All posts by z3u9t.icu

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a potential blow to their chances of keeping James Garner at the City Ground for the entirety of the current Championship campaign.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun on Sunday (via Football League World), who revealed that Manchester United insisted upon a break clause in the 20-year-old’s season-long loan deal with Forest, meaning the central midfielder could be recalled by the Premier League club in the January transfer window should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be unhappy with his progress in the second tier.

Cooper would be gutted

Considering the sheer amount of talent Garner quite clearly possesses, should Manchester United indeed take up their option to recall the England U21 international in January, it would undoubtedly leave Steve Cooper gutted.

Indeed, despite Forest’s disappointing campaign so far this season, the £3.6m-rated man has nevertheless impressed over his five Championship appearances for the Garibaldi, creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.6 clearances and winning three duels per game.

These returns have seen the player United midfielder Fred dubbed an “incredible” talent earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as the Reds’ second-best performer in the league.

As such, should Cooper fail to oversee an upturn in results at the City Ground, or United simply believe that Garner’s development would be served better by playing for another Championship side in the second half of the season, the possibility of Forest losing the services of the midfielder in January could be a very real one, something that would undoubtedly come as a major blow to the 41-year-old manager’s chances of getting his side out of their current predicament in the Championship relegation zone.

In other news: Steve Cooper drops claim which is sure to come as music to the ears of Forest fans

An update has emerged on Leicester’s pursuit of RB Leipzig forward Ademola Lookman.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Leicester have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig over a deal to sign winger Ademola Lookman, with the player now set to undergo a medical.

Sky Sports reporter Dorsett claimed earlier in the day that Lookman is keen on a move to the King Power, which suggests that there should be no issues when it comes to agreeing personal terms.

Excitement

Leicester fans will surely be excited by this update from Romano as it suggests that Lookman will be arriving at their club at some point on deadline day.

The Foxes have finally been able to reach an agreement with the Bundesliga club and fans will be delighted to see their side dip into their transfer war chest to attempt to improve their attacking line-up.

As long as the medical goes through as planned, Lookman will be a Leicester player by the end of the day and Brendan Rodgers will have another forward option to select in the Premier League and Europa League for the rest of the campaign.

Foxes fans should be excited by this news because of the level of player their side are bringing in. The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at Fulham and averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.92, producing four goals and four assists despite the Cottagers’ relegation back down to the Championship.

Last season, ex-Fulham boss Scott Parker hailed Lookman’s ‘unbelievable quality’ and admitted that he was his main target in 2020. He said:

“You can see the quality the boy’s got. We knew that at the start of the window when he was the main one I wanted in – the main one I was calling for.

“I think you can see in a short space of time – at Brentford the other night and now here today – that the boy’s got unbelievable quality. He’s a big plus for us this year, and he’s going to be a big help for us. Hopefully, he can keep playing the way he is.”

Lookman knows how to perform at Premier League level so Leicester fans should be excited about the prospect of a young attacker who has already proven himself in the top-flight arriving at the King Power today, as he will provide excellent competition for the likes of Harvey Barnes, Marc Albrighton and Ayoze Perez.

In other news, Ex-Foxes defender hails Leicester star after he signs a new King Power deal

Many Wolves fans have been left reacting to some shock transfer news involving Jerome Boateng.

As per a report from earlier on in the week by Bild, which has since been shared by Talking Wolves on their Twitter page, the Midlands club had contacted the former Bayern Munich central defender before he moved to Lyon in the summer window.

They reportedly offered him more money, but he was advised to sign for the Ligue 1 team instead.

It would certainly have been a shock move given the defender’s frankly remarkable haul of trophies, but he is 33 years of age now, and has suffered from various injury problems in the past.

As the Molineux faithful have now brought in Yerson Mosquera as well, they are pretty healthy in the centre-back department, and so perhaps it is a relief that they did not end up signing Boateng, especially as he is also embroiled in various legal controversies at the moment.

Wolves fans on Boateng transfer news

These WWFC supporters gave some very negative reactions to the news as it was shared on Twitter:

“Bed”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“Poor man’s Kilman anyway”

Credit: @Wolfy1994

“He’s no Max Kilman though is he…”

Credit: @ChriWoodward

“I think we dodged a bullet there, never rated him and wages would have been sky high”

Credit: @garybrazier1

“We dodged a bullet there”

Credit: @stephenasm64

“Really?”

Credit: @Roden0707

In other news, find out which ace likened to Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe the Wanderers tried to sign here!

Celtic have already strengthened their offensive numbers in a few ways but with Odsonne Edouard potentially leaving, the Hoops have moved quickly to identify his replacement.

Kyogo Furuhashi has taken to life at Parkhead in stunning fashion by scoring a hat-trick last weekend and he could yet be joined by another devastating forward.

What’s the word?

According to an eye-catching report from the Scottish Sun, Celtic have identified French striker Thomas Henry as a potential new recruit.

In fact, they are reportedly on the verge of signing him in the coming days as they prepare for life without Edouard.

The OH Leuven striker plays his football in Belgium and after signing for just £400,000 two years ago, is set to complete a whopping £7m switch to Glasgow.

Coincidentally, that would be the highest fee the Bhoys have paid for a player since Edouard arrived permanently in 2019.

Incredible signing

To put things simply; Celtic must seal a switch for Henry this summer.

Furuhashi already has four goals in three games but combining a player of his calibre with Henry would be fantastic business.

The Japan international stands at just 5 foot 7 but despite sharing some similar traits, the Leuven forward is a goliath by comparison at 6 foot 4.

A phenomenally strong player in physical battles, the 26-year-old also knows how to find the net with great regularity.

He ended 2020/21 as the second top scorer in the top-flight of Belgian football, racking up as many as 21 strikes. That took his tally in Leuven colours to a mighty 45 in 78 appearances.

Despite his size, the attacker is a keen dribbler, deceptively quick and can run in behind smartly.

With that in mind, Henry has already been described as a “big Furuhashi” by Bhoys Analytics on Twitter.

However, an assessment from Lokeren boss Karel Fraeye presents us with a fairer reflection of his skills set: “Henry is extremely efficient and uses his speed and strong physique particularly well.

“He’s a complete striker who uses his speed to cause havoc in defences. He moves very smartly out from the centre of attack to the wings and creates spaces for himself.”

£7m is a lot to spend on a striker when Ange Postecoglou already has Furuhashi at his disposal but after they’ve sold Edouard, they will still have plenty left in the tank to improve the squad.

This is a deal that could really put Celtic on a course to win the Premiership title again.

AND in other news, Celtic lead race to sign £3.4m gem who was too “strong” for Messi, Ange needs him…

Express & Star reporter Luke Hatfield feels Aston Villa’s new signings could make the Midlands club even harder to stop despite the departure of Jack Grealish.

Grealish was so key for Villa last season, providing the most Premier League assists in Dean Smith’s side, and they have already lost their first match without him, a 3-2 defeat to Watford.

However, new signings Danny Ings and Leon Bailey were able to make an immediate impact, with the former managing to score from the penalty spot and the latter able to register an assist.

Ultimately, while Villa’s post-Grealish era has not got off to a good start, Hatfield is backing the club’s recent recruits to come good and is confident the team can evolve without their former captain.

“They’ve got these exciting signings, not to mention the likes of Ollie Watkins, who’s already there, Bertrand Traore and Anwar El Ghazi. He’s another one who’s scored goals for them,” the Aston Villa journalist told FFC.

“If they can get them all balanced and producing some really good football, then it may actually be harder to stop Villa without Grealish.

“It might take some time for them to adapt to life without Grealish, but they could be more balanced for it”

In terms of scoring goals, with the likes of Ings and Bailey, Villa do look like they could be hard to stop. Defensively, though, they obviously need to avoid repeating what happened at Vicarage Road.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly confident that they can sign Cristian Romero in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Alderweireld leaves

As per BBC Sport, Spurs have reached an agreement to sell Toby Alderweireld to Qatari club Al-Duhail.

This means that Nuno Espirito Santo’s team will have to look for a new central defender as a replacement for the Belgium international, ideally before the 2021/22 Premier League season starts.

The Latest: Romero confidence

According to Tuttomercatoweb, the North London club are confident that they can sign Romero, as talks continue with Atalanta over a potential deal.

He is reportedly their top target, but the Serie A side want a fee in the region of €60m (£51.1m) for his signature, and the Lilywhites’ latest offer falls short of that value.

The Verdict: Sign

The reported fee is certainly a lot for THFC to pay, especially for a centre-back, but Romero could turn out to be a mainstay in the team for years to come.

Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon’ by Italian media after signing for Juventus, the 23-year-old has the potential to become one of the world’s best in his position, if he is not already.

Romero has played at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League last season, and helped Atalanta qualify for the elite European competition once more for the next campaign, a player who is made for the big stage.

Nonetheless, the Argentinian would certainly be a statement signing by Tottenham.

In other news, find out which ‘top-four quality- target Spurs have been backed to sign here!

An update has emerged on Aston Villa target Arnaut Danjuma, regarding Liverpool’s interest in his services. 

What’s the talk?

According to Marca, via the Daily Star, Liverpool are keen on signing Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma before the end of the transfer window.

Aston Villa reportedly enquired about a potential swoop for the attacker earlier this summer, but will now have to beat the Reds in order to bring him to Villa Park.

Watkins 2.0

Dean Smith could land another Ollie Watkins type signing by bringing Danjuma to the club this summer. The ex-Brentford coach has had huge success in bringing talent from the second tier to the Premier League, with Watkins arriving in the Midlands last summer and enjoying a terrific season in the top-flight.

In 37 Premier League starts, the forward provided Villa with 14 goals and five assists whilst averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 7.18. This came after he scored 26 and assisted three in 49 Championship starts (including play-offs) for Brentford the previous year. Smith was able to bring him in and help him flourish at a higher level, which is exactly what he could with Danjuma.

The Bournemouth attacker racked up 17 goals and seven assists in 31 starts in the Championship, averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.21. This means that he came up with a goal contribution every 1.3 starts for the Cherries, compared to Watkins’ goal contribution every 1.7 starts for Brentford.

Clinton Morrison lauded the excellent Dutchman last year when speaking about him on Quest, via Football League World:

“Danjuma is an excellent player. Whatever happens, he will be playing Premier League football next year, whether it’s with Bournemouth or without them. He’s an exceptional talent.”

These comments from Morrison and the aforementioned statistics between Watkins and Danjuma suggest that he could be the next star out of the EFL. He has proven that he has the quality to stand out in the Championship and Smith has already shown that he has the coaching ability to help players like that make the step up to the Premier League, Watkins being the case-in-point.

This is why Villa fans would love to see Danjuma join the club. Supporters love to see goals and the Dutchman’s statistics for Bournemouth suggest that he could be able to provide them for the Villans in the top-flight.

It is now down to Johan Lange to strike a deal with the south coast club and then Smith would need to work with him on the training pitch to turn him into Watkins 2.0.

AND in other news, The Athletic journalist drops update on £50m midfielder, Villa fans will be relieved…

Celtic are interested in signing Rennes defender Brandon Soppy, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Soppy profiled

Soppy is 19 years of age and is under contract with the Ligue 1 side until 2022.

The France youth international has made 11 senior appearances for Rennes so far. He is primarily a right-back but has also turned out as a centre-back.

He is on £2,500 per week with his current employers and holds a Transfermarkt valuation of £6.3m –  the 31st highest for players born in 2002.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-9/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Romano’s Twitter post

Romano posted on Twitter on Saturday night, describing Soppy as a ‘huge talent’, with talks opened between Celtic and Rennes.

However, he appeared to make a slight mistake by claiming that Soppy was a left-back target, tweeting: “Celtic are interested in signing Brandon Soppy from Rennes [19, huge talent] as new left back. Talks opened – but there are also French clubs in the race.”

L’Equipe backed up Celtic’s interest on Sunday morning, claiming that Rennes will set the bar at €5m (£4.27m).

The Verdict: Right-back additions are needed

Following the permanent exits of Jeremie Frimpong and Hatem Elhamed earlier this year, Celtic are in need of right-back reinforcements rather quickly – Anthony Ralston is currently their only natural option in that role.

It’s an area of the pitch where Ange Postecoglou wants to recruit before the Hoops’ Champions League qualifier, and Soppy could be a better target than Sheffield United’s George Baldock, for whom Celtic were willing to pay £8m.

Soppy is nine years Baldock’s junior, is valued at £1.8m more than the Blades man and would more than likely be a better long-term addition.

Celtic aren’t the only side interested in the teenager, though, so they may have to act fast and possibly pay over the odds for his services.

In other news: ‘We’re a mess’ – Many Celtic fans fume as ‘mental’ news is confirmed. 

Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard has emerged as a possible target for Crystal Palace this summer, according to The Guardian’s Ed Aarons.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles supporters have been sharing their thoughts to the links on social media.

According to Aarons, Edouard, who worked with Palace’s new development coach Said Aigoun at Paris Saint-Germain’s academy, is a potential target.

The Hoops forward has scored 83 goals in 169 games for the Scottish giants but is still keen on leaving Celtic Park after a move to Leicester City fell through.

Edouard, 23, has less than 12 months remaining on his Celtic contract but is thought to be valued at £20m by the Hoops.

He featured in Celtic’s first competitive game of the new campaign earlier in the week but it seems as if Selhurst Park could now be a potential destination for the French forward.

Palace fans react

Aarons posted the links to Edouard on Twitter on Wednesday evening. This is what these fans had to say, with many extremely excited over a possible move.

“This would be the icing on the cake.”Credit: @JLLissen”I’m on my knees please Parish”Credit: @PrideOfSouthLDN”Wow we are serious!”Credit: @MATTT046″WHEN PADDY VIEIRA CALLS! Our knock is different”Credit: @J_CPFC”This is mad.”Credit: @CPFCH10″This is my club”Credit: @LawonY60

In other news: Pundit has exclusively backed a Crystal Palace pursuit of a reported target.

Many Sunderland fans were far from happy as they started off their pre-season programme with a 2-2 draw away at non-league Spennymoor Town.

The Black Cats have returned to the action as they attempt to improve on last season – they narrowly missed out on the automatic promotion places before losing to Lincoln City in the play-off semi-finals. The Wearsiders currently have four friendlies pencilled in, the first of which came on Saturday at Spennymoor.

Sunderland were obviously heavy favourites going into the game despite fielding a second-string line-up. However, they still only managed to pick up a 2-2 draw against their National League North opponents and would have even lost the match had Ellis Taylor not netted an equaliser midway through the second half.

News of the result was shared on Twitter by Sunderland’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from disgruntled supporters. They took to the social media platform below.

Let’s see what these Sunderland fans had to say

“Sundrawland AFC starting as we mean to go on”

Credit: @OrwiteTreacle

“ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC PERFORMANCE!!!!!!!!!”

Credit: @Adam78476121

“Good result that. Looked a really tricky fixture when I heard it was taking place on grass with a ball.”

Credit: @DiegoMaradobbn

“To think I was worried about next season, and yet here we are holding the mighty Spennymoor to a draw, on their home patch. It’s looking good.”

Credit: @neilmcloram

“New era”

Credit: @killemill3r

“Let’s hope #ENGUKR gives me a better result than #safc first pre season draw to Spennymoor earlier today it’s going to be a long season………!”

Credit: @first4retail

In other news, Kevin Phillips urges Sunderland to sign this striker.