Rangers: Fans unhappy with latest Castore news

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to another update from the club and Castore in regards to their pro shirt that is now available.

The Gers’ partnership with Castore has not been without its problems since the deal was signed earlier this year. Although the pre-sale for the home shirt was sold out within 36 hours, fans complained of their purchases arriving late, while others were far from happy when they were damaged when they eventually did make it to their destination.

Castore have continued to release a number of new products, though, one of which is the availability of the Pro shirt. Not only can it exclusively be bought in the club shop, which plenty of people cannot visit because of the global pandemic we are living through, it will also retail at £90.

The Gers fans, it is fair to say, are far from happy with this update, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Castore below

In other news, Rangers could make a move for this free agent compared to Neymar.

Daniel Levy should hand Kane a new deal

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy must consider handing Harry Kane a new contract with the North London club in the near future, following reports that Manchester City are keen on signing the England captain.

What’s the word?

Recent reports have suggested that Manchester City are plotting a £90 million move for the Englishman as they seek a replacement for Sergio Aguero.

The Spurs talisman’s contract is currently set to run until 2024, with the 27-year-old currently earning £200,000 a week with the Lilywhites, suggesting that Spurs are in a strong position if City do make an official approach.

Should Levy hand Kane a new contract?

Considering the superb way in which Kane has started the season, however, he may feel he is deserving of a new contract with the North London club, having last signed an extension in 2018.

The academy graduate has contributed 10 goals and 11 assists in 16 top-flight appearances so far this season, averaging a superb 7.90 rating, which is enough to rank him as the second-best performer in the Premier League.

Despite contributing 205 goals and 44 assists in 312 appearances for Spurs, Kane is still yet to win a trophy with the club, something he confessed he needed to do in order to stay with the Lilywhites for the long-term.

The appointment of Jose Mourinho was seemingly done with the expectation that the Portuguese manager would deliver trophies and he is now just one match away from ending Spurs’ barren run without a major honour, with the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City set to come in April of this year.

That match could have even more significance, as if Spurs fail to win that game, or any other major trophy this season, then Kane could well be convinced to make the move to the Etihad Stadium, where Pep Guardiola’s side have enjoyed a lot of success in domestic competitions in recent years.

It has been suggested recently that the club are considering handing both Kane and Heung-Min Son new deals after their impressive start to the season and this is something that they should definitely press on with, whilst Fabrizio Romano suggested in a recent interview when speaking to Give Me Sport that:

“They’re working on Son right now, then they will talk to Harry Kane but Tottenham, I feel, are so relaxed about their top stars, they are convinced that these players will stay, in particular Son, he is going to extend this contract in their opinion I feel also, in a positive way, also around the player, not just around the club.

“So they’re negotiating about the salary and every detail, if it will be a five or six-year contract, so they are negotiating about the details but the idea of the player is staying, that the club is obviously keeping him so when you want the same thing, I think they will go for for the new contract because he wants to stay and also because it’s really difficult to negotiate (a move away) with Daniel and it’s the same also for Harry Kane.

“If any club wants these kinds of players, they need to spend a lot of money because Tottenham have their prices, they won’t change their prices so it will be the same also for Harry Kane.”

The Englishman has combined superbly with the South Korean forward at times this season, with former Manchester City man Rodney Marsh dubbing his assist to Son against Leeds as “sensational.”

Therefore, if Kane can be convinced to stay with a new long-term contract, then Levy must do all he can to keep the forward as, on current form, it is clear that he is the key to Mourinho’s side winning their first trophy since 2008.

Click here to see the full 30-minute video of Fabrizio Romano’s interview with Give Me Sport…

And, in other news… Daniel Levy must swoop for £31.5m-rated magician this month

Sporting CP to hand Jovane Cabral new contract after West Ham interest

David Moyes enjoyed a narrow escape this summer with West Ham United failing to sign Sporting CP forward Jovane Cabral.

What’s the word?

According to O Jogo, Sporting have informed Cabral’s representatives that they intend to sit down and discuss a new contract for the 22-year-old, after promising one of their most valuable assets of an extension if the attacker stayed in Lisbon this summer.

Cabral was widely linked with a move away from the Jose Alvalade Stadium by the Portuguese media this year, with A Bola claiming in September that West Ham were rivalling Fulham and an unnamed English side but that each had seen offers rebuffed.

Hertha Berlin, another Italian side and Tottenham Hotspur were also positioning themselves for advances, however no bid ever met the green and whites’ €35million (£31.5m) valuation or their request of €20m (£18m) plus bonuses and a future sell-on clause.

Though West Ham refusing to meet Sporting’s demands now appears to have been the right decision, given Cabral has only created one big chance to score and produced 0.6 shots per game over five appearances since the 2020/21 Liga NOS season began, per SofaScore.

Narrow escape

As well as offering little creativity with an average of 0.8 key balls and zero accurate crosses, Cabral has only recorded 0.6 successful dribbles, 6.6 accurate passes in the opposition half, won 1.4 ground duels and has lost possession 6.4 times a game, per SofaScore, ahead of facing Tondela on Sunday night.

His record for the campaign to date offers little evidence to suggest West Ham would have been making the right decision in paying Sporting their lower €20m fee, let alone the full €35m, as the 22-year-old Cape Verde international could have proven an even worse purchase than Felipe Anderson.

The Irons spent a then-club-record £36m to purchase Anderson from Lazio in 2018 but a torrid second campaign from the Brazilian was enough for the east London outfit to sanction a one-year loan with FC Porto, in the hopes he can rediscover his initial form.

Anderson struck ten goals and provided five assists across all competitions during his debut season, but only provided a single goal and five assists during his second year in claret and blue as he eventually fell from the starting line-up under Moyes.

It remains to be seen if Anderson can rediscover his form in Portugal, having so far failed to contribute to the scoring in two Liga NOS outings totalling 49 minutes, but what is clear is that it looks right now as though West Ham dodged a potentially expensive bullet with Cabral.

AND in other news, West Ham can sign the new Nemanja Vidic in a £43.3k-p/w “powerhouse” David Moyes courted this summer.

Celtic may regret missing out on late swoop for Scotland’s Robert Snodgrass

Celtic may regret missing out on West Ham winger Robert Snodgrass, after making a loan move before the transfer window deadline.

What’s the word?

Neil Lennon’s side were looking to make reinforcements to their squad in the closing stages of the window, and reports had claimed that they had made a loan offer to Scotland international Snodgrass at the weekend.

However, that deal failed to materialise, with the Bhoys instead settling on Diego Laxalt as a late arrival. Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has even suggested that Celtic could return for Snodgrass when the January transfer window opens up in a couple of months, claiming that the Hoops “could squeeze that last bit of quality out of him to help the team”.

Proven Premier League player

Whilst Celtic did end up bringing a new face in, a move for Snodgrass would have made far sense for the club than signing Laxalt like they did.

With 28 caps for Scotland, the West Ham ace is still proving even this season that he still has plenty left in his locker. In three Carabao Cup matches for the Hammers, he has scored twice and set up another, whilst the 2019/2020 campaign saw him establish himself as a consistent performer, netting five goals and providing five assists in 26 games.

Described as a “wonderful player” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, the £40k-a-week ace has that bit of creativity and class in the final third that could have added a real bit of quality to Celtic.

Capable of playing on either flank, and also as a number ten, Snodgrass averaged 1.4 key passes, 1.6 crosses and even 1.2 tackles per game in the Premier League last season. So whilst he may be 33, there’s still legs left in the Scot’s career, and given his versatility, could have been a real coup for Neil Lennon’s side had they managed to pull a loan move off.

Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta suffers a blow as Man City enter the race for Aouar

Arsenal have been chasing big-name reinforcements for the majority of the ongoing summer transfer window. Of course, the Gunners and Mikel Arteta himself have big aspirations for the upcoming 2020/21 Premier League campaign and their ambition can be seen in the transfer targets they’ve set for themselves.

One such player is Olympique Lyon’s Houssem Aouar but getting him to the Emirates will be much easier said than done. After all, not only is he quite expensive with the French titans still valuing him at around £54m, but now, more bad news has emerged in the media.

According to the latest report from The Mirror, Manchester City are ready to enter the race for the midfielder and potentially mess up the Gunners’ plans.

Pep Guardiola seems to like the player and would be willing to battle his former student for his signature. Both coaches seem to think the 22-year-old prospects could be a star of the future so we could indeed be seeing a big battle on the market between the two clubs.

Of course, Arsenal have also explored the option of offering cash and one of their players, reportedly Matteo Guendouzi, but Lyon are simply not interested in the 21-year-old and want the potential buyer, whoever that ends up being, to meet their asking price.

So far, that’s all we know and it will be interesting to see how Arteta responds now that the Citizens might also enter the fray.

Verdict

Aouar can be the type of player to provide Arsenal with the creative spark they were lacking at times. Not only that but he is also very young and can still improve with the right guidance.

However, nothing is set in stone and at the end of the day, it will be up to him to decide where he wants to continue his career.

FIFA 20: Premier League youngsters with the best growth and potential

Despite FIFA 21’s release just months away, there is still plenty of fun to be had on FIFA 20 – none better than Career Mode.

With the ability to take charge of any team in the world, Career Mode gives the user the opportunity to become the manager of their favourite teams, or even smaller clubs to make them grow and become world-beaters.

A key aspect of Career Mode, however, is the importance of young players and your youth academy – which means paying attention to players’ potential growth and ratings after nourishment, time, and training.

FIFA Ultimate Team has often been the most popular game mode on FIFA, but Career Mode provides a different kind of experience, rather than just getting all of the best players in the game, you must grow your team from the bottom up – but in doing so means buying the right youngsters, so which Premier League players have the best growth and potential overall rating I hear you ask? Well, here is our top 10…

Information provided via Futwiz is subject to change. All information provided is correct at time of publishing.

10. Anthony Gordon

Current Rating: 61

Potential Rating: 82

Growth: +21

The Everton youngster featured 11 times in the Premier League this season and even got himself an assist along the way. With a potential growth of 82, the 19-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League, and would only cost a mere £475k in Career Mode.

9. Ryan Astley

Current Rating: 61

Potential Rating: 82

Growth: +21

Another Everton youngster, Astley is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Toffees but has great potential, and will likely feature for the club at some point in the future. With a growth of 21, the young defender can reach 82 rated, and would only cost a small fee of £450k in-game.

8. Gavin Bazunu

Current Rating: 59

Potential Rating: 82

Growth: +23

The Irish goalkeeper joined Manchester City in July 2019 but is yet to make an appearance at senior level, playing for the clubs U23’s. Banuzu has a great potential rating of 82, with his growth being +23 ratings from his base of 59, and would only cost you £250k in career mode, which is a bargain for a player of this growth.

7. Brandon Pierrick

Current Rating: 60

Potential Rating: 82

Growth: +22

The Crystal Palace attacking midfielder was promoted to the first team just last month and even made two Premier League appearances at the end of the season. Pierrick has a current rating of just 60 but has a +22 growth taking his potential rating to 82 – all at the cost of £400k on Career Mode.

6. Malachi Fagan-Walcott

Current Rating: 59

Potential Rating: 82

Growth: +23

Costing just £275k in Career Mode, Fagan-Walcott is one of Tottenham’s hottest prospects. The 18-year-old defender currently plays for the clubs U23’s and is yet to make a first-team appearance for Spurs. With a current rating of 59, Fagan-Walcott can reach a potential overall of 82, boasting a +23 growth.

5. Ki-Jana Hoever

Current Rating: 62

Potential Rating: 84

Growth: +22

Liverpool defender Ki-Jana Hoever has been tipped for big things and has a great mentor in fellow countryman Virgil Van Dijk at the club. The 18-year-old has great potential, with a growth of +22 from his base rating of 62, taking him to 84 overall. Not only does he have a great potential rating, but he will also only cost £525k in the game mode.

4. Troy Parrott

Current Rating: 64

Potential Rating: 85

Growth: +21

The Irish striker has been at Tottenham since 2017 and will be on loan to Championship club Millwall next season. The 18-year-old has a potential rating of 85, with a growth of +21 from his base rating of 64 – which would make him one of the best strikers in the league, all at the cost of £875k.

3. Curtis Jones

Current Rating: 65

Potential Rating: 85

Growth: +20

With a growth of +20, Jones has one of the smallest growth ratings out of all the players on this list, but despite this has one of the highest potential ratings of 85. The Liverpool midfielder has made 6 league appearances for the club, including a first Premier League goal against Aston Villa. Jones would only cost £925k in Career Mode.

2. Tommy Doyle

Current Rating: 62

Potential Rating: 85

Growth: +23

The Manchester City midfielder is a product of the club’s academy, currently playing for the U23’s. Doyle made his Premier League debut this season, and manager Pep Guardiola is a fan. The 18-year-old has a base rating of 62, but with a +23 growth can reach a potential rating of 85 – all at the cost of £575k.

1. Harvey Elliott

Current Rating: 64

Potential Rating: 87

Growth: +23

The 17-year-old joined Liverpool in 2019 after making his Premier League debut for Fulham, becoming the league’s youngest ever player at 16 years and 30 days, and even featured twice in the Premier League for Liverpool this season. With a base rating of 64, Elliott’s potential rating of 87 makes him one of the highest-rated youngsters in the Premier League, with a +23 growth – and would only cost you £875k in Career Mode.

West Ham News: Hammers preparing new £8m offer for seven-goal forward

David Moyes has once again done his magic to pull West Ham United out of the gutters and towards safety. But he also knows perfectly well the team will need strengthening in the ongoing summer transfer window if the Hammers are to enjoy a more competitive and overall successful 2020/21 season.

According to the latest report from The Sun, West Ham are preparing a second bid for Slavia Prague’s winger, Lukas Masopust. After their initial offer that is reported to have been around £4.8m was rejected by the Czech team, the Hammers are now willing to offer £8m, which is much closer to the selling club’s evaluation.

The 27-year-old has bagged seven goals and assisted five across 37 games played last term and would indeed be a big bargain considering his output is quite good. However, as we now know, West Ham don’t exactly have a lot of money to spend.

For that reason, Moyes will likely have to sell some players first before looking to potential reinforcements on the market. Both Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko could be next on the chopping block as the Premier League outfit looks to raise funds. But if they are indeed moved on, West Ham will also need more attacking power to come in to plug those holes and help the team improve.

Masopust just might be the chosen one if Slavia accept the second attempt, which is likely seeing how they were the ones asking for that specific amount in the first place.

Verdict

There are no two ways about it, West Ham need more firepower and they will need to dip their toes into the market this summer if the team is to be ready for the 2020/21 campaign.

Moyes has somehow managed to secure Premier League football once again but there’s no guarantee this squad is good enough to do it again. Masopust, on the other hand, might bring them one step closer to that goal.

Portsmouth: Kenny Jackett passed up chance to sign Kenyan international

Portsmouth opted to pass on the chance to sign Jonah Ayunga, who ended up joining Bristol Rovers earlier this week.

Pompey boss Kenny Jackett will undoubtedly look to make a number of significant changes to his squad this summer, especially after seeing his side fail to gain promotion from League One to the Championship for a second consecutive season.

Whilst little transfer business has developed at Fratton Park due to a pending vote on the English Football League’s plans to introduce a salary cap, links to players have been seen in various media outlets.

One of those players linked with a move to Portsmouth in Ayunga has now opted to join League One rivals Bristol Rovers, signing a deal from non-league side Havant and Waterlooville.

Ayunga, 23, finished joint top scorer in National League South last season with an impressive 18 goals in 30 appearances.

Reflecting on his move to Bristol Rovers, Portsmouth News have now claimed that Pompey boss Jackett opted not to sign the former Brighton and Hove Albion youngster because he was ‘not quite ready’.

Following up that report, Rovers boss Ben Garner said that his side beat a number of EFL clubs to the signature of Ayunga.

Another one missed for Portsmouth. Quite who Jackett is looking is a big debate at the moment. Would it not have been an low cost gamble to bring in Ayunga for next season?

Well, time will tell but if he goes on to bag a few for Bristol Rovers, Jackett will look a little bit red faced.

Do you think Portsmouth should have made a move for Ayunga? Let us know in the comments section below…

Spurs fans fuming with transfer link to Stefan Savic

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been left fuming by a fresh transfer report emerging this week.

According to Todofichajes, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is keen on landing Atletico Madrid centre-back Stefan Savic in the summer.

It’s claimed that the La Liga side will listen to offers of around €15m (£13.6m) and the 29-year-old is high on his list of potential defensive options.

But the Spurs faithful are far from pleased with the news…

The 29-year-old has been an integral part of Diego Simeone’s sturdy defence, when fit and available, this campaign. He was part of the side that kept Champions League winners Liverpool at bay in this year’s competition.

Savic has contributed to eight clean sheets in 17 appearances across La Liga, the UCL and the Copa del Rey, via Transfermarkt.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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The 6 foot 2 defender has also averaged 5.2 clearances, 3.1 aerial duels won, 1.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

Yet, this isn’t enough to convince some sections of the Spurs faithful with many slamming him for his lack of pace.

Whilst there were also comparisons made to players past and present as well as to other reported transfer targets.

One supporter believed Eric Dier is a better player whilst another likened the Montenegro international to ex-flop Federico Fazio.

It remains to be seen if Mourinho is indeed chasing the 29-year-old centre-back this summer, but clearly the potential signing wouldn’t go down well with some fans in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs fans slam Adam Lallana transfer report…

Newcastle United: Mark Douglas makes takeover claim as Premier League image emerges

Mark Douglas has revealed his latest thoughts on the prospective takeover of Newcastle United after replying to a fan on Twitter saying he feels that ‘it’ll go through’ based on what he has been told about the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabia-led consortium. 

However, the ChronicleLive journalist did admit that he felt drained by the whole situation lately and added that the concerns about it not going through are serious ones now.

Indeed, there has been more and more concern over whether the Premier League will disapprove the bid because of fears that the new owners would not pass the owner’s and director’s tests set out by the top flight.

A supporter shared a caption of part of the test on his Twitter page, which definitely stirred some reaction amongst several members of the Toon faithful.

The Guardian reported not so long ago that the perhaps controversial £300 million Saudi Arabia-funded takeover of the Tyneside club appears to be in serious doubt after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled that the country is behind a pirate satellite television and streaming service called beoutQ that offers illegal access to sporting events, including the broadcast of games in the English top flight.

Based off of their tests, England’s highest division would have to consider whether the potential would-be buyers, which includes Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and his country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), would be able to pass them given the piracy issues in their home country.

Nevertheless, Douglas has made a positive takeover claim that may lift some Magpies given the rather uncomfortable situation they find themselves in. He is a well connected journalist in the north east, so hearing that he remains confident the deal will go through is no doubt a positive for the Toon faithful.

Geordies, will the takeover go through? Comment below!

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