All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United continue to be linked with a summer swoop for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is becoming extremely likely to move on from Rubin Kazan.

The 21-year-old winger is currently playing in his home country for Dinamo Batumi, thanks to FIFA’s ruling to allow players to leave Russia or Ukraine outside of a transfer window if they wished.

He has since seen his contract terminated by the Red-Greens.

According to Italian outlet Il Mattino, the Yorkshire outfit are among the leading candidates to secure him during the off-season, where he will be looking for a new club.

Serie A outfit Napoli and Premier League rivals West Ham United are also mooted with interest by the report.

Whilst Raphinha may be on his way out at Elland Road, the potential arrival of Kvaratskhelia could spell trouble for Dan James as his struggles following a club-record £30m move from Manchester United continue.

If the Brazil international does depart, the Welshman is in line for more game time in his natural right-wing position but given his form and the interest in the Georgia international, he could well be axed by manager Jesse Marsch going forward.

Once described as being “headless” with his decision-making in the final third by Darren Bent, the £16.2m-rated dynamo has only delivered four goals and four assists across 30 appearances but only one of those goal contributions have come in their last seven outings, via Transfermarkt.

Kvaratskhelia is an exciting young talent and one that had been one of the most dangerous attackers in the Russian Premier League this campaign – on top of two goals and five assists from only 17 starts, the Georgian leads the division for successful dribbles per 90 (3.14).

That ability has seen him earn quite the praise indeed, with former Russia U18 coach Denis Bushuev likening him to two greats in his position.

“Naturally. He is from the same galaxy of players as Ribery or Robben. He could play in the top five clubs in the Bundesliga – he has crazy technique.”

By comparison, James only manages 0.9 successful dribbles per 90 in the Premier League and whilst the quality of the two leagues is like chalk and cheese, he ranks as low as 13th in the current Leeds squad, even behind the likes of Tyler Roberts, Junior Firpo and all three of his positional peers.

As such, Marsch and co should look to sign the £14.4m-rated Kvaratskhelia for an absolute bargain price this summer. There’s little point in persisting with James just because he’s a club-record signing when a player like this is available.

AND in other news, Forget Raphinha: Marsch heading for Leeds nightmare over “explosive” £13.5m-rated gem…

Ally McCoist has laughed off Sir Kenny Dalglish’s claims that Rangers are under more pressure than Celtic going into this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

The Lowdown: Dalglish ranks up mind games

The Hoops take on their biggest adversaries at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon, in what promises to be another nerve-wracking encounter.

Ange Postecoglou’s side picked up a massive 2-1 win at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership earlier this month, pulling six points clear at the top in the process.

That prompted Celtic legend Dalglish to claim that Rangers are under more pressure to get the win this weekend, as he cranked up the mind games.

The Latest: McCoist responds

Speaking on talkSPORT [via The Daily Record], McCoist laughed off his former Scotland colleague’s comments, refusing to agree with his opinion:

“I was at the last league game at Ibrox when Celtic won 2-1. Celtic defended really, really well to be honest with you and probably looked more dangerous.

“Rangers have got everything to play for – and so have Celtic! I love the fact we say there’s more pressure on Rangers, these games are unbelievable, they really are.

“I can let Kenny off, because he’s the best, because he’s Kenny!”

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The Verdict: King Kenny is right

In typical Dalglish fashion, he is correct here, without Rangers undoubtedly under more pressure because of the current state of the league table.

If Celtic lose, they will still be the overriding favourites to clinch the title, which would act as a far better achievement than cup glory next month.

On the flip side, defeat for Rangers would hugely increase the chance of them going the entire season without a trophy, giving Hoops fans even more bragging rights after the recent result, especially with a treble still on offer.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou wants a Celtic signing done as soon as possible. Read more here.

Journalist Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw has only picked up a minor injury, hailing the update as ‘good news’.

The Lowdown: Forshaw limps off at West Ham

The Whites secured a brilliant 3-2 win away to West Ham on Sunday afternoon, in what was arguably one of their best results of the season.

Forshaw limped off in the first half at the London Stadium with a hamstring injury, however, and it was feared that he would be missing for a chunk of action given his previous woes.

With Kalvin Phillips already sidelined, as well as numerous others, it was a blow that Marcelo Bielsa could do without.

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The Latest: Hay confirms positive news

Thankfully, Forshaw took to Instagram on Monday to confirm that the issue is only a minor one, with Hay reacting to it on Twitter:

“Good news from Forshaw on the hamstring front. Looks to have avoided a bad one.”

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The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

This is a rare positive in the injury department for Leeds this season, with Forshaw claiming in his post he could potentially even be back for Saturday’s visit of Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The 30-year-old has been a revelation since returning from an extremely lengthy injury absence, starting ten league games and averaging 2.3 tackles per game, a tenaciousness in midfield they would be desperately lacking without him and Phillips.

Forshaw will remain a crucial figure in the middle of the park until the England star returns, as his hugely pleasing comeback from a career-threatening situation continues.

In other news, Hay has also given another positive Leeds injury update. Read more here.

Celtic are expected to make Jota’s loan move from Benfica permanent in the summer, Sky Sports report.

The Lowdown: Impressive Parkhead loan

Jota, who shares the same agent as Jose Mourinho, made the move to Glasgow on deadline day last summer, penning a season-long loan deal.

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That move included an option to buy at the end of the campaign, with reports believing a fee to make a move permanent is worth £6.5m.

The two-footed left-winger has starred in Scotland under Ange Postecoglou, scoring ten times and registering ten assists in 32 appearances.

He has been a key performer for the Hoops in what has been an impressive season, with a domestic treble still on the cards.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports shared a story late on Tuesday evening, looking at 50 players who could be involved in transfers this summer.

One of those was Jota, with the report addressing the player’s long-term future. They said that Celtic are expected to sign Jota on a permanent basis, once again reporting a £6.5m fee.

The Verdict: Good news…

Jota has been a revelation at Parkhead, so it seems to be a no brainer to make his move permanent. No player has registered more assists than the Portuguese attacker, with Jota also high in the rankings when it comes to crosses completed and average match rating. [WhoScored]

He would become Celtic’s eighth most expensive signing of all time, should a £6.5m deal go through, but he has shown this season what he will bring to the club, and you’d expect he’ll only get better due to being just 23 years of age.

In other news: Sky Sports: Celtic have opened talks for another player as well as Bayern midfielder Scott. 

[ad_pod ]According to West Ham insider ExWHUemployee on Twitter, the Hammers have a couple of loan deals in the pipeline, but these are only likely to go through if they can shift either Lucas Perez or Javier Hernandez – Manuel Pellegrini will surely regret making one other signing in particular last summer that is taking up a crucial squad place if he cannot get rid of either.

What’s the word?

Well, ExWHUemployee understands that there are at least two loan deals agreed in principle; these could, however, fall through if the Irons cannot free up a squad place by offloading one of fringe strike duo Hernandez and Perez.

The London Stadium outfit have had a busy window with star hitman Marko Arnautovic nearly finding a move away and free agent Samir Nasri joining on the first day, however the real business seems to be going on in the final 24 hours.

Neither Perez or Hernandez have been particularly impressive this season but have not exactly been woeful either; perhaps West Ham would not be so desperate to be rid of either if they hadn’t have signed Carlos Sanchez in the summer. The Colombian has been a costly mistake and is taking up a valuable space on the wage bill.

Sick note Sanchez

The 32-year-old has made just five league appearances and could easily be out for the remainder of the season having sustained a nasty knee injury which required surgery back in September.

A typical midfield enforcer, the former Fiorentina man was expected to bring steel to the ranks but was average at best until he was sidelined.

With a lengthy list of wounded, West Ham are in dire need of some reinforcements but Pellegrini may be forced to cancel these crucial deals due to the size of his squad – signing Sanchez will surely be his biggest regret at the helm so far, particularly if missing out on these mystery players sees the East London outfit fail to secure the strong finish to the campaign they will want.

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

When Roy Hodgson ended his four-year spell at Crystal Palace last season, the direction that the club was heading in looked entirely negative.

The Eagles had an ageing squad with a number of contracts expiring and faced the task of replacing the 74-year-old manager, who initially retired and now of course finds himself as Watford boss.

Crystal Palace had it all to do, but delivered in every possible aspect.

The somewhat risky appointment of Patrick Vieira has so far turned out to be astute, whilst the arrivals of Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen, Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher, to name a few, have been nothing short of sensational.

The latter, Gallagher, has made waves at Selhurst Park this season, scoring eight goals and providing three assists over his 27 top-flight appearances, proving himself as a Premier League starter with real potential under Vieira.

There is a slight downside to this deal though.

The 22-year-old who has been described as “incredible” by his manager is of course on loan from fellow London outfit, Chelsea. And the performances that he has produced in a Palace shirt this season have drastically elevated his price tag.

At the start of his loan, Gallagher was rated at £13.5m, already a dramatic increase from his £4.86m valuation upon his temporary switch to West Bromwich Albion the season prior.

His efforts for Palace this season have enticed the London club to vie for a permanent deal, come the end of the season.

Though, with Thomas Tuchel understood to be a huge admirer of Gallagher, along with competition from a number of other clubs, the permanent capture of Gallagher could now prove difficult for the Eagles.

It is said that a whopping £50m would be just enough to start a conversation for the transfer of the £22.5m-rated midfielder, who is under contract at the Blues until 2025.

With the World Cup just around the corner, the £17k-per-week Gallagher’s future remains uncertain, with some believing his best chance of securing a place in Southgate’s England set-up would be to remain at Selhurst Park.

If that is the case, the 22-year-old could cost Palace a hefty fee, with his quoted £50m price tag sure to leave a nasty taste in the mouths of the Palace faithful.

Indeed, many will be wondering why Palace did not attempt to sign Gallagher on a permanent basis last summer, for what could well have been a fraction of his potential cost at the end of the current campaign.

AND in other news: Crystal Palace eye £5m-rated versatile gem, he’s better than Clyne

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have been informed by Borussia Dortmund that Jude Bellingham is not for sale this summer. 

The lowdown: Interest building

Since making the switch to Germany, Bellingham has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence and is now a regular for the Bundesliga side and England despite his tender years.

The Reds have been extensively linked with the 18-year-old midfielder for some time now and a big-money swoop had appeared to be on the horizon.

However, an immediate move may well have been taken off the cards if this latest update is anything to go by.

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The latest: FI drop a major update

As per an FI recruitment source, Dortmund have informed both Liverpool and Manchester United that the teenage sensation ‘will not be sold’ this summer.

The report claims that the Anfield club and arch-rivals United have made contact about signing the 12-cap England starlet.

But, as Jurgen Klopp’s former employers prepare themselves for the departure of Erling Haaland, there is said to be ‘no intention’ of allowing the midfielder once hailed as ‘phenomenal’ by Gareth Southgate to follow suit.

The verdict: Worth the wait

The prospect of no summer move being forthcoming for Bellingham is undoubtedly a disappointing one for Liverpool as Klopp and incoming sporting director Julian Ward are likely to attempt to strengthen the midfield department.

With current incumbents, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Thiago all over 30 and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stuck on the periphery of matters, signing a truly supreme star of the future such as the ex-Birmingham academy prospect – who can operate in various roles – would’ve been the ideal option to bolster the Anfield ranks.

Now the recruitment team and indeed FSG face the dilemma of whether to move on to different targets or wait for the Englishman.

Statistics on this don’t lie and Bellingham has scored six times and registered 11 assists in 40 appearances this season – we feel he would be worth the wait.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.

David Ornstein has now dropped some big Everton managerial news involving both Frank Lampard and Vitor Pereira.

The Lowdown: Two candidates left?

The Goodison Park club’s hunt for a new permanent manager after the departure of Rafael Benitez now seems to be down to just two candidates – Lampard and Pereira.

It was reported by Sky Sports earlier this week that an announcement would be made within the next couple of days and that Pereira was the favourite for the job, but Lampard was still a possibility.

The Latest: Ornstein update

As per The Athletic journalist Ornstein, the final decision on who to appoint has not yet been made by Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, although it looks as if Lampard is very much back in the frame after some backlash concerning Pereira’s potential appointment.

Ornstein tweeted: “Amid a mixed reaction reaction to reports of Vitor Pereira’s potential appointment as Everton boss, understand a final decision has yet to be made by #EFC owner Farhad Moshiri and Frank Lampard is still very much in contention for the job.”

The Verdict: Lampard in

Some Everton fans already made their feelings known to the board that they want Lampard over Pereira, so given the previous controversies over hiring Benitez due to his Liverpool connections, they should now get who they want.

Crucially, Lampard has experience of managing in English football before with both Derby County and Chelsea, while Pereira has not worked in this country, and inside knowledge of the Premier League should always be valued.

At Chelsea, the 43-year-old started off pretty well too, guiding the Blues to automatic Champions League qualification in his first season despite a transfer ban; and with the Toffees also having some Financial Fair Play (FFP) problems of their own, he would appear to be the ideal choice.

In other news, find out what transfer update has left these Evertonians buzzing

Aston Villa have been busier than most other clubs in the January transfer window in terms of bringing new players in, with the likes of Lucas Digne brought in on a permanent deal worth a reported fee of £25m from Everton as well as loan deals completed for Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen.

While there may only be a few days left until the window closes, Villa still have enough time left to end the month on a high note and bring one more player in that would really add some depth and extra quality to Steven Gerrard’s squad.

Having been mentioned with a move for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in recent weeks in a report from The Athletic by Villa journalist Gregg Evans, a late swoop for the 22-year-old could bring an end to the club’s latest period of spending and deliver Gerrard with an extra attacking option to his ranks.

Having racked up 69 goals in 154 club appearances throughout his career at Arsenal in their senior and youth sides as well as during a loan spell with Leeds United, the Englishman has shown he is capable of finding the back of the net when given the chance to play.

This, though, has not really been the case for the £9m-rated attacker this season, particularly in the Premier League with just four substitute appearances under his belt for Mikel Arteta’s team, showing that he’s not seen as much of an important player at the north London club despite being labelled as a “threat” in terms of his goalscoring ability by Aidy Boothroyd in the past.

With that in mind and the fact that his current contract at Arsenal is set to expire at the end of the season, this could convince the Gunners to sell him before the end of this month so they can get a fee for him if he doesn’t have any intentions on signing a new deal there.

Taking all of this into account, it could be worthwhile for Villa to try and work out a deal for Nketiah in the coming days to see if he could try and stake a claim in Gerrard’s side, which 68% of voters in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast would like to see happen as another potential transfer masterclass from the Midlands club.

Gerrard has also already shown his capability in the transfer market and bringing a hardworking offensive player with plenty of potential to the club from one of the biggest sides in the division would undoubtedly be a coup for the Villans.

With his fairly young age, the Arsenal striker could well become a future long-term replacement for Danny Ings who is considerably older than Nketiah and has only managed to score four goals in 17 appearances for Villa this season.

In other news: “I’m hearing”: Insider drops “emerging” AVFC transfer claim, Gerrard would be furious – opinion

Star Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves could return from injury sooner than expected, with the Portugual international absent from action for the last month.

What’s the latest?

Wolves manager Bruno Lage told the media earlier this month that Neves’ injury ‘was not as serious’ as previously expected.

Moreover, injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries website, is ‘hopeful’ that the 25-year-old could be back playing earlier than planned – speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“My understanding initially hasn’t changed a great deal even with this new info.

“We’re talking about an MCL here. The indication that it was a grade two.

“I was working on the premise that we could maybe see a return around early to mid-May. I am still fairly hopeful that is the case.

“It happened against Leeds. He tried to continue but he couldn’t. He then went out to Portugal for some rehab and recovery.

“The target was always going to be around game week 35. I think there is a strong possibility that he’ll play again this season somewhere around there.”

The midfielder hasn’t featured for Wolves since the 3-2 defeat against Leeds last month and there was certainly concern amongst the Molineux faithful that they wouldn’t see the 25-year-old play for the Golden Boys again amid speculation of a summer transfer.Supporters will be delightedWith securing European football next season still possible for Lage’s men, the Portuguese manager will be desperate to have as many players fit for the run-in, particularly key men like Neves.The midfielder has been excellent this term, averaging a 7.2/10 match rating in the Premier League, according to SofaScore.Moreover, with Wolves eighth in the league and two points behind West Ham in seventh with six games to go, the 25-year-old’s return will be very welcome.Granted, it’s incredibly unlikely that Neves will be fit in time for the West Midlands outfit’s trip to Burnley on the 24th of April, however, Brighton at home on the 30th could be a potential return date.With plenty of speculation surrounding the Portuguese, who is very popular with Wolves fans, we may be experiencing the start of the end for Neves’ tenure with the Black Country club.The 25-year-old remarkably joined from FC Porto in 2017 with Wanderers still in the Championship for a record fee in the second-tier, having become the youngest ever captain for a Champions League game back in 2015.Five seasons later and the midfielder has overseen promotion to the Premier League, two seventh-placed finishes, an FA Cup semi-final and a run to the quarter-final of the Europa League whilst making 207 appearances for the west Midlands club.If Neves is to depart this summer, then Wolves supporters will be incredibly keen to see him in action again whilst also hoping the midfielder can contribute to a late push for European qualification, with the side just a handful of points outside a place in the top seven.AND in other news: Was worth £4.5m, now valued at £21.6m: Wolves had a shocker on “special” 22 y/o dynamo