All posts by z3u9t.icu

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has confirmed a major Aston Villa boost over Leon Bailey.

What’s the story?

The Jamaica international has had an injury-disrupted start to life at Villa Park, playing just 85 minutes of football in the Premier League.

His latest issue saw him forced off in the second-half against Everton, and Dean Smith would later reveal that he wouldn’t be back until after the international break.

And now, Preece has delivered an update on where things stand with the winger.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Just the 9 outfield first-team players in at Bodymoor this week, with Morgan Sanson, Leon Bailey, Trezeguet & Keinan Davis still on the treatment tables. #avfc expect Bailey to be in contention vs Wolves in 9 days’ time, though, with Sanson set to be eased back later this month.”

Fans will be buzzing

Even in just 85 minutes of top-flight football, Bailey has shown just why Villa fans should be excited about their summer signing.

After coming off the bench to great effect against Watford on the opening day – he marked his Premier League debut for the club by setting up John McGinn’s goal and almost sparking a late comeback – the Jamaican flier showed just what he can bring to the table when he delivered another barn-storming cameo against Everton.

Having come on as a substitute once again, Bailey whipped in the corner that was turned in by Lucas Digne, before firing in a superb strike to seal an impressive 3-0 win for Villa.

Speaking before the Midlands club officially confirmed the deal to sign the winger, Alan Hutton threw his backing behind a move for the Jamaica international.

He said: “I’m so excited to see this one. I’ve heard a lot about him over the past two or three seasons. He’s obviously still very young but he’s electric, he gets people off their seats. That’s what you want in a player.

“But what’s more impressive, 15 goals and 11 assists from wide areas in the German league. That’s unbelievable. It’s the kind of consistency you want from your wingers.”

Former Ajax youth coach Ronald de Boer once said of the Jamaican: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Given that ability and the early impression he has already made at Villa Park, fans will be rightly buzzing with Preece’s latest injury update.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in signing this Premier League striker…

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.

Via his Patreon account, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has just dropped an exciting West Ham transfer update involving Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard…

The Manchester United midfielder has been a target for David Moyes since before the beginning of this summer transfer window and Claret & Hugh believe that the 28-year-old has been among the Irons; main transfer priorities along with a striker and a centre-back.

However, a recent claim by Sky Sports indicated that a move for Lingard was looking increasingly unlikely, with the player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans.

Matheus Pereira was also taken off the table as an alternative target after his move to Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee drops exciting Lingard update…

As per ExWHUemployee, there is now some real hope for the Hammers after all when it comes to signing Lingard on from the Red Devils before August 31.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-gossip/” title=”West Ham latest gossip…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

It appears that the 28-year-old has pulled a U-turn on his West Ham stance and is ‘a lot more open’ to a London Stadium return. The player’s entourage are also said to be ‘making these feelings known’ to Manchester United, with Lingard’s future having not been assured.

West Ham are also expected to launch a bid for the attacker over these coming days and there is ‘renewed optimism’ that a deal could actually happen.

The Verdict: Very much needed…

It has been an arduous and at times painful summer for West Ham supporters given their lack of transfer business so far. Just over two weeks of the transfer window remain until the deadline and Moyes has still yet to see a major new outfield signing come through the door.

West Ham have only snapped up goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan deal from Paris-Saint Germain, so this update on Lingard should come as an exciting one for the Hammers faithful.

It provides fresh hope that Moyes could land one of his major targets after all and there could be many Irons supporters hoping that the ‘sensational’ player, as described by Nigel Winterburn (The Sun), finally signs on the dotted line.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Staggering’, ‘Cannot write this’… many West Ham fans erupt as news confirmed, find out more here.

Manchester United have held talks with former Roma boss Rudi Garcia over becoming their interim manager, according to journalist Andy Mitten.

What’s the story?

In a live interview on Sky Sports, the United We Stand editor revealed that the Old Trafford hierarchy have ‘spoken’ to the 57-year-old as the search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor gathers pace.

Mitten said: “He’s spoken to Manchester United, that’s what I can tell you. So, he’d absolutely be interested in the interim manager’s job. He did well at Roma; he took over there when they’d been finishing seventh and eighth, took them to second twice.

“People told him that he was going to have problems with the big-name players, Francesco Totti and (Daniele) De Rossi; they were on side with him within weeks.

“He brings young players through, and he can be a controversial character, a divisive character, but he likes attacking football, and he’s gone into big clubs who have not been doing well.”

Man Utd fans will be concerned

News that Garcia is in talks to take over the reins in the red half of Manchester will leave large sections of the club’s fanbase with serious concerns.

The Frenchman masterminded a famous domestic double when he was in charge of Lille back in 2010/11, guiding a star-studded side including Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho to the Ligue 1 title and French Cup.

However, Garcia has failed to collect any silverware since, taking charge of Marseille, Lyon and Roma without any major success of note.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-manchester-united-news-manager-solskjaer-pochettino-enrique-rodgers-psg” title=”Check out the latest Man United manager news!”]

He did guide Les Gones to the Champions League semi-final back in 2020, though, overseeing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the quarter-final stage in a game that highlighted his tactical nouse.

Garcia joins the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Brendan Rodgers and Ernesto Valverde to be heavily linked with replacing Solskjaer, but he’s unlikely to be a popular choice amongst supporters due to a lack of major honours under his belt.

Whether the Glazers make a formal offer for the experienced tactician remains to be seen, although recent reports have suggested Michael Carrick could be set for an extended spell in the dugout.

And, in other news…Man United source drops huge manager update that’ll surely leave fans fuming

Carlton Palmer has exclusively told Football FanCast that Sheffield Wednesday would enhance their promotion chances significantly by keeping Barry Bannan and Josh Windass at the club.

The Owls suffered relegation from the Championship last season but Darren Moore, who was appointed as manager in March, will be aiming to seal an immediate return to the second tier.

While a host of players have left Hillsborough since suffering the drop, Wednesday still have stars Bannan and Windass on their books little more than a week ahead of the League One campaign getting underway.

The duo have been linked with a quickfire return to the Championship during the transfer window but Moore is certain the Owls will be able to retain their services.

Windass has been on the radar of Millwall, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City.

Ex-Wednesday midfielder Palmer believes keeping Bannan and Windass could be the difference between a Championship return and another campaign in League One.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “The salaries they are on may work in Sheffield Wednesday’s favour because even though they’ve got relegated, they’re on big salaries for the Championship.

“Even though they might want to move on, they won’t want to move on and take a cut in salary.

“If they can keep those two players, that would be good for Wednesday.”

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a major update on Frederic Guilbert’s future at Aston Villa this summer.

What’s the story?

After falling behind Matty Cash in the pecking order following the right-back’s arrival from Championship side Nottingham Forest last summer, Guilbert eventually ended up joining Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg on loan until the end of the season.

Now, Preece has claimed that while the Frenchman will return to Villa Park, and is “expected to stay”, he could be someone who actually ends up leaving if a team can offer him genuine first-team football.

He said: “The full-back situation is an intriguing one knowing Matt Targett doesn’t have competition at left-back while, over on the opposite flank, Frederic Guilbert will return to Villa to rival Cash. Guilbert, although expected to stay, could viably move on should an interested club guarantee him first-team football after his impressive four-month stint on-loan at Strasbourg.”

Villa must sell him

With just two Villa appearances to his name last season, it’s fair to say Guilbert has been a bit of a disaster at Villa Park over these past 12 to 18 months, so much so that he made the loan move to Strasbourg.

There, the 26-year-old became a regular, and put in some decent performances, scoring once and providing four assists in 13 Ligue 1 games.

But while Guilbert showed some impressive signs of a return to form, it appears Dean Smith has already made his mind up about the Frenchman’s quality.

In fact, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, even said just last year: “I expect the thinking behind trying to move on Guilbert is that, (Ahmed) Elmohamady can cover any injuries at full-back, and also can’t really be moved on for any money, so Villa could get something back on Guilbert at least. I agree, there’s potential, but it seems like Smith has seen enough and favours others.”

Earning around £40k-a-week at Villa, Guilbert is earning a decent sum of money for someone who is just going to play back-up to Cash, and the Midlands club would surely be better off getting rid of his wages and bringing in a much younger right-back to compete – or, simply promote someone like Kaine Kesler from the academy ranks.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/aston-villa-dean-smith-transfer-window-premier-league-villa-park-emi-buendia-gregg-evans-gossip-rumours-update-news” title=”Read the latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

Guilbert simply picked up a pay-cheque for either sitting on the bench or not even being named in the match-day squad for the first-half of the season that he spent with Villa, and NSWE simply can’t afford to let that happen again.

It might seem harsh to sell a player without taking another look at him on loan, but that’s exactly what the club should do.

Villa should make the ruthless call and let him go.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped an exciting transfer update…

Tottenham Hotspur have been jolted in their pursuit of Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, with one of their London rivals locked in talks to sign the 22-year-old, as relayed by David Ornstein on Twitter.

The Lowdown: ‘Dependable’ Tomiyasu has excelled in Italy

Producing an impressive level of consistency since moving to his current club in 2019, Tomiyasu has shown a dependability in both centre-back and right-back positions.

Adept at mopping up sticky situations at the back, the Japan international obtained a commendable average of 3.3 clearances per Serie A game last season [WhoScored].

Earning adulation for his performances, he was labelled a “very, very dependable player” by Italian football expert Conor Clancy earlier this month [Football FanCast].

The Latest: Late twist in the tale as Arsenal look to strike

Tomiyasu’s form has seen Tottenham Hotspur register serious interest in his services this summer, even having a £15.5m bid rejected for the Japan international in early July [Sky Sports].

However, there could now be a sting in the tail. According to The Athletic journalist Ornstein on Twitter, Arsenal are said to be working on a deal to sign Tomiyasu before tonight’s transfer deadline.

In a surprise turn of events, the Gunners reportedly have ‘talks underway’ to sign the 6 foot 2 ace, although any movement may be dependent on positional departures at the club [The Athletic].

The Verdict: Royal arrival could soften Tomiyasu blow

Losing out on Tomiyasu may come as a source of frustration for Tottenham, but the seemingly imminent arrival of Emerson Royal will help to soften the blow for Nuno Espirito Santo.

A regular for Bologna in 2020/21, the former Sint-Truiden defender featured 33 times in all competitions, scoring twice [Transfermarkt].

Following that up with a strong showing at the Olympic Games with his native Japan, helping them to reach the semi-finals [Eurosport], it is clear to see why Spurs wanted to secure his signature.

Nevertheless, with three senior right-backs on the books in N17, any notion of Tomiyasu pitching up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this window has probably run its course.

In other news, Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt another transfer blow. Find out more here.

Southampton made light work of a potentially tricky trip to Newport County on Wednesday night as they thrashed the League Two side 8-0 to earn a record cup win.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were in complete control from the word go, with goals from Armando Broja, Nathan Tella and Kyle Walker-Peters giving them a 3-0 lead at half-time.

The Saints showed no signs of slowing down after the break and it was 6-0 before the hour mark, with Broja scoring his second after a quickfire double from Mohammed Elyounoussi – his first goals for the club.

Nathan Redmond then got the goal his performance deserved, before Elyounoussi made it a hattrick late on to consign the Exiles to a heavy defeat, whilst Southampton matched their record win against Sunderland from the 2014/15 Premier League campaign.

Although Elyounoussi deserves a lot of credit for his hattrick, especially considering he had failed to score in 19 appearances before Wednesday night, it was arguably Redmond who was the star of the show against the League Two outfit.

As per SofaScore, the former Norwich City man would earn a 9/10 rating for his display, with only Elyounoussi (10/10) rated higher from both sides.

Redmond was instrumental in the first half and was unfortunate not to give Hasenhuttl’s side the lead when his thunderous effort was tipped onto the bar by Joe Day, only for Broja to tuck away the rebound.

He would then provide the assist for Walker-Peters’ goal to seal the win before half-time, before smashing past Day from the edge of the box for Southampton’s seventh of the night.

During the 90 minutes, the 27-year-old winger would contribute four key passes, which was the most of any player on the pitch, whilst he also came close to scoring on a number of occasions, with Day denying the £16.2m-rated Englishman with a super save in the first half.

Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach was certainly impressed with Redmond’s display, rating him a 9/10 and writing:

“He was central to both of Southampton’s early goals, setting one up and providing the pre-assist for the other. He should have scored himself during the first ten minutes but dragged his shot horribly wide. He got his goal late one, thundering into the net from 20 yards.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, whilst Elyounoussi’s performance was great in terms of his hattrick and two assists, Redmond was heavily involved in Southampton’s build-up play throughout the night and deserves a lot of credit for his display.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Southampton swoop for 21 y/o gem with “enormous ability”

West Brom are edging closer to making their next managerial appointment, according to emerging claims…

What’s the word?

The Mirror’s David Anderson delivered a fresh update on Twitter, in which he suggested that Chris Wilder was the Baggies’ top target and that, barring any late surprises, he will become the next manager of the Midlands club.

He posted: “Barring any late unforeseen hiccups, Chris Wilder will be West Brom’s new manager. Wilder is their No 1 choice and talks are continuing on finalising a deal.”

An encouraging sign

The 53-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Premier League basement boys Sheffield United back in early March, a decision which was perhaps unfair.

Wilder brought joy to thousands of Blades supporters by delivering their greatest post-war era, which included two promotions in four years, rising from 11th in League One to the Premier League – and very nearly into the Europa League.

In his first season in charge, United won the League One title with a whopping 100 points and did so by playing an attractive, free-flowing and attacking brand of football.

His recent experience and proven track record in the Championship makes him a very appealing candidate, especially as that’s where Albion will be playing next season and he’s available for nothing, so it’s no wonder that he’s the club’s top candidate.

An update like this should leave The Hawthorns faithful absolutely buzzing as it appears as if the Baggies are doing their business early so that Wilder has plenty of time to get in and make the changes required to get the team back into the Premier League.

Having won only five matches all season, the supporters need something to shout about and they might soon have it, with Wilder looking increasingly likely to be announced in due course.

His attacking football will be a vast change from what we’ve witnessed under Sam Allardyce, even if results improved somewhat under the 66-year-old. That should only please fans even more.

The Baggies look set to embark on an exciting new era at the club.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Lawrie Sanchez backs West Brom for promotion next season…

Leeds United are back on the road again on Monday night with a showdown against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Heading into this clash off the back of a 3-0 win against Watford, Jesse Marsch’s side have the chance to secure another victory and move away from the relegation zone.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

In terms of what the travelling squad could look like for Monday’s match, it seems as though an early clue has been dropped over the possible inclusion of two players in particular.

What’s the news?

In response to the announcement of the Leeds U23 starting XI for their league clash against Manchester City on Friday evening, journalist Phil Hay had this to say about the absence of attacking duo Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood.

He said: “Marsch hinted that certain players might be missing tonight ahead of Palace away on Monday. Cresswell and Summerville start but Gelhardt and Greenwood not involved.”

This suggests that rather than be involved with the U23s on Friday, the attacking pair could be in the senior squad to take on the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Fans will be delighted

Taking into account how Leeds have striker Patrick Bamford out with an injury, having the option to rely on Gelhardt and Greenwood if needed will be the best way forward for Marsch.

Should the young duo find themselves in the squad on Monday, as they were for the win over Watford, this would surely delight a lot of Leeds fans, especially if they manage to get any minutes on the pitch or even grab a goal or assist.

As this is what Greenwood managed to do when he provided the assist for Jack Harrison’s goal at Vicarage Road after replacing Dan James, Marsch could give him a chance to shine once again this time around as he is evidently improving game by game.

Gelhardt, meanwhile, has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign where he’s become a fan favourite in Yorkshire. He has found the back of the net twice and provided three assists in 14 league appearances this season, showing that he is also capable of being an attacking threat for the side.

As a result of their youthful exuberance and newfound importance to Marsch’s charges, supporters will be delighted that they’ll be rested and fully fit to play on Monday evening.

Moving forward, with Leeds needing to rack up as many points as possible to make sure they don’t end up back in the Championship, the 48-year-old could be relying on the young duo for the remaining games of the season.

In other news: 150% hike: Leeds United hit the jackpot on “real technician”, he’s a “proper talent”