All posts by z3u9t.icu

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as the new Aston Villa manager last week, the club have already been linked with a host of players in the upcoming transfer window, with the likes of Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo all being touted with moves to Villa Park this winter.

However, in order to make space for the club’s potential incoming signings, the 41-year-old may well have to look to move a number of the current Villa squad on come January, with one name likely to be high on the manager’s list of outgoing candidates being that of Keinan Davis.

Despite having made his debut for the club as an exciting 18-year-old prospect back in 2017, the centre-forward has failed to kick on in his professional career at Villa Park, still yet to enjoy what could be considered as his breakout season in first-team football.

Indeed, in his first season spent predominantly with the senior squad, the £2.7m-rated striker scored three goals and provided four assists over his 30 appearances in all competitions, returns which suggested that the former England U20 international could have the potential to go on and become a first-team regular.

However, the 23-year-old would ultimately make only 45 more appearances over the following three campaigns, scoring just three goals and registering three assists in the process, as the centre-forward found himself pushed further and further down the Aston Villa pecking order, while his returns did nothing to convince Dean Smith that he deserved a spot in the manager’s starting XI.

This is a lesson that Steven Gerrard must learn from, as, over the past four seasons the £25k-per-week Davis has consistently proven that he is not a player of the standard required at Villa Park.

Indeed, fans of the club also agree with this assessment, as, in a poll ran on Football FanCast, the vast majority of supporters made their feelings known that they do not believe the player who Jack Grealish once dubbed as “unplayable” has a future at their club.

As such, Gerrard simply must axe the 23-year-old in January, as his place in the squad, as well as his rather hefty weekly wage, could be put to much better use by the 41-year-old manager.

In other news: Lange could transform Gerrard’s AVFC by signing “frightening” £20m gem likened to Mane

West Ham fans will go crazy if Declan Rice is sold to Chelsea this summer, warns former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer.

The Telegraph recently reported that while Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland or another world-class No.9 is the European champions’ priority, Thomas Tuchel is still interested in Rice.

The 22-year-old still has three years left on his contract, so the Hammers are not in a position where they have to sell now to avoid losing him on a free.

However, Palmer is not too sure they are completely out of the woods, fearing that David Moyes may be forced into a sale regardless in order to bolster his squad.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Moyes and Rice, the ex-England international said:

“It’s already been made very clear to him that there’s not a lot of money available at West Ham. And I’m assuming if he wants to do business like he’d like to do it, he might have to sell somebody like Declan Rice. [But] the West Ham supporters would go crazy over that.”

As well as Chelsea, Manchester United are also said to be interested in the England midfielder.

According to The Guardian, Rice is a target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, so a bidding war could now easily erupt for his signature this summer.

Are the pieces finally beginning to fall into place for Celtic? Time will tell what happens with the Bhoys’ hunt for a new manager but they have finally received a boost.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Duncan Castles, a pretty major twist is beginning to unravel in Celtic’s Eddie Howe saga.

The 43-year-old was in advanced talks with the Hoops but he has now also spoken to Crystal Palace about the vacancy. That being said, Castles had fresh news for supporters regarding what the Premier League side were trying to achieve.

Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast, he said: “It’s my understanding that they’ve (Crystal Palace) been in contact with Frank Lampard, which I think is not a great surprise given that he is available after being dismissed by Chelsea.

“Obviously, a Londoner, based in London, you can see the kind of appeal of bringing Lampard to Crystal Palace, what that would have for the ownership there.”

Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Howe was on a three-man shortlist for the role at Selhurst Park; a list that clearly also includes Lampard.

Major boost

Earlier this year it looked as though Lampard had emerged as a contender to take over at Celtic.

The thought of a rivalry ensuing with Steven Gerrard was incredibly mouthwatering. That being said, it’s now Howe that’s in the box seat to become the new manager at Parkhead.

Talks have taken place, the former Bournemouth boss has performed due diligence on behind-the-scenes matters and he also has some backroom staff he wants to bring with him.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-edouard-desmond” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

News that Crystal Palace were trying to lure him away from Paradise, therefore, was not good news for Celtic.

However, if the London outfit are now talking to Lampard instead, it can only be a good thing for Dermot Desmond’s pursuit of Howe.

The Englishman isn’t willing to return to management until the summer but this news will limit where he could end up in the summer.

A number of issues remain to be ironed out but a resolution could finally be on the cards.

After the saga that’s played out over the last few weeks with Howe, supporters should be buzzing that the pathway for his potential arrival at Celtic is becoming clearer.

AND in other news, Celtic may be on the verge of repeating Deila’s costly blunder, fans should be fuming…

Sunderland have been dealt a fresh setback ahead of their upcoming League One clash with Rotherham United on Tuesday evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via Rotherham’s official website), Paul Warne revealed that, despite a number of his first-team squad picking up knocks in the 2-1 victory over Oxford United on Saturday afternoon, he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with Sunderland – suggesting he will be able to pick from the same group of players available at the weekend.

Regarding the current state of his squad, the 48-year-old said: “We’ve got no major concerns, you always have a few aches and pains the day after a game, but I don’t think any of that is going to change who is available on Tuesday night. I think we’ll have the same players available to us.”

Neil will be gutted

Considering the importance of picking up all three points against the second-placed Millers on Tuesday evening, the fact that Warne has no fresh injury concerns is undoubtedly news that will have left Alex Neil gutted.

Indeed, Rotherham have been in fantastic form throughout their 2021/22 League One campaign, so far confounding pre-season predictions of a sixth-place finish by occupying one of the automatic promotion spots – with a victory over the Black Cats on Tuesday, coupled with a Wigan Athletic draw or loss at Portsmouth, being enough to see the Millers claim top spot in the division.

This favourable league position has largely been thanks to the efforts of centre-forward Michael Smith – 19 goals and six assists over 43 appearances – goalkeeper Josh Vickers – 12 clean sheets and 3.1 saves per game over 20 outings – central midfielder Daniel Barlaser – nine goals and six assists over 42 fixtures – and centre-back Michael Ihiekwe – 19 clean sheets over 40 matches.

Having said that, with Warne’s side having lost three of their last five league outings, Neil will be confident that, as long as Sunderland play to the best of their ability at the Stadium of Light, his side have a chance of taking all three points from the meeting.

However, the news that Rotherham have no fresh injury worries, coupled with the fact that the Mackems now look set to be without both Dennis Cirkin and Carl Winchester due to knocks picked up against Cambridge United, will certainly come as a blow to Neil and his side – who simply must secure a victory in order to give themselves the best possible chance of sealing a top-six spot of their own come the end of the season.

AND in other news: Forget Stewart: SAFC’s “complex” 141-touch star stole the show vs Cambridge United

Crystal Palace fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Despite having some promising moments, the Eagles were second best in the capital, with braces from Harry Kane and Gareth Bale securing a thumping win for the hosts.

One silver lining for Roy Hodgson’s troops though was seeing Wilfried Zaha back in action, having been out with an injury since early February.

However, it was not the return that either his manager or teammates will have wanted.

Given a place on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Ivorian international was introduced at half-time with the scores level at 1-1.

It was thought that the £45m-rated winger could have given the Eagles some fresh attacking impetus but he, in fact, did the opposite.

Throughout his second-half appearance, he could only accumulate 16 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – only fellow substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta had fewer in the entire Crystal Palace side.

Even when Zaha received the ball, he was simply not able to do anything with it.

He only had one shot, which was off target, and did not provide a single key pass.

Zaha also conspired to lose the ball on multiple occasions throughout his second-half cameo, getting dispossessed twice and having another unsuccessful touch.

His passing also painted a damning picture of his poor performance. Racking up a horrendous passing accuracy of just 33%, which is by far and away the worst by any player on the pitch, you may have been forgiven for thinking that Zaha was indeed lining up for the opposing team.

To compound his teammates’ frustrations, the winger was also caught offside on three occasions in 45 minutes. Whilst this could be down to disciplined defending from the home side, it is of no consolation to the Eagles who saw their attacks abruptly halted when attempting to find Zaha, who seemed to be a bit lazy in terms of his discipline of reading the line.

His performance could be understandable considering his long lay off in recent weeks but Hodgson will surely be demanding more as his star man regains his match sharpness.

AND in more news, read more about the Eagles’ links with £22m-rated Mostafa Mohamed…

Serie A expert Conor Clancy has stuck the boot into Fabio Paratici ahead of his appointment at Tottenham Hotspur.

BBC Sport have reported that Spurs have agreed a deal to bring the Italian into the club following his spell at Juventus.

Paratici will become the club’s new Sporting Director, as Spurs return to a two-tier management structure, giving the Italian the chance to recruit new players and also a say in appointing the club’s next manager.

Spurs have not yet found a new manager despite sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April, although Paulo Fonseca is a frontrunner, and ended the season under the management of Ryan Mason, who was placed in caretaker charge.

However, it remains to be seen if Paratici will turn out to be the appointment he appears to be, with Clancy sticking the boot in over his record at the Italian club.

The editor of Forza Italian Football Clancy believes that Paratici oversaw an awful run of recruitment in Italy, as the midfield of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, and Andrea Pirlo was dismantled and replaced poorly.

Juventus lined up with a midfield of Danilo – normally a full-back – and Adrien Rabiot in their final game of the season against Bologna.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Clancy said: “They’re such a top-heavy side now. This midfield that used to be one of the best in Europe, with Vidal, Pirlo and Pogba, Marchisio as well to an extent, and now you look at that midfield and there is nothing there.

“Not even bad players, just players who don’t contribute anything in a positive or a negative sense and that is 100% on Paratici because that was literally his job, to make sure this thing didn’t happen.”

West Ham United remain interested in Eddie Nketiah…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who claims that the Irons are one of many teams monitoring the 22-year-old’s situation ahead of a potential summer move.

He suggests that Arsenal have offered their academy graduate a new contract but as of yet, nothing has been agreed. The Gunners are thought to have set his asking price at around £20m in the event that he does not put pen to paper.

The Hammers face competition from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Watford, whilst Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen are also mooted with interest.

David Moyes was said to be keen on Nketiah during the January transfer window after the club sanctioned the departure of Sebastian Haller to Ajax.

Shades of Defoe

The £18m-rated forward has found game time hard to come by since his debut in 2017, playing a total of 65 matches, in which he’s found the net 13 times, via Transfermarkt.

However, that shouldn’t detract from his ability and true potential. After all, he’s had the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in front of him in the pecking order.

With the Irons desperate for forward additions, Nketiah could be a perfect candidate to provide Michail Antonio with genuine competition next season, especially as the young attacker has been likened to a former West Ham talisman.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-staff-gsb-moyes-updates-and-more” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

During an interview with Football Insider, ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan compared him to Jermain Defoe. He said:

“He reminds me of another Jermaine Defoe and look at how well he did at West Ham. He’s very much that similar sort of player. He plays off the shoulder, very dangerous in the box. He’s a player you can’t take your eye off because his movement’s so good.”

It’s not the first time that the Gunners starlet has been likened to the Rangers veteran, with him also drawing further comparisons to Danny Welbeck, albeit at a smaller height (5 foot 11).

Nketiah’s record at youth level has been second to none, scoring 43 times for Arsenal’s U18s and U23s, as well as bagging 16 goals in just 17 caps for the England U21 squad.

Considering the £40m price tag surrounding mooted top target Tammy Abraham, a move for the 22-year-old could make far more sense this summer.

If Moyes opts to push ahead and sign Nketiah, then he could well find West Ham their next Defoe.

AND in other news, Moyes dealt another devastating Irons transfer blow, fans will surely be gutted…

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has been discussing David Coote’s decision to rule out Luke Ayling’s goal in Leeds United’s victory over Fulham.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side picked up a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage last Friday in what represented an impressive result against a team who have improved in recent months.

Patrick Bamford and Raphinha got the goals for Leeds prior to this week’s international break taking place and a number of players being afforded a rest.

As seems to be the case far too often, however, the Whites’ victory couldn’t be completed without controversy, with VAR again taking centre stage at one point.

[freshpress-quiz id=“347980″]

Halsey discusses VAR decision

Ayling thought he had given his side the lead in the first half, only for Coote to rule it out on advise from VAR.

Speaking to This Is Futbol, Halsey gave his take on the incident, claiming that the rule needs to be changed outright:

“The one thing is with VAR, it’s back to you’re off, or you’re on. The new handball law has made this offside law; they now measure the line with the armpit and the t-shirt line so that now comes into play because you can score now with that part of the arm.

“So for me, it’s got to be looked at; the whole of the arm has got to be included in handball, not just down to the t-shirt line. That’s why [we see] a lot of these goals ruled out, and we don’t want to be seeing them ruled out because ultimately, fans are important to the game want to be entertained and see goals.

“Now, we put these lines down, and they put them across, and for me, if you cannot tell with a naked eye on the first replay that it’s offside and it takes 2/3/4/5/6 looks, then we’ve got to be [giving the goal].

“Take away the lines, use the naked eye, you can tell straight away whether he’s off or on and obviously, we need to change the handball law to the whole of the arm, and that nullifies the t-shirt line and the armpit for judging offsides.”

Transfer Tavern take

It was the latest in an endless stream of baffling decisions this season, with the offside rule proving to be particularly head-scratching.

The hope is that it is ironed out moving forward in order to stop VAR being discussed negatively on such a regular basis.

In other news, one Premier League manager has paid Leeds a huge compliment – find out who it is and what he said here.

Steve Bruce has dropped an injury blow before Newcastle United travel to Leicester City in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Newcastle are virtually safe

The St. James’ Park faithful are virtually safe from dropping down from the top flight down to the EFL Championship.

They currently sit nine points above the relegation zone with just four games left to play (Sky Sports), and so while it is not mathematically impossible that they could still go down, it would take a huge ask from both Fulham and West Brom.

With this in mind, it may be an opportunity for Bruce to give some minutes to some of his fringe players or bed some youngsters in, but he will not have Elliot Anderson available for the visit to the Foxes.

The Latest: Anderson injured for Newcastle

Speaking in his pre-game press conference before the match against Brendan Rodgers’ men, Bruce confirmed with regards to Anderson (via The Chronicle):

“He picked up a knock in the last game he played and it’s set him back a little bit.

“We’re not sure how bad it is but it’s a hip problem.

“He’s going to be struggling for the next couple of weeks.”

This rules him out of the match against LCFC and potentially also their next two fixtures against both Manchester City and Sheffield United respectively, seemingly ruining his chances of a late chance to strut his stuff before the summer.

The Verdict: Anderson injury a big blow

Anderson is a promising talent, having already made his breakthrough in the team this season at the tender age of just 18, and with potentially nothing to play for, these next matches could have allowed him to get a run in the side.

Nonetheless, the midfield player will have to try and work his way back to full fitness so that he can hopefully make another appearance before the campaign finishes, otherwise it will be over to the pre-season period for him to show Bruce he has what it takes.

In other news, find out what insight Lee Ryder has shared from sources close to Mike Ashley on the potential takeover here!

An update has emerged on Wolves’ pursuit of Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes regarding the details of a potential deal.

What’s the talk?

According to SER Deportivos Valencia, via Sport Witness, Wolves have offered centre-back Romain Saiss to Valencia in an attempt to secure a deal for the Portuguese international this month.

It has been reported that Valencia want a fee in the region of £30m (€35m) for the winger, with Wolves now hoping that the 31-year-old’s prospective inclusion in the deal can bring that figure down.

Imagine him & Adama

Wolves could seal a terrifying attack if they are able to bring Guedes to the club this month. Including Saiss in the deal could be a masterstroke by Wanderers if it allows them to pay a lower fee for the Portuguese forward instead of splashing out the entire £30m, whilst also getting the Moroccan’s wages off the bill.

The former PSG attacker could be an excellent addition to Wolves’ squad. The 24-year-old is an exciting talent who has ample experience playing at the top level. He has 23 caps for Portugal, played for PSG in Ligue 1 and has made 137 appearances for Valencia in Spain.

Guedes averaged 2.1 dribbles completed and 1.1 chances created per game in La Liga last season for Valencia, which shows that he is direct in his play and likes to take on defenders. This could get Wolves fans off their seats in excitement and strike fear into opposition players.

Portuguese legend Luis Figo once lauded the 24-year-old and highlighted his unpredictability as one of his biggest strengths. He told Foot Mercato, as transcribed by Tribal Football: “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well.”

This makes him similar to Adama Traore at Molineux. Last season, the Spaniard averaged 4.1 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per game in the Premier League, having managed five and 1.3 respectively in the previous campaign. This shows that both players like to get the ball out of their feet and run at players, which is why the pair could be a frightening prospect for Premier League defences.

Bruno Lage must ensure that this deal gets over the line because the terrifying attack he could have with Adama and Guedes either side of Raul Jimenez could be brilliant to watch this season. Their pace and trickery out wide could create a hatful of chances for the Mexican to score, hopefully propelling Wolves back into the top half of the Premier League table.

AND in other news, Wolves must seal £12.8m deal for 18 y/o beast tipped for “incredible future”…