All posts by z3u9t.icu

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’. 

Journalist Duncan Castles has dropped an exciting claim about Aston Villa and their transfer plans for this summer.

What’s the story?

Speaking on the latest edition of The Transfer Window podcast, the journalist said: “Aston Villa actually have, I’m told, a substantial budget to work with. They are one of the better-placed teams in the Premier League (post-pandemic).

“This week, they’ve signed Buendia from Norwich City for an initial £33m that is a ‘half-replacement’ for Grealish, as it’s been described to me, and they’re looking at other attacking midfielders coming in as well.”

Fans will be buzzing

The revelation that Villa have a “substantial budget” with which to work this summer will surely be music to the ears of Dean Smith and the club’s supporters, who’d have been hoping for the club to go again in the transfer window.

Villa made a real splash in the market last summer when they brought in the likes of Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez, and that followed on from the previous year when they came back to the Premier League with some eye-catching signings such as Wesley and Trezeguet.

Having already clinched a deal for Buendia, there may have been a worry that perhaps Villa were done with their big-money signings, but this latest claim from Castles should ease those fears.

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Given that their owners are in the top five in the division according to Forbes when it comes to the rich list, it’s no surprise that Villa are named as one of the “better-placed teams in the Premier League” considering the financial effects of the pandemic.

With the summer transfer window only getting started, it seems that Villa fans can now look forward to some more high-profile deals.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a move for this 6 foot 5 star…

Writing on Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has dropped a major behind-the-scenes claim on the European Super League aftermath involving Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.

Spurs were one of the big six Premier League clubs who signed up to be part of a closed breakaway division alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Sky journalist drops major Levy claim

The plans attracted plenty of backlash and criticism from numerous supporters, as well as popular members of the media, and the protests eventually resulted in all English clubs backing out of the controversial plans.

Solhekol has been covering the aftermath extensively, and he has now dropped a major behind-the-scenes claim involving Levy.

The journalist said that there is a ‘growing feeling’ among the other 14 Premier League clubs that ‘heads must roll’, and they are ‘particularly unhappy’ with the behaviour of Levy as well as Bruce Buck, Ferran Soriano and Ed Woodward.

“Growing feeling among 14 clubs that heads must roll at 6 breakaway clubs,” explained Solhekol on social media.

“14 are particularly unhappy with behaviour of Buck, Soriano, Levy & Woodward. One exec says: ‘Stories saying Ed Woodward resigned because he was against the ESL are laughable. He was involved from day one’.”

Transfer Tavern take

Levy is already under mounting pressure from many Lilywhites fans, with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust recently calling for him and the board to resign.

Facing a fight on two fronts, another worry for the chairman in the aftermath of Spurs’ involvement in the ESL could be the pressure of disgruntled executives from the other 14 Premier League clubs.

Indeed, this claim that they are ‘particularly unhappy’ with the Spurs chief among others potentially indicates an even more worrying backlash for Levy. Amid the fan protests as well, you could argue his future as Tottenham chief looks more shaky than ever.

In other news: Tottenham manager target would bring superstar to Spurs, find out more here.

Sky Sports have provided an on-air update regarding the future of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

The Lowdown: Exits galore

Pogba is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the season and looks likely to leave the club ahead of Erik ten hag’s arrival.

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The French midfielder could follow Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani out the exit door, and the 29-year-old may have already played his last game in a United shirt.

Ralf Rangnick admitted last week that an injury Pogba picked up against Liverpool looks likely to rule him out for the remainder of the season, and an update on his future has now emerged.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports presenter Mike Wedderburn shared more news on Pogba on Tuesday, saying:

‘We at Sky Sports News have been told that his final choice will be a football decision and Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Juventus are all interested.

‘Staying in the Premier League has not been ruled out either. There has been no new offer from Manchester United since last summer.’

The Verdict: Interesting

Sky Sports also added that a possible wage he’ll pick up in Europe wouldn’t match the offer he had from the Red Devils last summer.

He may now be regretting the decision to snub a new United deal in 2021, which could have given him the opportunity to play a key role under new manager Erik ten Hag next season in a major Old Trafford rebuild.

It looks as if a departure is inevitable over the coming months though, so it will be interesting to see where the central midfielder ends up ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. He may not be short of offers but it seems they won’t be as big as the one United made last year.

In other news: Man Utd now leading race to sign ‘absolute beast’ in club-record deal following Ten Hag request. 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned his old club about selling star players Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard to Tottenham this summer, and believes the former may have an “agreement” already with the north London side.

According to The Mirror, Jose Mourinho is considering making a move for Vestergaard once the transfer window opens, while Eurosport have credited the north London outfit with an interest in Ings.

While a lot still has to happen before any of these potential transfers materialise, the links are a worrying sign for Southampton, who have sold the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Luke Shaw to Premier League rivals in previous windows.

And Palmer believes it is not sustainable for the Saints to continue selling key assets every time one of the division’s big boys come knocking.

“It’s not sustainable for anybody to sell their best players,” the retired England international exclusively told FFC when discussing Tottenham’s reported interest in both Ings and Vestergaard.

“I think Danny’s gone off the boil. I think if reading between the lines from how I see it, it almost seems as if Danny’s got an agreement with Spurs, that’s just the way I feel. Listen, I don’t blame him. If you’re looking at Southampton, you’re looking at Spurs, Spurs are going to always be at the top end of the table and they’re going to be challenging for major honours. I don’t blame him.”

Ings starred for Southampton last season, finishing the 2019/20 Premier League campaign with an impressive 22 goals to his name, while Vestergaard has made a good name for himself in defence this term.

The Danish defender is currently winning 3.6 aerial duels per league game, the highest average in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad (via WhoScored), and is also making the most clearances out of all of his team-mates (4). Furthermore, losing both players would have to come as a blow to the south coast outfit.

Levante winger Jorge de Frutos is a very raw player, La Liga expert Euan McTear has warned amid Premier League interest.

The Spaniard has admirers in England, with the Sunday Mirror (via The Boot Room) reporting earlier this year that Southampton have been in touch with his agent over a transfer.

De Frutos had a bright 2020/21 campaign, scoring four goals and providing nine assists for Levante in La Liga.

It makes him an attractive proposition for Southampton or any team looking to bolster their wide options this summer. However, despite being 24, McTear has warned De Frutos is still quite raw due to his football upbringing.

“His story is interesting,” the Spanish football expert told FFC. “He didn’t play organised football until he was 16. He grew up on like a farm.

“He’s a very raw player because he’s not come up with that polished sort of way that so many players do, especially in Spain now. Almost every club has the same kind of youth coaching, philosophy, methodology, whatever you call it.

“He didn’t do that, so he’s very raw. That’s good, sometimes bad.”

Even so, bringing in someone like De Frutos looks like a good idea for Southampton. The Saints’ current crop of wingers, the likes of Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo, have not been the most productive players in attack.

In fact, the latter failed to register a single assist in the Premier League last season, so there is definitely room for improvement in that area of the pitch.

Aston Villa must look to land Wales and Liverpool ace Neco Williams this summer amid a recent transfer update.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Liverpool “expect Neco Williams to push for a move after Euro 2020 with the club set to demand at least £10 million for the Wales full-back”.

The report added: “The Premier League quartet of Leeds, Southampton, Aston Villa and Burnley have all expressed genuine interest in Williams over the past 12 months. Villa are no longer interested in signing a full-back after bringing in Ashley Young, who can cover on either side.”

Dean Smith will love it

While The Athletic claimed that Villa may no longer be interested in bringing in a new full-back given their recent signing of Young, a deal for Williams is something Johan Lange must seriously reconsider.

Ryan Giggs once dubbed the £7.2m-rated dynamo an “outstanding” talent and, after impressing for Wales, he was full of praise for the youngster, saying: “He is a fantastic player, still young and still learning, but the energy and quality he has shown when he has stepped up into the first team has been really good, so it’s exciting.”

At just 20, Williams is a much younger profile of player compared to someone like 35-year-old Young, and unlike the he could offer Smith many years of service for the club.

Villa’s move for Young was very much focused on the short-term, and it seems likely they will soon be in the market for another full-back, perhaps 12 months down the line.

By going for Williams now, the Midlands club would be ensuring they have someone to provide real competition for Matty Cash both for the present and the long-term future.

Villa must reconsider their stance on the Welshman, as doing so could see Lange strike gold.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update…

Former Newcastle midfielder Keith Gillespie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Adam Armstrong would be an excellent signing for West Ham.

The Hammers are enjoying a brilliant campaign under the guidance of David Moyes, but are struggling upfront having failed to replace Sebastien Haller, whilst Michail Antonio has missed parts of the season with different muscle injuries.

Since Haller joined Ajax in January, Antonio has missed just one Premier League match – with Jarrod Bowen playing as a false-nine in their victory over Sheffield United in February.

But with the prospect of European football at the London Stadium next season, Moyes is likely to add to his strike department in the summer, with Blackburn’s Armstrong reportedly on former Manchester United manager’s wish list, with The Sun reporting he’d cost £25m.

Armstrong has struck 19 times in the Championship for Blackburn this season, but the striker failed to score in 11 previous Premier League appearances at Newcastle.

But Gillespie believes that Armstrong would be a success should be move to the London Stadium. He told Football FanCast:

“No doubt. I think in terms of West Ham, if Antonio is not fit, who is a ready-made striker to lead the line?

“They got rid of Haller, and are going to want to strengthen there. Antonio has had injury problems at times over the last few seasons where he doesn’t play every week.

“I think he’s a great asset to them, but Armstrong has that pace as well where he can run in behind and he can finish. You could see him coming into that West Ham side. And the way they play with somebody in behind Antonio, can Armstrong play up alongside the likes of Antonio?”

Armstrong wasn’t given a fair crack at Newcastle, but since leaving St James’ Park in 2018 has worked his way up through the EFL to prepare himself to make the step back to the Premier League.

West Brom are set to hold talks with Chris Wilder following the news that Sam Allardyce will leave the club this summer…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph’s John Percy, the former Sheffield United manager is high on the Baggies’ shortlist to replace the departing 66-year-old and is believed to have already been approached.

The Midlands outfit will be back in the Championship next season but do not want to splash out compensation on a manager who is already in a job as it would damage their transfer budget, meaning that former Albion player and coach Michael Appleton – currently in charge of Lincoln – is effectively ruled out.

Wilder is said to be an increasingly attractive option for The Hawthorns gig.

Dowling must strike

If sporting director Luke Dowling and the West Brom hierarchy are wanting an out-of-work coach that has vast experience in the lower leagues, then there will not be a better candidate out there than Wilder. The 53-year-old is largely responsible for the Blades’ phenomenal rise in recent years, going from League One to the Premier League, all whilst on a tight budget.

Slaven Bilic’s reign was tarnished by a lack of spending power in the transfer market, so appointing someone with past experience in improving teams with as little money as possible is a hugely attractive factor.

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You only have to listen to Martin Keown’s glowing praise to understand just how good a job Wilder did at Bramall Lane, as he told Match of the Day (via Daily Express): “[He is] Their Messiah. Their Alex Ferguson. When you think of what he’s done for that football club. He’s their leader.”

Aside from playing an intriguing tactical system, one which includes overlapping centre-backs, the former Sheffield United boss could fix a big problem in the Midlands – conceding goals.

Yes, they may have finished rock bottom this campaign, but last season, the Blades were among the most solid teams in the top-flight. They conceded only 39 goals, better than the likes of Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Leicester City, who all finished above them in the table.

By contrast, no Premier League team has leaked more goals than West Brom this year (73), not even the rock-bottom Blades.

Wilder has drawn further acclaim from his peers over the last few years, too. Jurgen Klopp described their tactics as “special” and also lauded the 53-year-old’s “exceptional” work, via Liverpool ECHO, whilst Pep Guardiola suggested that had Wilder been in charge of a team like City, he would be challenging for the title rather than facing relegation, as per Goal.

All in all, if Dowling and co want to revive the Baggies from their woeful exploits this term, then there will not be a better candidate than Wilder out there. They need someone with experience and know-how in one of the toughest divisions in England, and the former Blades chief is surely that man.

Albion must secure him as soon as possible.

AND in other news, 0 tackles, 33% duels won: West Brom disaster badly let the Hawthorns crowd down vs West Ham…

Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs monitoring Antonio Rudiger’s situation…

What’s the word?

That’s according to 90min, who claim that Premier League rivals Chelsea are no closer to agreeing on a new contract with the 28-year-old centre-back, whose representatives have ‘barely’ spoken with director Marina Granovskaia.

It’s thought that the last offer fell well short of expectations despite pleas from manager Thomas Tuchel to reward him with an extension.

In four months time, Rudiger can field offers from abroad, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus all said to be keeping a close eye on the German international.

Spurs have previously tried and failed to sign the defender and are expected to retain an interest in his services.

Quite the coup

If Italian supremo Fabio Paratici can land the vastly-experienced Premier League colossus ahead of some of those teams, then it would have to be regarded as a massive coup – and one that could see Spurs elevate to the next level.

The Lilywhites must throw the kitchen sink at the £18m-rated star. He’s won an FA Cup, a Champions League and a Europa League since arriving in England back in July 2017. These are accolades that the vast majority of Nuno’s squad are lacking.

Last season, as the Blues were crowned Champions of Europe, the 6 foot 3 centre-back was rated at their third-best player in the top-flight (7.02) and averaged 1.6 tackles, 2.7 clearances and a 89.4% passing accuracy per game, via WhoScored.

During the campaign, he was also a rock against Spurs as he helped silence a frontline containing Heung-min Son, Carlos Vinicius, Steven Bergwijn and Tanguy Ndombele, with Chelsea winning 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in February.

His form under Tuchel earned a glowing endorsement from Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand back in August. He told his podcast (via the Metro):

“Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there [at Chelsea], been the best defender in the Premier League. Him or [Ruben] Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”

If the opportunity arises to sign Rudiger in the coming windows, then Spurs must do all they can to secure him. A backline containing him and Cristian Romero could be one to be feared for the next few years.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt cruel double injury blow ahead of Palace clash…