arthur Cabral, is now also in the race to sign Nunez.

The Latest: West Ham join Nunez race…

As per Record (via Sport Witness), West Ham have been dragged into the battle for his signature alongside the plethora of other interested clubs.

Their apparent involvement is considered all the more shocking given that Nunez has a marquee release clause of €150m (£127.5m) if any club wish to sign him in January. As a result, the Irons would have to nearly triple their current transfer record to get a deal done.

The Verdict: Pinch of salt…

Given that other prolific strikers like Andrea Belotti, Barbosa and Cabral could be available for much less, we advise to take this claim with a pinch of salt.

West Ham don’t have the means to invest that heavily in a star forward, as highlighted by new shareholder Daniel Kretinsky, who played down mega spending in the winter transfer window. However, it is reliably believed that Moyes will be backed to bring in a new striker and top centre-back, as well as the possibility of England international Jesse Lingard (The Evening Standard).

Nunez, who has been tipped to become ‘the best in the world’ by Benfica boss Jorge Jesus, is most likely out of West Ham’s reach, unfortunately.

In other news: ‘Abysmal’, ‘Most frustrating player’ – Many West Ham fans slam ‘invisible’ ace who lost the ball 18x vs Brighton, find out more here.

Tottenham insider John Wenham believes the club could seal the signing of AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie in a number of days, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Talks at an advanced stage

Managing director at Spurs Fabio Paratici has been linked with a move for Kessie for a number of months now.

The Ivorian, capable of playing as a central or defensive midfielder, has just six months remaining on his AC Milan contract.

That means Tottenham will have the chance to seal pre-contract terms in the January transfer window, with The Daily Express reporting in recent days that talks are at an advanced stage.

Arsenal and Manchester United are also keen, but it’s believed Antonio Conte’s side are at the front of the queue for the 25-year-old’s signature.

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The Latest: Wenham’s comments

Spurs insider Wenham was talking to Football Insider in a story on Thursday evening regarding Kessie.

He feels that a move could be finalised in ‘days’, labelling Paratici as a ‘specialist’.

“The Franck Kessie stuff is still going on.

“The opportunity to get him on a pre-contract is coming up in a few days and I think that’s one to keep an eye on.

“I’ve mentioned before about Paratici’s links with Serie A and how he is a specialist at getting these deals done.

“That one would not surprise me. There are reportedly a lot of clubs interested in him.

“But now we have the pulling power of Antonio Conte, which could give us an edge.”

The Verdict: Brilliant…

Should Spurs land Kessie on a pre-contract agreement over the coming days, it could turn out to be an excellent piece of business both in the short and long term, with Paratici then able to look at immediate January additions.

Tottenham would be getting a £43.2m-rated midfielder seemingly in his prime for nothing, with Kessie bringing a wealth of international and European experience to north London.

There could also be a number of midfield departures at Spurs over the next few weeks, with Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso linked with exits. Should the pair move on, that would leave Conte with just four senior midfield options, so bringing in Kessie would help bolster the numbers in the middle of the pitch.

In other news: ‘I’m hearing’ – talkSPORT drop Spurs transfer update live on-air; Conte wants ‘world class’ ace. 

A journalist has revealed that Newcastle United are now in talks to sign Ludovic Blas in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Standout season

The 24-year-old is enjoying a standout season at Nantes at the moment, scoring seven goals and supplying one assist in 19 games in Ligue 1 from midfield and currently ranking as the club’s fourth-best player (WhoScored).

He is averaging more shots and dribbles per match than any of his teammates, and he could be one for France national team coach Didier Deschamps to consider ahead of the World Cup in Qatar next winter.

The Latest: Newcastle talks

As per The Daily Star journalist Jacque Talbot on Friday evening, Newcastle and Watford are both in talks to sign Blas this month, while there is also interest in the player from Lille and from abroad. He revealed on Twitter:

“Understand Newcastle and Watford are in discussions to sign Ligue 1 star Ludovic Blas.

“The 24-year-old is talking to the Premier League relegation rivals who are set to play tomorrow, while there is also interest from Lille and in the Bundesliga.”

Of course, the two English clubs vying for Blas played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, so talks may now intensify in the coming days.

Intriguingly, the Nantes maestro is represented by the same agency as Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, both of whom have signed for the Magpies since the start of the month.

The Verdict: Get it done

Newcastle are severely lacking in goals from the middle of the park, and Blas could certainly provide that given his record this season.

Nantes teammate and former Liverpool player Pedro Chirivella has previously described the 24-year-old as a ‘pure talent’, as well as an ‘incredible’ and ‘spectacular’ player. The Spaniard has even compared him to former Anfield teammates Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho (So Foot), which is very high praise indeed.

At 24 years of age, Blas still has such a high ceiling, and he could provide that extra bit of quality that the Tynesiders need in order to avoid relegation to the Championship.

In other news, find out who else is now ‘keen’ on signing for NUFC

Southampton will be hoping to make some valuable late improvements to their team whilst they still can with the window being open.

Ralph Hasenhuttl will be very proud with how his players have conducted themselves in recent weeks as Southampton are now moving on up the Premier League table.

There are still plenty of games to go, mind, so Southampton cannot afford to get carried away as they continue their battle to reach the holy 40-point mark.

With the depth of quality Hasenhuttl has available to him, the Austrian coach will be confident of securing Premier League football next season but in the top flight, things never turn out to be that easy.

He needs to make some signings in the little time left but an efficient dealing would be the purchase of Rangers captain James Tavernier.

Tavernier, (who is valued at £1.8 million on Transfermarkt) has the experience and ability to be a big help to Southampton in their bid to avoid relegation this season.

The Rangers captain undoubtedly boasts brilliant leadership qualities, with top-notch commitment and desire to give everything he possibly can.

After leaving England around four years ago, James Tavernier could return with a completely different attitude and readiness to play, having been so vital for Rangers all this time since.

This season alone, the 28-year-old has nine goals and 14 assists all coming from the right-back position, which is incredible really.

Southampton could only dream of their attackers having that much of an impact, let alone one of their defensive players.

With Cedric on his way out – leaving Yan Valery as the only out-and-out right-back – a move for James Tavernier makes perfect sense for Southampton.

Do you agree… Let us know!

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is facing a key issue that needs solving for the club in the Premier League as Patrick Bamford remains out injured.

The Whites head coach has already confirmed that the forward will be absent for the League Cup clash with Arsenal, with question marks still hovering over his availability for next weekend’s huge clash with Norwich at Carrow Road.

Bamford watched on from the sidelines as Leeds scraped a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on Saturday, which came after he also sat out of the 1-0 defeat to Southampton the previous week.

With one goal scored in two games, which came from the penalty spot, Bielsa clearly needs to inject some attacking quality into his team to improve their chances of picking up points. A defeat to Norwich next weekend would see Leeds just two points ahead of the Canaries, who are currently bottom on two points after nine games.

One thing he could do to improve the attack is unleashing 19-year-old gem Joe Gelhardt. Starting the promising young attacker could add some much-needed energy, enthusiasm, and quality to their frontline, against both Arsenal and Norwich.

Leeds Live reporter Beren Cross once claimed that Gelhardt is ‘absolutely outrageous’ and hailed the club’s work to bring him to the club from Wigan.

He said: “I think it remains, It’s very opportunistic. I think as we saw with Gelhardt, I think that was very much, unfortunately for Wigan, a case of Wigan were in administration, and they had to take what they could get.

“And as I’m sure we’ll find out in the years ahead, Gelhardt may well be the best bit businesses the club has done in the last 20 years, if not ever, because he just looks absolutely outrageous, very, very good player.”

Gelhardt came off the bench against Wolves at the weekend for his second-ever Premier League appearance, with both of his top-flight displays to date coming as a substitute.

He came ever so close to scoring his first goal in the cameo, with Jose Sa pulling off a sensational fingertip save to deny him. The youngster did make a telling contribution in the end, though, as he won the penalty after a silky piece of play in the box before Rodrigo stuck away the spot-kick to secure a point.

The former Wigan man has scored 17 goals in 23 Premier League 2 matches for Leeds, suggesting that he is too good to be playing development football. That is why Bielsa must unleash him from the start against Arsenal and Norwich, as he could solve the goalscoring issue they are facing with Bamford on the sidelines, judging by his performance against Wolves and his incredible record at youth level.

AND in other news, Leeds sealed dream deal over “very talented” gem whose value has increased 2300%…

Wolves winger Francisco Trincao is unlikely to sign a permanent deal this summer with the Barcelona loanee reportedly unhappy at Molineux.

What’s the latest?

According to O Jogo (via Sport Witness), the Portuguese wide man ‘is not satisfied’ at the Black Country club and will look to return to Barcelona this summer. However, the 22-year-old is also seeking a move away from the La Liga giants.

There have also been talks of a potential swap deal involving the loanee and Adama Traore, who is currently on loan at the Catalan club. Although, this now seems unlikely if Trincao is unwilling to extend his stay in the West Midlands.

Wolves must part ways with Trincao

In all honesty, it’s no major loss for Wolves if Trincao objects to joining the club on a permanent basis. The winger has struggled to win over the Molineux faithful with just one Premier League goal in 24 appearances this term, a disappointing return.

The winger was given the nod to start on Friday night against Newcastle United, a game in which Wolves as a collective were poor, losing 1-0.

Although, the 22-year-old particularly struggled with Wolves journalist Tim Spiers labelling the Portuguese as “anonymous” in what could prove to be one of the final opportunities the Barcelona loanee gets in the famous amber.

Indeed, according to SofaScore, he managed just 13 passes in the entire game and none of them were key either.

Bruno Lage may inevitably opt to move Adama Traore on this summer too given his goal-shy first half of the season, but it now appears as though that deal will be separate.

The Portuguese manager still has a decent amount of options on the flanks with Daniel Podence as well as Pedro Neto, who is now back from injury, and the recently recruited Chiquinho.

However, there may still be a desire to recruit wide players in the summer with goals from wingers a rare spectacle this season for the West Midlands outfit.

Podence has netted just twice in the top-flight this season whilst Neto is still readjusting after a lengthy spell out and Chiquinho is slowly being integrated into the side.

It’s certainly an area for concern and fresh faces may be the necessary solution making it vital for Wolves to axe Trincao this summer with his loan spell ultimately proving to be a waste of time.

In other news: Disaster: Lage sleepwalking into huge Wolves error that could have dire consequences

Many Everton fans have been left wowed by some footage that has emerged of a goal scored by youngster Stanley Mills.

As per footage shared by the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, the midfielder, playing for the U23s against Sheffield United, picked up the ball from his own half, before driving at the defence and unleashing a venomous shot into the top corner from outside of the box.

U23s manager David Unsworth hailed his ‘fantastic finishing ability’ after the match, as that strike was one of two that he scored on the night.

Given that the Merseyside club are due to play Hull City in the FA Cup this weekend, Mills may have grabbed the attention of Rafa Benitez with his goals, especially the one he put in the top corner, and so the 18-year-old Englishman could perhaps now get an opportunity to shine with the first team off the back of it.

Everton fans on Mills goal

These Toffees were left wowed by the goal as it was shared on Twitter, with plenty of Blues supporters pointing to the chance to involve him in the cup fixture:

“Quality that call him up to the first team”

Credit: @Gwedlid

“What a finish”

Credit: @EFCOliver7

“Hearing good things about this lad. Super strike too.”

Credit: @toffee18781

“Oh my word!”

Credit: @objective_KEL

“Get him in the squad for tomorrow”

Credit: @Abb2289

“Great finish by the lad. Now sack Benitez”

Credit: @gaino92

In other news, find out what transfer update has Evertonians buzzing here!

Newcastle’s winless start to the 2021/22 Premier League season continued as they held Brighton to a 1-1 draw at The AMEX on Saturday.

Graeme Jones led the team for the third match in a row, with Eddie Howe watching on from the stands, and failed to pick up the club’s first win of the campaign.

Leandro Trossard scored from the spot to hand Brighton the lead after Ciaran Clark was penalised, before Isaac Hayden rescued a point with a goal in the second half.

Whilst the former Arsenal man scored the goal to earn the Magpies a point, another player was Jones’ real hero against the Seagulls – Jacob Murphy.

The Englishman was brought in at right wing-back ahead of Javier Manquillo and put in an excellent performance to prove that he was deserving of his place in the side. Jones will surely have been left delighted by the ex-Norwich player’s display, as he was able to get up and down the right flank for Newcastle.

Defensively, he was excellent. Per SofaScore, he won nine of his 14 ground duels throughout the match. He also made an eye-catching five tackles and three interceptions, whilst he did not allow a single Brighton player to dribble past him down the right.

Hayden, meanwhile, won six ground duels in the middle of the park, as he made five tackles and one interception for the side. This shows how Murphy made more of an impact defensively than the holding midfielder and was able to impose himself physically on the Brighton players, keeping Marc Cucurella under wraps. The Spanish Brighton left-back ended the match with two attempted dribbles and a success rate of 0%, showing how well Murphy defended.

On the ball, there was room for improvement. Per SofaScore, he only completed 67% of his passes, but he did win three fouls and complete one dribble. The defender also attempted four crosses, although none of his teammates were able to get on the end of them. This shows that he still offered a useful outlet, despite his passing leaving a bit to be desired.

Therefore, overall he was the real hero for Jones as he was given a huge opportunity to come in and perform and he grasped his opportunity with both hands. He may have also caught the attention of Howe watching on from the stands, who no doubt would have been delighted with his imapct.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Darlow: “Unbelievable” £74k-p/w NUFC flop failed Jones vs Brighton…