All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic have been told that they’ll need to pay £4.2m in order to land free-scoring HNK Gorica winger Kristijan Lovric, according to the Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Celtic look to acquire main targets ahead of 2021/22

With their 2021/22 season now underway, new Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will be keen to quickly formalise his preferred targets in order to provide him with a squad capable of reclaiming the Premiership crown this term.

The Hoops have already invested in the left-wing berth with the signing of Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi, and they have now been quoted with how much they will need to pay if they are to land another player in this position.

The Latest: Celtic told they’ll need to pay £4.2m for Lovric

The Scottish giants have been informed that they will need to shell out €5m (£4.2m) for Croatian winger Lovric [Daily Mail].

The Hoops have launched an enquiry about his services, but are yet to submit an official bid for the the 1.86m (6 foot 1) wide man. Serie A outfit Hellas Verona are also said to be monitoring the 25-year-old’s situation [Daily Mail].

The Verdict: Lovric would be a good fit for Celtic

Capable of scoring and creating regularly, signing Lovric would represent savvy business by the Celtic hierarchy ahead of a crucial season.

He enjoyed a very productive 2020/21 campaign for Gorica, registering 25 goal contributions in 32 fixtures with 18 goals and seven assists [distinctive qualities.

The Celts should look to edge ahead in the chase for his signature before more clubs become aware of his potential availability.

In other news, one Celtic ace is in advanced talks over a Parkhead exit.

Leicester City may already have the perfect heir to club-legend Kasper Schmeichel in the shape of Danny Ward.

What’s the story?

The 27-year-old goalkeeper arrived at the King Power Stadium three years ago via a £12.5 million move from fellow Premier League outfit Liverpool.

But Ward has failed to establish himself in the starting XI at Leicester, largely thanks to the continued brilliance of regular No.1 Schmeichel.

However, his outstanding display in Wales’ opening Euro 2020 group game has reminded everyone of the forgotten man’s quality and highlighted his potential to replace his teammate between the sticks in the near future.

Rodgers could save millions

Ward has spent most of his senior career playing second fiddle, sitting on the bench and watching on from the sidelines, waiting for his chance to impress.

Since arriving at the King Power Stadium back in 2018, the rarely-seen 6 ft 2 colossus has made just 14 appearances for the Foxes, conceding eight goals and keeping eight clean sheets.

On top of that, Ward is still waiting to make his Premier League debut for Leicester, with all of his outings coming in cup competitions.

His lack of action meant he’s drifted into the background at the Midlands outfit, overshadowed up by the excellence of his teammates, but it looks like they have never doubted his quality.

Recently retired ex-Leicester captain Wes Morgan has expressed his belief in his former colleague’s ability after seeing him in action on the training pitch on a daily basis.

“He is incredible,” Morgan said in an interview with The Athletic. “I had the pleasure of seeing him day in and day out, week after week, and he is a tremendous goalkeeper.

“It is one of those where if Kasper ever gets suspended or injured, you would have full trust in Wardy coming in and doing a fantastic job.

“It is difficult for him. Kasper has just had an incredible season and is one of the best keepers in the world, and Wardy’s chances might be limited, but everyone knows how good he is.”

With Schmeichel entering the twilight years of his career and turning 35 in November, Ward could save Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers millions in the transfer market.

At seven years Schmeichel’s junior, the Welshman could take over the reins from the Denmark international as when his powers begin to fade, allowing the North Irish tactician to focus the club’s resources elsewhere.

And, in other news…Top could deal Leicester a huge blow after big news emerges, Rodgers would be gutted 

Harry Kane did an explosive interview with Gary Neville last week about his future at Tottenham Hotspur and Les Reed, former FA Technical Director, has claimed that it will be difficult to replace Kane both on and off the pitch.

It came to the forefront of all media channels last week that he had reportedly told Spurs he wants to leave the club this summer and after they only managed to qualify for the Europa Conference League, it doesn’t seem like he could be persuaded to stay.

Despite Spurs finishing seventh, Kane showcased his talent and how he has adapted his game through the season as he picked up both the golden boot and playmaker award for registering the most goals and assists.

If one of the top three strikers in the world left their club, there would be a huge void that would be almost impossible to fill and that is what will happen to Spurs if Kane leaves as his ability and leadership is top quality. Those are the thoughts of Reed, who spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“It will be very difficult because he is an icon and I know Harry so I know there are a lot of things about him, his personality and his leadership and the way he does things.

“I’ve been fortunate to be close to both Harry and Jordan Henderson who are both leaders, but both very different in the way they do it. That makes Harry quite unique at Tottenham as he’s a very bright boy who plans a lot.”

If Sunday’s 4-2 win against Leicester City was his final game in a Tottenham shirt, he went out doing what he does best and that is scoring goals as he netted the opening goal for Spurs, which was enough to pip Mohamed Salah to the golden boot.

This summer looks to be one of Spurs’ biggest in their recent history as they hope to keep hold of their star striker Kane as well as needing to appoint a new manager who will be able to make them regular challengers for the top four once again.

Many Everton fans have been left to slam Bill Kenwright’s ideal choice to succeed Carlo Ancelotti as the next manager ay Goodison Park.

As per Football Insider, the chairman of the Merseyside club is championing David Moyes to be the next boss after Ancelotti departed for Real Madrid.

Kenwright wanted Moyes to replace Marco Silva when he left in 2019, and retains great admiration for the West Ham United coach.

He still remains a good relationship with Moyes, although any pursuit of the Scotsman is thought to be a long shot given that he is in advanced discussions over a new contract at the London Stadium.

Although Moyes has come off of the back of a great season with the Hammers, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League, and was generally very successful with the Toffees before, guiding them to an impressive fourth-placed finish in the 2004/05 campaign, several Blues feel as if they do not want to go back to an old manager and instead focus on a new one to take them forward.

He was also largely unsuccessful at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland by virtue of league positions (Transfermarkt), showing that he does not guarantee success, and at 58 years of age, perhaps the Toffees should be targeting a younger boss with fresh ideas.

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Everton fans on Kenwright wanting Moyes

These Everton fans slammed the news of Kenwright wanting Moyes as it was shared on Twitter:

“Aaaaaarrgh!”

Credit: @1878stevo

“Our owners are actually awful when it comes to football haha”

Credit: @efcdoyley

“Can someone just lock Kenwright in a cupboard until we’ve appointed someone, please.”

Credit: @KenPeden

“Wish Moshiri would get rid of Kenwright”

Credit: @JohnnoUK

“No no no”

Credit: @15_martyng

“Step down Bill”

Credit: @mpelle22

In other news, find out what manager update has left Toffees fuming here!

West Bromwich Albion are in talks with Valerien Ismael about becoming Sam Allardyce’s successor at The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that the Barnsley manager is now Guochuan Lai’s first choice to become the Baggies new boss, after both Chris Wilder and David Wagner had been set to take on the job, before being eventually being ruled out.

It is reported that Ismael will cost West Brom £2m in compensation if they do go on to appoint the 45-year-old this summer, with talks between the two Championship clubs regarding his potential move to The Hawthorns thought to already be underway.

Fans should be buzzing

While the Tykes boss may not have the promotion-winning experience that was believed to be a requirement of the now-departed West Brom sporting and technical director Luke Dowling, it is easy to see why the Frenchman is thought to be an attractive prospect for the Baggies this summer, as Ismael has performed something of a miracle in his short time at Barnsley this far.

Indeed, despite the fact the club was predicted to finish in 18th place in the Championship standings at the start of the season, after taking over last October, the 45-year-old led his side to 23 wins, five draws and 11 losses in the league, picking up 74 points and securing a fifth-place finish in the second tier of English football.

And, although the man dubbed an “ambitious” manager by the Barnsley CEO Dane Murphy was not successful in guiding the Tykes to the Premier League, losing 2-1 against Swansea City on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals, the fact that the French coach managed to secure a top-six finish with an extremely unfancied is nonetheless an incredible accomplishment, while it would also indicate that Ismael is a man with fantastic potential in the game.

As such, with Lai having struggled to find a suitable candidate for the role for what has been quite an extended period of time now, considering the 45-year-old’s record last season, it would seem highly advisable for the Chinese businessman should do all he can to get a deal over the line for the former VfL Wolfsburg head coach this summer, with his potential appointment sure to have fans buzzing.

In other news: Get it done: Lai must sanction West Brom summer swoop for “outstanding” 32 G/A machine

West Ham moved one step closer to signing Abdallah Sima, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Mail claim the Irons have opened discussions with Slavia Prague over a potential swoop for the 19-year-old sensation ahead of the summer transfer window.

His manager Jindrich Trpisovsky has confirmed David Moyes’ interest, too.

“There is interest in Abdallah Sima. There’s a set price at which he could leave,” he revealed. “We focus on managing the rest of the season with us. We talked about it with the boys from West Ham, where they have him very high on the list of possible reinforcements.”

Whilst the report does not mention a valuation, it is thought that the Senegal international would be available for around €25m (£22m), as per iSport.

Shades of Aubameyang?

Sima would be an intriguing candidate to fill West Ham’s desperate void upfront.

It is no secret that a new forward is Moyes’ top priority going into the transfer window after the club failed to find a replacement for the departed Sebastian Haller in January.

Hammers insiders Claret & Hugh believe the teenager is actually their top target amid links to the likes of Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney. And quite rightly, too.

The £10m-rated Prague beast has been in lucrative form this campaign, providing 19 goals and eight assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

That’s a goal or assist every 1.3 matches – or one direct goal contribution every 97 minutes, which is better than Mo Salah (one every 111 minutes) in the Premier League right now.

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He has primarily been deployed at right wing but is seen as a centre-forward in the long run, which is why he’s drawn comparisons to Premier League great Thierry Henry as well as another Arsenal superstar.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig likened him to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and has noted his key attributes as being “pace, finishing, dribbling, technique, ball control, heading.”

This merely echoes the thoughts of ex-Bayern man Brian Laudrup, who lauded Sima a “wonderful player” who is “very good in the air and can take players on. He’s quick and is scoring for fun in the Czech league.”

Also dubbed a “huge talent,” he has already proven his credentials against English opposition, bagging a goal to help knock FA Cup winners Leicester City out of the Europa League back in February.

Given the successes of Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek, the Hammers should have confidence in striking gold from the Czech top-flight once again.

Sima could well be the ideal solution to Moyes’ biggest problem and as a result, he could find his own Aubameyang-like threat in attack – a mouth-watering prospect at the London Stadium, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Moyes can save West Ham millions with “special” 18 y/o who’s got “undoubted potential”…

Many Sunderland fans have been left to slam the display of Lynden Gooch in their 1-0 home loss to Blackpool in the EFL League One on Tuesday evening.

A goal for Sullay Kaikai in the second half was enough for the Tangerines to take all three points away from the Stadium of Light and officially kill off any hopes that the Black Cats may have had for automatic promotion back up to the Championship.

Gooch did not have the best of games for Lee Johnson’s team in the eyes of several SAFC supporters, and the statistics from his display show they are right to be disgruntled.

The midfielder lost out on seven of his duels, as he also failed to record a single shot on target, key pass or accurate long ball, losing possession on no fewer than on 22 separate occasions, the most out of any player to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Sunderland fans on Gooch display

These Sunderland fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that the 25-year-old is an ‘absolutely clueless’ player:

“Lynden Gooch? Really? He’s absolutely clueless as a footballer”

Credit: @SteveSpp373

“Gooch’s overall play last night was poor”

Credit: @JacobKirkbride

“Gooch to blame for goal on his heels as ever.”

Credit: @Samson8815

“Gooch could never kick a ball again for me and I wouldn’t lose sleep. He’s been poor all season bar a few games. A shadow of the player we saw in his first season in this league.”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Think Burge has dribbled past more people than Gooch tonight”

Credit: @SunlunWill

“I struggle to see what O’Brien, Gooch or Scowen do to constantly get a start in this team. #SAFC”

Credit: @SAFCFANSVIEW

In other news, find out what big injury update has got Sunderland fans talking here!

Former Premier League midfielder Keith Gillespie has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that a strong pre-season could see Harvey Elliott become a regular at Liverpool next season.

Elliott signed for the Reds as a 16-year-old from Fulham, and already showcased his talent in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

But with the teenager in desperate need of regular first-team action, he joined Blackburn on loan for the season, and has lit up the Championship with several standout moments.

Elliott’s form has tailed off in recent months, he’s still managed six goals and 11 assists, a record bettered only by Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia, in 40 league outings.

His impressive performances led to him being nominated for EA Sports Young Player of the Season at the 2021 EFL Awards, although he was pipped by Reading’s Michael Olise.

But Gillespie believes that if Elliott catches Jurgen Klopp’s eye upon his return to Anfield this summer, he might suddenly find himself in the first-team picture.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“It will all depend on what Liverpool want. If Liverpool are happy with the environment he’s in and feel like he needs another year – why not be at Blackburn?

“I think they’ve got big plans for him at Liverpool. He could come back to the club in pre-season and play out of his skin and suddenly find himself in that side week in, week out.”

Former Leeds United hero Gordon Strachan has lauded the performances of Patrick Bamford this season, describing him as ‘absolutely terrific’.

The Lowdown: Bamford excels for Leeds

The Whites have shone back in the Premier League in 2020/21, with so many individuals standing out throughout the campaign.

Bamford has undoubtedly been one of Leeds’ star men, scoring 16 league goals and giving himself a chance of making England’s Euro 2020 squad.

The Latest: Huge praise from Strachan

Someone who has been hugely impressed with Bamford is former Whites hero Strachan, who played 117 times for the club in the 1990s and won the league title with them in 1992.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, he lauded the 27-year-old for the impact he has made this season. Strachan said:

“There’s big plusses with Bamford, I think he’s been absolutely terrific.

“To lead the line, do so much work and do so much work when the other team’s got the ball and still have the ability to score goals, run the width of the 18-yard box and take knocks, I like him.”

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The Verdict: Same again next season?

The key now for Bamford is to kick on and show that this season was no anomaly, continuing to score goals at the highest level moving forward – he has had some rather bleak scoring campaigns at Premier League level prior to this term.

A new attacking signing would help in that respect, keeping the Englishman on his toes, and Bielsa will demand a repeat of his 2020/21 success, which Strachan has rightly praised.

There is no reason why that cannot happen, with Bamford performing at the peak of his powers and arguably still having his prime years ahead of him shortly.

In other news, Leeds are believed to have agreed a deal to sign a player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Leeds have suffered a major transfer blow in their chase for PSV Eindhoven’s Noni Madueke, but that could all change if Andrea Radrizzani decides to take action.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have revealed that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are one of a number of clubs who have already put feelers out about signing the PSV prodigy in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Football Insider have now claimed that the Whites have been priced out of a move for the exciting winger and that, after asking about the kind of money it would take to prise him away for the Dutch giants, have decided to “pull the plug on their pursuit”.

Radrizzani must act now

With nine goals and eight assists across all competitions this season, it’s no surprise that Madueke has earned some rave reviews for his performances. Former PSV midfielder Tommie van de Leegte said: “He’s fast and has the capability to trick his opponent. He brings creativity and is very explosive in his actions. That’s what PSV needs.”

After he scored a superb hat-trick against SC Verle, PSV boss Roger Schmidt waxed lyrical about the winger’s ability.

He said: “I’m not surprised. He already scored a lot of goals in training. He feels comfortable up front and doesn’t have to be a winger. Noni’s timing is often very good and he has a good feeling for free space. I’m also very happy with his mentality. He is a good fighter and is capable of reading the situation.”

Given his age, Madueke has got all the time in the world to more than make up his transfer fee and perhaps even earn Leeds a healthy profit if they choose to cash in on him in the future.

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As well as what he could bring on the pitch, the England under-21 international would also be a really shrewd financial investment who, with a good season in the Premier League, could skyrocket from his current £12.6m Transfermarkt value.

It’s exactly why Radrizzani must perform a U-turn and act now to sign him this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds should move for this Premier League powerhouse this summer…