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Following the 3-0 win over BATE Borisov on Thursday night, which saw Arsenal progress into the Europa League last 16, Alex Iwobi was quizzed on what the out-of-favour Mesut Ozil brings to the side.

The game against the Belarus-based side was only the second time the German playmaker had started in 2019, and was the first time he had completed 90 minutes since December.

There seems to be somewhat of a rift going on between Ozil and Gunners boss Unai Emery, but Iwobi’s latest comments suggest that some of the players are on the former Real Madrid star’s side – or at the very least, aren’t fully backing their manager over the midfielder’s regular exclusion.

What did he say?

The Nigerian international said: “We know what Mesut is like because we see him in training every day.

“He’s world class. We scored three goals as a result of him playing. I know if I make a run he has the vision to find me. Hopefully he can keep on playing.”

What do Iwobi’s words suggest?

Well, for a start, the fact that Iwobi credits his side’s goals to Ozil and not to the management and tactics of Emery speaks volumes alone.

Arsenal have won four and lost four of their last eight games across all competitions, struggling for form and looking devoid of any attacking identity or creativity in Ozil’s absence.

If Iwobi is feeling this way, the chances are a few more Arsenal players share the same opinion. Whilst the Gunners don’t seem like the sort of club to have the players capable of a dressing room revolt, such as we’ve seen Chelsea do in the past, the situation could worsen unless Emery finds a speedy solution.

The former Paris Saint-Germain boss has told Ozil that he ‘needs to be consistent in training and for matches, without injury or being sick’, implying that the 30-year-old’s Arsenal future is in his own hands and that he must be more professional.

However, the fact that Iwobi said ‘hopefully he (Ozil) can keep playing’ suggests that the squad feel the decision lies with Emery, and that Ozil should be more involved in the first-team right now. Iwobi, at least, appears a little bemused that the German playmaker isn’t taking a starring role at the moment.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Ronnie Edwards to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Daily Mail, who claim that both Spurs and Crystal Palace are keeping a very close eye on the Peterborough United centre-back ahead of a potential move at the end of the season.

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The report goes on to state that the relegation-threatened Championship side are believed to value the England U19 international at a figure of around £15m, with Posh likely being unable to keep hold of the youngster following their seemingly imminent return to the third tier of English football.

Conte can axe Rodon with Edwards

Considering the sheer amount of potential Edwards quite clearly possesses, in addition to the style of defender the centre-back is, it is easy to see why both Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte would be interested in a move for the 19-year-old this summer.

Indeed, over his 30 Championship appearances this season, the £270k-rated talent has been imperious in the Peterborough backline, helping his side keep three clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 3.5 clearances and winning 2.8 duels – at a success rate of 54% – per game.

The £2.7k-per-week prodigy has also impressed with the ball at his feet, enjoying an average of 60.2 touches and completing 44.2 passes, 3.7 long balls and 1.5 chipped passes per fixture – with scoutedfootball listing the centre-back’s primary strengths as his composure, his elegant passing and his one-on-one defending.

These returns have seen the youngster who Barry Fry dubbed a “Rolls Royce” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.75, ranking him as Posh’s 11th-best player in the second tier of English football.

Regarding his signing of the teenager back in August 2020, Fry went on to state: “I used to watch a lot of U18s football at Barnet as well as Posh and I told [Darren Ferguson] about him. When we brought him in for a game, Darren watched him for 20 minutes and told me to sign him.

“Spurs were watching him at the time… it’s no secret how highly Ronnie is rated by other clubs and by the England set-up. We had 18 Premier League scouts watching him play for the U23s at our stadium. He’s a certainty to have an outstanding career in the game.

“A couple of good seasons in the Championship would make him worth £10m to £20m. He was outstanding on what was a great day for the club [in the 3-0 win over Birmingham City in September]. He is so calm and composed and his passing is unbelievably accurate.”

As such, considering the fact that Tottenham’s £24k-per-week Joe Rodon – who John Wenham dubbed a “real issue” for Spurs back in April of last year – has reportedly decided to quit the north London club this summer – having featured just three times under the management of Conte – Edwards would certainly appear to be a fantastic replacement for the 24-year-old Wales international in the Italian’s backline.

AND in other news: Talks underway: Paratici in negotiations for £41.5m deal, it’d be a big coup for Spurs

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch could be about to unleash Sam Greenwood into the first-team in the near future as intriguing comments emerged after their 3-0 win over Watford on Saturday…

What’s been said?

The 20-year-old forward came off the bench for an impressive 27-minute cameo, replacing the barren Daniel James, and he took his opportunity by providing two assists for the Whites’ second and third goals.

After handing Kalvin Phillips a sight on goal, only for Ben Foster to save it, the academy prospect fed through Rodrigo, who rounded the goalkeeper to double the advantage before he played a clever ball out wide to Jack Harrison on the wing.

He then cut inside and curled a left-footed effort past the Hornets’ shot-stopper to seal all three points at Vicarage Road.

Speaking after the game, Marsch hinted that he may have to utilise Greenwood more often, as relayed by The Athletic’s ever-reliable Phil Hay.

“Interestingly, said of the entire group, Sam Greenwood has adapted to his ideas better than anyone. Marsch says he needs to use him more,” he revealed.

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Forget Gelhardt?

It was rather telling that the American head coach turned to the former Arsenal gem over someone like Joe Gelhardt, who has delivered a couple of goals in the Premier League this season, on the day.

Yes, there’s an argument to be made in the fact that Joffy has been injured recently, but with two goals and three assists in just 486 senior minutes, he’s surely a hard name to ignore when looking down the bench.

The fact that Marsch believes Greenwood has adapted to his methods more than any other player in the whole first-team squad surely means we see more of him going forward.

In his 23 minutes and on top of those two assists, the youngster also registered two successful dribbles and won a whopping 77.7% of his nine duels; he also put in three tackles, pressing from the front with relentless work rate – something that clearly caught the eye of the Leeds boss.

Greenwood, who has been likened to former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, has been in fine form for the U23s in the Premier League 2 this campaign, where he has scored eight goals and laid on five assists, taking his total to 21 goals in 37 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder that, according to an inside source, the word “phenomenal” is regularly used to describe the promising forward around the club’s Thorp Arch training base.

Lauded for his “incredible impact” against Watford this weekend, it’s surely only a matter of time before we see Marsch trust Greenwood in the starting lineup going forward, especially with Patrick Bamford’s continued absence through injury.

Gelhardt could now be in trouble, as a result.

AND in other news, Left for £0: Leeds suffered a howler with “outrageous” 204 G/A gem who idolised Radebe…

Tottenham Hotspur are now lining up a sensational return for Christian Eriksen this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim the north London outfit are keeping tabs on their former attacking midfielder, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season after reigniting his career during a short-term stint at Brentford.

Spurs are among the Premier League teams eyeing a move for the 30-year-old. He has impressed since joining the Bees on a six-month deal on January 31st, proving his fitness and health following a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020 last summer.

The 111-time Danish international departed Hotspur Way in January 2020, leaving to join Antonio Conte at Inter Milan and now it appears the Italian is keen on a reunion.

It’s also thought that Eriksen would be open to a move back to his former club. He wouldn’t cost chairman Daniel Levy anything in terms of a transfer fee.

[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!”]

Playmaking fix

Since his exit from the club, Spurs managers – past and present – have struggled to replace the void he left behind with neither of the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele able to step up in his absence.

Both players were shipped out on loan during the winter and the latter has refound form, though Villarreal would like to keep him permanently and that is a deal the Lilywhites must let happen – it could be sweetened by the return of Eriksen, who can fill that no.10 gap at long last.

Effectively finally replacing himself, the 30-year-old playmaker has proven his ability in the Premier League once again. His one goal came against former rivals Chelsea, whilst he’s also provided two assists from six appearances, playing the full 90 in five of those matches, via Transfermarkt.

Eriksen leads Thomas Frank’s squad in terms of average WhoScored rating, thus suggesting that he has made a major impact in a mere matter of months. He also tops the charts in terms of creativity, managing 1.7 key passes per game.

This would see him rank joint-second behind Heung-min Son (1.9) in Conte’s current squad and the prospect of adding the Dane to a frontline involving the South Korean sensation, January marksman Dejan Kulusevski and the talismanic Harry Kane is very exciting indeed.

The north Londoners know too well about his playmaking talents with the ex-maestro providing 159 direct goal contributions across 305 appearances in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt – that’s around one goal or assist every 152 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Conte and Spurs could indeed end a 30-month problem by replacing someone like Lo Celso by sealing a return for the £13.5m-rated wizard, who was once dubbed “special” and “unbelievable” by his former boss, Mauricio Pochettino.

AND in other news, Conte could finally axe “terrible” £91k-p/w dud as Spurs plot bid for £58m-rated “leader”…

Lee Ryder has been left buzzing over some comments that have now emerged from Newcastle United left-back Matt Targett in the build-up to the clash against Crystal Palace.

The Lowdown: Permanent deal?

It has been reported that the St. James’ Park faithful are now ‘poised’ to make their loan deal for Targett permanent in the summer.

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The whole deal would cost around £15m plus the initial loan fee, which includes a bonus for if the Magpies avoid getting relegated from the Premier League, something that seems inevitable ahead of tonight’s clash with the Eagles.

The Latest: Targett comments

Speaking to The Chronicle, Targett has now admitted that he ‘hopes’ that he can stay in the North East permanently, as he is ‘enjoying’ his time on Tyneside.

The Aston Villa loanee recalled when he first signed, claiming that it was a ‘massive challenge’ to impress new manager Eddie Howe and help get the club out of the relegation zone.

Sharing the article on Twitter, journalist Ryder was buzzing over Targett’s claim, saying that it is a ‘huge positive’ for the Toon Army that he wants to stay.

The Verdict: Big boost

With Targett set to feature tonight when the Magpies play Palace at home in the top flight, another three points would take them onto 40, meaning that they will surely be safe.

Thus, they could then look to sign Targett from Villa this summer for the fee mooted.

The Englishman currently ranks as their fourth-best performer in the Premier League so far this season, and ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, interceptions, clearances, key passes, and crosses per game (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, he has certainly made a good impression in his short time, and so the fact that he wants to stay is a big boost for the club.

In other news, find out whose agent NUFC have now contacted over a potential move here!

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans for left-back Jamal Lewis…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope claimed on deadline day that the Northern Ireland international has been omitted from the club’s list of players heading into the second-half of the campaign.

He Tweeted: “Also understand Ciaran Clark & Jamal Lewis have turned down moves away from NUFC despite not being in the 25-man squad to be submitted to Premier League.”

D-Day clanger

Whilst fans may want to focus on transfers the club missed out on, such as the deal for Hugo Ekitike collapsing, this decision on Lewis’ future represents a huge clanger from Eddie Howe.

Forget missing out on the French striker for now, the call to brutally axe the former Norwich defender from the squad appears to be a baffling one on paper.

Howe has seemingly decided to pick Matt Ritchie, 32, among others, ahead of him in the 25-man list. The 24-year-old is still a prospect and could have benefitted from battling with Matt Targett for the left-back spot over the next few months.

Meanwhile, Ritchie is well into his 30’s and has been poor this season. He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.43 across 16 Premier League appearances, showing that he has been far from good enough over an extended period of time.

Lewis, on the other hand, showed signs of promise prior to picking up an injury in December. In the 1-0 win over Burnley, he was given a WhoScored rating of 7.00 as he made four tackles, four clearances, one interception and one block.

Ex-England striker Darren Bent previously lauded the £50k-per-week flyer’s talents, saying: “Jamal Lewis, when you think about it, defensively I think he’s a little bit better than Max Aarons. I think going forward and defensively he’s very good, and underrated as well.

“I’m telling you, if he keeps progressing at Newcastle, he might be a dark horse. He could turn out to be one of the best left-backs in the country this season.”

This highlights the player’s potential and why Howe has dropped a clanger by refusing to include him in his squad for the rest of the campaign. He is a young talent with potential and he is now set to waste away on the sidelines until the summer.

Lewis will be forced to play for the U23’s or simply work hard in training for the next five months, unless he is able to secure a move to a country where the transfer window remains open. For example, the Turkish market does not slam shut for another week and it could be an avenue worth exploring for the full-back instead of stunting his development with no competitive football for months.

AND in other news, “I heard a slight whisper”: Downie drops big NUFC claim on live TV, Howe surely gutted…

Everton are in a vulnerable position this season and have now found themselves in the relegation zone following their defeat in the Merseyside Derby, however, despite the struggles the club are still linked with transfer interests this summer.

What’s the latest

According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Calciomercato), there are several Premier League clubs interested in signing Torino player Wilfried Singo, including Everton.

The report suggests that the club could make an offer for Singo, competing with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Leicester to secure his signature this summer.

Better than Iwobi

The 21-year-old has been performing at a high level for his Italian club, and has been deployed in predominantly a right midfield position this season but can also play right-back.

Singo, who was hailed a “revelation” by journalist Matteo Bonetti, has become more of an attacking threat for his Serie A team this season scoring three goals and contributing four assists, winning the majority of his duels (58%), making 1.6 tackles and 1.4 clearances on average per game, proving he can impose an attacking threat as well as providing defensive qualities.

With that being said, the Ivorian national could be the perfect upgrade for Alex Iwobi this summer following a disappointing stint at Goodison Park over the last three years.

Iwobi has only scored seven goals in 91 appearances for Everton, and despite playing on the left compared to Singo on the right, the impact in comparison that the latter could provide for the club would be huge if he can emulate his performances for Torino on Merseyside next season.

Frank Lampard has been giving Iwobi his second chance in the team since arriving in January, becoming a consistent player in the team and despite scoring the winner against Newcastle United last month has otherwise not positively impacted the team to secure safety from relegation this season so far.

Everton may have competition to sign the in-demand £13.5m-rated star, and it could be much harder to add Singo into the team if they drop into the Championship this season and Premier League clubs make a move for him. Therefore, the Toffees boss will need to work hard to make sure that he can secure top-flight football in the remaining games.

AND in other news: Frank set for disaster on “fabulous” £5.1k-p/w gem, EFC supporters may not forgive him

The 2021/22 Premier League campaign has once again thrown up a few stories for football fans to salivate over.  Whether it was the expected two horse race between Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool for the top flight title or simply what would eventually happen to a couple of managerial hot potatoes given the relative states of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and particularly, Manchester United.

The Old Trafford outlet continues to be a source of massive press speculation as despite numerous attempts since 2013, they have simply been unable to adequately replace Sir Alex Ferguson following his retirement.  Whilst there was better success under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, each spell had its own pitfalls and the club ultimately seemed to totally lose its way under former star striker and fan favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, despite the odd brighter moment and a reasonably fair 91 wins in 168 games.

You just can’t not view the club as an outsider without thinking there is no long term plan in place, certainly not a sensible transfer strategy, as they continue to overpay massively for players who have failed to make a major impact and justify the investment made – whilst also seeming to more marginalise their own Academy talent, and a longer term future, by relying on well known and more commercial names.

You’d get silly odds from the likes of asiabet8888.com for current incumbent Ralf Rangnick to last beyond the 2021/22 campaign in the managerial hotseat, as every expectation suggests there’s no deviating from the consultancy role plan that exists, and many would say why would he want to stay in that role given he’s had his own off pitch issues to deal with and despite the glitz and glamour Ronaldo’s return created in the press, he’s being shoehorned in for goals and it has noticeably effected their style of play and approach in matches.  Not least, The Red Devil’s are openly touting for Rangnick’s replacement and the media are understandably lapping it up.

Following Solskjaer’s departure back in November, one of the latest names in the frame is highly rated Ajax coach Erik ten Hag and he appears to have been added to a shortlist that already reportedly contains names such as Mauricio Pochettino, Julien Lopetegui and Luis Enrique.  Given the success Ten Hag has tasted in the Eredivisie, it’s not really a great surprise to see him linked by United’s hierarchy are probably not best pleased with former gaffer van Gaal given his latest comments where he not so subtly warned Ten Hag off taking the job.

“I’m not going to advise, he’ll call me himself. But he must choose a football club and not a commercial club. Erik ten Hag is a great coach and that is always good for Manchester United. But Manchester United are a commercial club, so it’s a difficult choice for a coach. He’d better go to a football club.”

With the summer quickly approaching, this particular piece of speculation is set to run and run.

Photo by Unsplash

Looking over their previous transfer windows, it may not have been too much of a surprise to see Aston Villa being rather active in the latest January window.

Throughout the last few weeks, the Midlands club brought in four new players to strengthen Steven Gerrard’s side, with two permanent deals for left-back Lucas Digne for a fee of £25m from Everton and defender Calum Chambers as a free agent from Arsenal.

Villa also managed to secure loan deals for goalkeeper Robin Olsen from AS Roma and former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona.

While this would presumably be seen as a successful transfer window for the Villans, one deal, in particular, could be seen as being a big gamble for the club and Gerrard.

Despite having previous experience of playing in the Premier League with Liverpool and having Gerrard as a former teammate, Coutinho’s time as a Barcelona player, which has been universally labelled as being rather unsuccessful, may not only have given Villa the chance to swoop in and bring him back to England, but it will have also increased the risk that came with it.

Having suffered with injury issues and being loaned out from Barcelona to Bayern Munich for a period of time, the Brazilian has only managed to make 106 appearances for the Spanish giants across all competitions since arriving from Liverpool in January 2018.

With that in mind and the fact that Villa are reportedly paying £125k-per-week to have the 29-year-old in their squad, it’s not exactly a cheap risk to be taking either.

With only two appearances under his belt in a Villa shirt, his previous performance in the 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park suggests that it could take some time for the attacker to get back into the swing of things in the Premier League, even if he did bag a debut goal.

However, there is still plenty of time left until the end of the season for Coutinho to find his feet again in England and show why the club were right to take a chance on him.

Although, if he doesn’t live up to expectations and ends the season on a disappointing note whether that be with a lack of goals, assists or positive performances, it will be seen as an expensive gamble that backfired on Gerrard and the club.

In other news: Preece claims AVFC now “looking to” secure £11.7m-rated gem, he’s likened to Busquets – opinion

According to Spanish news source El Nacional, a major update has come to light involving Liverpool and soon-to-be free agent Denis Zakaria.

The Lowdown: Reds eye Zakaria move…

The Switzerland midfielder is on his way out of Borussia Monchengladbach at the end of 2021/22 as a plethora of clubs, including Liverpool, take a keen interest in signing him.

Zakaria can sign a pre-contract with overseas clubs this month or opt to wait until summer before deciding his next destination, with the Reds, Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona all linked with a move (El Nacional).

The Bundesliga ace, once likened to Bernabeu star Toni Kroos by German football legend Lothar Matthaus, could come as a real snip for no transfer fee as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp apparently eyes a move.

Sharing an update on Zakaria’s potential move to Anfield, El Nacional have provided a promising piece of news.

The Latest: Spanish source makes promising Zakaria claim…

According to their sources, as Real Madrid president Florentino Perez aims to bring Zakaria to the Spanish capital, Liverpool could well and truly throw a spanner in the works as they ‘upset’ the La Liga club’s plans ‘in recent days’.

Indeed, the Reds have apparently made a lucrative offer, putting a ‘higher salary on the table’ than Madrid as Klopp personally believes Zakaria would be a ‘good recruit’.

While the 25-year-old takes his time to consider all proposals, El Nacional stated that ‘everything indicates that he will end up landing in Anfield’.

The Verdict: Promising update…

As all signs point towards Liverpool being favourites to land the defensive midfielder, we believe he could certainly be a great acquisition for Klopp if they can win the race for him.

According to WhoScored, Zakaria has averaged a tidy 90.1% pass accuracy over his 15 league starts for Monchengladbach this season. By comparison to Liverpool’s regular starters in the English top flight, only Curtis Jones has racked up a higher success rate (92%), perhaps supporting the theory that the Swiss beast would be an astute addition.

Highly versatile, the 25-year-old can also operate as a centre-back when required, so the 6 foot 3 powerhouse could potentially kill two birds with one stone for Klopp.

Lauded as ‘devastating’ by Italian football coach Uli Forte, this could be one of the best free deals of the summer, and we urge Liverpool to get it done.

In other news: ‘Ooooo’, ‘Making moves’…Liverpool fans buzz as FSG now eye ‘perfect signing’, find out more here