All posts by z3u9t.icu

Ange Postecoglou has now had a few days under his belt to get to know some of the Celtic players.

He touched down in Glasgow for the first time last week following quarantine and has now held his first training sessions at Lennoxtown.

The Hoops have a number of pre-season friendly matches to look forward to before their Champions League qualifying campaign gets underway.

They will, however, have to undergo the first few weeks of training without those players who went to the European Championships.

Postecoglou will also have to make quick decisions on the futures of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer who could both leave but a new manager should act as a clean slate and a fresh start for every player on their books.

On the chalkboard

The same goes for Boli Bolingoli, a player who if Neil Lennon was still in charge, would have no future at the club.

Last summer, the Belgian was forced to move out on loan following a remarkable set of events.

During the height of the pandemic, Bolingoli visited Spain for an unsanctioned trip that the club wasn’t aware of.

The defender failed to quarantine upon his return and then featured in the matchday squad against Kilmarnock a few days later. He featured as a substitute, not only putting his teammates at risk but also the playing and coaching staff at Killie.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-posetcoglou-ryan-delap-wyke” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Speaking in the aftermath of that situation, Lennon called him “stupid” before going onto say: “This has been premeditated. You don’t book a flight to Spain on a whim. He knew exactly what he was doing. So this has been quite calculated. It’s been total disregarding of the outcome and the risks involved, so he will be dealt with in the strongest possible way by the club.”

That incident has now been brushed under the carpet but the £15k-per-week earner would be fortunate to earn an opportunity under Postecoglou anyway.

Celtic appear to be in the market for a left-sided defender this summer after Diego Laxalt’s loan spell came to an end with Aaron Hickey being targeted for a Bhoys reunion.

On top of that, the new manager has plenty of younger players at his disposal.

Adam Montgomery made his first-team breakthrough at left-back under John Kennedy towards the back end of the season and he could get more senior minutes after Postecoglou placed blooding the next generation on his list of priorities.

Celtic also have Matthew Anderson coming through the ranks, a youngster who has already earned comparisons to Kieran Tierney.

Bolingoli burned his bridges at Paradise 12 months ago and shouldn’t have a look in, especially with younger options coming through.

AND in other news, Alan Nixon drops exciting Celtic transfer news, fans should be buzzing…

A Newcastle transfer update has emerged, regarding Lille’s Sven Botman and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard as PIF aim to seal the first signings of their era with the club.

What’s the talk?

According to Fabrizio Romano in The Guardian, the Magpies are hoping to land both players in January to bolster their squad in a bid to avoid relegation.

The report claims that Botman could cost them a fee in the region of £30m-£40m, whilst they are open to signing Lingard on loan or permanently.

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be elated by this update from Romano as it shows that the club are making serious plans to strengthen Eddie Howe’s squad in the market.

They have identified two players with recent experience of thriving at the top level and both of them could come in and make a positive impact on the team. Transfermarkt value Lingard at £19.8m and Botman at £25.2m, which means that the club could bring in a £45m-rated duo to improve their side midway through the campaign.

The Magpies have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season and the signing of a defender could be crucial in their efforts to remain in the division. Botman helped Lille to keep an outstanding 20 clean sheets in Ligue 1 last term as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.08, showing that he has the talent required to keep shutouts as part of an organised defensive set-up.

Fans would surely be buzzing to see a defender with an impressive, recent, record of performing consistently as a centre-back in Ligue 1. He has helped Lille to multiple clean sheets in France and he could now head to England to do the same for Newcastle, which the supporters – and Howe – would love to see if it helps them to pick up more points.

Last season, Lingard produced nine goals and six assists in 16 Premier League appearances. He averaged 1.1 key passes per game as he showed that he has the quality to produce consistent end product in the final third during his loan spell with the Hammers.

Therefore, he could potentially come in and be a match-winner for Newcastle as he has proven that he can score and create goals at this level. His finishing and playmaking could be the difference for Howe’s side in tight games and that is why fans would be delighted with his arrival too.

Overall, these two players would appear to be high-class potential additions and Newcastle simply must swoop.

AND in other news, Possession lost 110x: Howe must brutally axe “fantastic” NUFC dud with 66% pass rate…

Leeds United missed out on the signing of now Liverpool star Luis Diaz according to claims made by Stewart Downing…

What’s the story?

He said: “Diaz has been brilliant. The first thing I look at when a player comes to the Premier League is the physicality. How do they handle all that? But he looks like he likes it. He gets stuck in, he bounces straight back up, he goes again.

“He looks like he’s been here for years. It says a lot about him that he’s been able to do that. A lot of clubs were chasing Diaz – I know Everton, Spurs, Leeds were all looking – but it couldn’t have turned out better for him, I don’t think. He’s got the best move and Liverpool have got a great player.”

Bielsa’s last blunder at Elland Road?

Marcelo Bielsa is, and always will be, a Leeds United icon.

The Argentine took the Whites from the Championship to the riches of the Premier League, and guided the club to an impressive first season back in English football’s top-flight.

His start to the current campaign though, went downhill rapidly, and his departure came amid a torrid run of results that left Leeds staring down the barrel of relegation.

But while on the whole, he got so many things right, missing out on Diaz may go down as final mistake at Elland Road.

The exciting winger joined Liverpool in the January transfer window, and while Diaz choosing the Reds would have been understandable if it was a straight battle, Leeds may have shown a bit more pro-activeness and tried to get a deal as soon as they were left impressed by him.

Instead, they chose not to act on their interest, and Diaz has proven to be a superb signing in his short time at Anfield thus far.

The 31-cap Colombia international was in scintillating form for his former side Porto this season, registering a very impressive 16 goals and six assists in only 29 appearances for the Liga NOS giants.

It was no surprise that he would earn a high-profile move to the Premier League in January, and he has certainly hit the ground running at Anfield, scoring two goals in his first six games for Liverpool.

Now valued at £58.5m by CIES, the 5 foot 10 star has been dubbed a “livewire” and as being “phenomenal” by Portuguese football expert Alex Goncalves – exactly the kind of rave reviews that would have had the Leeds faithful very excited.

Having Diaz and Raphinha line up on the flanks would have been a frightening prospect, but Leeds’ loss is very much Liverpool’s gain.

AND in other news – Leeds must finally offload £15k-p/w outcast who last played at Elland Road in 2018

Leeds scored a last-gasp equaliser against Wolves on Saturday as they rescued a point in the Premier League at Elland Road against Bruno Lage’s team.

Hee-Chan Hwang’s goal appeared destined to win the three points for the travelling side, only for a last-minute penalty from Rodrigo to ensure that the points were shared between the two teams.

The result means that Leeds remain 17th in the table and they are now three points ahead of the drop zone, with Burnley and Newcastle on four points and Norwich, in 20th, on two points.

Whilst Rodrigo may take the applause for scoring the spot-kick late on to seal a point, another player was Marcelo Bielsa’s real hero during the match – Brazil international Raphinha.

Despite being withdrawn early in the second-half with an injury concern, Raphinha was Leeds’ most impressive performer as he produced a sublime display on the pitch. The Brazilian was a constant threat down the right wing for the Whites and was unfortunate not to come off with an assist for his troubles.

On the ball, the wing wizard was spell-binding. Per SofaScore, he had three shots on goal, created two chances and completed an incredible nine dribbles, with a 100% success rate, as he helped Leeds up the pitch in transition.

His dribbling ability opened up space in the final third and allowed him to drive down the flank, which ultimately led to him creating two opportunities. This piled on the pressure for Leeds and began to wear Wolves down, playing a part in the eventual equaliser after he left the field.

Defensively, he was just as good. Per SofaScore, he won a whopping 12 duels, losing four, and made three interceptions and two tackles. He also managed to avoid being dribbled past in the game, with these statistics showing that he was able to put in a sturdy defensive display to go along with his exceptional attacking talents – making it the perfect all-around showing from the ex-Rennes flyer.

Therefore, he was the real star of the show for the Yorkshire side. Rodrigo may have scored the all-important goal, but Raphinha’s stunning display laid the groundwork for Leeds to go on and fight hard for the equaliser as he led by example until his injury forced him out of the game. Hopefully, he will be back fit and raring to go with a similar performance against Norwich next weekend.

AND in other news, Phil Hay makes big Leeds transfer claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing…

According to a report from Goal, Liverpool are interested in signing Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma as a long-term replacement for Sadio Mane.

The lowdown: Long-standing admiration

The Reds have previously been linked with a move for the 25-year-old and recent performances in Spain have only further cemented the former Bournemouth star’s burgeoning reputation.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-27/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Signed for £21.3million in 2021 (Sky Sports), Danjuma has scored 14 times and registered another four assists in 29 appearances so far for Unai Emery’s side.

Now it would appear that Liverpool’s interest in the Dutchman is only growing, with his goal against Bayern Munich on Tuesday sure to catch the eye.

The latest: Mane successor?

As per Goal, Liverpool, and by extension new transfer guru Julian Ward, are said to be ‘interested’ in signing Danjuma but are ‘unlikely to make a bid’ in the upcoming summer window.

It’s claimed that Liverpool view the six-cap Holland ace as a ‘possible successor’ to Mane – who is fast approaching the final 12 months of a contract on Merseyside.

The report also states that the Reds ‘could sanction’ a bid next year for the winger with a mooted €75million (£63million) release clause.

The verdict: Rising star

After flopping on the south coast – failing to score or assist in 14 Premier League outings and completing 90 minutes just twice in those games – Danjuma has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in Spain.

Despite struggling in England, he has been impressing in La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League, ranking as his club’s sixth-best player in the top flight and third-best in European action, per Whoscored.

Described as a ‘nightmare for defenders’ by Kevin Phillips, the skilful winger has completed 1.2 successful dribbles per game from 20 league appearances so far this season (Sofascore).

Under contract until 2026 (Transfermarkt), the release clause could represent value for money for a player who possesses the necessary range of attacking assets to replace Mane in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

In other news, Liverpool target reportedly set to leave Bundesliga giants. Find out who it is here.

Former Leeds United star David Norris believes that the club are currently struggling to find a Plan B as their Premier League woes continue.

The club are currently in the bottom three and have yet to win a game this term ahead of the clashes with Watford, Wolves, and Southampton.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been on the wrong end of two thrashings this term, too, as they were beaten 5-1 by Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season, and also beaten 3-0 by Liverpool.

Bielsa, of course, is something of a purist when it comes to the way he plays the game, and he continually instructs his players to push into the top end of the pitch, regardless of the scoreline.

Leeds attack throughout their games, even with the team being battered, but Norris does not believe that Plan A is currently working.

He admits that the club are beginning to worry him as they struggle to win matches in the top-flight.

He said: “They’re struggling for a Plan B.

“At this stage now, it is a little bit worrying. You’d like to think it’s not going to be one of those seasons where they’re going to be in the relegation zone or really struggle for it but they’re struggling and the longer it goes on, the more worrying it gets.”

Ex-Rangers star Michael Ball believes that the Glasgow giants are favourites to sign Joey Veerman from Heerenveen.

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Veerman and his future with current side Heerenveen this summer, with the Scottish Sun reporting on Monday that Rangers have been given a massive boost in their pursuit of the player. Another interested party, Feyenoord, have signed Fredrik Aursnes from Molde, which could see them out of the race for Veerman.

The 22-year-old was involved in 20 goals combined last season, scoring nine and assisting 11 which has seen interest in his signature.

Former Ger Ball believes that Rangers are favourites to sign Veerman, telling Football FanCast: “Yeah, there’s been a lot of noise about Joey and I think maybe one or two other clubs are sort of sneaking around, but Rangers seem to be the favourites.”

According to the Scottish Sun report, Heerenveen have set an asking price of £8m for Veerman and with three years left on his current deal the Eredivisie outfit don’t have to rush to sell their star player.

Whilst Rangers appear to be in pole position to sign Veerman should they wish to with Feyenoord possibly out the equation, it could be more good news for the Gers, as Glen Kamara could be set to extend his stay at Ibrox, with the club offering the midfielder a new deal.

On the new contract offer for Kamara, manager Steven Gerrard told the BBC: “I love the kid, I love the player and I’ve made it abundantly clear how much I want him to stay from a personal point of view.”

With Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United having not enjoyed the best of starts to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, picking up just 11 points from their opening 12 fixtures of the season and suffering something of an injury crisis, attention at Elland Road is rather rapidly turning to the January transfer window.

However, with the 66-year-old recently suggesting that he may not be willing to delve too deeply into the winter market due to the amount of money the Whites have spent under his leadership in previous windows, the Argentine manager may well be left with no other option than to begin blooding a number of the club’s most promising academy products in his first-team squad.

And, should Bielsa indeed turn to Leeds’ youth to make up the numbers over what remains of the current Premier League campaign, there is one player in particular who would appear worthy of a crack at senior football, in the form of 15-year-old Archie Gray.

Gray could save Leeds millions

Despite his extremely tender age, the attacking midfielder was named in the Whites’ travelling squad to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, something that – despite the teenager ultimately being left out of the matchday team – gives a clear indication of how highly-rated Gray is at Thorp Arch.

However, while the inclusion of a 15-year-old perhaps raised a number of eyebrows in the wider footballing world, Leeds fans will more than likely be less shocked by Gray’s emergence, as the youngster has been making a habit of pulling up trees in the club’s youth setup so far this season.

Indeed, already a regular in the Whites U18 team, the England U16 international has also broken into Mark Jackson’s U23 side this season, so far having made three Premier League 2 appearances, in addition to stealing the show in the 4-1 EFL Trophy defeat to Tranmere Rovers back in September.

In this fixture, despite the heavy loss, Gray produced a moment of magic midway through the second half, turning an onrushing Rovers midfielder in style before sliding a defence-splitting pass into the path of Amari Miller, who duly fired home from close range.

As such, it is perhaps no surprise that Victor Orta appears to be incredibly excited regarding the potential of the 15-year-old, with the director of football evening likening the emergence of Gray to that of Sergio Aguero.

In an interview with La Media Inglesa (via Leeds Live), Orta said: “I want to say the name of Archie Gray on La Media Inglesa. Hopefully nobody takes him away from us. Nobody is going to do that, he has [Leeds] in his blood. So that’s why I want to say the name of Archie Gray on here because every time he takes a step forward you’ll see him.

“He’s one of those players you see every, I don’t know. I remember Kun Aguero and saying, ‘what is this?’ It’s something that happens once in a long time. [It] has actually happened only a few times – in the South America U20s tournament, Kun scored 10 or 12 goals or something like that, you could see he was different. Archie gives me the same feeling.”

So, considering just how highly Gray is evidently thought of at Thorp Arch, coupled with the fact that Bielsa is extremely short of options in the middle of the park, it would appear a very wise move for the 66-year-old to unleash the teenage sensation in his first-team over the coming weeks and months, as the 15-year-old could end up saving Andrea Radrizzani tens of millions of pounds in January transfer fees.

In other news: Phil Hay drops January transfer claim which is sure to leave Leeds United fans fuming

With 17 games played, West Brom have racked up a rather mixed bag of results in the Championship so far this season, despite being fairly close to the top of the league table with nine wins, five draws and three defeats under their belt.

One player that has featured fairly regularly for the Baggies so far this season that we feel has let Valerien Ismael down somewhat in regards to what he has delivered on the pitch is winger Grady Diangana.

Despite appearing in all but two of West Brom’s 17 league games, Diangana has only managed to score one goal, which came during their recent 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough and provide one assist which came back in their 4-0 win over Cardiff City back in September.

In addition to his lack of goals and assists, despite playing on both wings and as an attacking-midfielder at times this season, Diangana has also only managed to rack up an average of 0.3 shots on target per game and 0.7 key passes per game (a total of ten), highlighting his lack of consistency as an attacking threat for the Baggies.

On the defensive side of things, even though he is more of an attack-minded player, Diangana has only managed to rack up an average of 0.1 interceptions per game and 0.4 tackles per game, making it hard to pinpoint what his strengths have been for the team this season.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say Diangana has let Ismael down somewhat this season, especially with the faith that the Baggies boss has put in him and the opportunities he’s been given to play, rather than the likes of Jordan Hugill who has only started five league games this season.

Given the points gap between West Brom and league leaders AFC Bournemouth and the amount of games that they have left to play this season, Ismael and the Baggies fans will certainly be hoping that Diangana, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, can turn his form around and become the player that was previously described as a “total nightmare” to defend against, throughout the remainder of the campaign and push the Baggies to promotion.

In other news: West Brom handed major injury boost over “massive” 26 y/o beast, fans will be buzzing – opinion

With the new Championship season fast approaching, West Bromwich Albion still have a considerable amount of work to do in the summer transfer window if they are to have any hope of securing an immediate return to the Premier League come next summer.

One of the positions most in need of reinforcements is central midfield, with Okay Yokuslu, Conor Gallagher and Ainsley Maitland-Niles returning to Celta de Vigo, Chelsea and Arsenal respectively following the expiry of their loan deals at The Hawthorns, as well as Rekeem Harper and Sam Field leaving the club on permanent moves.

Yokuslu, in particular, highly impressed during his time with Albion, with the defensively-minded midfielder ranking as the club’s fourth-best performer in the top flight last term.

As such, with a deal to bring the 27-year-old back to The Hawthorns looking unlikely following the club’s relegation to the second tier, Valerien Ismael faces the challenge of finding a suitable alternative to the Turkey international this summer, with the recently linked Trevoh Chalobah appearing to be a fantastic candidate for the Frenchman.

Yokuslu 2.0

While Chalobah has ultimately failed to break into the Chelsea first team, with Thomas Tuchel’s side reported to be more than happy to part with the former England U21 international this summer, the 22-year-old nevertheless demonstrated during a loan spell in France last season that he is a player with a significant amount of potential.

Indeed, over his 29 Ligue 1 appearances for FC Lorient last term, the £3.15m-rated man made an average of 2.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.9 clearances and won 5.2 duels per game.

He also chipped in for Christophe Pelissier’s side going forwards, scoring two goals, providing two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.3 key passes and taking 0.5 shots per match.

These returns saw the man Paul Lambert dubbed a “complete” midfielder earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Lorient’s joint fourth-best performer in Ligue 1.

For comparison, over Yokuslu’s 16 Premier League appearances for West Brom last season, the £6.75m-rated midfielder made an average of 2.2 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, two clearances and won 7.9 duels per game.

Going forwards, the 27-year-old failed to score for the Baggies, although he did manage to provide one assist and create one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.8 shots and making 0.4 key passes per match.

These metrics saw the £31k-per-week gem earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.99, a rather remarkable feat considering the Baggies were battling at the wrong end of the top-flight table.

As such, while Yokuslu’s statistics do better Chalobah’s, there are nevertheless quite clear comparisons that can be drawn between the two players, and, considering the Turk is five years the Englishman’s senior, the argument could even be put forward that the youngster has a higher ceiling than the Celta Vigo midfielder.

So, it is easy to understand why competition for Chalobah’s signature is so high this summer, as well as why we believe Ismael must do all he can to land the £12k-per-week midfielder ahead of next season.

In other news: Transfer update emerges on “world-class” £41k-p/w beast, West Brom fans surely gutted