All posts by z3u9t.icu

Pundit Paul Robinson has been reacting to Celtic’s January transfer plans, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Ange’s comments

The Hoops were extremely busy in the summer, bringing in 12 new additions while cashing in on five players.

However, attention has already turned to the January market, with Ange Postecoglou revealing earlier this month he ‘will definitely be adding’ to his squad over the coming months.

Postecoglou went on to add that the J1 League in Japan will be a market the club will explore following Kyogo Furuhashi’s £4.86m move in the summer.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

Robinson, who has featured regularly on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if the Hoops should expect another signing like Furuhashi in the New Year.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling Postecoglou’s knowledge of the Japanese market as ‘incredible’ and describing winter window plans as ‘exciting’.

“Furuhashi has done outstandingly well since he has come in. If they dip into the Japanese market they will be looking for a player of similar ability.

“When you bring a manager like Postecoglou in you have to exploit the world market. Why would you not when he has an incredible knowledge of it.

“It will be the end of the J-League season there so the players will be fit. There will be no issues with them coming in and hitting the ground running.

“It is going to be an exciting window for Celtic because Postecoglou didn’t have much time in the last window to bring in the targets that he wanted. January will give him a real opportunity to add to what he has got.

“Why not tap into a market [Japan] that your manager knows well?”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Exciting times…

Furuhashi has been Celtic’s standout performer this season, netting eight times in 11 appearances.

The 26-year-old has hit the ground running straight away in Glasgow, so hopefully, Postecoglou will have another few gems lined up to join Furuhashi.

Postecoglou described January as a ‘good time’ to look at the J1 League due to their end season.

If the Hoops can replicate Furuhashi’s transfer again, that could help them in their push to regain the Scottish Premiership.

In other news: BBC pundit thinks Celtic may have Kyogo ‘problem’ after what he’s seen. 

Aside from two defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool, Steven Gerrard’s reign in charge of Aston Villa has been relatively positive with four wins under his belt against Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Norwich City.

However, there has been one bit of bad news that Gerrard has had to deal with in recent weeks with midfielder Marvelous Nakamba picking up a serious knee injury earlier this month.

With the Villa man having had surgery to fix the issue, Gerrard has shared some details on Nakamba’s recovery and when he could be back available for the team.

What’s the latest?

In a recent press conference (via Birmingham Live), Gerrard said that Nakamba is “going to be missing for somewhere in the region of 12 weeks if it is a fantastic rehab or it could be up to 16 weeks.”

Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that Villa will have to deal with Nakamba’s absence for a significant period of time regardless of how well his recovery goes, which will be gutting for the Villa fans to hear.

Since arriving at Villa Park back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Belgian side Club Brugge, the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £6.3m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 64 appearances for Villa across all competitions but has yet to score a goal or provide an assist.

With Gerrard labelling Nakamba’s early performances under Villa’s new manager as “outstanding,” and the fact that the Zimbabwe international has managed to rack up an average of two tackles per game in the Premier League this season with 50% of his duels won, it goes without saying that he will be a big miss for the Villans in their midfield.

Given the amount of time that Nakamba could be spending out on the sidelines, it will be interesting to see whether or not this forces the Midlands club to splash the cash in the upcoming January transfer window to bring in a new midfielder to fill in for Nakamba while he’s out.

Moving forward, if Villa don’t sign a new midfielder in January to fill in for Nakamba, Gerrard and everyone else at the club will have to hope that the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz don’t pick up any injuries as Villa’s other two senior midfielders and that Nakamba’s recovery will be a swift one.

In other news: Gerrard must offload Wesley

Manchester United have officially appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager at Old Trafford in the summer, and now Fabrizio Romano has given an update on the team the Dutch coach will build around him.

What’s the word?

According to the Italian transfer insider and journalist, Manchester United are in talks for Steve McClaren to join the coaching staff alongside their brand new manager at the end of the season.

Romano tweeted: “Mitchell van der Gaag has already accepted to join Erik ten Hag staff at Manchester United – green light from Dutch coach arrived one week ago. Contract details are still being discussed, while Steve McClaren had direct conversation with ten Hag on his possible role.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-man-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more-nunez-ten-hag-nkunku-richarlison” title=”Read the latest Man United news!”]

Supporters will be excited

It’s fair to say the Red Devils have been struggling ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, and, having entered their longest trophy drought in 40 years, there clearly needs to be a revolution at the club – something which is starting to finally unfold ahead of the summer.

The appointment of Ten Hag alongside a brand new team to work with him will surely excite supporters, who will undoubtedly be desperate for huge changes that can positively impact the club’s future and pull them out of their trophyless rut.

Steve McClaren making a shock return to the Premier League and Old Trafford could be exactly what Man United need to reignite their identity as winners, as the former Newcastle manager was assistant to Ferguson between 1999 and 2001, joining during the treble-winning 1998/99 campaign.

Aside from his well-known career in England, McClaren has previously worked with the new Man United boss – when Ten Hag was assistant to McClaren at FC Twente back in 2008, and the pair continue to have a close relationship.

With that being said, these big shifts in responsibilities and fresh perspectives added to the Manchester United think tank will surely be welcomed by the supporters as the club looks to rebuild their reputation and pose a threat in the challenge for trophies in the future.

AND In other news: “Man United will 100% sign..”: Romano drops transfer claim that will excite supporters

West Ham United have been dealt a setback in their bid to bring Jonathan David to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, with the journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the LOSC Lille centre-forward’s agent has claimed the 21-year-old looks unlikely to leave the Ligue 1 side in 2022, as well as stating his own belief that the Canada international will not be on the move in the winter market.

In his comments, O’Rourke said: “I think there’s going to be a big demand for Jonathan David, probably in the summer. I can’t see any move happening in this January transfer window. His agent has come out and said that he doesn’t expect him to leave Lille in 2022 and a lot of big clubs will be looking at Jonathan David.”

A previous claim made by ExWHUemployee revealed that David Moyes had identified the striker as one of his primary targets in the January transfer window, although the West Ham insider also stated his own belief that the Hammers move for David looked unlikely this winter.

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how impressive David has been in France so far this season, the news that West Ham look unlikely to be able to seal a deal for the centre-forward this month is sure to have left many of the London Stadium faithful fuming.

Indeed, over his 19 Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £45m-rated man has already scored 12 goals and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Hein Vanhaezebrouck dubbed a “phenomenon” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Jocelyn Gourvennec’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of French football.

Aside from his remarkable league form, the Canadian has also bagged a further four goals over seven outings in the Champions League and the Coupe de France – taking his total haul for the current campaign to 16 goals in 27 appearances.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the £35k-per-week forward would undoubtedly make a fantastic addition to Michail Antonio in the West Ham attack, however, following O’Rourke’s recent update, a move for David now looks extremely unlikely to be on the cards this month – something that will certainly come as gutting news to both Moyes and fans of the club alike.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Arnautovic as WHU make contact with £105k-p/w “goalscorer”

Darwin Nunez is reportedly now the ‘priority’ signing for Newcastle United in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Another striker in?

Following the arrival of Chris Wood from Burnley, it seems as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium now want to bring in another striker to try and fill in the void left by the injured  Callum Wilson.

The Englishman is still their top scorer so far this season with six goals in total over all competitions, and while Wood has been potent in the Premier League before, he has only managed three strikes in the top flight this campaign.

Nonetheless, after the disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Watford last time out, there is another big game around the corner in terms of the relegation battle in Leeds United, and so Eddie Howe could do with some more firepower in order to get a kickstart on the points that they so desperately need.

The Latest: Nunez the ‘priority’

As per Record (via Sport Witness), Nunez is now the ‘priority’ signing for the St. James’ Park faithful, as he is currently on ‘top of the list’ in terms of who they want to bring in next through the door.

They have already made ‘first contacts’ over a potential move, but learned that Benfica want at least €60m (£50m) for his signature.

The Verdict: Centre-back first

Yes, the North East club could do with another striker, but they must look to bring in a new central defender first of all, before splashing the cash on Nunez.

They currently have the second-worst defensive record in the top flight, and Wood will surely start scoring goals once he is given time to settle on Tyneside.

Nonetheless, Nunez would be a top signing, as he is one of the most exciting strikers in world football, having been dubbed as a ‘special’ player with ‘no ceiling’ by Almeria sporting director Joao Goncalves (BBC).

The Uruguay international has 19 goals and two assists so far this season (Transfermarkt), and at just 22 years of age, he has the potential to go to the very top.

In other news, find out the latest on NUFC’s pursuit of this ‘amazing’ centre-back here!

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool fans have been reacting on social media to a bold claim in the French media that Adrien Rabiot would prefer to join Jurgen Klopp’s side than Tottenham Hotspur.

We recently covered reaction from a cohort of Liverpool fans who were pleased to hear that Rabiot is keen to move to Merseyside – however, it appears not every Reds supporter is quite so impressed by the news.

The claim has been reported by Paris United, who revealed that Spurs are hoping to sign the midfielder, as well as the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Rabiot is out of contract in the French capital come the summer, and appears more interested in leaving the club than agreeing a new deal.

Paris United are now suggesting that Tottenham are trying to win the race for his signature by offering the 6-cap Frenchman a €5million (£4.3m) signing bonus and a €7.5million (£6.4m) per year wage to move to London.

But the same PSG-focused site are also claiming that Rabiot would prefer to join the ranks at Anfield if he were to move to the Premier League.

No offer has yet been made by the Reds, and these members of the Anfield faithful were quick to remind Rabiot of that…

West Ham United will be looking to break into the top-six in the Premier League when they welcome local rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the London Stadium this afternoon.

David Moyes’ side extended their 100% record in the Europa League on Thursday night after defeating Belgian outfit Genk 3-0, so they will head into kickoff buoyed by confidence.

And one of the standout performers from that encounter ought to feature today in Issa Diop.

The 24-year-old centre-back has slipped down the pecking order even more since the arrival of fellow countryman Kurt Zouma in the summer transfer window but he has been given opportunities outside of the Premier League and has pretty much impressed each time.

Diop’s four appearances across the Europa League and Carabao Cup have returned four clean sheets. By comparison, the Hammers have kept just two in their eight league outings so far this campaign.

Therefore, it could be wise to unleash the Frenchman with the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son heading to east London.

As per WhoScored, the £13.5m-rated colossus has been their fourth-best player in Europe, where he is averaging two tackles (second-most) and 2.6 aerials won (third-most) per game.

Neither of Moyes’ first-choice league pairing of Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna are managing more than 0.9 tackles per outing. That will need to improve if they are to stop Kane and Spurs’ top-scorer, Son.

This is why Diop must be considered, perhaps taking the place of the latter, as he and the Champions League winner looked excellent together against Dinamo Zagreb.

Jose Mourinho once dubbed the £22m signing a “monster” in September 2018 for dominating Paul Pogba and co, but performances of that calibre have been far and few between ever since then.

However, that looks to be changing.

“I thought Diop was absolutely magnificent,” claimed Irons assistant manager Stuart Pearce, via The Athletic, after their 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.

“The longer the game went on the more of a colossus he looked at the back and he’s still in relative terms, a very young man for a central defender so we’re absolutely delighted to have Issa at this club.”

Son has bagged four goals already this campaign, also averaging 2.9 shots and 1.4 dribbles per game, whilst Kane is threatening to add to his solitary strike with an average of 2.4 shots per match, via WhoScored.

Evidently, Moyes needs a rock at the back to put a stop to the pair running riot at the London Stadium, which is why Diop should be selected this afternoon.

AND in other news, Moyes must axe “special” £18m West Ham passenger v Spurs, he’s been abysmal for months…

Craig Hope has now revealed five players that Newcastle United are targeting ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Bodies needed

As the St. James’ Park faithful are currently lurking in the relegation zone, it is clear that reinforcements are needed next month in order to give them the best possible chance of surviving.

Survival means everything to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, as they can then kickstart their long-term project in the summer, and thus be able to attract bigger names to the North East given that they would still be playing in the top flight.

The Latest: Five targets

As per Hope, Lloyd Kelly, a player Eddie Howe signed back in 2019, as well as central defenders Matthias Ginter, Joe Rodon and Sven Botman, are among the Tyneside outfit’s January targets.

The Daily Mail journalist is ‘also told’ that Mohamed Elneny is an option in the middle of the park for the new owners.

The Verdict: Kelly, Elneny plus one centre-back

Kelly is of course a player that Howe knows well – in a 2019/20 season plagued by injuries, he started eight out of the nine games that he was available under the manager (Transfermarkt).

A player that Howe has a lot of admiration for, he would certainly know how to get the best out of Kelly, providing that he can stay free of injury.

Elneny offers a lot of Premier League 30 goals so far in the top flight, the second-most out of any team.

Rodon offers that Premier League Botman have played at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League.

Nonetheless, bringing at least three of those players in would certainly help bolster up the squad, and give them the best possible chance of avoiding the drop.

In other news, find out which former Magpies NUFC are eyeing in a shock transfer here!

Celtic had a very busy transfer window last summer in terms of the number of players moving in and out of the club on permanent and loan deals.

Looking ahead to this summer, it seems as though one potential transfer has already been mentioned with the Bhoys.

What’s the news?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Hoops star Frank McAvennie was discussing the possibility of the Parkhead club securing a permanent move for their current loan ace Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The 62-year-old said: “Ange will want this deal done as soon as the window opens. He won’t want to be messing around. The last thing he wants is a transfer saga that means Carter-Vickers doesn’t come back until just before the season starts.

“Let’s get him in early so he can have a full pre-season up here. I think this one will get done. I don’t think he has a future at Tottenham and we should be getting the Champions League group money to spend.”

Since arriving at Celtic on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur last August, the defender has been a solid figure for Ange Postecoglou and his side.

From a defensive point of view, the American has racked up 36 interceptions, 19 tackles and an average of 4.4 clearances per game, the highest of any other Hoops player.

Fans would be ecstatic

With 27 Premiership appearances to his name, the 24-year-old has earned himself an impressive overall performance rating of 7.35/10 from WhoScored, making him the fourth-highest rated player currently in Postecoglou’s squad.

Taking all this into account, and after making himself a hero last weekend by scoring against Rangers in Celtic’s 2-1 win which saw them go six points clear at the top of the table, it’s easy to see why McAvennie thinks the club will be keen to secure the centre-back on a permanent basis.

With the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, signing the defender on a permanent deal from Tottenham should be at the top of the Parkhead club’s priorities when it comes to their potential business.

If they were able to negotiate a deal with the north London club which would see Carter-Vickers become a fully-fledged Celtic player, this would surely delight a lot of Hoops fans and increase the team’s chances of being successful next season and beyond, given how well he has performed so far in Glasgow.

In other news: Ange must now seal Celtic deal for “magic” £21.5k-p/w ace, he’s an “absolute dream”

Manchester United have reportedly made an approach over bringing Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti to Old Trafford.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag and Pochettino talks

The Red Devils are making a head start in regards to their pursuit of bringing in Ralf Rangnick’s long-term replacement ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Both Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino have been in talks with United officials in recent weeks, with Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique also thought to be on the club’s shortlist.

Ancelotti, who shares the same agent as Raphael Varane, now appears to be the latest manager on that list.

The Latest: Approach made for Ancelotti

Sport Witness relayed a report from UOL regarding Ancelotti and United on Tuesday.

They claimed that an approach has been made, with the Red Devils considering the arrival of the Italian in the last few days.

However, the report added that a potential swoop won’t be straightforward, with Ancelotti happy at the Bernabeu.

The Verdict: Surprise…

It did look as if Ten Hag and Pochettino were the frontrunners for the job after their talks with United CEO Richard Arnold, with Lopetegui and Enrique outside contenders, so this update on Ancelotti does come as a shock.

A third managerial job in England after spells with Chelsea and Everton could be unlikely for the 62-year-old, especially as he is thought to be very content in Madrid.

United may not be able to offer Champions League football next season either, which could make it even harder to attract Ancelotti, who currently has that with Real Madrid, whom he is also set to guide to La Liga glory in the coming weeks.

In other news: ‘Been told…’ – Fabrizio Romano now drops ‘coaching’ update; one man ‘will not join Man Utd’