All posts by z3u9t.icu

Having secured a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho and now in reported negotiations for the signing of Everton left-back Lucas Digne, Aston Villa’s owners and manager Steven Gerrard have made their intentions clear in the early stages of the current January transfer window about wanting to strengthen their squad.

In terms of what other potential transfer deals could take place at the Midlands club in the coming weeks, one area that has been touted as an area that Gerrard would want to strengthen is midfield.

With this in mind, one potential option that Villa could look to sign and have been linked with in the past is Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who has been labelled as an “outgoing player” from the Italian club this month by manager Max Allegri.

Before jetting off to Juventus back in the 2019 summer transfer window, the Welshman made a total of 371 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, scoring 65 goals, providing 65 assists and winning three FA Cups along the way.

In the Premier League, the “intelligent” midfielder, as labelled by Juventus teammate Federico Chiesa, made 262 appearances and managed to rack up a total of 40 goals and 51 assists (91 in total), not only highlighting how much experience he has in the top division but also how much of an attacking threat he can be from midfield.

Now that Juventus are apparently willing to let the 31-year-old leave this month, this could pave the way for Villa to secure a solid midfield option that should be able to hit the ground running in the Premier League given his previous experience.

As well as his experience that could be useful for some of Villa’s younger players such as Carney Chukwuemeka, Jacob Ramsey and Cameron Archer, his deadliness in front of goal could give Gerrard the opportunity to create a scary midfield duo alongside John McGinn.

The Scot has also shown his attacking capabilities this season with three goals and two assists in the Premier League, leaving only Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings with more goal contributions.

In addition to his very useful goals and assists, McGinn has shown with his overall performances this season how much of a vital player he is for Villa with a season rating of 7.14/10 from WhoScored, making him their highest-rated player.

Moving forward, if Villa are willing to negotiate a deal for Ramsey this month, this could give Gerrard’s side that added attacking dimension in midfield that could push them to the top half of the table.

Combine Ramsey with McGinn and the Midlands outfit would surely soar up the table.

In other news: Bid made: Journo drops AVFC transfer claim, a future star could be inbound – opinion

Farhad Moshiri was the driving force behind the signing of Alex Iwobi, not Marcel Brands. 

That’s according to Phil Kirkbride, Everton correspondent for The Liverpool Echo.

Brands was apparently ‘certain’ that the idea of signing Iwobi from Arsenal would ‘die down’.

But majority shareholder Moshiri ‘pressed on’ with the deal, which was confirmed on 8 August 2019.

This will have added to Brands’ feeling that he wasn’t in ‘complete control’, Kirkbride writes.

The revelation comes after Brands left his post as director of football by mutual consent.

Everton’s Iwobi deal a mistake?

At £27.36million, the Nigerian ranks as the fourth most-expensive signing in Everton’s history.

He’s gone on to make 78 appearances for the Blues to date, but only managed to deliver six goals and five assists.

One Everton podcaster said following the 5-2 defeat to Watford in October that Iwobi has ‘done nothing for two years since he’s been here’.

Twitter fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed Kirkbride’s insight, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Everton fans slam Moshiri after Iwobi reveal

“Whoever signed Iwobi needs to leave with him on a one-way ticket to anywhere.”

Credit: @sports_draw

“Don’t say that, we’re all supposed to be blaming Brands remember?!?!”

Credit: @BornABlue1986

“Of course it was. Wasn’t the overpaying his former club Arsenal the giveaway? Brands is the fall guy here, Moshiri is the main problem.”

Credit: @Therealafb13

“That’s enough to never let moshiri make another footballing decision again. Just because he has got dough doesn’t mean his footballing decisions aren’t the worst in the country”

Credit: @BlueSnowy1878

“Who’s the next scapegoat now?”

Credit: @ScouseGamerLad

“A kopite couldn’t kill this club as effectively as Moshiri currently is”

Credit: @BC_Bryson

In other news, fans fumed over this manager news.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has made a claim regarding Celtic’s possible permanent swoop for Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, Give Me Sport report.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers under Postecoglou

Carter-Vickers was the club’s final addition over the summer, joining on deadline day in a season-long loan deal that includes an option to buy next summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-19/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Since then, the 23-year-old has been an ever-present figure at the back under Ange Postecoglou, making 20 appearances in green and white.

He’s missed just one Scottish Premiership fixture following his move and was hailed as an ‘excellent professional’ by Kenny Dalglish.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s claim

Give Me Sport shared the latest news on Carter-Vickers making a permanent Parkhead switch, suggesting both Celtic and the player are keen on a full-time move.

Reporter O’Rourke gave his thoughts on a possible permanent swoop to Give Me Sport, admitting he wasn’t sure if the Hoops could reach the £10m asking price, as reported by The Daily Record.

“Cameron Carter-Vickers has made a big impression since his loan move from Tottenham, but I’m not sure if Celtic could reach that £10m valuation that Spurs are looking for a permanent deal, though.”

The Verdict: Club record fee

Should Celtic stump up the fee for Carter-Vickers, they’d reportedly have to pay two separate add-ons which would take the deal over £10m.

That would make him the club’s most expensive signing of all time, eclipsing the £9.27m move that made Odsonne Edouard’s loan permanent from Paris Saint-Germain.

There’s no denying that Carter-Vickers has impressed at Celtic Park, however, £10m is a lot of money, especially with the Hoops already spending over £20m in the summer and seemingly looking at four January permanent additions in Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and on-loan Jota.

In other news: Devlin shares worrying injury update on Celtic ace after bone ‘break’. 

Anticipation is rising ahead of what could be one of the most decisive transfer windows in the modern history of Newcastle United.

Mike Ashley is no longer at the helm as the Magpies instead see themselves backed by the Saudi Arabian Prince Investment Fund. In simple terms, that means money, and lots of it.

What’s the word?

With Newcastle believed to be targeting a central defender this winter, a number of familiar faces have already cropped up on their radar.

Bayern Munich stalwart Niklas Sule has been linked with a move to St James’ Park but perhaps one of the most eye-catching names came to light on Wednesday.

According to The Times, the club’s new owners view Italy as a suitable market to explore in January and could turn to Inter Milan as a result.

They suggest that defensive wall, Stefan de Vrij, is one of the players they want to bring to English football.

Dream first signing

If Amanda Staveley and co can seal a deal to bring de Vrij to St James’ Park in the coming months, it would be an almighty statement of intent and one that would surely have new manager Eddie Howe in dreamland.

After all, the Dutch titan is one of the sturdiest defenders in Europe, winning glowing praise from many within the footballing world.

Former Lazio teammate Mauricio waxed lyrical about him to ESPN (via Football Italia), saying: “Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster! He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

Combine all of those qualities together and you have what can only be described as the perfect defender.

So far this term, the 29-year-old has won a whopping 2.5 aerial duels per game and has completed 90.5% of his passes in the Italian top-flight. That tally sees him rank higher than anybody to start a game at Newcastle this term.

The £45m-rated defender loves to get stuck in but his passing defines that of a modern centre-back, proving he has everything you could want in his locker.

Signing de Vrij would be particularly important when considering how poor Newcastle have been from a defensive point of view this campaign.

They sit 19th in the table and their haul of 24 concessions is the second-highest in the entire Premier League.

With that in mind, strengthening their defence is the dream for Howe ahead of January, and in a certain Inter centre-back, they could do exactly that.

AND in other news, Howe could finally axe Joelinton if NUFC swoop for £31.5m-rated “phenomenon”…

West Ham United are sweating over the fitness of Aaron Cresswell heading into tonight’s Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion at the London Stadium…

What’s the latest?

The 31-year-old defender was forced off with a back injury in the 61st minute during the Irons’ 2-1 defeat to defending champions Manchester City on Sunday after he clattered into the post when making an impressive last-ditch goal-line clearance.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference manager David Moyes revealed that his trusty left-back was a doubt ahead of kick-off.

“We’ve got a doubt about Aaron Cresswell, but he’s been out today so we’re hopeful that he’s not too bad. We’ll see how he is,” he told reporters (via football.london).

Elsewhere, Claret and Hugh have claimed that Cresswell is facing a late fitness test this evening but the Scotsman will take no chances if he’s not good to go.

Would be a big miss

This would be a big, big miss for the Hammers as the long-serving star is one of Moyes’ most influential and key players. He contributes at either end of the pitch and will be needed to combat the threat of Tariq Lamptey.

Last season, he led the way in terms of creativity, recording eight assists, whilst averaging 1.6 key passes per outing, via WhoScored.

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

An average of 1.1 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game this term suggests he’s doing his defensive duties rather efficiently and that makes him the best option to face the Seagulls’ arguably biggest dangerman.

Just last month, Cresswell’s form for West Ham in 2021/22 earned glowing praise from talkSPORT pundit and ex-Villa striker Tony Cascarino.

“Talk about unsung heroes; I think Cresswell has been brilliant for them at left-back this year. I thought as he gets older, his place would be in jeopardy – it’s not,” he said.

At the weekend, Lamptey was such a nuisance against Leeds United that Marcelo Bielsa had to sub his left-back, Junior Firpo, as he was walking a tight rope on a yellow card.

You’d imagine that if Moyes has to opt for the rarely-played Arthur Masuaku or one of Ben Johnson or Vladimir Coufal out of position, then it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

His potential absence tonight would be a bitter and gutting blow to the 58-year-old head coach, so he may well be hugely worried heading into kick-off this evening – even more so after recording back-to-back defeats.

AND in other news, Moyes must unleash West Ham’s £27m-rated “manager’s dream” today, he could haunt Brighton…

As West Bromwich Albion maintained their chase for promotion with a resounding 3-0 win over Bristol City on Saturday, many Baggies supporters weren’t impressed with striker Jordan Hugill despite his goal.

Valerien Ismael is looking to guide West Brom straight back into the big time following their Premier League relegation at the end of last season and they are right in contention to go back up.

It will be hard-fought for the second-placed Baggies, though, with the likes of Fulham and Coventry City following closely behind as it stands (BBC).

As such, amid all the fierce competition for an automatic promotion place, the Baggies must show cutting edge in what is set to be a very interesting Championship campaign.

Ismael’s side strolled to a 3-0 victory at The Hawthorns yesterday afternoon courtesy of strikes from Hugill, Kyle Barley and Karlan Grant – but many Baggies fans sought to slam the former despite his opening goal.

Indeed, after he opened the floodgates for West Brom, Hugill wasted plenty of chances to add more to the scoresheet and displayed a real lack of clinical finishing. He missed three big chances in total and finished the game with a 6.3 SofaScore match rating, lower than any West Brom player.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder some supporters have criticised his display – check out some of their Twitter verdicts below.

West Brom fans slam Hugill…

“Hugill could’ve had 3 already. He’s absolutely terrible”

Credit: @JamieTheo2

“Hugill.. Should have a hat trick easy. Terrible finishing”

Credit: @JDWBA2

“Hugill is god awful”

Credit: @Aaron2wba

“Hugill could’ve had at least 5 today, not clinical enough at all”

Credit: @JoeTalbotWBA

“Hugill should have had 4 within 35 minutes, he’s still poor. Austin every chance he has today, even Kanu gets at least 2 of the 4”

Credit: @JackWBA97

“Far better today from the lads. If Hugill could finish a Sunday dinner we’d have had double figures”

Credit: @jason_simkins

“Hugill finishing was shocking….”

Credit: @b68baggie

It’s an exciting time to be a Crystal Palace fan. The club’s ambition off the pitch is being matched by some encouraging results and performances on the field of play.

Last week was as about as good as Eagles supporters have had it for many years. The official opening of their new Category 1 Academy and state-of-the-art facilities was followed up by a victory over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in their own backyard.

At the unveiling of the new youth facilities, chairman Steve Parish outlined the transformative effect that he hopes the upgraded setup will have on the south London club.

He said: “The new Academy will have a transformative effect on the future of the football club and the local community, not only enabling us to attract and retain the best players in one of England’s richest footballing areas but also to help scores of young people and local schools enjoy the facilities.”

With the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrick Mitchell paving the way for Palace’s future stars, it appears as though the coming years are set to mark a new chapter in the Eagles’ history.

One player who become a household name in years to come is striker Robert Street. The 20-year-old has risen through the ranks at his boyhood club and is currently enjoying a stellar campaign for the under-23s.

In 12 appearances for Shaun Derry’s charges, Street has bagged an impressive seven goals and provided one assist, with his eye-catching displays earning him a place on the bench for two Premier League encounters.

Palace’s official website describes the youngster as a “talented” forward, and he’s certainly someone who should generate plenty of excitement among the fans.

“A combative attacker in the Palace ranks, Street followed the lead of fellow young hotshot and former Palace forward James Daly by progressing through the Under-18s to sample Development football,” Street’s description reads.

“The talented frontman was rewarded for his efforts with a professional contract in summer 2020 and followed this with a loan move to Torquay United in January 2021.

“After his return to the Under-23s side, he scored a crucial goal in the play-off victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers to send Palace within touching distance of promotion.”

Only time will tell if Street has the quality and desire to make the step up to Vieira’s first team squad on a regular basis, but the signs are encouraging for Palace’s latest attacking talent.

In other news… Report shares encouraging Crystal Palace update, fans will surely be delighted

Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to provide an update on his comeback from an Achilles injury.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles supporters have been quick to react to the footage on social media.

The 23-year-old suffered a freak injury in training towards the end of the previous campaign, which, at first, some thought would keep him out until the New Year.

However, he appears to be making good progress, with reports in August believing the attacking midfielder was way ahead of schedule in regards to his rehabilitation.

Eze posted a nine-second video on Twitter on Tuesday of himself taking part in a short but sharp running drill which ended with a bit of ball work.

Palace fans react

Crystal Palace retweeted Eze’s clip, which led to a number of Eagles fans giving their positive thoughts. This is what some had to say, with many struggling to hold back their excitement.

“He’s gonna be back before Xmas isn’t he? Looking forward to an Edouard, Zaha, Eze, Olise front four before the end of the year. Oh my goodness!!”

Credit: @AdamFlinter

“I’m crying”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“Need a similar post from @Nathan6Ferguson and I think I’ll go crazy”

Credit: @robertmeilak

“inject itttttt”

Credit: @CPFC_Ollie_

“Yeeeeessss”

Credit: @R41n4llTh3T1m3

“Fabulous to see…”

Credit: @red_blue_review

In other news: ‘Finally’, ‘Excited’ – Many CPFC fans buzz as ‘great news’ is confirmed.

Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side head into Wednesday evening’s Championship fixture in a fine run of form, with the Baggies’ picking up ten points from a possible 15 over their last five fixtures.

However, with Albion’s hosts, Swansea City, having secured eight points of their own over their last five games, Ismael will know that the clash with Russell Martin’s side will not be an easy fixture, especially considering the game is being played at the Liberty Stadium – where the Swans have lost just once all season.

So, will the 46-year-old make any changes to the team which started in the 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Friday? Here’s how we think West Brom could line up against Swansea, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Ismael confirming in his pre-match press conference that Grady Diangana will be unavailable for selection for the trip to Swansea – as the 23-year-old is yet to recover from an ongoing hamstring injury – in addition to revealing that Alex Mowatt is also a doubt for the fixture due to a toe injury, we predict the Frenchman will make two changes to the team which lined up against the Blues last week.

The back five remains unchanged – with Sam Johnstone starting in goal, Matt Clarke, Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi making up the back three and Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong starting at left and right wing-back respectively.

The first change comes in the middle of the park, with Mowatt dropping out of the starting XI, and Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Jayson Molumby – who impressed after replacing Mowatt against Birmingham – taking the 26-year-old’s spot in central midfield alongside Jake Livermore.

In attack, Callum Robinson retains his spot up top, as does Karlan Grant on the left-wing, while, in the absence of Grady Diangana, the £38k-per-week Robert Snodgrass is handed his first Championship start of the season, with 30-year-old right-winger Matt Phillips having to make do with a spot on the bench.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

Liverpool extended their unbeaten start to the new Premier League campaign after seeing off Leeds United 3-0 at Elland Road.

The Reds took control of proceedings on the 20th minute after a frantic and open start to the game when Mohamed Salah scored the 100th Premier League goal of his career.

Brazilian international Fabinho then poked home a close-range finish following a Virgil van Dijk flick-on from a corner, putting the 19-time English champions firmly in the driving seat just five minutes after the half-time interval.

However, a serious-looking injury to 18-year-old midfielder Harvey Elliott tarnished the game soon after.

What appeared to be an innocuous-looking challenge from Pascal Struijk saw the teenager leave the field on a stretcher, with several teammates looking on in horror.

The incident led to Struijk receiving a red card from referee Craig Pawson, and Liverpool saw the remaining half an hour out with ease against the 10-men of Leeds.

An injury-time goal for Sadio Mane rounded off a convincing 3-0 win for the Anfield outfit as they kept pace with Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the Premier League standings, capping an afternoon full of mixed emotions for Klopp.

And despite Salah’s landmark strike, the German tactician will have been especially pleased with the performance of Thiago in the Liverpool engine room.

As per SofaScore, the Spain international received a match rating of 7.9 out of 10, the joint-highest total for any player on the pitch in south Yorkshire.

The 30-year-old had a stellar afternoon for the Reds, providing one assist and two key passes for his colleagues as he controlled proceedings in the middle of the park.

Thiago also achieved a passing accuracy of 90%, pulling off all of the four long balls he attempted during his time on the pitch and only losing possession nine times, highlighting his influence over Liverpool’s play.

But the technically gifted maestro also put in a solid defensive shift as well, winning six of his seven duels while making four tackles and two interceptions.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich ace put in a fantastic display on his first start of the season, and he’ll be hoping to feature from the off on a regular basis in the weeks and months to come.

And, in other news…Konate starts, £13.5m-rated gem axed as Klopp makes three changes: Predicted LFC XI