All posts by n8rngtd.top

As per GiveMeSport, Everton and West Ham are two of the sides interested in luring Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara away from Ibrox this summer.

The Lowdown: Kamara in demand

Kamara has spent the last month on international duty with Finland at Euro 2020, but that has not stopped there being plenty of interest in his services.

Arsenal and Leeds United (TEAMtalk) have been two of the main pursuers, but it seems there is now a couple more sides to add to that list of interested parties.

The Latest: Premier League sides in pursuit

According to this latest report, both Everton and West Ham now have the 25-year-old on their radar.

Brentford, as well as several Russian sides, are also in pursuit, as it looks very likely now that the Gers will have something of a bidding war going on for Kamara’s services.

The Verdict: Big fight for Rangers

Kamara’s stock has only risen after playing at the European Championships for Finland, for whom he has 34 caps. At 25, he has grown into one of the Gers’ most important players, and now more people are more aware of his abilities in the middle of the park, the interest is only going to increase.

Everton and West Ham, in particular, are attractive propositions for any player. The former are one of England’s biggest clubs and, backed by Farhad Moshiri’s $2.8bn (£2bn, Forbes) net worth, they have big ambitions with a shiny new stadium on the horizon.

The Hammers, meanwhile, will be in the Europa League next term and are also looking up rather than down. The Gers will do all they can to keep him, but they may struggle to do so with more and more teams now sniffing around.

In other news, Rangers fans love a photo of this man.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could sign a new Kalvin Phillips in Huddersfield Town’s midfield dynamo Lewis O’Brien.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that fellow Premier League side Newcastle were interested in landing the 22-year-old, but it now appears the Whites have entered the race themselves.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, the 5 foot 8 ace is very near to the top of Leeds’ short-list as they look to strengthen their midfield options this summer ahead of the new campaign.

A new Kalvin Phillips

Having come through the academy system at Elland Road, the success Phillips is enjoying is sure to taste that much sweeter for everyone associated with Leeds United.

With the midfielder now starring on the big stage with England in this summer’s EUROs – he’ll likely be involved once again when the Three Lions take on Denmark in the semi-final on Wednesday night – Bielsa will no doubt be searching day and night for the next Phillips.

And in O’Brien, he could certainly get that.

As per Whoscored, he 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 Phillips managed per match in the top-flight.

That kind of defensive tenacity is what has had Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken waxing lyrical about the kind of intensity that the 22-year-old plays with.

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. His fitness is incredible and he just never seems to get tired, which is one of the biggest difficulties Championship players have when stepping up to the Premier League.

“He’s never going to be a big glamorous name in the Premier League, but he is the kind of wholehearted, committed player that managers love because they do so much of the hard work that helps other players to shine.”

That kind of selfless personality and “incredible” fitness is surely music to the ears of Bielsa given the kind of intensity with which his teams train and play, and how Phillips has emerged as the heartbeat of this Leeds side.

As a “tough-tackling central midfielder” with a real engine and an eye for both a pass and a goal, O’Brien has all the ingredients to emulate Phillips at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign their own Jadon Sancho in this English starlet…

An update has emerged on Southampton forward Danny Ings, regarding West Ham’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, West Ham are showing an interest in Southampton centre-forward Danny Ings as he continues to opt against signing a new contract at St. Mary’s.

He has 12 months left to run on his existing deal and is waiting to see what offers he gets from other teams this summer before committing his future to the Saints.

The report claims that Tottenham and Aston Villa are also interested in the England international, although, Ings is hoping to join a club already in the Champions League picture for next season.

Arnautovic 2.0

West Ham must seal a deal to sign Ings if there is any chance of them being able to land him. The line about him wanting Champions League football clearly does not favour the Hammers in any transfer pursuit, given that they failed to make the top four last term, but that does not mean that the situation cannot change. David Moyes may be able to sell the project to Ings and convince him that with his help, West Ham can become a top-four club in the not-too-distant future.

The club should be working hard to get a deal over the line for the English forward, as he could be a sublime addition to the squad as he is the type of player that Moyes needs.

Michail Antonio was West Ham’s top scorer last season with 10 strikes and Sebastien Haller’s tally of three was the next highest by a striker in the squad, suggesting that the Scot is in dire need of another centre-forward.

In terms of West Ham centre-forwards down the years, Ings is comparable to maverick ex-Stoke man Marko Arnautovic. Ings may not be the fiery character, to put it lightly, Arnautovic is but he carries similar qualities in the way he operates at the top end of the pitch.

The Austrian averaged over one dribble per game across his two Premier League campaigns for the Irons, as Ings has in the past two years for the Saints, whilst they both struggled aerially with 1.2 aerial battles won per game or fewer in each of their past two domestic seasons in England.

Both players like to take players on and create chances for themselves, taking shots from distance. They can create opportunities out of nothing to score goals, with both players hitting double figures for goals in those two seasons.

Clinton Morrison once said that Ings has “first-class” movement and claimed that he has the ability to play for a top-four club given his form for Southampton in the Premier League in recent seasons.

He said:

“Yes, I would say Danny Ings is top-four quality, most definitely. The season he’s had at Southampton, if you put him in one of the teams at the top four, he’d easily score goals like that.

“I used to play with a striker who used to play like Danny Ings – Robbie Keane.

“I look at the way Ings plays at the moment, his movement is first class and I used to say to Robbie Keane, ‘how do you get in behind defenders when you’re not rapid?’ His movement was first-class and Danny Ings is like that.”

Ings could be a sublime addition to West Ham’s squad and become the striker that Moyes has been lacking. His movement and wizardry to create chances for himself can help to unlock defences and help the Hammers win even more games in the Premier League next season, giving them a real shot at a top-four finish.

AND in other news, The Athletic drop concerning West Ham update on £10m “leader”, Moyes will be gutted…

Kyle Bartley’s potential departure would be a “big blow” for West Bromwich Albion this summer.

What’s been said?

That’s according to former West Brom centre-forward Kevin Campbell, who, in a recent interview with Football Insider, discussed the potential sale of the Albion centre-back amid reports claiming that the 30-year-old is attracting interest from both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace this summer.

According to those reports, Valerien Ismael’s side would accept an offer of £3m for the defender, who has just 12 months left to run on his current deal at the Hawthorns.

However, Campbell believes that the Baggies will be doing all they can to retain the services of Bartley this summer, stating:

“Bartley was one of their best players last season so it would be a big blow to lose him. He was so consistent over the course of the season and for that reason, teams will covet him.

“You have got to give credit where credit is due. He has had a really good season. Even though they went down, he was a shining light. I am not surprised that a few Premier League teams are interested in him. He is a good player and he has proven that he can play at that level.

“I’m sure West Brom will be desperate for him to stay but he might fancy returning to the Premier League.”

Big blow

Considering how impressive Bartley was for West Brom last season, it would indeed be a “big blow” for the club if they were to lose his services this summer, with this eventuality being something that would leave Ismael gutted, particularly for a fee of just £3m.

Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances last term, the £15k-per-week man helped his side keep four clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 5.3 clearances and winning 4.8 duels per game.

Bartley also chipped in for the Baggies going forwards, scoring three goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.2 key passes per league fixture.

This level of performance saw the man Chris Lepkowski dubbed a “brilliant” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as Albion’s sixth-best player in the top flight of English football.

As such, with Ismael undoubtedly hoping to secure an immediate return to the Premier League next season, keeping the £2.25m-rated man at the club would provide the Frenchman’s chances of doing so with a huge boost.

However, with the former England U17 international now in the prime years of his career, he may not be willing to wait another season to once again be playing top-flight football, something that a move to both Crystal Palace and Newcastle would afford the 30-year-old.

In other news: West Brom transfer news confirmed on “exciting” highly-rated gem, fan surely buzzing

Kyle Bartley would have been a ‘top’ signing for Newcastle United, Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Telegraph reported last week that the Magpies had decided against a move for the West Bromwich Albion defender, who was apparently valued at just £3m by the Championship club.

Newcastle are keen to sign a ‘ball-playing’ centre-back this summer, with Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, former Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak and Tottenham Hotspur’s Cameron Carter-Vickers among the other options they have considered (via The Athletic).

Bartley made 30 league appearances for West Brom last season as they unsuccessfully tried to stay in the top flight. He averaged 3.6 successful aerial duels and 5.3 clearances per game, along with a passing accuracy of 77.1% (via WhoScored).

The latest

Phillips feels that, even if he wasn’t ever-present in the Newcastle team, Bartley would have brought key traits such as experience and leadership to St James’ Park.

The former England striker told Football Insider: “He’s a solid defender and you could have seen him and Lascelles forming a good partnership. I think for £3m plus his wages it’s not going to kill you.

“He possibly wouldn’t have played week in, week out. But he’s also got that experience which could be vital for Newcastle next season.

“He was definitely one of the best players at West Brom after Allardyce came in last season. He’s a leader on and off the pitch as well, which helps. It could be a top deal.”

The verdict

Despite Phillips’ endorsement, Bartley would have been a somewhat underwhelming signing in comparison to targets like Ajer and Kabak, imposing young defenders with plenty of potential and experience of major European competitions.

Perhaps they were simply priced out of moves for those targets, leading them to briefly consider a fairly cheap swoop for Bartley. The deal would have felt like short-term thinking, with the club currently in limbo as it waits to see whether the prospective Saudi-led takeover will go through.

Ultimately, it’s doubtful whether Bartley would have represented any improvement on the options already at Bruce’s disposal, considering that the 30-year-old was a regular in a Baggies team which had the worst defensive record in last season’s Premier League.

In other news, Newcastle are said to ‘admire’ this midfielder. 

Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy believes Everton would have one of the world’s best defenders on their books if they manage to sign Kalidou Koulibaly before the transfer window slams shut.

Rafa Benitez, who was appointed as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor in the Goodison Park dugout last month, has made clinching the arrival of Koulibaly a priority ahead of the Premier League season getting underway next month.

Benitez managed Koulibaly during his time in charge of Napoli, where the Senegal international remains and made 37 appearances last term, and is keen to be reunited with the defender.

The Toffees have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of the 6 ft 2 Koulibaly as Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has insisted the 30-year-old is not for sale.

However, that did not stop the Merseyside club testing the waters with an opening bid, according to Calciomercato, which has been rejected.

Serie A expert Clancy believes Everton would pull off a major coup if they manage to persuade Napoli to sell.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “He improves any team he goes to. He’s phenomenal. I’d say, to be honest, after Virgil van Dijk, he is in the conversation for being the second best defender in the world.”

Manchester City are edging closer to the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, but a recent report has suggested that would make any move for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane very difficult this summer.

What’s the word?

Grealish and Kane have emerged as Pep Guardiola’s two top targets for the Citizens this summer and the former looks close to completing a move to the Etihad in a deal worth around £100m.

However, Manchester Evening News journalist Liam Corless has claimed that the deal for the Villa captain could see City end their interest in Kane, unless they are able to raise a significant amount of money through player sales between now and the end of the window.

As Spurs will likely demand well in excess of £100m for their talismanic striker, with chairman Daniel Levy clearly keen to keep him in North London, it simply isn’t financially viable for Manchester City to bring him in as well as Grealish in the same transfer window without significant sales.

A blow for Guardiola?

It seems baffling that City are seemingly prioritising a move for Grealish over the £108m-rated Kane when you consider the options that Guardiola currently has in their respective positions.

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Whilst the Spanish manager can boast talents such as Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez on the wing, he has just Gabriel Jesus available as a senior striker in his squad following Sergio Aguero’s exit earlier in the summer.

Although the Citizens were sensational at times last season, they lacked a clinical striker on a number of occasions towards the end of the season and were punished by Chelsea in the FA Cup and Champions League, so signing a world-class talent such as Kane should really have been City’s priority ahead of the new season.

The 28-year-old striker is clearly keen on a move , with reports earlier today claiming that he has failed to turn up for training at Tottenham Hotspur but if City do complete a move for Grealish, it seems as if they will have to sell a number of first-team options before even considering a bid for the England captain.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

City fans certainly won’t be happy with this update, as they too will surely have been hoping to sign a clinical striker this summer, and now it seems as if a deal for Kane is going to be very difficult for the Citizens to complete and if they are to sign him, they may need to cash in on another star player.

And, in other news… Imagine him and Foden: Txiki can secure City’s future with swoop for “very strong” 18 y/o

A major West Ham transfer update has emerged this weekend…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the Irons’ plans to sign a new defender will be accelerated due to the pre-season injury suffered to first-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna.

“I can confirm, as I have done before, that the centre back position is the position that the club wants to complete first,” he revealed to The West Ham Way’s Patreon site.

“This is where our attention is focused at the moment and should be where the next signing is made.

“There are a couple of players in the mix but the club hopes to complete soon, although nothing is that close at the moment. If I had to pick, [Kurt] Zouma would be the number 1 choice at the moment but this could change based upon the negotiations.

“Ogbonna’s injury has sped up this priority.”

Reason to be excited?

After the departure of Fabian Balbuena during this off-season, Hammers boss David Moyes has been left short in defence, especially with his lack of trust in Issa Diop to regularly start matches, having featured from the off just 15 times in 2020/21,

Heading into the new campaign, his likely first-choice pairing would be Ogbonna and Craig Dawson, but with the former looking to be out for the foreseeable future, it’s no wonder the club want to bring in reinforcements as a priority.

It’s believed that the Scotsman already wanted to sign a top-quality centre-back and, a result, they have been linked with some rather exciting names, ranging from Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma – as mentioned by Ex – to the likes of Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car.

West Ham have only made one senior signing this summer, amongst the fewest in the Premier League right now, so this news should be rather exciting as it seems that their plans will be ramped up in the coming days.

The Irons also need to find a replacement for Jesse Lingard, as well as cover for central midfield and full-back, but as Ex claims, their focus is now on finding Moyes that centre-back for which he is longing.

Whether it’s Zouma, Milenkovic or someone else, the London Stadium faithful should be buzzing by this major update.

AND in other news, West Ham fans will surely love exciting Sky Sports transfer claim on £65k-p/w “beast”…

Kristjaan Speakman has dropped an encouraging hint on the future of Sunderland defender Bailey Wright.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats sporting director suggested that fans should not be overly concerned regarding the speculation surrounding any of the club’s players, including the centre-back who has been heavily linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light this summer.

The 42-year-old continued by reinforcing his belief that he and his side are in the process of putting together as strong of a squad as possible at Sunderland, rather than simply cashing in on a player if interest in their services arises.

In the interview, Speakman said: “I’d always say not to get too concerned about speculation. What I would say is I hope there’ll be a confidence that we won’t let a player go unless it’s in a situation that suits the football club.

“We’re well blessed because we’ve got a lot of players who would complement squads in the Championship and League One, and so there will be interest in them.

“When you’ve got players coming into the final year of their deal, there will naturally be interest. We’ll work on a case-by-case basis, and be flexible enough to deal with any changes we need to make. But we’re trying to build a stronger squad, not a weaker squad.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Speakman does not mention Wright by name, it is abundantly clear that the sporting director is referring to the defender in his comments, and the position the 42-year-old appears to have on the potential sale of the centre-back will undoubtedly leave fans of the club buzzing.

Lee Johnson is neither blessed with a wealth of talent or depth in the heart of his Sunderland defence, with the 29-year-old very much appearing to be one of the manager’s best options in the position.

Indeed, over his 35 League One appearances for the club last season, the £720k-rated man helped his side keep 10 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 4.6 clearances and winning 5.9 duels per game.

The defender also chipped in for his side going forwards, scoring two goals and taking an average of 0.7 shots per match.

These returns saw the man Johnson dubbed a “warrior” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as the Mackems’ seventh-best performer in the third tier of English football last season.

As such, sanctioning the sale of the £13k-per-week centre-back would appear to be something of a mistake by Speakman and his transfer team this summer, particularly to a Wigan Athletic side who could well be one of the club’s promotion rivals next season, meaning that the sporting director’s latest comments are likely to be well received by the Stadium of Light faithful.

In other news: Speakman drops update on “huge” £4.3k-p/w “nightmare” that will have SAFC fans buzzing

David Ornstein has dropped a big Newcastle transfer update regarding Joe Willock… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Newcastle have reached an agreement with Arsenal over a deal in excess of £20m for midfielder Joe Willock. The England under-21 international has been their priority target throughout the window and they are now closing in on their man.

The report claims that personal terms have not been agreed as of yet, with Newcastle now discussing a potential contract with Willock to convince him to make the switch from The Emirates.

Cloud nine

Newcastle fans will surely be on cloud nine following this update from Ornstein, with Mike Ashley splashing the cash to get this deal done. Willock made a huge impression at St. James’ Park during his loan spell last term and supporters will be delighted that he appears set to return on a permanent basis.

The 21-year-old scored a phenomenal eight goals in 11 Premier League starts for Steve Bruce’s side, only Callum Wilson scored more for the club. This shows that he could be a much-needed addition to the team for the 2021/22 campaign, as it alleviates the pressure on Wilson to score all of the goals as Joelinton was the next-top scorer with just four goals in 31 games.

After making his debut for Newcastle last season, Willock was hailed as a terrific athlete and modern-day midfielder by Bruce. He said:

“It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”

Willock also averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.13 during his time at the club on loan. This was the best score of any Newcastle player in the Premier League last season, suggesting that he was the most consistent, highest quality, performer in the side – ahead of the likes of Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.

This is why fans will be buzzing to see him return to the club, as they could now get the chance to watch his outstanding displays again throughout the upcoming campaign. Although, it is now down to Willock to prove that he can do it over the course of an entire year and that he was not an 11-game wonder during his time on loan.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Shelvey: NUFC must pounce on chance to land £100k-p/w “match-winner”…