All posts by z3u9t.icu

One of the major transfer stories surrounding Rangers at present is the uncertainty surrounding the future of striker Alfredo Morelos, with the Colombian striker having just a year remaining on his existing deal at Ibrox.

Although there have been reports that the Old Firm outfit are keen to tie him down to a new deal, there is a real risk that the Glasgow giants will be forced into a sale this summer, in order to avoid letting him depart Rangers for nothing in 12 months time.

Signed from HJK Helsinki for just £1m in 2017, the 25-year-old has gone on to become a cult figure for the Gers, netting 113 goals and providing 51 assists in 224 games in all competitions thus far, including 27 goal contributions from the most recent campaign.

The £33k-per-week ace’s season had been cut short due to to injury, leading to very real fears that he could have already played his last game for the club, with concerns now as to just how the club will be able to replace him.

Well, one name that has emerged as a possible new centre-forward addition who could potentially fill Morelos’ shoes long-term is Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer, with the 20-year-old tipped to make the move north of the border.

The latest suggestion from The Athletic is that Villa boss Steven Gerrard is keen to look more closely at the Englishman in pre-season – with the striker having been on loan at Preston North End last term – before deciding whether or not to let him leave, most likely on a temporary deal.

Having already seen their 16-year-old sensation Rory Wilson make the controversial move to join the Midlands side, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and co could get their own back by plucking Archer this summer, with the promising starlet a player who could make a real difference in the Dutchman’s side.

The £5.4m-rated speedster – who has already scored four goals in just six senior appearances for his parent club – caught the eye during his stint at Deepdale last term, chipping in with seven goals and one assist from his 20 league appearances for the Championship side.

While that respectable return has undoubtedly caught the eye of potential suitors, it is his form on the international stage that has really catapulted him into wider focus in recent weeks, the Walsall-born marksman having scored four goals in his last three games for the Three Lions at U21 level.

That electric, post-season form has seen him dubbed a “goal machine” by Ty Bracey, with all the indicators pointing to a prodigious talent who is only set explode in the coming years.

The loss of Morelos would be a sizeable blow for the Scottish Premiership side, although they can perhaps find his heir in young Archer.

AND in other news, “Rangers will…”: Jordan Campbell drops big transfer update, supporters will be livid…

Liverpool have been heavily linked with Darwin Nunez ahead of the summer transfer window, and now a new transfer update has emerged that gives the club a major boost in completing the signing.

What’s the latest?

According to The Independent, the Benfica star favours a move to Liverpool over Manchester United this summer.

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As per the report, the new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has made the signing of Nunez the top priority at Old Trafford during the transfer window, however, it is believed that he would prefer a move to Anfield instead.

Klopp will be thrilled

With the reports that Sadio Mane could be leaving Liverpool this summer, there is no doubt that Klopp will be thrilled with the news that Nunez would favour joining the side to replace the Senegalese winger’s outstanding goal contributions next season.

Whoever replaces Mane will have big boots to fill with the forward scoring 23 goals and assisting five times in 51 appearances this season alone, but when you consider the Benfica striker’s attacking output for the Portuguese side, if he could emulate that at Anfield, FSG could be onto a winner.

The £63m gem who was hailed “tenacious” and a “monster” by football reporter James Dodd, has scored 34 goals and contributed four assists in 41 appearances in all competitions, and impressively made a goal contribution every 74 minutes this season, proving that he has the ability to be a solid attacking threat for Liverpool.

The Reds manager is also a huge admirer of the Uruguayan player, and sang his praises in an interview ahead of his team’s Champions League second leg tie against Benfica earlier this season.

Klopp said (via The Mirror);

“Extremely good-looking boy and a decent player as well,”

“Physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish when he finished the goal off. Good, really good.”

With that being said, Nunez would clearly be welcome at Anfield and if he can continue with his goal-scoring form in the Premier League next season could become a real asset to the Merseyside giants if they were to lose Mane during the transfer window.

AND in other news: Forget Tchouameni: LFC eye a move for “outstanding” £60m ace, he’s “one of the best”

Manchester United are considering a surprise move for Chelsea star Mason Mount.

The Lowdown: Mount’s contract talks

Mount, who was heavily praised by Lionel Messi last year, is entering the final two years of his Stamford Bridge contract. The 23-year-old has seen talks over a new deal stall, with his future at the club no longer secure.

Ten Hag appears to be on the hunt for midfield additions, especially with Paul Pogba out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the month, and it seems as if Mount is on the Dutchman’s radar.

The Latest: United links

The Sun shared a story regarding United and Mount on Tuesday afternoon. They claimed that the Red Devils have already registered their interest with Mount’s camp. It is believed Ten Hag would jump at the chance to sign the 23-year-old after first becoming aware of Mount’s quality during his time on loan in the Netherlands.

Sky Sports even relayed the news regarding Mount and Manchester United to their 8.4m followers, describing it as a ‘shock move’.

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The Verdict: Interesting…

It certainly would be a huge shock if Mount made the move to Old Trafford, however, with contract talks seemingly stalling in London, a move could well be a possibility.

You’d expect that United would have to write a big cheque to sign the £67.5m-rated Englishman, even though he will be entering the final two years of his deal.

An attacking midfielder appears needed in Manchester as Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are out of contract over the coming weeks, leaving Bruno Fernandes as the only senior choice available to Ten Hag.

In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag now hold talks over yet another target; interest ‘serious’. 

One title-winner on the continent this season could well have been playing for Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side at Parkhead had things turned out differently a few years back.

The story begins in Italy where a certain England international was once touted with a move to the Hoops.

As Manchester City celebrated their fourth Premier League title in five seasons, elsewhere in Italy long-suffering AC Milan claimed their first Serie A triumph in 11 years, edging out title contenders – and city rivals – Inter Milan in the process.

The relevance of this to Celtic? Well, one man who proved integral to that Scudetto success was former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori, who has been a revelation at the San Siro since departing the Blues, initially on loan, in January 2021.

The 24-year-old could well have plotted a different career path, however, having been heavily linked with a move to Paradise almost three years ago, with the Glasgow outfit keen to prise the centre-back from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2019.

The Canada-born gem had just come off the back of an impressive campaign under Frank Lampard at Championship side Derby County, helping the Rams to the playoff final as part of a team that contained the likes of Mason Mount and current Fulham star, Harry Wilson.

With that having been his third temporary stint away from Cobham, however, the west Londoners were seemingly reluctant to allow the academy graduate to head out on loan again, opting instead to either retain him or let him depart permanently.

Reports at the time suggested that the Hoops – then managed by Neil Lennon – were interested in a permanent switch, albeit with the defender’s parent club demanding a reported £10m for his services – a fee that would have been a record figure for the Scottish Premiership side.

As it proved, the Old Firm outfit backed away from a deal – likely because of the asking price – with Tomori going on to be a part of Lampard’s squad back at Chelsea for the 2019/20 campaign.

Forking out a relatively hefty fee for the player may have looked unwise at the time, although that decision from Lennon and co now appears to have backfired, with Transfermarkt now valuing him at as much as £40.5m, having joined his current club permanently for £30m last summer.

Highly rated by Italian icon Paolo Maldini – who dubbed him “perfect” – the £52k-per-week colossus has been in stunning form for the Rossoneri over the last 18 months or so, averaging 1.5 interceptions, 2.4 tackles and 2.5 clearances per game in the league in the 2021/22 campaign, while also ranking as the fourth-best player among the Milan squad, as per SofaScore.

Such has been his form of late that he has even been described as “better than [Matthijs] De Ligt” by pundit Paolo Ziliani, a huge compliment indeed considering that the Dutchman cost Juventus roughly £67.5m three years ago.

Celtic then have had to watch on as Tomori has blossomed, with there no doubt annoyance among supporters that they couldn’t get the deal done, particularly when considering that they coughed up roughly £7m to sign Christopher Jullien that same summer.

Although the Frenchman has impressed when fit, the 29-year-old has endured a lengthy stint out with injury, leaving the club desperately short of quality defensive options.

The arrival of Cameron Carter-Vickers on a loan deal last summer has helped to soften the blow, although there will remain a lingering frustration that the Scottish champions passed up the chance to sign the current Milan ace.

In other news, Celtic can unearth a new Giakoumakis after submitting bid for “very strong” £2.5m gem

Tottenham Hotspur journalist Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard has now made an exciting transfer claim involving manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes major overhaul…

The Spurs head coach, after guiding his side to a previously unthought of finish in the Premier League top four, is reportedly plotting a major summer reshuffle behind-the-scenes.

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As per by reliable sources like The Times, Conte is said to have his eye on ‘at least’ six summer signings with as many as eight Spurs players heading out the other way.

The question marks have always been around whether chairman Daniel Levy and the club’s hierarchy will back the Italian and provide him with the resources necessary to compete next season.

The Latest: Kilpatrick shares exciting update…

Kilpatrick, sharing news on Twitter, now claims that the north Londoners are intent to give their full backing to the former Chelsea coach with ‘significant’ funds in the market.

He explained:

“Told Spurs are ready to back Conte with significant funds & prepared to make concessions over his desire to sign experienced players, too. Squad leaders Lloris, Dier & Kane believe club must seize the moment & not waste this chance to push on.”

The Verdict: Very promising…

This update from a reliable source in Kilpatrick comes as a very promising one indeed.

Following on from Nuno Espirito Santo’s sacking late last year, few would have envisaged the positivity at Tottenham nowadays and a major part of their transformation has been down to Conte.

It’s little wonder senior Spurs players are ‘desperate’ for the Italian to be appeased this summer ahead of his first full campaign in charge.

In other news: Tottenham now eyeing shock move for ‘unplayable’ star, Pochettino called him ‘huge’…find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has spoken in recent weeks about the potential transfer overhaul he’s looking to complete at the Hawthorns this summer.

One potential move that has been reported could see current Baggies defender Cedric Kipre leave the club this summer.

Since arriving at the club back in September 2020 from Wigan Athletic, the centre-back has made just 19 appearances for the Baggies across all competitions.

This latest season saw the 25-year-old appear just 14 times for his side in the Championship, the latest of which coming all the way back in January.

This shows just how much Bruce doesn’t fancy him and why it’s not a surprise to hear that the Baggies boss would be willing to see the Frenchman leave this summer.

Previously slammed for his “shocking” tackle on Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack that kept him sidelined for six months back in December 2017, Kipre may now be on the lookout for a new club to join.

In terms of who the Midlands side could look to bring in as a suitable replacement for the Frenchman, one figure the Baggies have been linked with that could fit the bill for Bruce is Blackburn Rovers defender Darragh Lenihan.

With a total of 219 appearances in the Championship under his belt, the 28-year-old certainly has more experience at this level than Kipre, who has just 88 games in the second division to his name.

This season saw the Irishman end Blackburn’s campaign with the second-highest number of interceptions (58) and third-highest number of tackles (43) to his name in the Lancashire club’s squad.

His overall performances earned him a season rating of 7.1/10 from WhoScored, making him Blackburn’s highest-rated player.

To put that into perspective, this rating would also put him as West Brom’s highest-rated player for the recent campaign.

To further highlight how impressive the £14k-per-week centre-back is, Rovers boss Tony Mowbray had this to say about him back in December.

He said: “He’s right at the top of his game, you can tell the way he’s dominating, he’s towering over players inches taller than him, his passing he looks so assured, long passing, short passing.”

Moving forward, with Lenihan’s contract at Ewood Park set to expire at the end of June, potentially cashing in on Kipre and securing the Blackburn star on a free transfer could be an excellent bit of business from Bruce and the Baggies.

In other news: Cost £0, sold for £15m: WBA sealed a big transfer masterclass with “quiet” 28 y/o flop

Manchester United have already made an approach over a mega-money move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

The Lowdown: Attackers needed

Erik ten Hag is eager to get going at Old Trafford, so much so that he terminated his Ajax contract six weeks early.

A number of incomings and outgoings are expected over the coming months, with Edinson Cavani falling into the latter of the two categories.

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He looks set to become a free agent at the end of June and is likely to leave, while Marcus Rashford has been linked with an exit, which may leave Ten Hag extremely short of attacking options.

The Latest: Osimhen update

Sports Witness relayed an update from Corriere dello Sport regarding Osimhen on Wednesday. They claim that the Red Devils have already made an approach for the 23-year-old, who has a €110m (£93m) valuation.

A number of clubs in England are seemingly keen on the Nigeria international, however, only United have been name-checked in the update.

The Verdict: Osimhen or Nunez?

Benfica’s Darwin Nunez has been linked with a big-money move to Old Trafford, so it looks as if it will be one of the two forwards this summer, as United are also working on a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Midfield appears to be a big priority, so we can’t imagine the funds will be there to sign both strikers alongside de Jong, who is reportedly 95 per cent likely to join.

Osimhen, who former United striker Odion Ighalo described as ‘the future’, has scored 18 goals in 31 appearances this season, turning out impressively in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Nunez, a year younger than Osimhen, has scored a whopping 34 goals in 2021/22, has played in the Champions League and can also play on the wing or in a deeper role, so perhaps the Uruguay international could be the smarter buy.

In other news: Man Utd source: Sensational transfer twist as Erik ten Hag now hijacking move for ‘golden boy’. 

Celtic currently boast the best defensive record in the SPFL with just 21 goals conceded in 36 games.

Despite this impressive feat, it seems as though one of the Hoops’ defensive figures has been touted for a move away from Lennoxtown during the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic star Frank McAvennie had this to say about the future of Hoops defender Christopher Jullien.

He said: “Ange doesn’t fancy him, you forget he plays for us. He’s played once this season so you do wonder if Ange has decided he isn’t good enough.

“To not even have had some sub appearances at the end of games, that speaks volumes for me. So, he’s one who could go this summer because he hasn’t played regular football for so long now.

“It’s probably better for everyone that he is moved on because I’m sure if Ange rated him then he would be playing. I just get the feeling he’s not in Ange’s plans because there was a big deal made about him coming back and now there is nothing.”

Bad news for the Hoops

Celtic signed the defender back in the 2019 summer transfer window from French club Toulouse in a deal worth a reported fee of around £7m.

Since then, the Frenchman has gone on to make 62 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions, chipping in with ten goals and four assists along the way.

During his time at Parkhead, the centre-back has been struck with some injury issues, including a knee problem that kept him out of action for a full year from December 2020 to December 2021 per Transfermarkt.

Despite playing just nine league games, Jullien ended the campaign as Celtic’s highest-rated player with an overall performance rating of 7.46/10 from WhoScored, showing how much quality he has.

This season has seen the 29-year-old play just 16 minutes of action across all competitions which came during Celtic’s 4-0 win over Raith Rovers back in February.

Looking ahead to the summer, it would be a massive shame for the supporters if the Hoops were to get rid of the defender before giving him a shot at getting back into the team and playing on a regular basis again.

After all, he has proven a reliable figure both offensively and defensively during his time in Glasgow.

In other news: Time to go: Postecoglou must finally axe Celtic’s “daft” £14k-p/w “walking joke”

Frank Lampard has endured a horrific start to his Everton tenure so far, losing nine out of his 16 matches and winning only six times as his side have slipped further down the table, even occupying a place in the bottom three.

Relegation is a genuine possibility and, unless there are some heroic performances over the next couple of weeks, then the Toffees could well drop out of the Premier League for the first time.

A 1-0 victory over Chelsea last weekend could well be the start of a daring escape from the drop, and with a trip to Leicester to come on Sunday, there may be a glimmer of hope for Everton.

Lampard also confirmed some good news during his pre-match press conference.

Speaking about the availability of players for the visit to the King Power Stadium, the 43-year-old said: “No changes for us.

“We had a pretty good week with recovery for the lads, a couple of little niggles but hopefully we will be the same as we were (for Chelsea).”

Lampard & Everton fans will be happy

This will be music to Everton supporters’ ears, as they need all the positives they can get at the moment, and any further injuries could derail the much-needed momentum from triumphing against Chelsea.

The Toffees have been hit with a string of injuries throughout the campaign, with the likes of Tom Davies, Yerry Mina and Andros Townsend all hit with various spells out of the team and continuing to be sidelined.

This hasn’t helped matters but it cannot be used as an excuse for for a season which started off with so much hope but has sunk into a chaotic mess, and mere Premier League survival will not satisfy the fan base, who surely deserve better than a last-ditch scrap for their top-flight lives.

Everton face five cup finals between tomorrow and 22 May and they simply need to focus on one match at a time, starting with the trip to the King Power Stadium. At least Lampard’s revelation of no further injuries will offer a boost for him and the supporters ahead of the Leicester clash.

AND in other news, Everton given green light to sign “undefendable” £50m gem, it’s bye-bye Richarlison

West Ham have received a huge boost as David Moyes revealed an injury update which will be sure to please the club’s supporters.

Moyes is optimistic that Issa Diop will return before the end of the season as the Hammers approach some crunch fixtures in their hunt for Europa League glory and the quest to secure a possible top-six spot in the Premier League.

Diop missed the recent matches against Eintracht Frankfurt and Chelsea due to an ankle injury, with West Ham losing both in what could be damaging defeats for their respective aspirations in the season’s run-in.

Moyes will want to have him back as soon as possible, with the Scot stating prior to today’s clash against Arsenal: “Issa is making a really good recovery and there’s always an outside chance he’ll be back before the end of the season.”

Fans will be buzzing with Diop update

Diop has a seasonal rating of 6.69 on SofaScore, and despite him just playing 13 Premier League matches, West Ham have only lost three games this year while the Frenchman has featured. Also, figures from WhoScored highlight his no-nonsense defensive nature, with his match average of 3.2 clearances the third-highest in Moyes’ squad.

At 25 years of age, he has the potential to be part of the furniture at the London Stadium for a few years yet. With Angelo Ogbonna out until next season with a serious injury, Kurt Zouma also encountering injury problems and Craig Dawson the wrong side of 30, there appears to be an opportunity for Diop to establish himself for the Irons in the long-term.

Moyes might always be seeking to improve the West Ham squad, but he has no excuse not to make use of the Frenchman whenever he can for the rest of the season, particularly with such a sparsity of options at centre-back.

This injury update will be good news for supporters who ideally will want to see a clean bill of health, and hopefully Diop can play some part in the last few matches of the season.

AND in other news: “No agreement…”: Fabrizio Romano drops huge West Ham update, Moyes will be fuming