All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester United are reportedly in fairly advanced talks to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, the Red Devils are prioritising a move for the Portugal international despite being heavily linked with a move for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez.

“I just haven’t heard a lot about Saul Niguez personally,” he told The Football Terrace podcast (via The Express).

“So it’s hard for me to assess that one. So I’d say because of the information I’ve had, and it all depends on your sources, I know for a fact that they do like Neves, that they’ve been working on it in the background, and it’s reasonably far down the line.”

Fans may be worried

Neves cultivated an enviable reputation for himself at the beginning of his career, becoming the youngest ever player to captain a Champions League game when he led Porto out against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

However, he’s arguably struggled to live up to his early promise. Despite playing a pivotal part in Wolves’ impressive recent success, the technically gifted midfielder has done little to show he’s capable of playing for a side as ambitious as United.

The Old Trafford outfit are thought to be in the market for a new holding midfielder in the current window, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer determined to move away from the ‘McFred’ double pivot.

While Scott McTominay and Fred have performed admirably in recent times, providing a solid foundation for United to build from, their limited attributes make them unsuitable for long-term success.

Neither man is deemed capable of playing the holding role on their own, leading to Solskjaer searching for someone who is, allowing him to field a more attacking lineup in the future.

Having said that, Neves is not that man. The 24-year-old’s underlying numbers indicate McTominay and Fred outperformed the Wolves man last season, meaning he wouldn’t be an upgrade on United’s current options.

While the Portuguese midfielder recorded a pass accuracy of 84.3% in 2020/21, McTominay achieved 87.3% and Fred 88.2%. The Red Devils pair also outperformed Neves in terms of interceptions, with Fred managing 1.77 and McTominay’s 2.15 compared to the former Porto ace’s 1.55.

Therefore, United supporters should be worried at this latest revelation. The 20-time English champions have had a very successful transfer window so far, but bringing in Neves wouldn’t offer them the upgrade they so desperately need at the base of their engine room.

And, in other news…Ole must brutally axe “headless” £16.2m-rated Man Utd flop, he’s not good enough 

Aston Villa are closing in on the signing of Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey amid continued speculation over Jack Grealish’s future.

What’s the story?

With reports in recent days suggesting that Manchester City have made a £100m bid for Grealish, Dean Smith will be desperate for some attacking reinforcements, and they appear to have Bailey very much in their sights as they seek to topple the club-record £34.56m fee spent on Emiliano Buendia this summer.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has now revealed on Twitter: “Leon Bailey closing in on Aston Villa transfer as club agree deal with Bayer Leverkusen. Medical and personal terms still to be agreed but should be all good. #AVFC.”Fans will be buzzingAjax’s former youth coach Ronald de Boer once said of Bailey: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Having been involved in signing him in the first place, Leverkusen’s sporting director Rudi Voller added: “He’s got extraordinary pace, he’s very skilful with the ball, and he will give further impetus to our attacking department.”

Villa fans will rightly be buzzing at the news that the club are “closing in” on the signing of Bailey, who registered 15 goals and 11 assists last season; especially now with the prospect of losing Jack Grealish to Manchester City, as they very much intend to continue their substantial summer spending.

Meanwhile, Preece has also confirmed this exciting Aston Villa transfer news…

West Brom have recently confirmed that Matheus Pereira has left the club to join Saudi-Arabian side Al-Hilal on a permanent basis. 

Pereira caught the eye with a number of impressive performances in his time with the Baggies, having signed for the club from Sporting CP back in 2019, originally on a loan which became permanent at a later date.

The midfielder made 43 appearances for West Brom in the 2019/20 season, and chipped in with eight goals and 20 assists, as they won promotion into the Premier League in his first season in English football.

The 25-year-old then followed that up with a memorable campaign in the top-flight, scoring 12 goals and being on hand to provide six assists for his team-mates, although his efforts weren’t quite enough as they were relegated back into the Championship after just one season.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman issued high-praise for Pereira, and labelled his corner for his goal against West Ham as ‘wonderful’ (19th May, 20:45).

Pereira was linked with a move to the likes of Leicester City and West Ham United earlier in the year, but has made the decision to pursue a move to Al-Hilal instead this summer, which has come as a surprise to some sections of West Brom’s fanbase.

Plenty of West Brom supporters took to social media to react to the confirmation of Pereira’s Hawthorns departure ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from West Brom’s official account, as well as The Express and Star’s Joseph Masi’s Twitter feed, with one fan calling the news ‘sad’…

“Fair play to him, basically retiring at 25, wasn’t happy to play in the Championship so has gone to a worse league, makes perfect sense. Reinvest the money and get us a striker.”

Credit: @ESkelding

“What a waste I actually can’t believe this I really can’t. Why I mean why.”

Credit: @kingofchezo_WBA

“Sums him up as a player. Would rather play in a farmers league and earn big money than challenge himself. Sad to see him go but will soon be forgotten about.”

Credit: @ashdut94

“Really disappointed, not that he’s gone that was inevitable after relegation. He’s gone for money, no one will remember him now. He could have played in the top league of any elite European country but chose Saudi Arabia. I presume we got top dollar for him.”

Credit: @albionjonnywok

“He really went for the money then. Can’t blame him, but shows he lacks career ambitions.”

Credit: @ftbl_mouraa

“Sad way to end, enjoy the money”

Credit: @DarrenGuest7

“No ambition pure greed. Real shame it ended as a lose lose.”

Credit: @grorty_dickos

“Good riddance. Let’s move on. He won’t figure highly in Baggies history books. The absence of bidders from Prem tells me that it was not just me who thought he was overrated.”

Credit: @Alan4NewportSal

Many Crystal Palace fans are delighted, following news that new signing Michael Olise is scheduled to return to training in two weeks, reported by Matt Woosnam.

Enjoying a fantastic 2020/21 campaign, the London-born attacker registered 19 goal contributions in 46 appearances for his old club Reading; seven goals and 12 assists [Transfermarkt].

Now at Selhurst Park following his move from the Royals, Olise suffered an injury earlier this month which has hampered his chances of making an immediate impact at his new club [101 Great Goals].

Positivity has emerged however, with Woosnam, via Twitter, sharing that Patrick Vieira has said the exciting youngster should be back in training in the next two weeks.

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Crystal Palace diehards took to Twitter to rejoice at the latest developments.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to the respected reporter on Twitter, here is what some Palace fans had to say about Olise’s prospective return:

“That really is fantastic news!”

Credit: @LukeRemnant”Great news”Credit: @PalaceBySea”Brilliant news”Credit: @LiamBro86″The prem ain’t ready!”Credit: @Nyerider”yay”Credit: @JoshuaCPFC”Wonderful news”Credit: @DavidMatthews6In other news, Crystal Palace fans react to a player departure.

An update has emerged on Celtic target Cameron Carter-Vickers, regarding Bournemouth’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Record, Bournemouth are set to land Celtic transfer target Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham this month.

The report claims that the Cherries are poised to beat the Hoops to his signature, in a £5m deal from the Premier League club.

Fans will be frustrated

Celtic fans will be frustrated by this update as the club appear to be on the verge of missing out on a move for the talented young centre-back.

Carter-Vickers is a promising defender on paper as he has bounds of experience under his belt whilst also having time on his side to improve. In terms of his senior appearances, he has already racked up over 100 appearances in the Championship during various loan spells away from North London – playing for the likes of Luton, Bournemouth, Swansea and Stoke.

He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.76 across the 115 games he has played in league football, showing that he has maintained a solid level of consistency throughout his career to date. This shows that he is able to perform week-in-week-out at Championship level, which could give him a reasonable chance of being able to succeed in the Scottish Premiership.

Connor Goldson, for example, averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.76 in his last Championship season for Brighton before eventually moving on to Rangers. He played 33 league games last term as the Gers conceded 10 goals in the Premiership. This suggests that Carter-Vickers could have the potential to be as solid of a defender as the ex-Seagulls man, given their similar form in England.

Former Luton boss Graeme Jones called the USA international “incredible” after signing him on loan at Kenilworth Road. 

Jones told Luton’s official website: “Graham Potter is one of my best friends and I spoke to him about Cameron, having had him on loan at Swansea last season. He said the character he’s got is incredible, so I’m looking forward to working with him.”

At the age of 23, the beast also has plenty of time left to develop and grow further as a player. This means that he could have been a signing Ange Postecoglou would be able to coach and help progress over the course of multiple seasons.

Therefore, supporters will be gutted that Celtic are seemingly set to fail in their pursuit of the enforcer. They will be gutted that a player of his quality and potential will not be arriving at Celtic Park and will, instead, be off to play second division football in England with Bournemouth.

AND in other news, Ange must complete Celtic swoop for “undroppable” £3m beast, he’s an upgrade on Soro…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has dropped an update on Leeds United’s transfer pursuit of Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

What’s the story?

Journalist Alan Nixon had previously revealed via Twitter that O’Brien was “very near” to the top of the shortlist for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this summer as they look to strengthen their midfield options ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

And now, Hay has revealed where things currently stand right now with regards to a move for the 22-year-old.

He said: “A left-back was essential in this window but having addressed that with Junior Firpo, they could do with an extra midfielder materialising — not least to try to answer the question, posed again in the heavy loss at Old Trafford on Saturday, of how this side manage on the days when Kalvin Phillips is out.

“If Leeds manage to agree a price with Yorkshire neighbours Huddersfield Town for Lewis O’Brien, then it’s going to be him. O’Brien has been the choice since Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher rejected Leeds and went to Crystal Palace on loan instead. But here and now, there’s no deal in place.”

Fans will be buzzing

In O’Brien, Leeds could find someone who is the ideal cover for midfield talisman Kalvin Phillips, with Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken raving about the 22-year-old’s industry and work ethic in the engine room.

He said: “O’Brien is a left-footed, tough-tackling central midfielder. Former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley often praised O’Brien as being ‘like having two players’, with the midfielder receiving particular praise from his manager and fans alike for his ability and willingness to rush back and win the ball with a clean sliding tackle whenever his side were caught on the counter-attack.

“He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already.”

As per WhoScored, O’Brien averaged two tackles and one interception per game in the Championship last season, which is only slightly less than the 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions that Phillips managed in the top-flight.

The fact Hay has now confirmed that O’Brien appears to be the number one target for Bielsa’s side, and that if they can agree a fee with Huddersfield, he will be the man to arrive, should have fans buzzing.

Whites supporters saw exactly the kind of impact not having Phillips in the team can have, not least because Bielsa feels he needs to play a centre-back in Robin Koch in that holding role – something that back-fired spectacularly at Elland Road.

Hay’s latest update is sure to have fans delighted and relieved in equal measure.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an update on Leeds target Ryan Kent…

Phil Hay has dropped some promising early team news for Leeds United ahead of their home game against Everton on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Where is Phillips?

Marcelo Bielsa said after his team were beaten 5-1 away at Manchester United on the opening weekend of the new 2021/22 Premier League season that Kalvin Phillips did not play because of a ‘lack of preparation’.

Of course, the central midfield player went all the way to the final of Euro 2020 with England in the summer under Gareth Southgate, and perhaps needs more time in training in order for him to be fully fit to start the new campaign.

The Latest: Phillips update

Writing on his Twitter page, Hay claimed that Phillips is ‘getting closer to starting’ ahead of their match against the Toffees on the weekend.

Whether he will be deemed fit enough to start is another question, but it suggests that he may at least make an impact from the bench at Elland Road.

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear that Phillips is getting closer to starting games, and it would be even more of a bonus if he is fit enough to start against the Blues in front of the home fans.

The 25-year-old showed just how important he is to the side in the Premier League last term, winning no fewer than 5.3 of his duels per game, as well as averaging 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.6 interceptions per match (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, he himself will be hoping that the game against Rafa Benitez’s team does not come too soon for him.

In other news, find out which three players LUFC are now planning to offload here!

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Barcelona wonderkid Ilaix Moriba, as rival interest from RB Leipzig has emerged this weekend [Sunday Express].

The Lowdown: Moriba at the centre of a contract wrangle at the Camp Nou

No stranger to the limelight, Moriba has become something of a thorn in the side of the Barcelona hierarchy after failing to sign a new contract at the Catalan giants this summer [GOAL].

He has allegedly asked for around £100k-p/w to renew terms, angering Camp Nou chiefs and eventually being frozen out of their squad [Sport Bible].

The youngster is regarded as one of the most prodigious talents to come through the famed La Masia academy in a long time, once even labelled ‘the future of the club’ by Ronald Koeman [GOAL].

However, that future may lay elsewhere.

The Latest: Future set to be decided in the next 24 hours

Tottenham are set to find out the trajectory of the 6 foot 1 ace’s next move in the next 24 hours, with his current employers open to cashing in on his services due to their financial difficulties [Sunday Express].

RB Leipzig are also hot on his tail, potentially creating a problem for the Lilywhites due to the German outfit’s reputation of offering regular first-team football to young stars.

Though they are reportedly £5 million short of matching the valuation set by Barca, the Bundesliga side are said to have offered tempting personal terms which Spurs would be unable to match.

The Verdict: Tottenham should prioritise Moriba

Likely to cost a pretty penny in terms of wage expenditure, any advancement in Tottenham’s willingness to lure the 18-year-old to N17 should be on the premise that he features regularly in a senior environment.

Bringing a bustling presence in the midfield, the Guinean-born anchor man showcased his capabilities effortlessly last term, registering four goal contributions from 18 appearances from deep; one goal and three assists [Transfermarkt].

Backing up plaudits, his successful pass accuracy rate of 91.6% across the campaign would help to bring some control to the Spurs midfield, potentially being a vital asset in high-profile encounters [WhoScored].

He was once dubbed as ‘incredible’ by ex Barca B coach Garcia Pimenta, and surely improve further with more first XI exposure [SB Nation].

Should they be able to offer Moriba the guarantees of being an imminently important figure in their starting line-up, there is no reason why Tottenham should not look to close the deal and add another future midfield star to the signing of Pape Matar Sarr.

In other news, a Tottenham legend has dropped their verdict on a Lilywhites defender. Find out more here.

Declan Rice is expected to seek a move away from West Ham United next summer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

90min’s Graeme Bailey claims that the 22-year-old midfielder expects the current season to be his last at the London Stadium amid interest from the Premier League’s ‘big four’ – Manchester United, City, Chelsea and Liverpool – in recent windows.

It’s thought that the Irons are considering offering Rice a new contract, despite his current deal expiring in 2024, as his wages do not represent his position and stature in the squad.

The England international is said to be open to the idea but only if it contained a release clause – something that the east Londoners do not do, so that puts any potential extension in jeopardy.

He’s also committed to the club for the upcoming season but it will certainly be a cause for concern as next year approaches.

One final year?

This latest development from the Hammers’ Rush Green base will certainly leave much of the fanbase worried and probably quite angry too.

Chelsea were heavily mooted with interest in Rice back in January but manager David Moyes played down their chances of selling up.

“I said it right at the start and I’m only repeating myself – Bank of England money would be required, and you might even need to add Bank of Scotland on to that as well because he has been so good,” he claimed, via Goal.

It’s thought that West Ham value their vice-captain in excess of £100m, whilst Transfermarkt put his current worth at £63m, so you’d imagine that any clause would be a substantial fee in that region.

However, given the spending of some of the top clubs this window, that may not be enough to deter them from launching a bid, and if Rice truly does expect to leave the club next year, it doesn’t bode well whatsoever.

Rice is an integral part of Moyes’ squad, so both the Scotsman and the Irons faithful will certainly rue his absence.

He finished the 2020/21 campaign as their fourth highest-rated player (7.01) and has continued that fine form into the current season, in which they remain unbeaten.

The 22-year-old has averaged a 7.64 WhoScored rating from his three starts in 2021/22 and tops the charts for interceptions per game (2.3) and for passing accuracy (94.9%).

It’s no wonder so many clubs are so keen to sign him, given that level of consistency at the very top.

Now capped 24 times by England, Moyes and co may face a struggle to keep hold of their star man as the season rumbles on, so this latest news could come as a hammer blow in the long run.

AND in other news, David Moyes handed huge West Ham boost as report emerges, fans will be buzzing…

Ipswich midfielder Sam Morsy has made his aims for the season clear following his transfer from Middlesbrough… 

What’s the talk?

Ipswich’s final summer signing, Sam Morsy, has outlined his ambitions for the 2021/22 campaign following his move from Championship side Middlesbrough.

The midfielder, who worked with Town boss Paul Cook at Wigan, has stated that the immediate aim for him at Portman Road is a promotion from League One.

He told Ipswich IFollow, via TWTD:

“The immediate aim is to get promoted and that’s what I’ve come to the club to do.

“You can’t dress it up, the aim is promotion given the size of this club, the players and the manager.

“I know the owners want to invest in the squad and want us to be a force in the Championship.

“They’ve backed the manager and the manager has been promoted from this league before so it’s exciting.

“There’s some very good players here. With Kyle Edwards, my good friend, Lee Peltier [Middlesbrough right-back] has had nothing but good things to say about him and about how good he is.”

Fans will be buzzing

Ipswich fans will surely be buzzing after reading these comments from Morsy. The midfielder has not joined the club to be content with challenging for a top-half finish or just making the play-offs, he wants to get promoted out of this division and feels like Cook has put together a squad capable of doing just that.

These are the type of positive quotes that Ipswich fans will be desperate for given the club’s dreadful start to the campaign. The Tractor Boys are currently sat in the relegation zone after picking up three points from their opening five League One matches, drawing three and losing two.

Fans will be wanting to cling on to any positives they can to give them hope for the rest of the season and these comments from Morsy offer that.

It would be strange for a player of his experience to drop down into the third tier if he did not genuinely believe that Ipswich could get promoted, as he had the chance of playing Championship football with Middlesbrough, which means that supporters can believe what he is saying.

Therefore, fans will be buzzing with Morsy’s quotes as they have a good reason to trust his judgement. He already started three second-tier games for Boro this term, which shows what he has given up to come to Portman Road. Would he do that if he did not truly believe that this Ipswich squad can win promotion? It seems unlikely on paper.

It is now down to Morsy, Cook and the rest of the players and staff to realise their ambitions and start getting wins on the board to erase their poor start to the season. For now, though, fans will be delighted with the clear goal set by Morsy.

AND in other news, Possession lost 79x: Ipswich dud let Cook down with 71% pass accuracy during August…