All posts by z3u9t.icu

[ad_pod ]According to Bleacher Report Football Insider Dean Jones on his Twitter account, West Brom are hopeful of securing a double deal for Fulham pair Stefan Johansen and Aboubakar Kamara, who both look surplus to requirements at Craven Cottage following the Londoners’ huge summer spending spree.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Dean Jones of Bleacher Report states that the promotion-chasing Baggies are keen to wrap up a deal for Norwegian international midfielder Johansen, who played a huge role in helping Fulham win promotion via the play-offs last season.

The 28-year-old recorded eight goals and nine assists, as per Transfermarkt, as Slavisa Jokanovic’s Fulham impressed in the second tier last year, with Johansen a huge player in the engine room of the now-departed manager’s team.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

However, since the club spent almost £100m on new faces in the summer (as per the BBC), including huge competition for Johansen in Jean Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the Norwegian has made just four league starts.

In Kamara’s case, he had been more involved under new boss Claudio Ranieri, scoring three goals in five league games, but his unbelievably poor disciplinary problems have led him to the exit door – he has even been arrested recently, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Would they be good signings for West Brom?

Undoubtedly so. Darren Moore could do with a few new faces this month having lost in-form Harvey Barnes back to his parent club Leicester, as reported by the BBC. The Midlands-based side have also lost Oliver Burke to Celtic on a loan deal (as per the BBC), whilst Bakary Sako looks set to move back to Crystal Palace (as reported by The Guardian’s Dominic Fifield).

The Fulham duo have fantastic Championship experience, and have the know-how of two players who have enjoyed a successful promotion campaign, so their input both on and off the field could be vital to Moore, who could do with some fresh impetus.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to continue their dominance in the Premier League this season and in doing so, Bruno Lage has made it clear he is working on who he wants to add in January to refresh the team and add depth to key areas that are spreading thin.

Bruno Lage spoke recently about his communication with club chairman, Jeff Shi, on the plans for the transfer window:

“When the transfer window closed we talked about it then and he knows what I want, but in the same way I need to understand just not the sport, but also the financial things.

“But he knows what I want and it was good for me when he did that interview and he said ‘I’m happy because Bruno has a big ambition.”

“I’m here to try to do good things and continue the work they started four years ago.”

Although many experienced and successful players are linked with the side, there has been one name that has been talked about, that could replicate their Willian Jose nightmare.

Jose was a huge flop for Wolves after he moved to the Molineux on loan at the start of 2021, in the January transfer window.

The Brazilian forward only registered one goal and zero assists in 17 appearances under Nuno Santo for Wolves last term, which is not something you want to see from a forward you bring in as an impact signing to boost goal-scoring opportunities mid-season.

It is a huge mistake Bruno Lage would be a fool to inherit from his predecessor, but with speculation that the club could make a move for Enner Valencia, it might well happen.

Despite scoring 20 goals for his current club, Fenerbahce, Valencia has a history of nightmares in English football after failing to establish himself at both West Ham and Everton, bagging just 13 goals in 91 matches in England.

The 32-year-old forward struggled to be any kind of presence in east London and Merseyside, being swiftly moved on by both clubs after disappointing performances and failing to make a real impact on the sides he played in.

Wolves will need to identify exciting players that have experience in English football who understand how competitive and driven you have to be to succeed in finishing in the top half of the table. Lage cannot afford to make any mistakes that could see the likes of Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United catch up with his side.

In other news: Wolves in prime position to snap up Hwang permanently

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.

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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…

West Ham United have reportedly joined the race to sign Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin with the Hammers in desperate need of reinforcements up front.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, West Ham are looking to purchase the England striker after David Moyes was alerted that the Toffees may be forced to sell their prized asset to regain funds after years of over-spending.

However, the report suggests that the Hammers would have to pay their Premier League rivals £60m in order to lure the 24-year-old to east London, a fee that Moyes’ side wouldn’t be able to currently afford.

Although, if the price tag changes, the Irons will jump to the front of the queue in an attempt to sign the striker.

Calvert-Lewin’s season has been halted by a toe injury that has limited the Englishman to just six Premier League appearances this season, with the striker only recently returning from a three-month spell on the sidelines.

Despite his lay-off, the Evertonian is still one of England’s hottest talents and has the potential to evolve into a Premier League great.

West Ham must swoop for Calvert-Lewin

Granted, the price tag is steep, but Calvert-Lewin could prove to be exactly what West Ham are missing.

David Moyes has one senior striker in his squad in Michail Antonio, who has blown hot and cold this campaign. The Jamaica international has scored eight league goals this campaign, however, five of them came in the first six games of the Premier League season.

Those sorts of numbers aren’t reliable for a side aiming to secure Champions League qualification, particularly if the player in question is the only one of his position in the squad.

Moreover, should Antonio miss a run of games through injury or suspension before the end of the season, the Hammers would suddenly be faced with a major predicament.

Prior to Calvert-Lewin’s injury, the 24-year-old also started the 2021/22 campaign in red hot form, scoring in all three of the Toffees’ opening games.

The striker has played three full games since returning from injury, with fitness still being regained slowly, and is yet to score.

Last season really saw the Englishman, described as a “special talent” by a former youth coach, come of age. The striker netted 21 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions, scoring once every 157.8 minutes. Evidently, that is considerably better than Antonio who is rather less potent.

It also saw Calvert-Lewin make an impact on the international stage, scoring on his senior England debut in a 3-0 romp of Wales. The striker went on to receive another ten caps, appearing off of the bench at the European Championship twice.

Rated at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, £60m is arguably a steep price for the Hammers to pay. However, if they were to pay it and secure a top-four finish with the help of the striker, West Hams would believe the deal to be worth every single penny.

Meanwhile, West Ham target is made available for sale…

Bayern Munich have not yet expressed an interest in signing Leeds United winger Raphinha in the January transfer window, according to journalist Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Bayern linked with Raphinha move

The Whites received a potential blow earlier in the week, with the Brazilian strongly linked with a January switch to Bayern after the European giants saw him as a strong option to sign.

Raphinha has surely been Leeds’ best player so far this season, scoring eight goals in 16 Premier League appearances, so the thought of losing him midway through the campaign is a worrying one.

Fortunately, a more positive update has now emerged regarding the 25-year-old’s future.

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The Latest: Smyth provides encouraging update

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Smyth, the rumour of an imminent move to Germany is wide of the mark, with Bayern ‘yet to make any interest known’ to Leeds regarding a potential transfer for the Brazilian.

It is stated that the Whites may need to sell players in January to generate funds for new signings, but it is also mentioned that selling Raphinha would ‘make next to no sense’.

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The Verdict: Can’t afford to lose him

With key figures such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford both plagued by injury this season, Raphinha’s importance to Marcelo Bielsa’s side is going to be greater than ever throughout the rest of the campaign.

Leeds are threatening to become embroiled in a relegation fight in the Premier League, so allowing arguably their best player to leave would be asking for trouble.

It could be that Raphinha demands to move on at the end of the season, but for now, it makes complete sense for the Whites to ignore any other club’s advances and try to persuade the 25-year-old to commit to the Leeds cause for another few months at least, especially when they badly need him.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly still interested in signing one player. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United are reportedly now pushing to sign Matthias Ginter in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Centre-back targeted

As previously reported by Craig Hope, Ginter is among three central defenders that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are now targeting next month, along with Tottenham Hotspur’s Joe Rodon and Lille’s Sven Botman.

As his current deal at Borussia Monchengladbach expires in the summer, it is possible that the St. James’ Park faithful can sign him on a cut-price deal in January, given the risk for the Bundesliga club of losing him on a free transfer otherwise.

Nonetheless, it is clear that the Tyneside outfit now want to bolster a defence that has shipped no fewer than 30 goals in the Premier League so far this season, one of the worst records in the division.

The Latest: Ginter pushed

As per Calciomercato, the North East club are now aggressively making their move to sign Ginter in January after a development ‘in the last few hours’.

However, they are likely to face competition from Inter Milan for his signature.

The Verdict: No-brainer

If the new owners can get Ginter in next month, potentially on the cheap, it would surely be a no-brainer for them.

A centre-back who plays like current PSG player and footballing legend Sergio Ramos, given his leadership qualities, he also possesses the same winning mentality as the Spaniard, given that he has won many trophies on the big stage, including the FIFA World Cup with Germany back in 2014.

A monster at the back, he is averaging more tackles (1.2) in the Bundesliga than all of Eddie Howe’s centre-half options are in the top flight so far this term (WhoScored), and so would really elevate the quality in the team.

The really exciting thing is that Ginter is still only 27 years of age, and so is just about to enter his prime years as a footballer.

Nonetheless, January represents the perfect time for the Magpies to snap him up.

In other news, find out which ‘incredible talent’ Steve Nickson has had a meeting over signing here!

Celtic are interested in a move to bring attacking midfielder Joe White to Parkhead.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claimed that Ange Postecoglou’s side are among a host of clubs from the Scottish Premiership, Premier League, Eredivisie and Bundesliga keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Newcastle United playmaker ahead of the January transfer window.

The report added that, with the 19-year-old’s deal at St. James’ Park expiring at the end of the current campaign, any interested parties outside of England will be able to submit pre-contract offers for the midfielder at the turn of the year, before paying Magpies a small compensation development fee upon his potential arrival.

Dream deal

Considering the sheer volume of interest that White is generating, and that attacking midfield is an area of the park in which Postecoglou lacks considerable depth, it is not difficult to argue that the signing of the teenager would be a dream deal for the 56-year-old Celtic manager, especially on what would practically be a free transfer,

Indeed, while White is yet to make a first team appearance for Newcastle, the 19-year-old has impressed in the club’s youth teams, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists over 33 appearances for the under-18s, as well as bagging one goal and registering four assists over 27 fixtures for the under-23s.

Speaking about White’s potential, his grandfather Peter Hampton – who made 206 top-flight appearances over spells with Stoke City and Don Revie’s Leeds United – said: “He’s very talented technically. For me, he’s got a range of passing that I’ve not seen and that many people don’t have.

“Many don’t have the ability to play the passes which he plays, and, with a bit of luck, he might have a decent future. He’s fortunate that he’s got some great attributes; a left foot which is second to none, a good physique and in a couple of years I think he will develop into a really strong player – he’s about 6ft 1… nothing seems to faze him.”

As such, despite his tender age, it is clear that White is already a very physically mature player, as well as boasting the passing ability which The Athletic journalist Kieran Devlin suggested that Celtic should be seeking in an attacking midfield addition this January.

Considering his sheer amount of potential, his availability on a free transfer and that the Hoops are currently lacking a player in his mould, White would indeed appear to be something of a dream transfer for the Bhoys to get over the line this winter.

In other news – Huge blow: Celtic dealt double injury setback ahead of semi-final, fans will be gutted

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.

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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.

Everton are interested in Ajax winger David Neres, according to French outlet Jeunes Footeux. 

The Blues are rivalling fellow Premier League side Newcastle United and Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in the race for his signature. The latter view him as a potential upgrade on former Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri, who has only managed one goal and two assists so far this season.

They may pursue Neres, who is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, on loan with an option to buy.

Why might Everton want Neres?

Neres has only started three of Ajax’s 18 Eredivisie matches so far this season, and in that context, his return of five direct goal contributions (three goals, two assists) is actually quite good. He has also found the net in the Champions League, helping Ajax to a 4-2 victory over Sporting Lisbon in their final group stage match.

In the 2018/19 team which reached the semi-finals of the competition, Neres showed what he was capable of producing, scoring 12 goals and setting up 15 more.

Everton, Lyon and Newcastle may be confident that they can unlock those levels from the seven-cap Brazil international, who’s still just 24 years old.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed the report, and here’s what these supporters had to say about the Brazilian “prince”, with one calling for national team colleague Richarlison to try and entice him to Goodison Park.

These Everton fans swoon over Neres link

“Agent Richarlison, have a word with him”

Credit: @CrazyCraven01

“This would be incredible”

Credit: @Everton_1234

“How have I seen people say no to this, he’d be one of our biggest goal threats instantly. Not saying a lot but still”

Credit: @BibahkV

“Yes”

Credit: @KryptoKing_5L

“Please”

Credit: @Shaunooo12

“One day you’ll be at Goodison my sweet prince”

Credit: @_adamefc_

In other news, many Everton fans were buzzing over this Serie A link

Leeds United would’ve raked in a whopping £132.5m in today’s money, according to The Athletic.

This has been revealed in a new study conducted by football finance experts Kieran Maguire and Jason Laws, who have developed an inflation calculator which adjusts based on revenue increases in the English game over time.

In 2002, a pint of beer would’ve set you back around £2, but in 2022, you’d be lucky to spend less than £4. Similarly, a loaf of white bread cost around 50p two decades ago – now it exceeds the £1 mark.

But calculating football fees based on the country’s inflation (2.8% per year) isn’t enough as it doesn’t account for TV deals and other revenue streams – for example, the Premier League signed a new deal for 2022-25 worth £5.1bn for their domestic rights alone.

Ferdinand departed Elland Road for a world-record fee for a defender of £30m in July 2002, joining Manchester United, where he would go onto win six league titles and one Champions League, amongst other feats.

Using Maguire and Laws’ metrics, if the BT Sport pundit were sold in the modern day, the Yorkshire giants would’ve earned a whopping £132.5m, which would eclipse the current records for English and defensive transfers.

In the summer, Manchester City splashed a British-record £100m on Jack Grealish, whilst no defender across the globe has cost more than the £80m that the Red Devils paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.

Ferdinand’s departure was met with quite an uproar at the time, understandably so given that he joined one of the Whites’ biggest rivals at the time, following in the footsteps of Eric Cantona, about whom many at the Yorkshire club were still very bitter.

When the former England centre-back knew of interest from Sir Alex Ferguson – who would go onto laud him as “phenomenal” – and co, he sat in then-Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale’s office for six hours to thrash out an exit.

“At Leeds I went and sat in Mr. Ridsdale’s office and just sat there and waited for about five, six hours and said I’m not going until you sort out the deal for me to go to Man Utd,” he revealed to BT Sport (via The Mirror.

“I didn’t go public, I didn’t need to go. We got to a compromise, we got to a situation where he felt he was getting the right part of the deal and I got my opportunity to go to Man Utd.

“But I was adamant I wanted to go because that was the right time and the right move for me.”

United’s initial offer started at £22m for the towering colossus before Ridsdale managed to eke out a further £8m, which in the eyes of some around Elland Road was still not enough for such a crucial player.

There’s no doubt that his transfer to the red side of Manchester contributed to the undeniable furore which exits between the two bitter rivals but, upon reflection, it’s a deal which turned out to be worth its weight in gold.

AND in other news, Forget Raphinha: Marsch heading for big Leeds nightmare over £42m-rated “rare talent”…