All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hostpur have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of a deal to bring Ruben Neves to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent David Ornstein article for The Athletic, in which the transfer insider claimed that, after five years of service for the club, Wolverhampton Wanderers could be open to parting with the central midfielder at the end of the current campaign – should an acceptable offer be lodged.

Ornstein went on to state that, despite Barcelona currently looking to be the most likely destination for the 25-year-old, a number of Premier League teams are also in discussions with the Portugal international’s intermediaries regarding a potential summer swoop – one of whom could well be Tottenham.

Indeed, just last August, Fabio Paratici was reported to be negotiating a long-term contract with Neves prior to a £40m (£34m) move to north London, however, in the end, no agreement between the player and Spurs was reached.

In his article, Ornstein wrote: “There is an acceptance that after five years of fine service, Neves may be sold if a suitable offer arrives and gives him a chance to play Champions League football.

“Discussions are taking place between intermediaries and, at present, the most likely destination is said to be Barcelona, though Premier League teams are known to be keen and Wolves would gladly sign him to a new contract.”

Neves can replace Lo Celso

Considering just how impressive Neves has been since his £15.8m move to Wolves back in 2017, in addition to the fact that both Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele – currently on loan at Villarreal and Lyon respectively – appear as if they could be on their way out of north London this summer, it would be surprising if Paratici does not reignite his interest in the 25-year-old in the coming months.

Indeed, over his 28 Premier League appearances this season, the £36m-rated midfielder has been in electric form for Bruno Lage’s side, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

The £58k-per-week maestro has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles, 50 passes and winning four duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who David Edwards claimed was Wolves’ “biggest signing of the window” after keeping him at Molineux last summer average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.20, not only ranking him as Lage’s best performing outfielder but also as the joint 25th-best player in the division as a whole.

In comparison, over Lo Celso’s nine Premier League outings in the current campaign, the £25m-rated midfielder was in rather less spectacular form, scoring no goals, providing no assists and creating two big chances, in addition to making an average of 0.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 13.9 passes and winning 2.6 duels per game.

These returns saw the £100k-per-week Argentina international who John Wenham dubbed “unacceptable” earlier this season average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.72, ranking him as Antonio Conte’s sixth-worst performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Neves would be a significant upgrade on Lo Celso, leading us to believe that Paratici simply must do all to move the 25-year-old on this summer, before reinvesting the fee received for the Argentine – as well as his hefty weekly wage – into a move for the Wolves destroyer.

Consequently, a swoop could just turn out to be the deal of the window, something Edwards alluded to last summer.

AND in other news: Paratici plotting £59m bid for 24 y/o “appreciated by Conte”, he’s “perfect” for Spurs

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice reserved special praise for teammate Michail Antonio after his side’s 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool at the London Stadium on Monday night.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Irons went into the clash against Jurgen Klopp’s men having suffered three successive defeats against Bournemouth, AFC Wimbledon and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, and were looking to bounce back against their Merseyside opponents.

Despite falling behind early on to a Sadio Mane goal – which shouldn’t have counted given James Milner was clearly offside in the build-up – the hosts fought back well and Antonio got on the score-sheet following a clever free-kick routine, and they certainly had other chances to take all three points, including a headed effort by Rice.

Speaking to whufc.com post-match, the 20-year-old picked out his attacking teammate as one of the top performers on the night: “Mick was outstanding. Some of the stuff he was doing, like bringing down Lukasz’s goal kicks and switching the play… When Mick is confident, he is unplayable and you saw that and I’m delighted for him.”

How good was Antonio?

He was certainly very impressive, as he has been at various points during the current campaign.

The 28-year-old has featured in a number of different roles including at right-back, on the wing and as a centre-forward this term, and you certainly can never fault his work-rate and effort – and it was the same case on Monday.

Antonio held the ball up and used it well against tough opposition, and of course got the goal that meant that his side got the point they deserved.

Who is West Ham’s worst ever signing? Check out the video below for a pretty strong candidate for the dubious honour…

Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side were left frustrated as they failed to pick up all three points on their return to Premiership action this month.

The Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Aberdeen in their first match after the winter break, with Lewis Ferguson’s second-half penalty canceling out Ianis Hagi’s goal in the first half.

Forget Goldson

One player who struggled in the match was central defender Connor Goldson, who received a SofaScore rating of 6.6 for his performance. He only completed 59% of his attempted passes and lost 100% of his ground duels as he failed to impress.

Elsewhere in the Premiership on the same night, Ibrox-bound defender John Souttar caught the eye with an excellent showing for Hearts. Rangers have agreed a deal to sign the centre-back at the end of the season when his contract at his current club officially expires and he is continuing to show off his superb form.

It has been reported that the Gers would be interested in bringing him to Glasgow this month instead of waiting until the summer and this latest display, coupled with Goldson’s unimpressive one, highlights exactly why they need to do it.

Souttar was given a SofaScore rating of 7.6 for his display against St. Johnstone, with the colossus winning 70% of his duels and completing 84% of his passes. He also completed 100% of his two dribble attempts and made one block, one interception and two tackles – as per SofaScore.

This shows the level of quality he can provide at this level and these are the kind of performances he could bring to Rangers, potentially replacing Goldson.

Gers sporting director Ross Wilson hailed the beast upon the announcement of the deal to sign him on a pre-contract earlier this month, saying:

“We are really looking forward to John joining Rangers and continuing his development under Gio, our coaching and support staff.

“John is a full Scotland international and has so much potential ahead for the coming years. I have really enjoyed getting to know John across all of our conversations so far and I can see how excited he and his family are to be joining Rangers. We are equally excited to welcome John to Ibrox.”

The Glasgow giants are evidently keen to see him playing for the club next season and now need to do all they can to bring him in during the current window. Goldson’s contract is up at the end of the campaign and the Gers cannot afford to allow performances like the one against Aberdeen to become common-place as he begins to think about where he will be playing next term.

Therefore, Wilson must strike an instant deal to get Souttar playing for Rangers this month instead of waiting until the summer.

AND in other news, 7 duels won: “Brilliant” Rangers gem with 100% dribble success was Gvb’s shining light…

Rangers were seconds away from securing a comeback victory in their latest Premiership match this afternoon, coming from 2-1 down to lead 3-2, only for a very late goal from Matthew Wright right at the death to deny them two points.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side took an early lead against Ross County through winter loan signing Amad Diallo in his first appearance for Rangers since joining from Manchester United a few days ago.

Two goals from County thanks to individual mistakes from Rangers duo Allan McGregor and Calvin Bassey put the hosts ahead by half-time.

In the second half, two Rangers defenders managed to get on the scoresheet, with captain James Tavernier netting an equaliser just a few minutes after the teams returned to the pitch, followed by a goal from Connor Goldson to put the visitors ahead again.

With a deflating late goal from County ensuring that the match ended 3-3, there was one Rangers player who didn’t have much of an impact on the team today and arguably let his manager down.

Itten let Rangers and Van Bronckhorst down

Starting at centre-forward in between wingers Diallo and Ryan Kent, Cedric Itten had just 28 touches of the ball in total, one fewer than McGregor in goal, before being replaced after 59 minutes by Kemar Roofe.

During his time on the pitch, the £2.7m-rated striker lost possession of the ball 10 times, got caught offside twice, committed one foul and lost six of his seven duels, highlighting the minimal impact he had before being withdrawn in the second half.

This performance ultimately earned the 25-year-old an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.6/10 according to SofaScore, leaving only McGregor and Bassey with lower ratings among Van Bronckhorst’s starting XI.

The 3-3 draw in Dingwall gave Celtic the chance to close the gap at the top of the table to two points, which they duly did with a stoppage-time winner later in the afternoon. If the Hoops beat Rangers in Wednesday’s Old Firm clash, this would knock Van Bronckhorst’s side off top spot, which would be a nightmare situation for the Gers and leave the title race out of their hands.

This duly highlights just how much Itten’s performance today could have cost Rangers and their manager in the chase for the Premiership title.

In other news – “Monitoring”: Journalist delivers key Rangers transfer update which Van Bronckhorst will love…

Numerous Premier League clubs are interested in signing Benfica striker and reported Liverpool transfer target Darwin Nunez this summer, according to reliable journalist David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: Nunez on fire this season

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the best young strikers in Europe this season, catching the eye with his performances for the Lisbon club.

Nunez has scored an incredible 24 goals in just 20 Primeira Liga starts, also netting in the Champions League quarter-final clash with Liverpool last week and being described as a ‘top, top boy’ by Jurgen Klopp.

[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”]

The Uruguayan has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent days, with the Reds ‘convinced’ that they should sign him, and a fresh update on the player’s future has now been provided.

The Latest: Nunez a wanted man

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning as he shared a corresponding article from The Athletic, Ornstein revealed that a number of top English clubs are leading the race to snap up Nunez, for whom Benfica want £58.6m, but Liverpool weren’t specifically mentioned.

The journalist tweeted: “Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez has interest from many clubs for summer move but current leading contenders Man Utd, Chelsea, #PSG. None of those can move yet so just initial dialogue. Benfica seeking ~€70m & sale early in window.”

The Verdict: Do Liverpool need him?

Nunez is clearly a special young talent with a big future, as evidenced by his goal record and much sought-after status, but there is a strong argument to say that more big-name attacking signings aren’t needed at Liverpool this summer.

Klopp arguably has five world-class attacking options at his disposal already, and unless someone leaves in the summer, it would be almost impossible to keep six forwards happy if the Uruguayan were to join.

Midfield should be the main area of focus instead, with players ageing in the middle of the park – Jordan Henderson, Thiago and James Milner are in their 30s, while Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turn 29 this year – and an injection of youth needed to take Liverpool forward.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided a key Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now eyeing up a move for Scottish centre-forward Jacob Brown in the summer.

The Lowdown: Contract expiring

Brown’s contract at Stoke City expires in 2023, so he and the Potters have a decision to make over the summer as to whether he should be sold now for a fee, signed to fresh terms or allowed to leave for free next year.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-3/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They are reportedly planning to open up talks over a new deal, but it is not guaranteed that he will sign.

The Latest: Rangers interest

As per Football League World, the Ibrox faithful are now interested in signing Brown this summer, as well as West Ham United, Brentford and Burnley.

While Stoke are keen to give him an extension, a tempting offer may be too hard for him to turn down.

The Verdict: Sign

Given that his contract is running down, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team may be able to get Brown on the cheap, and so snapping him up in the summer seems like a no-brainer.

Described as a player with an ‘incredible’ work rate and having ‘fantastic energy’ by his manager Michael O’Neill, he is one that should quickly become a favourite with the supporters, added to the 13 goals and five assists that he has managed in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Brown even recently went viral after being involved in a rather bizarre scuffle with Bristol City player David Bentley, showing the type of passion the Ibrox faithful would love to get behind.

In other news, find out what big transfer twist this Gers insider has now dropped here!

Celtic writer and podcaster John McGinley was full of praise for young forward Karamoko Dembele during the Glasgow Cup semi-final clash between the Hoops’ B side and Rangers B. 

The lowdown: Old Firm defeat

Following on from the senior side’s extra-time loss to their cross-city rivals at Hampden Park, the young Celts were unable to exact revenge.

Despite taking the lead in the away clash through Mikey Johnston, the Hoops were pegged back before the game was eventually decided on penalties as it finished 2-2 after yet more extra time tension.

Ultimately, Celtic B were unable to progress, but one starlet in particular caught the eye of those keen observers…

The latest: McGinley impressed

Taking to Twitter, football journalist McGinley was quick to credit the contribution of Dembele.

“Karamoko Dembele key in the build-up to Celtic’s first goal today and his assist for the second was pretty special.”

The 19-year-old has largely been an afterthought in Ange Postecoglou’s plans with just ten senior appearances in total, barely being seen by fans this season with just 20 minutes of first-team action across 2021/22.

The verdict: New deal pending?

Out of contract at the end of this campaign (Transfermarkt), standout performances such as this should encourage Celtic to do everything in their power to keep the talented teenager at the club.

Capped on 27 occasions at various youth levels by both England and Scotland, the London-born attacker clearly possesses plenty of potential and having already lost Ben Doak recently, the Hoops need to be careful not to let another star of the future walk away.

Albeit unlikely that Dembele appears again this season given the strength in depth at Celtic Park and the magnitude of each remaining game, next term could well be a breakthrough one for the starlet who has shone in Tommy McIntyre’s side.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

Wolves could sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha as a potential Ruben Neves replacement, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Palhinha impressing for Sporting

The 26-year-old has been an influential figure at the heart of Sporting’s midfield this season, with 16 Primeira Liga appearances to his name, not to mention three goals.

Palhinha has been linked with a move to Wolves in recent days, as Bruno Lage continues to eye up squad reinforcements moving forward.

It could be that the Portuguese is viewed as a long-term successor to compatriot Neves, who has been tipped to move to Arsenal at the end of the season.

The Latest: Journalist talks up move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed that Palhinha could be the ideal man to come in and fill the possible void left by Neves this summer:

“In the summer, if Ruben Neves wants to leave, Palhinha might be a ready-made replacement.”

The Verdict: Ideal Neves replacement

The hope is that Neves stays put at Wolves for many years, given his quality, but there is always the risk that his head could be turned by a big move elsewhere.

Should that happen, Palhinha looks tailor-made to come in as a replacement, having been described as a ‘special player’ by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim.

The midfielder has enjoyed an 86.7% pass completion rate in the league this season, as well as averaging a hugely impressive 3.4 tackles.

In comparison, Neves has 82.6% passing and 2.2 challenges per game, showing that the Sporting star could even prove to be an upgrade if he transitions well into English football.

In other news, some Wolves fans have gushed over a key transfer update. Read more here.

Wolves have received a boost in their bid to sign Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig this month, with journalist Pete O’Rourke talking up a potential move.

The Lowdown: Puig linked with Wolves move

Things are still relatively quiet at Molineux ahead of next Monday’s deadline day, barring the ongoing saga of Adama Traore’s likely move to Tottenham.

One player who has been linked with a move to Wolves is Puig, who has struggled to make an impact at Barca this season under both Ronald Koeman and Xavi.

The one-time La Liga champion has only started once in La Liga in 2021/22 to date and it looks as though he is not in the manger’s plans, potentially opening the door for a move.

The Latest: Wanderers given further boost

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed Francisco Trincao’s move to Wolves means they have good relations with Barca, possibly improving their chances of signing Puig:

“Wolves already have Trincao from Barcelona, so there’s obviously open dialogue there between the clubs and good relations.

“That would boost Wolves’ chances of getting him.”

The Verdict: Potentially exciting signing

Puig may not be a regular at Barca but he is still an excellent footballer with many years ahead of him, so Wolves would be wise to snap him up this month. He has been compared to Spain legend Andres Iniesta, which speaks volumes about his ability and composure on the ball.

The young Spaniard has proven that comparison to be fair too with an incredible 93.9% pass completion rate in La Liga this season, albeit across just 294 minutes, showing that he could excel in a similar manner to Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves. The Wolves duo actually both complete passes at a lower success rate.

Bruno Lage could perhaps then mould Puig into a long-term replacement for Moutinho, ensuring the club continues to grow into the future, acting as a statement signing from a huge club at the same time.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has given a key Wolves transfer update. Read more here.

According to a report from Football Insider, Villarreal are set to open talks with Tottenham Hotspur regarding the transfer of Giovani Lo Celso, and Fabio Paratici could swoop for Pau Torres in part-exchange. 

The lowdown: Successful loan

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder joined Unai Emery’s side on loan until the end of the season on transfer deadline day and has enjoyed an impressive start to life back in Spain, ranking as the Yellow Submarine’s fifth-best player by average Whoscored rating.

Lo Celso played all 180 minutes for Villarreal as the La Liga outfit eliminated Bayern Munich from the UEFA Champions League to set up a semi-final showdown with Liverpool.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Now after 13 appearances across all competitions it appears the clubs are ready to discuss the option to make the move permanent…

The latest: Swap deal on the cards?

As per an FI recruitment source, Villarreal are believed to have ‘indicated’ a desire to sign the Argentinian international in the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that Spurs are ‘confident they can secure a major fee’ for the man signed from Real Betis, with a £30million price tag mooted – profit on the £27.2million spent in 2020 (BBC).

Furthermore, the report states that Managing Director of Football Paratici could explore a part-exchange option involving highly-rated central defender Torres.

The verdict: Make it happen

While the 38-cap ace has shown flashes of brilliance during his time as a Lilywhite, just 14 direct goal contributions in 86 appearances for an attacking midfielder isn’t of the level required for Antonio Conte’s squad.

After failing to complete 90 minutes even once in the Premier League this term, Lo Celso’s exit made room for the arrival and subsequent impact of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski – who already has three goals and six assists in just 11 league outings – further proof that Spurs would be wise to seal the permanent departure of the Argentinian.

Whilst the £30million fee would represent a welcome boost to the coffers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having previously been linked with a move for 6 foot 3 centre-back Torres, bringing the man hailed as ‘sensational’ by Spanish national team manager Luis Enrique as part of the deal would be a superb piece of business.

In other news: Italian source claims Spurs are eyeing a move for Serie A midfielder! Find out more here.