All posts by z3u9t.icu

An update has emerged on Aston Villa target Leon Bailey, regarding the club’s latest bid for his services…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa have had an opening offer of £30m rejected by Bayer Leverkusen for Leon Bailey, as Dean Smith attempts to improve his attacking options heading into next season.

The report claims Todd Cantwell and Bailey are both being eyed by Villa, with the latter said to be valued in the region of £38m – the same fee the club paid for Emi Buendia.

Lange must work his magic

Villa chief Johan Lange must now work his magic to reach an agreement with Leverkusen over the transfer of Bailey this summer. He could be a terrific signing for the club and Lange should not give up after one offer for his services and, instead, return with a second bid for the Bundesliga ace.

Bailey enjoyed a terrific season in Germany for Leverkusen as he racked up nine goals and eight assists in the 2020/21 campaign, starting 25 games. In the Premier League, Jack Grealish managed six goals and 10 assists in 24 starts, meaning he had Bailey had one more direct goal contribution in one more start in comparison to the Villa captain.

This suggests that he could come in and provide a similar level of quality to the England international, strengthening the overall quality of Smith’s attacking options. Alongside the likes of Bertrand Traore, Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendia, Villa could have a frightening attacking lineup if they can keep hold of Grealish whilst also bringing the Leverkusen attacker to the club.

Ex-Ajax coach Ronald de Boer once hailed him as an “exceptional” player. He said: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Leverkusen’s sporting director Rudi Voller has also previously sung his praises. He said: “He’s got extraordinary pace, he’s very skilful with the ball, and he will give further impetus to our attacking department.”

The £70k-per-week beast, who was once touted with an England call-up, could, therefore, be a sublime signing and elevate Villa’s frontline to a new level by bringing the overall quality up. This is why Lange must not be deterred by his first bid being rejected and should now return with a second offer closer to the £38m the German side could be asking for.

AND in other news, Big update emerges on “wonderful” gem that will surely leave Villa fans gutted…

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is the latest man to be linked with the Crystal Palace managerial vacancy.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace supporters have been having their say on the 63-year-old on social media.

According to The Sun, Palace are planning talks with Favre after Steve Parish widened his search for Roy Hodgson’s successor.

Favre, who was sacked by the Bundesliga heavyweights in December, is thought to be keen on a move to the Premier League.

The report goes on to add that Parish has ended the Eagles’ interest in Steve Cooper, Frank Lampard and Valerian Ismael, with Favre’s small backroom staff suiting Palace.

Favre prefers a 4-2-3-1 system and has won five major honours in his managerial career.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared The Sun’s claims on Favre on Wednesday afternoon.

It didn’t take long for a number of Palace supporters to have their say on the links, with a selection of responses available to view below.

“Meh better than Cooper”Credit: @Thomas01568186″Do you know who this guy is with the ‘meh’? On par with Nuno at least, we’re such a step down for him”Credit: @CPFCknighty”If true I’d be so gassed”Credit: @cpfctris”Surely not haha”Credit: @OliverRender”not surprised”Credit: @JacobRMN”I would take him”Credit: @cpfcbible1

In other news: Eagles eye Euro 2020 ace along with Leeds, find out more here. 

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a move for Mauricio Pochettino, with Daniel Levy personally calling him in order to try and get him to join.

The Lowdown: Pochettino may return

There have been plenty of rumours circling about as to whether Pochettino is coming back to Spurs to take over from interim boss Ryan Mason, as Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol reported earlier in the week that one of his sources had told him they felt that the potential deal was ‘basically done’.

Nonetheless, there should be more developments heading into Euro 2020, as the Lilywhites would ideally like to being a new manager to north London as soon as possible with the summer transfer window edging ever closer.

The Latest: Tottenham make Pochettino move

As per AS (via Sport Witness), Tottenham have ‘made a move’ for Pochettino, as Levy has personally called the former Espanyol and Southampton coach on a number of different occasions in order to try and ‘convince’ him to return.

Pochettino would return to Spurs on two conditions – if he is offered a deal worth at least four years, and if he gets to ‘enjoy full powers’ when it comes down to sporting decisions.

The Argentine is ‘going through a bad situation’ at PSG and is looking for a way out of the club, although the recently vacant manager’s job at Real Madrid, given that Zinedine Zidane has now left, may ‘alter his plans’.

The Verdict: Tottenham should avoid Pochettino

Pochettino did a lot of great things at Spurs, none more so than getting them to a Champions League final, along with achieving four successive top-four finishes in the Premier League.

However, the 49-year-old never won a trophy during his time in N17, which is exactly what the north London club need at this moment in time in order to end their 13-year drought.

There is still time for the Lilywhites to find themselves the ideal successor to Jose Mourinho, with title-winning managers such as Zidane and Antonio Conte recently leaving their posts at both Madrid and Inter Milan respectively.

Spurs need to be ruthless and therefore put aside any sentiment that they may still have for Pochettino.

In other news, find out what big Brendan Rodgers to Tottenham claim has been dropped!

Rotherham are heading for disaster over “standout” centre-forward Michael Smith amid interest from Championship clubs.

What’s the talk?

According to the Bristol Post, Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson is considering a swoop for the Millers’ centre-forward, who is also wanted by fellow Championship side Middlesbrough. The report claims that Pearson is working with a tight budget at Ashton Gate and has identified the 29-year-old as a player who could come in and strengthen his attacking options ahead of next season.

Gazette Live then followed up on that news by claiming that Rotherham are willing to facilitate a Championship move for Smith at the right price. The club are prepared to let him move on to chase his Championship ambitions following Rotherham’s relegation to the third tier.

In November of last year, Rotherham manager Paul Warne heaped praise on “standout” forward Michael Smith, who “lead the line really well”. He told The Star: “I think he was our standout player by a country mile, he led the line really well, he worked hard and he caused them problems.

“Every time a cross came in, I fancied him to get on the end of it and he got himself a deserved goal.“His performance was one of the highlights of the first half for me for sure. That really pleased me and he looks a lot more like the Smudge we love.” Fans surely fuming

Rotherham fans will surely be fuming if Smith is allowed to leave the club this summer. He is one of the best players left at the New York Stadium following relegation to League One, and Warne’s squad could take a big hit by sanctioning his exit to Bristol City or Middlesbrough.

The 29-year-old averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.90 across 44 appearances in the Championship for the Millers, which was only bettered by Michael Ihiekwe and Lewis Wing, proving that he was one of the key players in Warne’s squad.

The £2,900k-per-week beast was Rotherham’s top scorer in the division with 10 strikes and one of only three players with more than three league goals. Matt Crooks (six) and Freddie Ladapo (nine) were the only other Rotherham players who found the net at a semi-regular rate. This highlights Smith’s importance to the side and illustrates how keeping him could be key to their promotion hopes in League One as he is their main source of goals.

Therefore, accepting that Smith can leave the club this summer may not be a smart move by the Millers. At the very least, they should fight to keep hold of him to give themselves the best chance of being able to bounce back at the first attempt, as his goal return shows that he could be key to Warne’s hopes of an instant return.

If a Championship club comes in with a mouth-watering offer at that stage which would allow Rotherham to reinvest and strengthen their squad, then that could make more sense for the League One club.

AND in other news, Rotherham must seal deal for “outstanding” £800-p/w goal machine, fans would love it…

Portsmouth have potentially been handed a transfer boost, regarding their pursuit of West Brom’s Josh Griffiths.

What’s the talk?

Cheltenham Town have officially confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Owen Evans from Wigan on a two-year deal this week. This could come as a boost to Portsmouth, as Cheltenham were interested in signing West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths following his excellent spell with the club in the 2020/21 campaign.

Portsmouth are thought to be looking at Griffiths as Danny Cowley attempts to bolster his squad this summer to launch a promotion push in League One. Yorkshire Live has claimed that Portsmouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Lincoln are all eyeing the starlet.

Earlier this year, Cheltenham boss Michael Duff labelled Griffiths as top drawer following a string of strong performances for the club. He told the Express and Star:

“He’s at a Premier League club and the reason why they send him out on loan is so that he makes his mistakes with teams like us rather than in the Premier League.“He’s been top drawer for us, he kept us in the game on Saturday against Bolton, and he’s got a chance of going right to the top. He’s got a good presence and good demeanour and he’ll learn from it.”Fans will be buzzingPortsmouth fans will be buzzing with this development as it could lead to the club sealing a deal for Griffiths ahead of next season. The club has a gigantic hole to fill in the coming months as they are set to lose Craig MacGillivray on a free transfer.MacGillivray is out of contract at the end of the month and is poised to depart from Fratton Park as Portsmouth are unable to match his wage demands, which means that Cowley will be losing his number one goalkeeper.Griffiths could, therefore, step in this summer and take over the number one spot. The 19-year-old could join on loan and provide a stop-gap for the next 12 months before Portsmouth are able to invest in a long term number one option if they are able to secure promotion to the Championship – rather than signing a cheaper goalkeeper who may not be able to make the step up if they achieve their goals.

The West Brom starlet was excellent for Cheltenham in League Two as they won the title last season. He kept 21 clean sheets and conceded 37 goals in 44 appearances in the league, which shows the consistency and quality he was able to provide Cheltenham in spite of his young age.

This suggests that he could be a great addition to Portsmouth’s team.

AND in other news, Major transfer news emerges on “aggressive” £4.3k-p/w dud, Pompey fans will love it…

In an official club announcement, Manchester City have confirmed that owner Sheikh Mansour will fund the flight and transfer costs for the Official Club trip to the UEFA Champions League final in Porto – with thousands of Sky Blues supporters set to benefit.

Indeed, as shared by the club, Mansour will personally seek to remove the ‘most significant financial barrier’ for fans attending the final – coming as many are faced with challenging circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inflated costs for the trip to Porto and vigorous PCR testing, mandatory before attendance, were set to cause headaches for City supporters wishing to attend the UCL final in Portugal – but they could now be eased greatly.

It is said by the official club website that Mansour will fund the ‘official travel package’ on the day of the final, ultimately assisting thousands of Sky Blues financially in the process.

In response, it’s safe to say City fans adore this move by the club and their owner – calling it an ‘absolute god send’ and ‘fantastic news’.

Find all of their best verdicts on the announcement down below.

Man City fans blown away by UCL announcement

“This is awesomee!!”

Credit: @alex_zappy05

“I literally can’t love my Club anymore than I already do! Absolutely superb this!”

Credit: @bardo_8

“absolute godsend, a gesture that we will forever be grateful for.”

Credit: @feedthegoat1234

“What a gesture love my club”

Credit: @sezzymol

“Wow, what a class act”

Credit: @AgueroProp

“That is fantastic news, my daughter is here gobsmacked as she was working out how she could afford it.”

Credit: @custardpie17

“The best owners in the world”

Credit: @bernardoooov3

“Absolutely class that, best owners in football”

Credit: @LukeKicks89

In other news: Man City fans want this superstar signed, it’s not Haaland or Kane…find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood, who made 164 appearances for West Ham, believes Jesse Lingard is taking every chance that is being thrown his way during his loan spell with the Hammers.

Lingard joined West Ham in January until the end of the season after failing to play a single minute of Premier League football for Manchester United in the first half of the season.

David Moyes has made it a priority for the Hammers to sign Lingard permanently this summer, however, they are not the only club interested in the £75,000-per-week midfielder, Arsenal are said to hold an interest and may make a move if they fail to sign Martin Odegaard.

Speaking on how Lingard continues to take his chances at West Ham and what the midfielder is doing every time he goes forward, Harewood told FFC:

“I think he’s understanding that you only get one or two chances, and you have to take them, especially at West Ham.

“He’s understanding that you have to take your chances when you get them and he’s doing that every time he’s going forward.”

Since Lingard made the temporary switch to London he has earned himself a recall to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, which will have put him in contention for a spot on the plane for this summer’s European Championships.

The 28-year old has reportedly still not decided what he wants to do next season, stay at West Ham or return to Man United and try to win his place back.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Frank McAvennie has been left excited by a Tottenham Hotspur managerial development as Roberto Martinez has been placed on the shortlist to replace Jose Mourinho. 

The Lowdown: Martinez linked to Spurs

The Spaniard has been sporadically linked to Spurs over this last month with Football Insider claiming he has been added to the managerial shortlist in north London.

As well as that report, journalist and reliable source of information Alasdair Gold said on his YouTube channel (May 5) that he is ‘certainly one’ the Lilywhites have been looking at alongside Graham Potter.

It is also claimed Spurs chiefs ‘really like’ his style of football amid reports he has entered the fray (Alasdair Gold).

The Latest: McAvennie excited by Martinez links

In reaction to the recent development of Martinez entering Tottenham’s shortlist, former West Ham United and Celtic striker McAvennie has certainly been left in awe.

“Wow, he’d be a great appointment,” he told Football Insider.

“Martinez has certainly got the stature to go into Tottenham. He’s worked with the biggest players on the planet with Belgium.

“It won’t frighten him. I’d imagine Martinez misses the day-to-day, the training with the boys.

“It’ll be great when you’ve got your players there but a good manager wants to be doing things every day.

“His stock is so high but Tottenham is a big club.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-story-roundup/” title=”Spurs story roundup!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: McAvennie right to be excited

Of all the managers linked to Tottenham over this past month, Martinez is arguably one of the names who have garnered the least discussion despite his experience both in the Premier League and at international level.

He even guided Belgium to a 2018 World Cup semi-final place where they only narrowly lost out to eventual winners France.

On the road, his Red Devils side knocked out five-time world champions Brazil in an impressive performance. 

The 47-year-old also has trophy-winning experience in England, clinching a memorable FA Cup triumph for Wigan in 2013 as they upset Manchester City at Wembley.

His accolades, therefore, could highlight the fact he is a strong outside contender.

In other news: Spurs keen to sell this 66-cap ace as Levy makes transfer call, find out more here.

Steve Cooper has been dealt a blow in his bid to re-sign Freddie Woodman for Swansea City this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Chronicle Live, who claim that both Arsenal and Southampton are interested in a move for the Newcastle United goalkeeper in the upcoming transfer window after impressing over two loan spells at Swansea – who are also thought to be keen on re-signing the shot-stopper this summer.

The report also included a quote given by Woodman himself, who revealed that he will not return to St. James’ Park in order to play second or third fiddle to Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow.

He said: “Currently I’m a Swansea player and that’s it. When I go back to Newcastle I’ll have the same mentality I had coming here. I’ll train and try to be No 1, and if that doesn’t happen I’ll work hard and keep trying to improve.”

Cooper will be gutted

Considering just how well the £8.1m-rated shot-stopper has performed over his two seasons at the Liberty Stadium, the news that the likes of Arsenal and Southampton are now considering a move for the 24-year-old – whom Ryan Dilks dubbed as “fantastic” – is likely to come as gutting news for Cooper.

In his first season with Swansea, Woodman kept 12 clean sheets over 43 Championship appearances, as well as making an average of 2.6 saves per game and stopping three out of the five penalties he faced – earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.89.

This term, the former England U21 international has kept a whopping 20 clean sheets over 45 Championship fixtures, in addition to making an average of 2.2 saves per game and stopping one of the three penalties he has faced, seeing the 24-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.92 – ranking him as the Swans’ 12th-best performer in the second tier.

And, with Cooper’s side just one game away from promotion via the play-off final, should the 41-year-old indeed lose the services of Woodman to either Arsenal or Southampton this summer, he will have the difficult task of sourcing a suitable replacement for his first-choice ‘keeper ahead of what may well be a top flight campaign.

Either way, the news of clubs’ interest with considerably bigger appeal and resources than the Swans would not appear to bode well for their chances of re-signing the shot-stopper this summer – although, securing promotion to the Premier League certainly wouldn’t damage their hopes.

In other news: Huge Swansea City exit claim emerges that will surely leave fans furious – opinion

Will he or won’t he? That appears to be the million-dollar question surrounding Celtic and the Bhoys’ managerial target Eddie Howe.

The 43-year-old has been linked with the job since November and has now emerged as the favourite to succeed Neil Lennon in the Parkhead dugout.

What’s the word?

Howe was in advanced discussions with Celtic a week ago but a number of complications have since arisen. The former Bournemouth boss doesn’t want to return to management until the summer, while he’s also seeking assurances over his backroom staff.

That being said, an update on Thursday provided reason to be excited. Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, presenter Paul Cooney provided some promising thoughts:

“The word is though, close to him, that it looks as though he’s coming. It’s about when. He knew Crystal Palace would come up, probably,” Cooney began.

“Newcastle may come up, others may come up and if it’s an absolutely massive one then maybe he won’t but the word is the deal is done, and he’s going to come,” the host concluded.

Fantastic news

Over recent weeks there have been consistent setbacks in Celtic’s search for a new manager. Ralf Rangnick was quickly touted with a move to Schalke before American coach Jesse Marsch was also ruled out of the running in swift fashion.

He admitted it was an honour to be linked with the job but, just a day later, it was revealed that he wouldn’t be moving to Glasgow in a few months’ time.

[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!”]

Roy Keane came close to walking through the door only for talks to hit a sticking point. Therefore, the Hoops supporters are due some good news.

After hearing that Howe wouldn’t entertain the idea of a move until the summer, it put a cloud of doubt over whether Celtic and Dermot Desmond would still want to bring him to Paradise.

That being said, as Cooney claims, he will still join the Bhoys unless another massive club comes calling. Given that Howe has been out of the managerial game for a while now, it would be a surprise if he received a better offer than Celtic between now and the summer months.

This is an update which should come as great comfort for a fan base who have been put through hell for various parts of this season.

AND in other news, Sold for £2m, now worth £25.2m: Celtic will rue terrible call on “superb” £50k-p/w gem…