All posts by z3u9t.icu

Ahead of the summer transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur have been linked to an array of strikers.

It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Spurs will activate Carlos Vinicius’ £36m option-to-buy when his loan finishes at the end of the season as they do not want to pay that much for him, as per the Daily Mail.

The Brazilian has chipped in with a few goals – scoring ten times – whilst playing second fiddle to Harry Kane, but there are still doubts over his ability and potential to ever be on a similar level to the Englishman.

Granted, that’s a hard task for a mere back-up but the majority of his goals have come against lower calibre opposition, including a hat-trick against non-league Marine.

One name that has been mooted is Southampton star Danny Ings, who would certainly add further quality and more importantly, a proven record in the Premier League.

Eurosport’s Dean Jones claimed in January that Spurs are monitoring the 28-year-old’s situation on the south coast ahead of a potential bid whilst further fuel has been added to the fire, with Carlton Palmer suggesting exclusively to Football FanCast that an agreement may have already been struck.

Ings has scored nine goals this season but regular injury problems have crept back into his game. He’s missed nine games in all competitions, ranging from knee and hamstring issues, to just a knock.

His long list of injuries should have Spurs worried, which is why they may be better going for the cheaper alternative, Schalke 04’s Matthew Hoppe.

According to Transfermarkt, the north Londoners are among several clubs taking a keen interest in the American forward. He could be available for as little as €10m (£8.5m) this summer, and that’ll be right up Daniel Levy’s street.

Especially as he’ll have to pay over four times that to secure Vinicius – and there’s no way of knowing how much the Saints would want for their star man.

Intriguingly, Hoppe has modelled his game on Kane, so who could be better in firstly, replicating his style as a back-up and then secondly, one day replacing him.

The 20-year-old told OneGoal last year: “I didn’t really have a specific team that I would support. But I looked up to Harry Kane a lot, and since I’ve been in Germany, I’ve tried to model my game after (Erling) Haaland and (Robert) Lewandowski.”

Hoppe has been a rare bright spark in an abysmal season for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring five goals in only 16 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

The 6 foot 3 forward has even been tipped to become the German league’s best-ever American, whilst there have even been comparisons made to Robert Lewandowski.

Former Schalke boss Christian Gross was left dazzled by his work-rate, he said: “I’m impressed with how much effort Hoppe gives for the team, how he gives 100 percent for Schalke.”

And he went onto add: “He’s a boy who’s unbelievably ambitious, has tremendous commitment and only thinks about Schalke. He wants to do whatever it takes to get us out of this situation. He really is a model professional. Even though he’s still very young, he doesn’t shy away from working extremely hard.”

Obviously, at just 20, he’s still very raw but sometimes hard work defies talent and that is something Mourinho will absolutely love. He’d only have to become half the player of a Kane or Lewandowski to make an impact.

Considering he’s reportedly available for a bargain seven-figure price, Hoppe would come fairly low-risk. He ticks the boxes for those key figures in the Spurs hierarchy. Levy should get this one done.

AND in other news, Spurs star dealt “significant” injury blow on international duty…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has suggested that his old side could be hit hard by a potential John Terry exit.

The former Chelsea and England captain, who has been assistant head coach at Villa since 2018, was linked with the Bournemouth job last month and has spoken about his desire to be a No.1 in the past.

It means a Villa Park departure in the near future could be possible, and Hendrie believes such a development could handicap the Villans due to the impact Terry has had on the team’s defence this season.

When asked if Terry leaving the Midlands club would impact Dean Smith’s side, Hendrie told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I think JT’s put his spin on things, hasn’t he? Listen, what JT comes with is bags of experience. You only need to look at the games he’s played in, where he’s played at. You know, he was an outstanding defender. So, yes, he would be missed at the club.”

Speaking on Terry’s influence further, the former Villa player added:

“I’m pretty sure you take him out of the equation, and you haven’t got someone who’s going to give them that guidance. I see JT when I go down to the games and he’s very demanding on that back four and the goalkeeper. I think you’ve got to give JT a lot of credit.”

Terry and the rest of Villa’s coaching staff definitely deserve praise for the team’s defensive improvement this season. At present, the Villans’ have the joint-third best record in the Premier League for goals conceded.

In recent years Celtic have had an unhealthy habit of seeing their best players walk through the Parkhead exit door.

It’s been a common trend for most managers with the likes of Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama, Moussa Dembele and Kieran Tierney, to name a few, heading elsewhere in search of better wages and a more reputable division.

It’s a theme that could rear its ugly head once again this summer. Odsonne Edouard has repeatedly been linked with a move away while Kristoffer Ajer has also been touted with an exit.

It remains to be seen how much they’ll receive for their services but Edouard could leave the club for as little as £8m.

That would be disastrous business given his potential and goal scoring antics. Though, when it’s come to selling players we shouldn’t be overly surprised at this development.

The deal to sell Kieran Tierney for £25m is looking worse as the weeks go by. Only last week he was tipped to break the world-record fee for a defender if he leaves Arsenal.

Celtic have lost players like young Andy Robertson on a free transfer too but they also sold Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman is now playing alongside Robertson at Liverpool and has become one of the most impressive defenders in world football.

Sold for just £13m to Southampton in 2015, it’s fair to say the Saints got a better end of the deal.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Van Dijk impressed considerably on the south coast, so much so that Liverpool paid £75m for his services in 2018, bringing Southampton considerable profit.

Since then, he’s become an imperative piece of the jigsaw at Anfield. With the Dutchman at the back, Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League glory.

He is a pillar, a man mountain in defence. As of June 2020, he’d only been dribbled past eight times in three Premier League seasons.

His influence on this Liverpool side has been so colossal that without him due to injury this term, they sit in sixth place, 22 points off league leaders Manchester City.

In 2019, the defender’s value soared to £90m and in the process, he was named the second-best player in the world by FIFA. He was named the very best by UEFA in 2018/19 and he has now been included in two successive world XIs by football’s official governing body.

Because of his injury, van Dijk’s value has fallen slightly to £63m but he should still be classified among the very best.

Hailed by Carles Puyol as “the complete defender”, he is adored not only by his teammates but also football icons around the globe.

Speaking last season, his Liverpool teammate Joe Gomez commented: “When there’s a one-v-one battle you know he’s going to dominate; every header, he doesn’t really lose headers at all.

“He’s a real dominant force and a pleasure to play alongside.”

Van Dijk made 115 appearances for Celtic but little did they know that when he left, he would go on to become a world star.

He is an imperious rock, a £180k-per-week player that every attacker in world football has grown to fear. Losing him for just £13m six years ago can only be seen as a costly mistake.

Had they waited a few more years, a more significant sum of money may have come their way.

AND in other news, Big update emerges in Celtic manager hunt, it could be great news for fans…

Alasdair Gold has criticised the display of Dele Alli despite Tottenham Hotspur beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Harry Kane got himself on the scoresheet twice to give Spurs a decent home lead going into the away leg in Croatia, but while there were some very good performances for Jose Mourinho’s team, Gold was critical of Alli’s.

Writing in his latest ratings piece for football.london, the journalist claimed that the former MK Dons star looked “rusty” and gave him a mere 5/10 overall rating, the worst out of any Lilywhites player to have started the game in North London.

Alli looked rusty

Alli did look quite rusty throughout the match in what was not one of his best by his usual high standards.

The attacking midfield player failed to record a single shot on goal, successful dribble or key pass, and also lost possession of the ball no fewer than on 10 separate occasions in total throughout the clash (Sofascore).

The performance will certainly put question marks over whether he should be starting in the derby away at local rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, as THFC will surely be looking to stamp their authority on the fixture and continue their climb up the Premier League table.

In other news, find out who Mourinho is planning to start ‘virtually every game’ here!

Wolverhampton Wanderers star Willian Jose revealed an intriguing detail regarding his move from Real Sociedad in January.

Willian Jose confesses

The 29-year-old completed his loan move from the La Liga club until the end of the season in light of Raul Jimenez’s absence, something which manager Nuno Espirito Santo told reporters (via Sky Sports) was a “real disruption” in their season.

Willian Jose was due to move to Tottenham 12 months ago but the deal fell through at the 11th hour. After a potential move to Barcelona broke down similarly, journalist Guillem Balague told the Pure Football Podcast (31:20) that Wolves’ January arrival “really didn’t recover” from that phase of his career.

[freshpress-q]

Now, during an interview with Sky Sports, the Brazilian admitted that Real Sociedad were keen to keep hold of him but confirmed that he still doesn’t know why the chance to join Tottenham didn’t materialise.

He added that he saw Wolves as a “good opportunity” for himself to showcase his skills in the Premier League, while Jimenez remains absent from the first-team.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

It has been a frustrating 12 months for the player, which has resulted in Wolves ultimately benefitting by acquiring his services.

From his first three outings, the Brazilian has provided one assist and has impressed segments of the Molineux faithful.

With Wolves currently down in 14th and lacking firepower, his ability will be desperately needed from now until the end of the season.

In other news, Wolves supporters delighted with transfer links regarding £176k-per-week star.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass expressed his worries for the young players at Chelsea under new boss Thomas Tuchel.

The likes of Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Billy Gilmour were all getting game time under Frank Lampard. However, there appear to be more answers than questions under Tuchel.

Hudson-Odoi experienced the embarrassment of being doubled subbed during a game after not putting in the required effort from his manager, which raised a lot of concerns and complaints amongst the media.

However, since that move, Hudson-Odoi has put in some excellent performances for Chelsea and seems to be thriving in his new wing-back role.

Abraham has also been substituted at half-time in half of his starts for Tuchel, as well as being handed just five appearances under the German.

Tuchel is still rotating his squad, potentially signalling to the board that he is not happy with the squad and will be looking to make new additions in the summer. This is despite the high profile arrivals last summer of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach has instilled a new mentality at Chelsea making them a lot less weak and a lot smarter on the pitch, but it may have come at a cost for a number of Chelsea’s promising youngsters.

Dean Windass exclusively told Football Fancast he believes Tuchel will want to try his hand in the foreign transfer market as he looks to build his side.

Windass said: “I think Tuchel will be looking more to the foreign market next season.

“That adds a lot of questions to Mason Mount and all these young kids like Billy Gilmour. Are they going to get chances like they did under Frank?

“Reece James at right back. I know he’s back in the team now, but when the manager came in he wasn’t.”

The Blues are still in the Champions League, FA Cup and fighting for the top four so, Tuchel is going to need his entire squad to make anything of this season. This could be a chance to impress the manager.

A lot fo the young players may have to sue this as a final audition to prove they’re good enough for Chelsea and that the manager doesn’t need to go spending millions on new players.

Numerous fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Declan Rice looked back on the Hammers’ weekend draw with Arsenal.

Despite having raced into a 3-0 first half lead against Mikel Arteta’s side on Sunday, own goals from both Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson, as well as an 82nd-minute Alexandre Lacazette strike, saw West Ham take just one point from the fixture, with the match ending 3-3.

Following the result, Rice took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the stalemate, claiming that it was a “disappointing end to such a bright performance”, before turning his attention to the remainder of West Ham’s Premier League campaign, calling for fans to “stay positive” and reassuring them that he and his team will “keep giving our all for the end goal”.

However, in reaction to Rice’s post on Twitter, plenty of West Ham fans flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to ignore the England international’s advice on staying positive as they lambasted West Ham’s capitulation against the Gunners.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to Declan Rice’s post on Twitter?

“Playing well Dec but have a word with Moyes and get him to actually analyse a game before it happens. All this sitting in just invites pressure and hasn’t worked for quite a few games now. Need results against Chelsea and Leicester now.”

@westhamhour

“Embarrassing but 3 points against Wolves.”

@willearle_

“You need to get into the game more and settle it down somehow when we can’t get the ball, like the last 60 minutes. Not sure what the answer is just yet but it needs a discussion with David Moyes. We need you on the ball, not being bypassed. Games can’t keep going like this.”

@wasntme23

“Not good enough.”

@con_whu

“Need to keep more offence and stop trying to protect a slim lead – never works for us.”

@ClaretnBlueLife

“Very. Let’s hope we can step up in the remaining games.”

@Deal770M

“I’m gutted Dec.”

@WHUFC_Dan78

“Don’t let us bottle this I beg man.”

@finley_mclellan

“Rubbish.”

@Drj751

In other news: these West Ham fans flocked to a claim from ExWHUEmployee – find out more here!

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former England international Steve Howey has said that Andy Carroll would have been a fantastic signing for West Bromwich Albion this month.

Carroll would have been a big help

The Baggies were linked with a move for the Newcastle United forward towards the start of January (The Daily Mail), but since then, we’ve not heard much in terms of a possible bid.

While Howey has admitted that he would be surprised to see Carroll move to the Hawthorns this month, he did compliment the former Liverpool forward. He said:

“I’d be surprised at that (a move to West Brom). I like Andy Caroll, I’ve always liked him. I think he’s an old school, horrible centre forward that nobody wants to play against. On his day, so difficult to play against, but it’s just keeping him fit. If you can keep him fit, you’d get a massive amount of help from him.

“I do really really like him. But I suppose, you know, everybody has their opinions. There’s a lot of people that say he’s useless. I just think he causes plenty of trouble in a box in and around the centre-halves, so (defenders) do not like the physicality of somebody like him. That’s why he causes problems.”

Past his best

Carroll is far from a striker without any attacking qualities. He does have 54 goals throughout his career in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), and he has represented and scored for England at a European Championships. However, injuries have been a consistent problem for him.

In the last three complete seasons in the top flight, he has just three goals to his name. West Brom are a team that are struggling at the wrong end of the table, and that is partly down to their offensive failings – they have scored just 15 times, which is better than only two other sides (Sky Sports).

What they need is someone who is prolific to get them out of trouble, and perhaps Carroll just doesn’t quite have that in his locker at the moment.

In other news, West Brom enter talks for this 26-year-old.

Celtic have slumped to a disappointing dip in form recently and as such, Neil Lennon’s future at the club hangs in the balance. The Hoops are currently second in the Premiership with a hefty 13-point gap between them and leaders Rangers. They’ve also all but sealed their exit from the Europa League, after struggling to bank more than one point in the opening stages.

Nevertheless, Celtic must still face Lille tomorrow evening in another European clash. But being rooted to the bottom of their group, there’s no point in Lennon deploying his usual starting lineup.

The Irishman is being watched like a hawk as he attempts to right his recent wrongs as manager. It would be a huge mistake to start his usual senior team against the French outfit tomorrow, as it will only cause unnecessary risk ahead of their weekend match against Kilmarnock.

In order to rest players to give themselves a good chance of winning on Sunday, Lennon needs to give his fringe men a run out.

In place of star forward Mohamed Elyounoussi, the Hoops must deploy rising talent Mikey Johnston, who is yet to make a first team appearance this season. The 21-year-old featured a total of 21 times for Celtic last campaign, which looked like it was indicating a big future for the Scotland youth international.

However, the arrival of fellow left-winger Elyounoussi on loan appears to have elbowed Johnston out of the squad completely. But with their European chances already dashed, there would be no logic behind playing the Southampton ace tomorrow night.

Johnston will relish in the chance to represent his club, whether it’s an essentially pointless match or not.

During his time with the senior squad last season, Chris Sutton lauded the youngster as a “real talent”. He will definitely want to keep impressing the likes of the ex-Celtic player and will see this chance against Lille as a way back into the team.

In other news, Peter Lawwell lucky that this managerial candidate turned down Hoops job…

Darren Bent has urged Aston Villa to give Douglas Luiz a new deal amid some links with a move away from Villa Park.

The defensive midfield player has reportedly been linked with a move back to his old club in Manchester City via a release clause in his contract, as the former Villa, Spurs and Sunderland striker has told Football Insider that his old team that they should give him a new contract:

“He fits that way Villa play nicely.

“He obviously sits in front of that back four, he’s disciplined, doesn’t wander too much, comfortable in possession. You need them type of players.

“We’ve seen players come into that position for Villa and not do very well but he looks comfortable, he looks assured and, for sure, he’s definitely a player that Villa need to keep hold of, because he has been very, very good.”

Luiz needs new deal to fend off City interest

Luiz needs to be given a new deal as soon as possible by Dean Smith’s side in order to fend off the reported interest from Man City.

A source from the Manchester club has previously described the Brazil international as a ‘hugely talented’ player, highlighting the fact that he has admirers back at his old team.

AVFC really need to do all that they can to persuade him to stay, given just how important he has been to their success so far in the Premier League.

Villa currently sit in ninth spot in the top flight table on 22 points, just nine points off of the top with a crucial two games in hand.

Luiz has won no fewer than 4.4 of his duels a match in England’s highest division so far this season, as well as averaging 1.3 shots, 1.3 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and one key pass per appearance (Sofascore), showing his impact on the side both attacking and defending wise.

In other news, find out the blow that Villa have been dealt in their pursuit of one transfer target here!