All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur are trying to prise Franck Kessie away from AC Milan…

What’s the word?

According to La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), Spurs will attempt to sign the 24-year-old powerhouse by offering the Serie A outfit wantaway midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming the north Londoners had offered Kessie a long-term €8m-per-year (£6.85m-per-year) deal to join them upon the expiry of his current contract in 2022.

The Ivory Coast international has previously expressed his desire to remain at the San Siro, though he was far from convinced by their latest offer and as a result, Fabio Paratici and co are trying to sign him now, instead of next summer.

Get it done!

Ndombele’s wishes to depart N17 have been made no secret in recent weeks. The Athletic claim that his snub from the starting XI for their EFL Cup final clash with Manchester City kickstarted the change in his demeanour.

During the off-season, the Frenchman has requested an exit, believing he could secure a move to a Paris Saint-Germain or a Bayern Munich, which is why Nuno Santo is yet to include him since taking charge – he won’t select a player that doesn’t want to be there.

Offering him up in a move for Kessie, who is valued at £34m by CIES, could be quite a shrewd move with Ndombele’s wages in excess of £200k-per-week, and considering the Milan star is out of contract in a year’s time, the Italian giants could be forced into letting him go for a lot cheaper than they would’ve expected.

The 24-year-old has been an industrious presence in midfield for Milan, contributing at either end of the pitch to great effect.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs team and injury news, transfer rumours, gossip and much, much more!”]

As per WhoScored, he ended the 2020/21 campaign as their fourth highest-best player with an average rating of 7.15. He found the net a whopping 13 times from the engine room, a figure only bettered by the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15).

The box-to-box beast also contributed 1.3 shots, 1.2 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per league outing, proving that he is efficient at bringing the ball forward and making that crucial link between the defence and the attack.

Meanwhile, an average of 1.5 aerial duels won, 1.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions, via WhoScored, would suggest that Kessie is a solid presence and one that isn’t easily bypassed in midfield.

It’s no wonder his head coach Stefano Piolo dubbed him “a complete player” who gives us physicality, energy, quality, protects the defence and knits the moves going forward too” and is “invaluable” to the team.

Furthermore, ex-Milan boss Vincenzo Montella once hailed the Ivorian as an “extraordinary player” with “sublime intelligence.”

Evidently, those that have worked with him only have praise for the 24-year-old, so he’s clearly got something special about him if every manager that walks through the door in Milan is selecting him and subsequently praising him.

These are all attributes that we should be seeing from Ndombele in that box-to-box role alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and whilst his technical ability is unrivalled, top-quality and consistent performances from a club-record £55m signing have been far and few between.

Kessie has scored more goals in one season than Ndombele has in two years in north London.

Paratici must look to axe Ndombele in favour of Kessie, especially as he’s going to be available for bargain price given his contractual situation.

Get it done, Spurs.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Nuno could form scary Tottenham unit with “special” £54m-rated gem…

Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze posted footage of his recovery on Instagram on deadline day.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been reacting to the update on social media.

The Eagles made one late addition to Patrick Vieira’s squad with the acquisition of striker Odsonne Edouard from Celtic.

You’d expect the French forward will be linking up with Eze when the latter returns from a serious Achilles injury, with stories back in May suggesting it could keep him out until 2022.

Reports two weeks ago suggested that the 23-year-old was way ahead of schedule in regards to his comeback, and he posted on his Instagram story on Tuesday evening running on an anti-gravity treadmill.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared Eze’s Instagram story on their Twitter page on Tuesday evening. This is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with many excited and one labelling the footage as ‘beautiful’.

“Unreal”

Credit: @devo1995cpfc

“He’s back soon, tears in my eyes”

Credit: @JacobMozz

“What a beautiful sight”

Credit: @JSB93x

“That is a sign I wanna see”

Credit: @DJDECOR_

“Eze’s recovery looks like it’s going well! Keep going Eze!”

Credit: @alex_westry

“This video improved my day 1000%”

Credit: @Theeaglesbr

In other news: ‘See you in January’, ‘We won’t forget’ – Many CPFC fans react to late transfer twist.

Former Crystal Palace player Darren Ambrose shared a post on Twitter featuring comments from Wilfried Zaha on Sunday evening, and a number of Eagles fans have been interacting with the one-time midfielder on social media.

Zaha, who still has just under two years remaining on his Selhurst Park deal, netted his first goal of the season in the 3-0 win over Tottenham earlier this month.

That took the 28-year-old’s goal tally to 69, with the Ivorian in line to make his 400th appearance for the club in his next outing. Zaha has been tipped to spend the rest of his career at Selhurst Park, and he recently shared his love for the Palace support.

Ambrose posted these comments from the Ivorian winger on Twitter, with the Palace star hailing the Eagles faithful for their support through the good and the bad:

“I feel like they are the only fans that back you through absolutely everything. Even when you are in bad form, they remember your good performances. Winning a trophy for them would be massive.”

Palace fans react

Ambrose admitted that he agreed 100% with Zaha, with these Palace fans giving their thoughts in response. They were all quick to heap praise on the current Selhurst Park legend, with many sharing their ‘love’ for Zaha.

“I think I’m going to cry”

Credit: @gazbod

“Oh my”

Credit: @bradhcpfc

“So glad he feels the love”

Credit: @liamb0117

“Love that”

Credit: @fivestarjane

“Love you x @wilfriedzaha”

Credit: @xmeganrichards

“I love Wilf so much”

Credit: @JacobCPFC_

In other news: this Conor Gallagher update had lots of Palace fans talking. 

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane could feature against Manchester City on the opening day of the new Premier League season in a shock new twist in this ongoing saga of the summer transfer window…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Spurs boss Nuno Santo, who delivered a latest update on the situation to Sky Sports News earlier this week.

The 28-year-old wants to leave the club this summer but returned to their Hotspur Way training base on Saturday and will have to quarantine until Thursday.

Premier League rivals City have already seen a £100m bid rejected for Kane, whilst manager Pep Guardiola has made no secret of his interest in bringing the talisman to the Etihad Stadium.

Nuno confirmed that he would hold talks with the England international, who claims that his late return to North London was “planned”, before the match.

When asked about Kane’s availability ahead of kick-off, the Portuguese head coach said: “All the players in the squad that work on a daily basis will be options for us, then it’s up to us to decide.”

Huge boost

This will come as a major boost to Nuno and his chances of pulling off a result in his first competitive match in charge of the club.

Despite the absence of Kane, pre-season has gone pretty smoothly for the 47-year-old.

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Spurs have seen off plenty of lower league opposition, drawn with Champions League winners Chelsea and beaten arch-rivals Arsenal in their final friendly, but largely they have not faced a test as big as the defending champions, nor have they played with their only senior centre-forward at all in recent weeks.

Last season, Kane was involved in 54.4% of all their league goals scored, led the team for shots per game (3.9) and wasn’t far behind Heung-min Son as the team’s most creative outlet, having managed an average of 1.4 key passes per outing, as per WhoScored.

Furthermore, in each of the past seven top-flight campaigns, the £108m-rated star has found the net at least 17 times, including a career-best of 30 goals in 2017/18, proving to be one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League.

It cannot be disputed that Kane’s potential involvement is not only encouraging but also provides Nuno with one huge boost heading into the opening game.

Whether he can start, due to fitness, remains to be seen, but to have their vice-captain around should help morale around the dressing room – and if he’s needed, he could well provide that cutting edge from the bench.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Gil: Paratici must sanction Spurs swoop for “explosive” £20m speed demon…

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael is facing a nightmare transfer scenario at The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a Steve Madeley report for The Athletic, who claims that Albion are in desperate need of a new centre-forward ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign. However, without raising funds through the sale of some of the club’s current players, Ismael’s transfer kitty will not allow for a big-money addition to his attacking arsenal in the summer transfer window.

Madeley goes on to state that the most likely way of the Baggies raising money this summer would be by sanctioning the departures of both Matheus Pereira and Sam Johnstone, with it being claimed the pair would bring in over £30m – even at significantly reduced asking prices.

Finally, it is said that, in the event that the Frenchman does not cash in on either of his most valuable stars, he will have to turn his attention to out-of-favour Premier League forwards or an up-and-coming young goalscorer in the transfer market.

Nightmare scenario

Considering just how impressive both Pereira and Johnstone were for West Brom last season, it is undeniable that losing either of the two this summer would put a significant dent in the club’s hopes of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next season.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last term, the £13.5m-rated Pereira bagged 11 goals, registered six assists and created a whopping 11 big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £39k-per-week winger earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.18.

Meanwhile, over Johnstone’s 37 Premier League appearances, the £7.2m-rated goalkeeper kept six clean sheets and made a total of 166 saves throughout the season, with these metrics seeing the £28k-per-week shot-stopper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03.

Unsurprisingly, these ratings saw Pereira and Johnstone rank as the Baggies’ top two performers in the Premier League last season, demonstrating their importance to the team.

However, as Madeley states, with Mbaye Diagne returning to Galatasaray following his loan spell at The Hawthorns last year, it is indeed true that Ismael is short of options in attack ahead of next season. A proven goalscorer very much appears to be a necessity if Albion wish to give themselves the best shot at promotion.

As such, it would seem as if the Frenchman is stuck between something of a rock and a hard place, with the 45-year-old having to decide whether his team’s need for goals is greater than an incredibly solid option in between the sticks or a massive creative influence from the wing – a headache it is certain will be keeping the manager up at night.

In other news: West Brom transfer news confirmed on “exciting” highly-rated gem, fan surely buzzing

Arsenal chief Edu Gaspar risks making his biggest mistake since the signing of Willian.

According to talkSPORT last week, the Gunners are set to submit a £30m bid for Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale after having two bids already knocked back by the Championship outfit.

“It is my understanding that Arsenal have made the Sheffield United ‘keeper their no.1 target. They’ve been linked with Sam Johnstone as well, but it’s all in now for Aaron Ramsdale,” claimed transfer expert Alex Crook.

“I’m told they’ve already had two bids rejected for the former Bournemouth goalkeeper and they are lining up a third.  The fee could be as much as £30million. That would be music to the ears of Bournemouth as they have a sell-on clause.”

If these reports are to be believed, then it’s clear that the Brazilian supremo has not learned from his previous mistakes.

This time last year, the North London giants sanctioned a swoop for then-free agent Willian. That has turned out to be a very expensive gamble, with the 32-year-old winger thought to be on around £220k-per-week, which was more than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as per The Sun.

In return, the former Chelsea star scored just once in 37 appearances and provided only three assists after his impressive debut on the opening game of the season, coming in for some heavy criticism, and he’s now thought to be close to an exit.

There could be some similarities here with the £10.8m-rated Ramsdale.

Mikel Arteta already has a no.1 in Bernd Leno and sanctioned the exit of Emi Martinez last season, so there would have to be question marks over whether or not the Englishman would start between the sticks right away.

Spending £30m would therefore be a massive gamble to make, and that’s not considering the fact that he has been relegated twice in as many seasons.

At just 23, he’s far from reaching his peak as a goalkeeper, and undoubtedly he’s one for the future.

“He can become one of the best, especially in the country,” Everton goalkeeper Asmir Begovic claimed to talkSPORT. “He’s already proved that he can play at the highest level. He’s got a lot of potential still to fulfil.”

Jurgen Klopp has previously dubbed him “incredible” for his display against Liverpool, but as Gunners legend Nigel Winterburn has suggested, it’s a “huge amount of money” for someone who may not be an upgrade on Leno.

If Edu goes ahead with this deal, then he certainly will be putting his reputation on the line once again, especially as Arsenal could bolster so many other areas for that sum of money.

He must avoid repeating the same mistake twice.

AND in other news, Romano drops Arsenal transfer claim on £100k-p/w flop, fans will be buzzing…

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted after Jurgen Klopp confirmed Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are in contention to face Norwich City.

The Reds get their new Premier League season started on Saturday evening, with a trip to Carrow Road awaiting.

There is lots of excitement in the air ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, especially considering how forgettable last season was as a spectacle.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Like everyone else, the Reds had to suffer through empty stadiums and questionable VAR decisions, but on top of that Van Dijk and Gomez missed the vast majority of the season with serious knee injuries.

Fortunately, the Reds pair have worked their way back to fitness, playing a part in pre-season and looking good in the limited minutes they have had.

Klopp has now confirmed that Van Dijk and Gomez are available for selection at Norwich this weekend – it will be interesting to see either start the game.

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Liverpool fans love Klopp’s update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to reveal their delight at the update.

“Omg!!! What a time to be alive x”

Credit: @lfcleahx

“Oooo yes”

Credit: @markoconnor47

“Omg”

Credit: @origixLFC

“Yerrrsssss the lads!!”

Credit: @LilLoubieLou

“Phwoaaaaar”

Credit: @BMLW98

“Yessssss”

Credit: @CharWebster7

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to an injury blow regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Leicester City could be set to sell midfielder Dennis Praet this summer after the 27-year-old became increasingly frustrated with his lack of playing time last season.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic’s Rob Tanner, the Belgium international could depart the King Power Stadium over the coming months in search of regular game time.

The report claims that a return to previous club Sampdoria is on the cards for Praet after the arrival of Boubakary Soumare forced him further down the Foxes’ pecking order.

Fans should be elated

Although Praet is undoubtedly a talented player, he’s failed to establish himself on English shores, and news of his potential sale should leave the club’s supporters feeling elated.

Due to the financial impact of the ongoing pandemic, Leicester are working on a limited budget this summer, and the arrivals of Patson Daka and Soumare, from RB Salzburg and Lille respectively, are thought to have drained their budget significantly.

Therefore, selling some fringe players is going to be the best and most effective way of boosting Brendan Rodgers’ resources, allowing the Northern Irish tactician to bring in other transfer targets as a result.

With three years remaining on his current contract and a market value of £16.2 million, Praet’s proposed exit could raise substantial funds for the Midlands outfit.

Several exciting names such as Ozan Kabak and Domenico Berardi have been heavily linked with moves to the current FA Cup holders in recent weeks, and moves for the pair could be partly financed by Praet’s return to Serie A.

The diminutive creative force found himself playing second fiddle to James Maddison and Ayoze Perez last term, making just 24 appearances in all competitions, scoring only two goals, and providing just two further assists.

His potential departure will come as little shock to the fanbase then, and his exit may be further indication that the club have no intention of selling Maddison this summer amid interest from fellow Premier League side Arsenal, which would also delight the Foxes fans.

And, in other news…Leicester could be set for big blow after transfer news emerges, fans will be gutted

Bruno Lage has walked into the job at Wolves with a huge job on his hands.

It will not be an easy one either with limited finances threatening the future of some of the club’s best players.

On the chalkboard

The Gold Gold may well be forced to lose Adama Traore and Ruben Neves this summer with Fosun’s coffers tighter than normal.

Wolves spent significantly 12 months ago as they brought Fabio Silva to the Midlands in a club-record deal worth £35.6m.

Nuno Santo also landed two right-backs. One of them was Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo. He signed on the dotted line for an initial £27.6m but his form has been patchy to say the least.

The Portuguese was caught out on a regular basis, specifically against Everton and Arsenal where Lucas Digne and Nicolas Pepe ran rampant down his right-hand side.

However, Nuno also brought Ki-Jana Hoever to Molineux from Liverpool, a move that cost them £13.5m.

Since signing for the club, the 19-year-old has only started five Premier League outings.

Lage repeat inbound

Semedo ended up improving towards the back end of the campaign by scoring against Manchester United and winning six duels vs Everton but the decision to spend eight figures on Hoever has to be questioned.

Of course, the Dutchman possesses immense potential and Wolves like developing players for the future but his game time hasn’t warranted the price tag, especially after spending so much on Semedo.

Bizarrely, Lage is reportedly targeting another right-back this summer.

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Once again Liverpool are involved and it’s a hefty fee once more for somebody who hasn’t played much senior football.

Goal.com report that Wolves are one of a number of teams contemplating a move for Neco Williams in the coming months.

The 20-year-old is currently enjoying the ongoing European Championships with Wales but his club side could use that as an opportunity to bump up his price ahead of a move.

Liverpool supposedly want £10m for his services but if Wolves pay that in a market where they’re already tied down by financial constraints, it would fail to make much sense.

The Old already have two right-sided full-backs and investing in a further player for that position would be strange.

Williams would be behind Semedo in the pecking order and it could subsequently make the £13.5m they spent on Hoever a year ago completely redundant.

Wolves’ recruitment over the last year has to be questioned and this would provide further evidence of their shoddy transfer policy.

Lage needs to focus on spending what minimal funds they have on improving other areas of the squad.

AND in other news, Bruno Lage could dethrone Raul Jimenez at Wolves by signing £35m “world-beater”…

Tottenham Hotspur appointed Nuno Santo as their new manager on Wednesday evening, but someone who was never anywhere near having talks or getting the job was Gennaro Gattuso, according to Spurs legend Graham Roberts.

Gattuso was linked with the job in the immediate aftermath of talks breaking down between Spurs and Paulo Fonseca after he left his role at Fiorentina just 23 days from being appointed following disagreements with the board.

The Italian was a very left-field option when news broke of him being linked with the job, but he was never an actual candidate to replace Jose Mourinho according to Roberts, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Gattuso was never ever even mentioned at Tottenham Hotspur football club and that’s from a good source.

“It was just paper talk and Jorge Mendes pushing it.”

Daniel Levy has brought in Fabio Paratici from Juventus and handed him the task of finding the right man to take Tottenham forward following their regression ever since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked.

Following talks and links with the likes of Erik Ten Hag, Antonio Conte and Fonseca, it appears that Nuno was not one of Spurs’ top targets when they began their search for a new manager.

Nuno looks to have a huge job on his hands in the hot seat at Spurs with the squad in need of a revamp, much like his previous club Wolves, who are also in need of being improved.