All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United have been extremely impressive in the current campaign but they’re still at risk of slipping out of the automatic promotion places if they suffer a dip in form. 

The Whites have already secured the services of Kiko Casilla this month, but there’re a couple of areas that still require improvements at Elland Road, so Andrea Radrizzani has a big job on his hands.

Indeed, Jack Clarke could leave this month amid interest (as per The Sun) from the Premier League and Marcelo Bielsa has already sent Samu Saiz out on loan, so attacking reinforcements are definitely required. And, with Kalvin Phillips filling in at centre-back a lot of the time, it would make sense for the Leeds boss to bring in a defender.

Interestingly, the answer to Leeds United’s winger situation could be Everton’s Yannick Bolasie.

Bolasie is back at Premier League club Everton after activating a break clause in his loan deal with Aston Villa. He was starting to build up ahead of steam under Dean Smith with two goals and five assists to his name, so he would be a great signing for the Whites as he can offer pace and skill, as well as the ability to score and provide.

One of Leeds United’s biggest problems up until this point the current campaign has been finding cover at the heart of the defence, as Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson have both spent time out the sidelines. Aapo Halme has impressed during his limited appearances, but he lacks the experience required given the Whites’ current position.

So, Radrizzani could play a big part in securing a deal for Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings.

The Englishman hasn’t been able to secure a regular place at the Vitality Stadium in the current campaign, so a loan move makes sense for the defender. He can operate either at left-back or at the heart of the defence, which is one aspect that would help Leeds massively. And, he has previous experience in the Championship from his time at Ipswich Town, as well as all the defensive attributes needed to become a big part of Leeds’ promotion push.

Leeds United fans – thoughts on potential moves for Mings and Bolasie?

Tottenham Hotspur insider John Wenham has claimed that Fabio Paratici could complete a swap deal with Villarreal for Pau Torres, with Giovani Lo Celso going the other way.

The Lowdown: Lo Celso impressing at Villarreal

After joining the La Liga outfit on loan in January, the 26-year-old has gone on to make a great impression with his new side, having been awarded player of the match in Villarreal’s shock 1-0 win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week.

As a result, a number of rumours have arisen linking the Argentina international with a permanent move to the Spanish club.

This comes amid Spurs’ interest in Torres, after the north London club failed in their pursuit of signing the centre-back last summer.

A recruitment source recently revealed to Football Insider that, once again, the 25-year-old is on Tottenham’s radar ahead of a potential summer swoop.

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The Latest: Wenham’s claim…

Wenham has suggested that Tottenham and Villarreal could come to an agreement over a swap deal for the two players.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed: “I think Villarreal are likely to agree a deal for Lo Celso. They actually have several players who are of interest to Tottenham.

“There is no clause in that [Lo Celso] deal but Fabio Paratici likes a swap deal so I’m sure we could work something out there.

“There is previous interest in Pau Torres, he is someone who we have looked at before.

“Danjuma is in great form and they have a good young talent in Yeremi. That is definitely an option we could take.”

The Verdict: Could be a great deal for Spurs

Given Torres’ label as the long-term successor for Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid, it is clear that his arrival at Hotspur Way would be an incredible piece of business for Paratici to pull off.

However, a swap deal between the pair seems unlikely given the differences in their respective transfer values. Torres has a current market value of £45m, whereas Lo Celso is worth just £19.8m.

Therefore, unless Spurs are going to cough up a vast sum alongside the midfielder, the proposed swap deal does not appear feasible.

Either way, it appears that Lo Celso will sign a permanent deal with Villarreal ahead of next season, where he appears to be having a better time of things than he did in north London.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Paratici’s scouting mission to see Djed Spence

Alan Myers has been reacting to some Everton team news which has now emerged involving Nathan Patterson.

The Lowdown: Season over for Patterson

As shared by the journalist on Twitter, Frank Lampard revealed in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match at Burnley in the Premier League tonight that the 20-year-old’s season is over after his latest injury setback.

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The Scotland international is expected to take eight to 10 weeks to recover, meaning that he will not be back at Goodison Park until pre-season.

The Latest: Myers reacts to Patterson injury

Following up on his previous update, Myers gave his reaction to the news, claiming: ‘When it rains, it pours’.

Of course, the Merseyside club are in a difficult place at the moment, with their game against the Clarets now looking like a must-win given their precarious position in the table.

The Verdict: Blow for Everton

To lose Patterson for the rest of the campaign is certainly a blow to Everton’s chances of staying up.

Although the youngster has only been used glowing reviews from his time at Glasgow Rangers, and he is a full Scotland international at just 20 years of age.

Nonetheless, many Toffees fans will be excited to see what he can do, but they will now have to wait until next term in what is a bitter setback for both the player and the club.

In other news, Everton are eyeing a move for this ‘brilliant’ Kevin Thelwell favourite

Arsenal and Barcelona are both interested in signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves this summer, according to journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

The Lowdown: Neves’ Wolves future in doubt

The 24-year-old has returned to top form for Wanderers this season, standing out as one of the team’s most influential performers throughout the campaign.

Neves has helped Wolves to boss numerous midfield battles in the Premier League, averaging 2.3 tackles per game and registering four goals and two assists.

A plethora of recent links have suggested that the Portuguese midfielder could depart Molineux this summer, with Manchester United among the leading suitors, and a new claim isn’t likely to alter that thought process.

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The Latest: Neves a man in demand

According to Manchester Evening News journalist Luckhurst, Arsenal and Barcelona are both eyeing up summer moves for Neves as they look to strengthen in the middle of the park.

It is stated that Wolves ‘could cash in’ on the Portugal international if he is unwilling his extend his stay at Molineux, with his current deal expiring in 2024.

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The Verdict: Matter of time?

Sadly, it does feel inevitable that Neves will be plying his trade elsewhere next season, with a top-four finish arguably the only thing which would have kept him at Wolves.

He may simply feel that he has outgrown Bruno Lage’s side at this point, giving five years of excellent services to the club, including taking home numerous end-of-season awards back in 2017/18 as they regained their top-flight status.

It is hard to begrudge him a move elsewhere, though, especially if Barcelona come calling, with the La Liga giants making impressive strides under new manager Xavi.

There is no absolute guarantee that Neves will leave the Black Country, and it would be an enormous bonus if he stays put, but there seems plenty of evidence to point towards him exiting at the end of the season.

In other news, Tim Spiers has given a double Wolves injury update. Read more here.

Manchester United are getting close to securing the appointment of Erik ten Hag to take over at Old Trafford this summer, however their transfer targets are proving more difficult to convince joining the club with a new update on one potential move.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Harry Kane is set to snub Manchester United’s advancements this summer to stay at Tottenham Hotspur with Antonio Conte.

The report suggests that ten Hag has made the England captain his ‘top striker target’ to sign upon his arrival when the transfer window opens on June 10th, but Kane would prefer to remain as the main man under his new Italian manager following their huge chance of Champions League football next season.

ten Hag will be disappointed

As mentioned in the report, ten Hag had set Kane as his top target for the Man United forward line this summer, so to already lose the chance of signing the striker will sure be hugely disappointing to the Dutch coach ahead of his arrival at the club.

The £200k-p/w star who was hailed “world class” by Antonio Conte, had a slow start to his season, only scoring and assisting once in his first 13 Premier League games but has been back to his best since his new Italian manager arrived at the club in November.

Under Conte’s guidance, Kane has been phenomenal scoring 15 goals and contributing eight assists, with his link up play being one of his most commendable attributes in the second half of this season delivering five assists in the last three league games.

This attacking output is something that Manchester United are desperate for, and ten Hag clearly values the impact and quality that the Spurs striker could add to his new squad next season, but with Rangnick failing to secure a comfortable position in the top four this snub could be a common theme for the club during the transfer window.

If Man United don’t qualify for Champions League football it could lead to a major set-back in the 52 year old manager’s ability to build the team he wants to lead at Old Trafford, with top players like Kane preferring to play in the prestigious European competition.

In other news: Imagine him & Ten Hag: Man Utd could unearth Pogba 2.0 in “versatile” £100k-p/w dynamo

Rangers are among the clubs eyeing teenage prodigy Zak Lovelace, according to The Daily Record’s Scott Burns. 

The lowdown

The youngster, who will turn 16 next week, became the second-youngest player in Millwall’s history when he made an appearance from the bench against Coventry City in December.

According to The Telegraph’s John Percy, the striker had to get ‘permission from his parents and his school’ to join up with the Lions squad for the fixture. Lovelace has been called to train with the club’s first team ‘several’ times.

The latest

Rangers have ‘regularly’ scouted Lovelace this season and are hopeful of signing him, as per The Daily Record. They face competition from the Premier League, with Leicester City and Brighton mentioned as prospective suitors.

Millwall are described as ‘desperate’ to keep hold of Lovelace, for whom they have ‘massive hopes’, and they are trying to persuade him to sign a professional contract at The Den.

The verdict

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has waxed lyrical about Lovelace, saying: “Zak is a really good lad. He has come in with a humility and hunger to want to do well – that exuberance of youth. I’d love to see how that develops over the next two or three years because he could be, from what I’ve seen, a top player.”

However, the 47-year-old admitted that the London club might not have full control over the teenager’s next move, so it could come down to who can offer him the clearest or swiftest path to senior football.

Rangers have clearly been impressed on their trips to watch Lovelace if they are interested in signing him, and they may even think that he’s a superstar in the making. After all, journalist Dan Marsh urged fans to ‘remember the name’ when the 15-year-old came on against Coventry.

In other news, Rangers are in a strong position to land this defender

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Wilfried Singo to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs are one of a number of English clubs who have sent scouts to watch the Torino right wing-back in action ahead of a potential swoop at the end of the season.

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The report then goes on to specify Spurs’ interest in the 21-year-old, who is believed to consider a move to the Premier League this summer as an unmissable opportunity, while it is also stated that the Serie A side would be willing to part with the Ivory Coast international, as long as they were to receive an offer in the region of €30m (£25m).

Conte would love him

Considering how impressive Singo has been in Italy throughout the current campaign, it is easy to see why Antonio Conte would be interested in a deal to bring the right-back to north London this summer.

Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances this season, the £25m-rated wing-back has been in breathtaking form for Ivan Juric’s side, scoring three goals, providing four assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 0.7 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

The £5.4k-per-week defender has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.3 clearances, and winning 5.7 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Matteo Bonetti dubbed a “revelation” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Torino’s joint seventh-best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, with Singo being a talent who is just as effective going forwards as he is sturdy in defence, it is clear to see that the 21-year-old would be something of a perfect fit for Conte’s right wing-back role.

And, with the player appearing to be extremely keen on a switch to north London, in addition to the fact that £25m is a very affordable figure for Spurs, it would seem as if Paratici is now on course to land a deal for the Ivorian starlet this summer.

AND in other news: “Not going to be at Tottenham…”: Gold drops update on £118m Spurs talent, time’s up

Craig Hope has revealed that Mitchel Bakker is ‘expected’ to sign for Newcastle United, providing that Bayer Leverkusen can bring in a replacement for him.

The Lowdown: Bruno on his way

To avoid doubt this time, Bruno Guimaraes now looks certain to move to St. James’ Park, in what will be their third new signing of the January transfer window after the arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood from Atletico Madrid and Burnley respectively.

Now, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium can focus on bringing in defensive targets, with just a few more days left until the deadline.

The Magpies have conceded an enormous 43 goals in 21 top flight games this season, so it would feel disappointing not to add more reinforcements at the back before Monday’s deadline.

The Latest: Bakker update

As per The Daily Mail journalist Hope, there is still hope that they can sign Bakker:

“Also told still hope of signing Leverkusen left-back Mitchel Bakker.”

He continued: “If Leverkusen can get a replacement sorted then it’s expected Bakker to NUFC for around £16m will go through.”

The Verdict: Exciting

These are exciting times for the Toon Army, as they seem to be strengthening in all areas of the pitch.

The great thing about Bakker is that he is versatile, and so can play as a central defender as well as his main position at left-back, and so the North East club could potentially kill two birds with one stone.

Dubbed someone who has ‘pace and strength’ in addition to ‘footballing ability’ by Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller (via The Chronicle), he has all of the qualities needed for a modern day defender, and at 21 years of age, he still has so much potential to grow further.

Nonetheless, the Tyneside outfit now look to be building a real core set of quality players who will help them both in their relegation fight and well into the future.

In other news, find out what shocking transfer update Pete Graves has revealed here!

Leeds United have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Brenden Aaronson…

What’s the word?

After having an initial £15m bid knocked back by RB Salzburg earlier this week, it appears as if the Austrian Bundesliga champions have told the Yorkshire outfit that their star midfielder is absolutely not for sale this month.

That is according to 90min, who claim a club spokesman has told the website that the 21-year-old is not leaving the Red Bull Arena anytime soon.

Perhaps that is hardly a surprise given their involvement in the Champions League knockout stages, where they will face German giants Bayern Munich later this month.

Gutting blow for Bielsa

This will come as hugely gutting news to Marcelo Bielsa, who is said to hugely admire a player of Aaronson’s quality and potential.

He is not only thought to be Leeds’ only target during the January transfer window but also one that the Argentinian head coach has personally demanded.

“So, Brenden Aaronson’s the one Leeds United want. The top and only target right now. Another offer will go in,” revealed LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross earlier in the week.

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Meanwhile, fellow journalist Pete O’Rourke recently told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s the one that Bielsa really wants. He thinks he fits the profile as the type of player that can go straight into his side.”

Indeed, it’s easy to see why the 66-year-old wants to bring Aaronson to Elland Road before deadline day in a little over ten days time.

His performances in UEFA’s elite competition have been quite remarkable indeed – operating as a ‘half-winger’ in Salzburg’s 4-2-2-2 system, he ranks amongst the top 1% of midfielders for pressures (27.84 per 90) and forcing the opposition into losing possession (8.55 per 90), via FBRef.

That goes to show his immense work rate in the final third and as we know with Bielsa’s philosophy at Leeds, he likes his attackers to defend from the front with a high press.

Dubbed “ruthless” and “relentless” by his former Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin, the young “playmaker” would tick plenty of boxes for Leeds.

Aaronson would fit like a glove in the current United squad, so the fact that the Yorkshiremen won’t be able to sign him this month will come as a devastating and frustrating blow to Bielsa, who must be livid to not secure his main target.

It’s now four years since the club bagged a new midfielder and that wait could rumble on further now.

AND in other news, Bielsa could land the next David Batty in “exciting talent” as Leeds  target “big signing” this January…

According to football.london reporter Chris Wheatley, Tottenham Hotspur may still be contenders to sign Dusan Vlahovic in 2022 and may even have a deal ‘in the pipeline’.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Vlahovic move…

Over the summer window, sporting director Fabio Paratici had the Serbia international firmly in his sights for Tottenham as he sought a striking alternative to Harry Kane.

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Those links have continued long into Antonio Conte’s managerial reign with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) even lifting the lid on a pre-January meeting in London with Fiorentina chiefs.

News recently has indicated that north London rivals Arsenal are favourites over Spurs to sign Vlahovic, but as per their football.london correspondent Wheatley, a Lilywhites agreement cannot be ruled out.

The Latest: Wheatley makes Vlahovic to Spurs claim…

The Gunners journalist, stating Arsenal director Edu is ‘doing everything’ to seal a move for the La Viola striker in January, also claims Tottenham are still well in contention.

According to his sources, Paratici has a close relationship with the player’s entourage and his ‘sources suggest’ a ‘deal could be in the pipeline’ for Vlahovic to join Tottenham ‘this summer.’

The Verdict: Glimmer of hope?

As Arsenal work behind the scenes for Vlahovic, news that Tottenham could be lurking in the background comes as news that provides a glimmer of hope.

The Lilywhites are in dire need of a forward who can also add real goal threat alongside Kane, with Vlahovic’s brilliant haul of 18 goals and four assists highlighting his real quality (Transfermarkt).

Lauded as an ‘unbelievable player’ by insider John Wenham, and a potentially ‘phenomenal signing’ (Football Insider), it’s clear to see why given his prolific nature.

If Tottenham can beat their fierce rivals to the £60 million star, it’s safe to say Paratici would be performing one brilliant piece of business for years to come.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option for ‘sensational player’ after loan spell with EPL rivals, find out more here.