All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic have had an exciting week as they continue their preparations for the new season.

They’ve signed a plethora of new players including Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi while the Hoops’ Champions League qualifying campaign kicked off on Tuesday.

On the chalkboard

Celtic looked productive in the final third against Midtjylland but unfortunately, they were only able to come away from their first-leg clash with a 1-1 draw.

One of the primary reasons was some lacklustre defending.

Stephen Welsh gave away a cheap free-kick that was plundered home when arguably, Vasilis Barkas, should have done a lot better to prevent it from going in.

Abada had opened the scoring for the Bhoys on his debut but his fellow countryman, Nir Bitton, let his side down once again.

He was given a second yellow card after a severe rush of blood. He was annoyed with Anders Dreyer for simulation and consequently, poked a finger in the attacker’s face which was enough to provoke his marching orders.

Bitton was somewhat of a liability last season and this latest calamity will do himself no favours with the Celtic supporters.

Speaking after his dismissal, Bhoys Analytics said on Twitter that he was a “walking joke.”

The solution

Celtic are planning to replace the exit-bound Kristoffer Ajer with the signing of Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan.

However, in order to improve on their dismal defensive record last term, they will also need to find a way to improve on Bitton.

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The Hoops shipped 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership last season and without Ajer, you sense the gap will only grow larger.

Though, if Ange Postecoglou lands two capable centre halves, they should be able to narrow things instead.

Celtic have also been linked with a move for Hajduk Split defender Mario Vuskovic this summer, a player who should be an instant upgrade.

One of Bitton’s biggest criticisms is a lack of composure. However, Vuskovic doesn’t lack anything in that department.

After being named in the Guardian’s Next-Gen list for 2018, reporter Aleksandar Holiga was effusive in his praise: “He’s not just dominant in challenges but also exceptional in build-up play. He often scores goals and can score from free-kicks like a No 10.”

The young Croatian isn’t a typical defender but that’s what sets him apart from Bitton, a player who can be rather hot-headed.

The 6 foot 2 colossus won fewer aerial duels than the Israeli last season but won fractionally more defensive duels as a whole in terms of percentages.

A deal may cost Celtic in the region of £5m and after their defensive display on Tuesday evening in the Champions League, he’s clearly needed.

A defensive duo of Starfelt and Vuskovic has enormous potential at Parkhead.

AND in other news, As bad as Bitton: £5.5k-p/w Celtic dud who lost possession 19x massively let Ange down…

Fabio Paratici’s next task at Tottenham Hotspur will be to offload some of the club’s unwanted players, according to Football London journalist Alasdair Gold.

The lowdown

Tottenham confirmed Paratici’s appointment as the club’s managing director of football on Saturday.

The former Juventus executive doesn’t officially start in his new role until 1st July, but he has already identified Paulo Fonseca as his preferred managerial candidate.

And Spurs are now closing in on the appointment of the former Roma boss, which could be announced this week.

The latest

Gold reports that, with the managerial appointment all but finalised, Paratici’s attentions will now turn to sales.

Spurs are said to be in need of funds to ‘revamp’ their squad after losing £200million in revenue as a consequence of the pandemic.

He adds that a number of players’ agents have already been told to seek out new clubs for their clients.

Paratici will be working with technical director Steve Hitchen on player recruitment, and the pair are ‘believed to be friends’.

He’s expected to take advantage of Hitchen’s ‘knowledge of the English game’ and Spurs’ current group of players.

The verdict

Spurs’ apparent sell-to-buy plan looks to be off to a strong start, with Serge Aurier reportedly set to join PSG for a healthy €20million. They’ve arguably got the better end of that deal.

If they’re serious about this ‘revamp’, they should now look to the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Harry Winks and Erik Lamela as potential sources of funds.

They’ll want to wrap up these deals swiftly so Fonseca isn’t left waiting on the green light to move for his own targets.

In other news, could this be a possible Serge Aurier replacement?

Tottenham Hotspur are still yet to appoint a new manager after parting ways with Jose Mourinho in April but Paul Stewart, who was signed by Spurs as a striker but later reverted to a holding midfielder, has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Spurs should look to someone other than Antonio Conte.

Conte has recently just won the Serie A title with Inter Milan, the club’s first league title in 11 years and during his two years in England, he managed to guide Chelsea to a Premier League crown title as well as an FA Cup victory despite the club finishing 10th the season before he took over.

The Italian has been linked with a sensational return to England with Chelsea’s rivals, Spurs, as Daniel Levy continues to whittle down his shortlist of candidates until he finds what he believes to be the perfect manager – reports suggest Levy has been in talks with Conte for the last month.

Despite his links to Chelsea, that would not prove to be a barrier if he did come to Spurs but they should be looking for someone else, that’s according to Stewart, who spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“Something wasn’t quite right between him and the players at Chelsea despite winning trophies, but for me, I’d probably look elsewhere and try to rebuild the club.

“They’ve got to bring a manager in that they trust will be able to build over a few years, because Spurs need to look at a different way in which they employ managers because it has to be about bringing players through for the long term.”

Spurs lost the chance to have their Europa League destiny in their own hands following their surprise 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa earlier this week, which saw Sergio Reguilon score a stunning own goal.

Ryan Mason’s side did guarantee a spot in the European Conference League following their 4-2 win against Leicester City on Sunday.

A number of Sheffield United supporters have been calling for Luke Freeman to stay put this summer, following his return from a loan spell.

The Blades are preparing for life back in the Championship, following a disappointing season in the Premier League.

United never got going in 2020/21, having excelled so much under Chris Wilder the previous year, eventually finishing rock-bottom of the table.

Attention now turns to potential incomings and outgoings at Bramall Lane this summer, as new manager Slavisa Jokanovic looks to work his magic and spark an immediate return to the top flight.

One player whose future is up in the air is Freeman, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, making 23 appearances in the Championship.

Forest aren’t expected to take up the offer to make the 29-year-old’s move permanent, and according to the Sheffield Star, Jokanovic will give him a chance to impress in pre-season.

Sheff Utd fans wants Freeman to stay put

These Blades fans took to Twitter calling for Freeman to stay at the club beyond the summer, talking up his quality.

“Quality Championship player, and looked alright for us in the Prem tbh”

Credit: @J0HN0_O

“Was a cheap buy, if SJ rates him it’s a no-brainer, I think he could do well”

Credit: @chewer30

“Yes he could be the next Duffy”

Credit: @swood_stone

“100% keep him. He did a madness at QPR”

Credit: @Adam70433875

“Keep. Thought he looked promising but didn’t get enough chances to establish himself. Judging by his performance at forest last season and QPR previously he’s a decent Championship player. Also suspect Fleck is fading”

Credit: @billyb987

“Keep, and give him a run in the team”

Credit: @shjbird

In other news, Brian Deane has urged Sheff Utd to keep hold of one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Porto are reportedly interested in signing Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos and if he were to leave Ibrox this summer it would be a huge blow to Steven Gerrard and his hopes of retaining the Scottish Premiership title next season.

What’s the word?

According to Portuguese news outlet A Bola, the Liga NOS side are keen on signing the Colombia international this summer as he would be a dream addition for manager Sergio Conceição, however Rangers’ asking price is likely to be a problem for the Portuguese giants.

The report suggests that Rangers would likely demand €20m (£17.2m) for Morelos this summer, which is no surprise after another impressive season at Ibrox helped Gerrard’s side win the league title unbeaten.

A huge potential blow for Rangers?

If Morelos were to leave Ibrox this summer it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the Gers’ hopes of winning their 56th league title next season, as he has proven himself to be one of the best players in the league since joining from HJK Helsinki in 2017.

In 182 appearances for the Teddy Bears, El Bufalo has contributed an extremely impressive 94 goals and 43 assists in all competitions, and he also broke Ally McCoist’s record to become their record goalscorer in Europe, so to lose him ahead of their return to the Champions League next season would be far from ideal.

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After he broke the record, Gerrard was full of praise for Morelos, saying:

“It’s fantastic for him from a personal point of view. Alfredo’s a top-class player, a top-class goalscorer, and it’s fantastic that he’s still here.”

Last season saw the 24-year-old forward contribute 15 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the Gers and his performances in the Premiership before the season split saw him average an impressive 7.20 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which ranked him as the sixth-best performer in Gerrard’s side.

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Therefore, it is certainly a blow that a side such as Porto who impressed in the Champions League last season are interested in Morelos ahead of the summer, and it would be a huge shame for Rangers to lose him.

And, in other news… Rangers facing major blow with 25 y/o “Rolls Royce”, Gerrard would be gutted

We are now close to a whole three months since Neil Lennon left Celtic but there is still very much an air of uncertainty around Parkhead.

The Hoops have been linked with a number of names but it’s Eddie Howe who still appears to be in the driving seat to take over the Bhoys.

What’s the word?

Celtic have been in advanced discussions with Howe since the 1st of April so it’s taken a considerable period of time to streamline proceedings.

One sticking point in the deal has been the manager’s agent, with his representatives trying to convince the 43-year-old he can still land a job in English football.

Howe had caught the eye of Crystal Palace who will be losing Roy Hodgson at the end of the season but in a fresh twist to the tale, the Eagles are now pursuing other targets.

That’s because the former Bournemouth boss ‘tanked’ in his interview according to GIVEMESPORT, leaving Palace officials unconvinced he was the man for the job.

As a result, it has now opened the door even further for Celtic to appoint the Englishman.

Obstacles being removed

This is news that’s likely to leave not only the Bhoys hierarchy absolutely elated but also the club’s fan base.

A new manager has been a priority for the board but after seeing the dismal performances of John Kennedy, it became even more important that they hired someone with experience.

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His time as interim boss has been somewhat of a disaster. They were smacked 4-1 by Rangers and were dumped out of the Scottish Cup at the hands of the same opposition.

Karamoko Dembele may have scored his first senior goal under the Scot but his reluctance to try something new has been rather alarming.

Howe has been the name on every supporter’s lips and it would appear that he’s now finally in a position to accept Celtic’s proposition.

The obstacles that had been in their way and were frustrating the fan base are now starting to unravel nicely.

As we move closer to the end of the season, Howe’s desire to see a number of Bournemouth coaches join him at Paradise will likely come to fruition. This has been a major sticking point with the 43-year-old being forced to wait until their Championship play-off bid has come to a conclusion.

Secondly, there is no longer a job in the Premier League with his name on it.

It initially looked as though Howe’s preference would be stay in England but after flopping during the interview process at Selhurst Park, Celtic is now very much his first choice.

With the Bhoys in desperate need of an appointment as soon as possible, this news should spark elation at Parkhead.

AND in other news, Forget Hickey: McKay can save Celtic millions by unleashing “tricky” rarely-seen 18y/o…

Rangers’ decision to sign Connor Goldson from Brighton has certainly paid off, as his value has risen 550% since making the move to Ibrox, with the centre-back now a key figure in Steven Gerrard’s side.

The English centre-back joined the Light Blues in the summer of 2018 and has gone on to make 159 appearances for the club, contributing 16 goals and five assists.

The 28-year-old has played a huge part in Rangers’ Premiership title win this season, appearing in 33 of their league fixtures, in which he has contributed four goals and two assists, averaging a superb 7.38 WhoScored rating for his performances.

This is enough to rank him as the fourth-best performer in Gerrard’s side so far this season, which emphasises just how important a player he has become at Ibrox during his three years with the club.

Earlier in the season, the 40-year-old manager sang the praises of his powerful centre-back, saying: “Connor has been an absolute mountain for this team, a true warrior. He’s had a lot of stick over the years, wrongly in my opinion. But he’s continued to improve and has been one of our most consistent players. I wasn’t too happy with the back line in Belgium on Thursday but if you look at the big picture, Goldson has been absolutely immense.”

It is not just his appearances on the pitch which mark him down as an excellent piece of business by former Rangers sporting director Mark Allen, but his market value.

When Goldson joined the Gers, he was valued at just £900,000 by Transfermarkt, but his valuation now stands at £4.95m, which represents a 550% increase and is also the highest market value of his career.

Although many Rangers fans won’t want to see Goldson depart Ibrox anytime soon, they are safe in the knowledge that the club should make a profit on the £3m they paid for him back in 2018.

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Therefore, when you consider his massive rise in value and his superb performances on the pitch, his signing should definitely go down as a Mark Allen masterclass.

In other news… Rangers suffer huge blow over “special talent”, Gerrard will be fuming

Tottenham Hotspur are in line to receive a huge boost amid fresh claims from Alasdair Gold this week…

What’s the word?

The ever-reliable football.london journalist delivered an update on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele after his recent omission from the starting XI in consecutive matches.

He wrote: ‘[Ryan] Mason swerved a question from football.london in the week about Ndombele’s omission but what is important this time for the Frenchman is that he is very happy, settled and comfortable at Tottenham now and he’s been here before in trying to win over a manager.

‘The 24-year-old will see it as a challenge rather than the affront it was in his first season at the club and it should push him to better things.’

Key part of the future

Gold alludes to the Frenchman’s morale and attitude now in comparison to last season.

Under Jose Mourinho, the club-record £55m signing struggled for game-time and very much was on the periphery of the first team setup. He averaged just 47 minutes per game from his 21 league appearances last term.

It led to Ndombele seriously considering his future in north London after less than a year, as he revealed to football.london.

“To be perfectly honest with you I don’t know how close I was to leaving,” he said. “What I know is that I did want to leave. I spoke about this with people at the club and particularly with the chairman.”

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The 24-year-old would eventually stay, thanks largely to Daniel Levy, and he hasn’t looked back as he’s enjoyed a very fruitful campaign despite all of Spurs’ poor fortunes. He has played around double the number of minutes in the Premier League this term (2,072) and has contributed six goals and four assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The £45m-rated dynamo has played just one of Ryan Mason’s three matches in charge but what is most positive is that it won’t faze him like his omission under Mourinho, and that’ll come as a huge boost to the club.

He’s a big part of their future, whether that be under the 29-year-old interim or whoever is appointed next and, after he convinced him to stay last year, Levy will be delighted by his change in attitude.

Mason should also be rather pleased as his decisions should not cause disruption or disharmony in the dressing room, something that the Spurs chairman feared was happening under Mourinho, according to The Athletic.

As we know by Joe Hart’s comments during their FA Cup clash with Wycombe earlier this year, the box-to-box maestro is “unplayable” on his day.

Ndombele is happy at Hotspur Way and those in north London will no longer need to worry if he’s in and out of the team.

AND in other news, Forget Ten Hag: Levy could completely transform Spurs by hiring 62 y/o “architect”…

West Ham are reportedly edging closer to announcing David Moyes’ new contract…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, who delivered a fresh claim on a recent episode of the ‘U Irons’ podcast.

Speaking about the 58-year-old’s current situation, he said:

“David was asked about this last week at his press conference, and he said he’s hopeful something will be announced this week.

“I’m hearing that something should be announced, it should be this week, to be fair, and we’re hearing it could potentially be a three-year deal for David Moyes.

“I spoke to Kevin Nolan last Friday, he was saying [it was] in the final stages of negotiations for the contract, so everything’s pretty much all but confirmed really, so that’s great news for the club, great news for the fans.”

Exciting times ahead

Moyes has completely transformed the Irons’ fortunes in the past 12 months or so.

Having steered them to safety with one game to go during the 2019/20 campaign, he has now guided them to the Europa League.

And he’s done so contending with regular injury problems, as well as a lack of backing in the transfer market.

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For instance, the club’s hierarchy sanctioned the exit of club-record signing Sebastian Haller in January but failed to replace him, leaving Moyes with only an injury-prone Michail Antonio up top.

GSB also gave up on him during his first stint, so this is the least he deserves and it’ll merely continue an exciting era at the London Stadium.

Thomas has got his information from about as good an insider source as you could find, Moyes’ first-team coach Kevin Nolan, so something must be on the horizon at Rush Green soon.

This latest development signals a sign of encouragement that the club are moving in the right direction with some much-needed long-term stability, and that, as The Athletic reporter describes, is “great news for the fans.”

It could even give the East Londoners a huge boost heading into a pivotal transfer window. It’s a fantastic move from GSB.

AND in other news, Soucek 2.0: Moyes can deliver West Ham another bargain in £14m gem who “can do it all”…

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, can’t see Brighton captain Lewis Dunk making the move to Tottenham Hotspur and improving them.

Jose Mourinho has constantly been changing his centre backs this season having played Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Joe Rodon in the centre of defence with limited success.

The £45,000 per week defender has been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer after another campaign of marshalling a strong Brighton defence alongside Ben White.

Speaking on if he can see Dunk moving to Spurs and what Mourinho’s alternatives could be, Bull told The Transfer Tavern:

“Dunk is a big old fashioned centre half but I don’t think he would move to Spurs, as Mourinho has got a good bunch of defensive players as well as some players from the reserves that he might bring in next year.

“He could get rid of a few of the stars who are causing him a bit of stress but I’m not worried about Jose’s problems, trust me.”

Tottenham were linked with a move for Milan Skriniar last summer, however they couldn’t agree a fee with Inter Milan to bring the centre back to the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho has a fight on his hands to get Spurs into the top four but they do also have a Carabao Cup on the cards later this month which could be their first piece of silverware since 2008.