All posts by z3u9t.icu

There has been widespread speculation that Bruno Lage is the man Jorge Mendes and Wolves want to succeed Nuno Espirito Santo and he certainly has big boots to fill but he could be up for the job according to Wolves legend, Steve Bull.

Lage has only ever been the manager in a top league once and that was from 2019 to 2020 with Benfica, but he did manage to guide them to the Liga Nos title and only lost two out of the 48 games he was in charge for from when he was appointed in January 2019.

Whoever arrives at Molineux will have a huge task on their handsm especially if reports are to be believed that the club are wanting to sell Ruben Neves for £35 million this summer so that they can raise some funds.

Lage would be a relatively risky appointment given his lack of experience as both a manager and in England but that was also the case for Nuno as he had never managed in England, so Bull thinks he could be a good appointment as he exclusively spoke to Football FanCast:

“We’ve got all these Portuguese players and ex-Benfica and Porto players that Mendes has brought in so he could be a good shout.

“I’ve not read too much into all of these managers and what they’ve done because it’s all come as a shock to me.”

Nuno had some rotten luck this season in terms of injuries having had to cope with a number of high profile players spending time on the sidelines such as Raul Jimenez, Pedro Neto and Willy Boly.

The Fosun group reportedly want to cut back on their spending at Wolves heading into this summer and it also emerged that they were looking to invest in Bordeaux, which could be a huge reason why they aren’t as hands-on at Molineux now.

Aston Villa are on course to seal the permanent signing of goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

What’s the Word?

That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that a source has revealed that Villa are in advanced talks to sign Olsen on a permanent deal from AS Roma – the 32-year-old shot-stopper who has been at the Premier League side on loan since January.

With just over a year left on his Roma contract, Gerrard could secure the services of Olsen on the cheap and he would provide solid cover for Emiliano Martinez next season.

Robin Olsen would provide excellent cover at Villa

During the first half of the campaign, Olsen was plying his trade at Sheffield United in the Championship, turning out 17 times for the Blades whilst only keeping one clean sheet.

This didn’t stop player John Egan from boosting the £13k-per-week keeper’s confidence, stating in the media that the Swede had a “big presence” and that they “were lucky to have him”.

Massive praise for someone who often let in too many goals during his tenure in the Championship. However, his international experience plus his age could well prove to make him a huge coup for Gerrard and Johan Lange.

Despite not making a first-team appearance for the side since his arrival, he has obviously impressed Steven Gerrard and the coaching staff. The Swede does have prior experience in the top flight, however, featuring for Everton on 11 occasions in the 2020-2021 season.

With further progress needed to show the board that he is moving in the right direction; Gerrard will be aiming to utilise his funds carefully and not squander vital cash on poor signings.

European football must be the aim and that is why the board went all out to secure his services from Rangers in November. The former England captain faces a huge summer ahead.

AND in other news: Gerrard now plotting AVFC bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he’s better than Phillips

Some Liverpool fans have been talking up the idea of the Reds signing Florian Neuhaus this summer, seeing him as a strong addition to the midfield.

Jurgen Klopp is likely to be eyeing up reinforcements at the end of the season, in order to bring a freshness to his squad.

It has been a difficult season for Liverpool, with injuries and form holding them back hugely, but the hope is that this is just a one-off poor campaign.

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Although the Reds are well-stocked in midfield at the moment, it could be an area of the pitch that suddenly needs addressing.

Gini Wijnaldum continues to be linked with a move to Barcelona and his contract expires this summer, while the likes of James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Thiago aren’t getting any younger.

According to Bild journalist Christian Falk [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], Liverpool have been eyeing up Borussia Monchengladbach star Nehuhaus for some time, seeing him as a potential addition.

The 24-year-old has five goals and assists apiece in the Bundesliga this season, suggesting he could bring creative quality to Klopp’s midfield.

Liverpool fans want Neuhaus to sign

These Liverpool supporters have provided their thoughts on the rumour on Twitter.

“I beg we get him. He is too good to leave out. He and/or Camavinga needs to be prioritised for the midfield”

Credit: @joethegoatgomez

“Get me this boy and Camavinga…sell Chambo, Shaq, Keita and books balance”

Credit: @Blvqbwoy

“Class”

Credit: @marvelgate

“Please”

Credit: @MalikRoca

“My Gini replacement”

Credit: @pg_Kenny

“He is amazing, plays as a CM, a number 8 , he is a technical player. A top CM who is composed on the ball, great passing , creates space for himself and his teammates and you just can’t press him, he gets away so intelligently. Similar player to Toni Kroos + De Jong”

Credit: @lfcabdu11

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to rumours linking the Reds with an exciting striker. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to sanction the departure of promising academy gem Dilan Markanday this week…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, who delivered an update on the situation to fans on Twitter this week.

“#Blackburn are close to agreeing [on] a deal to sign #Tottenham winger Dilan Markanday,” he said. “The context around this is that #Tottenham have wanted Markanday to sign a new contract and go out on loan, but he wants a permanent part of a senior first team and he’s good enough. A string of Championship clubs offering him the chance, including #Blackburn.”

Indeed, this certainly appears to be the case as fellow reporter Michael Bridge delivered his verdict to GIVEMESPORT.

“No confirmation yet, but I understand that Markanday’s contract runs out at the end of the season, so you’d assume it was a permanent deal.”

Terrible news

Spurs now seem set to lose out on one of their most exciting young talents, one that is a boyhood supporter of the club.

Markanday has been in electric form for the U23s this season, scoring 12 goals in only 14 appearances in the Premier League 2 and he has done so playing in a variety of attacking positions – largely, upfront and on the left flank.

A winger by trade, the 20-year-old seems a nice fit for Antonio Conte’s system as he can provide valuable backup to the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-conte-paratici-levy-premier-league” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

However, he just hasn’t been trusted to feature under the Italian, whereas players like Dane Scarlett have. Baffling.

The Barnet-born starlet envisaged spending his whole career at the club, as he revealed to the Independent back in November.

“The dream is to play for Tottenham for the next 15 years, playing every game, but obviously I know things might not work out and there are going to be ups and downs. But all I can control is the controllables and things will work out for the best,” he claimed.

Dubbed a “big talent” by broadcaster and Spurs fan Greg Jenner, it seems inexcusable to let a player with Markanday’s talent and attitude leave the club this month, instead of tying him down and plotting out plans for him to become a first-team star.

Just as Jenner is angry, much of the Lilywhites faithful are too – many were left dubbing the youth system a “joke.”

It wouldn’t be the first time that the club has lost a promising talent, either. You only have to look at what Noni Madueke has done in Holland to see why this is a major mistake.

No wonder many are fuming with this news.

AND in other news, “I’ve just had a message”: Duncan Castles drops Spurs transfer bombshell, Conte will be livid…

West Ham United are keen to sign Middlesbrough right-back Djed Spence this summer as their summer recruitment drive hots up [Telegraph].

In 2020/21, the 20-year-old was ever present at the Riverside, registering one goal in 41 appearances [Transfermarkt].

Following his lengthy involvement last term, he could now be set for a Premier League switch following recent developments.

West Ham are keen on the youngster, who may be available for a price of around £5 million plus add-ons according to ESPN.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rangers and Everton are also rumoured to be keeping a keen eye on his current situation [ESPN].

In light of this update, no wonder loads of West Ham United diehards took to social media to voice their opinion on the news.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to popular West Ham fan outlet West Ham Transfers, here is what some fans had to say about the Spence rumours:

Republic of Ireland legend Ray Houghton enjoyed a glittering international career, with his two greatest moments on that stage coming as he scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 win against England at the 1988 European Championships, before a repeat of the same situation and scoreline against Italy at the 1994 World Cup in America.

The midfielder was also a big part of the famous successful Liverpool team from the late 1980s and early 90s, winning the First Division and the FA Cup twice each between 1988 and 1992, before moving onto Aston Villa and lifting the League Cup in 1994.

Now retired, Houghton is set to swap the hallowed turf for a fishing rod to take part in an exciting new fishing programme called Angling Outlaws, which is to be shown on BT Sport next year.

We spoke exclusively to the football legend about a number of different subjects within the beautiful game…

What are your thoughts on the Celtic managerial situation?

“I think at the moment they’re probably doing their due diligence, which is probably the right thing to do, make sure you get the right person in because Rangers have already won the title. And I think people are getting a little bit panicky, because the Celtic fans want to see big names wanting to come to their club.

“I’m a Celtic fan. I grew up a Celtic fan. I don’t look at it as much as I once did. But yeah, there’s no doubt, you know, with Rangers doing as well as they are and Steven Gerrard, a big name in charge, Celtic feel that they could do likewise. And there’s been quite some names in the frame, Thierry Henry, Roy Keane, you know, amongst others. So, it will be interesting to see who they go for.”

Is Eddie Howe a big enough name?

“Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think in many respects, as I said earlier, it’s about reinventing yourself, it may be a good place for Eddie. Just to go and because your only real opposition is Rangers, you get into Europe and you’ve done well, you know, the fans will enjoy that give a decent run.

“But your main priority is to finish first in the league. And they just need someone to take them forward again, hopefully the owners invest money in the club. I think that’s one of the stipulations that a big manager coming in would have, they’ve got you have the finances to take the club forward.”

Who’s going to replace Jose Mourinho at Tottenham?

“I really don’t know. They’ve had Pochettino who got them to a Champions League Final – the only time they’ve ever been in the Champions League Final. Tottenham is a huge job, it’s a massive club, they’ve got a fantastic stadium, they’ve got training facilities to die for, but I just don’t see them getting the funds and I don’t know if the owner Joe Lewis puts in anywhere near what other clubs do, or he’s prepared to go into debt or get loans to bring in players.

“There’s no doubt Pochettino and Mourinho are massive names, and whether they can have that calibre of manager again if the finances aren’t there, I don’t know. It’ll be interesting to see who Daniel Levy, who looks like he’s the main man at the club when it comes to the appointments, has got in mind. He thought Mourinho with his CV was going to be the game changer as far as bringing trophies to the club, and that didn’t happen.”

Could you see Steven Gerrard becoming the next Tottenham manager?

“Well, I think with Steven he’s learning. Look what happened to Frank Lampard. Frank went to Derby and had a good season. And then suddenly, the Chelsea job came up, and of course, he’s going to jump at it. You know, you might not get that offered that again. Was it too early?

“So, with Steve, he probably feels he’s still got a little bit of work to do in the managerial side. Every year he’s doing work as a manager, he’s learning about players and with all due respect to Rangers and the players that they’ve got, going to Spurs or Liverpool is a whole new level of expectation.”

Would you see David Moyes getting the Spurs job?

“If it was purely just only football that might be the case. But don’t forget David Moyes was at West Ham when they let him go. So, loyalty works two ways. The club weren’t very loyal to him, were they?”

Do Liverpool need to freshen up their front three?

“I think there were rumours of going after Werner before he went to Chelsea, but there are not an awful lot of strikers around. Harry Kane would be great because he’s like your finished article up front. I don’t know what the finances are like, all I know is that over the last few years recruitments been very good.

“Last season it’s really slowed, we brought in the lad from Preston was in for £400,000, we brought we brought in the other centre-back for Germany – that’s not Liverpool’s way. They buy the best. They did that with Salah, Mane, Allison, and Van Dijk.”

Ray Houghton will be joining Paul Parker, Tony Gale and Frank McAvennie on BT Sport’s Angling Outlaws, next summer.

With the help of Outlaw Pro, the four former pros will be trying their hand at fishing, with the quadruplet facing off at the end of the six-part series to see who knows their slide tackles from their tackle boxes.

Manchester City are willing to wait 12 months to acquire an ‘ideal striker’ amid obstacles to signing reported target Harry Kane, as relayed by City Xtra.

In need of a replacement for club legend Sergio Aguero, the Blues could elect to hold off for a year before effectively replacing the Argentinian [ESPN].

Signing a lengthy contract extension back in 2016 at Tottenham Hotspur, the England captain still has three years to run on his deal at the Londoners, who allegedly value his signature at more than £150 million according to reports [City Xtra].

Enjoying a stunning 2020/21 season, Kane chipped in with an unbelievable 50 goal contributions for Spurs in 49 fixtures; 33 goals and 17 assists [Transfermarkt].

In light of the news that the Citizens are set to hold off on his prospective signature, no wonder loads of Manchester City diehards took to Twitter to protest.

City fans react:

Replying to the City Xtra Twitter page, here is how some supporters summarized their feelings on these recent developments:

“A massive gamble”

Credit: @MCFC_SZn26″our board isn’t learning. If we can’t get Kane, go for Lukaku. If that can’t happen go for Silva from Frankfurt. Kane and Haaland aren’t the only strikers in the world.”Credit: @MCFC_SZn26″I would feel sick and frustrated starting a petition on change.org to remove Txiki for letting Aguero go without a replacement”Credit: @ManCityKD”Terrible, obviously? What was the logic in not extending Agüero’s contract with a year if we weren’t gonna replace him properly?”Credit: @Naji33211550″I don’t feel we’ll get away with another season without a striker – other teams will learn from Chelsea and how we struggled with their approach, and will replicate it…. It’s natural / same happened this year to Liverpool and how teams learned to expose their weakness at RB”Credit: @gwhewell0704″Can’t see us making the same mistake of never replacing Kompany for a few years. His goals won’t be replaced by Jesus and possibly Torres if given a good run of games. Replacing Aguero this summer is a must in my eyes!”Credit: @mcfcsoldierIn other news, Manchester City fans react to official confirmation of a transfer offer.

It is always a gamble when Celtic decide to bring in a new player as there are so many factors at play, whether that be how they adapt to the style of play, how they get on with their teammates, or how they respond to the manager.

This is heightened when a young player comes through the door as all of those issues are questioned whilst they are still in the early development stages of their career. They are being signed on their potential rather than their ability at the time and that can make expectations hard to handle.

One player on whom Celtic took a gamble was right-back Jeremie Frimpong, signing him from Manchester City’s academy for £342,000 in the summer of 2019 when he was 18 years old. He had not played a single senior match in his career and the Hoops decided to splash out almost half a million pounds on his services, but that fee quickly started looking like a bargain for the Scottish giants.

Frimpong made 21 senior appearances for Celtic in the 2019/20 campaign, scoring twice and setting up three goals as he showed off his attacking quality from full-back. This led to his former Hoops manager Neil Lennon lauding the youngster as an ‘outstanding talent’ and admitting that he couldn’t hold him back.

He said: “I’m just delighted what he brings to the game, defensively or offensively and there is as an end product as well. He’s an outstanding talent who looks after himself. Watching him makes me tired, the amount of runs he makes, he wears people down.

“He is an amazing player. Amazing. With younger players, you want to look after them but you can’t hold talent back.”

Frimpong then pushed on further in the 2020/21 season as he started 19 games in the Premiership campaign, with 30 appearances in all competitions, averaging a solid SofaScore rating of 6.81. He helped Celtic to keep eight clean sheets in those games, whilst contributing offensively with one goal and two assists.

This led to Bayer Leverkusen swooping for him in the January transfer window at the start of this year. At the time of the move, Transfermarkt valued him at £3.6m based on his form for Celtic over the previous two seasons.

He spent his first few months adjusting to life in the Bundesliga, starting four of his first 10 league appearances for Leverkusen. This season, he is thriving in Germany with an average SofaScore rating of 7.13 in seven Bundesliga starts, providing three assists for his team.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt value him at a whopping £13.5m. Not only is this more than the £9.9m Celtic reportedly received for his services, but it is also a 275% increase on the £3.6m at which he was valued upon his exit from Parkhead.

This shows that Celtic endured a disaster by selling him when they did. Had they been able to keep hold of him for another six months, or longer, they could then have sold him for a larger fee based on his progress in the last 10 months. The Hoops could have raked in a bigger transfer fee, which they could then have invested into making the team stronger across the park.

Whilst they will be proud of their work in bringing him to the club for a minimal fee before selling him on for profit, his soaring market value suggests that it was a mistake to cash in when they did as they have potentially missed out on a sizeable payday.

AND in other news, Celtic powerhouse has seen value soar 500% since January, he’s solved key issue…

A number of Liverpool fans are delighted after the government announced stadiums will be at full capacity for the start of next season.

The Reds had a forgettable 2020/21 campaign for many reasons, with injuries ravaging the squad and their title defence fizzling out in the New Year.

One of the worst aspects of the whole season was having to play in front of empty stadiums, however, leading to lifeless atmospheres.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

While every team suffered from having no fans cheering them on, Anfield’s renowned influence on Liverpool arguably made it particularly tough for them.

On Monday, however, the government confirmed that the lifting of restrictions on July 19th would mean grounds can be full again from August, acting as a huge boost.

It is sure to be an emotional day when the Reds host Burnley in their first home Premier League game of next season, as many thousands of supporters finally return to Anfield.

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Liverpool fans react to key update ahead of next season

These Liverpool fans have been reacting joyously to the news on Twitter.

“What a relief!!!”

Credit: @Bodda_Wale

“Finally… That’s all we need”

Credit: @Red_Princess__

“The sceneeeeeessss! God I can’t wait to see a full Anfield again!”

Credit: @Jessvandoninck

“My love for this club”

Credit: @mjmarkson

“We’re winning the league next season”

Credit: @drior23

“We are winning the treble”

Credit: @sarib_khalil

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly preparing talks with one player over his Reds future. Find out who it is here.

Sheffield United have potentially been handed a boost in their bid to bring Amad Diallo to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Dutch media outlet AD, who claim that the Manchester United winger’s proposed season-long loan switch to Feyenoord has fallen through after the 19-year-old picked up an injury at the weekend.

Previous reports had claimed that Sheffield United were also in talks to sign the Ivory Coast international, with the Premier League side believed to be more than happy to sanction the temporary departure of the former Atalanta forward this summer.

His injury may prevent a move this summer but it would open up the possibility of the Blades signing him in the winter instead.

Fans would love him

While it is unclear exactly how long Diallo will be ruled out for as a result of his injury, the fact that the winger’s move to Feyenoord now appears to be dead in the water is undoubtedly a huge boost for Slavisa Jokanovic’s side – as there would appear to be a way for the Blades to make a deal for the 19-year-old work either now or in the future.

With the Eredivisie side’s technical director Frank Arnesen stating his belief that it would be better for Diallo to spend his recovery from injury at Manchester United, this would seem to open the door for a Sheffield United move, as the Championship club could propose to nevertheless sign the winger on a loan deal in the current transfer window, but only bring the youngster to Bramall Lane upon his return to fitness.

And, considering just how short Jokanovic currently is in the wide attacking positions of his squad, in addition to the £16.2m-rated man’s undoubted ability, signing Diallo now and waiting for his arrival at the club would seem to be a better option than bringing no one in at all.

Indeed, while first-team opportunities have been scarce at United so far, the £25k-per-week 19-year-old nevertheless proved over his 46 appearances for the Atalanta Primavera side that he is an extremely exciting prospect. He scored 13 goals and registered 15 assists for the youth team, in addition to scoring four goals and providing one assist over his three appearances for the United U23 side.

With Jokanovic’s side having scored a league-low one goal over their opening five Championship fixtures of the campaign, the Blades are desperately lacking in both creativity and a clinical edge in front of goal so far this season.

Thus, the addition of the player Daniel James dubbed an “unbelievable” talent would undoubtedly be a signing both fans and the 53-year-old manager would love to get over the line prior to Tuesday’s transfer deadline, regardless of his injury.

In other news: Key club figure drops update on “outstanding” SUFC target, Jokanovic will be buzzing