All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham are reportedly leading the race for Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz and the Chile international could be a big upgrade on Michail Antonio in David Moyes’ side.

According to Football League World, the Hammers are in pole position to sign the former Nottingham Forest man, despite interest from fellow Premier League side Manchester United.

Brereton Diaz has exploded onto the scene across the past two Championship seasons, hitting 22 goals in the 2021/22 campaign for the Ewood Park outfit, while he already has nine goals to his name this term.

The 23-year-old is an integral part of Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side at Blackburn and considering they currently sit second in the Championship, the Lancashire side will surely be desperate to keep him in January.

However, his contract at Ewood Park is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning that they could be forced to sell in January if they want to avoid losing him for nothing in 2023, and West Ham could be the beneficiaries.

The Hammers signed Gianluca Scamacca in the summer transfer window as they looked to phase Antonio out of the first team, as while he is their top goalscorer in Premier League history, the 32-year-old looks as if he is already beginning to decline.

This was emphasised in last weekend’s defeat against Crystal Palace, as the Jamaica international came off the bench but wasted passes in two golden attacking areas, before the Eagles went on to grab a last-gasp winner.

Antonio has averaged a shocking 6.39 rating from WhoScored for his performances this season after scoring just twice in the top flight, compared to a 6.92 in the 2021/22 campaign, which emphasises how poor he has been and suggests that it is time he was dropped for good.

Brereton-Diaz, meanwhile, has averaged a strong 6.89 rating for his performances in the Championship and has averaged more shots per game (3.1 vs 1), a better pass success rate (76.6 vs 56.6) and more key passes per game (1 vs 0.5) than the West Ham forward.

Therefore, it seems clear that the 23-year-old would be a better fit in Moyes’ squad if the Hammers are to turn their form around this season, so GSB should look to sign the “extraordinary” £10m-valued striker – as dubbed by Tony Mowbray – after the World Cup.

Aston Villa might be in line to bolster their front line already, with one eye on a player who could star at the World Cup…

What’s the latest?

Having nearly signed Ismaila Sarr in the summer, recent claims from journalist Ed Aarons seem to suggest they could be prepared to reignite their interest.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, responding to a question about whether the Midlands side will scout him this winter, he said: ”Yeah, I would definitely say so. I know Crystal Palace have had a lot of interest in him, and obviously, Man United a couple of years ago tried to get him on loan on transfer deadline day. 

“So, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is in the sights of other clubs, bigger clubs as well, eventually, if the price comes down. 

“But maybe it’ll be a move to a smaller club in the Premier League first and then to a bigger club, but I honestly think that he’s good enough to play for one of the top clubs.”

Back in the summer, the Senegalese talent was valued at an eye-catching £25m.

He could be Danjuma 2.0

At his previous club Villarreal, Unai Emery was well known for his shrewd recruitment and ability to really get the best out of his players.

Spotting Arnaut Danjuma from Bournemouth, fresh off the back of his Supporters’ Player of the Year award, he negotiated a deal to sign the 24-year-old for just £21.3m.

This came when Villa themselves reportedly showed an interest in the Dutchman too.

His debut season in Spain then saw him lauded as a sensation, with an impressive haul of 16 goals and four assists across La Liga and the Champions League.

It marked a great transfer success for the Yellow Submarine, who also stormed to an unlikely semi-final of Europe’s elite competition.

Now, with Sarr, Emery could repeat this feat with a winger that shares striking similarities.

Blessed with frightening pace, quick feet and an eye for goal, the two have both torn up the Championship on separate occasions.

The Senegalese flyer has this season scored five and assisted three already, but during the 2020/21 campaign, scored 13 and assisted ten on their way back to the Premier League.

His exploits have led teammate Kiko Femenia to succinctly sum him up by claiming: “Ismaila is very fast and has a lot of power.”

After 11 months of Steven Gerrard’s narrow formations and convoluted tactics for the wingers, Sarr would be a breath of fresh air as the speedster looks to return the side to a play style they excel in.

Aaron Danks needed to only afford the wingers some freedom to thrash Brentford 4-0.

Already boasting experience in the top flight, and having a proven track record of being a reliable goal threat, Emery could repeat his Danjuma masterclass at Villarreal with his first signing in the Midlands.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their Premier League meeting with Liverpool this weekend.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Dan Kilpatrick, with the Evening Standard journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, after suffering a fracture around his eye in the 2-1 victory over Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday night, the 30-year-old is set to undergo surgery in the next 48 hours in order to repair his break.

In a further report for the Evening Standard, the journalist went on to state that the South Korean is a near certainty to miss the visit of Liverpool on Sunday, while it is also claimed that the forward’s availability for both the Nottingham Forest and Leeds United fixtures, as well as his participation in the World Cup, very much depends on his recovery from surgery.

In his tweet, Kilpatrick said: “Son to have surgery in the next 48 hours, with his hopes of featuring in the World Cup dependent on its success, his recovery & how quickly he is comfortable playing in a mask.”

“Huge blow”

Considering just how important a part of the Tottenham side Son has become since his £22m move to north London back in the summer of 2015, the news that the forward could be ruled out of the club’s next three Premier League fixtures, as well as the World Cup this winter, is undoubtedly a “huge blow” – in the words of Jim Bulley – for Antonio Conte.

Indeed, over his 344 appearances for the Lilywhites, the £67.5m-rated attacker has been a consistent source of both goals and assists, hitting the back of the net on 136 occasions and setting up a further 76 – averaging a direct goal involvement every 112 minutes of football played for Spurs.

And, while the £190k-per-week talent has not been at his deadly best over his 13 Premier League outings this season, he has nevertheless impressed going forwards, bagging three goals, providing two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots, making 2.2 key passes and completing 0.7 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the 30-year-old average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.23, not only ranking him as Conte’s third-best player in the top flight but also as the joint 30th-best player in the league in its entirety.

As such, it is evident that the loss of the 105-cap international would come as a devastating blow for the Italian manager – who will undoubtedly be hoping for Son’s swelling to go down as quickly as possible in order for the forward to undergo successful surgery in the next two days – as the sooner the attacker goes under the knife, the sooner he will be back on the pitch.

Leeds United have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of a huge European star.

What’s the latest?

Although the Whites reportedly remain interested in his services, Fabrizio Romano has issued a crushing statement on Cody Gakpo and his future.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Italian transfer insider said: “Leeds were closing on the deal, but it collapsed.

“Leeds tried to keep the deal open for January, and are still dreaming of [signing] Cody Gakpo, but the situation has completely changed.

“Now, the feeling around the player and PSV Eindhoven is that Gakpo will not end up at a club like Leeds or Southampton.

“It’s probably going to be a different level (of club). Top, important clubs around Europe, and England especially, are monitoring Cody Gakpo.”

Bad news for Orta

Having tried so profusely to attain his services over the summer, Victor Orta’s failure now stands out even more given how the forward has excelled this season.

The fact he was so close to moving, as Romano notes, will make the pain even greater.

This campaign has seen the Dutchman truly explode, with the tricky winger having put up ridiculous stats in nearly every competition he has featured in.

He has scored nine and assisted nine more in 11 Eredivisie games, bagged three goals and assisted two in five Europa League fixtures and notched one and assisted two in one Johan Cruijff Schaal game too.

In total, that makes 26 goal contributions in just 17 games.

These numbers are distinctly unnatural, especially for a 23-year-old.

Leeds had their chance in the summer, but after performances like this, there is little chance they could tempt him. It is likely the very top of the game where he is destined now.

His performances and impact on the team have even led to Gakpo being named captain on multiple occasions this season; a glowing endorsement of his character as well as his quality.

This Romano update will be a hammer blow to Victor Orta, who tried his best but ultimately fell short over the summer to secure the deal.

Now, they will likely have to watch him go on to dominate European football and command fees the Whites could only dream of. It might be the Spaniard’s biggest blunder yet.

Newcastle United appointed a new sporting director in the summer as Dan Ashworth arrived to assist Eddie Howe.

The former FA chief masterminded the signings of Nick Pope, Matt Targett, Sven Botman and Alexander Isak on permanent deals and the club are currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table with the help of those additions.

Whilst supporters may look at the players he did sign, it is also worth looking at the decisions the former Brighton man made in avoiding certain transfers throughout the summer.

It was reported that the club had been pursuing a deal to sign Manchester United shot-stopper Dean Henderson on loan for the 2022/23 campaign but Ashworth arriving at St. James’ Park put a stop to that.

90min reporter Graeme Bailey claimed that the former Brighton chief was the main reason why the Magpies turned their back on a swoop for the English stopper, seemingly deciding that the 25-year-old was not good enough for what they wanted between the sticks.

He then turned his attention to signing Pope from relegated Burnley for a fee in the region of £10m, with the colossus putting pen to paper on a four-year deal.

Henderson, meanwhile, joined newly-promoted Nottingham Forest on loan. Steve Cooper claimed that they beat off interest from several Premier League sides to get the deal done, although Ashworth made sure that Newcastle were not one of them.

The Magpies’ sporting director’s decision has turned out to be a masterclass as he dodged a certain mistake by avoiding the Red Devils goalkeeper.

In the top flight this season, the Forest ‘keeper has failed to impress for Cooper’s side beyond saving two of the three penalties that he has faced.

The £100k-per-week flop has conceded ten times from outside the box from 0.6 expected goals, which suggests that he has been extremely unlucky or he is making mistakes with his positioning from long-range strikes. The Athletic’s Richard Amorfa recently Tweeted that the Englishman has been “getting cooked” from distance.

His struggles are illustrated by his disappointing statistics in the Premier League, whilst Pope has caught the eye with a string of impressive displays.

As you can see in the graphic above, the ex-Burnley titan has outperformed Henderson by some distance in multiple key metrics for goalkeepers. The Forest goalkeeper has conceded more goals from outside the box than Pope has from any position on the pitch, whilst their respective SofaScore ratings highlight the gulf in quality between them.

Therefore, Ashworth swerved a big mistake as the Manchester United academy graduate has been underperforming in the Premier League this season and the signing he opted to make has been a roaring success so far.

Liverpool have held an “internal discussion” regarding the possibility of submitting an offer for Borussia Monchengladbach star Manu Kone, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Manu Kone?

Kone is a central midfielder who arrived at the Borussia Park from Toulouse back in 2021 and he’s since gone on to become a regular feature, clocking up a total of 60 appearances to date. Despite his contract not expiring for another two years, he was Gerardo Seoane’s top-performing defensive player last season so has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs revealed that the 22-year-old is a player that is “on the list” of targets for FSG, with The Guardian further reporting that the Reds are pushing to make him their next signing after Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister.

The Frenchman further excited supporters and sparked rumours of a switch when he was pictured with Nice’s Khephren Thuram, who the Merseyside outfit have also been heavily linked with, and if the following update is to be believed, it sounds like the duo could both soon be making their way to the Premier League.

Are Liverpool signing Kone?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Liverpool have been in talks with the representatives of Kone and Thuram while pondering official approaches, with FSG telling both players' clubs they may make a move after signing Mac Allister:

“Liverpool have been in direct contact with both Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram agents again this week. Internal discussion taking place over official proposals. Liverpool asked for some time to close in on Mac Allister deal then decide on new midfielders.”

Should FSG submit a bid for Kone?

Liverpool are in desperate need of new central players following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arthur Melo, and having been dubbed a “one-man army” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Kone is definitely a candidate worth testing the waters for in an attempt to bring him to Merseyside.

The Classico client, who earns only £5k-per-week, is naturally stronger in the defensive aspect of his game having won 39 tackles throughout the previous campaign which was higher than any of his teammates, as per FBRef.

The France U21 international, however, can pose a threat going forward too, as he ranks in the 96th percentile for dribbles by central midfielders and did pitch in last term by scoring one goal and providing the same number of assists, so he’s an extremely well-rounded player and one that would only excel further under the guidance of Klopp.

When Alex McLeish announced he was leaving Glasgow Rangers at the end of the season in February 2006, many of the Ibrox faithful wondered just exactly who the club would appoint next.

Highly rated French manager Paul Le Guen, who had led Lyon to three consecutive Ligue 1 titles was the man tasked with reclaiming back the league title from rivals Celtic, and as one of the most sought-after coaches on the continent, it looked like Rangers would go on to dominate.

His spell turned into a nightmare and he lasted just 6 months, quitting in January 2007, but not before making one of the worst signings in their recent history.

Sebo was a dreadful Rangers signing

Le Guen signed Filip Sebo from Austria Vienna in the summer of 2006 for a fee of £1.8m after he scored seven goals for the Austrian side the season before.

If the Frenchman thought he was getting a talented striker who could light up Scottish football, then he was sorely mistaken.

Sebo opened his account against Hibernian in a 2-1 defeat and added a late winner against Aberdeen two matches later, but that was to be it for the Slovakian at Rangers, playing a further 22 matches without adding to his tally.

Despite scoring against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly ahead of the 2007/2008 campaign, Sebo was soon on his way out of Ibrox for a loan spell with Valenciennes before joining permanently in 2008 for a fee of £750k, with the club losing just over £1m on the player.

The striker cost the club £900k per goal and this wasn’t money they had to throw away. The player was even dubbed “misfiring” by BBC Scotland and this shows just how bad he was at the club.

The Light Blues returned to the summit of Scottish football under Walter Smith following Le Guen’s reign, however, the mere mention of Sebo’s name will send shivers down the spines of many Rangers supporters.

New York City forward Talles Magno has hinted he would be open to joining Manchester City in a recent interview.

The Lowdown: City flying high…

The Premier League champions have been flying high under manager Pep Guardiola as they seek to retain their domestic crown for a third successive season.

City are the only remaining side unbeaten in the top flight thus far with no side scoring more goals or conceding less than the Sky Blues (premierleague.com).

Guardiola’s side boast the unplayable Erling Haaland as part of their imperious frontline and it appears they are set for an entertaining title race with Mikel Arteta’s in-form Arsenal side.

As such, their pulling power keeps growing and growing, with New York forward Magno now hinting he would be open to making a move to Manchester.

The Latest: Magno drops City transfer hint…

Speaking to Super Vasco, as also shared by Sport Witness, the Brazilian has given an enthusiastic reply when asked if he dreams of a switch to Man City from their MLS sister club.

He stated:

“For sure, all of us who have plans and dreams to be achieved, when we lie on our pillows, we dream of it.

“I’m focused on my team, wanting to grow, focused, to win titles, but I have my dream of playing in Europe. It certainly crosses my mind, yes.”

The Verdict: One to watch?

Bagging eight assists and seven goals over the 2022 MLS season, the 20-year-old has been making waves across the Atlantic and he could be one to watch.

The former Brazil Under-17 international, valued at £9 million by Transfermarkt, is still very young and has been praised by MLS experts for his displays at NYC.

Forbes writer James Nalton, for instance, described Magno as ‘one of the best forwards in the league’ and ‘one of the best’ Under-23s players in the American division (Twitter).

If Guardiola sees a real player in the South American, it appears the door is open to make a potential move going by Magno’s latest hint to the press.

Former Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal has emerged as a candidate to replace Bruno Lage at Wolves, according to a new report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Wolves looking for new manager

Bruno Lage’s sacking was confirmed on Sunday after the drab 2-0 defeat at West Ham the previous day left the Old Gold in the Premier League relegation zone.

Attention must now swiftly turn to who will replace the 46-year-old in the role, with the likes of Julen Lopetegui and Ange Postecoglou emerging as early candidates.

A report from Portugal has seemingly thrown another name into the hat.

The Latest: Carvalhal emerges as Wolves candidate

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Carvalhal ‘would not turn his nose up’ at taking the Wolves job but isn’t interested in taking charge at Hull City, where there is also a managerial vacancy.

The 56-year-old is currently manager of Al Wahda FC in Abu Dhabi, having been appointed earlier in the year.

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The Verdict: Risky appointment?

Carvalhal perhaps doesn’t sound as convincing a prospective appointment as someone like Lopetegui or Postecoglou, given his inconsistent record in England in the past.

Granted, he did largely well with Sheffield Wednesday, guiding them to the Championship play-off final in 2016, but he was only at Swansea for half season before departing following their relegation from the top flight four years ago.

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Carvalhal has plus points – his innovative tactics have earned plenty of column inches and Sergio Conceicao once hailed his ‘stunning brand of football’ – but it feels like there may be stronger, more reliable candidates available than than a manager currently operating outside of Europe.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly confident of securing an extra £4m in add-ons for Joe Aribo after he departed Ibrox in the summer.

The Lowdown: Aribo’s departure

The Nigerian left Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side for a reported £6m in July, which could eventually rise to £10m with add-ons.

He played 148 games for the Gers over three seasons at Ibrox, scoring 26 goals and supplying a further 25 assists in all competitions (winning the Scottish Cup last term and of course the Premiership title in the 2020/21 campaign.

The Latest: Rangers confident of extra £4m

As per Football Insider, Rangers are now ‘confident’ that they will secure the extra £4m in add-ons from Aribo’s departure.

‘Sources with knowledge of the situation’ believe that those add-ons are dependent on how many appearances he makes for Southampton, with the midfielder playing in nine matches so far for the Saints, scoring twice (Transfermarkt).

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The Verdict: Significant windfall

Getting that extra £4m could well be significant for Rangers in terms of potential future investment.

If they could get the full £10m for Aribo, he would then rank sixth in terms of record fees received by the Ibrox club for selling players.

It is not clear when they would receive that extra money, or how many appearances Aribo needs to make over the course of his contract at Southampton, but the seven-figure haul would nonetheless be welcomed by the Light Blues’ supporters and board.