All posts by z3u9t.icu

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood believes Moise Kean’s form at Paris Saint-Germain this season means he will get to decide where his future lies.

Kean is currently on loan at the 2020 Champions League finalists from Everton, joining last October in a move that has helped to resurrect his career.

The 21-year-old struggled to make much of an impact at Goodison Park following his transfer from Juventus back in 2019. He scored just two league goals in 29 games and was infamously substituted despite being brought on as a substitute by Duncan Ferguson in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United.

Kean’s fortunes, however, have changed drastically. The Italian forward has struck 11 times in Ligue 1 during the current campaign and has also found the back of the net three times in the Champions League, including against Barcelona.

As a result, Harewood thinks £53,000-a-week man Kean will have the choice of staying at Everton or joining PSG permanently, with both clubs likely to want to keep the in-form man after his exploits.

“Football’s crazy, that’s why I love football. From him being at a top club like Everton, to moving to PSG – you’re talking about elite levels,” the former Premier League striker said to FFC.

“He’s gone there and done really well. It’s good because sometimes when players go on loan, you go out on loan to try and better yourself and try and carry on your future at another club because you’re not getting it at the club that you’re at, he’s literally done that. He’s gone to another club and just excelled.”

“So it’s all on him really if he wants to stay or if he wants to come back to Everton, because he seems very at home where he is and is playing so well.”

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is currently Everton’s first-choice No.9 and understandably so given the season that he is having. However, with Carlo Ancelotti sometimes deploying a two-striker system, there could be room yet for Kean at Goodison Park.

Southampton are one of several Premier League sides reportedly taking an interest in Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard ahead of the summer transfer window, and if he were to join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side he could prove to be an upgrade on Moussa Djenepo.

According to the Daily Star, Southampton, West Ham and Leeds United are set to rival Tottenham Hotspur for the 20-year-old in the summer, after his impressive performances in Serie A this season.

The report suggests that the Italian side would demand around £15 million for the youngster, having signed him for just £5.2 million from Nordsjaelland last summer.

In 20 Serie A appearances this season, Damsgaard has averaged a solid 6.76 rating for Claudio Ranieri’s side, with two goals and four assists to his name.

If he were to join Southampton, he would likely challenge Nathan Redmond and Djenepo for the stating spot on the left-hand side, although he has also featured as a central-midfielder and a striker in his career thus far.

Given Djenepo’s poor performances this season, with the Mali international having managed just one goal and no assists in 15 Premier League appearances, it is perhaps fair to suggest that Damsgaard could be an upgrade on the 22-year-old.

Djenepo has earned a disappointing average 6.5/10 rating for his performances this season, and averages 0.7 shots per game, 0.3 key passes per game and just 17.1 passes per game in the top-flight.

Damsgaard, meanwhile, averages 0.7 shots, 0.8 key passes and 21.5 passes per game for Sampdoria, despite featuring much more regularly as a substitute.

Therefore, the Danish international looks to be much more of a threat going forwards than Djenepo, who is perhaps guilty of trying too much at times, often losing the ball when attempting dribbles and generally just not offering enough in the final third for Hasenhuttl.

Considering Damsgaard is younger than Djenepo and available at an affordable price, Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary’s this summer, as he looks to have a really bright future.

And, in other news… Forget Armstrong: Southampton beast who played 5 key passes was Ralph’s best vs Wolves

Fans of Crystal Palace have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed the news of Reece Hannam signing a contract extension at the south London club.

According to a statement on the Crystal Palace website, the 20-year-old left-back has put pen to paper on a new deal with Roy Hodgson’s side, which will see him remain at Selhurst Park until the summer of 2023, with the option to extend a further year.

It is said that the defender, who joined Palace last summer, has been a ‘key member’ of Shaun Derry’s U23 side this season, featuring in 11 fixtures over which he has provided his teammates with four assists.

While the youngster is yet to make his debut for Hodgson’s first-team, he has featured in a matchday squad, being an unused substitute in the club’s 0-0 draw with Fulham towards the end of February.

And, after Crystal Palace relayed news of Hannam’s contract extension on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many urging Hodgson to include the youth prospect in the club’s upcoming Premier League fixtures.

So, what exactly did these Crystal Palace fans have to say in reaction to the club’s post regarding Reece Hannam?

“He’ll be here longer than Roy.”

@cpfc_sean

“Good back up for Mitchell next season.”

@michaeltulley64

“Great now get him in the first team.”

@Laleagles

“Start him today.”

@CPFC_Ollie_

“Give us more sweet contract news, please.”

@liamb0117

“Come on.”

@AaronCu36671808

“Yesssir”

@Kevbartleyy

In other news, many Palace fans reacted to these Hodgson comments – find out more here!

The Athletic’s Wolverhampton Wanderers reporter, Tim Spiers, recently dropped a hint concerning Patrick Cutrone’s Wolves return, via Twitter.

This comes after the journalist posted another tweet explaining that alleged transfer targets Christian Eriksen and Diego Costa are unlikely to join the West Midlands club due to their wages.

Recalling Cutrone

In response to that original tweet, one Wolves fan asked Spiers why the club doesn’t recall centre-forward Cutrone from his loan at Serie A side Fiorentina if they are unwilling to splash out on a new signing in January, with fellow Old Gold centre-forward Raul Jimenez out of action due to a fractured skull at present.

This comes after Cutrone moved to Fiorentina from Molineux on loan a year ago and is currently scheduled to return from that loan spell in the summer.

However, with Cutrone having failed to set the world alight at Fiorentina after not even scoring a single goal for the club so far this term, the journalist replied to that Wolves fan’s tweet to reveal that the West Midlands club “probably will” recall the 23-year-old from his loan prematurely.

What does that mean for Cutrone’s Wolves future?

So, while Spiers indicated that the Italian may not be at Fiorentina for much longer, this doesn’t mean that he will be part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad for the second half of the 2020/21 campaign, as the journalist explained that it may be more likely that we’ll see the £10.8m-rated forward get sent out on another loan elsewhere.

However, with 18-year-old Fabio Silva the Old Gold’s only fit, recognised centre-forward at present, per Transfermarkt, surely the West Midlands club will have to consider keeping Cutrone at Molineux if they do intend to cut his loan spell short, rather than sending him out on another loan when they’re already short for numbers in his position and it will be interesting to see how the club does proceed with Cutrone from this point.

In other news, some Wolves fans are buzzing to see their club linked with a move for Christian Eriksen.

Tottenham Hotspur academy starlet Oliver Skipp continues to impress immensely at Norwich City.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been getting his first real taste of the men’s game in the Championship and has taken to the test like a duck to water.

Indeed, the England U21 international has started all 25 of the Canaries’ league outings, where he has thrived in a defensive midfield role.

Per WhoScored, Skipp has managed to average 2.1 tackles per 90 minutes with a success rate of 77.7%, meaning more often than not, the opposition are struggling to get past him.

This has even be reinforced by teammate Grant Hanley’s glowing endorsement of him to the local press in recent weeks, he believes the young Englishman is a dream for centre-backs like himself. Hanley told the Eastern Daily Press:

“Skippy’s got experience beyond his years really, he looks like he’s played at the top level for 10 or 15 years, it’s hard to think that he’s still so young,” and then added: “I know he gets a lot of credit but then he probably doesn’t get enough sometimes, because he does all the stuff that you love as a centre-half.”

The Hotspur Way academy graduate is also contributing further up the pitch as seen by his average of 0.8 key passes per game in the second-tier.

Whilst this may not be as creative as say an Emi Buendia (3.3 key passes per game) in this current Norwich squad or even that of a Christian Eriksen, a former Spurs great who managed at least 2.1 key passes per game in the Premier League for Spurs in all but his final campaign, it does hint towards him being a nifty box-to-box option in the future.

Perhaps he’s more of a Michael Carrick than any other ex-Spurs midfielder. He too was a player managed by Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, whilst during his time in N17, he was predominantly deployed as a defensive midfielder (33 of 75 appearances).

Neither player is going to set the pulses racing with spectacular and electric performances, but they do the dirty work that often goes unnoticed – Xavi once proclaimed that Carrick was a “complete player,” which makes his constant omission from international stardom all that more baffling. He only went to one World Cup and managed just 34 caps over his playing career.

The young Spurs sensation could be a rare exception to this style of player as he’s already been capped across U16s, U18s and U21s level.

Skipp’s progress at Carrow Road has been phenomenal thus far, and whilst he’s not going to be recalled this month, he is very much part of Mourinho’s long-term plans.

After agreeing to a contract extension, the Spurs boss said: “Everybody in the club is [happy], his team-mates are, I am and Skippy is or not he wouldn’t sign the contract. I think he’s genuinely Tottenham’s future,” before going onto claim: “I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality.”

Also lauded as “phenomenal” by the ‘Special One’ in the past, Skipp is clearly going to be part of the furniture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for years to come, and his experience in Norfolk is only doing his career wonders right now.

AND in other news, Grealish 2.0: Levy dropped a massive Spurs howler over “devastating” £55m “game-changer”…

With reports suggesting that Douglas Luiz is now being touted with a potential move to Juventus, Aston Villa must surely step in to try and avoid a major transfer heartbreak.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that the Brazilian’s former club Manchester City were considering exercising their buy-back clause on the midfielder and ensuring a return to the Etihad Stadium.

Now, it’s been suggested by reports in the Italian media that Luiz has been offered to Serie A giants Juventus, and that intermediaries have actually already approached the Bianconeri to try and engineer a move for him.

Lange must intervene

With the kind of success that the likes of Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins have enjoyed this season, it’s easy to almost forget the kind of seismic influence that Luiz has on this Villa side.

The Brazilian’s performances for the Midlands club have even earned him his first couple of senior caps for Brazil, and that’s a testament to the kind of improvements and strides he has made under Dean Smith in this past year and a half.

Speaking earlier in the summer, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, said of him: “He’s an absolute joy to watch now and I never thought I would be saying that. Villa have got a fantastic player in Douglas Luiz now, he looks like an absolute star, he could have played in that Man United team.

“He was better than (Paul) Pogba, I thought. I thought he was brilliant, hardly did anything wrong, hardly put a foot wrong. He won so many interceptions and made so many important blocks. When he gets the ball, he passes it nicely. He’s the best player in that Villa team at the moment because it’s just not working for John McGinn.”

Johan Lange must intervene and ensure Villa don’t lose him to any of the European heavyweights anytime soon.

Celtic are currently looking to bring Bright Osayi-Samuel to Parkhead as he enters the last six months of his contract. The winger has attracted a lot of attention thanks to his pace and ability on the ball, which is extremely hard for defenders to deal with.

However, a pre-contract next month to bring him to the club in the summer is not soon enough for Neil Lennon. The boss is reportedly looking to rush through a deal and sign him immediately in January. Considering the Irishman’s future at the club could potentially hang in the balance of Celtic’s transfer window, it’s no wonder he wants to recruit such a strong attacking player straight away.

Osayi-Samuel would be ideal Lennon signing

The Hoops have endured a wretched season compared to their usual standards. Their up and down results mean that they will likely lose out on a tenth consecutive Premiership title to the hands of arch rivals Rangers. Steven Gerrard and his men are still yet to lose a league match this term and Celtic have simply been unable to match their tenacity.

It’s also a worrying thought that Mohamed Elyounoussi, their top scorer of the season, is due to return from his loan spell in the summer. Unless they arrange a deal to keep him permanently, the Bhoys will lose a massive part of their attack.

But even with Elyounoussi’s departure, the club has academy graduate Mikey Johnston waiting in the wings for his big chance in the senior team. However, Lennon does not have a recognised right-winger on his books and he has been forced to deploy the likes of Ryan Christie and David Turnbull in this position.

Whilst they have both done a solid job, a club of Celtic’s calibre needs to sign a natural wide-man. Bringing £6,500 per week Osayi-Samuel to Parkhead would fit a huge gap in the roster.

QPR boss Mark Warburton has sung the praises of the “outstanding” attacker, who tallied six goals and nine assists last season (via Transfermarkt).

In other news, Signing Mark McKenzie would be huge move from Lawwell…

If truth be told, Glasgow Rangers aren’t the first club, and they certainly won’t be the last to miss out on signing some of the best football players in the world. However, that won’t stop Rangers fans from wishfully thinking about the transfers that got away.

Whilst Alex McLeish is by no means the only man at fault, the former Rangers manager missed the chance to sign some of the brightest talents in a generation, with the likes of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi firmly on his radar. Without trying to rub salt in the wounds, both would then go on to become Barcelona legends in their own right.

Fast forward a few years later, and Steven Gerrard must be delighted with the striker options available to him at the moment. In fact, it’s fair to say the Gers boss is pretty spoilt for choice, as Alfredo Morelos remains his first-choice striker, with Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe providing cover and competition, whilst Kemar Roofe marked his successful return from injury with a sensational screamer in the Europa League.

The trouble is, nobody ever really knows for sure if a young player will hit the same heights as an Ally McCoist, say, or even a Barry Ferguson. Some players seem to have the world at their feet, whilst others make a promising start then suffer a career-threatening injury – the least said about Jack Wilshere, the better – Gerrard did once call him a “frightening” prospect.

However, it seems McLeish may have had an absolute stinker here, as he missed the opportunity to sign a world-class striker who would be described as “one of the best” by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

According to a report by The BBC in 2002, Rangers were interested in signing Samuel Eto’o, who was still with Real Mallorca at the time. It was understood that Mallorca were struggling financially and were prepared to sell one of their prized assets, which means that the Cameroonian may have been available for a cut-price deal.

Instead, McLeish, in his infinite wisdom, decided to turn his attentions elsewhere. He told the club’s official website, as quoted by the report: “Samuel Eto’o is a player I like, but there are a lot of players out there that I like.

“He is not the number one target.

“There were a number of excellent players on show in the Cameroon-Argentina game which Andy watched, including Marc-Vivien Foe, who is a midfield player.

“There are a lot of players out there who we would love to bring to Rangers, but we will do it when the time is right.”

In the end, Eto’o scored 67 goals in 155 appearances for Los Bermellones, before he joined Spanish giants Barcelona in 2004 for a reported fee of $29.41m, which roughly equates to £22.96m.

The former 118-cap Cameroon international bagged 130 goals and 40 assists in 199 games for Barca, and won three La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies, two Copa del Reys, and two Spanish Super Cups in the process, via Transfermarkt.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time, he won the African Player of the Year three times in a row, winning the award for the final time in 2010, which just goes to show the longevity of his career.

Once hailed as an “incredible” player by City boss Guardiola, Eto’o went on to enjoy spells with Inter Milan, Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea and Everton, before he hung up his boots for the final time after a stint with Qatar SC. Things may have been very different indeed if McLeish had managed to work with Eto’o rather than Tore Andre Flo, who turned out to be a total flop. Just imagine what he may have been able to do alongside the likes of Peter Lovenkrands and Michael Mols, it almost doesn’t bear thinking about.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers have the perfect James Tavernier heir in Nathan Patterson…

Shane Duffy’s recent international performance will serve as an eye-opener for Celtic Boss Neil Lennon. The defender continues to drop lacklustre performances and the Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 defeat to England was no different.

The Hoops manager has been chopping and changing his squad recently, seemingly putting some round pegs in square holes. Duffy has played every match for Celtic so far this season, but has been disappointing in his most recent displays. The 28-year-old has shipped eight goals in his last three appearances for club and country and has arguably been Lennon’s weakest man in his backline.

Duffy not living up to expectations at Celtic

Celtic signed the Brighton man on a year-long loan deal back in September. The idea was to bolster the backline and press on towards their ongoing Premiership dominance. However, the Hoops have fallen out of favour this season – Rangers currently top the table with a nine point advantage on Lennon’s men.

The decision to sign fellow loanee Mohamed Elyounoussi has proved to be huge brainwave, but Duffy is perhaps not living up to his expectations. Celtic have conceded 11 goals in 12 games played so far, whilst they only had 19 put past them in the entirety of last campaign.

Whilst Duffy isn’t solely to blame for his side’s poor defensive performances, he has hardly been a player to sing about under Lennon. His disappointing match against England will also be on the 49-year-old’s mind as he prepares to set up to face Hibernian in their next league match.

With the recent positive injury news on Christopher Jullien, Duffy could be benched for the upcoming Premiership fixture as the 27-year-old makes his much anticipated return.

In other news, Neil Lennon lauded for experimental Ryan Christie role as he shines for Scotland…

Tottenham Hotspur are desperate for a new striker this summer and their ongoing pursuit has seen them revisit a former target of Mauricio Pochettino’s…

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, Spurs could be prepared to offer €15m (£13.8m) for Metz forward Habib Diallo before the transfer deadline on October 5th.

They claim that the 25-year-old is desperate to leave the Ligue 1 outfit to join the Premier League, especially the north London outfit, who are his priority.

A few weeks before his sacking, ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was keen on signing the Senegalese talisman in a £10m deal, though Chelsea were also thought to be keen, per TEAMtalk.

Second time lucky?

Well, it’s certainly no secret that Jose Mourinho needs another option to Harry Kane this window and perhaps Diallo offers a cheap solution.

The 6 foot 1 powerhouse provided 12 goals and three assists in Ligue 1 last season, which included strikes against Monaco and Yann M’Vila’s Saint-Etienne, via Transfermarkt.

He captained Metz for the majority of those matches, but this term, he’s been condemned to the bench and last time out, he didn’t get a single minute on the pitch.

Diallo has followed in the footsteps of Sadio Mane and Ismaila Sarr, and could well become the next to make the step into the English top-flight if Spurs manage to clinch him this summer.

Former teammate Franck Signorino believes the 25-year-old is “a good forward, holds up the ball well, and he’s effective with his head” whilst his coach Vincent Hognon added: “He’s a guy with every quality going. You know how much I love him. I’m surprised he hasn’t found a club matching his stature. I see his quality in his movement, the way he keeps the ball, in a huge amount of things.”

As a late bloomer like Wolves’ Raul Jimenez, the Senegalese striker has also been dubbed a “phenomenal finisher” who is also class aerially by WonderScouting.

Diallo has even been likened to Emmanuel Adebayor due to his physical movement on the ball, so perhaps that’s exactly what Spurs need to be second fiddle to Kane.

AND in other news, Spurs must focus on signing a defender after £65k-per-week star’s disasterclass…