Tag Futebol

Crystal Palace and Leeds United appear to be battling it out for Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan.

And plenty of Palace fans have been reacting to the links on social media.

According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, the Eagles are determined to complete the signing of Tufan after failing to land him in the past.

They claim that Palace are ready to activate the 26-year-old’s €20m (£17.3m) clause in his deal to bring him to Selhurst Park.

However, a report from a different Turkish outlet, Fotomac, claim that Leeds have emerged as a surprise candidate for Tufan and will aim to sign him before the start of the Euros this summer.

Tufan’s Fenerbahce contract still has over two years left to run, so it seems as if any club wanting to land the central midfielder will need to splash the cash.

Palace appear to have been long-term admirers of the Turkey international, who was once likened to Yaya Toure, with Tufan admitting he was close to a Selhurst Park switch back in 2018.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared both stories on Twitter on Wednesday morning regarding Tufan.

This is what some Palace supporters had to say in reply…

“Roy has got no say on who the club buys, we wouldn’t have so many no-shows if he did”Credit: @norbie2468″Can we sign him purely for the fact that we can’t be rumoured with him anymore. I’m bored.”Credit: @SamuelMargo”Why would he want to come and play Royball?”Credit: @Matt929″I remember when we were first interested and I was excited because he was like 22″Credit: @localpla9tic”I beg we just sign this guy so we don’t have to hear this exact rumour every two months”Credit: @amancpfc”Been tryna sign him for 3 years now”Credit: @cpfcharlie0

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to James McCarthy update, find out more here. 

According to a report by West Ham United club insider Claret & Hugh, defender Aaron Cresswell’s hamstring injury is nowhere near as bad as first feared with the left-back having pulled it rather than suffering a more serious tear.

Cresswell injury boost emerges

Cresswell, who was taken off in the nervy 3-2 win against Leicester City shortly after the second half restart, was immediately confirmed to have a problem with his hamstring according to C&H.

Now, relaying an update, the insider claims scans have shared good news for the Englishman and for manager David Moyes – with Cresswell most likely back in around 2-3 weeks as opposed to a much longer period sidelined.

This is due to the hamstring injury being a pull rather than a tear as the insiders share this big injury boost for West Ham and, especially, for the 31-year-old defender.

Transfer Tavern take

A mainstay under Moyes this season, Cresswell has arguably been one of the more underrated members of the team considering he has averaged more key passes per 90 than any Irons player this season in the Premier League (WhoScored).

As a result of his exploits, he has attracted under the radar praise, with podcaster Sam Delaney calling him ‘sensational’ and a contender for Hammer of the Season (U Irons Podcast via This is Futbol).

News that his injury is not as bad as first thought comes as a huge boost for West Ham as they seek to return him as soon as possible in the chase for unprecedented European football.

In other news: Pundit has dropped a big claim on Declan Rice’s future, find out more here.

If this week has told you anything about Celtic, it’s that a new manager is immediately required in the Parkhead dugout.

They have been knocked out of the Scottish Cup and the way in which the Bhoys drew in midweek was rather alarming.

What’s the word?

John Kennedy may well be on Celtic’s radar to become the permanent manager but fortunately for supporters, Dermot Desmond and the Hoops hierarchy have other names in mind.

Roy Keane has come back into contention over the last few days but Eddie Howe still appears to be at the top of their list.

A number of stumbling points have occurred in Celtic’s pursuit of the 43-year-old but according to one journalist, they are refusing to panic and haven’t been deterred by his actions in the last few weeks.

Speaking on the latest edition of the Celtic Huddle podcast, John McGarry said: “I’m told that both parties are fairly relaxed about the situation in terms of negotiations. Nobody’s stormed off in a huff or anything like that. It’s just taking a long time to get these discussions over structure and personnel over the line.”

A big mistake

Howe has been playing Celtic the fool for a considerable period of time now.

The former Bournemouth manager doesn’t want to return to management until the summer while he’s had a number of unpleasing demands in the backroom department.

One source claims that Howe wants to bring the “kitchen sink” with him to Paradise, something the hierarchy have refused.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-lampard-klimala-ajer-gossip” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

One of his biggest demands is that Richard Hughes is made the club’s new director of football instead of Fergal Harkin.

However, what this week has shown is that Celtic can’t afford to wait until the summer. Truth be told, they shouldn’t be relaxed about the situation at all.

This is a monumental few months for the Hoops and if they are to address their patchy playing squad, they need a permanent manager installed at Parkhead as soon as possible.

If they have to wait for Howe that means they won’t be able to crack on properly with their recruitment until the window is actually open.

It’s a huge mistake from Dermot Desmond to wait on the Englishman and they must move onto other targets.

He and Dominic McKay currently have their work cut out but they simply have to start taking the initiative sooner rather than later. Howe isn’t special enough to play them around.

AND in other news, Celtic moving towards 3 landmark hires after big manager U-turn, Desmond surely elated…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has expressed his disappointment over Louie Barry’s lack of appearances at Villa Park this season.

Barry, who joined Villa last year after spending time in the youth ranks of Barcelona and West Brom, made his senior debut for the Villans against Liverpool in the Third Round of the FA Cup and did not disappoint.

The 17-year-old, part of a very young Villa team on the day, scored a well-taken goal as he kept his composure when through on goal. It ensured that the Midlands club went into half-time level after going 1-0 down to Jurgen Klopp’s side, and was a moment that showed Barry’s incredible potential.

Since then, however, the attacker has not been given any more opportunities, something that has left Hendrie feeling frustrated. The ex-Villa player told FFC:

“I’m really disappointed that he hasn’t featured, not even really on the bench since that Liverpool game with the fabulous goal that he scored. He reminds me of a young Michael Owen in the fact that he’s very slight, small, but he’s very quick, and I’m surprised that he hasn’t been given a bit more of a chance since that game.”

Elaborating further on that Michael Owen comparison, Hendrie added:

“Michael Owen wasn’t very big and he wasn’t very strong, but because of his pace, you know, he was hard to deal with and I feel that’s similar with Louie Barry. I just feel that he should now be getting into the first-team squad, being on the bench and getting thrown on for the last 20 minutes, relieving a bit of pressure, just because he’s got that pace that he can burn off.”

If his display against Liverpool was anything to go by, then Barry definitely looks like he could offer something to this Villa side, especially in this moment of time.

Dean Smith’s team have had to play without captain Jack Grealish recently, something they have not managed to cope with well. They have won just one of their last five games in the absence of the England international, suggesting that perhaps some fresh impetus could have been helpful.

Manchester City’s quadruple hopes are still alive and kicking after Pep Guardiola’s side secured a spot at Wembley with a 2-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Ilkay Gundogan finally broke the home side’s resistance with 86 minutes on the clock as he headed home the rebound after Aymeric Laporte’s shot came off the bar, before Kevin De Bruyne added a late second after running through and smashing a left-footed shot past Joao Virginia in the Everton goal.

Although there were plenty of impressive performances from City as they dominated proceedings against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, the standout performer was arguably Fernandinho in central midfield.

The 35-year-old is still going strong in Guardiola’s side and has shown himself to be a more than reliable cover for Rodri in recent months, which is ironic as the Spaniard was brought in as his long-term replacement.

As per SofaScore, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man would earn an impressive 7.6 rating for his display, with only Oleksandr Zinchenko rated higher from both sides, with the Ukrainian rated a 7.7/10 for his performance.

During the game, the experienced midfielder completed 63 of his 73 passes, which was the most of any City midfielder, whilst both of his long ball attempts also found a City shirt, per SofaScore.

Fernandinho, who reportedly earns £150,000 per week at City, was regularly the winner when in duels with Everton players, as he impressively won 13 of the 20 duels he contested during the game, which again was far more than City’s other midfielders Gundogan and Bernardo Silva combined, per SofaScore.

However, the most impressive and perhaps surprising part of the Brazilian’s performance were his driving runs from midfield, as he completed all four of his dribbles during his time on the pitch, one of which led to City’s best chance before the opening goal as he cut back to Raheem Sterling in the area after a lung-busting run into the area.

Considering he has averaged 0.4 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season, it was almost unprecedented how willing he was to run with the ball against Everton, which emphasises just how good he was.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the Brazilian was the star for City in the FA Cup and he once again showed just how good he can be when selected by Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki can repeat Gundogan masterclass with City swoop for £7.65m-rated beast

According to a Tottenham Hotspur source, speaking to Football Insider, Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho is planning to start Gareth Bale in ‘virtually every game’ over these final few months of the season – with an exciting behind the scenes claim emerging that he is looking like a ‘world beater’ whilst being ‘lean, fit and hungry’. 

Bale has recently returned to form following months of being overlooked by Mourinho, but Football Insider explain this was down to being careful rather than indifferent to the 2020 summer signing.

Mourinho set for Tottenham plan

Indeed, the Portuguese boss apparently devised a tailored plan for the 31-year-old after he spent two seasons barely featuring for parent club Real Madrid.

It is claimed that Bale’s lack of cameos was to steadily ease him back to full fitness, with this Spurs source explaining to Football Insider that Mourinho is now planning to play him in ‘virtually every game’.

Transfer Tavern take

The Tottenham boss is apparently set to unleash the Wales international as he is convinced that Bale is now fully fit and ready to cope with the demands of Premier League football.

This Football Insider source also explained that Bale is looking like a ‘worldbeater’ behind the scenes, not to mention ‘lean, fit and hungry’.

And going by this exciting claim, it’s safe to say Spurs supporters could be about to see a lot more from Bale in the next few weeks.

In other news: Tottenham transfer message exposes failed Levy coup, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Joey Pelupessy was one of many Owls stars to let Darren Moore down this week.

The Yorkshire giants ended a run of seven straight defeats with a 1-1 draw over their local rivals at Hillsborough Stadium, but it still leaves them a whopping nine points adrift of safety with only ten games left to play.

Callum Paterson was brought on as one of three changes on the hour mark, though his only involvement saw him put the ball past his own goalkeeper for Huddersfield’s crucial equaliser.

He knew nothing about it, but ultimately, it cost the Owls dearly. The Scotsman shouldn’t be blamed, however.

Pelupessy was arguably the worst player on the pitch, drawing a 6.6 rating from SofaScore – the second-worst of any home starter.

It’s been quite a surprise to see the Dutchman remain in the starting XI under Moore with departing starlet Liam Shaw sat on the bench but perhaps the 46-year-old is keeping an eye on next season, and we know the Celtic-bound ace will not be here irrespective of what division the Owls find themselves in.

Therefore, it’s important for Pelupessy to deliver. He’s out of contract at the end of the current campaign, so he’s pretty much playing for his future at Wednesday.

The £12.5k-per-week midfield enforcer struggled to have any influence against the Terriers.

Per SofaScore, Pelupessy managed only 40 touches of the ball throughout his 90 minutes on the pitch. This was considerably worse than his midfield partner Barry Bannan (62) and not too far behind shot-stopper Keiren Westwood (45).

As someone who is supposed to dictate the play, he should certainly be more involved than the goalkeeper.

The 27-year-old also struggled in his battles, winning just one of five duels (20%), whilst he was also dribbled past on two occasions which means the opposition – namely Lewis O’Brien and Jonathan Hogg – absolutely dominated him.

His passenger-like presence would have, somewhat, contributed towards the visitors remaining in the game and he certainly failed to offer much going forward either as the long-serving Owls passenger made only 28 passes, none of which were converted into key opportunities.

Pelupessy massively let Moore and Wednesday down last night.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer adamant Liam Shaw shouldn’t be playing for Sheffield Wednesday…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former England star Rob Lee said that it’s ‘easy’ to say that links to Real Madrid links have turned Mohamed Salah’s head and as such, have impacted his recent performances.

Salah is still the top scorer in the Premier League, however, he hasn’t scored in his last four games and he has, perhaps, not been playing with the same energy and intensity that people have become accustomed to seeing.

Lee believes there are a lot of contributing factors to Salah’s form including injuries, other players not performing, a lack of fans and the pandemic but he has also questioned if the Egyptian is unhappy at the club.

Since signing for the Premier League champions, Salah has been adored by the Liverpool fans and has had their full backing but with no fans inside the stadium, it seems his willingness to go that extra yard may have disappeared.

Lee told FFC that he does not believe this dip is solely down to Salah being linked with a move to Real Madrid and that Salah is still totally loved by the fans, despite Robbie Fowler saying the club should let him go.

“I think it’s an easy thing to say about players when they get linked away, and they start playing badly. I do agree it is sometimes the case though.

“Is he unhappy at Liverpool? I would say the club loves him and the Liverpool fans love him.

“I just think it’s an accumulation of a lot of things. Injuries, the pandemic and the fact that their front three haven’t scored the goals they usually do. I just think a lot of things have gone against them this season.”

The Egyptian is still a world-class player and he may fancy the chance to play for Real Madrid, but as it stands, his focus needs to be on Liverpool and getting them out of this current slump.

Whether he has lost a bit of focus amidst transfer rumours, or if, as Lee suggests, that other factors have contributed to Salah’s mini goal drought, Jurgen Klopp will need his talisman to start scoring in the very near future as The Reds look to get out of this terrible slump.

Rhys Williams looks as if he will be regularly called upon by Jurgen Klopp for the rest of the season at Liverpool as a result of their injury concerns but his performance against Aston Villa emphasises that he is a long way off being first-team quality for the Reds.

After a loan spell with Kidderminster Harriers last season, the 19-year-old has earned a promotion to Liverpool’s first-team this season after injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and more lately, Joel Matip.

The academy graduate has impressed at times, particularly in the 5-0 win against Atalanta and the 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur but his performance against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday emphasised that he isn’t ready to be a first-team regular for the rest of the season.

The young defender was outpaced by 17-year-old Louie Barry for Villa’s equaliser and he never looked likely to catch the young striker as he raced through on goal, before finishing past Caoimhin Kelleher.

He also picked up a 6.7 rating from SofaScore, which was the joint-worst of any Liverpool player who started the game on the night.

Whilst a partnership of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho at centre-back didn’t produce ideal results in the Reds’ last Premier League fixture when they were beaten by Southampton, Williams’ lack of pace will likely be exploited by Manchester United in their next fixture, so Klopp must axe the 19-year-old.

Earlier in the season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was full of praise for the centre-back after he replaced Fabinho in the 2-0 win against FC Midtjylland, saying:

“That position’s probably a bit bare, to say the least. But we’ve got an amazing squad, you’ve seen Rhys Williams stepping in and doing a world-class job, at a young age with such little experience. He’s got a bright future ahead.”

Despite this, Williams must be axed by Klopp for the Reds’ next fixture, as his disappointing performance against Villa exposed his lack of concentration and pace, something which United’s dangerous front three will surely punish at Anfield later this month.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Pundit claims he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Virgil van Dijk was back soon

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.