All posts by z3u9t.icu

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered a worrying claim about Leeds United and the San Francisco 49ers.

What’s the story?

As revealed in recent days, the investment arm of the 49ers have the ability to buy the Yorkshire club for more than £400m by January 2024, making a full takeover very much on the cards.

Hay said: “This takeover isn’t going to happen as quickly as next month (unless something changes drastically) so any signings done in January would have to be done/funded within the existing 56-44 share split.

“As for the Championship, that would change the club’s valuation, without a doubt. Leeds wouldn’t be worth £475m at that level. But all bets are off if a club gets relegated from the EPL. The ramifications can be huge.”

Premier League safety is key

As Hay has suggested, relegation to the Championship is almost unthinkable when you consider the kind of consequences that could have not just in terms of being without Premier League football, but also the potential impact it could have on a potential takeover too.

The Whites only have to look to Tyneside and Newcastle and the looming spectre of relegation with which they’ve had to contend over these past couple of years before their takeover eventually went through.

If the 49ers do end up going through with a full takeover, that could spell exciting times at Leeds in terms of potential new signings and the ability to compete with teams far higher up in the table than they are right now.

Premier League safety will be absolutely paramount, though, and it’s exactly why Hay’s claim that “all bets are off if a club gets relegated from the EPL” might just worry fans, with the Whites still hovering a bit too close to the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope has dropped an early morning Leeds United update…

A major update has emerged about Sunderland target Clark Robertson, regarding where he wants to play next season.

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Record, Sunderland transfer target Robertson wants to stay in England. Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen were showing an interest in signing him on a free transfer from Rotherham, but the centre-back is now likely to join an EFL club instead.

Football Insider reported last month that Sunderland are one of the English sides looking to sign the defender this summer. His contract at Rotherham expires at the end of the month and he could become a free agent in July unless Paul Warne can tie him down to an extension.

Rotherham boss Warne hailed the defender as “unique” upon his arrival at The Millars in 2018 due to him being a left-footed centre-back. He told Rotherham’s official website: 

“He’s a really good kid and he really wants to learn. He played a lot of games last year and the couple before that and I think he’ll fit in a treat. He can step in and play out from the back, which the league we’re going into will allow a little bit more and he’ll bring us a bit of calmness.

“I’ve known him for quite a while and he’s a left-sider, which is pretty unique. He can play and he was a huge part of the Blackpool team last year. He’s a good, strong, competitive centre half which fits in with what we’re looking for here.”

Get it done

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman must now sanction a deal for Robertson and get it done before any of their League One rivals can make a move. Speakman has to take this opportunity to snap up Robertson and bolster Lee Johnson’s squad, with Robertson wanting to stay in England a major boost for the Black Cats as it has ruled Aberdeen out of the race.

This means that there will not be any top-flight football clubs for Sunderland to have to compete against, with Robertson seemingly set to join a Championship or League One side.

Johnson is in a difficult position in regards to the centre-back position as it stands. Dion Sanderson has returned to Wolves at the end of his loan spell and Luke O’Nien is out of contract at the end of the month with no update on his future since the end of the campaign. This has left Bailey Wright as the only first-choice centre-back left at the club heading into next season, which is why Speakman must seal a swoop for Robertson.

The £3.4k-per-week enforcer can come in from Rotherham and be a reliable option at centre-back for Johnson. Robertson averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.86 when starting at centre-back in the Championship, which shows that he is a solid defender in the EFL. He has also played in League One for Rotherham and Blackpool, earning promotion with the former back in 2020. He could be an excellent signing for the Black Cats and Johnson would love having him in his squad for the aforementioned reasons.

AND in other news, Stance revealed on £3k-p/w Sunderland target with “real talent”, Speakman must act now…

Responding to a West Ham supporter’s question on Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has dropped an enticing injury claim involving Declan Rice, Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell, believing that the trio are likely to be available again before the end of the season.

ExWHUemployee drops enticing injury claim

Currently beset with injuries throughout the squad in key positions, David Moyes has remained cryptic regarding the timescale of the trio’s respective returns.

West Ham are also missing Michail Antonio, and while Ex doubts whether the 31-year-old will be able to feature before the end of the campaign, he is more optimistic regarding Rice, Masuaku and Cresswell. When asked as to the likelihood of the Irons’ injured contingent being available for their Champions League push, the insider replied: “Yes I think so! Only one I doubt is Antonio”.

ExWHUemployee’s belief comes as an encouraging one despite his rather pessimistic claim on Antonio, with Moyes needing to get the likes of Rice and Cresswell back as soon as possible.

Transfer Tavern take

Both Englishmen have been mainstays for the Hammers this season, especially the 22-year-old midfielder, and West Ham’s fragility in defence without them has been obvious for all to see. Moyes’ men have conceded eight goals in their last four Premier League matches without Rice protecting the back four in defensive midfield alongside Tomas Soucek.

Meanwhile, Masuaku has been a constant starter whenever he has been fit to feature during a disrupted 2020/21 campaign.

As a result, Irons supporters will be praying that he and Cresswell are back as soon as possible, and could be encouraged by this suggestion that they should play a part before the end of the season.

In other news: Expert backs Bundesliga ace to join West Ham, find out more here.

Manchester United are always the trending topic in football.

Whether it’s the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and their subsequent collapse in recent years, the controversial nature of Paul Pogba or Cristiano Ronaldo, United are never far from the back pages.

Now that they’ve hired Erik ten Hag, you can expect them to dominate the tabloids even more.

What’s the word?

This summer will play host to several transfer sagas. There is, of course, the futures of Erling Haaland, Mo Salah and Kylian Mbappe to address.

However, in Portugal, a certain Darwin Nunez deserves just as much attention.

The striker has caught the hearts and minds of many throughout the European continent this season and as a result, there is a fierce race for his services. Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle are interested in praising him away from Benfica.

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Yet, the Red Devils are also in the hunt and fresh reports, via AS in Spain, suggest that Man United’s new manager is in love with the forward and has personally requested that he be signed this summer.

The trouble is he may cost somewhere in the region of €130m (£111m) if anyone can stump up the cash.

A major coup

Considering that not only Liverpool, a potential quadruple winning side, but their top-four rivals Arsenal are both in the picture to sign Nunez, this would be a considerable coup from United should they complete a move.

Combine that with the fact that the 20-time English champions are currently in free fall and it would be a hefty surprise if Nunez was wearing red in Manchester next season, as opposed to Merseyside or north London.

Valued as highly as he currently is, it would take a rather brave sporting director and owner to pay what’s required but given his potential and already mesmeric ability, he’d surely be worth the cash.

If anything, it’s United and Ten Hag who are most in need of him too.

Ronaldo has found the net on 22 occasions this term but there is a lack of help beyond that with the club’s second top scorer – Bruno Fernandes – scoring nine times.

Therefore, in Nunez, the new Dutch coach would seal somebody who is capable of improving their offence tenfold.

In Liga NOS this season, the Uruguayan attacker has racked up a mammoth haul of 25 goals in 26 outings, while across all competitions he has found the net 33 times from 39 outings.

Furthermore, the young centre-forward ranks in the top 1% among similarly positioned players across Europe for goals per shot on target. He also ranks in the top 5% for progressive carries and then in the best 1% again for carries into the penalty area. Based on that it’s safe to say that Nunez is considerably tricky when in possession.

Of course, the Portuguese top-flight is somewhat off the Premier League in terms of overall quality but it’s hard to disagree with the statement that the 22-year-old would be a seriously impressive capture.

With United in decline, it is imperative that ten Hag gets his recruitment spot on. If he is already drawing up a shortlist of targets then Nunez must surely appear right near the very top.

Described as a “diamond” by Steve McManaman, he’s certainly the rare item of splendour that United require to get themselves back on track.

AND in other news, MUFC plot bid to sign “unstoppable” 30-goal “nightmare”, he’d become ten Hag’s Salah…

Preston North End boss Alex Neil has fired Carlo Ancelotti a huge warning over Anthony Gordon after revealing why the Everton loanee did not face Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

The Lilywhites travelled to the Riverside Stadium for a midweek clash but returned to Deepdale without any points to show for their efforts, after an own goal from Jordan Storey and strike from Marcus Tavernier saw Neil Warnock’s Boro triumph.

Gordon had been a regular member of Neil’s plans since joining the Championship side on loan for the remainder of the season during the winter transfer market, but played no part in the defeat for only his second non-appearance in 10 games for the club.

Preston supporters were at a loss as to why Gordon was not fielded in the starting line-up on Tuesday and later not given any minutes from the bench, despite their side later being reduced to 10 men following a red card for Alan Browne.

Neil has since explained why Gordon was overlooked against Middlesbrough, in a potentially huge warning for Ancelotti and the winger’s hopes of establishing himself back at Everton next season.

“It’s different being a fan and being a manager, because my job is to try and put the team out to try and win the game,” Neil explained, via quotes by Lancs Live. “Fans want to see exciting players and I understand that, so that’s not lost on me.

“But my job at the moment, certainly with the difficult run we’re on, is to try and get some points and listen – the one thing I can assure everybody and Anthony, because I speak to him regularly, is that if I think he is the best option for a game coming up, I’ve got no reservations whatsoever of putting him in.

“The thing is with Anthony is that he wants to take touches, and against Middlesbrough, they want to lock you in, so you need to limit your touches – certainly if you’re high up the pitch. That’s why I put three runners behind Ched [Evans], so it [the ball] goes up, sticks, gets set back and then guys run.”

Gordon had been noted to have offered a positive impact from the bench in Preston’s prior 1-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers last Saturday, but has now not started a fixture under Neil in four possible games and remains without a goal or an assist.

Neil’s reasoning behind overlooking Gordon against Middlesbrough on Tuesday should act as a warning for Ancelotti, and raise concerns back at Everton of what sort of impact the £4.5m-rated forward will be able to offer the European football hopefuls next season.

The Preston boss clearly feels Gordon still has some room to develop before he is consistently making the correct decisions in the final-third, which in turn is likely helping toward his wait for a first contribution to the scoring with the Championship side.

Yet Gordon has shown over his outings for the Lilywhites that he can be a productive member of Neil’s attacking options, even if the chances have not yet been converted, and it is surely only a matter of time before the Liverpool-born talent is influencing games.

Despite taking just 25.9 touches per Championship game over his eight appearances to date, Gordon has offered on average 0.9 shots and created one goalscoring opportunity, including two big chances and missing one clear cut opening, per SofaScore.

Richarlison offers Everton 40.5 touches per Premier League game over his 24 outings so far, for comparison, which have seen the Brazilian produce on average 1.7 shots and 0.6 key passes for six goals and three assists, along with creating three big chances and missing six.

The 23-year-old plays on average 83 minutes a game, while Gordon only registers 49 having made half of his appearances from the bench, to show that the Toffees product is establishing a solid baseline to build on over the final quarter of the second-tier season. However, if he’s not trusted to play in a big Championship clash, then maybe he isn’t close to being ready for the Premier League just yet.

AND in other news, Everton have their eyes on a £105k-p/w striker with three goals in 34 games for his current side…

According to a report by Calciomercato Web, the future of West Ham United forward Andriy Yarmolenko is ‘already decided’ as a major contract claim emerges.

The Lowdown: Yarmo and the Hammers…

The Ukraine international has been dazzling at Euro 2020, but the same certainly cannot be said at club level for West Ham.

Suffering from a variety of injury issues combined with lack of chances under manager David Moyes, reports have surfaced in recent weeks speculating over his future in east London.

Now, Calciomercato Web claim to have some answers.

The Latest: Future at West Ham ‘already decided’

As per the outlet, Yarmolenko’s future as a West Ham player is ‘already decided’.

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Indeed, they explain that the 31-year-old has now firmly decided not to renew his contract at the London Stadium but it’s not clear whether he will seek an exit this summer or leave as a free agent at the end of next season.

His great tournament at the Euros so far, however, could attract suitors this window and present the player with an ‘opportunity to be seized’.

The Verdict: Time is up…

Given his brilliant few games for Ukraine, Yarmolenko’s market value could indeed soar and make it easier for West Ham to recuperate a sizeable fee for him this summer.

We believe that’s exactly what West Ham should do, especially if Moyes wants three positions filled in a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard, new striker and a centre-back (Claret & Hugh).

West Ham are set for a busy 2021/2022 campaign after their Europa League qualification and the club arguably need a small overhaul in key areas of the pitch, shifting out players like Yarmolenko to make room for new additions.

In other news: West Ham now frontrunners to sign ‘top class’ £115,000-per-week ace for Moyes, find out more here.

Leicester City have completed a deal to sign RB Salzburg striker Patson Daka and are now working to get moves for Boubakary Soumare and a new left-back across the line.

What’s the story?

That’s according to well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that the paperwork and personal terms have been agreed with Daka. Romano also claimed that an announcement confirming the 22-year-old’s arrival at the King Power Stadium will be made soon, allowing Leicester to focus on their next transfer targets.

He tweeted: “Patson Daka to Leicester, done deal. Paperworks completed between #LCFC and RB Salzburg in the last hours. Personal terms already agreed. Just a matter of time then it’s gonna be announced soon.

“Soumaré will be joining Leicester too – new left back also in the list.”

Rudkin and Rodgers will be delighted

After prioritising a move for Daka over Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard, the Foxes’ director of football Jon Rudkin and manager Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted to secure the signature of the Zambia international.

The pacey forward was in incredible form for Salzburg last season, bagging an incredible 34 goals in 42 appearances for Jesse Marsch’s men as they secured a domestic double.

Daka combines blistering natural pace with clever runs and movement before relying on his quality finishing to guide the ball into the opposition’s net.

His addition to the FA Cup holders’ squad should make them a daunting prospect for their Premier League rivals next term, and Rodgers will be hoping that the youngster can fire Leicester into the top four.

Daka looks set to be the first arrival at the King Power Stadium this summer, but he’s unlikely to be the last. Lille midfielder Soumare has long been linked with the Foxes and it seems that his arrival is also imminent.

After helping Les Dogues to the Ligue 1 title and ending Paris Saint-Germain’s three-year dominance of French football, the 22-year-old box-to-box dynamo looks set to cross the English Channel this summer.

Leicester’s transfer business won’t be done there, either. With James Justin set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury and Christian Fuchs departing on a free transfer, the full-back positions suddenly look rather bare.

Several names have been linked with a move to the 2016 Premier League champions in recent weeks, such as Robin Gosens, Nuno Mendes and Ryan Bertrand, although it remains to be seen who else Rodgers targets over the coming months.

In other news… Leicester must land “ferocious” £6.3m-rated gem with more key passes than Maddison 

Football.london writer Rob Guest has suggested Moussa Sissoko could leave Tottenham this summer.

Sissoko could depart

France international Sissoko has struggled to work his way into Jose Mourinho’s starting XI in the Premier League on a regular basis this term, with him playing from the start on just 14 occasions in the top flight (Transfermarkt).

As a result, Guest has suggested he could be on the way out of north London this summer.

Right time

Since signing for Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs from Newcastle in 2016, Sissoko has been an important player. Criticised at times (Football FanCast), he has still managed 198 matches for Tottenham, with his energy and strength proving to be valuable qualities in the middle of the park.

However, at 31, he is now approaching the end of his career, and Mourinho clearly feels other options are better than the 67-time France international. A wage of £79,000 a week (salarysport.com) is considerable, and his departure may well allow Spurs to allocate funds elsewhere as they look to strengthen their squad. With two years left on his contract, as well, this may be the last possibility for them to earn some real money from his sale. Here, Guest may well be right about his potential exit.

In other news, Mourinho slams this Spurs star.

A number of Liverpool supporters are keen for the Reds to sign Leicester City hero Youri Tielemans this summer, following an excellent season.

The Reds are likely to dip into the transfer market this summer, bringing a freshness to Jurgen Klopp’s squad after a difficult campaign.

Gini Wijnaldum continues to be linked with an exit at the end of the season, with the Dutchman mainly tipped to join compatriot Ronald Koeman at Barcelona.

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Should he move on, the need for midfield reinforcements will be clear, especially with Jordan Henderson, Thiago and James Milner all now in their 30s.

According to Calciomercato [via The Anfield Buzz], Liverpool and Barca are eyeing up a move for Tielemans, who has shone for Leicester this season, proving to be an influential performer.

The Belgian famously scored a stunning winner in last weekend’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea, while Pep Guardiola has hailed him as ‘top class’ in the past.

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Liverpool fans want Tielemans at Anfeld

These Liverpool fans are fully behind the idea of Tielemans joining the Reds, providing their thoughts on Twitter.

“Not gonna happen but OK! I’m a big fan”

Credit: @Bonalbio24

“They should try and swap him with Keita, I’d even give them a bit money for this”

Credit: @BlerandDragusha

“I’ll pay for him myself”

Credit: @klopponation

“My career mode is coming alive”

Credit: @babuuni15

“Swap deal with Keita plus money?”

Credit: @mrdude2304

“No brainer! Replacement for Hendo and Milner…and Gini”

Credit: @Eric61342617

In other news, some Liverpool fans are deeply unhappy ahead of Sunday’s vital clash with Crystal Palace. Find out why here.

Arsenal will be without Ben White for their lunchtime trip to Manchester City today…

What’s the latest?

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta delivered the fresh setback during his pre-game press conference. He said, via football.london:

“Well from COVID we still have Ben out, Alex Runarsson that has been out. The rest of the players that are missing – hopefully, because we are going to be testing today – are injuries and long term injuries that we don’t have them back yet,” he said.

The Spaniard later added:

“[White is] asymptomatic, he’s been feeling good. As quick as we can we’re going to bring him back to training and he’ll start to play games with us again.”

Gutting setback

The north London outfit have got off to a disastrous start so far in 2021/22, having lost back-to-back matches against newly-promoted Brentford and local rivals Chelsea.

It’s not going to get any easier either as Arteta and his squad have to face the defending champions in their own backyard – a side that was able to spend £100m solely on Jack Grealish.

Pep Guardiola’s men bounced back from an opening day defeat by thrashing Norwich City 5-0 last weekend, so they will be buoyed by huge confidence heading into this encounter.

Against Chelsea, the Gunners’ backline was a complete shambles, particularly Pablo Mari, who was absolutely bullied by their new signing Romelu Lukaku.

“Mari was an embarrassment, he didn’t know what to do,” claimed Rio Ferdinand to his FIVE podcast. “The way they defended against him – where’s Per Mertesacker or someone like that who’s in the building? Please tell them what to do.”

Arsenal made a considerable investment in White, paying Brighton and Hove Albion around £50m, according to The Athletic, so to not have him available for a game like this, especially after their capitulation at Stamford Bridge, will surely leave Arteta hugely worried.

Gunners fans may well want to expect another drubbing here this afternoon.

AND in other news, Forget Auba: £100k-p/w Arsenal flop with 98 touches just gave Arteta one huge headache…