All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to TottenhamTiers, there has been some transfer news out of Hotspur Way involving club chief Fabio Paratici and Leicester City star Youri Tielemans.

The Lowdown: Midfielder on the cards?

While the Lilywhites have been tipped to target a left-sided central defender as manager Antonio Conte’s top summer priority, as backed by The Athletic, there are also reports midfielders on the agenda.

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90min, for example, revealed earlier this week that Tottenham are considering a move for ex-playmaker and fan favourite Christian Eriksen – though it is unclear whether the Dane would be open to returning.

Elsewhere, Conte has apparently requested the signing of Juventus ace and USA international Weston McKennie (La Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness).

These rumours potentially back the club’s intention to improve Spurs’ depth in the middle of the park as news now comes to light involving Foxes star Tielemans.

The Latest: Paratici earmarks ‘cut price’ move…

According to TottenhamTiers, Paratici has personally ‘earmarked’ Tielemans, alongside Eriksen, to ‘potentially join Spurs’ for a ‘cut-price’ fee this summer.

The Belgium international is entering the final year of his King Power Stadium contract and is said to be in ‘high-demand’ with Tottenham set to compete for his signature.

The Verdict: Time to bid?

Tielemans, a proven Premier League playmaker, would inject real creativity into Conte’s midfield, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola even calling the 24-year-old a ‘top, top class player’.

On a reported £120,000-per-week, he wouldn’t exactly break Tottenham’s wage structure, with the only obstacle being just how much Leicester could demand this summer.

The latest reports suggest Tielemans could cost a cut price somewhere in and around the £25 million mark (The Telegraph) due to his contract situation.

This fee suddenly makes his signing far more realistic at Tottenham and we believe it is little surprise Paratici has now earmarked him as a summer target.

Tielemans may well be one to watch out for with the window fast approaching.

In other news: Tottenham official sent to club as Paratici also eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

Many Everton fans have been left slamming the display of Ben Godfrey in their 3-0 away loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The former Norwich City defender had a torrid few minutes especially when Leon Bailey came on for the hosts, as he really struggled to contain the explosive winger, who managed to grab himself a stunning goal and an assist from a corner which was flicked into the net by Lucas Digne.

A centre-back by trade, Godfrey struggled to adapt to the right-back position all game, losing out on six of his duels, while also failing to record a single clearance or interception, and losing possession of the ball on no fewer than 15 separate occasions, the second-most out of any of his teammates (Sofascore).

Everton fans on Godfrey display

These members of the Goodison Park faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Merseyside club supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘woeful’:

“Godfrey is having a stinker. Sorry, but he is”

Credit: @chriswatson187

“I am not sure I have seen a worse 10 minutes of defending from outside backs then I have seen from Everton here. Godfrey and Digne both WOEFUL on all three goals”

Credit: @G_KnowsSports

“Ben Godfrey was atrocious there like! Poor showing but lack of squad depth was gonna catch up with us as soon as we got a few injuries”

Credit: @JimLowrey3

“Ben Godfrey is not a right back, shocking shocking performance.”

Credit: @SimonMidi9790

“Ben Godfrey – Nightmare!”

Credit: @PaulClews2

“Ben Godfrey jogged to track back there that’s so poor”

Credit: @KClayFootball

In other news, find out what club news has Toffees buzzing here!

The Nuno Santo era at Tottenham Hotspur got off to the most perfect start as they began the new Premier League season with a bang.

Spurs defeated defending champions Manchester City in North London to hand the Portuguese head coach his first win in his first competitive game in charge.

The visitors’ boss Pep Guardiola started £100m summer signing Jack Grealish but left some big names like Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and John Stones on the bench.

It was Heung-min Son who stepped up in the absence of Harry Kane to fire Spurs to the victory in the 55th minute. A long ball over the top found a rampaging Steven Bergwijn, who ran from deep before feeding the South Korean attacker.

He ran on through, Ake backed off, Dias caused havoc and Son angled the ball past Ederson from the edge of the area – a neat, rapid counter-attack.

The 29-year-old, who committed to the club for the long-term during the off-season, will reap plenty of plaudits, as will young Hotspur Way youth product Japhet Tanganga who kept £150m-worth of talent in Grealish and Raheem Sterling at bay throughout his time on the pitch.

He would go onto earn Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville’s ‘Man of the Match’ award.

However, there was another name who deserves just as much credit as the aforementioned Spurs duo as he was largely an unsung hero throughout the shock victory.

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Lucas Moura, who has been linked with an exit from the club throughout the summer transfer window, was electric on the right flank and proved to be a constant thorn in Guardiola’s side.

Aside from Son, the Brazilian winger garnered the highest rating of any Spurs attacker by SofaScore (7.0), which was more than Dele Alli (6.2) and Steven Bergwijn (6.7).

Not only did he contribute in the final third, where he completed five of his eight dribbling attempts, recorded three shots in total, and provided a squad-high three key passes but he also managed to do an industrious job defensively, too.

Also per SofaScore, the £18m-rated dynamo chipped in with a further three clearances, one interception and one tackle. He also won a whopping 14 duels in total, giving Benjamin Mendy a horrible afternoon at left-back as the Frenchman was graded a shocking 6.5 and that is rather generous for his overall display.

It’s no wonder that Moura has been described as a “nightmare” to play against by teammate and centre-back Eric Dier.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick handed the former PSG star an eight out of ten and lauded him for a “menacing display of direct running”, whilst Alasdair Gold at football.london handed him a slightly better rating of nine and claimed:  He was a constant thorn in the side of City and it was his clever touch to Bergwijn that started the move for Son’s 55th minute goal’ before adding: ‘He was one of Spurs’ best players on the day.’

Indeed he was and that’s why Moura was one of Nuno’s massively unsung heroes on the day.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Sissoko: Spurs eye major midfield upgrade…

Taking to Twitter, journalist Toby Cudworth of 90min has made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Sparta Prague striker Adam Hlozek.

The Lowdown: West Ham in summer striker hunt…

It is no secret that failing to sign a striker comes as possibly the only down side to what ended up being quite a productive transfer window.

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For the majority of the summer, West Ham had just Alphonse Areola on loan from Paris-Saint Germain to show for their efforts, but in the last hurdle, everything changed.

Indeed, manager David Moyes managed to bring in the likes of Kurt Zouma, Alex Kral and Nikola Vlasic very late on – but unfortunately for the Scotsman, his side are still without an alternative to Michail Antonio up front.

The Latest: Cudworth drops Hlozek transfer claim…

Writing on his social media, 90min’s Cudworth explains that West Ham still have their eyes on forward options even after the window’s closure.

One of the options linked with a summer move, exciting young Sparta striker Hlozek, is apparently still very much on GSB’s transfer radar as West Ham continue to scour the Czech Republic.

“WHUFC still very interested in teenage sensation Adam Hlozek, despite not making a move this summer,” explained the reporter.

“I have no doubt agents Soucek, Coufal and now Kral know their mission for current and future Czech international duties.”

The Verdict: Good option?

The teenage sensation, while coming as a very promising talent, can also hold on his own at senior level judging by his goalscoring record last year.

He bagged a quite incredible 15 goals and eight assists in just 19 Fortuna Liga appearances over 2020/2021 and has started this campaign equally well – netting three and assisting another two already (Transfermarkt).

Lauded as ‘extraordinary’ by agent Pavel Paska (Aktualne.cz), Hlozek comes as a very exciting target for West Ham and it will be interesting to see how January pans out.

In other news: ‘Unbelievable’, ‘This is the one’…BBC pundit in awe of what has happened at West Ham, find out more here.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa were open to selling Douglas Luiz in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Serie A giants AS Roma were interested in signing the Brazil international, but a move failed to materialise.

Now, Evans has delivered an update on what went on behind-the-scenes at Villa Park.

He said: “They expected more interest in Douglas Luiz, too. Strong messages that Manchester City were ready to activate a buy-back clause found their way to members of the Villa hierarchy, and for some time they were preparing for such an outcome.

“Villa were also open to moving Luiz on elsewhere and at the right price, but there wasn’t enough interest. Roma continue to be linked with Luiz and if they come in strong during the January window, Villa will be in a good position to get a higher transfer fee should his form remain at this high level.”

Then, in response to a question from a fan, Evans added: “Multiple sources confirmed that Villa would have listened to offers for Luiz at the right price. They would have had to move on a midfielder if Ward-Prowse arrived.”

Villa fans will be worried

While last season was a bit of a difficult one for Luiz – as per Whoscored, his average match rating of 6.67 was only good enough to rank him 15th in the entire Villa squad – his start to the current campaign has been outstanding.

In fact, his average rating of 7.08 is the best of any Villa player, and he continues to be a cornerstone of Dean Smith’s midfield. – last year saw him play 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games last term, as the Midlands club finished just outside the top ten.

As Evans himself suggests, given the kind of “high level” his form is at right now, it would surely be ludicrous from Villa to be selling him in the January transfer window, even if his market value would be at its highest.

In fact, in a recent poll done by FFC, 73% of Villa fans who answered said that they would not sell Luiz this summer (1180 votes to 66) – an indication of just how concerning it would be were the Brazilian to make the move to Roma or somewhere else.

Evans’ latest update is sure to have Villa fans worried about Luiz potentially making an exit in January.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an Aston Villa update on Emi Martinez…

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing as some news emerged on Richarlison.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, football journalist Paul Joyce has claimed that the striker could play against Southampton at the weekend, despite his involvements in both the Copa America and the Olympics with Brazil over the summer.

He has left his holiday early to return to training, putting him in contention to feature against the Saints in their opening match of the 2021/22 Premier League season.

Richarlison is no doubt still a key player for the Goodison Park faithful, scoring no fewer than 42 goals and making a further 10 assists in 119 games in total over all competitions across the last three consecutive campaigns (Transfermarkt).

Thus, it would be a welcome boost to have him available for selection, so long as he is fully fit.

Everton fans on Richarlison update

These supporters of the Merseyside club gushed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that it was ‘brilliant’:

“SOME ACTUAL GOOD NEWS”

Credit: @Vicaz22

“Love Richarlison me the fella just loves his footy”

Credit: @Harrys1878nsno

“RICHY”

Credit: @Conor_LaneSmith

“Brilliant to see him back. Will certainly be a welcome addition to the squad”

Credit: @UHTPodcast

“Can’t say I’d be doing the same after two summer tournaments and winning a gold medal, but fair play to Richarlison for picking Everton over 3 weeks on a warm beach. Very timely and much needed boost for #EFC”

Credit: @BHRiggers

“Boss if he does this imo”

Credit: @tompoole_98

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by Blues here!

After Ange Postegoclou fielded an extremely young and inexperienced Celtic side in the club’s incredibly impressive 3-2 win over Real Betis last week, it would very much appear as if the future at Parkhead is a bright one.

Indeed, the 56-year-old handed Celtic debuts to both 21-year-old Osaze Urhoghide and 20-year-old Liam Shaw in the Europa League fixture, in addition to awarding first-team minutes to exciting prospects Liam Scales, Adam Montgomery and Ewan Henderson.

However, it is not only on the periphery of Postecoglou’s first-team squad where there are a number of promising talents, the club’s B team side also looks to be littered with up and coming gems – none more so than 16-year-old Rocco Vata.

Vata could be the next Moravcik

Son of Celtic cult hero Rudi Vata, Rocco put pen to paper on his first professional deal with the Hoops earlier this summer, and the attacking midfielder has been highly impressing in the Scottish Lowland Football League ever since.

Indeed, following yet another spectacular goal in Celtic B’s 1-0 win over East Stirlingshire on Friday – with the teenager turning on the afterburners in order to latch onto Mackenzie Carse’s defence-splitting through ball, before taking a touch and crashing his shot past the opposition goalkeeper off the crossbar – the reserve side manager, Tommy McIntyre, was rather understandably full of praise for the youngster.

McIntyre said: “We got a great goal. I thought it was a fabulous goal. He was probably the best player on the night so he deserved the goal. He’s got to get a lot of credit himself. He’s just natural. He plays and we coach him but he’s got to perform on the day. He’s certainly taking everything on board we’re trying to get out of him. There’s more to come from him, there’s no doubt, but he’s young. What a fantastic goal tonight.”

However, the midfielder’s special strike last week was by no means his first of the current campaign, as, during a Republic of Ireland U17 fixture against North Macedonia back in October, the teenager also bagged a breathtaking goal – turning a helpless defender before unleashing a thunderous 30-yard drive into the far corner of the opposition net.

And, although the youngster who The Celtic Bhoys dubbed a “star in the making” undeniably has a great deal of developing to do if he is to go onto break into the Ange Postecgolou’s first-team squad, there are undoubtedly shades of the Hoops’ former playmaker Lubomir Moravcik about Vata.

Indeed, in an article that could quite easily be describing the 16-year-old sensation, These Football Times wrote of the Slovakian midfielder: “He was one of those players who seemed to have more time on the ball than those around him. He dribbled superbly… and scored many spectacular goals from distance with both feet – a rare talent indeed.”

As such, should Vata be able to maintain his current level of performance over the next year or two, Postecoglou could well go on to unearth Parkhead’s next Moravcik in the youngster – something that would certainly delight the Celtic faithful.

In other news: Major Celtic transfer development emerges that’ll have Ange buzzing

Brennan Johnson features on Newcastle United’s list of potential replacements for Allan Saint-Maximin, The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports. 

The lowdown

Saint-Maximin, Jones writes, is expected to leave St James’ Park when the summer transfer window opens. The Magpies will then reinvest the funds from his exit into their planned ‘rebuild’.

Johnson is only under contract for another 14 months with Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest.

Aged just 20, the Wales international has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 39 league appearances this season.

The latest

Newcastle officials, led by Steve Nickson, have already ‘compiled reports’ on Johnson as they run the rule over potential additions on the flanks.

However, Jones does caution that the club will face ‘fierce’ competition for his signature.

Another player on their radar is Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby, but he too is highly coveted.

The verdict

It’s no surprise that a multitude of clubs are interested in Johnson. He’s Forest’s top scorer and he ranks joint-eighth overall in the Championship goal charts, despite being a winger rather than an out and out forward.

As for assists, he’s second for Steve Cooper’s side (behind Philip Zinckernagel) and again in the top ten for the division as a whole.

To put those figures into perspective, as of April 9, he boasts at least eight more goal involvements than any other player aged 21 or under in England’s top four tiers.

He’s already earned nine senior caps for his country and will hope to feature at the Qatar World Cup at the end of the year if Wales secure qualification.

Johnson, who’s been mentored by David Beckham, has inevitably earned some reviews. For instance, the ‘old-fashioned winger’ was dubbed a ‘beautiful footballer’ and a ‘super, super talent’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting. Newcastle should be delighted if they win the race.

In other news, Keith Downie has an update on Eddie Howe.

West Ham have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their Europa League clash this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Hammers are expected to be without the services of right-back Vladimir Coufal for the next three matches due to an ongoing problem, according to club insiders Claret and Hugh.

He missed the weekend’s 1-0 win over Everton, having pulled out of his Czech Republic duties over the international break, and now it appears he will miss both the Genk game and the London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

It is hoped that he could resume training next week but a clash with defending champions Manchester City may prove to be too soon for a return.

Speaking about the 29-year-old after the game on Sunday, the Irons boss said, via football.london.

“Vladimir has taken an injection he had a bit of discomfort in his pubis. He has had an injection in there, he got the injury in the Man United cup game and he has been carrying it for a few weeks.”

Huge blow

This will come as a massive setback to Moyes and West Ham.

Coufal missed their last Europa League game with what seemed like a knock but was able to return in the defeat to Brentford right before the break, though you could tell that he was far from 100% as he put in a disappointing display.

He was then not named in the squad to face the Toffees and according to the reliable insiders, he’s set to be out for the next three matches, which is certainly devastating as he is the clear first-choice option in the role.

The Irons have some important and tricky fixtures coming up, so to not have the £18m-rated right-back available is certainly gutting news.

His value to the side and their chances of success cannot be understated. He finished last season with the second-highest number of assists (seven), only behind fellow full-back Aaron Cresswell (eight).

That goes to show that Moyes’ wide department is a crucial creative cog in this system.

Furthermore, Coufal has been an absolute animal defensively, too – as per WhoScored, he averaged a squad-high 2.1 tackles per game and wasn’t far behind for interceptions (1.2 per game) either.

That form had continued into the current campaign, where he is averaging 2.1 tackles each outing once again.

Perhaps Jamie Carragher’s endorsement of him on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football last season truly hints at his influence, he said [4th May, 22:24pm]:

“We talk about [Tomas] Soucek, but Coufal whether it’s right wing-back or right full-back at different times, he’s just one of those players that’s 7/10 minimum every time you watch him play.

“He’s the type of player you’d love to play with him. A manager’s dream, never injured, he’s there week in week out.”

On the above evidence, this will be a frustrating development that is sure to leave Moyes hugely worried heading into some very important fixtures.

A win over Genk would keep up their 100% record in the Europa League, whilst matches against Spurs have always offered up goals and drama, and then there’s the small matter of Pep Guardiola’s City.

In an ideal world, Moyes would have loved to have Coufal available, so it’s a major blow to the Hammers.

AND in other news, Big call: Moyes must ruthlessly axe West Ham’s £10.8m-rated “complete beast” vs Genk…

Manchester United have still not confirmed who their next permanent manager will be to take over at Old Trafford from Ralf Rangnick this summer, however there has been a huge new update from a reliable source about the potential appointment of Erik ten Hag.

What’s the word?

Popular Italian transfer insider and journalist Fabrizio Romano has taken to his YouTube channel to give a fresh update on the progression of Manchester United’s search for their next manager, and more importantly, promising progress with ten Hag.

Romano said: “From what I am told, there is no agreement signed or completed but talks are progressing well between Manchester United, Erik ten Hag and Ajax. At the moment from what I am told, there is nothing completed, nothing agreed, nothing signed but work in progress in a positive way. Ten Hag is under contract but he has a release clause. That release clause is €2m.”

Supporters will be delighted

There is no doubt that Erik ten Hag has been the firm favourite amongst supporters to take the reins at Old Trafford to transform their squad and the club’s struggle for success, so they will surely be delighted to hear that progress has been made with the Ajax boss.

The Dutch coach would be the fifth permanent manager to take on the challenging role at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in May 2013, so the Glazers and the board at the club will be hoping that ten Hag can provide long term solutions and ultimately success in his potential appointment.

The increasing interest in the 52-year-old manager stems from his success with Ajax, winning two Eredivisie titles and three domestic trophies with the team, and his coaching pedigree clearly a huge attractive factor for Manchester United who have seemingly lost their identity over almost a decade since Fergie departed.

This new information from Romano will certainly keep the fans happy whilst Rangnick continues to focus on leaving the club in a good position at the end of the season by securing a place inside the top four and earning Champions League football

Yet, with the side currently three points behind their competitors Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal it is looking less likely that the German interim coach will be able to achieve it.

In other news: Man Utd now plot bid to sign £60m “special talent”, he’s miles better than Rashford