All posts by z3u9t.icu

There are a lot of problems at Tottenham Hotspur right now.

Nuno Santo’s side crashed to their third straight heavy Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby and the pressure is starting to mount on the Portuguese.

They are now leaking goals for fun, whilst their struggles in the final third are a major cause for concern.

As per Understat, the Lilywhites rank second-last for expected goals after six matches (5.47 xG) and they also sit last for average number of shots per game (9.3) – even the bottom three of Norwich City (10.2), Burnley (12.2) and Leeds (14.2).

Ever since Christian Eriksen departed N17 for Milan, Spurs have struggled to find a replacement capable of providing plenty of goals, quality set-pieces and assists from attacking midfield.

Arguably, one of the biggest disappointments has been Giovani Lo Celso, following a £55m move from Real Betis in August 2019.

The 31-cap Argentina international has provided only seven goals and four assists across 71 appearances, averaging one contribution every 365 minutes – or once every four games, per Transfermarkt.

This is some way off the level of Eriksen during his time in north London. By comparison, the Danish playmaker averaged a goal or assist every 151 minutes across a whopping 305 appearances.

After the 25-year-old was signed, plenty of outlets, such as 90min and The Times, tipped him up to fill the void left behind by the Inter Milan star but as evident above, that’s just not worked out whatsoever.

Having been described as a “technically gifted” and “exciting” player by teammate Harry Winks and “phenomenal” by Jose Mourinho, some comparisons could be made to former Spurs flop Adel Taarabt, someone who had undoubted quality in the final third but more often than not, went missing whenever given a proper opportunity.

Indeed, the Moroccan sensation was once dubbed “a wizard” by ex-Lilywhites boss Martin Jol, whilst another former boss in Harry Redknapp claimed he was “three stone overweight,” merely highlighting just how polarising he was during his time at the club.

Luka Modric even went as far as suggesting that he thought Taarabt would one day play for either one of La Liga’s biggest giants, Real Madrid or Barcelona.

These are two teams that have also been interested in Lo Celso in the past, so there are further similarities.

After signing as a teenager, Taarabt failed to deliver any contribution of note in 15 senior appearances for Spurs and whilst the £26m-rated Argentine midfielder is some way ahead of that already, his recent form and creative drought is certainly putting him in danger of being the next big midfield flop at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Journalist drops major behind-the-scenes Hotspur Way claim, Spurs fans will be buzzing…

West Ham won’t be bringing Jesse Lingard back to the club this summer, with the midfielder now all set to stay put at Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Lingard excels at West Ham

The Hammers enjoyed an excellent 2020/21 season, qualifying for the Europa League, and Lingard was one of the standout performers.

The 28-year-old scored nine Premier League goals in just 16 appearances after arriving on loan in January, excelling for David Moyes’ side.

The Latest: Midfielder set for United stay

There have been constant rumours linking Lingard with a return to the London Stadium this summer, but according to talkSPORT, he will remain at United:

“BREAKING: Jesse Lingard will stay at MUFC this summer. WHUFC were keen to re-sign Lingard, but couldn’t meet United’s £25M asking price – talkSPORT sources understand.”

The Verdict: Shame, but Vlasic fills the void

Re-signing Lingard would have capped off an exciting final couple of days of the transfer window at West Ham – he was hailed as ‘amazing’ by Rio Ferdinand last season – but it is also no great blow to miss out on him.

The Hammers still have a hugely exciting midfield and attack comprising of the likes of Declan Rice, Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio, which bodes well for the campaign ahead, with new arrival Nikola Vlasic surely the man to fill the gap left by Lingard.

Lingard’s impact last term will always be appreciated by West Ham supporters, however, and it will certainly be a storyline to watch out for whether Vlasic can perform to those ‘amazing’ levels himself.

In other news, some West Ham fans are delighted with one piece of deadline day news. Read more here.

Trying to replace a club icon is particularly difficult, and at Celtic that is no different.

As a dismal 2020/21 campaign came to a conclusion for the Hoops, they witnessed their no-nonsense club captain walk away from Parkhead. That man, of course, is a certain Scott Brown.

He headed to Aberdeen to take up a player-coach role and the individual to succeed his captaincy duties is Callum McGregor.

The Scot has had an excellent start to the season and had one of the best outings of his career in his nation’s colours this week when they took on Austria.

However, there is a sense that one of the many players that Ange Postecoglou brought to the club this summer could eventually become the true heir to Brown’s coveted place in the team.

Although yet to play, James McCarthy will be a big presence in the middle of the park once he’s fit enough. Liam Shaw, their signing from Sheffield Wednesday, could eventually star in that role, while Bosun Lawal has looked promising since arriving in Glasgow.

However, it is two players who were signed before Postecoglou walked in that appeared to stand the best chance before the summer’s arrivals.

Ismaila Soro is candidate number one. At various times last season, he looked like the most natural heir. He was composed on the ball and tough in the tackle, making ten successful challenges in one European outing against Lille.

However, the longer his stay at Paradise has continued, the more his form has deteriorated. Soro’s opening matches of the campaign left a lot to be desired as he lost a whopping ten of 14 duels against Midtjylland.

He was also rash in the challenge when he appeared from the bench against Rangers in the Old Firm before the international break.

With that in mind, Postecoglou should consider finally utilising Luca Connell in the first team.

The Irishman was signed from Bolton back in 2019 but he has never made a first-team outing for the Bhoys. He already had EFL experience with the Trotters when he arrived so it’s puzzling to see him make such a minimal impact in Scotland.

Left out of the club’s Europa League squad list, opportunities look as though they’ll be hard to come by for him.

Once again, this feels like a strange move. Connell was in excellent form during a loan spell at Queen’s Park last season, guiding them to promotion. In the process, the defensive midfielder scored three times and registered five assists.

The 20-year-old was a breath of fresh air to the Queen’s Park side and one goal encapsulated him perfectly. After he galloped forward and then found the net against Edinburgh towards the end of last term, the commentator said that he had a “wand of a left foot.”

With defensive nous and offensive abilities in his locker, Connell surely has everything needed to thrive in Postecoglou’s system. That’s precisely why he should be unleashed.

AND in other news, 100% duels won: Ange surely drooling after new Celtic signing’s international display…

Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of sealing a move for Lautaro Martinez this month seem rather slim after a major update emerged that won’t please many Spurs supporters…

What’s the word?

Over the weekend, reports surfaced suggesting that the North London outfit had agreed a £60m fee for the Inter Milan striker, with Spurs targeting him as a potential partner for Harry Kane, rather than a replacement.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, this was before they sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea, so it seems unlikely that they would offload both of their first-choice forwards in the same window.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (as relayed by Football Daily), the renowned Italian transfer expert said:

“The interest is genuine because it’s true that Tottenham want Lautaro Martinez. They’ve been in talks with his agent, with Inter about Lautaro Martinez, so it’s true that there is a strong interest from Tottenham but it’s something that they wanted to do before Inter sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea.

“It was about last week, that’s why the situation now is not easy.

“Inter state that they want to keep Lautaro Martinez at the club. They are convinced that Lautaro will be staying because they sold Lukaku, and they sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, so they don’t need money right now. And that’s why I think that this deal with Tottenham will be complicated.”

Bad news

This development will come as a blow to many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nuno Santo is thought to be eager to deploy a two-man attack system, in which another frontman is needed to partner Kane. But they have missed out on Danny Ings, who has joined Aston Villa, and now appear to have been ruled out of the Martinez race.

It means that the Portuguese cannot play the formation he desires just yet as the England international is his only senior striker – and he’s only just returned from holiday.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Furthermore, Romano’s claim is sure to upset much of the Lilywhites faithful who were desperate to see the Argentina talisman join this month.

When The Times’ Gary Jacob first revealed their interest over the weekend, many supporters erupted at the news – some pondered whether it was a dream, whilst others lauded sporting director Fabio Paratici.

“Would love this to be true,” said one fan, whilst another added: “If this is true Paratici needs a statue built outside the stadium,” as relayed by This is Futbol.

Martinez provided 19 goals and 11 assists as the Italian giants ended their decade-long Serie A hoodoo last season, so it’s no wonder there were plenty of Spurs supporters keen to see him signed.

They’ll now be fuming at this latest claim as it looks like their club acted too late.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kane: £40.5m-rated “nightmare” is “on Tottenham’s radar”, Nuno would love him…

Joe Wainman, a former Leeds United pundit on All Leeds TV, admits that he wanted Matheus Pereira to join the club this summer.

The attacking midfielder has joined Al Hilal from West Bromwich Albion, despite links with a number of Premier League clubs.

Leeds were reportedly interested, as were West Ham United, but he has opted to move to the Saudi Arabian league instead of remaining in England.

Pereira was a standout performer for the Baggies last season despite their relegation to the Championship, scoring 11 goals and registering six assists in 33 games in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old was seen by Wainman as a potential long-term replacement for Pablo Hernandez, who departed the club at the end of last season.

He has expressed his disappointment that he did not end up at Elland Road, although he can understand the reasons behind his decision to make the move to Saudi Arabia.

He said: “I would have liked to have seen him come in, just in terms of what he can offer, I think he’s a great player. I’d have seen him as a little bit of a Pablo Hernandez replacement possibly. But I get why Pereira has made that move.”

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith could sign his club’s new Paul Merson in Norwich City star Todd Cantwell.

What’s the story?

Reports from The Telegraph last summer suggested that Smith’s side were weighing up a potential move for the Canaries midfielder, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the window.

And now, Football Insider claim that Villa are actually in advanced talks with Norwich over finally luring Cantwell to Villa Park, and that there is growing confidence a deal can be done.

Villa’s new Merson

A profile done by Villa’s official club website back in 2010 about five of the greatest midfielders to pull on a shirt, said of Merson: “On the pitch, he was a magician. Merson was brilliant with the ball at his feet and could do things others wouldn’t even dream about.

“People asked questions of the £6.75m fee John Gregory paid for him in 1998 but it definitely proved to be money well spent as he won games and charmed fans. Even though he was obviously struggling away from the sanctity of Villa Park and Bodymoor Heath, his displays were incredible for the club.

“Never afraid to put his foot in, his main attributes, however, were skill and flair as he wowed supporters throughout his four year spell. His finest accolade at the club was undoubtedly winning Players and Supporters Player of the Year awards in 2000.”

Described as someone with a “God-given” talent by his former youth team coach Gary Cockaday, Cantwell has that same natural ability that Merson was gifted with.

Former Norwich striker Dean Ashton raved about him, saying: “When I first saw him I said to Darren Huckerby, ‘how is that lad not training with the first-team?’. He was incredible. The way he was drifting past players. His speed of thought and his awareness. He’s just a wonderful player.”

Last season saw Cantwell average an impressive 1.6 dribbles per game which ranked him joint-top among the rest of Norwich’s squad (Emi Buendia being the other).

The attacking midfielder also features in the top three for Norwich for both key passes and shots per game in the Championship too, another indication of just how influential he is whenever he gets on the ball.

Like Merson, the £19.8m-rated Cantwell has got the ability to unlock defences with a bit of skill or trickery, and Smith should be all over a move this summer.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa are now eyeing this Emile Smith Rowe alternative…

Marcus Bent doesn’t think that Fabian Delph fits the bill at Everton – and expects him to be moved on.

The experienced midfielder left Manchester City two years ago to enhance his game-time following a frustrating few years at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the 31-year-old’s frustration have continued since arriving on Merseyside, missing more than he’s played, whilst he’s managed to start a mere 15 Premier League matches, and only two throughout last season.

£80,000-a-week man Delph didn’t feature on Everton’s pre-season tour of Florida last month, which may suggest a move away from Goodison Park isn’t far away.

According to The Athletic, Everton aren’t set to offer Delph another contract despite his current deal running out next summer, with Rafael Benitez’s side expected to listen to offers for the midfielder.

At just 31-years-old, Delph could yet remain in the Premier League, but Bent exclusively told Football FanCast that won’t be at Everton:

“I met Delph when he was at Villa when he was a kid and we were living in the same apartment, and he’s gone on to do some good stuff.

“Problem being, he’s not technically gifted, he’s a tackler, he’ll put his foot in, but I don’t think he fits Everton.”

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone this summer, acting as a potential blow to the Baggies.

The Lowdown: Johnstone excels for Baggies

West Brom were relegated to the Championship last season, but one player who stood out was Johnstone, who was a strong performer between the sticks.

The 28-year-old started 37 of his side’s 38 Premier League games and his form saw him named in England’s Euro 2020 squad.

There is of course going to be plenty of interest in Johnstone this summer, however, meaning the Baggies could find it difficult to keep hold of one of their most prized assets.

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The Latest: Arsenal keen on goalkeeper

According to Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth [via The Daily Mail], Arsenal are interested in acquiring the Englishman’s signature.

The Gunners view him as an option to come in and provide competition for Bernd Leno, with other individuals also being considered, such as Aaron Ramsdale.

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The Verdict: Hard to keep hold of him

In an ideal world, Johnstone would stay put at the Hawthorns and aid West Brom’s promotion charge next season, but that is looking unlikely.

The ‘keeper will believe he belongs in the Premier League, so for that reason, supporters may have to accept that he will move on this summer.

Losing Johnstone would be an undoubted blow, considering he made more saves (166) than any other ‘keeper in the top flight last season, so the Baggies must play hard to get and ensure they get the biggest fee possible if he departs, allowing more funds for Valérien Ismaël to rebuild his side.

In other news, West Brom are reportedly eyeing up a summer move for a Premier League player. Find out who it is here.

Arsenal have rejected another bid for academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s ever-reliable David Ornstein, who claims the Midlands side returned with a £30m offer after having had a £25m bid rejected the first time around.

The Gunners are said to be refusing to entertain interest in Smith Rowe’s signature and are adamant that he’s remaining at the Emirates Stadium.

Smith Rowe has two years to run on his current £20k-per-week contract but has been in talks over a long-term extension, though there has been no breakthrough so far.

Here to stay?

This latest claim from one of the most reliable sources around should  not just come as promising news but it should leave many excited too as it seems as if the 20-year-old England youth international is set to remain an Arsenal player.

The Croydon-born dynamo, who is currently valued at around £45m by CIES Football Observatory, originally joined the North London giants at the age of ten and has progressed into the first team under Mikel Arteta, who has often turned to the youngster for creativity in attack.

After successful loan spells away at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town, Smith Rowe provided the Gunners with four goals and seven assists across both domestic and European competitions in 2020/21, whilst he ranked first for chances created having averaged 1.4 key passes per league outing, via WhoScored.

In total, the youngster has provided 14 direct goal contributions in his 45 senior appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

The 6-foot midfielder has also displayed crucial versatility in being able to play through the middle, on the left and up top and that only helps Arteta more in terms of fitting him in as he’s able to play pretty much anywhere in the attack.

It’s clear that the Spaniard is a huge fan of Smith Rowe, describing him as “extraordinary” to Sky Sports (via the Independent) back in January this year.

The fact that the Gunners’ hierarchy are remaining firm in their stance over their talented youth product is hugely encouraging and goes to show how much faith Arteta and co have in him.

As a result, this should leave the Emirates faithful absolutely delighted as it means they should keep hold of their potential star of the future going into the new campaign.

Currently without a no.10, the midfield sensation could easily cement his name down as Arteta’s first-choice option in the near future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Xhaka: Edu could land Arsenal their next Vieira in £49.5m-rated “huge talent”…

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield has described Ruben Neves’ situation at Wolves as a “shaky one”.

The 24-year-old was being heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, with The Athletic reporting last month that the north London club were interested in doing a deal.

However, talk has since cooled down, though that may be down to Neves’ participation at the Euros.

Ultimately, it is all a bit up in the air right now. And while there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window for Wolves to sell Neves, Hatfield has suggested that he could still have a future at Molineux depending on Bruno Lage’s plans.

“It’s interesting with Ruben Neves,” the football reporter said to TT. “Obviously he was linked with Arsenal before for a big-money move. Whether I expect him to leave now, it’s a bit of a shaky one.

“As a player, I think he obviously has enjoyed his time at Wolves. He obviously helped the club get promoted, but with Nuno leaving, does he maybe see his future elsewhere?

“He’ll probably want to have a word with him, see what he sees for his future at the club. Does Lage rate him? Does he want to play him? Will he suit the system? Those are all questions that he’ll be keen to ask.”

While things have gone a bit quiet, it would not be a surprise if Neves did indeed end up at the Emirates.

They look close to selling Granit Xhaka to AS Roma so will probably need a replacement for the Switzerland international.