All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United are currently stepping up their summer transfer dealings with two additions already in the bag and a third on its way in the form of Bayern Munich man Marc Roca, with manager Jesse Marsch plotting a much needed revamp to a squad that only staved off relegation by the skin of their teeth in the most recent campaign.

Those arrivals alone, however, will seemingly not be enough to spark a drastic improvement next term, with the Yorkshire side in need of a sprinkling of true quality to try and fire them away from danger.

One man who has been earmarked as a potential statement, marquee acquisition is Belgium veteran Dries Mertens, with the 35-year-old having been tipped to make the move to Elland Road this summer.

Not only are the Whites believed to be in the running for his signature, but they are also likely to be able to prise him for nothing, with it looking as if the forward won’t be handed a new deal despite his existing contract nearing its expiry.

Some may question the wisdom in plucking an ageing talent who would be nothing more than a short-term fix, although the £137k-per-week “goal machine” – as he has been dubbed by Kristof Terreur – still appears to have plenty left in the tank.

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In the 2021/22 season, the diminutive marksman chipped in with 11 goals and one assist for the Serie A side, taking his total tally to a staggering 148 goals and 90 assists in 397 games for the Italian side since joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2013.

Any doubters need also only look to his overall record throughout his club career, as his total haul now stands at 246 goals and 181 assists in 683 games across his spells in Naples and Holland – where he also featured for FC Utrecht and AGOVV Apeldoorn.

Throw in his wealth of experience at international level – with 21 goals in 104 games – and it is clear to see that Leeds would be gaining a proven, top-class asset were he to make the switch this summer, with the “lethal” ace – as he has been described by one journalist – a seemingly risk-free addition.

His arrival could also prove something of a masterstroke in a similar vein to that of club icon Pablo Hernandez, the Spaniard having enjoyed a stunning four-and-a-half-year stint at the club after joining from Swansea City in 2017.

Like Mertens, the former Valencia man may have been small in stature but he proved a colossus in terms of his impact on the pitch, proving vital in ending the club’s 16-year absence from the top-flight with promotion in 2020.

The four-cap international had impressed prior to Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival at the club, although became something of a talisman once the Argentine visionary took charge in 2018, netting 12 times and providing 12 assists during the 2018/19 campaign, before adding a further nine goals and nine assists the following season.

That latter, title-winning campaign saw “El Mago” produce arguably his most memorable moment in a Leeds shirt, netting a crucial, last-gasp winner against his former club Swansea to all but confirm a return to the Premier League.

Having been 35 at the time, he would go on to be restricted to a bit-part role the following year in the top tier – making just three league starts – although departed in the summer of 2021 with his club legend status still intact.

His departure has left something of a playmaking, goalscoring void that still perhaps needs to be filled, however, with fellow veteran Mertens potentially man to take his crown.

IN other news: Leeds now plotting swoop for “reliable” £22k-p/w starlet, he’s the new Dani Alves

Nottingham Forest are now looking to the transfer window to strengthen their team ahead of their new chapter in the Premier League, and a reliable journalist has given an update on the club’s pursuit of a potential target.

What’s the latest?

According to Sunday Mirror Sports news editor Darren Witcoop, Nottingham Forest are “leading the race” to sign Lucas Joao.

Witcoop tweeted:

“Reading resigned to losing star man Lucas Joao this summer. Nottingham Forest leading the race for the Portuguese striker. Watford also in the hunt for his signature.”

Keinan Davis upgrade

Nottingham Forest will be in the market for a striker this summer as loanee striker Keinan Davis will return to parent club Aston Villa, but they could be about to sign a massive upgrade on their current number nine as Joao has been much more prolific in front of goal.

Davis scored five goals and contributed two assists this season in 15 Championship appearances, but was only part of the team on a six-month loan.

Joao, however, has been a goal machine for Reading over the last three years scoring 38 times and contributing 14 assists in 83 appearances, with a goal contribution every 116 minutes, proving that he could add a real attacking threat for Forest in the striker role next season.

It’s not just his goals and assists that have caught the attention of Forest, as the 28-year-old has been a force in all areas of his game this season in the Championship winning 4.7 duels and proving successful in the large majority of his dribbles (63%), according to SofaScore.

The 6 foot 2 forward was hailed by former teammate Jose Semedo, who was full of praise for the striker after Joao’s international debut for Portugal.

Semedo told BBC Radio Sheffield: “He’s remarkable. I don’t remember any other player playing second division and getting picked by Portugal.”

“I love the way he plays. He combines power, pace, skill and he’s a big guy.”

With that being said, if Forest could secure the deal for the £5m striker it would be a major signing for the club ahead of next season in the Premier League and would give them more depth in terms of goal contributions.

AND in other news: In talks: NFFC plotting bid for “exceptional” £12.8m dynamo, he can be Cooper’s Tevez

Rasmus Kristensen looks set to sign a five-year deal with Leeds United, according to Jeunes Footeux.

The Lowdown: Kristensen talks

It looks as if the 24-year-old, who has been described as a ‘goal threat’ by RB Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle, will become the Premier League club’s second summer signing after Brenden Aaronson.

The Whites finally managed to get a deal over the line for the American from Salzburg after having two bids turned down in January, and they look set to raid the Austrian giants once again for the right-back.

The Denmark international is due to undergo medical tests after international duty, and details of his proposed move to Yorkshire have now been shared.

The Latest: Five-year deal

Jeunes Footeux provided an update on Leeds’ move for Kristensen on Friday morning.

They claimed that the full-back will sign a five-year deal at Elland Road and will cost the Whites a total of €25m (£21.4m).

Reports have previously stated that a fee to Salzburg will come in at around £10m, so the other £11.4m seems to be his wage across the five years, which would work out at around just under £44,000 per week.

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The Verdict: Perfect

Victor Orta hasn’t wasted any time in making moves for manager Jesse Marsch, which is a welcome sign given the club’s struggles for signings under Marcelo Bielsa in recent years.

Kristensen’s presence is needed in Yorkshire, especially with Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas sidelined through long-term injuries.

The Dane knows what it is like to work under Marsch after winning back-to-back league and cup doubles under the current Whites head coach at Salzburg; and with 18 goal involvements in 44 games last season for Kristensen, Leeds look like they’re about to get themselves an exciting defender.

In other news: Phil Hay now drops big update on Raphinha’s Leeds future after what he’s heard from Elland Road

West Ham United are interested in Lille midfielder Amadou Onana, according to French outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Lille only signed Onana from Bundesliga 2 outfit Hamburg last summer in a £6.3million deal.

He made 42 appearances in his first year at the club, but he only started 11 out of 38 Ligue 1 matches and two of eight Champions League games.

The 20-year-old has played the vast majority of his football up to this point as a defensive midfielder.

He still has four years remaining on the contract he signed on his arrival and is now valued at £9million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

The report states that both West Ham and their London rivals Arsenal have been monitoring Onana over the course of the campaign.

Lille need to ‘gather money’ through player sales, and Onana is one of those who has ‘a chance of leaving’.

The Hammers have yet to make a ‘concrete offer’ but they are thought to be considering it.

As well as Arsenal, they face competition from AS Monaco, who view Onana as a potential replacement for exit-bound Aurelien Tchouameni.

The verdict

What kind of a no. 6 is Onana?

Well, it would probably be best to characterise him as a ball-winner given that he ranks in the 94th percentile compared to positional peers when it comes to tackles per 90 minutes, and the 75th percentile for interceptions (via FBRef).

In terms of players already in the Premier League, he’s similar to the likes of Vitaly Janelt, Oriol Romeu and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice would appear locked into the two midfield slots in David Moyes’ 4-2-3-1 but the manager needs depth, particularly with a Europa Conference League campaign potentially on the horizon.

Onana, billed a ‘huge talent’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would make the squad stronger and could potentially be a starter in the long-term.

In other news, there’s been a key update on a potential attacking target.

An update has emerged on Rangers and their pursuit of a new goalkeeper to bring to Ibrox during the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Gers are one of two teams interested in signing Jack Butland ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Ross Wilson is plotting a move for the Englishman as a potential replacement for Allan McGregor in Glasgow as the veteran’s contract expires this year.

The report claims that Bournemouth are also keen on the shot-stopper and the Gers will need to beat off competition from the Cherries to land him.

Gio van Bronckhorst needs him badly

The Ibrox head coach needs him badly this summer as McGregor needs to be given significant competition – or to be replaced – next season.

In the Premiership, the 40-year-old played 29 games and conceded 0.9 goals per game as he made four errors directly leading to shots/goals. This shows that he had lapses in concentration as he made costly mistakes in the top-flight, including two errors in the 3-3 draw with Ross County.

If he does put pen to paper on an extension then Butland must be brought in to push him for the number one position so that they are not resigned to having an error-prone goalkeeper between the sticks. Of course, if the Scot decides to call a time on his career then the Gers will have a number one jersey to give to the Palace man.

Eagles reporter Mark Wyatt dubbed him as “incredibly brave” earlier this season as he won his place back in the team for a spell under Patrick Vieira. He made nine Premier League appearances ahead of Vincente Guaita and conceded 1.4 goals per game, whilst saving 100% (1/1) of the penalties against him.

In those nine matches, Butland did not make a single error directly leading to an opposition shot or goal, which suggests that he was a reliable option between the sticks for the English outfit. He has also only made one leading to a goal in his five Premier League campaigns throughout his career.

The £35k-per-week tank can, therefore, be can be a much-needed addition to the team if he can continue that level of reliability next term, given McGregor’s mistakes in the Scottish top-flight.

He still has plenty left to give at the age of 29, 11 years younger than McGregor, and can be van Bronckhorst’s number one for many years to come if Wilson can strike a deal for him.

AND in other news, Race won: Wilson lands Rangers deal for sought-after teenage gem, GvB will be buzzing…

Erik ten Hag will have a major rebuilding job on his hands this summer at Manchester United, and with their defence urgently needing improvement, there could be a few players in that position brought in over the coming months.

What’s the word?

French journalist Fabrice Hawkins tweeted that United “are tracking” Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka ahead of the summer transfer window with a view to submitting a transfer offer, with Tottenham also interested.

The defender is out of contract at the end of next season, with a fee of around £17m being enough to secure his services this summer.

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Ten Hag must swoop for Ndicka

This season has been one to forget for the Old Trafford faithful, with United nowhere close to achieving any kind of silverware, leaving new manager Ten Hag with a major rebuilding job awaiting him over the summer and beyond.

With the Red Devils shipping a total of 56 goals in the Premier League with one game still left to play, it’s no surprise that the defence is one of the main areas to be worked upon before the next campaign.

Ndicka has helped Eintracht Frankfurt to win the Europa League this season, defeating Rangers on penalties in the final in midweek, and he would be a bargain addition to the United squad.

His performances this season have been incredible, and he has the figures to show for it. Compared to his positional peers in the big five European leagues, the 22-year-old ranks in the 94th percentile for aerial duels won (4.34 per 90) and the 95th percentile in blocks (2.46), while he has only received three yellow cards in the Bundesliga despite playing 32 matches in defence.

With four goals and four assists in the German top flight this term, he has outscored every single United defender put together in the 2021/22 Premier League.

These numbers clearly show that the Frenchman would be a fantastic signing for United, and with journalist Christopher Michel describing Ndicka as the “complete package”, Ten Hag surely can’t pass up a glorious opportunity like this to improve the Red Devils’ defence ahead of the 2022/23 season.

AND in other news, Man United nearing the signing of “magic” £58m “unicorn”, he’s Modric 2.0

A huge Celtic development has emerged on the club’s plans heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that he wants to sign another central midfielder ahead of the 2022/23 campaign after Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton both played their final matches at Parkhead on Saturday.

Football Scotland quotes the head coach as saying:

“People will eventually figure out that I’m always trying to think a step ahead. The reason we brought in three midfielders in January was because I knew the likely outcome at the end of the season. We wanted to be a step ahead in planning for these things [Bitton and Rogic going] so we’re not scrambling at the last minute.

“It’s about the future and that’s an area of the park we had to bolster. We still need to sign another midfielder but having signed the boys in January, it means they’re already bedded into our club. It gives us a head start.

“What we’ll look to do in the summer window is make sure the squad are stronger, more robust and increase the quality of our starting players.”

Supporters will be delighted

Celtic supporters will be delighted by this as it suggests that the club are aware that they need to replace Rogic and Bitton ahead of next season.

The former, in particular, had a huge influence on the team throughout the campaign and will leave a big hole in the squad.

In the Premiership this season, the Australian played 32 times for the Hoops and produced six goals and six assists from midfield. He ended the campaign with ten ‘big chances’ created and 48 key passes in total as he demonstrated his quality on the ball on his way to helping the team to the league title.

Bitton, meanwhile, played 24 matches in the Scottish top-flight. He completed 91% of his passes and won a whopping 69% of his aerial battles as he provided a solid base for the team to work from in the number six role – winning possession back and then recycling the ball to sustain attacks.

These statistics show that both players were important members of the squad during the title success and will need to be replaced in the transfer market. This is why fans will be buzzing with Postecoglou’s comments confirming that the club will be looking for reinforcements in that area of the pitch.

AND in other news, Agreement made: Behind-scenes transfer development emerges, it’s bad news for Celtic…

Jurgen Klopp has always kept his squad tight in his journey at Liverpool but we’re expecting to see big changes this summer as the German coach reaches his seventh year in charge, and some players that have been involved in the majority of the success could be moved on to make way for fresh legs.

The club has been linked with several players already ahead of the summer transfer window with Calvin Ramsay, Fabio Carvalho, Aurelien Tchouameni and Arnaut Danjuma all speculated to make a move to Anfield, which means there will likely be outgoings to accommodate.

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With that being said, one player who is likely set for the chop after a five-year spell is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The 28-year-old has found himself further pushed out of the match-day squads over this season in particular as he falls further down the pecking order, with the star not featuring in the last six Premier League squad selections despite making 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and assisting twice.

However, Klopp clearly doesn’t feel that the midfielder has enough to offer the team in the business end of the season, with Liverpool desperately trying to compete with Manchester City to win the Premier League title this season, sitting three points behind with just two games to go.

Despite his goal contributions this term, Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled to impose himself on opponents during his opportunities to play, losing the ball every 6.3 minutes in his league performances, and this unnerving control of the ball in the centre of the pitch has clearly not gone unnoticed by his manager.

According to SofaScore, the former Arsenal star has only won 29% of his aerial duels and has lost the majority of his ground duels (55%) too, making only 31.6 touches and 0.6 key passes per game, proving that he has been largely ineffective in his performances without his five goal contributions.

Following his recent snubs to join the side on match day it has been reported that Oxlade-Chamberlain “fears” for his future at Anfield with one year left on his contract, and the club are set to adopt a “wait and see” approach according to Daily Mail.

Now it could be the perfect time to go and seek out first-team football elsewhere as he still has plenty of years left to play and make an impact on another team However, sadly it looks like his time on Merseyside is coming to an end with Klopp favouring others for selection.

AND in other news: Sources: Liverpool on verge of sealing 2nd summer signing, Klopp will be buzzing

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has given his reaction to the news that Sunderland have come under a renewed takeover bid. 

The lowdown: Takeover bid made

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, British businessman William Storey has offered to buy a controlling share in the club.

Having previously tried to take control at the Stadium of Light before the arrival of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Storey has seemingly returned with a fresh attempt to take over the Black Cats.

However, Louis-Dreyfus is reportedly unwilling to leave his post despite what one knowledgeable onlooker thinks would be a smart financial decision…

The latest: ‘Very good price’

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire – a regular contributor for Sky Sports – has claimed that the reported £42m offer represents a ‘generous’ bid given Sunderland’s current status.

The finnace expert said of the ongoing situation: “If they are in League One, that is a very good price because they’d be paying almost four times revenue.

“Given that we value clubs in the Premier League at around 1.75 to two times revenue, excluding the big six, I think that’s fairly generous. In the Championship, clubs are generally worth 1.3 times revenue.

“They will probably get to £30m in revenue if they are promoted, so again it would be a high price by Championship standards.”

The verdict: Stability needed

Widely accepted as something of a sleeping giant across the pantheon of football, Sunderland would see their value rise significantly over the coming weeks should Alex Neil be able to guide the club back to the second tier of English football following a 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg of their play-off semi-final.

In this instance, Louis-Dreyfus and the remaining hierarchy will have been justified in their decision to stand firm, whilst Storey’s offer will almost instantly fall short of the club’s valuation following promotion.

However, should Neil’s men miss out on promotion, a takeover appears more likely as those in situ might attempt to cut their losses and become more inclined to accept incoming bids such as the one reportedly presented by the British entrepreneur, who has made his money in energy beverages.

Overall, the ownership situation on Wearside has been a distraction for too long now, and Sunderland fans will surely want this entire matter addressed once and for all over the summer regardless of what league they are playing in next season.

In other news, Sunderland are now facing one big dilemma

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst will need to carefully manage his squad in the coming weeks as his side face a hectic schedule to end the campaign.

The Gers have five more games before the end of the month as they play three Premiership matches, a Europa League final and a Scottish Cup final.

They face Dundee United in the Scottish top-flight today at Ibrox after winning 3-1 in Europe on Thursday night, as they currently sit six points adrift of the league leaders.

How many changes will Gio make to his team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make six alterations to the side, with Leon Balogun, Steven Davis, Fashion Sakala, Scott Arfield and Aaron Ramsey all coming in.

Borna Barisic, who was once dubbed “mind-boggling” by Richard Foster, let van Bronckhorst down against Leipzig and should be axed from the team. His exit from the XI would then allow Nigerian enforcer Leon Balogun to come in at centre-back, with Calvin Bassey slotting in at left-back.

In midfield, we are predicting that Steven Davis and Scott Arfield will both come in to provide an experienced presence in the middle of the park. This will allow Glen Kamara and John Lundstram to both have a deserved rest after their goalscoring exploits on Thursday, keeping them fresh for the midweek clash with Ross County.

We are also backing van Bronckhorst to unleash Ramsey from the start after he was on the bench against Leipzig. The Wales international may replace Scott Wright to play on the right of the front three as he needs to get minutes under his belt to build up his match fitness after just under a month out injured.

Finally, we are predicting that Fashion Sakala – who was once dubbed a “firework” by Alan Hutton – will be given the go-ahead through the middle with Ryan Kent and Ramsey either side of him. Joe Aribo came off against Leipzig with a head injury and was replaced by the Zambian – suggesting that he is next in line to start up front if the Nigeria international is unavailable.

AND in other news, Big setback: Rangers hit with huge injury blow that’ll leave GvB fuming…