All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic have been handed a major boost in their attempts to bring Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis this winter.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness), who claim that Benfica would be more than happy for Celtic to activate their €7.5m (£6.5m) option to buy clause for the 22-year-old winger in the January transfer window.

Previous reports have suggested that, as a result of the Portugal U21 international’s success in Glasgow, Ange Postecoglou is eager to tie up the permanent signing of Jota this winter, in a bid to ensure the forward is not tempted by a more enticing offer from another club come the end of the season.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic side Jota has become since his switch to Parkhead this summer, the news that Benfica appear to be more than willing to wave goodbye to the winger on a permanent basis is sure to have left Bhoys fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Scottish Premiership appearances this season, the £3.15m-rated man has scored five goals, registered four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, while, over his five Europa League fixtures, the £7.1k-per-week winger has bagged a further two goals, two assists and created four big chances.

These returns have seen the player, who Postecoglou dubbed an “unbelievable” talent, average a SofaScore match rating of 7.38 in the league and 7.40 in Europe, ranking him as the Hoops’ fifth-best and best performer in the respective competitions.

And, while it is true that Benfica’s stance on the forward’s potential transfer is not overly important – as Celtic can activate their option to buy clause without the Portuguese side’s permission – should the Liga NOS club have informed Jota that he could be in line for a starting spot at the Estadio da Luz next season, this may well have influenced the 22-year-old’s decision as to whether or not he would be willing to accept Celtic’s offer of a permanent deal.

As such, the news that Benfica will not stand in the way of Celtic’s swoop for the player who Postecgolou “wants to keep” is sure to come as a major boost for everyone involved with the club, as the Portuguese starlet remaining at Parkhead beyond the end of the current campaign is something that bodes incredibly well for the Bhoys’ future.

In other news: Ange could unearth Celtic’s new Robbie Keane with swoop for “bright” 18 G/A machine

Blackburn Rovers are set to beat Celtic in the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Dilan Markanday. 

The lowdown

The Evening Standard reported in December that Celtic were among the clubs chasing Markanday ahead of the January transfer window.

Arch-rivals Rangers were also said to be in the frame, along with ‘a number of the Championship’s leading clubs’.

And it seems that Blackburn, currently third in England’s second tier, have seen off the competition to sign the 20-year-old, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season.

The latest

According to The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, Blackburn are now ‘close to agreeing’ a permanent deal for Markanday.

Rovers will pay £500,000 up front but the fee could rise beyond the £1million mark if add-ons are triggered, while Spurs have also insisted upon a ‘significant’ sell-on clause.

The ‘deal could be announced next week’, he says.

The verdict

Losing out on Markanday is a blow for Celtic. He’s only made one senior appearance for Spurs, featuring in a Europa Conference League group game against Vitesse, but he boasts an exceptional record at youth level.

In 14 Premier League 2 appearances this season, he’s been directly involved in 17 goals (scoring 12 and assisting five more).

European football journalist Alex Barker has also raved about his ‘really clever footwork and dribbling ability’.

All this points to a very bright future indeed, and Blackburn have only paid half a million for a potential star in the making.

In other news, Alan Hutton has dropped this intriguing claim on Stephen Welsh. 

As they so often have been in the last few years, Sunderland appear to be a sinking ship.

Only nine days ago they looked the favourites to gain automatic promotion but that has now fallen by the wayside after three straight defeats.

On the chalkboard

One of the main reasons for Sunderland’s recent slump has been their defence. The tight-knit duo of Dion Sanderson and Luke O’Nien has been split up due to injury reasons and it has not gone well.

The Mackems conceded two set pieces on their way to a defeat against Wigan, proving incredibly sloppy when the ball came into the area.

Though, when they lost to Blackpool it was arguably their finishing that told a sorry story. Lee Johnson’s men had 67% of the possession and had six more shots than the Tangerines.

That didn’t seem to matter, however, as Sunderland lost 1-0.

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Charlie Wyke now only has one goal in his last seven matches too. It’s hard to knock his performances at all given his haul of 27 strikes this campaign but unfortunately, he’s not received much help from those below him in the pecking order.

Danny Graham and Will Grigg failed to score a league goal in the opening half of the season while Ross Stewart has netted just once since signing in January.

It was a valuable header against Accrington but he’s not done much since.

The solution

Regardless of what division Sunderland find themselves in next term, they will need to bolster their forward line.

That should start with the addition of Hibernian forward Kevin Nisbet.

The Black Cats were interested in securing a move back in January before they picked up Stewart from Scottish football instead.

Though, you can’t help but wonder whether they picked up the wrong player because Nisbet has been in scintillating form for Hibs.

If they are on the lookout for new attackers then they could do a lot worse than looking at the 24-year-old, a player who may well face the exit door in a few months time.

Speaking in early April about Nisbet potentially leaving, executive chairman of Hibs, Ron Gordon said: “That could be a possibility, to be honest. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

With 16 goals to his name this term, the forward is evidently very cool inside the penalty area. He is the second top scorer in the SPFL and has fired Hibernian to third spot in the division at the time of writing.

He is also managed by a certain Jack Ross, someone who lauded his penalty box antics as “terrific” earlier this season.

With Stewart struggling to hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light, Nisbet would make a fine addition.

After all, he’s fared very well against some of Scotland’s top defenders this term.

Ross added: “[He’s got] both feet, headers, tap-ins, longer range ones. Today (23/11/20) he played as a lone striker and that’s not something he’s had to do a lot this season, he’s played against Nir (Bitton) and Kristoffer Ajer who are two good players.”

The Hibs striker clearly plays with no fear; that would benefit Sunderland massively.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Burge: Sunderland gem who lost 62% duels will have Johnson fuming…

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants to be in charge of incoming and outgoing transfers at the club, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: New era at Old Trafford

The 52-year-old will head to Old Trafford at the end of the season, looking to bring the glory days back to United after a dismal few years for the Red Devils.

Ten Hag enjoyed great success during his time with Ajax, winning two Eredivisie titles, along with reaching the Champions League semi-finals back in 2018/19.

It is now nine years since United won a Premier League title and it is imperative that the rot stops sooner rather than later, with the 52-year-old hopefully the man to fix the club’s issues.

The Latest: Ten Hag makes key demand

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that Ten Hag wants to have a big say in which players leave and which individuals arrive this summer. The journalist outlined:

“He wants to be involved in the incomings and outgoings at Old Trafford, alongside Richard Arnold.

“If Ralf Rangnick is still there in an advisory capacity as well, I’m sure they’ll all be working together to see if they can get the best players to Manchester United because it’s going to take a bit of a rebuild at Old Trafford this summer.”

The Verdict: Makes complete sense

Part of United’s failure in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era is that it doesn’t always feel as though managers have had the final say over new signings.

That is something which simply has to change now, with Manchester City and Liverpool both perfect examples of allowing their managers to have a big say on transfer dealings. Painful as it is to admit for United, those two clubs are proof of that setup working.

It makes complete sense for Ten Hag to have exactly the players that he wants to work with, which could leave quite a few current Old Trafford individuals sweating going into the summer, given this season’s ineptitude.

In other news, United are expected to make an offer for a La Liga star. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace and Tottenham are just two of several clubs credited with a recent interest in Hatayspor striker Aaron Boupendza.

According to a report from 90min, Palace, Spurs and six other Premier League sides are all interested in the Gabon international.

Celtic and Rangers also keen

Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers are also thought to be keen on the 24-year-old, with the report claiming that it is the forward’s wish to move to the Premier League.

Hatayspor are reportedly willing to do business, should their £8.5m valuation be matched.

Boupendza has only been with the Turkish side since the summer and has already made a major impact, scoring 18 times goals in 26 Super Lig appearances.

Transfer Tavern take

Palace have lacked real firepower up front in recent years, relying too much on wide man Wilfried Zaha for goals at times, so bringing in Boupendza could be a shrewd piece of business.

Christian Benteke is out of contract in the summer, Michy Batshuayi will return to Chelsea at the end of the season and Jordan Ayew turns 30 in December, so this upcoming transfer window could be the perfect time to splash the cash on a striker.

It seems as if the Eagles will face plenty of English competition for Boupendza’s services, though, but guaranteeing game time at Selhurst Park could possibly work out in Palace’s favour.

In other news: Plenty of Palace fans have been reacting to one scout’s presence at Selhurst Park on the weekend, find out more here. 

When Farhad Moshiri sat down with Bill Kenwright and Marcel Brands a few months ago to speak about Everton’s recruitment, there would have been excitement in their words.

They were looking forward to a summer of Carlo Ancelotti flexing his muscle to strengthen the club’s hopes of Champions League football. However, life is never simple, especially at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

Ancelotti is no longer the manager of Everton after he moved back to Real Madrid in a shock turn of events.

The Toffees have been on the lookout for a new manager but with talks to lure Nuno Santo or Rafa Benitez to the club stalling, they’ve been dealt a potential setback.

According to reports (via The Daily Mail), Everton’s former manager could return to rob them of their star striker; Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Madrid are apparently keen on signing the Englishman and a bid of £50m may be enough to tempt Moshiri and Brands into selling.

Huge blow on the cards

If Everton did go on to lose Calvert-Lewin this summer, it would be a catastrophic blow to the new manager and the club’s supporters.

The forward has come out of nowhere in recent years to become a real shining light at Goodison Park.

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Last term ,he became the first player to score over 20 goals in a single season for the Toffees since a certain Romelu Lukaku.

Calvert-Lewin eventually ended the campaign with 21 strikes, form that earned him a place in England’s squad for the ongoing European Championships.

In terms of finding the net, the England striker was untouchable for Everton last term. He was the only player in Ancelotti’s ranks to find the net on double figures in the league as he led the line in dominant fashion.

With that in mind, fans of the club should be running for the hills if he departs. It would leave the Merseyside outfit desperately short in attack and there is no guarantee that a replacement would score as many goals.

When a club like Real Madrid have an interest in a player, it can often be worrying news for supporters of said player’s club and that is exactly the case right now for Everton.

Signed from Sheffield United for just over £1m, the club would be making a hefty profit but the financial gain of securing Champions League football for next term would significantly outweigh that.

Of course, finishing in the top four is an incredibly arduous task for Everton but their best chance of doing that is with Calvert-Lewin in the squad. They simply have to keep him.

AND in other news, Brands must seal Everton swoop for 6 ft 2 monster who plays like a “freight train”…

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!

After the weekend’s results so far, Tottenham Hotspur could give their European hopes a major boost with a win in North London this afternoon.

Ryan Mason and his side welcome Wolves to N17 knowing that three points would see them leapfrog local rivals West Ham into sixth place, and that would put them just four points behind the top four, with six points left on offer.

Last time out, Spurs suffered an embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Leeds, so the interim head coach will want to see a reaction from that pathetic outing, though he could do himself a favour or two when it comes to team selection.

Up at Elland Road, Eric Dier suffered a disaster of an afternoon as Patrick Bamford ran him ragged throughout the 90 minutes and the England international was arguably at fault for all three goals.

Writing in The Athletic, Alan Shearer slammed the centre-back and questioned his involvement ahead of this summer’s European Championships. He wrote:

“We saw Tyrone Mings and Eric Dier make big errors at the weekend, but that hasn’t been uncommon this season. Dier was given the runaround during Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal 3-1 defeat at Leeds United.”

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Dier allowed Jack Harrison’s cross to fly past him for their opener, was stood like a statue for Bamford’s strike and was woefully out of position when playing Raphinha onside for the third.

Defensive problems and a lack of cohesion have been the defining theme of Spurs’ turbulent season.

No centre-back has started more games in the Premier League than Dier (26) and that comes as a surprise considering their issues and his performances.

In February, former midfielder-turned-pundit Jamie O’Hara urged Jose Mourinho to drop the 27-year-old, he told talkSPORT: “As a centre-half, he just looks lost around the box. In my opinion, he needs to be dropped.”

Indeed, just a few months later, Danny Mills was heard describing Dier’s mistake against the Whites as a “defensive calamity” during commentary.

The £26m-rated centre-back, who earns a reported £85k-per-week in North London, must surely be facing the axe this afternoon, especially with Joe Rodon waiting in the wings.

Mason may have provided a hint heading into kick-off, too.

“He’s trained well,” he revealed to reporters ahead of the match – will there be a change? Only time will tell but on the above evidence, the 29-year-old caretaker must show no mercy and chop Dier from his starting XI today.

He has let Spurs down for far too long now.

AND in other news, Levy could seal Spurs’ best signing since Son in £36m beast who’s “similar to Eriksen”…

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.

Crystal Palace enjoyed a stellar summer transfer window, successfully overhauling their ageing first-team squad with a raft of exciting youngsters.

The last-minute arrival of Odsonne Edouard in a £14 million deal from Celtic added to the likes of Marc Guehi, Connor Gallagher and Joachim Andersen, putting the gloss on an extremely productive few months for the Eagles.

And now new manager Patrick Vieira has a selection headache that every football boss craves. The strength in depth at Selhurst Park will leave the Frenchman with some big decisions to make over the international period, with many stars pushing for a place in his best starting XI.

With that in mind, this is how Football FanCast expect the 45-year-old to line up his best XI following the conclusion of the summer transfer window…

The ever-reliable Vicente Guaita will keep his spot in goal after continuing to put in some impressive performances at the start of the new campaign.

In defence, the new centre-back partnership of Guehi and Andersen are set to be flanked by 22-year-old Tyrick Mitchell and the experienced Joel Ward, who will be tasked with bringing some Premier League knowhow to a young backline.

A new-look central midfield partnership of Gallagher and Will Hughes should provide the excitement, goals and energy that’s been missing from the Palace engine room in recent years, while Luka Milivojevic’s presence ensures it remains a solid and stable force.

Ahead of them is set to be an entertaining and skillful attacking trident of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and Edouard, relegating the £8.1m-rated Christian Benteke to the bench as he’s been a liability in recent years due to a lack of goalscoring prowess.

Eberechi Eze’s return to fitness following an Achilles injury will give Vieira even more food for thought, although the former England Under-21 international is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

And, in other news…Palace suffer major blow in pursuit of “explosive” 19-y/o prodigy, Vieira will be gutted