All posts by z3u9t.icu

Writing on his Patreon, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Liverpool striker Divock Origi.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye striker move…

There is no secret that David Moyes is eyeing a striker as one of his top priorities for January, with the search for an alternative to Michail Antonio and replacement for Sebastien Haller ongoing for a year now.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Many names have come and gone from West Ham’s agenda, most recently Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa, as the club reportedly entered talks to sign him (Sky Sports).

Other more obscure names like Marseille starlet Bamba Dieng have also been mentioned recently, but ExWHUemployee has now revisited a name with whom most Irons supporters may be more familiar.

The Latest: Ex makes Origi claim…

According to the insider, the Liverpool striker is ‘available for a decent fee’ and will ‘certainly tempt’ West Ham into a possible bid this month.

ExWHUemployee added that club chiefs have always admired the Belgium international, unlike Moyes who is believed to have reservations over signing the 26-year-old. The insider went on to say this is certainly one transfer rumour to ‘keep an eye on’.

The Verdict: Ideal…

At a peak age, and as a proven goalscorer and big-game player, Origi actually comes as a very shrewd option for West Ham this month.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has said that the striker could even leave Anfield for ‘less than £10m’, an aspect of his purchase which Moyes must surely consider.

Racking up a career total of 63 senior goals to date, the fact that he is only in his mid-20s and could leave for such a meagre fee must make this a no-brainer move for West Ham.

Hailed as a ‘monster’ by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, we strongly advise the Irons and Moyes to swoop before January 31.

In other news: Moyes also eyeing West Ham move for ‘undefendable’ £22m forward as manager greenlights exit, find out more here.

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming over some news which has emerged involving their January transfer plans.

As per The Daily Mirror, the club have no plans to spend significantly in the upcoming transfer window, despite pleas from Bruno Lage to do so.

The Wolves manager wants to bring in at least three new faces, but Fosun are not likely to grant him any major funds.

That is because the owners want to make the club self-funding and are mindful of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Wolves do not have a particularly big squad and also have plenty of injuries, so it would be strange if Fosun do not dig deep into their pockets in order to help Lage, otherwise his squad could be depleted even further.

Wolves fans on transfer news

These Wanderers fans were left fuming as the news on their January transfer plans was shared by Talking Wolves on their Twitter page:

“#FosunOut”

Credit: @Gary_Poynton

“So short-sighted. Tell the fans one thing and do another”

Credit: @Ianph61

“Long may the pain continue”

Credit: @ChriWoodward

“We will be relegated next season if the squad is not improved in the next 2 windows. Heard it here first!”

Credit: @aimstocks2021

“Spend bottom half, get bottom half”

Credit: @Ashley19345299

“Really? Surely they won’t let him down again.”

Credit: @WolvesFirst

In other news, one Wolves player’s pre-Liverpool comments went down well with many supporters

Manchester United will be aiming to maintain their five-game unbeaten run in all competition when they travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City in their Premier League clash this evening.

Ralf Rangnick’s charges have steadied what appeared to be a fast-sinking ship in recent weeks, securing their place in the Champions League knockout stages before closing the gap to the Premier League’s top four to just three points.

The new interim manager may have only had a handful of training sessions and two matches to work with his team, but the outline of his desired style of play has been clear for all to see.

In his first game in charge against Crystal Palace, the Red Devils won back possession a grand total of 12 times in the final third of the pitch – a record number not only for this season but since Opta began recording such data.

That figure clearly highlights how Rangnick wants his team to press, and the coherent 4-2-2-2 formation also proved effective in stopping opposition counter-attacks, with United recording their first home clean sheet in the top flight since March.

Central to the Red Devils’ success in both aspects of their play has been the use of their full-backs.

In Rangnick’s preferred setup, both the left-back and right-back are required to play high and wide, providing the width and attacking intent down the flanks, allowing the wingers to become inside forwards and wreak havoc centrally.

Against Palace, Diogo Dalot did that to great effect. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Portugal defender put in three crosses, attempted two dribbles, completed one key pass and had a whopping 73 touches of the ball, as per SofaScore.

His performance finally showcased his true potential to the United faithful following a frustrating few months, but the signs of his quality were there for all to see.

Dalot excelled during a season-long loan as Italian giants AC Milan last term, making 34 appearances for Stefano Piolo’s side in all competitions, leading to the tactician claiming that the 22-year-old could become a “complete player” in the future.

The £9m-rated gem is now beginning to put in similar displays at his parent club, and with first-choice right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka potentially out injured, it could be Dalot’s time to shine.

After his promising showing against Palace and the blow of Wan-Bissaka’s fitness setback, Rangnick must unleash Dalot once again for the tricky test at Norwich, providing him with another opportunity to illustrate his credentials on the big stage.

In other news… Big blow: Man Utd suffer late selection setback ahead of this evening, Rangnick will be gutted

West Ham are interested in signing Hellas Verona pair Giovanni Simeone and Antonin Barak, in a deal that could be worth up to around €40million (£33.7m).

The Lowdown: West Ham flying

The Hammers are in one of their richest veins of forms in years currently, jumping to third place in the Premier League after their memorable 3-2 win at home to Liverpool.

David Moyes’ side genuinely look like one of the best teams in the division and there is no reason why they can’t keep battling for a top-four finish this season.

While West Ham have an enviable squad these days, that’s not to say new signings aren’t also key, with depth behind star striker Michail Antonio surely the primary area of concern come January.

The Latest: Hammers linked with Hellas Verona pair

According to L’Arena [via Sport Witness], the Hammers are eyeing up moves for both Simeone and Barak, both of whom are attack-minded players.

Twenty-six-year-old Simeone has scored nine goals in just 10 appearances for the Serie A club, also scoring once in five caps for Argentina. Meanwhile, Barak is a 27-cap Czech Republic international who plays in attacking midfield.

It is stated that it would cost West Ham at least €40million (£33.7m) to snap up the duo, although Verona have a €12million (£10.1m) option to sign Simeone from Cagliari, with the striker only on loan at the moment.

The Verdict: Good squad depth

Not a huge amount may be known about Simeone and Barak but they both have international experience and could add attacking depth to the Hammers’ squad.

As the season goes on, there is always the threat that injuries could mount and it is vital that Moyes has options galore in the Champions League battle, especially with Europa League football set to continue into the knock-out stages.

Assuming the deal potentially gets done in January, it would give West Ham an extra boost at a time when the matches come thick and fast – Simeone in particular could be a vital addition given Antonio’s past injury woes, with Genoa Coach Ivan Juric praising his work rate as a youngster during his time at the club.

No player in Europe’s elite leagues has out-performed their expected goals more than Simeone (+6.2), showing how clinical he is – Ballon d’Or candidates Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah sit second and third in that statistic.

In other news, a pundit has shut down a West Ham transfer rumour. Read more here.

Steven Bergwijn could leave Tottenham Hotspur this January after a fresh update emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to Mike Verweij on De Telegraaf’s football podcast (via Sport Witness), Antonio Conte isn’t keen on the Dutch winger, who could be sold or loaned out amid interest from Eredivisie champions Ajax.

“That interest in Bergwijn has been made known. Conte does not see it in him at all. Conte is also the one who opposed Bergwijn’s transfer from PSV to Italy. Inter were an interested club at the time, but Conte did not need him,” he said.

“Conte has only said two words to Bergwijn in two weeks at Tottenham Hotspur. That’s why Ajax can consider him, but first Ajax will have to sell Neres.”

Levy mistake

Bergwijn joined the Lilywhites in an initial £25m deal from Ajax’s rivals PSV Eindhoven in January 2020, and it’s fair to suggest that things have not gone to plan for the man earning a whopping £73k-per-week in north London.

Across 60 appearances, Bergwijn has scored just four goals, one of which came on his debut against Manchester City, whilst he has also delivered only nine assists, meaning he averages a direct contribution once every 243 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

It’s no surprise to hear this development after Conte snubbed the Netherlands international from his travelling squad to Slovenia to face NS Mura in the Europa Conference last week – if he can’t break into the starting XI against them, then what hope does he have in the Premier League?

He has not started in the top-flight since Spurs’ third game of the season, whilst under the stewardship of Nuno Santo, which is another telling sign that he has been out of sorts.

On the above evidence alone, it’s evident that chairman Daniel Levy made a grave mistake in sanctioning this transfer, especially as the manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, didn’t even want to sign him, as he publicly revealed in the past.

“I’m always very honest on this – he wasn’t my first option when we decided to make a movement in the winter,” the 58-year-old told reporters (via the Evening Standard).

He will surely be laughing over in Rome right now as he has proven to be correct, and now Conte could be about to rectify the error by offloading the 24-year-old in January.

When factoring in the initial fee and wages, the £19.8m-rated dynamo has cost the north Londoners around £32m, and counting, in total – an expensive disaster.

It’s time for Spurs to save face and accept they were wrong here. He must be axed at the turn of the year.

AND in other news, “What I’ve been told”: Journalist drops big Antonio Conte claim at Spurs…

Leonardo Jardim is now reportedly ‘in the running’ to be the next permanent manager at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Manager needed fast

With no wins and a mere four points from their first 10 games in the Premier League so far this season (Premier League), the St James’ Park faithful are in desperate need of bringing in a new permanent manager to take the place of interim coach Graeme Jones.

Given the completed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, they have been linked with some big names, including the likes of Paulo Fonseca and Ralf Rangnick.

However, with a relegation battle on their hands, it begs the question what sort of calibre of manager they can now attract.

The Latest: Jardim the latest name…

As per 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, Jardim is now ‘in the running’ to become the next manager at Newcastle, and is ‘well known’ to the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

He is currently managing in the Saudi Professional League at Al Hilal, which is perhaps where that connection has been established.

The Verdict: Get it done now

Newcastle are desperate at this stage, so Jardim should be brought in as soon as possible.

He has not yet lost in his 10 games in charge of Al Hilal so far (Transfermarkt).

Former Monaco player Rony Lopes even went as far as to dub him as ‘one of the best in Europe and in the world’ in terms of managers in 2018, and he has been on the other end of the stick when Monaco were in a relegation battle in the 2018/19 season, eventually finishing in 17th spot, so he could resonate with Newcastle’s current plight.

His experience of a relegation battle, coupled with the fact that he has also handled and spent big money on stars like Wissam Ben Yedder, Bernardo Silva and Youri Tielemans, would appear to make him the perfect candidate for the Magpies.

In other news, these were NUFC’s three worst players against Chelsea

Crystal Palace confirmed on Monday that stock for the 2021/22 Eagles home shirt will be arriving this week.

And a number of Selhurst Park supporters were quick to flock to the official news on social media.

Palace wore their home strip against Leicester City on Sunday, coming from two goals down to take a point thanks to second-half goals from Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp.

There appears to have been a shortage of stock for fans to pick up a home shirt, with Palace providing an update in September regarding the delay.

However, that is now set to be resolved. Palace revealed on their official Twitter page that stock is arriving in-store this week and presumably sent out in the post for fans who pre-ordered the kit before October 3.

Palace fans react

This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply to the official post, with many happy and one labelling it as ‘great news’.

“Finally I’ve been waiting months to get the home kit!”

Credit: @alex_westry

“Anyone excited”

Credit: @JoWillis28215

“Whayyyy finally”

Credit: @bradhcpfc

“Nice”

Credit: @englund_elias

“great news”

Credit: @busboy67

“Finally! Only ordered it at the start of august!!”

Credit: @JoeThompson95

In other news: ‘I was told’ – Sky Sports journalist makes huge claim about £18m-rated Crystal Palace gem. 

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has dropped a promising injury update on Alex Mowatt.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, the Frenchman revealed that, despite the central midfielder requiring a substitution midway through the second half of the 1-0 win over Birmingham City on Friday evening, the 26-year-old should be available for Albion’s trip to Swansea City on Wednesday.

Mowatt was already a serious doubt for the fixture against the Blues, after suffering what was initially feared to be a broken foot in the Baggies’ 1-0 loss to Stoke City before the international break, however, the former England U20 international was deemed fit enough to feature in the West Midlands derby.

Speaking about the midfielder’s latest knock, Ismael said: “Alex is the same injury, a bruise on his toe. He took the right decision to come off, we need to manage him for the next game.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Mowatt has been for West Brom since joining the club in the summer transfer window, the news that the 26-year-old’s injury does not appear to be too serious is sure to have left Albion fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 12 Championship appearances this season, the £6.3m-rated man has scored three goals, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £6.5k-per-week midfielder earn a rather remarkable average SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as Ismael’s second-best performer in the league.

As such, Mowatt’s apparent availability for the trip to Wales in midweek will undoubtedly provide the 46-year-old manager’s chances of picking up a positive result against the Swans with a major boost – something that the Frenchman will be desperate for in order to maintain West Brom’s push for a top-two finish in the second tier this season.

In other news: Signed for £750k, now worth £1.8m: West Brom struck gold on “amazing” £14k-p/w dynamo

Lots of Wolves fans have been left fuming as some news emerged involving their Under-21 team.

As shared by the official Twitter page of the Wolves Academy, the Under-21 side lost 3-0 away at Crewe Alexandra in the Papa John’s Trophy, meaning that they have now exited out of the competition.

The result left them in third place in their group, having picked up two losses in total and one draw, only managing to score one goal whilst conceding six in their three games (Sky Sports).

Considering that other Premier League side’s Under-21 teams have flourished in the group stages, such as West Ham United, Aston Villa and Chelsea (Sky Sports), the frustrations of the Molineux faithful are understandable, and questions may now have to be asked of coach James Collins as a result.

Finishing their Papa John’s Trophy campaign winless and bowing out with a lacklustre 3-0 defeat certainly won’t shed much favourable light on the Wolves academy boss with supporters already voicing their displeasure on social media.

Wolves fans on Under-21 result

Indeed, these WWFC supporters fumed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘abysmal’.

Find all of their verdicts on the news down below.

“Abysmal!”

Credit: @MrR1g4t

“#CollinsOut”

Credit: @Wolves_Ay_We_

“We need to look at the team”

Credit: @AndreNixon19

“Unfortunately until we become a top 6 side we’ll never be able to attract the top youngsters. Many of this side will have careers in the game but, it’ll be in the lower leagues not the Premier or Championship levels.”

Credit: @WWFC09

“It’s not just tonight’s result and performance, for some time the U23s have lacked any identity of purpose. Questions need to asked about the quality of coaching, especially as we are supposed to have signed some promising talent. #CollinsOut”

Credit: @HwlinWlf

“Complete rubbish, a disgrace. No tackling, go slow all game. Ruddy must have had the ball more than any of the other players because of the stupid back passing, truly a gutless performance. Collins needs to wise up this is not anywhere near good enough”

Credit: @kevinwwfc666

In other news, find out what Hwang Hee-chan news has Wanderers buzzing here!

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has revealed why Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been hesitant to shake things up at Elland Road amid a difficult start to the new season.

What’s the story?

The Whites are yet to win a single game in the Premier League this campaign, drawing three times and losing twice, while they’ve already conceded 12 goals too – all of that has meant they currently occupy a spot in the relegation zone heading into this weekend’s game against West Ham.

And now, in response to a question from a fan about why Bielsa appears to “favour certain players over and above others”, Hay had this to say: “I think it will be a case of certain players building up three years of trust in Bielsa. He’s not the sort to bin people rapidly, or not players who’ve been dependable for him. Gelhardt is the one I’d like to see come through. He has so much ability.”

Frustrating from Bielsa

For all the incredible work that Bielsa has done in revamping things at Elland Road and getting Leeds promoted to the big time of the Premier League, one of the Argentine’s biggest strengths also appears to be one of his key weaknesses: his absolute faith in his players.

That loyalty has thus far served him extremely well, with a number of players who had been plying their trade in the Championship still making an impact at Premier League level – in fact, the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford have both managed to pick up England caps under his management too.

But while there have been several success stories like those two, there are also other players who Bielsa has been unwavering in his faith with, even if they don’t really deserve it.

Tyler Roberts has arguably been one of the most frustrating cases of Bielsa’s continued loyalty, with the Welshman’s wretched record in front of goal raising some serious doubts about whether he’s actually good enough at this level – in the 33 games he’s played in the Premier League, he’s scored just one goal and provided two assists.

Whether it’s giving a few more opportunities to some of the club’s younger talents, or taking that ruthless decision of dropping players who aren’t in the best of form, Bielsa could surely do with just making a few key changes to try and change the momentum at Elland Road.

Hay’s verdict on Bielsa, while admirable, could be something to frustrate fans.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United star was Bielsa’s real hero vs Fulham…