All posts by z3u9t.icu

Crystal Palace have not made any signings as of yet during the winter transfer window, which is unexpected when you look at how active the club was in making acquisitions in the summer.

Despite no official bids though, the club has been linked to a number of players during January.

Palace have been touted to young players in the forward line specifically, with Christian Benteke turning 31 recently and Vieira on a mission to inject youth in a squad that had the oldest average age in the Premier League before his arrival in the summer.

Vieira brought in a number of young players upon his appointment during the summer, including Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard, who have both made an incredible impact on the side.

For context, they have been involved in 19 goals between them, and as a result, the club’s boss is clearly intending to continue his youth revolution as the club has been linked with 22-year-old Eddie Nketiah, and 21-year-old Bamba Dieng this month.

Whilst Gunners striker, Nketiah, has been ruled out of a move by his manager Mikel Arteta, we can focus our attention on the strengths that Marseille striker, Dieng, can offer Palace.

He could become the perfect replacement for Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is not a regular choice for Vieira with just eight appearances this season and has been linked with a move away from the club, cutting his loan deal six months early at Palace.

Dieng has been impressive for Marseille, with his talents not going unnoticed after he was hailed “a Didier Drogba” type player by El Hadji Diouf who sang the young striker’s praises last year:

“He’s a striker, a Didier Drogba. All he can do is score goals. He is a young person with a future. All I have to say is keep his head on his shoulders, keep working. He is an attacker who ends up in the box.”

According to Squawka, when you compare the attacking output from Dieng at Marseille this season, to Mateta’s campaign with the Eagles, the young Senegalese forward has three more goals, a better conversion rate, over twice as many shots on target and almost double the passes completed than his counterpart.

If the statistics shown are anything to go by, Vieira clearly has an important decision to make on the future of his forward line with many choices he could make over the next few months.

Nketiah will be out of contract in the summer and thus, potentially available on a free transfer if he refuses to commit his future to Arsenal, and £30k-per-week Mateta’s 18-month loan deal also comes to an end in June too.

Therefore, the French coach will need to decide if he will sign the player on a permanent contract, but with Dieng linked it would be hard not to consider his attacking output and the potential he offers at just 21 years old.

After all, he looks the perfect player for Vieira to sign while axing the rather disappointing Mateta.

In other news: Reliable journalist gives update on Jean-Philippe Mateta

Manchester United have made contact over a possible move for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix.

That’s according to Spanish newspaper AS, relayed by Sports Witness, and, as to be expected, the update has had a number of United fans talking on social media.

The 22-year-old is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt and is extremely versatile, capable of playing anywhere in attack. He’s scored 20 times in 88 appearances for Madrid after joining back in 2019 from Benfica in a deal worth £114m.

It now seems as if the Portugal international is on the club’s radar, with Sports Witness relaying claims suggesting United have ‘already asked for’ the forward.

Fellow Premier League sides Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United are also name-checked with an interest, with Felix’s contract not up until 2026.

A move away from Atletico may materialise, though, with the report revealing Felix’s representatives are now ‘studying various alternatives to try to convince’ Atletico to let the forward depart.

United fans react

Well-known page @utdreport shared the claims regarding Felix on Twitter on Thursday. These United fans were all buzzing at the news, with one labelling it as ‘serious’.

“Swap with Rashford.”

Credit: @DinkTony

“Get him at whatever the cost”

Credit: @CessiLUHG

“I AM ON MY KNEEEEEESSSSSSSS”

Credit: @choloo_la

“Would be unreal but doubt it’ll happen”

Credit: @OllieBest_

“spend everything u have”

Credit: @richie_r2

“PLEASE”

Credit: @MUFCJosh98

“OMG, let this be true… I legit wanna rep Joao Felix.”

Credit: @Ab_Oktober

In other news: ‘Not surviving the Rangnick era’ – Many MUFC fans slam ace who lost the ball 19 times vs Young Boys; ‘sell him’. 

Flocking to Twitter, these West Ham United fans have reacted to a transfer update involving their club and Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa.

David Moyes’s side, looking to end their year-long search for a new striker after the sale of Sebastien Haller last January, are reportedly eyeing Michail Antonio alternatives ahead of the winter window next month.

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It is believed that one of West Ham’s transfer priorities is a forward alongside the addition of a new centre-half and potentially Jesse Lingard (The Evening Standard), with the likes of Adam Hlozek and Divock Origi apparently on the agenda (ExWHUemployee).

Other forwards are also being considered as Eurosport journalist Dean Jones shares the latest. According to his information, West Ham are keen on South American forward Barbosa who has been in fine form for Flamengo over 2021.

It is believed he could even become available on a loan deal as the Irons and Moyes weigh up short term striker additions.

Irons react…

Given Barbosa has racked up a brilliant 29 goals over the calendar year in all competitions, it’s hardly surprising that some supporters see him as a would-be ‘dream’ signing.

However, some also believe that a loan would be difficult to pull off – find all of their reactions to the development down below:

“This would be the dream for me”

Credit: @AlfieMax_WHU

“YEEEEEES GABIGOL”

Credit: @brad_hass4

“Get him in West ham”

Credit: @Jinglis01492553

“A loan would be awesome but I just don’t see it happening.”

Credit: @NeilFitzUk

“Loan would be excellent, but this reeks of Bacca!”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“here we go again”

Credit: @whujoe

In other news: ‘Can’t wait’, ‘Best news today’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘amazing’ update has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

Celtic have learned the ‘substantial’ fee that they would need to pay to sign Daizen Maeda from Yokohama F Marinos in January. 

The lowdown

The Hoops are looking to build upon the success of J-League import Kyogo Furuhashi, who is the joint-top scorer in the Premiership as it stands.

Maeda has enjoyed a prolific campaign himself, netting 22 goals in 35 league appearances to help his team to finish second in the table, and his links with Celtic now date back more than a month.

Journalist Stuart Hodge has described him as ‘a good player with bags of ability [and] bags of pace’, while Ange Postecoglou managed Marinos before he was appointed at Celtic, so he is certainly familiar with Maeda, who has played 50 times under the Australian.

The latest

The Daily Record’s Scott Burns reported that Celtic are ‘keen’ on Maeda.

However, he added that the Hoops would need to shell out £3m or more to reunite him with Postecoglou in Glasgow, a sum the report described as ‘substantial’.

The verdict

To put that fee into context, Celtic spent just over £20m in the summer and went above the £3m mark for three players – Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt and Liel Abada. That would suggest that Yokohama F Marinos’ demands are not insignificant, but they should be manageable for the Hoops.

Postecoglou may view Maeda as a more reliable alternative to Giorgos Giakoumakis, who has been limited to just two Premiership starts since his arrival in the summer amid injury concerns.

The manager’s argument might be that it is crucial to have dependable depth in forward areas, with Celtic potentially competing in the Europa Conference League as well as the Premiership and domestic cup competitions.

In other news, Kieran Devlin responds to yet another J-League rumour involving Celtic

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left bemoaning some injury news involving Ryan Jack.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership at Sunday lunchtime, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed (via Planet Radio) that Jack went off their last training session with a ‘problem’, and confirmed that he will ‘not be available’ for the clash.

It is a real worry that the central midfield player has picked up yet another injury, given the problems that he has had in the past while at Ibrox.

Nonetheless, Jack is still a important member of the squad, and played in title-winning season, but the fact that he has picked up another injury has supporters fearing the worst, with some even going as far as to suggest to move him on.

Rangers fans on Jack injury news

These Teddy Bears bemoaned the injury news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that it is ‘tragic’:

“Think he’s finished”

Credit: @stu644

“Think his career is done.”

Credit: @ssaunders92

“Tragic. When fit, by far the best midfielder in Scotland. Get better soon Ryan”

Credit: @coo56734508

“Love Jack but his time might be coming to an end at Rangers, been injured for far too long”

Credit: @gaz_hamilton97

“Sad to say but he’s finished”

Credit: @N18721

“As much as I love Jack, if this is another long-term injury we need to think of moving on and replacing him unfortunately.”

Credit: @jordorobinson98

In other news, find out what contract claim by this ‘quality’ ace RFC fans have flocked to here!

Wolves could sign striker Hwang Hee-chan permanently after his loan deal at Molineux ends, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Hwang shines for Wolves

The 25-year-old joined Wolves on loan from RB Leipzig in the summer, having found it difficult to start regularly for the Bundesliga giants.

Hwang has made a hugely impressive start to life at Molineux, scoring four goals in as many Premier League starts, proving to be one of his team’s most influential players.

As things stand, the South Korea international will return to Leipzig at the end of the season, but there is a chance that Wolves could sign him permanently.

The Latest: Hatfield makes Hwang claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield claimed that Hwang’s temporary spell could be made permanent, as was the case with other former favourites. He outlined:

“They’ve done that before; Jota was one case. Jimenez, they obviously had him on loan before signing him on a permanent basis.

“So, it’s a tactic that they’ve worked in terms of recruitment before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were to tie up some sort of permanent deal for him again.”

The Verdict: Hopefully it happens

Considering the start that Hwang has made at Wolves, signing him next summer would be ideal, strengthening their attack in the long-term. Ian Wright has claimed that the 25-year-old ‘has everything’ as a player, which speaks volumes considering the ex-Arsenal striker’s impressive scoring record at Premier League level.

With Raul Jimenez’s head injury potentially curtailing his career further down the line – he is also 30 now – the South Korean could become the leading figure in Wolves’ attack over the coming years if the club can swing a permanent deal for him.

As Hatfield pointed out, the Mexican is a prime example of how Wolves have had success with the try-before-you-buy route in the recent past, so hopefully they can pull off a similar move with Hwang.

In other news, some Wolves fans are excited by another transfer rumour. Read more here.

An update has emerged on Rangers’ financial situation that could impact potential head coach Gio van Bronckhorst…

What’s the talk?

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has warned Gers fans to expect the sales of some of their top players due to loans owed to directors.

Maguire believes that Rangers will need to follow their bitter rivals Celtic in terms of the way they develop players and sell them on for big fees in order to be sustainable.

He told Football Insider:

“Most of the loans from directors are on lengthy terms.

“So there is no short-term cash flow stresses. But they will have to embrace the player trading model that Celtic have, i.e to expect sales.

“John Bennett knows they don’t have to sell players but that it would be silly not to if they receive a good offer. I don’t think there’s any need to worry about those loans being repaid. I think the big issue was dealing with Dave King. That loan has now been repaid.

“The investors have been very benevolent to date. But they don’t have investors of the same magnitude as some Premier League clubs. So these people are entitled to an interest-based return on their investment because they are helping the club cover its running costs.”

Disastrous

Rangers are reportedly closing in on a deal to bring van Bronckhorst to the club to replace Steven Gerrard and Maguire’s comments suggest that he could be walking into an instant problem at Ibrox. It could be disastrous for the Dutchman if the Gers end up needing to cash in on some of their top performers in the January or summer transfer windows.

9min have reported this week that Steven Gerrard already has his eyes on a number of Rangers players to potentially sign for Aston Villa. Ryan Kent, Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara and Nathan Patterson are believed to be on his radar, which shows that there is interest in Gers stars from elsewhere and they could be placed in a position where it is hard to ignore.

If Villa, or any other club for that matter, come in with a big offer for a player like Kent or Barisic, these comments from Maguire suggest that they may be forced to listen to them. This, in turn, will mean that van Bronckhorst may need to deal with his key players leaving and being replaced on a regular basis in the future, particularly if Rangers adopt a selling mentality.

The club’s Old Firm rivals found life difficult under their new boss in the early stages of the campaign, being dumped out of the Champions League after losing star men Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer. That, therefore, serves as an example that Rangers cannot afford to replicate.

It could be disastrous for Rangers and van Bronckhorst unless it is managed correctly, as replacing them could be very difficult. Selling players in the summer window would be the preferred way to go about it as January offers the club less time to source new signings, whilst competitive matches are also being played during the month.

Either way, these comments will be concerning to the Dutchman and could leave him with some immediate problems to solve at Ibrox…

AND in other news, Behind-the-scenes: Report delivers Rangers manager detail that’ll leave fans buzzing…

Heading into their next Premier League clash at the weekend with a trip to Watford, Liverpool boast the best attacking record in the top flight with 17 goals scored in seven games.

One player who has featured heavily for the Reds so far this season and been a significant part of their attacking force over the years is Mohamed Salah, with nine goals in as many appearances across all competitions this season alone.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2017 summer transfer window from AS Roma for a fee of £34m, the Egyptian has gone on to make 212 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring 134 goals and providing 50 assists along the way. Furthermore, he has also won a number of team titles and individual awards during his time with the Reds.

On the international stage, Salah has made 71 appearances for Egypt’s senior side, scoring 43 goals in the process and showing just how important he is for his country as well as his club.

In terms of his market value, it was listed as £36m in October 2017 according to Transfermarkt shortly after he moved to Anfield, whereas it now stands at a massive £90m, showing just how much he has progressed and improved since joining Liverpool.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Salah, who has been described as an “incredible” footballer and person by Reds teammate Andy Robertson, has been a vital figure for Jurgen Klopp’s side since his arrival four years ago and arguably one of the best signings the club has ever made.

Looking ahead to the future, with Salah’s contract set to expire in 2023 and recent reports claiming that the club are trying to get him to sign a new one, we feel that Liverpool should be doing all they can to get the winger to pledge his long-term future to the Reds given how crucial he has been for them.

If he does sign a new contract with Liverpool and continues scoring a ton of goals, there’s every possibility that his market value could increase even further despite him turning 30 next June.

In other news: Klopp could seal Wijnaldum replacement at Anfield with “sublime” £49.5m-rated ace

Liverpool are among a number of top clubs interested in a move for USA striking sensation Ricardo Pepi, according to a report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Pepi shines in the states

The 18-year-old is arguably one of the most exciting young players in America, shining for FC Dallas and scoring three goals in just four caps for his country.

He has been hailed as ‘absolutely lethal’ by American soccer legend Landon Donovan and it appears as though he has a very bright future in the game.

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The Latest: Liverpool linked with move for Pepi

According to The Mirror, Liverpool are eyeing up a move for Pepi, but they are not alone in showing an interest.

Manchester United are also mentioned in the report, with Brentford and Brighton considered potential suitors among Premier League clubs as well.

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The Verdict: Hugely exciting prospect

Pepi is admittedly still unproven in a top league but he could be an exciting signing by Liverpool given his long-term potential, especially with many of the Reds’ current attacking options either approaching or already beyond their 30th birthdays.

Aside from his quality, the teenager could also be a marketing dream for the Reds, further building their ever-growing fanbase in America.

Pepi has scored 13 goals in 27 MLS appearances this season and that level of ruthlessness could be a welcome addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

In other news, Liverpool reportedly ‘never opened talks’ with one player over a move to Anfield. Find out who it is here.

A source from Everton has now revealed that there is some tension between Marcel Brands and chiefs at Goodison Park.

The Lowdown: Small leaves

Southampton announced the signing of Thierry Small from the Merseyside club late in August on a three-year deal after the left-back snubbed a contract offer from Rafa Benitez’s team.

With just Lucas Digne as the only left-back in the senior squad now, it certainly was a questionable decision to let Small go, especially to a rival in the Premier League.

The Latest: Tension

Speaking to Football Insider, a Toffees source has now revealed that questions are being asked from those at the top of the club of Brands about how relations with Small and his camp broke down to such an extent that he decided that he was going to leave.

They believe that the sporting director should have been far more proactive in maintaining a positive dialogue with the youngster, his family and agent, and have now been left ‘unhappy’ about the situation.

The Verdict: Move on

It was certainly a shame to lose a player of the talent and promise that 17-year-old Small has, but the Blues must now look to move on from the situation.

Knowing that Small was going to leave, it certainly seems a strange decision to let Niels Nkounkou go out on loan as well, especially if Digne were to pick up a bad injury.

However, they cannot dwell on the decisions that have already been made, and instead must look forward to the rest of the season.

In other news, find out which ‘excellent’ right-back EFC could sign in January here!