All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to record a 2-1 win over Watford in Wednesday night’s Premier League clash at Wembley.

Craig Cathcart sent Watford into a first-half lead, but Son Heung-Min came up with an 80th-minute leveller before Fernando Llorente struck late on for the hosts.

It was a huge result for Spurs and despite their struggles, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are now just two points adrift of second-placed Manchester City in the table.

There does seem to be a real issue at right-back at the moment, however, with Kieran Trippier’s form questionable to say the absolute least.

Serge Aurier was deployed in a right wing-back role against Watford, but the Ivorian did not fare much better and his performance has been slammed by the Tottenham fans.

It has not quite happened for Aurier since his move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and it surely seems unlikely that the defender will have a long-term future at the club.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Spurs supporters can be seen below:

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Celtic could already be discussing an extension to Tom Rogic’s current deal at Parkhead.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Hutton, who stated his belief in a recent interview with Football Insider that, with the attacking midfielder’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, he would not be surprised if behind the scenes talks were already ongoing concerning the extension of the 29-year-old’s stay in Glasgow.

Speaking about the contractual situation of the Australia international, Hutton said: “You’d hope Celtic have learned their lesson. You don’t really want any of your kind of top assets to be walking away for next to nothing or running down contracts.

“He’s been a good servant and I think he’s come back into form since the new manager’s come in. He obviously trusts him.

“You’ve also got other players within the squad to come back, the likes of [David] Turnbull and these sort of guys. They’re in a good place right now but again, moving forward, you never want to lose a top player.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there were talks going on in the background to try and tie him down to a longer deal. I’m kind of interested to see where it goes and what Celtic’s thinking is.

“Do they stick with the likes of Rogic? Or do they have somebody else in mind to really transform that midfield? It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Ultimately, I still think you need someone like that in your squad.”

Postecoglou must seal Rogic deal

As Hutton suggests, considering how impressive Rogic has been since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at Parkhead last summer, it would indeed appear something of a must for Celtic to tie the midfielder down to a new deal in the coming months.

Indeed, over his 26 Premiership appearances this season, the £1.35m-rated maestro has proven himself to be a key player for the 56-year-old, scoring six goals, registering six assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game – with these returns seeing the £21.5k-per-week Aussie average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.02.

However, it was during the recent 2-1 Old Firm victory in which Rogic truly proved his worth to Celtic, taking four shots at the Rangers goal, completing two dribbles, making one tackle and winning five duels over his 62 minutes on the pitch – not to mention bagging the Hoops’ equaliser in the seventh minute.

These metrics saw the attack-minded midfielder earn a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.4, ranking him as the fourth-best player to feature in the match, while Rangers legend Ally McCoist also took the time to praise the 29-year-old’s performance, stating:

“The one player that really made the difference was Tom Rogic, particularly in the first 45 minutes. He was playing in pockets in front of the Rangers back four, he was picking the ball up, I thought he was different class.”

As such, while the 51-time capped international is undoubtedly getting into the twilight years of his career at the top level of Scottish football, it is clear for all to see that the player Marvin Bartley dubbed both an “absolute dream” and “magic” still has much to offer Celtic – leading us to believe that Postecoglou simply must secure the services of Rogic beyond the summer of 2023.

AND in other news: Sources: Deal now agreed for potential “£20m-plus” talent, it’s bad news for Celtic

Wolverhampton Wanderers were dealt another blow in their quest for European football as Bruno Lage’s side were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Friday night.

Chris Wood’s 72nd-minute penalty proved the difference between the two teams, with Wolves now three points off sixth with Manchester United playing this lunchtime.

The visitors were by far inferior to their hosts, with Lage’s men recording just five shots all night, two of which were on target, compared to Newcastle’s 12 (four on target). On a personal level, it was another uneventful outing for 19-year-old striker Fabio Silva.

The Portuguese youngster is yet to score this season despite making 23 appearances across all competitions so far. Despite Raul Jimenez’s status as Wolves’ first-choice striker, opportunities certainly haven’t been scarce for Silva.

With the Mexican serving a three-match suspension for a red card picked up against Leeds prior to the international break, another chance for the 19-year-old to start has arisen, but once again it hasn’t been taken.

According to SofaScore, two of Wolves’ five shots came from the Portuguese teenager, with one on target as Wolves’ club-record signing played 90 minutes. Moreover, the youngster had just 27 touches all night, eight fewer than goalkeeper José Sá’s 35, whilst losing possession seven times.

While a 78% passing success rate is satisfactory, the striker attempted just 18 passes in his time on the pitch, completing 14.

There was little defensive contribution either as Silva lost 79% of his duels whilst also failing to make a single clearance, block, interception or tackle and being dribbled past twice.

The Fabio Silva puzzle is certainly one that both Lage and former Old Gold manager Nuno Espirito Santo have struggled to solve since the 19-year-old’s move from Porto in 2020 for a club-record £35.6m, with journalist Liam Keen labelling the striker a “hindrance” earlier this season.

Last season was an adequate maiden campaign in the English top flight as the youngster scored four goals and set up three in 32 league appearances. However, there have been few signs of progress since then.

Jimenez’s return from a nasty skull fracture has reduced opportunities for the 19-year-old but, in what has been a quiet campaign by the Mexican’s standards, Silva has failed to outshine the 30-year-old.

There are no doubts regarding the youngster’s talent and potential, as otherwise Wolves wouldn’t have broken their record transfer fee to lure him to Molineux.

However, there is now a situation developing where the Portuguese marksman can’t be relied upon whenever Jimenez is unavailable. Given this predicament, Lage may well seek to bring in a new striker in the upcoming transfer window.

In other news: Fosun now set for Wolves disaster on “cheeky” £58k-p/w machine, he’d be a “big loss”

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Harry Kane.

What’s the talk?

In a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, the transfer insider stated his belief that, should Antonio Conte remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, the centre-forward also looks likely to continue his career in north London beyond the summer transfer window.

Speaking about the future of the 28-year-old, Romano said: “I want to say again – if Conte will stay at Tottenham, as their manager next season, my feeling is Harry Kane will be there. Harry Kane will be a Tottenham player again.

“Antonio Conte wants this winning mentality, wants this ambition – and ambition means the top player, Harry Kane has to stay. So, if Conte will stay, I see also Harry Kane staying at Tottenham in the summer. And, at the moment, Tottenham are absolutely not planning to sell him.”

Spurs supporters will love Romano’s update

Despite having initially struggled to hit his usual levels of form towards the beginning of the current campaign – scoring just one goal and registering one assist over his first 13 Premier League outings this season – Kane has proven in the time since that he is still very much one of the best centre-forwards in world football.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Indeed, over his subsequent 16 league fixtures, the £90m-rated striker has bagged a further 11 goals and provided five assists – form which saw the England captain named as the Premier League Player of the Month in March, the record-equalling seventh time the £200k-per-week hitman has picked up the award.

And, despite his early-season slump, Kane’s recent returns have seen him average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.29 over his 26 Premier League appearances, not only ranking him Spurs’ second-best performer in the league but also as the 18th-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, it is clear for all to see that retaining the services of the 243-goal forward is an absolute must if Tottenham are to become a serious title contender under the management of Conte next season, leading us to believe that Romano’s latest update is sure to be news that Spurs supporters will love.

AND in other news: Conte must ruthlessly axe “pathetic” £25m-rated Spurs passenger, “he is the worst”

Selling Matty Cash to Atletico Madrid could allow Aston Villa to sign Philippe Coutinho permanently, transfer insider Dean Jones says. 

The lowdown

Fabrizio Romano revealed in February that Atletico are ‘seriously interested’ in signing Villa right-back Cash, who’s scored three goals and provided four assists this season.

‘Direct contacts’ took place between the two clubs during the January transfer window, he said, and Cash remains on the reigning Spanish champions’ list.

Coutinho, meanwhile, is currently on loan at Villa Park from Atletico’s La Liga rivals Barcelona.

Villa will have the option to buy the Brazilian in the summer, but it will cost them £33million.

The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said it would be a ‘shame’ for Villa to see Cash go but thinks it could prove to be a ‘win-win’ for all parties if Villa put the funds to good use.

“It’d be a shame to lose Matty Cash, but you can understand why he might also be interested in that move,” he said.

“And if it allowed Villa to bring in Coutinho on a permanent basis, then it’s a win-win for everyone.”

The verdict

It’s somewhat surprising to hear that Villa may need to sell to buy.

After all, they have one of the highest net spends in Europe over the last decade, eclipsing the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich – perhaps that’s finally beginning to catch up with them.

In addition to Coutinho, Villa are also said to be intent on signing Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United in a deal that could cost them a whopping £60million.

The sale of Cash, an ‘outstanding’ player in the words of former Villa boss Tim Sherwood, could cover around a third of that sum if his £19.8million Transfermarkt valuation proves to be accurate.

In other news, Gregg Evans celebrated this Villa development.

Pete Graves has now dropped a Newcastle United transfer claim from the new owners.

The Lowdown: Wood confirmed

The St. James’ Park faithful confirmed the signing of Chris Wood from Burnley for an undisclosed fee on Thursday morning, and he has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

He has been registered in time for their crucial game at home against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and joins Kieran Trippier to be their second signing in the January transfer window so far.

Nonetheless, there promises to be more on the way, with the likes of Marcos Senesi and Benoit Badiashile recently being linked with a move to the North East and a desperate need for additions in the heart of defence – the Magpies have the second-most goals conceded in the league.

The Latest: Transfer claim from owners

As per Graves, the new owners feel as if Premier League experience will be ‘key’ in their battle to avoid relegation down to the Championship, and so following the signing of Wood, they may go down that route again for their other targets:

“There’s a feeling amongst key members of the ownership that Premier League experience will be key in survival battle.”

The Verdict: Ideal, but not vital

Of course, signing players that have past experience in the top flight is ideal, as they know what to expect and some, like Wood, may have even faced a relegation battle before.

However, you can find unknown gems from outside of the division, and they would often come cheaper, given that you would not be buying directly from one of your rivals – Feyenoord’s Senesi is a prime example, valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

Nonetheless, whatever strategy the new owners use, it has to be perfect if they are to give Eddie Howe a chance of keeping them up, and signing Trippier and Wood, who both have experience in the top flight, is certainly a good start.

In other news, find out who NUFC are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign here!

A transfer claim regarding Manchester United’s chances of signing Frenkie de Jong this summer has emerged…

What’s the word?

Super-journalist Fabrizio Romano provided an update on United’s pursuit of the former Ajax starlet, ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

Romano took to his Twitter page to relay the claim which read: “Barca manager Xavi shuts down rumours on Frenkie de Jong leaving & Man Utd links.”

The Italian’s tweet contained quotes from Xavi on the potential departure of de Jong, with the Barcelona manager saying this: “Frenkie’s a very important player for me and for the club. He has to mark an era.

“I’m happy with him. If it were up to me he’ll continue for many years at Barca.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-man-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more-nunez-ten-hag-nkunku-richarlison” title=”Read the latest Man United news!”]

Ten Hag will be gutted

With Ten Hag’s recent appointment at Manchester United amidst fluctuating game-time for Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona, it looked like this reunion was written in the stars for the Old Trafford side.

Since departing Ten Hag’s Ajax back in the summer of 2019, the Netherlands star has continued his development across his total of 136 appearances for the Blaugrana.

With Paul Pogba’s rumoured departure, a move for the 24-year-old looked like a sure-fire switch, with the Dutch coach enjoying unlimited success with de Jong – winning the Eredivisie title and Dutch Cup – in a season that saw Ajax reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.

The signing of the midfield maestro would have been the epitome of the next chapter for United, with the £63m-rated midfielder offering something completely different in the Red Devils’ engine room.

De Jong is quite simply a pass master, averaging an insane 90% pass completion total per 90, with an average total of 56 passes per match.

The Netherlands international is forward-thinking. His passing is productive and allows his side to progress the ball forward, whilst also creating a number of chances for his teammates – with his shot-creating actions total of three per 90 reflecting this.

Though, his style is much more offensive than defensive, with his metrics for the latter looking poor, considering his position.

As such, United may have had a lucky escape, as it is no secret that the lack of defensive solidity across the midfield has been one of the biggest issues for the side this season.

United need to identify a well-rounded and unselfish central midfielder who can cover both aspects of the game, as well as an outright central defensive midfielder who sits back and acts as the metronome.

It would have been nice to see de Jong reunite with Ten Hag, and although he may not be what the Red Devils need, it will be a big blow to the new boss nonetheless.

AND in other news: Ten Hag can instantly get OT rocking as MUFC plot bid for “top-class” £13.5m-rated gem – opinion

A Tottenham Hotspur insider expects a big U-turn with Steven Bergwijn as he thinks that he will now remain at Spurs.

The Lowdown: Looked likely…

It was looking likely that Bergwijn was going to leave Spurs earlier in the window, and there are more recent reports claiming that he could still leave for Ajax even after his heroics against Leicester.

As per The Athletic journalist and reliable transfer expert David Ornstein, the North London club are also now working on a deal to try and sign Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski, which could push Bergwijn further down the pecking order.

Nonetheless, a Lilywhites insider now thinks that he will stay, despite the speculation.

The Latest: Insider on Bergwijn

Speaking to Football Insider, THFC insider John Wenham, who regularly breaks news about the club on his Lilywhite Rose social media channels, has claimed that he now expects Bergwijn to stay, after initially thinking that he would go:

“These offers from Ajax have been heavily reported and I expected him to go.

“He’s another one, like Matt Doherty, who has finally realised they are already at a big club in Tottenham.

“It’s not just the goals at Leicester, I thought he was very good against Chelsea.

“His running caused two of the Chelsea players to get bookings for bringing him down.

“He looked so sharp, I’m chuffed with him. He’s turned a corner and is now a genuine option for us.

“He actually started as a striker against Chelsea which is really interesting.

“Could he still go? I don’t think there’s any chance of him leaving now.

“If there are any late-window bids I expect they will be turned down.”

The Verdict: Keep

Even if Kulusevski or another winger is brought in before the deadline, Tottenham should still be looking to keep Bergwijn.

He recently showed his credentials with two very late goals in the 3-2 win away at the King Power Stadium, and with more opportunities, can still be an asset under Antonio Conte.

He averages 1.3 shots per game in the Premier League, the joint-fourth most out of any Spurs player, which shows that he is not afraid to have a pop and is one of the few goal threats in the squad not named Harry Kane or Son Heung-min.

Nonetheless, at 24 years of age, the Netherlands international still has room for improvement, and it is simply too early in his Lilywhites career to bin him off now.

In other news, find out whose N17 exit is now in doubt here!

Kaveh Solhekol has dropped some big Newcastle United transfer news involving Diego Carlos while speaking live on Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Developing story

The Carlos to Newcastle story is developing rapidly by the day, as the St. James’ Park faithful remain hopeful that they can get a deal done.

This is despite the central defender starting for Sevilla in their La Liga game against Valencia on Wednesday night, after reportedly handing in a transfer request in order to try and push through a move to the North East.

Carlos has also seemingly denied that he is happy to stay at Sevilla in a recent social media post, suggesting that a move could still be on the cards if both teams can come to an agreement.

The Latest: On-air update

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Transfer Show, journalist Solhekol revealed (via Sky Sports’ The Transfer Centre) live on air (19/01/22, 17:07-17:08pm) that another unnamed club in the Premier League have now bid for Carlos, but he would still like to move to Tyneside:

“In the last hour, we’ve been told another Premier League club is trying to sign Diego Carlos and they have made a bid for him.

“Newcastle had been in talks to sign him. He’s a very experienced Brazilian defender, who is part of the best defence in La Liga this season. 

“Our information is that the player would like to leave Sevilla and to come and play for Newcastle, so much so he handed in a transfer request yesterday.

“So it looked like there were positive signs that he could be going to Newcastle. Then another Premier League club came in for him today, they have matched Newcastle’s £30m bid. That has complicated the situation.

“I’m also told there’s an Italian club trying to sign Carlos. They have suggested a price that they are willing to pay, and that’s not as much as £30m, so I think we can discard them for the time being.”

He continued: “We don’t have information at the moment about who that other club is. You could speculate, there are clubs out there who are looking to buy a centre-back.

“Who are the clubs who have the finances in place to make a bid of £30m for Carlos – it’s not a very long list. This evening, we’ll do out best to find out who that is.”

The Verdict: Just get it done

The Carlos saga has dragged on long enough now, and the Magpies need to just get the deal done as soon as possible, even if that means entering a bidding war, especially with crucial games like the one against Leeds United coming up in the top flight.

La Liga expert Kevin Campbell believes that the defender is ‘right up Newcastle’s street’ (Football Insider), while European football expert Andy Brassell claims that he is a ‘real leader at the back’ (The Daily Express), something the Toon have arguable lacked this season.

Nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, Carlos is exactly the kind of player you would want in a relegation dogfight, and so they need to get this deal done quickly, with the growing interest and competition for his signature.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ star NUFC are now ‘interested’ in here!

Gio van Bronckhorst is in with a chance of securing a treble of trophies with Rangers before the end of the season as we enter the clutch stage of the campaign.

The Gers are second in the Premiership as it stands and are in the semi-finals of the Europa League and the final of the Scottish Cup. This means that the Dutchman can end his debut term at Ibrox in glorious style if they can get over the line on multiple fronts.

He is looking to carry on the excellent work done by his predecessor, who won the Scottish top-flight title ahead of their rivals last season.

Steven Gerrard led the Light Blues to glory in 2020/21 as he enjoyed an unbeaten league campaign, with his sublime work in the transfer market playing a big role in that success.

One signing he played a blinder with was the addition of English winger Ryan Kent, who joined on a permanent deal in 2019 – after initially arriving on loan a year earlier.

At the time of the move, he was valued at just £1.58m by Transfermarkt as he finally left Liverpool after a number of loans away from Anfield.

Gerrard previously labelled Kent “a constant threat” while others have claimed he’s “the Mbappe of Scottish football” and it is easy to see why when you look at his statistics for the club over the years.

In 2020/21, the Englishman produced ten goals and 11 assists in the Premiership to help the side secure the title and he has carried his fine form over into this season. Under Gerrard and van Bronckhorst combined, the forward has three goals and 17 assists domestically and in Europe.

Kent has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.14 in the league this term and this shows that he has been consistently delivering superb displays throughout the campaign. He is a reliable player for the Dutch head coach and has gone from strength to strength since making the switch from Merseyside.

At the time of writing (21/04/22), Transfermarkt value him at a whopping £12.6m, just over £11m more than his price tag in 2019. This highlights his incredible progression in Glasgow over the years as he has been able to drastically raise his market value by performing on the pitch for the Light Blues.

Bringing him to Ibrox was a sensational piece of business by Gerrard and it will be interesting to see where his career goes from here, whether that be at Rangers or elsewhere – hopefully the former.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…