All posts by z3u9t.icu

Paul Stewart thinks that Tottenham need to replace right-back Serge Aurier, as they’re unable to rely on the Ivorian.

Aurier is heading into his fourth season in north London but has not yet been able to make the right-back spot his own – appearing in just over half of Spurs’ Premier League games.

His first two campaigns at the club he was competing with Kieran Trippier for a starting-place, but since his departure for Atletico Madrid after the Champions League final, £70,000-a-week man Aurier has been seen as Tottenham’s number one right-back.

However, due to his inconsistent form and several high-profile errors, he’s been in and out the side, and was even behind youngster and makeshift right-back Japhet Tanganga in the pecking order at one-point last season.

Aurier has already publicly spoken about wanting to return to PSG this summer, whilst Spurs have been linked with Norwich’s Max Aarons and Tariq Lamptey from Brighton as possible replacements.

And Stewart exclusively told Football FanCast that new manager Nuno Espirito Santo needs to move him on:

“For me, we need a replacement for him. He’s not a defender you can rely on week in, week out.

“Some weeks he looks unbeatable, but that’s not often enough, it’s one in 10 or 20 that you think ‘what a good player’.”

French journalist Joris Crolbois has claimed that Aston Villa are the first club to enter negotiations with highly sought-after FC Metz midfielder Pape Metar Sarr.

The Lowdown: Villa’s summer spending spree

As the Villains continue to embark on their summer spending spree, they now seem to have turned their attention towards the Senegal international as they look to strengthen ahead of 2021/22 [One Football].

The Villa Park outfit have already agreed a deal for Emi Buendia and are linked with James Ward-Prowse as well.

Enjoying a fantastic start to life in Ligue 1, Sarr played 22 times in the top flight this term, notching three goals from midfield [Transfermarkt].

The Latest: Villa the only club to have ‘started talks’ with Sarr

Replying to Villa supporters on Twitter, sports journalist Crolbois (RMC Sport) remarked: “Milan has been following him since February but Villa is the only club to have started talks.”

This indicates that the Midlands side could be in pole position for his signature which will offer major excitement to the Villa Park faithful.

Crolbois continued to say that although ‘Villa is the first club’ to enter talks, ‘other clubs will certainly come’, but also offered some words of encouragement to Villa fans: “He is a player with enormous potential comparable to Camavinga of Rennes. He showed this season, especially against PSG, that he has the level of the biggest clubs in Ligue 1. Let’s see what happens in the Premier League.”

The verdict: Tackling machine

The 18-year-old may add some further bite to the Villa midfield on arrival. Comparatively to the current midfield options, the wonderkid has a higher tackling rate per 90 minutes that John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson [WhoScored].

All in all, the midfielder would be an outstanding coup for Aston Villa if they were to successfully thrash out a deal. With Crolbois’ original report quoting a price tag as high as €30m (£25.8m), he wouldn’t come cheap, but Sarr is a beast in the middle of the park already, and at just 18, will surely only become better and even more valuable.

With the right coaching Sarr could be a Premier League star, potentially netting the Villains some serious sell-on value further down the line too, should his development continue at its current rate.

In other news, Villa fans react to an Emiliano Martinez update.

West Ham have been urged to sign James Tarkowski this summer amid recent reports…

What’s the word?

According to former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell, the Burnley centre-back’s future is “probably set in stone” and also claimed that he “would be a stabilising force back there for West Ham.”

It comes less than a week after the Irons were initially linked with reigniting their interest in the 28-year-old, who is said to be “very keen” on joining the London Stadium set up this off-season, as per Football Insider.

Hammers boss David Moyes had a £30m bid knocked back for Tarkowski last summer but with the two-time England international out of contract in 2022, the East London side are expected to return for the former Brentford star.

Get it done

Whilst the addition of a new striker should be their top priority, the West Ham hierarchy mustn’t turn their nose up at the chance to bolster multiple positions this window.

It has also been reported that Moyes wants a top-level centre-back before next season, one that he can build the defence around, via Football Insider.

Tarkowski absolutely fits the bill as a vastly experienced and consistent performer in the big time. Valued at just £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 6 foot 1 colossus has made over 150 appearances in the Premier League since joining the Clarets in February 2016.

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This season, he displayed his solid attributes once again, rating out as Sean Dyche’s highest-rated player (7.02) with 25 or more starts, as per WhoScored ratings. That eclipses all of the Hammers’ current central defensive options, with Angelo Ogbonna sitting top on 6.73.

The Burnley beast is also clear for aerials won (4.6) and tackles (1.8) per game during the 2020/21 campaign, only further suggesting that his ability at the back is better than what Moyes has at his disposal and provides further reasoning to why he might be the very man to build around.

He has kept a fair few elite strikers quiet this campaign too, ranging from Arsenal duo Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Described as “exceptional” and as a “big presence” by his former peers in an interview with The Athletic, Tarkowski has been lauded for his ability in both boxes. “He made us better in both boxes because of his desire to attack the ball,” claimed ex-Bees boss Mark Warburton.

There won’t be many better candidates out there this summer. The 28-year-old is a proven Premier League talent that has picked up caps on the international stage.

Whatever the price, GSB must sanction a move for him this summer.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops encouraging transfer update…

Celtic are believed to be closing in on a deal for Yokohama F. Marinos manager Ange Postecoglou, according to reliable reporter John Percy.

The Lowdown: Howe deal collapses

The Hoops had been linked with a move for Eddie Howe to take over from Neil Lennon for a number of weeks, but that proposed deal collapsed on Friday afternoon.

Stephen McGowan was the first to break the news of a deal falling through after a breakdown in talks, with the Daily Mail reporter adding that the club were in ‘advanced talks’ with another candidate.

It seems as if that man is Postecoglou, with the 55-year-old close to swapping Japan for Scotland.

The Latest: Percy’s late-night claim

Percy shared the news late on Friday evening on social media, saying:

“Celtic in advanced talks with Ange Postecoglou and are tonight close to appointing him as manager. Postecoglou, 55, has been working in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos”

Postecoglou has held roles in Japan, Greece and his native Australia, taking charge of 349 games as a manager. He led the Socceroos at the 2014 World Cup and won the Asian Cup with his homeland the following year.

He has averaged just over three years in each role and prefers a 4-3-3 system, according to Transfermarkt.

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The Verdict: Harkin already making moves?

In our opinion, we think Fergal Harkin may have had a major say on a proposed move for Postecoglou. The Irishman is thought to be edging closer to a move to Celtic Park, with the ‘massive’ Hoops fan set to land the newly-created Director of Football (DoF) role.

Currently Manchester City’s football partnerships manager, he may know all about Postecoglou already, as Yokohama are part of the City Football Group.

On that basis, we feel that Harkin, who looks set for a move to Celtic, may have pushed for a move for the Australian following the huge twist in their pursuit of Howe. If that is the case, it seems as if the impending DoF is already making moves at Parkhead.

In other news: Hoops still hold an interest in Scottish Premiership ace, find out who it is here. 

There is almost an expectation that Bruno Lage will become Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor but Get Italian Football News’ Editor in Chief, Conor Clancy believes that Paulo Fonseca could be a great fit for them.

Fonseca was recently relieved of his duties by Roma almost immediately after Jose Mourinho was on the market following his sacking from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year and he will take charge from next season.

Wolves have a large Potuegese contingent within their squad, eight first-team players to be precise and Fonseca has experience of similar tasks during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk, as they are famous for having a lot of Brazilian players in their ranks.

The Portuguese manager has a history of winning trophies which is something Wolves haven’t experienced for a long time and Clancy believes that he could be a good alternative that Wolves target, he exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s proven how he can work from his time at Shakhtar as they always have a lot of Brazilian players and he won things there. I’d presume that Portuguese is the language of the dressing room or at least some corners of it so I do think that Wolves seems like quite a nice fit for Fonseca.”

After being granted a work permit to move over to England take charge at Molineux, Lage appears to not be far away from being appointed as the club’s next manager, however, Fonseca could be someone that remains on their radar.

Fonseca has been linked with several jobs since leaving his role at Roma, including the vacant roles at both Everton and Celtic which would provide two totally different tasks for him.

Marko Arnautovic departed for China in 2019 claiming that his reason for leaving West Ham was to win trophies, something he is yet to do, and former West Ham United midfielder Rob Lee has exclusively told Football FanCast that there is no way the Austrian would return to the London Stadium.

The striker left in some style as his agent, who is also his brother, did countless interviews and public pleas towards West Ham to accept an offer for the former Stoke City attacker, which they ultimately did as Chinese side Shanghai SIPG offered £22.5 million.

There have been reports suggesting that Arnautovic would love a return to West Ham this summer as he looks to leave China and show people he still has the ability to perform in the Premier League.

Despite managing to score 22 goals in 65 appearances for West Ham, Lee believes there is not a chance that the board would want to sign Arnautovic, and he told FFC exclusively:

“There’s no chance he’ll come back in my opinion, considering the way he left and the way that he wanted to leave – I can’t see West Ham fans accepting that.

“Why would West Ham fans accept him back? He made his decision to leave for the money. I think he had one good season but there’s no chance of that happening, in my opinion.”

West Ham are likely to be interested in signing a striker this summer as they currently only have Michail Antonio at the club who is a recognised striker after they sold Sebastien Haller in January.

The Hammers appeared to be on course for at least a Europa League qualification spot but after other teams began picking up form, they now may have to settle for a Europa Conference League spot.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield United striker Brian Deane has tipped Rhian Brewster to make an impact in the Championship next season.

Brewster has really struggled at Bramall Lane this term following his £23.5m move from Liverpool, failing to score a single Premier League goal for his new club.

However, back in the 2019/20 Championship campaign, the division Brewster will be playing in come August, the 21-year-old forward excelled.

During his loan spell at Swansea City, Brewster managed to score 11 goals in 22 appearances after arriving at the Liberty Stadium in January 2020, proving his credentials in that league. And Deane is expecting more of the same once he returns to English football’s second division.

When asked if Brewster could help fire Sheffield United back into the Premier League, Deane told FFC:

“I don’t see why not. He obviously is very comfortable in the Championship. I think the other thing you have to understand is that, you know, you can buy a player, but do you have the infrastructure and the support networks for somebody like that both on and off the pitch?”

While Brewster has certainly had a difficult time this season, the England U21 international is not the only Sheffield United striker who has struggled in front of goal.

Team-mate Oliver McBurnie has only managed to find the back of the net on a sole occasion in the current campaign.

Carlton Palmer has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that moving to Crystal Palace would be a step up for Sean Dyche.

The Burnley boss is approaching the end of his ninth season at Turf Moor and confirmed their place in the Premier League next season following a comfortable victory over Fulham on Monday evening.

Dyche has led the Clarets into the top-flight on two separate occasions and has now made them an established Premier League outfit, with this their fifth season at this level – two of which have ended in top-half finishes.

Such is Dyche’s work in Lancashire, he’s attracted interest from Crystal Palace, who are eyeing up potential replacements for Roy Hodgson, whose deal at Selhurst Park expires this coming summer.

The former England boss recently avoided questions about his future, but Palmer believes that should Hodgson decide against committing his future to Palace, it would be an excellent opportunity for Dyche to further his career.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“I don’t think they’re similar level clubs. Sean Dyche has done wonders for Burnley. No disrespect to Burnley, but I think it’s a step up in terms of the wages they can pay and the players they can bring into the football club.

“There’s new owners going into Burnley and they’re going to be supporting Sean Dyche in the transfer market. Unless Sean is not given funds and he’s got to sell his best players, he’s not going to be happy and he’s not going to want to stay.

“But that’s all pre-assuming that Hodgson doesn’t stay on for another season.”

Cristiano Giaretta has been handed a boost in his bid to bring Siriki Dembele to Watford this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Peterborough Telegraph, who claim that Peterborough United are yet to enter into contract renewal talks with the 24-year-old centre-forward, who is heading into the final year of his deal at the Weston Homes Stadium.

The report goes on to state that if the forward does not new agree on terms with this summer, he will be placed on the transfer list, as is club policy.

This is sure to have piqued the interest of clubs such as Celtic, Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Watford, all of whom have been credited with an interest in the Posh star.

Giaretta will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Dembele has been for Peterborough this season, if the forward does indeed go on to be placed on the transfer list this summer, Watford’s sporting director would undoubtedly be buzzing.

Over his 42 League One appearances for Darren Ferguson’s side this term, the 24-year-old has scored 11 goals, registered 10 assists and has created a whopping 17 big chances, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game, culminating in an average Sofascore match rating of 7.06 – ranking him as the club’s joint seventh-best player in the third tier.

It was reported last year that Barry Fry would demand a fee of around £5m to part with the forward, however, with just one year left on his deal at the Weston Homes Stadium, and with Posh likely eager to sell in order to receive the largest fee possible, it is not difficult to imagine this figure being slightly lower in the upcoming transfer window.

As such, a move for the £2.6k-per-week man – whom Ferguson dubbed as “outstanding” – would seem to be extremely appealing for Giaretta both on and off the pitch, as Dembele appears to very much have the potential to prove a real threat within Xisco Munoz’s attacking arsenal, as well as being a transfer that would not break the bank for the newly-promoted side.

In other news: Watford dealt transfer blow over “excellent” £450k-rated gem, Giaretta will be gutted – opinion

Fans of Sunderland have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the club confirmed that the Black Cats winger, Jack Diamond, has signed a new deal with the club. One supporter called the news ‘huge’.

So far this season, Diamond has been in decent form over his 18 League One appearances for Lee Johnson’s side, with the 21-year-old scoring one goal and registering two assists, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.75.

With the winger’s current contract expiring at the end of the season, the Black Cats confirmed in a statement on their club website on Wednesday that Diamond has penned a new deal that will keep the academy product at the Stadium of Light until the summer of 2024.

And, after the club relayed this news on Twitter, fans of Sunderland flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing delighted at the prospect of Diamond remaining at their club for the foreseeable future.

So, what exactly did these Sunderland fans have to say in reaction to the news regarding Jack Diamond?

“More good news.”

@SAFCGeorge6

“Love to see that. Great work.”

@Jamestweddell

“At last!!!”

@itsmarcroberts

“Brilliant news.”

@Noodle86stu

“Huge.”

@JamieSAFC_

“It just gets better.”

@Jensonnn17

“Mint move.”

@AlanBsafc

“YESSSSS.”

@leon88752755

In other news: loads of Sunderland fans were ecstatic after the club confirmed this ‘absolutely magnificent’ news – find out more here!