All posts by z3u9t.icu

At long last, Celtic have the pleasure of a new permanent manager.

The Hoops can forget all about Eddie Howe and bask in the glory of Ange Postecoglou, a 55-year-old from Australia with lofty ambitions.

He wasn’t the hierarchy’s first choice at Parkhead but he arrives with a brand of football that fits perfectly into the Celtic philosophy.

After signing on the dotted line, Postecoglou was keen to stress the importance of the transfer market. “We have already begun work on our plans for adding to the squad – we aim to bring players of quality to Celtic to enhance the existing core of great talent,” he revealed.

Indeed, with the Bhoys set to lose Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard this summer, cracking on with recruitment is of utmost importance.

Strengthening their backline should be the biggest priority for the Australian. After all, they conceded 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership this season.

One of the biggest factors in their dismal defensive record was their goalkeeping department.

Vasilis Barkas signed for £4.5m last summer but made repeated errors and was then named in the starting XI on just two occasions after the New Year period.

Scott Bain has hardly been a pillar of solidity either. He was at fault for numerous goals away at Slavia Prague in the Europa League and should have done better for Alfredo Morelos’ strike in the Old Firm drubbing last month.

With that in mind, Celtic and Postecoglou should consider signing another stopper.

One player they were linked with last summer was Roma’s Robin Olsen. The Sweden number one eventually signed for Everton on loan but has now headed back to Italy after playing just 11 times for the Toffees.

Jose Mourinho doesn’t want to keep him in the Italian capital and with a £4m fee being touted, Olsen is hoping to use the European Championships as a shop window.

“Clearly it is a good showcase. I hope to have a good Euros, first of all for Sweden, then obviously if the tournament can help me showcase myself then so be it. With the work done in England I returned to the levels I was at before moving to Roma. I grew and improved, even if I clearly hoped to play more at Everton. In any case it was a good season,” Olsen commented recently.

Standing at 6 foot 5, the Swede has an enormous advantage in terms of his height. Celtic saw firsthand the positives of having a tall goalkeeper between the sticks when they had Fraser Forster at Parkhead.

The Englishman was a man-mountain at 6 foot 7 and was an imperious figure inside the penalty area. Forster was so impressive that he saved four penalties during the 2019/20 campaign and then made an awe-inspiring 11 saves in the League Cup final against Rangers.

In the words of SB Nation Roma blogger Chiesa Di Totti, Olsen has “massive limbs”, an outstanding quality that Celtic missed this term.

An experienced international at the age of 31, Postecoglou should certainly consider reviving the club’s interest. He has all of the tools that Forster had.

AND in other news, Celtic eye move for 31 y/o that Strachan dubbed “fantastic”, McKay is wasting his time…

Southampton have been linked with Nice striker Evann Guessand and the 19-year-old could prove to be a superb option for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side ahead of next season.

According to the Daily Mail, both Southampton and Newcastle United are keen on signing the teenage forward this summer after his impressive performances on loan at Lausanne in Switzerland.

Guessand has contributed seven goals and five assists in 32 appearances in the Swiss Super League this season, which included a scorpion kick finish against Zurich back in March, earning him comparisons with legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Whilst the Saints have a number of young forwards on their books already, with the likes of Nathan Tella, Dan N’Lundulu and Michael Obafemi all challenging for a spot in Hasenhuttl’s side, Guessand’s impressive record this season suggests that he could definitely challenge in Southampton’s side in the future.

According to Transfermarkt, his contract with Nice is set to expire in the summer, which suggests that Southampton could sign him on a pre-contract deal ahead of next season, meaning they wouldn’t have to pay a transfer fee.

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Although Guessand’s age suggests that the Saints may have to pay a compensation fee, you would imagine that it would be well worth the risk to try and sign him this summer, as he appears to have a bright future.

Danny Ings and Che Adams have formed a strong partnership at times this season but Southampton have struggled when either has missed a game, which suggests that they need to add some quality depth in that position ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, so Guessand’s signing would make a lot of sense.

Therefore, given the 19-year-old’s obvious potential, Southampton vice-chairman Martin Semmens must try and bring him to St Mary’s this summer, as he is someone who could definitely benefit the Saints on the pitch and from a financial perspective in the future.

In other news… Hasenhuttl headed for Saints disaster with £5.4m-rated flop, his form has vanished

Liverpool are expected to sign RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate this summer, with the Bundesliga outfit waiting for official confirmation that they will pay his £30.2m release clause.

What’s the story?

The 22-year-old has long been linked with a move to Anfield as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his centre-back options ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, and now a deal looks set to be completed.

According to Sky Sports, Konate’s imminent arrival is just dependent on the Reds paying Leipzig the required fee, with Die Roten Bullen already eyeing up his replacement.

Klopp is making a mistake

Current centre-back options Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all suffered serious injuries last season, forcing the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to fill in at the heart of defence, meaning Liverpool have prioritised that area of the pitch in the transfer window.

The 2019/20 Premier League champions made the bold decision not to replace Dejan Lovren 12 months ago after the Croatia international joined Zenit St Petersburg in an £11m deal.

It left Klopp with just three recognised senior centre-backs in his first-team squad, but by January all of them had picked up season-ending issues.

Therefore, focussing on bolstering the centre-back position makes perfect sense for the Merseyside outfit. However, signing Konate does not.

Although the former France Under-21 international in undoubtedly an extremely talented player with bags of potential, he has already incurred his fair share of fitness problems, despite being just 22 years old.

The youngster started just eight league games in 2020/21, failing to start three Bundesliga matches in a row all season. An ankle injury picked up in December kept Konate on the sidelines for two months, with Dayot Upamecano and Willi Orban keeping their place in the starting XI upon his return.

As per Transfermarkt, the former Sochaux man has already missed 405 days of action through injury in his fledgling career, totalling 46 fixtures where he’s been forced to watch from the stands.

With Liverpool’s season being destroyed by a plague of injury issues, it’s hard to fathom why Klopp has turned to a man who’s already effectively missed a year of his career through a string of fitness concerns to solve the problem.

Konate appears fast, strong, comfortable with the ball at his feet, and an accomplished passer, but if he spends half his time in the physio’s room, then Liverpool are back to square one.

While it’s hard to criticise Klopp’s previous endeavours into the transfer market, this is a deal that seems almost impossible to justify, given the huge risks attached.

And, in other news…Liverpool eye move for “clinical” £795k-p/w gem, Edwards must stay clear 

Many Wolves fans have been left to bemoan an update from Tim Spiers on Willy Boly.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, the former FC Porto ace is in a ‘bad way’ as he is suffering from the after-effects of dealing with Covid-19.

Spiers also relayed some comments made by Nuno Espirito Santo on the situation, as the Portuguese boss confirmed that the central defender is in a ‘tough moment’, which is why he was not able to train with the first-team squad.

This will come as yet another blow for the Midlands club given that they have already lost Raul Jimenez and Pedro Neto for large spells, and Boly could well follow them.

The Ivory Coast international ranks highly among his teammates in terms of tackles (1.6), interceptions (1.4), clearances (4.2) and blocks (0.6) averaged in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term (Whoscored), and so is clearly an important player for the Wanderers.

Wolves fans on Spiers’ Boly update

These WWFC supporters bemoaned the update on Twitter, with one fan claiming that they were ‘gutted’ while another went as far as to claim that his situation was ‘horrible’:

“Not good, had it in the Autumn and while it cleared up after about 10 days it took weeks before I could start doing proper exercise again, hope he gets well soon, horrible situation for him after the season he’s had”

Credit: @Andyrewjw

“Gutted for him his health is more important than anything, just hope he does recover.”

Credit: @_DazzlingDave

“This is very worrying. Neves has also seemed to really struggle in the last couple of games, seems like both need a long rest to recover!”

Credit: @JoshDale_7

“Can this season get any worse?”

Credit: @Ianph61

“Worried about his long-term prognosis.”

Credit: @ClimerGuido

“Precisely why international friendlies and games shouldn’t of gone ahead. Hope he recovers.”

Credit: @ZHollowayyy

In other news, find out what damning stat has left Wanderers fuming here!

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Sheffield United’s next manager will have less control than Chris Wilder, and control is what forced the 53-year-old out in the first place.

Wilder left Sheffield United back in March, with the Blades glued to the bottom of the table, and the club have since confirmed that there is a five-man shortlist of managers who could potentially succeed him.

That shortlist includes Paul Heckingbottom, who was put in interim charge following Wilder’s departure from Bramall Lane.

For Palmer, handing someone like Heckingbottom the job would suggest that the club want an individual who is going to allow them to call the shots, perhaps taking on more of a head coach role rather than a manager one.

On Sheffield United’s manager situation, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday player told TT in an exclusive interview:

“This might be an issue in terms of why Chris left the club because if they put somebody like Paul, you’ve got to remember now, if you put somebody like Paul in there and they could perhaps call the shots with Paul.

“But if you get a manager worth his salts, you’re not going to be able to call the shots. He’s going to want to run the club the way that he wants to run the club. And, you know, I think in the end that was the issue with Chris Wilder – they were trying to bring in a director of football.”

In terms of external candidates, Club Brugge manager Philippe Clement is one name that has been linked with the job in recent days.

Manchester United play their first Premier League match in three weeks this weekend as they host Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford.

It was a mixed bag of results for the Red Devils before the international break as they remarkably overcame each of Manchester City, West Ham United and AC Milan before falling to defeat to Leicester City in the FA Cup.

Could boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be tempted to refresh his Red Devils’ line-up after a few weeks away?

We believe the Norwegian could make as many as five changes to the side defeated by Leicester – a few of those enforced but a couple being tactical.

A pair of alterations should occur in defence where the in-form Luke Shaw should replace the £26m-rated Alex Telles. Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof missed training before the meeting with the Seagulls so he could drop out of the starting line-up in place of Eric Bailly.

This would see regular first-choices Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Dean Henderson all retained.

A few more changes could also occur in the centre of the park. Fred should remain despite his high-profile error at the King Power Stadium a couple of weeks ago and will partner Scott McTominay, who will be reintroduced for Nemanja Matic.

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Paul Pogba is likely keep his place as he aims to recapture match sharpness.

Moving further forwards and Bruno Fernandes is almost sure to return to the starting XI. The 23-goal Portuguese midfielder was on the bench against Leicester in place of Donny van de Beek.

Finally, veteran striker Edinson Cavani will lead the line alongside Mason Greenwood. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are both doubts for the game so that leaves the Uruguayan as really the option for Solskjaer.

AND in more news, find out which on-loan Red Devils star must be jettisoned this summer…

Leeds United have been boosted in their attempts to sign Sampdoria defender Omar Colley, as the Whites eye up summer reinforcements.

Marcelo Bielsa already has a strong nucleus of centre-backs to call upon, with Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk all good current options.

That doesn’t seem to have deterred the Leeds manager from looking at other possible defensive additions, however, if recent reports are to be believed.

The Whites are thought to be lining up a move for Colley, with ClubDoria46 linking the 28-year-old with a switch to Elland Road on Tuesday.

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Leeds receive boost in bid to sign Colley

Now, TuttoMercatoWeb claim that he will be allowed to leave Sampdoria at the end of the season, also adding a second positive piece of news that he obtained a work permit in February, acting as a further boost for Leeds.

The Whites’ interest in Colley is again confirmed, stating that they are hovering ‘in the background’, looking to potentially seal a move for him.

Transfer Tavern take

Colley’s pedigree speaks for itself, with 25 caps to his name for The Gambia and 78 appearances for a prestigious Serie A club in Sampdoria.

Leeds’ interest is, therefore, undoubtedly exciting, but the main stumbling block is whether or not they need to spend money on a new centre-back.

The aforementioned quartet of options currently available to Bielsa are all at a good age, so using the funds on other positions, such as left-back, could be a more shrewd approach.

In other news, an ex-England striker believes Leeds need to improve in two areas of the pitch this summer. Read more here.

David Sullivan must strive to reach an agreement with Manchester United for the transfer of Jesse Lingard, amid claims of a potential permanent move to West Ham.

What’s the word?

According to TransferMarketWEB, the Irons are adamant that Lingard will stay at the London Stadium beyond his initial half-season loan.

The 28-year-old has proven a huge hit in claret and blue, with Lingard striking five goals and providing three assists in seven Premier League games.

Only against Fulham in February’s goalless draw at Craven Cottage has the England international failed to influence the scoring since leaving Old Trafford in January.

The Red Devils are expected to cash-in on Lingard’s blistering form under David Moyes, with the 24-cap maestro set to enter the final year of his £100,000-per-week contract in June.

Moyes recently declared aspirations of West Ham reaching an agreement with Manchester United to sign Lingard permanently, noting via quotes by the Daily Mail:

“He’s joined a good group of players. We’ve got international players and I’m hoping we can add to that in the coming transfer window. The job is to try to add to that. But I would hope Jesse sees this as a good place if it’s possible to be done, and if we think that we want to do it at the end of the season.”

West Ham were previously said to have sought the inclusion of a £15m purchase clause in the £1.5m loan agreement for Lingard, though Eurosport claim Manchester United rejected the terms as they expect his value to be upwards of £20m this summer.

Should West Ham sing Lingard?

Lingard’s promising early form at West Ham will undoubtedly help Man United set a higher asking price at the end of the season, but Sullivan must strive to strike a deal that sees the Warrington-born playmaker remain in east London.

Lingard hit the ground running for Moyes despite rarely getting a look in at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season, with the 2017 Europa League winner’s only action before joining West Ham totalling 179 minutes.

Former Hammers head coach Alan Curbishley believes his time spent in the wilderness gave Lingard the fire in his belly to thrive at West Ham, telling Optus Sport: “He has been a revelation.

“He has come into the West Ham side angry because he cannot get into the team at Old Trafford. He has also come in hungry and that’s the sort of player you want.”

Not only has he been a revelation, but Lingard is arguably now West Ham’s most important player, with his intensity in behind Michail Antonio and emerging relationships with the likes of Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen bringing Moyes’ attack together.

Lingard’s ability to cause problems has also been at an unparalleled level, as shown on Sunday when he was alert enough to play a quick free-kick to catch Arsenal asleep, having already produced a sublime finish to fire a half-volley into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Curbishley and Moyes’ comments, plus Lingard’s incredible form, must surely act as distinct messages to Sullivan that West Ham have to seal a deal for the midfielder this summer.

AND in other news, a West Ham ace who joined at the “perfect moment” has seen his market value of crash by £16.5m…

Tottenham Hotspur star Lucas Moura has looked rejuvenated in a new role in recent weeks.

The Brazilian winger has excelled as a no.10 over the course of Spurs’ last few matches, both in the Premier League and Europa League.

Indeed, Moura has contributed three goals and three assists in his last eight starts in the position which accounts for nearly 40% of his total goal contributions for the season, via Transfermarkt.

Considering the other 60% have come from 35 appearances, the switch certainly appears to have paid dividends thus far.

Therefore, it may come as a surprise to read the latest claim dropped by local reporter Alasdair Gold this week. He suggests that Spurs could be willing to cash in on him this summer.

According to football.london, the Lilywhites have previously rejected big-money advances for the 28-year-old in the past, but given his inconsistencies, an attractive offer could tempt them into a sale.

Gold lists Moura as one of ten players that the north Londoners could look to sell in the summer, he said: ‘Tottenham’s problem has often been recognising the right time to sell players and a bid for the Brazilian might make them consider whether this summer is that moment.’

However, there’s certainly a method behind the madness.

As it’s claimed above, the former PSG star has struggled for consistency over the course of his Spurs career. From 150 appearances, Moura has only provided 32 goals and 18 assists, that’s one goal contribution every three matches, as per Transfermarkt.

That suggests his current run of form is way above his usual rate and could merely be a purple patch. As a no.10 this season, Moura is directly contributing towards one goal every 1.3 games.

At some point, he’s likely to revert back to type, which is why Daniel Levy should absolutely entertain any bid for him in the summer.

Although teammate Eric Dier has previously acknowledged his work-rate in training, telling the Premier League’s official YouTube channel: “There’s no-one worse to train against than Lucas Moura. He’s a nightmare. He’s so fast, so sharp.”

CIES Football Observatory currently value Moura at €30m (£26m), which isn’t much of an increase on the £25m they paid for him in January 2018 – three years later, his value has only gone up a mere £1m.

Given his age, and those aforementioned struggles, that number is going to go down, so Levy may not get a better opportunity to cash in than at the end of the current season.

It would be a shrewd move from the Tottenham chairman as it could allow Mourinho to bolster other areas of his squad – he won’t be short of options out wide, with Steven Bergwijn a likely successor.

AND in other news, Spurs could seal an absolute bargain in “very dangerous” £28.8m-rated dynamo…

Some Sunderland fans were left to slam the display of Josh Scowen despite their 2-0 away win at Portsmouth in the EFL League One on Tuesday night.

Goals from both Charlie Wyke and Jordan Jones either side of half-time were more than enough in the end for the Stadium of Light faithful as they cruised to a victory that gave them all three points and saw them march ever closer toward automatic promotion back up to the Championship.

However, while there were some very good performances from Lee Johnson’s men, Scowen’s failed to deceive some SAFC supporters.

The 27-year-old lost out on 10 of his duels, the joint-second most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch, as he also failed to make a single interception or key pass in the game (Sofascore).

He also lost possession of the ball no fewer than 21 times in total over the course of the match, the second-most out of all the Black Cats players, as he earned a very measly 6.2 overall rating on Sofascore, the joint-worst out of any player for the Wearside club.

Sunderland fan reaction to Scowen display

These Sunderland fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that the central midfield player was a ‘weak link’:

“Good first half. Feel we’ll need a second with Pompey having Curtis and Harness to bring on, worry for McFadzean. Scowen the weak link, far too slow with his thinking when he gets the ball. Stops anything positive happening #safc”

Credit: @Parkersafc

“Scowen is just too slow”

Credit: @joseph00stuart

“Really really not a fan of Scowen”

Credit: @LaurenSAFC92

“Scowen just keeps on giving & giving the ball away”

Credit: @GavinEvs

“Jones and O’Nien good but Winchester, Scowen and McFadzen are shocking.”

Credit: @markacuthbert

“Solid half but we need much more from O’Brien and Scowen.”

Credit: @Gaz_Bellamy

In other news, find out whose display was slammed against Rochdale here!