All posts by n8rngtd.top

According to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay, Leeds’ interest in Udinese midfielder Rodrigo de Paul “remains serious”.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent days have suggested Marcelo Bielsa’s side are keen on bringing the Argentina international to Elland Road in this transfer window, as they look forward to their first season back in the Premier League.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

And having already clinched the signings of both Rodrigo and Robin Koch, Hay has claimed that Leeds are still firmly interested in bringing Udinese’s De Paul to the club, and that they have the money to pull it off.

Hay adds that the versatile midfielder is keen to go to a team “where he’ll be a main player”.

Better than Pablo Hernandez

Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, De Paul enjoyed an impressive 2019/2020 campaign for Udinese, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists in 35 games across all competitions.

Whilst he played the majority of his games in the middle of the park, the 26-year-old is more than comfortable playing further forward.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Smarterscout’s Dan Altman claimed: “There aren’t any central midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues who can match Rodrigo de Paul’s style of play and his pitch coverage.

It looksÂextremelyÂlikely that Gini Wijnaldum will not be a Liverpool player for much longer amid serious interest from Barcelona.

The Catalonians have made him one of their top priorities this transfer window under the instruction of Ronald Koeman. Wijnaldum is a player the Dutchman knows well and is a fond admirer of after working with him during his time with the Netherlands national team.

According to Diario Sport (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), the midfielder is said to be one step away from making a similar switch to Philippe Coutinho. However, Barcelona are trying their luck at minimising Liverpool’s asking price.

The report claims that the La Liga giants are trying not to pay any more than a maximum of £13million for Wijnaldum, despite his current estimated value being £36million (via Transfermarkt). This has not gone down well with the Anfield faithful.

One supporter thinks selling the 29-year-old for such a low amount is ‘absolutely farcical’ whilst another has echoed this sentiment, branding it ‘ridiculous’.

Another Kopite has valued Wijnaldum against Thiago’s reported £26.6million asking price before coming to the conclusion that it’s ‘a joke’.

Read more replies from the Twitter selection here:

Do you think £13million is a fair amount for Wijnaldum? Have your say in the comments below…

Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Wolverhampton Wanderers are “one step away” from signing Barcelona full-back Nelson Semedo.

The trusted journalist suggested the Premier League outfit submitted a bid on Saturday, which the Catalan giants are now ready to accept.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

There is still some work to be done before the deal can be completed, as Wolves’ representatives will need to agree on personal terms with the 26-year-old, who has a total of 14 caps for Portugal.

Despite the progress that still needs to be made, Romano has suggested the deal could be completed “soon”, with Arturo Vidal also likely to leave Camp Nou, alongside Semedo, to join Internazionale.

Semedo was an unused substitute in Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Elche in the Joan Gamper Trophy, which was won thanks to a second-minute goal from Antoine Griezmann, with Sergi Roberto playing the entire 90 minutes at right-back.

The right-back started 31 games across La Liga and the Champions League for Barca last term, coming off the bench eight more times, scoring one goal and providing three assists for his teammates throughout the campaign.

Semedo has been likened to Dani Alves in the past because of the way he “loves to attack the wing, get behind defenders and latch on to through balls. He’s incredibly quick and his skilful feet allowing him to beat a man.”

This move comes after Wolves sold Matt Doherty to Tottenham Hotspur for £14.7m earlier in the transfer window, as was reported by The Guardian at the time.

He’s likely to cost Molineux owner Jeff Shi around €40m (£36.7m) with super-agent Jorge Mendes representing the player.

According to an update courtesy of Portuguese broadcaster CMTV, Benfica star Haris Seferovic is ‘close to Tottenham’ as chairman Daniel Levy looks to add a new striker to Jose Mourinho’s roster – especially given star forward Harry Kane is their only natural option at present. 

Seferovic, who scored nine goals in all competitions last season, racking up an impressive 27 strikes the year prior, is reportedly edging close to a Tottenham move as Kane’s potential understudy – and the Switzerland international possesses bags of experience on the biggest stages in world football.

Indeed, at just 28-years-old, Seferovic has represented his country at both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, scoring one goal in the competition, and has proved himself to be a national hero on the route to qualifying.

Back in late 2018, for example, the forward tore a star-studded Belgium team to shreds with a hat-trick that sent Switzerland into the UEFA Nations League finals.

Taking into account his performances both domestically and internationally over the last two years, Seferovic has the potential to be a bargain addition at Spurs given his meagre £9 million valuation by Transfermarkt.

If he can rediscover his past 2018/2019 form in the Premier League, chairman Levy and co may well be laughing, and CMTV claim he is indeed close to joining Spurs as talks to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar also take shape. 

Standing at a lofty 6ft 1, Seferovic could also possess the physicality needed to adapt in England’s top flight and arguably fits into the Mourinho-type mould of a forward option.

Tottenham fans, are you excited by this report Seferovic could be close to Spurs? Have your say in the comments down below…

Leeds United have been after a new attacking midfielder in recent weeks.

Links to Todd Cantwell and Louie Sibley just won’t go away, but there is now one more name to add to the list of potential new additions at Elland Road.

Indeed, the Whites are now reportedly also one of Emi Buendia’s potential suitors. They don’t have long to get this deal done, but if they manage to get it over the line it would be an almighty coup.

Buendia could be a bright spark in Bielsa’s midfield due to his incredible creativity, and with Pablo Hernandez turning 36 in April, they certainly need another player in that mould.

Much like Hernandez, the Norwich ace can operate both on the right and through the middle, and it’s his ability to carve out chances that makes him a potentially brilliant acquisition.

Buendia created the fourth-most chances in the Premier League last term, finishing ahead of some absolute stars such as Mo Salah and Willian when it comes to that metric.

The Argentine is exactly the type of player Bielsa would want in his midfield. He’s incredibly Hernandez-esque in his ability to dictate the play from deep or from out wide, and if he has teammates more adept at finishing the chances he created, his assist tally from last season would have been a lot higher than seven.

Whether or not Leeds get this one over the line remains to be seen as they have lots of depth down the right after the signing of Raphinha, while their number 10 spot looks to be oversaturated with Hernandez, Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts already vying for that position.

It seems a little unlikely that this one will actually come to fruition, but if it does, Leeds will have an unbelievable new creative talent on their hands.

Every club has stories of players they almost signed whether it’s Alex McLeish claiming that he almost signed Lionel Messi or Arsene Wenger saying that he almost signed Kylian Mbappe, but in Fulham’s case, they almost landed a future world superstar when he was just 21 years old.

Indeed, Robert Lewandowski was set to sign for the Whites back in January 2010 on a loan deal with an option to buy, and it’s scary to think of what could have been had the Whites landed the future Champions League Golden Boot winner.

Lewandowski would certainly have added something to Roy Hodgson’s side that possessed Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson as main striking options, but if the £54m-rated striker had signed, he may have completely changed the course of the club’s history.

The Bayern Munich star would have been arriving at Craven Cottage in the midst of their historic Europa League run that saw them lose a cruel final in extra time to Atletico Madrid, but if the Whites had a young and hungry Lewandowski rather than a semi-fit Zamora starting that final up front, you can’t help but feel that things could have turned out so differently.

Of course, winning a Europa League could have had a huge domino effect on the next decade at Craven Cottage.

The Whites have been a much more lucrative destination for any potential signings and the impending sale of the club to multi-billionaire Shahid Khan may have gone a different way if the club were consistently challenging in the top-half of the table with one of the best strikers in the world developing at the club.

However, for one reason or another, that loan deal never came to fruition and neither did the option to buy. Fulham would get their striker that winter in the shape of future Watford flop Stefano Okaka, not the future world-beater they had lined up in Lewandowski.

This is certainly one of the most painful transfers that didn’t come to fruition to look back on in hindsight.

After sealing a era-defining 1-0 victory at Manchester United last Sunday, Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend as they take on Aston Villa at the Emirates.

On the face of it, picking up three points against a United side stuck in the bottom half of the table doesn’t seem like something serious to shout about, but the fact the Gunners ended their away-day hoodoo at a top-six club in the top-flight will surely have gone a long way in ensuring players and fans begin to believe in manager Mikel Arteta that little bit more.

But, as is always the case in the Premier League, anyone can beat anyone on any given day. And a win against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side last time out, will mean absolutely nothing if the Gunners slip-up against Aston Villa at the Emirates – the same team of course that beat them in the penultimate game of last season to take a pivotal step in avoiding relegation back to the Championship.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

And whilst Jack Grealish will be one of the players Arsenal look out for given his talismanic status for Villa, the Gunners simply cannot look past the Midlands club’s summer signing, Ollie Watkins.

The former Brentford striker, who arrived in a £33m deal, has started the campaign like a house on fire, bagging six goals in nine games across all competitions, including a brilliant hat-trick against reigning champions Liverpool.

His blend of pace and strength has made him a tricky customer to handle for opposition defences this season, and his that physicality is something Brentford’s programme editor, Chris Deacon, has raved about. He said: “Ollie transformed himself into a physical specimen. We’d call him a machine because it looked like he would set himself into third gear and then cruise along at the front while everyone else was blowing.”

By the middle of last month, only Newcastle’s Andy Carroll had a better win-to-lose ratio in headed duels among strikers known for their aerial dominance. He is a real menace to centre-backs, making 1.3 tackles per game (impressive for a centre-forward), and winning 8.2 total duels per match as well.

Arsenal’s own summer signing, Gabriel, has enjoyed a fine start to life in north London himself. On Sunday however, he will face one of his most unique tests yet – a more typical and more old-school Premier League striker, capable of going in behind and winning 50/50s. If he’s not ready, then he could face a difficult day.

Moussa Djenepo was able to repay Ralph Hasenhuttl’s faith in him on Friday night, with an impressive display in the 2-0 win against Newcastle.

The winger was trusted to start by his manager for the first time in more than a month and he produced the goods against the Toon, picking up an impressive 7.34 rating for his display.

It was arguably a surprise that the Malian was given the nod to start on the left-wing when you consider that natural centre-back Jack Stephens was being played out of position at left-back and perhaps could have done with a more experienced head, such as Nathan Redmond, available to track back and help him out defensively.

However, Djenepo was able to do an excellent job defensively during the game, making seven tackles and winning 10 out of 15 of his ground duels (per SofaScore).

The 22-year-old was signed from Standard Liege in the summer of 2019 and has gone on to make 26 appearances for the Saints since then, contributing three goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

When he first joined the club, he was likened to Liverpool winger Sadio Mane and called a “handful” by talkSPORT journalist Tony Cascarino, so if he can go on to have the same sort of impact that the Senegalese international has had at both Southampton and Liverpool, then he will surely prove to have been an excellent signing indeed.

So far this season, the £11.7 million-rated man has averaged a 6.75 rating for his performances in the Premier League, compared to Redmond’s more disappointing 6.48 average, so you could certainly suggest that Djenepo made the most of his opportunity to start on Friday. Really, it would be a surprise to see Redmond come back in for their next game against Wolves following the international break.

Therefore, you could certainly argue that the English winger, who earns £60,000-a-week according to Spotrac, will perhaps be frustrated that Djenepo performed so well against the Toon, as he will surely have to improve on his own performances if he wants to re-establish himself in Hasenhuttl’s starting XI for their upcoming fixtures.

Gylfi Sigurdsson endured a calamity on the international stage as the Everton midfielder failed to help guide Iceland to victory over Hungary on Thursday night.

Iceland had travelled to the Puskas Arena striving to secure a place at next summer’s postponed UEFA European Championship, but saw their hopes of reaching the tournament dashed by two late goals.

Sigurdsson broke the deadlock in the 11th-minute when his free-kick was fumbled in by Peter Gulacsi, and appeared set to be the hero with his 25th goal in international football.

But efforts from Loic Nego and Dominik Szoboszlai in the 88th and 92nd-minutes overturned the scoreline as extra time loomed, knocking Iceland out in the Play-Off Final and securing a spot in Group F alongside Portugal, France and Germany.

Sigurdsson was Iceland’s hero in their victorious Play-Off Semi-Final tie with Romania last month, when the 31-year-old settled the clash with a brace to successfully mark his international return after a year out of the squad.

Manager Erik Hamren would have been eager to see a similar performance from the Everton midfielder against Hungary on Thursday night, yet saw a disastrous display from the player Ronald Koeman vastly lauded upon his £45million capture in 2017.

“We lost 25 goals with [Romelu] Lukaku and we need more players than one to get that number of goals and he is that type of player with that productivity,” Koeman said of Sigurdsson, via quotes by The National News. “He had really good seasons in Swansea. He is, in my opinion, one of the best in his position in the Premier League.”

Sigurdsson ultimately scored just one goal under Koeman before the Dutch coach was sacked and now boasts a similar record under Carlo Ancelotti, having struck home two of his 24 career Everton goals in 30 games since the Italian’s appointment.

While Sigurdsson broke the deadlock with a great deal of fortunate and was on course to be Iceland’s hero against Hungary until two minutes from time, the £16.2m-rated playmaker endured a calamity with SofaScore data showing he lost 70% of his total duels having won just two of eight contests on the ground and one of two aerial battles.

The former Swansea star further lost possession 18 times, committed two fouls, was issued a yellow card in just the fifth minute, made only one tackle, was dribbled past once and misplaced 32% of his 22 attempted passes.

Sigurdsson’s goal came from just one of two shots on target while fielded at striker alongside Alfreo Finnbogason in a 4-4-2, as well, while also failing to complete his only attempted dribble.

The 77-cap international was able to record two key balls from his 15 accurate passes, but Sigurdsson could only connect with teammates with one of four attempted crosses and one of three long balls as he registered his 48 touches across the field at the Puskas Arena.

A performance like his will make it unlikely that Ancelotti looks fondly on Sigurdsson’s name when Everton return to Premier League action, having also been replaced after 66 minutes in defeat to Manchester United last time out.

AND in other news, Everton have reached a decision on the future of a “quality” but rarely-seen £4.5m-rated talent.

Carlo Ancelotti can redefine Everton’s attack by signing Brentford’s “hungry” marksman Ivan Toney, who compares himself with Swedish icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Toney has emerged as a potential option for Everton to target following his stellar form this season as their Director of Football Marcel Brands considers bolstering Ancelotti’s strike force.

Toney joined Championship side Brentford from Peterborough in the summer on a five-year contract, in a £5million deal that could reach a maximum fee of £10m through add-ons.

Posh had slapped a £13m asking price on the forward last winter amid interest from Burnley and AFC Bournemouth, feeling the former Newcastle United man was the best young striker outside of the Premier League with Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Bristol City and Derby County also keen.

Toney ultimately joined Brentford for less than half what Peterborough had hoped for, despite netting 26 goals and penning seven assists across all competitions last term, and has already started to hit home in the Championship with a hand in 15 goals (13 scored, two assisted) and counting this season.

Bees boss Thomas Frank was full of praise for Toney when he unveiled the 24-year-old at the Brentford Community Stadium this summer, claiming: “We are adding a hungry, ambitious, hard-working striker to the group here.

“He fits what I want in a striker; he is a goalscorer, he gets into good positions in the box, he is good playing on the last line, and will contribute to our link-up play. Our strikers are a big part of our pressing game, and Ivan, with his work ethic, will help us with that.”

Chance to redefine Everton

Ancelotti would have the chance to redefine Everton if Brands were to target Toney in an upcoming window, as the Toffees have become vastly reliant on wide players to carry the Goodison Park outfit in recent months.

The Blues’ reliance on wide players was evident most while without Richarlison following the Brazilian’s red card in the Merseyside Derby, with Everton creating just two on-target shots at Southampton, four on-target efforts at Newcastle and just one on-target strike at home to Manchester United in three straight defeats.

Richarlison’s return for last month’s trip to Fulham instantly saw a change of fortunes as Everton directed seven of their nine shots on target, with the others blocked, while the Brazilian provided one key ball and accounted for three of his side’s efforts, per WhoScored.

Toney’s ability to harry opposition defences would also allow Ancelotti to free Dominic Calvert-Lewin and open spaces for James Rodriguez to occupy, and have little fear the Newcastle flop – who left St. James’ Park after four goalless appearances – will struggle.

The Bees star is confident to the edge of arrogance, claiming his self-belief is to the same degree as Sweden icon Ibrahimovic, whom he sees similarities with on the field.

“I’ve always liked Zlatan. I just love his confidence. Some people see it as arrogance, but you must be like that to succeed,” he told The Sun.

“I’m similar to Zlatan in both my confidence and the way I play. When he wants to do something, he just does it. I have some of that in my game and personality. And I believe I’ll be a Premier League striker.”

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti could unearth his ideal James Rodriguez heir in an Everton sensation David Unsworth loves.