All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham have been linked with a shock move for Alexandre Lacazette this week…

What’s the word?

According to French publication Jeunes Footeux, the 30-year-old striker isn’t going to extend his contract with Arsenal, meaning he will become a free agent in the summer.

As a result, he could even be sold during the January transfer window, with the north London outfit keen to see some return on their investment.

It’s thought that the Irons are closely monitoring his situation, along with Premier League rivals Everton, so the Frenchman wouldn’t be short of suitors in England.

He is currently valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt and is reportedly on wages in the region of £182k-per-week at the Emirates Stadium.

Best since Soucek?

From a pure name standpoint alone, Lacazette would be one of the Hammers’ biggest signings of recent times, though as we’ve seen with the likes of Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller, that counts for very little.

However, with the Gunners star out of contract at the end of the season, this move represents a very low-risk one as he won’t cost GSB a penny in terms of transfer fees.

Furthermore, his qualities in the Premier League are already proven – as recently as Monday, he bagged a crucial equaliser to extend their unbeaten run to six matches.

As per Transfermarkt, the 16-cap international has scored 68 times in 175 appearances for the north London giants, of which 51 goals have come from 131 top-flight appearances, whilst he has also provided 29 assists.

Lacazette has averaged a goal or assist every 116 minutes across the course of his Arsenal career, ever since joining in a £52.7m move from Lyon in summer 2017.

That’s a very respectable record for someone that hasn’t started week-in, week-out, thanks to his frontline partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

He has also been dubbed a “goal machine” by former teammate Sokratis, whilst he has previously been likened to former Hammers man Ian Wright by the late Gerard Houllier.

“He scores more than 25 goals every season. One thing he will bring to Arsenal is goals,” the ex-Liverpool and Lyon boss told talkSPORT. “He is a bit like Ian Wright, really. You don’t seem to see him and then suddenly he moves.”

This calibre of signing could really elevate the east London outfit onto a new level, particularly after qualifying for the Europa League last term.

The arrival of Lacazette could be their best signing since Tomas Soucek, the unknown Czech beast who’s already become a fan-favourite and one that cost merely €21m (£18m).

David Moyes’ new head of recruitment Rob Newman must push ahead with plans to secure the Premier League veteran. On the above evidence, it would be a very smart and astute signing to make.

AND in other news, Forget Rice: £50k-p/w West Ham beast who had 121 touches was Moyes’ unsung hero at Everton…

Rangers still have a few months left of the season until the summer transfer window opens and Giovanni van Bronckhorst has the chance to make whatever changes to his squad at Ibrox that he sees fit.

However, it seems as though the SPFL giants have been handed a boost in their chase to sign one player that has reportedly been on their radar.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from German media outlet WAZ, Schalke goalkeeper Martin Fraisl is likely to leave the club at the end of the season as a free agent.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Rangers are interested in signing the shot-stopper, which means that this latest update about his potential exit in the summer will be a big boost for the Gers’ chances of securing his signature. It is even thought that the Glasgow giants have already offered him a deal.

Great news for the Gers

Since joining Schalke on a free transfer from Dutch club ADO Den Haag back in the 2021 summer transfer window, the 28-year-old has gone on to make 20 league appearances in which he’s managed to keep seven clean sheets along the way.

With 193 senior and youth club appearances under his belt across numerous clubs, the Austrian, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £5.9k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has kept 49 clean sheets in total and even managed to get himself on the scoresheet on one occasion as well.

In addition to this, with current Gers shot-stopper Allan McGregor now at the age of 40 and having the fifth-lowest save percentage of any goalkeeper in the SPFL this season, as well as conceding 37 goals in total, it would make sense for the Ibrox club to bring Fraisl in as a potential replacement for their veteran ‘keeper.

Hailed for doing an “excellent” job for the club by Schalke sporting director, Rouven Schroder, Fraisl could prove to be a great bit of business from the Gers if they’re able to secure him on a free transfer in the summer and he’s able to be an improvement on McGregor.

Moving forward, securing the Schalke shot-stopper on a free transfer once the summer window opens could be a good first step in seeing the club strengthen their squad and get ready for next season.

With that in mind, this boost is certainly good news for everyone associated with the Gers.

In other news: Huge boost: 3-word Rangers update will leave Van Bronckhorst buzzing…

Southampton’s reported hopes of signing Arnaut Danjuma this summer are over after the Dutch winger completed a move to Villarreal earlier this week.

What’s the word?

Southampton were heavily linked with the 24-year-old earlier in the transfer window, with the impressive winger perhaps always likely to earn a move away from Bournemouth after a superb campaign in the Championship.

A move to St Mary’s certainly would have made geographical sense for Danjuma, although the finances involved were perhaps a sticking point for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, as the Cherries were eventually able to sell him for £21.3m to Europa League holders Villarreal earlier this week.

However, the Saints have plenty of funds in the bank following the sales of Danny Ings, Jannik Vestergaard and Mario Lemina, and whilst a winger was never likely to be a priority for Hasenhuttl, Danjuma could have been an upgrade on the Austrian’s current options out wide.

Would Danjuma have been a good signing for Southampton?

Based on his performances in 2020/21, Danjuma could have been a superb addition at St Mary’s this summer, as goals from out wide were hard to come by for the Saints last season. The former Club Brugge man contributed a superb 17 goals and seven assists in 35 appearances in the second tier, averaging an impressive 7.21 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

At Southampton, on the other hand, Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott and Nathan Redmond managed just 10 top-flight goals between them, with Hasenhuttl’s side very reliant on the likes of Ings, Che Adams and James Ward-Prowse to find the net.

Clinton Morrison was full of praise for Danjuma last season, saying: “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.”

Unfortunately, it seems as if Southampton were unwilling to match Bournemouth’s asking price for the 24-year-old, which will surely frustrate their fans as you could definitely argue that the Saints need to strengthen their options out wide if they are to progress as a Premier League club.

In other news… Semmens heading for Saints disaster with £10m Premier League dud

Crystal Palace must be regretting the decision to allow Andros Townsend to depart the club this summer as he has begun life at Premier League rivals Everton in scintillating fashion.

The 30-year-old was allowed to leave Selhurst Park on a free transfer as new manager Patrick Vieira overhauled his first team squad, but he has already gone on to prove his worth on Merseyside.

What was the word?

Townsend was one of many ageing players to be released by Palace following the conclusion of 2020/21, but he revealed back in June that negotiations over a new deal were taking place with the capital club.

“We’re still having brief discussions,” Townsend told talkSPORT (as reported by Football.London).”The club have told all of us that there’s no decisions being made until a manager has been appointed.

“Since then, Christian Benteke has signed a new deal, so… (laughs). So I don’t know. I want to be somewhere on July 1st.

“My agent is in the background now getting as much interest put into an offer, and then I’ll sit down with my agent, and around July 1st (we’ll) see which one is the best for me at this time in my career.”

However, just a month later, the Evening Standard reported that a change in circumstances meant that the former England international would not be returning to Palace, leaving the door open for Everton to swoop.

One that got away?

Although Townsend didn’t accumulate an abundance of goal contributions during his five-year stay in south London, bagging 16 goals and providing 28 assists in 185 appearances for the Eagles, he played a pivotal part in their success under Roy Hodgson.

Last season, as per WhoScored, the former England international’s respectable haul of five Premier League assists was bettered only by Eberechi Eze, while the pair’s 1.1 shots per league game were the joint-third highest totals amongst their Palace teammates.

Townsend’s tally of 1.2 key passes per league game was second only to Eze, while his match average of 1.3 dribbles was the fourth-highest total when compared to his former Eagles colleagues [WhoScored].

Constantly supplying the likes of Benteke and Wilfried Zaha with a stream of quality crosses is where the speed demon really excelled. He recorded 1.6 crosses per league match throughout 2020/21, the highest tally amongst the Palace squad.

There were question marks over whether Townsend could make the step up to Everton, but so far he has done so with ease, bagging two goals and laying on two assists in just five outings in all competitions.

His outrageous long-range strike against Burnley on Monday night was a reminder of just how good he can be on his day and may leave a large section of Palace fans ruing Steve Parish’s decision not to renew the £6.3m-rated wizard’s contract.

In other news… Imagine him and Zaha: Vieira must unleash “magnificent” Palace gem against Liverpool 

With just four points on the board from seven Premier League games so far this season and without their first win of the campaign, Southampton and their fans have not had much to shout about in recent weeks.

Their previous league outing saw Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side fall to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge that also saw club captain James Ward-Prowse pick up a red card resulting in a three-game ban that will commence after the current international break.

What’s the latest?

Despite their poor start to the season, one shining light that the club can take pleasure in is the fact that midfielder Will Smallbone made his return to the pitch during Saints B’s 4-1 defeat away at Charlton Athletic in the EFL Trophy. He returns after picking up a serious ACL injury away at Leicester City back in January.

Smallbone, who is a product of Southampton’s youth academy, eventually made his senior debut for the club in January 2020 in a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup after working his way through their youth teams.

Since then, the midfielder, who is currently valued at £1.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 13 appearances for Hasenhuttl’s side across all competitions in which he has managed to score one goal and provide two assists along the way.

Replacement for Ward-Prowse?

Moving forward, with Southampton set to take on Leeds United at St. Mary’s after the international break, we feel that if Smallbone, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £17.3k-per-week according to Spotrac, is fit enough, he could definitely be the right man to come in and play while Ward-Prowse is serving his ban.

Following on from the Leeds game, Southampton then takes on fellow league strugglers Burnley before a Carabao Cup clash once again at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, after which Ward-Prowse will be back with the team.

However, given how long Smallbone was out of action for, we feel that Hasenhuttl will have to be careful with just how many minutes the midfielder plays. The last thing he wants to do is potentially cause any further damage to his injury and keep him out on the sidelines for another period of time.

Either way, with Leeds and Burnley both currently next to Southampton in the league table, we feel that the Saints will undoubtedly be targeting these fixtures as their possible first wins of the season. Having a player like Smallbone cover while Ward-Prowse sits out will definitely aid their cause.

In other news: Hasenhuttl must ruthlessly axe £75k-p/w Southampton dud, he made just 9 passes v CFC – opinion

Steve Howey reckons Manchester City will be unstoppable if they manage to get their hands on top transfer target Harry Kane.

City chief Pep Guardiola has publicly confirmed his interest in the England captain, who picked up the Premier League’s Golden Boot and Playmaker awards last season.

It comes after Kane reiterated his desire to leave boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur having grown frustrated at the lack of silverware being won by the north London club.

Speculation that Kane could be on the move to the Etihad Stadium was ramped up even further after the striker was omitted from Spurs’ matchday squad for their opening weekend win over City.

The reigning Premier League champions have already broken the British transfer record by completing the £100million signing of Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish during the transfer window.

Howey believes City will get their hands on back-to-back titles, despite astute business elsewhere, if they can persuade Spurs to sell star man Kane.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Howey said: “If they can get someone like Kane, who is an out-and-out goalscorer, it’s game over. I don’t care about Chelsea getting Romelu Lukaku, it’s game over.”

Everton have already made two signings in just four days of the transfer window being open, in a bid to strengthen the struggling side, Rafa Benitez could be poised to make his third signing very soon.

What’s the word?

Italian football news outlet, Club Doria, has reported that Everton are amongst a number of clubs who are interested in signing Sampdoria defender, Omar Colley.

Newcastle United, Leeds United and Watford have all been named alongside Everton in the report that suggests the Premier League clubs are interested in signing the £4.5m-rated beast.

Colley who has been hailed “amongst the best defenders” by Sampdoria manager Roberto D’Aversa, has reportedly changed his agent, and is ready for a new adventure, setting his sights on the Premier League, where if the rumours are true, he is in high demand for signing with one of many.

The Everton manager has already secured the signing of two defenders, Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko, claiming in his pre-match press conference last week that the club wants “two or three” signings, with the Gambia international potentially the third target.

Rafa must swoop

With clubs in a similar position in the bottom half of the table speculated to be interested in the 29-year-old, Benitez must swoop as soon as he can to ensure he doesn’t lose out on the transfer target, amid further transfer rumours that Mason Holgate could be leaving on loan this month too.

Adding depth to the Toffees squad is essential for the Spanish tactician, as defensively they have been abysmal this season with the current side conceding the first goal in 14 of their 20 games in all competitions this season, including each of their last seven games.

Colley could surely add something to the side’s defensive play, with the defender having the second most pass interceptions and the third most tackles completed in his own half in the Serie A this season, according to One Versus One.

Everton will take on Hull City at the weekend in the FA Cup third round and Benitez will be under pressure to give Everton fans something outside of the struggles of the league they currently face, as speculation grows on the sacking of the Spanish manager.

In other news: Vecino swap deal could solve Rafa’s problems at Everton

Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley and Josip Juranovic were the three standout players as Celtic put seven past St Johnstone. 

The Hoops ran riot at Parkhead as Ange Postecoglou’s side seized an opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings to nine points ahead of Rangers’ meeting with St. Mirren.

There was also a welcome boost to the goal difference column as the rampant Bhoys put seven past their visitors to improve their margin to plus 59, a huge 33 goals ahead of their Old Firm rivals.

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Reo Hatate opened the scoring early on before Georgios Giakoumakis doubled the lead shortly after. Celtic’s lead was 3-0 ahead of half-time when Maeda netted to put Postecoglou’s men in command. After the break came a Juranovic penalty followed by an O’Riley brace as Liel Abada completed the seven-goal rout on 78 minutes.

According to Sofascore, there were three Hoops who stood out on the day, and we’ve taken a deeper look through their numbers to get the lowdown on the star men.

Maeda 8/10

Even aside from the goal and assist, this was the 26-year-old’s best display in a Celtic shirt to date as Maeda added two key passes, 41 touches, one interception and one tackle to a sublime all-round performance.

The Japanese ace’s endeavour, energy and quality when in possession all contributed towards what was a statement victory from the table-toppers.

Juranovic 8.3/10

Juranovic was at his influential best from right-back as the Croatian provided one assist, 92/102 (90%) accurate passes and 119 touches in a stellar display from the 26-year-old.

Overall, the versatile defender completed two key passes and was accurate with 2/3 (66%) of crosses and 4/7 (57%) long balls on what was a perfect afternoon for the Celtic Park faithful.

O’Riley 9/10

The standout performer for the Hoops, despite only coming on as a second-half substitute.

O’Riley enjoyed the freedom of Paraside as the Danish youth international scored twice to seal a stunning 45-minute cameo that included a pass accuracy of 31/35 (89%), 46 touches, one key pass and one interception.

It could’ve been even better for the 21-year-old as O’Riley squandered a big chance to complete a first hat-trick for the club.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou hails club chief. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United are reportedly now in a transfer battle with two other clubs in the Premier League to sign Aguibou Camara.

The Lowdown: Catching the eye

Camara is certainly a player that is catching the eye this season following his move from Lille to Olympiacos.

The central midfield player has scored five goals and made a further two assists in 17 games in total over all competitions so far (Football Transfers).

Nonetheless, at just 20 years of age, Camara is a player to watch out for in the future.

The Latest: Premier League battle

As per The Sun, the St. James’ Park faithful are now locked in a battle with both Liverpool and Leicester City for Camara, who is currently rated at £20m.

They are reportedly ‘keeping tabs’ on the Guinea international ahead of a potential move, and have made contact with his agent.

However, other intermediaries are trying to get in on the deal, and describe him as ‘one of the most exciting talents in Europe right now’.

AS Monaco, Bologna, Valencia and Villarreal are also eyeing Camara, who looks set to be in high demand as the January transfer window opens.

The Verdict: Perfect for the Prem

Given Kante’s success in the top flight, in where he won back-to-back league titles with Leicester City and Chelsea, Camara is a player that should also thrive in the division.

His energy in the midfield is perfect for its fast pace, and he has already shown in the UEFA Europa League this campaign that he can play at a high level.

Camara has won no fewer than 8.5 of his duels per game in the group stages so far, and has also averaged 3.8 tackles, 2.3 successful dribbles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.3 shots per match (SofaScore), suggesting that he has all of the attributes to succeed.

Given the competition for his signature, it would be a real coup if the North East club were to sign him, as he could well turn out to be a key player in their fight against relegation.

In other news, find out which ‘really crazy’ beast NUFC have joined the race to sign here!

Newcastle United are set to beat Celtic to the capture of Galway United youngster Alex Murphy. 

The lowdown: Celtic eyeing up young talent

Celtic signed Johnny Kenny from Sligo Rovers in January for a nominal fee, clearly looking to build up from the bottom, strengthening the squad of the future.

The Hoops were then linked with 17-year-old defender Murphy in February amidst interest from West Brom and Serie A outfit Torino.

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At that time, the seriousness of the interest from the Premier League club was apparent as an initial report from the Irish Examiner claimed a €100,000 (£83,000) offer had already been made.

Nowm it appears as though Celtic were ultimately unable to land their target, as another English side have swooped in…

The latest: Money talks

According to a report from RTE, newly mega-rich Newcastle have won the race to sign the talented teenager.

It’s claimed that Murphy will move to St James’ Park in the summer after turning 18 on June 25.

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Celtic are once again mentioned as being amongst the interest parties to miss out on the twice-capped Republic of Ireland Under 16 starlet as well as Brighton & Hove Albion.

The verdict: Big blow

After signing a first professional contract with Galway in August 2021, manager John Caulfield described the youngster’s career trajectory as ‘very good’ amidst growing speculation around his future.

Despite his tender years, the teenager has made seven senior appearances in the Irish first division already – completing 90 minutes on five occasions.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether Murphy can make the grade in the English top-flight, the Celtic hierarchy will no doubt be disappointed to miss out on a highly-rated youngster, although this type of attempted capture does show where the Hoops’ upcoming transfer targets may lie.

In other news, pundit pinpoints key attribute that has been crucial for Celtic. Find out more here.