All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to Mundo Deportivo, Southampton are battling West Ham and AC Milan to sign Barcelona defender Junior Firpo this summer.

The Lowdown: Saints planning for new season

After a mixed season that saw Southampton reach an FA Cup semi-final but also finish a lowly 14th in the Premier League table, Ralph Hasenhuttl and co will be planning for the upcoming campaign.

That is likely to see a number of new arrivals, and the Saints appear to have their eye on a La Liga left-back.

The Latest: Saints eye Firpo

The latest report suggests that Southampton are an option for Firpo this summer.

At the moment, though, it seems like the Hammers are leading the race for the 24-year-old, with Milan also an intriguing proposition.

The Verdict: Worth a punt

The move to Camp Nou has not gone fantastically for Firpo – he has made just 41 appearances across two seasons for the club (Transfermarkt). However, during the 2018/19 campaign, he scored three goals and provided five assists for Real Betis in 29 matches despite being a defender.

Valued at just £7.2m (Transfermarkt), he is unlikely to break the bank – which is just as well considering Hasenhuttl previously said the Saints will struggle to sign any single player for more than £10m (Sky Sports). It remains to be seen whether they are able to beat their competitors to his signature but the Barca left-back would be a very good addition in a problem area for the Saints.

In other news, Southampton fans rage at this man’s exit.

Everton head into their clash with Wolves on Wednesday evening amid a spell of inconsistent form.

The Toffees have defeated Arsenal in the last month but they’ve also suffered some embarrassing results along the way.

With European football on the line, Carlo Ancelotti’s men somehow suffered a defeat to Sheffield United.

Everton didn’t look like scoring and succumbed to a goal from 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison.

If they are to have any chance of securing a spot among Europe’s finest next season, they will have to win against Wolves.

On the chalkboard

One area that Everton desperately need to improve in is going forward. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 21 goals this season but the performances of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison are leaving plenty to be desired.

Sigurdsson was dropped to the bench against the Blades but Ancelotti’s tricky Brazilian has been in abject form for a while now.

He’s not scored since the beginning of March, nor has he assisted a goal since December.

With that in mind, the Toffees should consider turning to Alex Iwobi when they face Wolves.

The Nigerian has had an average season at Goodison Park and with only one league goal to his name throughout 2020/21, he needs to improve. After all, the 24-year-old earns £100k-per-week in Merseyside.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-transfer-news-lukaku-leao-bissouma-berge-antony” title=”Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

However, his solitary strike this term came against Wednesday night’s opposition.

Back in January, Everton defeated Wolves 2-1 at Molineux with Iwobi thriving on the right-hand side.

He not only scored but had the beating of the Old Gold backline on numerous occasions. He completed three of five dribbles and won an impressive seven ground duels.

The winger has very rarely lived up to Arsene Wenger’s tag of “dangerous” but on that night he was a rampant threat, terrorising Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Iwobi could have a similar impact if he plays from the left and dislodges Richarlison this week.

That’s because Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo has had a tricky first campaign in England. He was mauled by Lucas Digne when the pair last met while he has notoriously struggled with tricky attackers.

You only need to look at the performance of Nicolas Pepe back in January when Wolves beat Arsenal.

Pepe nutmegged the defender in the first half before surging into the penalty area and scoring a wonderful solo goal.

As Iwobi demonstrated against the Molineux outfit several months ago, he also has everything in his locker to beat a man.

Ancelotti needs to consider unleashing him from the off.

AND in other news, Everton eye move for “very talented” £26m gem, he’d be a big upgrade on Coleman…

Following the departure of Georginio Wijnaldum, Liverpool will be set to make a big splash in the transfer market, and former Reds star Paul Stewart believes that Youri Tielemans could be the man for them.

Even before his memorable winning strike in the FA Cup final Tielemans was becoming one of the Premier League’s best midfielders because of his ability on the ball, but reports have suggested that Leicester may struggle to keep him amid Liverpool’s interest in the midfielder.

Jurgen Klopp trusted Wijnaldum to carry out instructions to a tee after signing from Newcastle United in 2016, with the Dutchman making 237 appearances in all competitions, but Tielemans could be the heir to the throne.

After yet another impressive season in the league, Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to keep all of his squad together as well as adding a few more additions, but Stewart would like to see his former side sign Tielemans as he told Football FanCast exclusively:

“He’s been excellent all season and I’ve watched him play and he’s another player that I really admire.

“I think Tielemans would really enhance their squad and he’d walk straight into the team because he is someone with massive quality and ability.”

Liverpool will be looking to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title next season when the likes of Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are all back fit and ready to play.

If they did manage to sign Tielemans then that would offer Klopp some frightening options in midfield with Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago and Curtis Jones already at the club.

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County defender Scott Malone looks set to leave Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Derbyshire Live, who claim that Malone is due to leave the Rams upon the expiry of his contract at the end of this season, along with Scott Carson and Florian Jozefzoon.

The £1.8 million-rated left-back, who Frank Lampard signed from Huddersfield Town back in the summer of 2018, has spent the past season on loan at fellow Championship side Millwall and does not look likely to make a return to Pride Park, with the Lions thought to be considering a move for the defender if and when he becomes a free agent.

Malone must go

Having made a total of just 45 Championship appearances for Derby throughout his three years at the club, over which the left-back scored three goals and provided two assists, it would be fair to say that Malone has not exactly made a drastic impression within the Rams side since his arrival.

Indeed, over his 18 second-tier fixtures for the club last season, the left-back gave away possession of the ball an average of 12.7 times per game, in addition to making one error that led directly to a goal and conceding one penalty, culminating in a highly disappointing SofaScore average match rating of 6.55.

As such, there should be absolutely no hesitation on the part of Wayne Rooney when considering the defender’s future at the club this summer, particularly as the 30-year-old is reported to earn a whopping £20,000-per-week.

Once the Rams are free of Malone’s wage commitments, the 35-year-old manager can put this money towards the improvement of his squad this summer, something that, considering how narrow Derby’s escape from dropping down to League One was this season, it appears is desperately needed at the club.

In other news: Forget Waghorn: Derby County “leader” who won 9 duels saved Rooney’s season – opinion

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were livid at scenes involving some of their supporters during the title celebrations at George Square in Glasgow on Saturday.

This weekend, the Gers completed an unbeaten Premiership season (BBC) with a 4-0 win over Aberdeen. It was also the day that they received the trophy at Ibrox, which was the perfect way to end the campaign. As such, thousands of fans took to the streets outside Rangers’ home ground and across the city of Glasgow to celebrate their 55th league title.

On the whole, the celebrations were peaceful and well-natured, but a minority of fans let the rest down. Twenty arrests were made on the day, while a number of police officers were injured (firstpost.com), and really there is no need for such violence on what should have been an occasion of joy.

It seems that the majority of Rangers supporters were disgusted by those who took to the streets to cause violence. These Ibrox fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“What a riddle, honestly disgusting”

Credit: @and_alan

“Disgraceful, unfortunately not surprising”

Credit: @Daniel11Thain

“Totally agree mate, absolutely shocking, obviously can’t handle the drink.”

Credit: @andyb29

“Breaks my heart watching our own scrapping with each other on a day like this. Some unaccustomed to drinking all day and lose all sense of what they are doing”

Credit: @theliftman07

“That’s a showing up!! Never season ticket holders that go week in week out! Embarrassing”

Credit: @AndrewM82406495

“Completely agree. Let the club down. This is not Rangers.”

Credit: @RagingYou

In other news, many Rangers fans lauded this man’s performance against Aberdeen.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to the club’s end of year financial accounts on social media.

Villa shared the report on their official Twitter page on Friday afternoon, 24 hours before the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

The club announced a financial loss of £99.2m during the pandemic hit 2019/20 season. £36.1m of missed revenue was announced, with fans being absent from Villa Park for more than 12 months.

Dean Smith’s side saved themselves from relegation on the final day of the previous campaign, and that achievement of another season of Premier League football now looks to be a crucial one.

The club spent more than £88m during the 2020/21 season, with Villa comfortably avoiding any relegation battle this time around.

Villa fans react

These Villa fans were quick to give their thoughts to the figures on social media, with many happy with the club’s owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens. One supporter replied to the club’s post by labelling it as ‘massive’.

“omg I love our owners so much”

Credit: @tiwari0216

“So so lucky to have the owners we have! Club’s going places”

Credit: @ryantait11

“Omg”

Credit: @LukeKing_

“Considering the state we were in after Dr Tony Xia it’s a massive leap forward”

Credit: @ScottRen14

“Honestly We are so lucky to have such good owners”

Credit: @av_reece

“Our owners are absolutely amazing they really seem to get what supporters want. We are so lucky to have them they really saved us from an uncertain future.”

Credit: @villafazza

In other news: Many AVFC fans buzz at JohnPercy’s update on Villa star, find out more here. 

According to reports, Aston Villa are now interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer.

What’s the story?

The 25-year-old currently finds himself on loan at fellow Premier League side Fulham, and it now appears that he could be set for a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge.

TEAMtalk claim that Dean Smith’s side are among a number of clubs interested in signing him this summer, with Fulham and Crystal Palace also said to be in the hunt – this follows reports from John Percy last September about Villa’s interest in taking him on loan for the 2020/21 campaign.

The report from TEAMtalk added that, while Loftus-Cheek is keen to remain at Stamford Bridge, the Blues don’t see him as part of their long-term plans and “have already told interested parties that they would be open to a sale”.

Dean Smith could transform him

After bursting onto the scene as a highly-rated talent at Chelsea, it’s fair to say Loftus-Cheek hasn’t quite hit the heights expected of him, with injuries really stalling his career.

However, the Englishman still has the best years ahead of him at 25, and Smith may fancy his chances of rejuvenating the 6 foot 3 powerhouse and getting him to finally realise his potential.

After an impressive display against Everton earlier this year, Fulham manager Scott Parker was full of praise for the midfielder, saying: “I thought he was brilliant. Ruben came in and we’ve worked really hard together, in terms of the information I’m trying to give him and how he can have a big impact on the pitch.

“He came on and made a real difference. He looked every bit of a top, top player. He got the ball, was brave, scored a goal, got in the box, and was dynamic in between the lines.

“He’s got a real ability and he’ll be big for us this year. He needs to keep working on it and keep listening to what we’re saying. No doubt he’ll keep improving like we’ve seen today.”

Cesar Azpilicueta, his teammate at parent club Chelsea, is a big fan, claiming [via chelseafc.com] that the Englishman has “unbelievable strength”, adding: “He can push past defenders, get in the box, score goals, and he defends. He is a complete player.”

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The £18m-rated ace just needs to steer clear of injury, which he appears to be doing at Craven Cottage, having now already played 27 times in the Premier League this term.

It’s a gamble well worth taking for Smith and Aston Villa this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa could wave goodbye to this liability by signing this Championship star…

As per Sportbladet, Leicester City are interested in signing Glasgow Rangers defender Filip Helander.

Leicester eye Helander

The Foxes are currently flying in the Premier League – they are third in the table and are in with a very good chance of making the Champions League next term.

In preparation for the next campaign, they are said to be eyeing a move for the £1.8m-valued Sweden international (Transfermarkt). Aston Villa are also believed to be in pursuit.

Must stay at Ibrox

Helander struggled with a foot injury last season that kept him out for much of the campaign (Transfermarkt) and has missed yet to lose a league game with Helander in the side since he made the switch to Glasgow in 2019.

Steven Gerrard’s side have lost just two games in all competitions this campaign – Helander did not play a minute in either of them. The manager is clearly delighted with the former Bologna man, calling him “outstanding” (via The Glasgow Times) earlier this term.

At 27 years of age, he is arguably at his peak and still has a good few years ahead of him. Connor Goldson has received the most praise at centre-back, even being tipped to win the club’s Player of the Year award, but perhaps Helander is the true lynchpin at the heart of the defence. Rangers must make sure he does not leave the club this summer.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this comment from their Supporters Liaison Officer.

Leicester City could potentially be set to lose another key defender to a Premier League rival with Liverpool reportedly interested in Caglar Soyuncu.

According to The Daily Mirror, the Turkish centre-back is on the Reds’ five-man defensive shortlist and should they complete a deal, he would follow the likes of Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell out of the King Power Stadium exit door.

The Leicester hierarchy must ensure that simply does not happen.

Ever since his arrival in the East-Midlands from SC Freiburg in 2018, Soyuncu has slowly but surely established himself as one of the most dominant defenders in the Premier League.

Now rated at £36m, he has made 73 appearances for the Foxes and has become a key cog in a solid defensive partnership alongside veteran Jonny Evans.

He has done extremely well by stepping into the shoes of the departed Maguire. Soyuncu outperformed the record-breaking defender on tackles, clearances and pass success rate during the 2019/20 campaign according to WhoScored as the Foxes pursued a UEFA Champions League place, only to fall at the final hurdle.

Whilst Soyuncu’s current season has been disrupted through injury, his impact has still not gone unnoticed. With him in the side, Leicester’s Premier League win rate sits at 62.5% in 16 matches, whilst with the Turk sidelined that falls to 53%. It goes without saying then that without his immense presence at the back, the Foxes would certainly not be as high as they are in the table.

Soyuncu should certainly be held onto for the here and the now but it is in the future that Leicester will really feel his benefit. At just the age of 24, he still has plenty of time to improve and alongside the 20-year-old Wesley Fofana, the Foxes have the basis of an extremely strong future defensive pairing.

With Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans both on the wrong side of 30, it would be nonsensical to sell one of their apparent successors.

Brendan Rodgers has already praised Soyuncu for his “absolutely fantastic” performances in a Foxes shirt so he will surely be hugely disappointed to see him depart for a Premier League rival.

AND in more news, find out which of Soyuncu’s compatriots Leicester must not target…

The latest instalment of the Manchester derby is not quite the title clash that Manchester United would have envisaged.

The Red Devils can cut the gap to Manchester City at the top of the table with a win but only to 11 points, perhaps merely delaying the precession to the title of Pep Guardiola and his men.

However, bragging rights are certainly up for offer and a key to United getting a result will be the performance of Bruno Fernandes.

As has been the case for many games since the Portuguese arrived from Sporting Clube de Portugal, he is set to be the Red Devils’ main hope.

In his time at Old Trafford so far, he has contributed 34 goals and 21 assists in just 62 matches – some seriously impressive numbers.

His contribution has even increased this season with Fernandes contributing to 49% of United’s 53 Premier League goals throughout the campaign.

He is also by far and away the most creative player in the entire Red Devils’ squad. According to WhoScored, he is averaging 2.8 key passes per match. His nearest midfield competitor is the lesser-spotted Juan Mata at just 1.1.

Even his teammates are aware of his immense influence since his arrival. Brazilian Fred has suggested that Fernandes “took over” the Manchester United midfield as soon as the ink dried on his contract at Old Trafford.

His creativity, dynamism and leadership are going to be even more important against such a good Manchester City side.

After a relatively poor start to the campaign, Guardiola has created a formidable team. The Citizens can boast the best defensive record in the Premier League having shipped just 17 goals throughout the entire season so far.

That stubbornness could suffocate United’s attacking players throughout the match, meaning Fernandes will have to be on top form if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aspires to take anything from the Etihad Stadium.

In the melting pot of the Manchester derby, Fernandes once again has to show his immense quality and display exactly why he has become the main star, not just in the United midfield, but the entire team.

If the Portuguese star struggles, it’s hard to see a way how United can penetrate what has been a fantastic City back line. If he plays well, however, then the visitors have a chance to leave the Etihad with a positive result.

AND in more news, read our opinion on why Edmond Tapsoba could be the perfect foil for Harry Maguire…