All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly still eyeing up a move to sign Franck Kessie in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Shining at AFCON

Kessie is currently shining at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Ivory Coast, recently putting in a man-of-the-match performance against reigning champions Algeria with a goal that helped knock them out of the group stages.

He is ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average shots, key passes and dribbles per game so far in the tournament (WhoScored), and will now look to continue his impressive performances in the knockout stages.

The Latest: Tottenham lurking

As per The Daily Telegraph, Spurs are now getting ready to make their swoop for Kessie this month, despite his contract at AC Milan running out in the summer.

This is to fend off the inevitable competition for his signature once his deal expires and he becomes a free agent.

The Verdict: No-brainer

It is certainly a no-brainer for the North London club to sign Kessie up in January, as they could potentially get a bargain with only six months left on his contract.

Yes, that bargain becomes even more enticing if he is free at the end of the campaign, but there’s no telling which other teams will be interested, and who will be able to offer Champions League football.

Described as a ‘devastating’ player by AC Milan legend Antonio Cassano, the sky is the limit for the Ivorian, who is only 25 years of age.

Antonio Conte is even said to be a ‘huge fan’ of his, and he should know all about him having watched him in the Serie A while managing rivals Inter.

Nonetheless, as pundit Kevin Campbell has previously pointed out, it would no doubt be an ‘exciting’ move for the Lilywhites should they be able to pull it off.

In other news, find out whose THFC future is to be decided ‘this weekend’ here!

A number of West Ham supporters have hailed Pablo Fornals after an image shared in an official club tweet illustrated his impact against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Hammers are still basking in the glory of their stunning 3-2 win at home to the Reds, as they jumped to third place in the Premier League and overtook Jurgen Klopp’s team in the process.

David Moyes’ side are flying at the moment and this was arguably their most significant victory of the season so far, given the quality of their opponents.

There were outstanding performances all over the pitch on Sunday but one player who stood out for the Irons was Fornals, who played a key role in Alisson’s own goal and then scored his team’s second goal of the evening, also winning five duels and playing two key passes.

On Monday, an official club tweet showing the 25-year-old’s heat map illustrated how incredible his work rate was in that game, as he continues to go from strength to strength in a West Ham shirt.

West Ham fans laud Fornals

These Hammers fans took to Twitter to hail the Spaniard upon seeing his heat map on Sunday.

“His work rate is unmatched”

Credit: @isaacwt2004

“The most underrated player in the Premier League. He’s absolutely class. They all say about Rice, Antonio, Bowen etc and of course they are doing amazing and are quality players but Fornals should be getting a mention too”

Credit: @TomCass5

“I love Pablo more than words can say. He has embraced us with all his heart and soul. He is one in a million”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary

“I’m in love with Pablitoooooo”

Credit: @TomGuy93

“He’s like a gazelle”

Credit: @RobbyNe87682100

“I’m glad he’s getting the appreciation he deserves. Top, top player with a great work ethic”

Credit: @DiCanioVolley

In other news, West Ham are reportedly eyeing up a move for a centre-back. Find out who it is here.

West Brom are sweating over the fitness of Baggies midfielder Alex Mowatt after he picked up a foot injury, judging by an update from their manager.

The Lowdown: Mowatt picks up foot injury

Valerien Ismael’s side suffered a disappointing night in the Championship on Friday, losing 1-0 away to Stoke City to dent their promotion bid.

Not only that, but Mowatt also suffered a foot problem, having started all 11 of West Brom’s league matches so far this season.

The Latest: Ismael provides injury update

It’s now a few days after the game and an update has been provided by Ismael via The Express & Star, with Joseph Masi reporting that the club are still waiting to find out how serious the injury is.

The Baggies boss said: “The injury with Alex Mowatt – we need to check and see how bad it is.

“It’s his left foot and he needs to go and have a scan. I hope it isn’t too bad. When Alex comes out, it’s normally a bad sign because he can play all the time, he wants to play all the time – 90 minutes plus.”

The Verdict: Key player for Baggies

Mowatt is a massive player for the Baggies already, having followed Ismael from Barnsley in the summer – he has averaged two tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game in the Championship this season, the former being the second-highest in West Brom’s squad – so the hope is that he is back in the fold as soon as possible.

There is the bonus of an international break coming this weekend, though, which gives the midfielder more time to recover ahead of the visit of Birmingham City on October 15.

In other news, one West Brom player has been blasted by a pundit. Find out who it is here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left gushing over some off-field news which has emerged.

As per the club’s official website, they have now appointed Zeb Jacobs as of Head of Coaching within their Academy, with the role set to commence from 1st January.

He is joining the Scottish champions from Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp, where he was Talent Co-ordinator and Head of Development in their Academy.

Jacobs is an expert in child pedagogy and is recognised as being ‘one of the brightest and most innovative young football educators in European football’, in the words of Rangers’ official correspondence on his arrival at Ibrox.

Of course, with the Academy doing so well at the moment, it is an inspired appointment aimed to nurture the young talent that the Light Blues have at their disposal, and given his past pedigree, Jacobs will likely be able to develop the players to the best of their abilities.

Rangers fans on Jacobs’ appointment

These Gers fans gushed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one supporter claiming that it is a ‘brilliant’ move by the club:

“Another great appointment!”

Credit: @Kankagroup

“Laying the foundations for a solid future! Michael Beale had a part in identifying him also”

Credit: @LBeattie92

“Very exciting appointment”

Credit: @Cammy26_2

“Doing bits outside of transfer windows is good content, carry on”

Credit: @PenaCartel

“Brilliant”

Credit: @MDangerbouse55

“Making moves!”

Credit: @ScottishRajko

In other news, this Academy development also had lots of Gers fans buzzing

Daylight robbery. If there was one phrase to describe Sunderland’s draw with Crewe on Saturday, it would be that.

The Mackems were 2-0 down after 38 minutes and following Grant Leadbitter’s dislocated shoulder, it looked as though there was no way back for the Black Cats.

However, cue four game-changing substitutions from Lee Johnson. He was fed up with a large portion of his side and who can blame him following the ease with which Crewe found proceedings at Gresty Road?

Jordan Jones and Chris Maguire stepped up to the plate, though, and scored two delightful goals. Jones fired in from long range before the latter popped up with a rare strike this season, volleying home.

It was a rescue act from the two attackers in what was a rare quiet day at the office for the likes of Aiden McGeady and Charlie Wyke.

We know they have the ability to provide quality and you can excuse their poor performances. That being said, you cannot excuse some of their defenders; namely Callum McFadzean.

The left-back has been particularly poor in recent months and once again on Saturday, he let Johnson and his teammates down. He was given a match rating of 2/10 by The Chronicle’s James Hunter, who gave him the following review; “Caught out time and again, and it was no surprise he was hooked on the hour.”

A quick look at the stats tells you just how poor McFadzean was. He completed only 54% of his passes, a tally that only Leadbitter had a worse record in.

On top of that, he lost possession of the ball on 26 occasions. Alongside Max Power, it was the worst number of anyone to take the field for Johnson’s side.

Defensively, he won two out of five ground duels but we shouldn’t be shocked by a performance as lackadaisical as this. McFadzean was guilty of giving away a penalty against Wimbledon back in November and hasn’t been too convincing since.

Both goals came down his side in the 2-1 defeat to Plymouth as he failed to get tight enough to his men.

His role in the side is becoming a big problem for Johnson, especially when you consider what else the manager has to contend with at left-back. Denver Hume is still out injured while Jake Vokins has hardly been convincing himself since a loan move from Southampton.

Like McFadzean, he can be a bit lazy in possession and had a torrid first game against MK Dons. Roker Report described it as one of the worst debuts they’ve seen from a Black Cats player.

If Sunderland want to get promoted, they will have to find an alternative solution from somewhere.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: Sunderland missed dream signing in “extremely talented” 27 y/o…

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Real Madrid remain ‘determined’ to offload Gareth Bale despite his return to form recently – which this report believes is a ‘potential boost for Tottenham’ as the Galacticos look to fund potentially signing either Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe.

Indeed, as per this update from the Mail, Bale’s stunning return to form under Jose Mourinho has motivated hopes of them being able to strike a deal with Spurs or any permanent taker at the end of the season.

Gareth Bale breakdown

The Welshman, who has been directly involved in the build up to nine goals over his last six outings for Spurs, is momentarily back to his best at Hotspur Way.

He is now a member of the touted ‘BASK’ attacking quartet which Mourinho is often urged to deploy for Tottenham, with the acronym spelling out Bale, Alli, Son and Kane.

The Mail also claim an approach is expected from Tottenham at the end of the season over a possible negotiation to extend his stay in north London, provided he continues this fine run.

Transfer Tavern take

In another potential boost for Spurs surrounding Bale, despite arguably being left out in the cold by Mourinho at points this season, he is understood to be ‘keen’ on extending his spell if it can be agreed.

Madrid’s eagerness to offload despite his form could indeed come as a positive for Tottenham, but only time will tell whether they elect to extend the 31-year-old’s stay.

In other news: Tottenham are still eyeing this ‘shining light’, find out more here.

Rangers’ James Sands failed to impress journalist Jonathan Moar against Motherwell on Saturday. 

The lowdown

Sands, who can operate as a centre-back and a midfielder, is adjusting to life at Rangers after making an 18-month loan move from MLS outfit New York City FC in January.

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

He’s made a total of 10 appearances so far, starting three times in the Scottish Premiership and twice in the SFA Cup.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst named the American amongst the substitutes for Saturday’s 3-1 win over Motherwell but handed him a chance to impress when he introduced in him place of Scott Arfield in the 68th minute.

The latest

In Moar’s player ratings piece, Sands earned a rating of just four out of 10 for his cameo.

That was the same rating as Leon Balogun, who received a straight red card after less than half than hour.

Meanwhile, Moar handed three players eight out of 10 – midfielder Steven Davis and attacking duo Fashion Sakala and Scott Wright.

The verdict

What do the stats say about Sands’ performance?

Well, the £3.6million-rated 21-year-old won three out of the five ground duels he contested, so that at least was a positive (via SofaScore).

But on the other hand, he misplaced three of the four passes he attempted, leaving with an accuracy of just 25%. And overall, he lost possession with more than 44% of his touches.

From that point of view, then, Moar was right to be underwhelmed.

And it’s hard to argue that Sands has significantly improved his starting chances, even with Van Bronckhorst seemingly inclined to make changes around the Europa League semi-finals.

In other news, Andrew Dickson ripped into this midfielder.

David Sullivan has been gifted an ideal opportunity to sell Robert Snodgrass with the West Ham United outcast wanted by West Bromwich Albion in a permanent January transfer.

What’s the word?

According to the Express & Star, Snodgrass has emerged as a potential option for West Brom to explore in the mid-season market as Sam Allardyce plans to strengthen the spine of his new side.

Allardyce has placed a defender, defensive midfielder and striker high on his list of positions to fill, and he is determined to add quality options who have the experience and character needed to survive a relegation fight.

Snodgrass is considered as a potential addition who can bring a positive influence both on and off the pitch, with West Ham willing to sell the 33-year-old before his £40,000-per-week contract expires in the summer.

Albion expect to be able to sign Snodgrass for a nominal fee given his impending status as a free agent and as he has only been given three starts across all competitions and played a mere four minutes in the Premier League under David Moyes thus far this season.

The Baggies would prefer a permanent transfer over a loan deal as they already have Conor Gallagher occupying one of their two domestic loan slots, and they wish to use the other to sign Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury for the remainder of the campaign.

Snodgrass had already been tipped for an uncertain future at the London Stadium beyond the January window as Moyes looks to strengthen his squad, and was of interest to Celtic last summer who have been backed to revive their position this month.

Ideal chance to cash-in

Sullivan may not get many more opportunities to sell Snodgrass before he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, at which point he will not be able to recoup anything for the £3.5m-rated midfielder who has become a forgotten man in Moyes’ Premier League squad.

The Irons must explore West Brom’s interest in the winter market if the Hammers wish to avoid losing Snodgrass for free, as it is clear that the 33-year-old has no immediate and pressing role to play in Moyes’ plans outside of the cup competitions.

Next Monday’s trip to non-league side Stockport County in the FA Cup, therefore, could be Snodgrass’ final game in claret and blue, yet he may have already made his final appearance as Allardyce would no doubt be keen for the former Scotland international not to be cup-tied.

Snodgrass has proven that he still has something left in his locker with two goals and an assist in the Carabao Cup this season, while contributing five goals and five assists in 24 Premier League fixtures last term as West Ham’s second-most influential player.

AND in other news, David Moyes has dodged a huge bullet as West Ham dealt blow in bid to sign an 11-goal target.

Wayne Rooney is considering a move to bring Celtic loanee Shane Duffy to Derby County this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Rooney would be interested in signing the defender in the event that his side survive relegation from the Championship this season.

It is reported that the centre-back’s parent club, Brighton & Hove Albion, are not interested in reintegrating the 29-year-old back into their squad, with Graham Potter thought to be happy to loan the defender out once again this summer.

Rooney should avoid move

Despite the signing of Duffy appearing something of a coup for Celtic at the beginning of this season, a belief that was only compounded by the defender scoring two goals in his first two appearances for the club, in the time since, the Brighton man has proven to be a huge flop at Parkhead.

While the £40,000-per-week centre-back’s statistics have not by any means been shocking over his 18 appearances in the Scottish Premiership – making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 4.3 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.23 – these metrics are likely to be inflated somewhat due to the level of opposition the defender has been up against.

Indeed, when comparing these metrics to those of Duffy’s when playing for the Bhoys in the Europa League – in which the £6.3 million-rated man averaged a SofaScore match rating of just 6.38 – it is clear that, when faced with more capable opposition, the Republic of Ireland international is just not up to the task.

Furthermore, Duffy has also come under fire on multiple occasions for his individual errors over the course of the season, with Tom English slamming the 29-year-old’s “catalogue of catastrophic mistakes,” while Kris Boyd dubbed his defending as “pathetic.”

As such, considering the fact that Derby have shipped a considerable amount of goals themselves this season, it would be highly advisable for the Rams to avoid a move for Duffy this summer, as, as recent evidence would suggest, he is certainly not the man to shore up a leaky backline, and his signing should leave fans of the club furious.

If he’s not been up to the task in Scotland, he is not the man to help Derby in the Championship next season, if they can survive the drop.

In other news: Rooney must avoid Derby swoop for 29 y/o flop who “plays like he’s on roller-skates” – opinion

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for Harvey Elliott to stay put at Anfield this summer, rather than going out on loan again.

The Reds could have a busy transfer window in the summer, with incomings and outgoings both expected after what has been a tumultuous season.

Jurgen Klopp will be keen to bolster his squad, but equally, there are fringe players who could generate some much-needed transfer funds, such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

Someone who could potentially become a first-team regular is Elliott, with the 18-year-old coming off the back of an excellent season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

The forward scored seven goals and registered 11 assists in the Championship in 2020/21, catching the eye with his vision, quick feet and end product.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds are still yet to decide what to do with Elliott and Sepp van den Berg this summer, as Klopp weighs up his options.

There is an increasing feeling that the teenager could be a handy player to have around, however, given his recent performances.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-the-latest-liverpool-news/” title=”All the latest Liverpool news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans call for Elliott to stay

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the matter.

“Bring Harvey back, give him mins in the first team next year and leave Sepp there on loan”

Credit: @lfcguy76

“Please bring Harvey Elliott into the fold. He’s a young, confident forward. He could offer something different”

Credit: @ReviewFootball

“We could have done with Elliott as a sub for any of our front three this season”

Credit: @ceklfc

“Keep Harvey and loan Sepp”

Credit: @biGDhee08

“Bring in Harvey Elliot, have VVD teach VDB how to defend and see them perform in the CL final in 5-6 years”

Credit: @Kristiannc991

“Give them a chance”

Credit: @eddiespana

“Elliott needs to stay, and Sepp is better than Neco so keep him too idc”

Credit: @joexlfc

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy with a link claiming the Reds want to sign a Premier League player this summer. Find out who it is here.