All posts by n8rngtd.top

Writing on his Patreon, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared an update on West Ham’s transfer plans involving Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye moves…

As the January transfer window deadline approaches, the Irons and manager David Moyes are said to be eyeing much-needed additions in east London with the acquisition of a centre-back having come as real a goal for the club.

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Kurt Zouma returned to action against Manchester United yesterday afternoon after recovering from a serious hamstring injury, but despite his previously anticipated return, the club have still been linked with a new defender.

Liverpool’s Phillips is one name who repeatedly keeps emerging as Ex provides some information.

The Latest: Ex makes Phillips claim…

Writing on his Patreon, Ex says the Englishman is still a target for Moyes and the club alongside the likes of Burnley’s James Tarkowski.

As well as this, the insider claims a possible ‘loan with view to buy deal’ is currently ‘being discussed’.

Moyes is apparently targeting a left-sided central defender specifically with the Scotsman earmarking Phillips as a candidate.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 6 foot 2 powerhouse would undoubtedly be a brilliant signing on those kinds of terms, especially going by his numbers for Liverpool last season and praise from Jurgen Klopp.

He averaged a brilliant 4.8 clearances per 90 over his Premier League appearances when playing regularly over 2020/2021, far more than any Reds player in that time (WhoScored).

Liverpool’s manager raved over the 24-year-old at the back end of last season, calling him ‘absolutely incredible’ and an ‘aerial monster’ to the press (Goal).

With plaudits like these, signing him on loan with a view to buy could be a real snip.

In other news: Insider says West Ham agreement for ‘world class’ £17.1m striker is ‘there to be done’, find out more here.

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Juventus have a ‘huge decision’ on their hands regarding the future of reported Tottenham target Paulo Dybala.

Jones claimed that the decision to sell Dybala ‘would be mad’, given the Argentine is ‘one of the few poster boys’ left at the Turin club.

The Lowdown: Dybala out of contract in the summer

Dybala joined Juventus in the summer of 2015 from Palermo as an exciting playmaker, arriving in a deal worth £33.5 million, inclusive of add-ons. Since then, the Argentina international has secured himself as a fan-favourite, having made an incredible 275 appearances for the club.

During this time, the 28-year-old has accrued a sensational record as a second striker, having scored 110 times with 46 assists.

However, Dybala is in the last six months of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the season. According to reports by TyC, the attacker is not planning on signing an extension.

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As a result, Dybala is allowed to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of Italy. Following this, reports have emerged claiming that Tottenham lead the race to sign the Argentine on a free transfer in the summer.

The Latest: Jones stunned by exit links

Jones, an insider with Eurosport, spoke to The Transfer Tavern with his verdict on the possibility of a move: “If Juventus lose Dybala, that’s a huge decision for them and it changes everything.

“So, I still need convincing that they would do that because it just seems such a big move to let [go of] somebody like that, one of the few poster boys left.

“To actually sell him would be mad.”

The Verdict: Spurs could be getting an unbelievable deal

A host of footballing legends, including the likes of including Michael Laudrup and Alessandro Del Piero, have heaped praise on Dybala, claiming that he is a ‘special’ player, and it’s not hard to see why.

With a current market valuation of £45m, Fabio Paratici would be coming out into the summer window with the absolute steal of the century if he can secure a player with 139 career goals at club level.

If Spurs are able to get this deal over the line, Daniel Levy and Paratici will have outdone themselves; making up for a number of previous disappointing transfer windows under the former.

In other news, Tottenham may have been hit with a u-turn in their chase for Adama Traore…

There is currently no sign of Wolves doing any more business in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Quiet January at Wolves

While other clubs have made plenty of signings this month, things have been relatively serene at Molineux up until this point.

Granted, Adama Traore has joined Barcelona and Jeong Sang-bin has come in and gone straight out on loan to Grasshopper Club Zurich for 18 months, but it hasn’t been a busy window.

There is still time for Bruno Lage to sort a potential new signing though, and some reports have even suggested the manager will bring in a replacement for Traore, but Spiers seemingly thinks otherwise.

The Latest: Spiers delivers key update

Taking to Twitter on Friday to respond to a question about the January window, Spiers admitted things are ‘pretty quiet at the moment’.

That suggests Wolves fans should expect little to happen prior to Monday’s transfer deadline, as Lage and his players enjoy some downtime during the international break.

The Verdict: No great issue

While it would have been nice to see a big name come in this month, particularly a centre-back or a replacement for Traore, the current situation is certainly no disaster.

Both Jonny and Pedro Neto could be set to return from long-term injury absences in the near future, acting as a huge boost, and no European football means matches won’t come too thick and fast.

Wolves should, therefore, have enough depth in their squad to maintain their current European push, with 13 points picked up from a possible 15 in their last five matches.

In other news, a journalist has backed Wolves to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United remain interested in signing Nottingham Forest starlet Brennan Johnson.

What’s the story?

Reports in the January transfer window suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were interested in landing the 20-year-old, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Football Insider have now claimed that while Forest are preparing new contract talks with the youngster over staying at the club, Leeds are continuing to monitor him ahead of a potential move.

He was fantastic against Arsenal in the FA Cup

Sabri Lamouchi, Johnson’s former manager at Forest, hailed him not just as an “unbelievable player” but also one with the “right mentality” – exactly the kind of words which will have Bielsa nodding his head in appreciation.

The starlet enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Lincoln City in League One last season, scoring ten goals and providing a further twelve assists in the league – his displays were key as they made the play-off final, losing to Blackpool 2-1 despite him setting up a goal at Wembley.

It’s no surprise then that he has kicked on once again, this time in the Championship.

The 20-year-old has bagged seven goals and provided another five assists in 30 games across all competitions, playing in a whopping seven different positions, including stints on either flank, and through the middle on his own as well.

His performance in the FA Cup earlier this year against Ben White and Arsenal was a particular highlight.

Despite not getting on the scoresheet himself in that famous victory over the Gunners, he completely destroyed the north Londoners’ full-back Nuno Tavares, and he got the better of former Leeds defender White as well.

As per Sofascore, he attempted two dribbles, provided one key pass, sent in two crosses and also managed one interception, regularly being spotted doing his defensive work.

Writing in her post-match player ratings for The Nottingham Post, Sarah Clapson gave him the joint-highest score of a nine, saying: “Had the measure of Nuno Tavares early on, so much so the Gunners man suffered the indignity of a first half substitution. Continued to put the visitors on the back foot with his awesome pace.”

Johnson’s performance in that game at the City Ground showed exactly why he would be an exciting signing for Bielsa and Leeds if they can eventually land him.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered an update on this Leeds United transfer target…

Newcastle United have ‘gathered information’ about Lyon centre-back Jason Denayer, according to Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Denayer will be familiar to British football fans, having had spells at Manchester City, Celtic and indeed Newcastle’s arch-rivals Sunderland earlier in his career.

In 2018, he left Man City permanently to join Lyon in a deal worth £9m, but the contract he signed upon his arrival at the Groupama Stadium expires at the end of the season.

That means he is currently free to negotiate pre-contract terms with clubs outside of France.

The latest

The report from Het Nieuwsblad (via Sport Witness) stated that Newcastle have made contact with Denayer’s representatives ahead of the summer transfer window.

The £18m-rated Belgian is ‘spoiled for choice’, with the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Napoli all expressing their interest, and while he is ‘not in a hurry’ to select his next destination, remaining at Lyon is described as a ‘worst’ case scenario.

The verdict

What are Denayer’s credentials? He has 33 caps for Belgium – the world’s top-ranked nation – under his belt, including two starts at last summer’s European Championship.

From a statistical point of view, he stands out for pass completion (ranking in the 98th percentile when compared to other centre-backs in the top five European leagues), but it’s worth noting that he isn’t the most ambitious on the ball (20th percentile for progressive passes). His average of 2.1 blocks per 90 minutes (88th percentile) suggests that he is something of a warrior at the back.

In December, he faced off with another reported Newcastle target in the form of Reims’ Hugo Ekitike, who left him for dead and scored a last-minute winner in that game. European football expert Alex Barker said that the Belgian ‘got murdered’ by the striker, but it seems that one lapse hasn’t put Newcastle off the Lyon defender.

In other news, Newcastle are also keen on another centre-back

A major update has emerged on Rangers central defender Connor Goldson and the club’s efforts to keep him at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

Gers managing director Stewart Robertson has revealed that there is still a possibility that the ex-Brighton man puts pen to paper on a fresh deal.

When asked if they expect the defender to leave, he told Sky Sports (via The Scotsman): “We are not resigned to that at all. Ross Wilson is having talks with all the players whose contracts expire in the summer.”

Fans will love it

Ibrox fans will love this update from Robertson as it suggests that all hope is not lost on Goldson extending his current deal, which is set to expire at the end of the season.

They would surely be buzzing to see him stay at the club as he is a crucial member of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad and has proven himself to be a top player in Scotland. He recently made his 200th appearance for the Gers in all competitions, which shows how important he was to Steven Gerrard and is to his current head coach.

In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 7.15. He has helped his side to 12 clean sheets, whilst winning an impressive 67% of his individual duels across the campaign.

This comes after he averaged a phenomenal score of 7.39 last term as the Gers won the title, as he came out on top in 71% of his defensive battles, showing that he dominates opposition forwards in the air and on the ground.

He has, therefore, proven that he is a top performer in the Scottish top-flight and is a player van Bronckhorst is able to rely on every week as he has maintained a high level over an extended period of time.

His consistency and quality is key to Rangers and what they do defensively, which is why losing him would be a major blow to the side in the summer.

This means that fans will be delighted to read that Ross Wilson is now attempting to tie him down to a new contract, although it remains to be seen how successful he will be.

Goldson may have other ideas about his future, but the supporters will, at the very least, be able to take solace in the knowledge that the club are trying their best to keep hold of him.

AND in other news, Wilson is heading for unforgivable Rangers disaster over “languid” £14k-p/w maestro…

Everton’s Cenk Tosun is the subject of a ‘transfer war’ between Super Lig outfit Besiktas and Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal, according to Turkish news outlet Takvim. 

The lowdown

It was Besiktas who sold the Turkey striker to Everton for £27m back in January 2018. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract upon his arrival at Goodison Park, and that deal is due to expire this summer, leaving him free to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.

Tosun, who was out until November after suffering a patella rupture, has played a mere 11 minutes of football for the Toffees this season. He did feature in the matchday squad last weekend against Leeds United, but Frank Lampard left him on the bench.

The latest

As per Takvim, Al-Hilal have reportedly offered Tosun a two-year contract worth €5m (£4.2m) per year, which comes to approximately £80,500 per week. That would be a healthy 25% increase on the £60,000-a- week he is currently earning at Everton.

However, Besitkas, are also determined to bring him back and will ‘use all their trump cards’ in a bid to do so.

Tosun is expected to make a decision on his next destination in June, although it seems that staying at Everton is out of the question.

The verdict

It’s hard to dress up the signing of Tosun as anything other than a comprehensive failure.

The 30-year-old ranks among Everton’s top 20 most expensive signings but he has only made 61 appearances in four years, contributing a mere 11 goals.

Sam Allardyce, the Blues’ manager at the time, confidently declared that Tosun was the ‘best in Europe’ in his price bracket. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish also dubbed him an ‘excellent’ player after he sealed a loan move to Selhurst Park in 2020, but it simply hasn’t worked out for the striker in England.

In other news, Everton could sign this defender

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have a number of difficult decisions to make at Ibrox in the summer as he heads towards his first pre-season in Glasgow as the manager.

The likes of Leon Balogun, Scott Arfield, Connor Goldson, Allan McGregor and Steven Davis are all out of contract and the head coach will need to decide whether or not he wants to keep them.

Some of these calls could hinge on what Ross Wilson is able to do in the summer in terms of bringing players in to bolster Van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox, as he could sign players who play in the same position.

Finally axe

One player who could be ousted from the starting XI to make way for a fresh addition is central midfielder/winger Arfield.

Rangers have been linked with a deal for MK Dons attacker Scott Twine, and his prospective arrival in Glasgow could result in Arfield dropping out of the team.

His former Swindon boss Phil Brown claimed that he is “going to blossom” as a player, which suggests that he would be a fantastic signing for the Gers in the short- and long-term. Twine has 14 goals and nine assists in English League One this season, whilst the current Light Blues gem has four goals and zero assists in 20 Premiership matches.

Therefore, the MK Dons dynamo could be an upgrade in the final third with his knack for scoring and creating goals, whilst he has the potential to improve even further at the age of just 22.

However, this does not necessarily mean that Arfield should or will leave the club at the end of the season. He could sign a contact extension and take on a smaller role in the squad, which would allow Van Bronckhorst to call upon him when needed rather than relying on him as a first-choice player.

The Canadian would be a useful player to keep around the club due to his experience. He has played 173 matches for the Gers to date and was dubbed a “manager’s dream” by his former manager John Hughes, which suggests that he is a hard-working player who is willing to play any position.

The signing of Twine would allow Van Bronckhorst to finally axe Arfield from his starting XI and either enable him to leave at the end of his current contract or make him more of a squad option than a contender to start on a regular basis.

AND in other news, Forget Roofe: Van Bronckhorst can save Rangers millions in “big talent” who scores every 41 minutes…

Adama Traore has really hit the ground running at Barcelona, creating four goals in all competitions since joining the Catalan giants on-loan – leaving Wolves fans wishing he could have replicated that quality of end product during his time at Molineux.

However, manager Bruno Lage might have already found his natural replacement should the Spanish forward complete a permanent transfer at the end of the season to the La Liga club, in the shape of 22-year-old forward Chiquinho.

After signing from Liga NOS club Estoril for £3m in January, many supporters were understandably sceptical about what a relatively unheard of player from a low-reputation club in Portugal could offer to their first team. But, after impressing at the weekend during a 15-minute cameo against Crystal Palace, the excitement surrounding him is beginning to build.

The Portuguese attacker was deployed on the right-hand side to try and help his team get something out of the game, and he almost scored but for a good save from Palace keeper Vicente Guaita after Daniel Podence slipped his compatriot in through on goal.

Lage, who believes the new signing who possesses “explosiveness” needs time to settle, said last week: “Chiquinho is a good player and the club followed him a long time ago, around one year ago.

“He is a player for the present and a player for the future. These are the kind of players the club should look at.

“We also need some good players for now to build that team we want. The main point is to continue the way we are working and to help the team to improve.”

Last week for the U23’s team, Chiquinho also gave a good audition on why he could replace Traore, demonstrating his lightning pace late on against Reading with a run from the edge of his own box which saw him take on a number of players, before being bundled over in the box.

With the kind of pace and powerful running Adama was known for, should Chiquinho be given more of an opportunity at Wolves, he could represent great value for money, and replace the Spaniard comfortably.
In other news: Wolves may unearth the “next Iniesta” as Lage plots bid for £8.1m-rated Moutinho heir

James Hunter has now shared some early Sunderland team news before the play Cambridge United at home in League One this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Dajaku out

Alex Neil has confirmed that Leon Dajaku will miss the game at the Stadium of Light as he continues to recover from illness.

However, the former Preston North End and Norwich City manager also confirmed that both Thorben Hoffman and Callum Doyle are ‘better’, while Aiden McGeady has now started training with the first team again (The Chronicle).

The Latest: Pritchard in?

Taking to Twitter, The Chronicle journalist Hunter has now shared an update from Neil on Alex Pritchard ahead of the match:

“Alex Pritchard is a lot closer than he has been and I would imagine he will feature.”

The Verdict: Big boost

The fact that Pritchard could play a part against Cambridge is a big boost for the Wearsiders, especially given the fact that he has only managed to play in one of their last seven league games.

Before his latest injury setback, the Englishman was a mainstay in the side, having already managed four goals and 12 assists from midfield in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, his creative influence would be handy in breaking down what could be a stubborn Cambridge team away from home, and so the Black Cats supporters will be praying that he features, even if it has to be from the bench.

In other news, find out what SAFC update has now left Roker Report buzzing here!