All posts by z3u9t.icu

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips doesn’t believe that Harry Kane will sign a new contract at Tottenham Hotspur or that the forward will remain at the club beyond next summer.

The Lowdown: Kane stays put, for now

Following his interview with Gary Neville in ‘The Overlap’ podcast and rumours linking the 28-year-old with a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it looked like Manchester City were going to land the England striker.

Kane, who scored his 40th England goal in 63 appearances on Sunday, was constantly linked with the Premier League champions over the summer and missed Spurs’ season opener against Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, after featuring against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Kane released a statement via Twitter confirming that he was staying with Spurs this season, and he netted his first goals of the season in the Europa Conference League qualifier against Pacos de Ferreira in late August.

It has been reported recently that Kane could be set to agree on a new deal at the club, with a release clause inserted to allow him to leave in January or next summer.

The Latest: Phillips not confident of new deal for Kane

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Phillips isn’t confident Kane will sign a deal, stating he will be surprised if the striker extends his stay at Spurs.

He said: “I heard what he said and yeah, reading between the lines, you would say Daniel Levy has broken a gentleman’s agreement. If Kane is sleeping easy at night he is obviously laying the blame somewhere else.

“We don’t know the facts but to hear that from Harry says a lot. I’m pretty sure he is hinting toward a gentlemen’s agreement being broken.

“Harry may not be happy about it but he won’t throw his toys out of the pram. He will knuckle down and do what he does best which is score goals.

“We will see what happens come the summer. I don’t see him signing a new deal. I think he’ll be angling for a move again next summer. I’d be very surprised if he extended.”

The Verdict: Kane has eyes on Spurs only…for now

As Phillips states, Kane’s professionalism will likely remain intact and his only aim will be to help Spurs succeed this season. If a “gentlemen’s agreement” has been broken at the club end, the move seems more likely to happen as Kane’s intentions to win trophies and compete at the top is evident.

With Tottenham top of the Premier League and Kane already off the mark for club and country this season, the only thing on both parties’ minds will be this season. However, if City do come in for the striker again next year, Spurs may struggle to hold on to him, especially if they fail t0 end their trophy drought of almost 14 years.

In other news, Tottenham handed blow on transfer target as Wolves journalist confirms news. Find out more here.

After finishing in the top half of the table in their first season back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence, Leeds United’s current season has not been as smooth as most would have hoped for at the Yorkshire club.

With 18 games played, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have managed to win just three games whilst drawing seven and losing eight.

One big issue that Leeds have had to deal with this season is the fact that they have managed to concede 36 goals in those 18 games, leaving only Norwich City and Newcastle United, prior to their match against Manchester United, having conceded more.

Now that the January transfer window is set to open in a matter of days, this could give Bielsa the chance to fix some of the issues in his squad, particularly at the back, which the Whites are apparently looking to do.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Leeds are monitoring the situation of Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon who the north London club are likely to allow to leave.

The claim states he could leave “on a short-term deal” in order  “to get game time as he has struggled for minutes this season.”

Fixing an issue

Since joining Tottenham back in October last year from Championship club Swansea City, the 24-year-old has only made 13 appearances in the Premier League with 12 of them being from last season.

Leeds currently have defender Liam Cooper out through injury, meaning this could be a smart move from the Yorkshire club to bring in a capable centre-back such as the £24k-per-week Rodon, who has some experience of playing in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho once labelled the centre-back as a “perfect” player which considering he’s coached defenders such as Sergio Ramos and John Terry among many others during his managerial career, is quite the statement.

Rodon could prove to be a better option for Leeds than current centre-back Robin Koch who struggled in his first game back for Leeds in their 4-1 defeat against Arsenal after recovering from injury.

He was completely dreadful vs the Gunners, earning a woeful SofaScore rating of 5.9 and completing an uncharacteristic and measly 77% of his passes.

Keep in mind that journalist Ian Mitchelmore once dubbed him as “flawless” and it’s clear to see why he’d bring a greater degree of solidity to Bielsa’s backline.

Even though the report suggests that Newcastle United are in the lead to secure Rodon’s signature next month, Victor Orta should do all he can to sign the defender to see if he can help fix Bielsa’s issue of seeing his side concede too many goals.

In other news: Orta heading for unforgivable Leeds transfer disaster on “relentless” £36m-rated star – opinion

Back in January of 2019, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side were reported to be extremely interested in the signing of a relatively unknown right-back, who went by the name of Timothy Castagne.

Indeed, The Daily Record claimed that the Hoops had made the Atalanta full-back their top priority in the winter window, with Rodgers viewing the Belgium international as a direct replacement for Mikael Lustig – who looked as if he would be leaving Parkhead at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

However, despite offering £8m for the then-23-year-old’s services, the Bhoys failed to get a deal over the line for the promising defender, with Atalanta believed to be looking for a figure in the region of £12m in order to sanction the right-back’s sale.

And, in May of 2019, after finding himself much more involved with Gian Piero Gasperini’s first-team squad, Castagne himself revealed just how close he came to joining Celtic, stating: “It’s incredible how quickly things in football can change.

“In December, I wasn’t starting any games and there was an £8m move to Celtic on the table. It looked like I was leaving, but the club wanted £12m and the deal collapsed.

“Since then, having not played for 13 games, I played just about every other game and we qualified for the Champions League. So it’s been an unbelievable turnaround for me.”

However, flash forward 16 months and Castagne would eventually find himself playing for Rodgers, although not at Celtic Park.

Indeed, in September 2020, Leicester City parted with £21.5m in order to bring the then-24-year-old full-back to the King Power, since which time the Belgian has gone on to establish himself as a first-team regular with the Premier League side.

Furthermore, his prominence in the English top-flight has also seen his market value soar, with the £63k-per-week defender now being worth around £25m in today’s market – something that will undoubtedly leave an incredibly sour taste in Celtic mouths.

Indeed, while £12m certainly would have been an eye-catching fee for the Hoops to cough up for a little-known right-back, the 26-year-old who Gerry Taggart dubbed a “proper player” has since proven he would have been well worth the outlay – both financially and in terms of performance – leading us to believe that Celtic had something of a nightmare when missing out on the full-back in 2019.

AND in other news: “Understand that…”: Journalist drops big transfer update, it’s bad news for Celtic

Phil Hay has given a short and sweet response to Andrea Radrizzani confirming Leeds United remain fully behind Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Leeds struggling

After a fantastic maiden campaign back in the Premier League which saw the Whites finish in the top half, the Yorkshire outfit have struggled to hit the same heights this term.

As it stands, they are 17th in the table after 10 matches and, although the recent 2-1 victory over Norwich gives them a little more breathing space, Leeds remain in a relegation battle for now.

Also, Bielsa’s contract is set to run out at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt) due to his tendency to only sign one-year deals, and it is not yet sure whether he will put pen to paper on a new one.

The Latest: Hay discusses Bielsa future

Speaking at the Lisbon Web Summit, Leeds owner Radrizzani discussed Bielsa’s future. He said (via The Athletic):

“When I got Marcelo Bielsa to come I knew it was going to be a challenge but we support him unconditionally and I think that the results have been seen on the pitch.

“For him, this is the longest (reign) in his career at a club. As a club, we support him and his ideas unconditionally.”

Hay was then asked on Twitter whether he believed these comments could be seen as the dreaded vote of confidence. His response was emphatic:

“Nah.”

The Athletic reporter’s response has gone under the radar with zero retweets and just 13 likes – he has over 210,000 followers on Twitter.

The Verdict: Deserves more time

Even though he hasn’t been at the club that long, Bielsa is a Leeds legend. In the 14 years between the club’s relegation to the second tier and Bielsa’s appointment, 18 different managers tried and failed to return the Elland Road side to the promised land (Soccerbase.com).

It took the 66-year-old two seasons to earn promotion, and the way they took to life back amongst the elite, scoring 62 goals in the league alone (Sky Sports), showed his nous.

Some of European football’s leading managers, such as Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino (via Give Me Sport), have even named Bielsa as an inspiration.

The fans love him, and that adulation appears to be reciprocated – the former Chile boss has never spent longer as a club’s manager than he has in his current role. Yes, it is a bit of a struggle at the moment, but the man in the hot-seat has earned the right to turn things around.

In other news, Leeds are interested in this Championship star.

Aston Villa are open to moving Trezeguet on during the January transfer window.

That’s according to The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse, which has had some Villa fans talking on social media.

Villa have already been extremely busy when it comes to transfer activity this month, with Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne arriving.

Axel Tuanzebe cut short his season-long loan to move to Napoli and Anwar El Ghazi is joining Everton on a temporary basis, while Trezeguet is another player who could depart over the coming weeks.

According to Collomosse, Trezeguet is thought to be available for transfer this month. The 27-year-old is currently away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations and has missed the majority of the campaign through injury.

His first appearance of the season came in the 2-1 defeat to Brentford, and it seems as that could turn out to be his final outing in a Villa shirt.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Collomosse’s claim regarding the winger on Twitter. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with a mixed response.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @alexiawhite

“Whilst it feels harsh on El Ghazi and Trez it would seem to me that Gerrard is getting rid of those who aren’t quite good enough for the level he wants. Removing sentiment from it I agree, but I’d be sad to see them both go for various/obvious reasons.”

Credit: @Benjmeister85

“I’m sad”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Really?”

Credit: @ZM_AVFC

“The clear out has begun”

Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ

“Good don’t wanna see that diver in a villa shirt again”

Credit: @ryanavfc7

In other news: ‘Called it a week after Gerrard arrived’ – Lots of AVFC fans flock to Ornstein’s transfer update.   

A number of Manchester City fans have reacted negatively to reports linking Declan Rice with a move to the Etihad Stadium.

The Athletic’s West Ham correspondent Roshane Thomas wrote in a mailbag for the website on Friday that there is “every chance” of the Premier League champions making a transfer offer in 2022 for the England midfielder, who was reportedly a target for the Cityzens this year as well. Man City fan feed @City_Chief later shared the update via Twitter.

A core presence in the Three Lions’ run to the Euro 2020 final in the summer, Rice has also drawn admiring glances from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, with some reports claiming that West Ham had placed a £100m price tag on him to ward off prospective suitors. Incidentally, that was the same amount which City paid to Aston Villa for his England team-mate Jack Grealish in August.

Despite his tender age, he has already captained David Moyes’ side on numerous occasions and exceeded 150 first team appearances. City reportedly want him as Fernandinho’s long-term successor at the Etihad, with Rice and Rodri potentially playing together or even vying for just one place in Pep Guardiola’s midfield.

Man City fans don’t want Rice

These City fans on Twitter weren’t overly keen on the idea of the club making a big-money move for the “overpriced” West Ham midfielder, with some stating their preference to see City academy starlet Romeo Lavia promoted to the senior squad instead and others believing Rice to be surplus to requirements given the presence of Rodri at the Etihad.

“Behave”

Credit: @pinner_stewart

“He’s so bad. Along with Southgate, Kane and Mount, one of the major reasons we didn’t win the Euros. Just promote Lavia”

Credit: @EthanGaffiney

“Oh my word, another English player. Gonna get overpriced”

Credit: @BuhleQavile

“One of the most overrated players I’ve ever seen. Rodri is 10x the player Rice is. This fella can’t make a progressive pass to save his life and is slower than a snail facing counters. Just promote Lavia or even get Kalvin Phillips who defo is better than Rice”

Credit: @JamesMcSilva

“Please no. We already employ Rodri who is 10x the player Rice is”

Credit: @mxnciteh

“Why? Good player but he won’t be the worth the stupid money we would have to pay + Rodri is better.”

Credit: @King_Kevin100

In other news: This development prior to the Club Brugge game had lots of Man City fans excited

Flocking to Twitter, many Chelsea supporters have been left excited following a Fabrizio Romano update involving rising star Aurelien Tchouaméni.

The AS Monaco prodigy, who started for France against Spain at the weekend in their 2-1 UEFA Nations League final victory, has been turning many heads throughout Europe.

Tchouaméni, starting nearly every Ligue 1 game for Monaco last season, made an extremely impressive 3.5 tackles per 90 on average and marked himself out as a real enforcer in front of the back four (WhoScored).

At just 21-years-old, the Frenchman also has plenty of years left ahead of him and could even reach a higher level than his current form – prompting Chelsea to take a swift interest.

According to reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano on his Here We Go Podcast (via Route1futbol), the Blues now have Tchouaméni on their list of targets as sporting director Marina Granovskaia eyes defensive midfielders.

Flocking to this claim, many Chelsea fans have been left overjoyed, with one suggesting he could even be a better signing than West Ham star Declan Rice.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

Chelsea fans excited by Tchouameni claim…

“Bring him home”

Credit: @AVN54872570

“Tchouameni is the man not Rice.”

Credit: @walter81414191

“Praying for a Marina Masterclass”

Credit: @Prince_Havertz

“Marina should just hijack this deal fast!!!!!”

Credit: @nii4real_

“Marina get it done”

Credit: @CFC_kai

“On my knees”

Credit: @shina_oj

“we’re back”

Credit: @0shi_val

In other news: ‘Horrible’, ‘Sell him’, ‘Hugely disappointing’…Many Chelsea fans erupt over player after what they’ve seen, find out more here.

Manchester United may have pulled off their best transfer window in recent memory, but the future of one of their star players remains up in the air.

What’s the story?

The arrivals of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo will hopefully propel the Red Devils’ first-team squad to new heights this summer, yet World Cup-winning midfielder Paul Pogba is still to commit his future to the club.

After entering the final year of his current contract, the 28-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, although Lionel Messi’s shock arrival at the Parc des Princes priced him out of that particular deal.

However, according to well-known journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the Red Devils are reportedly hopeful that the arrival of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo will be enough to convince Pogba to sign a new contract at the club.

“The feeling at hierarchical level at United is the return of Ronaldo is such a compelling statement of intent that it may persuade Pogba to stay,” his report read.

Fans could be buzzing

After re-joining his boyhood club in a then world-record £89 million deal back in 2016, Pogba has only won the League Cup and Europa League and has failed to add to those accolades over the last four seasons.

As a result, Pogba is not believed to have shown any concrete interest in putting pen to paper on fresh terms at United due to fears he could waste the remaining prime years of his career with the Old Trafford outfit.

Nevertheless, the recent improvements made under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both on and off the pitch have brought renewed hope that the 20-time English champions could return to their former glory in the imminent future.

When asked about Ronaldo’s return to United, Pogba said: “Everybody knows [what he brings]. He’s already a legend at this club and he is coming back.

“Obviously, it’s good for us, he’s going to bring his experience and quality. When he comes, the level goes up. We’re really pleased he’s coming and the most important thing today was the win so that when he comes we keep this winning mentality and keep going.”

Only time will tell if Ronaldo’s presence is enough to convince Pogba to sign a new deal, but the United supporters could be left buzzing with excitement at this new wave of hope.

And, in other news…Man Utd make contact over £27m-rated “complete midfielder”, Ole would love him 

After a decent start to the season with four wins from their opening six Premier League games, Everton have been on a rather rough run of form by losing five and drawing two of their seven previous league outings.

In those seven previous games, Everton have managed to concede 13 goals in the process, highlighting their defensive frailties at the moment.

This could potentially have something to do with the fact that they’ve had centre-back Yerry Mina out injured with a thigh issue since October.

Taking this into account, now could be the best time for Benitez one of Everton’s young defensive talents who has hardly had a look-in so far this season.

19-year-old centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite has only played 57 minutes of action for Everton this season which came during their 2-1 win against Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup.

With recent reports suggesting that Everton will look to send the defender out on loan in January after securing him on a long-term contract, it could be the better option for the Toffees to keep him in the squad but give him some regular Premier League minutes instead of loaning him out

Not only would it be a good time to give Branthwaite his first taste of Premier League action this season to try and fix their recent defensive issues, but it would also give the teenager some useful experience of playing in the top-flight alongside his senior teammates after not making an appearance in the league last year and only making four the season before.

Also, given how Branthwaite has already had some experience of playing in the Championship when he joined Blackburn Rovers on a loan deal last season where he made a total of ten appearances

Labelled as a “terrific footballer” by Steven Pressley – Branthwaite’s former coach at Carlisle United – the defender should be given the chance to see if he can have a positive impact on the team and turn their fortunes around in the league.

If Benitez has no intention of playing him in the league anytime soon, it could be in Branthwaite’s best interest in terms of his development if he did go out on loan to another Championship club and got some regular playing minutes under his belt again.

However, it would be good for the Toffees if they were able to seal his signature on a new long-term deal beforehand as he could end up saving them millions of pounds in potential future transfer fees given his young age if they need to replace the likes of Mina and Michael Keane in the next few years.

With the former linked with a move away, the young Everton defender could be a viable successor.

In other news: Brands could solve Rafa’s big Everton issue by signing “intelligent” £19.8m-rated ace – opinion

Newcastle United have now reportedly agreed a deal to sign Joe Willock before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Willock targeted

Willock is reportedly the priority target for the North East club in this window after putting in some very impressive performances during his loan spell at St. James’ Park from Arsenal in the 2020/21 term.

The central midfield player helped himself to eight goals in 14 matches in the Premier League while playing for the Tyneside club (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Deal reportedly agreed

According to 90min, a deal has now been agreed for Willock to move to the Magpies, and he has been told by the Gunners that he can leave.

Steve Bruce’s team have proposed a permanent deal which could be worth up to £25m including add-ons, and presents a ‘significant’ investment as it exceeds their reported budget of £20m.

However, a deal is no closer because Willock himself has not decided yet if he would like to leave the Emirates Stadium.

The North London club have told the Magpies that they would be willing to accept a loan offer with an option to buy, but they would prefer to sign him permanently.

The Verdict: Sign

So long as Willock agrees to move to the Toon, then they should pay the £25m fee, as he will be worth it for them in the long-term.

He already proved how much of an asset he can be to them, as Allan Saint-Maximin dubbed him as an ‘amazing’ player after his loan spell ended.

Nonetheless, it is a no brainer to bring Willock back – he has a proven track record on Tyneside, a great relationship emerging on the pitch with Saint-Maximin and is adored by the fans.

In other news, find out which ‘manager’s dream’ NUFC want to sign here!