All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton have been the epitome of frustration as far as a football club is concerned for a number of years now.

While many supporters would love to have the financial backing that the Goodison Park side have received in recent years, none would wish for their hierarchy to flutter away such vast sums so frivolously.

The likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Davy Klaassen and Alex Iwobi have all arrived on Merseyside in big-money deals but ultimately failed to live up to expectations.

However, arguably none of the Toffees recent flops have left a bigger sense of frustration and disappointment lingering around Merseyside as Yannick Bolasie.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international joined Everton from fellow Premier League rivals Crystal Palace for a whopping £26m during the summer of 2016 after showing flashes of brilliance for the capital club.

During 2014/15, the tricky winger scored four goals and provided a hugely impressive 11 top-flight assists for a mediocre Palace side, highlighting his top-class potential.

Nevertheless, his purchase still represented a substantial risk for the Everton chiefs. While Bolasie clearly had the talent to become a more efficient forward, he had only scored 13 goals in 144 appearances for Palace prior to his sale.

The now 32-year-old made a fast start to life in his new surroundings, though, scoring one goal and laying on four assists for his teammates in his first 15 outings for the Blues in all competitions.

But then he suffered a devastating cruciate ligament injury which heavily impacted the future fortunes of his career. Bolasie only scored once more for Everton before embarking on a series of loan spells with varying degrees of success.

Short-term stints at the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Middlesbrough and Anderlecht failed to reignite his career, and he’s now plying his trade with Turkish outfit Caykur Rizespor.

Bolasie’s dramatic drop-off in form and fitness struggles saw him finally released on a free transfer this summer after a nightmarish five-year spell at the club. Sadly, both Everton and the player will be left wondering ‘what if’ for many years to come.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Everton transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing 

According to 90min, amid all the noise surrounding pre-summer talks for Paulo Dybala, it appears Tottenham Hotspur have made contact to sign another superstar forward in Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Nunez in demand…

Touted by reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano as one of the ‘big name’ players who could be on the move this summer, Benfica’s star striker is apparently attracting interest from across Europe and the Premier League.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As well as Spurs, north London rivals Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham are all harbouring an interest in Nunez, who could leave for £65 million this summer (90min).

This is significantly less than his release clause, which is estimated to be over £100m, and 90min believe that the Lilywhites are already making their first moves for the player before July 1.

The Latest: Spurs in contact…

While the links to Dybala are hotting up, according to 90min’s information, Tottenham are also in contact with Nunez’s representatives to find out what sort of agreement is possible to back manager Antonio Conte with the forward’s signing.

The report adds that Nunez himself is ‘ready to move’ this summer and a switch to England is very much ‘in his sights’.

The Verdict: Promising target…

While it will require a hefty investment on Tottenham’s part, the 22-year-old has been in scintillating form for Benfica this season, leaving little wonder why they are set to demand a hefty fee.

He’s racked up a quite incredible 20 goals in 22 league appearances over 2021/2022 with his young age and versatility across the forward line coming as yet more incentives for Spurs to attempt a move.

As Spurs officials allegedly make contact, this could be an indication that the club have real ambition to satisfy Conte.

In other news: Paratici sets sights on ‘phenomenal’ £100m man who Spurs have been offered before! Find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday have endured a difficult start to their 2021/22 campaign following their relegation from the Championship last term.

Darren Moore’s side lost to Huddersfield on penalties after a 0-0 draw in their Carabao Cup match to open the season, before drawing 0-0 with Charlton in their League One curtain-raiser.

This means that they head into a home clash with Doncaster on Saturday without scoring a single goal so far this season and are in need of a positive result to kickstart some momentum.

They face a Doncaster team who lost their first League One match 2-1 against AFC Wimbledon and then beat Walsall on penalties in the Carabao Cup.

Will Moore ring the changes this afternoon? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting the Owls boss to make three changes to his team from the trip to east London, all in the final third of the pitch.

He lined up with a 4-3-3 formation against Charlton and we believe that the back five and midfield three will stay the same. Every player outside of the front three achieved a WhoScored rating of 6.5 or higher, with Hutchinson, Iorfa and Bannan all tipping over into the 7/10 bracket.

After failing to score in the league opener, changing the front three could be exactly what Wednesday need. However, the first of our changes may be enforced as Callum Paterson was taken off with a head injury last week, and we are predicting Lee Gregory to take his place as the starting number nine. You may have already read our case for the 32-year-old to get the nod as Moore’s lone striker because of his experience and goalscoring record.

Secondly, we believe that Marvin Johnson will slot in on the left of the front three in place of Jaden Brown. The £6k-per-week dynamo is yet to make his full debut for the Owls after joining from Middlesbrough and this could be Moore’s chance to hand him a start.

Brown lined up on the left against Charlton and recorded a disappointing WhoScored rating of 6.21 as he was dispossessed three times, lost the ball through poor control twice, and created just one chance during the game. The inexperienced 22-year-old could do with being taken out of the firing line after a lacklustre showing.

This is where Johnson could be perfect to come in as he is experienced and proven himself to be a reliable performer at a higher level. The 30-year-old was a regular for Middlesbrough in the Championship in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, making 38 and 42 appearances respectively – suggesting that he could thrive after dropping down to a lower division.

Finally, Wednesday announced the signing of Theo Corbeanu on loan from Premier League side Wolves earlier this month and he is yet to make his debut for the club. Andre Green put on a disasterclass against Charlton as he registered a dismal WhoScored rating of 5.8, managing zero shots and zero chances created in 64 minutes on the right wing.

This suggests that he does not deserve to keep his place in the starting XI, which opens the door for Corbeanu to come in. Whilst there is little evidence to prove that this would be a good decision, Green’s performance was abysmal and an exciting young talent like Corbeanu could potentially thrive on being given the opportunity to show that he can make the step up to senior football. That is why Moore should gamble and throw him into the side today.

AND in other news, Joe Crann drops update on £8.4k-p/w “big player” which will leave Wednesday fans buzzing…

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Sheffield United are set to sign Yann Karamoh on loan from Parma, which will surely delight Slavisa Jokanovic and the Blades fanbase.

What’s the word?

According to Romano, the Frenchman is currently undergoing a medical in Paris before completing a loan switch to the Blades, with the deal set to be announced at some point today before the deadline.

So far this summer, the Blades have brought in two loan players in the shape of Ben Davies and Conor Hourihane and it seems as if Jokanovic is making full use of the loan market with Karamoh set to join for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

Will Karamoh be a good signing?

United are certainly in need of fresh faces at Bramall Lane after a shocking start to the season, one which sees them sitting second-bottom of the Championship with just two points from their opening five fixtures in the second tier.

Jokanovic has been guilty of utilising similar tactics from his predecessors Paul Heckingbottom and Chris Wilder, lining up with the familiar 3-5-2 formation once again at the weekend in the goalless draw with Luton Town.

After that result, the Serbian manager called for the board to bring in fresh faces, saying:

“These three days will be an important three days for our board, to do what they promised before I arrived here.

“It’s not a question about today, it’s a question about our start to the season – we are not comfortable, we don’t show the quality, we don’t show the personality.”

Considering the lack of wingers he currently has available in his squad, the former Fulham boss will surely be delighted that Karamoh is set to join, especially considering he has plenty of experience in Ligue 1 and Serie A.

Last season saw the 23-year-old contribute two goals and two assists for Parma in Serie A, averaging a solid 6.60 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This is better than the vast majority of Sheffield United players have averaged so far this season and considering he is arguably playing at a lower level, he should be a good addition to Jokanovic’s squad, so Blades fans should be buzzing to hear that he is set to join.

And, in other news… Sheffield United closing in on their Aaron Ramsdale replacement

Southampton fans were far from happy as their B side lost 3-2 to Birmingham City on Monday despite being 2-0 up.

For the Saints’ senior side, it has not been the best start to the season at all. Eight games in, they have won just one match during 90 minutes, an 8-0 victory over Newport County in the League Cup, and they are without a victory after six Premier League matches (Sky Sports).

Things are not going to better for the club’s development side, either. They were without a win in five matches in their top flight, and were well in with a chance of changing that form against Birmingham. However, despite a two-goal lead, they were unable to hold on, and eventually lost 3-2. As a result, they remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Southampton’s official Twitter account shared the result, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform below.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the defeat below

“Some serious questions need to be asked about our academy…”

Credit: @TheSaintCentre

“What a joke”

Credit: @Conor_SFC

“We trudge on.”

Credit: @PixelKicker

“Rotten top to bottom”

Credit: @griffryan

“Losing philosophy throughout this club at the moment. Needs curing”

Credit: @liamd543

“Delete this club ASAP”

Credit: @WillWray10

In other news, Southampton fans slammed this man against Wolves.

Many Crystal Palace fans have been left buzzing on Twitter after popular Eagles account HLTCO posted pictures of their players sporting the new home kit in their 3-1 friendly win over Watford on Saturday.

Bringing their pre-season preparations to a successful close, Patrick Vieira’s side comfortably swept aside divisional rivals Watford in an entertaining encounter which saw Wilfried Zaha bag a brace prior to a late strike from Christian Benteke, who had earlier deflected Troy Deeney’s strike into the Eagles’ net. [Mail Online]

Palace will now turn their attention towards the start of their Premier League season, which sees them make the trip to fellow London club Chelsea on Saturday, with a 3pm kick-off.

Aside from the weekend’s win over Watford, many Eagles diehards took to Twitter to discuss their opinions on the new home shirt, which features the traditional red and blue stripes in a diagonal sash pattern.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to popular Crystal Palace page HLTCO on Twitter after they described the kit as a ‘belter’, here is what some supporters had to say about the images of the shirt, which one fan described as “really nice”:

“In about 2 days I went from hating it to loving seeing it in person at Watford (what a game that was as well)”

Credit: @AdamAdimi123

“Wasn’t keen until I realised it was the sash on steroids.”

Credit: @Sarf_London

“It looks 100 times better on the pitch than it did in the studio. Really grown on me”

Credit: @BenH11TON”Love it”Credit: @nialljclark”Actually really nice. The freak out for it was for no reason”Credit: @Bunds_”I agree 100%. Looks great on the pitch!”Credit: @TonyCpfc”If the shorts were red I think it would be top tier”Credit: @RussellMoleIn other news, Crystal Palace are set to miss out on a reported transfer target.

Aston Villa’s defence has pretty much picked itself over the last 18 months after some solid results and excellent performances under Dean Smith and now Steven Gerrard.

Emiliano Martinez is the undisputed number one goalkeeper, while Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matt Targett make up the back-four in front of him when they’re all fit. The likes of Kortney Hause and Axel Tuanzebe make the central defensive positions somewhat competitive, but the full-backs have been pretty much set in stone.

So when Targett suffered a head injury against Manchester City and was forced off, there were instantly worries from Villa fans as to who would fill in and how much of a blow it would turn out to be in the upcoming games.

If the win and performance against Leicester is anything to go by though, they needn’t have worried because Ashley Young is on the scene.

The former Manchester United man made his name as a winger, lighting up the Premier League for Villa before his move to Old Trafford where he won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. But during his time up north, Young’s game transformed from a flying winger to a reliable full-back. That was solidified when he moved to Italy with Inter Milan and won the Scudetto playing as a left wing-back.

Upon his return to Villa Park in the summer on a free transfer, where he signed a £50k-per-week deal, many lauded his versatility as a big reason why the deal was a good one for the club despite him being 36-years-old these days. His performance against Leicester in the 2-1 win from left-back proved them right.

He won 100% of his tackles on the day and only Emi Buendia completed more dribbles than him in a Villa shirt during the game. Despite being naturally right-footed, he kept the width well to stretch the Leicester defence and was a threat going forward with his crossing ability. His performance meant Villa barely missed Targett in the game and were able to pick up three points without him.

With a trip to Anfield up next, Gerrard will want his strongest defence available to him. But with Young’s experience and winning mentality, that could well include the veteran who the Villans boss dubbed “outstanding” in a wing-back role to provide a threat going forward as well as security defensively against the most potent attack in the country.

As he proved only last weekend, he can be game-changing in that position.

AND in other news, Matty Cash stole the show against Leicester.

Newcastle United could offer Miguel Almiron to Villarreal as part of a deal for Arnaut Danjuma, according to The Sunday Mirror. 

The lowdown

Eddie Howe was in charge at Bournemouth when the Cherries paid Club Brugge £14.8million to sign Danjuma in 2019.

Amid injury problems, he made only 14 Premier League appearances (six starts) in his first season on the south coast.

Howe subsequently resigned, but Danjuma exploded into life in the Championship, scoring 17 goals and providing eight assists in 2020/21.

That earned him a move back to the top level with Villarreal, for whom he’s made 28 appearances this season.

The latest

Howe has already been reunited with Callum Wilson, Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser on Tyneside and, in addition to Danjuma, he’s also said to be keen on bringing Lloyd Kelly to St James’ Park.

Reliable reports on the south coast say Kelly will be the subject of a summer bid from the Magpies, with scouts allegedly attending all his games, and it appears he’s not the only former Howe student catching the eye.

The latest reports (via The Boot Room) state that Newcastle have identified Danjuma as a target ahead of the summer transfer window.

Almiron is one of the players the club are willing to sell this summer, and they could attempt a part-exchange with The Yellow Submarine.

The verdict

What would this deal look like? Well, there’s about a £30million difference in the two players’ Transfermarkt valuations (Danjuma £45million, Almiron £14.4million) and so, assuming Villarreal are interested in the Paraguayan, there may still need to be a negotiation over the fee.

It’s easy to understand why Newcastle are keen on Danjuma though, his team’s top scorer this season with 13 goals in all competitions.

Five of those goals have come in the Champions League, and the Dutchman is currently preparing for a quarterfinal meeting with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Villarreal vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza has dubbed him a ‘Rolex player’, while talent scout Jacek Kulig considers him ‘one of Europe’s best dribblers’.

It’s certainly a signing, then, that the Toon could get excited about.

In other news, Keith Downie shares an update on Shelvey.

A big twist has emerged on Rangers’ search for a new manager, regarding former Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Dutchman is ‘one step’ away from taking over at Ibrox to replace Steven Gerrard in the dugout.

The report claims that he is the favourite for the position, following Sky Sports’ claim that Gio van Bronckhorst has held positive talks with the club.

This marks a remarkable twist in the saga with a new coach suddenly leapfrogging previous candidates to become the favourite.

Elation

Rangers fans will surely be over the moon with this update as it suggests that Koeman could be Gerrard’s replacement at Ibrox. The experienced Dutch coach recently left Barcelona and is available as a free agent, with this report now claiming that he is on the verge of accepting the job to compete for the Premiership title this season.

Supporters would surely love to see him in the dugout as he has an impressive C.V spanning a number of years, whereas van Bronckhorst is still in the early stages of his own coaching career.

The 46-year-old won an Eredivisie title with Feyenoord and averaged 2.03 points per game across 136 league matches for the Dutch club in four seasons, whilst he also spent a short spell in China.

Koeman, meanwhile, has managed 342 Eredivisie games and averaged 2.06 points per match. This included time with Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV and Vitesse and he won three league titles in that time. He has won nine trophies in his career as a head coach, showing that he knows what it takes to win silverware – with more experience in the game than van Bronckhorst.

The ex-Barca man has also experienced coaching in Britain. He finished seventh, sixth and seventh in three full seasons with Southampton and Everton earlier in his career which shows that the 58-year-old has proven himself in multiple countries with several clubs. Van Bronckhorst’s C.V, however, is based on his four years at Feyenoord in his home country.

Therefore, fans will surely be over the moon with the prospect of Koeman becoming the club’s new manager. With all due respect to van Bronckhorst, Koeman has a better background, as shown by his managerial statistics, and could be a terrific appointment for the club as he has a track record of success over a prolonged period of time. It is now down to Ross Wilson to ensure that he can get a deal over the line that would surely elate supporters.

AND in other news, Time’s up: GVB could become an instant hit at Rangers by axing £1.8m-rated dud…

Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell could miss the FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea through injury, according to The Evening Standard.

The Lowdown: Mitchell goes off

Labelled as ‘popular’ by former Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, the defender was forced off against Leicester City in his team’s 2-1 defeat on Sunday.

The 22-year-old has been a key member of Patrick Vieira’s squad during his first season in charge, starting every Premier League game.

However, he had to make way against the Foxes after just 34 minutes with what appeared to be a calf problem, and along with Michael Olise, he could now be in a race against time to feature at Wembley.

The Latest: Nervous wait

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick shared a story regarding Mitchell on Monday.

He revealed that the full-back was due for scans on the problem on Monday, with Palace facing a nervous wait on the extent of the damage.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

As mentioned, Mitchell has been an ever-present figure at Selhurst Park this season, so it would be a major blow if he is unable to feature at Wembley next weekend.

The Palace academy graduate has been their best-performing defender, as per WhoScored, and he is the only senior out-and-out left-back on the books for the Eagles.

Vieira will be keeping everything crossed that Mitchell can recover in time, as otherwise he will have a few selection headaches over the coming days.

In other news: Vieira now wants Parish to bring 25-assist star to Palace; club preparing to lose their player.