Tag Futebol

West Brom will have to up their bid if they are to secure one of Sam Allardyce’s reported January targets this month, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Turkish outlet Takvim claim that Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce have slapped a €15m (£13.5m) price tag on their midfielder, Ozan Tufan, amid interest from the Baggies and their Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.

They also suggest that both teams had previously offered around €10m (£9m) this window, which was swiftly rejected by the Yellow Canaries.

Albion are expected to return with another bid before the end of the month.

Shades of Claudio Yacob

The 25-year-old is hugely versatile and this would suit Big Sam down to a tee as he’ll be able to solve at least two problematic areas.

Tufan is a holding midfielder by trade, but can also be deployed anywhere down the right-flank, very much in similar nature to that of former Baggies star Claudio Yacob.

The reality is, West Brom do not have a senior defensive midfielder – Romaine Sawyers has shown that he isn’t capable in the role, whilst skipper Jake Livermore doesn’t appear to be the answer either.

It’s only really Sam Field, an academy graduate who has been in and out of the senior setup with injury troubles over the past year or so.

Whilst Tufan can even play on the wing, Yacob’s versatility helped the Baggies to an impressive eighth-place finish in 2012/13 with the Argentine averaging 3.6 tackles and 2.4 long balls per game, via WhoScored.

The 55-time Turkey international has been a key player for Fenerbahce this term. He has contributed four goals and four assists in 15 league appearances, whilst also averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.6 shots and 1.2 key passes per game, primarily from defensive midfield.

Big Sam can fill that anchorman role and provide a threat at either end of the pitch because, at the end of the day, Albion need to score more and concede less if they are to stay up this season.

Tufan would be a most welcome addition and hopefully, he could have a similar impact to that of Yacob, who went onto become a club legend over six years at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, West Brom must secure £60k-p/w “top class player” to solve one major issue…

It wasn’t quite the embarrassing night of the 1986/87 season but Wolves tried their best to fluff their lines against Chorley on Friday evening.

Nuno Santo’s team have been desperately poor in recent weeks, and after their win over the National League North side have now only won three of their last 11 outings.

If anything summed up their abject performances of late it was the display they put in as they made it through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

On paper, this was a mismatch. Wolves should have been easily out of sight given the opposition, but although they didn’t lose as they did to Chorley over 30 years ago, they were incredibly poor.

Going forward, Nuno’s side were devoid of confidence and authority. For large spells of the game, their non-league hosts looked comfortable and dare we say it, they even looked the better team.

Wolves’ only shot on target in the entire game produced the goal. It was a special one too from Vitinha who let fly from range, but beyond that, there was nothing to write home about.

The Old Gold completed just 25% of their crosses and carved out fewer goal-scoring opportunities than Chorley. A large reason behind that was the performance of Patrick Cutrone.

This was the Italian’s first start since returning from a loan spell with Fiorentina and on his big audition to Nuno, he completely failed. This was a week where Cutrone simply had to prove himself to the manager too.

Willian Jose has arrived from Real Sociedad on loan and thus, the Italy international could be heading for the exit door. After this performance, it proved why.

The striker isn’t good enough and cut an isolated figure against non-league opposition. Truth be told, Cutrone was anonymous.

He completed just 11 passes from 18 attempted, finishing with a success rate of only 61%. For context, only goalkeeper John Ruddy and substitute Adama Traore completed fewer passes in the Wolves side.

The 23-year-old’s tally of 24 touches, meanwhile, was the same as Ruddy’s and only more than Traore and another of Nuno’s substitutes in Pedro Neto.

Against opposition like Chorley, Cutrone should have run riot. Instead, his effort was minimal, registering just two attempts at goal.

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It would be extreme to call this a horror show but Nuno must be incredibly fed up of the Italian now. He has scored three goals in 27 outings for the Molineux outfit. Time and time again he has not been at the races.

Wolves need to get rid of him as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their dream Traore successor by landing “extremely quick” 31-cap ace…

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to revisit Real Madrid in a bid to bolster Jose Mourinho’s playing squad this month, if latest reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Defensa Central, Zinedine Zidane isn’t opposed to letting outcast defender Eder Militao join Spurs on loan in the current window should the north London outfit pays his salary, which is thought to be around £110k-per-week.

It’s claimed that the Brazillian colossus is fourth-choice at the Bernabeu having played only 224 minutes from three appearances all season.

Spanish outlet AS reported just last week that Mourinho was keen to sign him in the summer and despite the addition of Joe Rodon, he still wants to make the 22-year-old a Spurs player.

Shades of Jan Vertonghen

As per Duncan Castles, Mourinho has been making a case to Daniel Levy that there’s a real possibility of winning a trophy this season and as a result, he’s been pressing him to sign a new centre-back with quick attributes.

Militao would certainly meet these requirements as The Coaches Voice once claimed that the Madrid ace “is relatively nimble and hasn’t been particularly exposed by fast, mobile wingers.”

Indeed, since his €50m (£45m) move from Porto, the 6 foot 1 beast has only been dribbled past nine times across 21 appearances, via WhoScored, and has averaged 3.1 clearances, 2.2 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game throughout his career.

Now valued at €40m (£36m) by CIES, Militao also has the ability to play at right-back which could prove to be invaluable with Spurs still in all four competitions both domestically and in Europe.

Rotation will be key, and it is abundantly clear he does not trust Davinson Sanchez after snubbing him from nine Premier League squads, whilst Rodon is inexperienced at an elite level.

He could arrive in north London as their next Jan Vertonghen, someone who could play both left-back and through the middle.

Militao has even been lauded by arch-rival attacker Lionel Messi in the past. He dubbed him a “phenomenal talent and fierce competitor” to GiveMeSport.

That endorsement alone should be enough for Levy to sanction a deal, and in doing so, he could well land Spurs their next Vertonghen-like beast primed to help guide them to their next piece of silverware.

AND in other news, Mourinho can repeat Ibrahimovic masterstroke with swoop for 31 y/o beast…

Celtic bolstered their attack in the summer by signing Albian Ajeti on loan from Premier League side West Ham United.

He has had to quickly come to the fore as there have been times when the Hoops have been without star attackers Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard.

What Alex McLeish had to say about Ajeti

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland manager Alex McLeish said: Ajeti could come good and flourish. He’s not hit the ground running and when you go to Rangers and Celtic you’re expected to hit the ground running.

“Steven Gerrard’s even sent Roofe and Itten in here and there because they’re probably not up to his full sharpness and feeding them in slowly but Neil had to throw Ajeti into the lion’s den because of injuries, to Edouard specifically.

“You’re probably hoping more than calculating that he will bring you a worldie 90 minutes and show everybody why he was a target.

“A lot of the guys that come into the British league take time to adapt. I know time is against you when you’re an Old Firm manager but I think there’s got to be more to Ajeti than we’ve seen so far, no doubt about it, there’s more to come from him.”

How has Ajeti started at Celtic?

In the Scottish Premiership, the Swiss striker has had a very solid start, with eight appearances (four off the bench) and five goals as well as one assist to his name (WhoScored). Conversely, in the Champions League qualifying round and Europa League, Ajeti has gone five games without scoring.

He will need to step it up in Europe if he wants to have a solid season, but for McLeish to say he hasn’t hit the ground running seems harsh due to his record in the Premiership.

Ajeti’s career did not go well in England as he failed to score and only played 12 times for West Ham (Transfermarkt). What he needs is a bit of confidence which he should be getting in Scotland. He has shown he can find the back of the net – now that is all missing is the consistency.

In other news, McLeish has been full of praise for one Hoops star. Have a read who it is here!

According to recent reports, former Newcastle United loan signing Jetro Willems has rejected the offer of a new contract with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The report by the Chronicle Live states that the 26-year-old left-back, who spent a large part of last season on loan at Newcastle, has rejected the offer of a new deal from the Bundesliga side, meaning that he will be free to sign a pre-contract deal with any European club this January.

And, according to the report, the £4.05 million-rated defender would ‘welcome a move’ back to Steve Bruce’s side, with the player’s agent stating: “Jetro felt very comfortable at Newcastle and he said he felt like it was home, so of course he would be happy to go back if the chance came up.

“It is a great club and he had a great time in England. Newcastle were very good after the injury so it is something he would be happy with if the opportunity came up.”

In his time at Newcastle, the Netherlands international highly impressed, scoring two goals and providing three assists over his 20 appearances for the club.

However, the 26-year-old then ruptured his cruciate ligament, an injury which has resulted in the defender not playing a game since his last appearance for Newcastle back in January this year.

Transfer Tavern Take

While Willems did undeniably impress during his spell in Newcastle, the fact that the club spent £14.85 million on bringing Jamal Lewis in over the summer transfer window could mean that the Magpies are no longer in need of another player at left-back.

Having said this, the fact that Willems would be available on a free transfer could mean that a deal that is too good for Newcastle to refuse Fans of the club may now face an anxious wait to see whether or not their side do indeed make move for the 26-year-old in January.

In other Newcastle United related news, Steve Bruce has stated that he cannot influence the club’s potential takeover, find out more here! 

Aston Villa have received a triple blow ahead of their Premier League encounter against Liverpool on Saturday at Villa Park.

Dean Smith’s side are due to welcome the Premier League champions this weekend in their bid to maintain their perfect start to the 2020/21 campaign.

Having avoided relegation on the final day of last season against West Ham United, Villa will be hoping to finish much higher up the standings this season. Their good start can certainly contribute to that.

But their stunning run could be hampered by the latest news that could concern the Villa Park faithful.

Birmingham Live reported that three players will be missing for the crucial clash against last season’s league-toppers. Having been knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Stoke City on Thursday, Kortney Hause picked up a groin injury and will not be available for selection.

Bjorn Engels is still struggling with a thigh strain and the game against Jurgen Klopp’s side just comes too soon for him, looking at the Leicester City match after the international break as his targetted return date.

With Wesley still recovering from knee ligament damage, Orjan Nyland will also not be in the matchday squad at the weekend.

Playing against the reigning champions is difficult enough. But when your side has to face them with injury problems makes it even more challenging.

Villa will be in for a game. With Liverpool also being knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Thursday, they will be wanting to turn their fortunes around almost instantly.

That being said, none of the players listed above started during their 3-0 victory against Fulham in their last game. Whether this will influence Dean Smith’s thinking of his tactics, remains to be seen, but it will certainly impact his options off the bench.

Whatever happens, the Villains will have to go toe-to-toe with the Reds to prove they have what it takes to secure their Premier League status once more.

Will Villa struggle against Liverpool with their injury woes? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Rangers are eyeing up an audacious move for a Premier League regular, but if they want to secure him for free, they’ll have to wait another year…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the Scottish giants have an interest in Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram, who appears to be set to stay at Bramall Lane despite entering the final year of his contract.

It means the Gers could swoop in January to tie him up on a pre-contract but they’d undoubtedly face stiff competition given he’s been competing in the top-flight successfully for the past season.

Premier League rivals Brighton and West Ham have also been credited with an interest in recent months.

Gers’ own Gerrard

The 26-year-old came through the system at Everton, but he grew up as a Liverpool supporter, so a chance to work with the legendary Steven Gerrard may be a deal-clincher.

Lundstram featured 36 times for the Blades last season, scoring five goals from midfield whilst averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.3 shots, 0.6 key passes and 2.5 long balls per game, via WhoScored.

Such performances throughout the campaign have led to high praise indeed – teammate Billy Sharp believes the Englishman is “a real menace to other teams” with current boss Chris Wilder lauding him as a “fantastic example of a professional footballer” despite the ongoing contractual situation.

The Blades midfielder has even been likened to Frank Lampard in the past, one of the greatest box-to-box midfielders the Premier League has ever seen and a talisman in a way.

But so was the Rs boss himself, so perhaps Lundstram could embody what Gerrard was up at Ibrox next season. He provides the perfect balance at either end of the pitch, which makes a move for him make the world of sense.

The £7.2m-rated beast is yet to sign a contract extension and could be available for free in January – if the Gers are prepared to wait – either way, he’d be a major coup whether that’s now or in a years’ time.

AND in other news, Rangers still interested in £40k-per-week FLOP this summer…

When Curtis Edwards made his senior debut for Darlington Football Club at nineteen years old he would never have guessed that seven years later he would be lining up for the Swedish Champions, Djurgården. 

Edwards’ story is as remarkable as it is unique. The midfielder is a product of the Middlesbrough academy system where he was considered a gifted player. He began his career at Darlington before signing for Thornaby and Spennymoor Town. Despite playing well for the Northern League clubs, Edwards later admitted that he spent too much time partying and clubbing.

It was then he was offered a lifeline signing for Ytterhogdals IK, a Swedish football team playing in the fifth tier of Swedish football. In the remote northern Swedish countryside, away from distractions he found his form.

Edwards was then offered a trial at Östersunds, a club playing in the Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. He impressed the team’s coach, and ex footballer, Brian Wake in a friendly and was signed in 2016. He would go onto become a cult figure at Östersunds, making 81 appearances and winning the Swedish Cup. Edwards also played in the club’s famous Europa League campaign, in which the Swedish minnows beat teams such as Galatasaray, PAOK and Athletic Bilbao before losing to Arsenal 2-4 in the round of 32.

As he neared the end of his three year contract with Östersund, Edwards was courted by a number of top tier Swedish clubs. Eventually it was Djurgården, the Stockholm based club and twelve time Swedish champions who signed the then 25-year old midfielder. Edwards scored on his debut and would go onto make twelve appearances for the club as they were crowned Champions in his first season at Djurgården.

Unfortunately Edwards’ first season in the Champions League ended in defeat during the first round to Hungarian team Ferencvárosm who would later knock out Celtic.

Djurgården are currently fifth in the Allsvenskan with 20 matches played. They are only three points behind second placed Häcken. The bookies have Edwards’ Djurgården as fourth favorites to win the title. If you are based in the US then make sure to use the 888Sport bonus when betting on any European league.

Some youngsters look like they will have to leave Arsenal to get some competitive first team football, either on loan or on a full transfer and Arsenal announced that one of their prospects has headed out on a temporary basis.

The club tweeted out on Monday via their academy page that 19 year-old midfielder Matt Smith has joined Swindon Town, who were recently promoted to League One, for the season.

Arsenal said: ‘We wish Matt the best of luck for next season at Swindon and look forward to supporting him through his continued development.’

The Englishman is clearly someone that manager Mikel Arteta feels like he can use in the future as he named the player on the bench in the Gunners’ squad for the FA Cup final, and despite him not playing, it meant that he picked up a winners medal.

The fact he was named in the squad for this game should excite the player and he should not be worried about dropping down some divisions at his age for regular football. It will help him grow as a player and the competitiveness of the EFL will serve him well for the future.

The midfielder has played in 69 games for the youth sides at Arsenal, scoring ten and assisting 18, per Transfermarkt, which is a very decent tally for a central midfield player. If he can perform to this level or better at Swindon, then there is no doubt that he can grow into a very good player and potentially win a place in Arteta’s team. This makes the deal look like a no-brainer for all involved, Swindon get a young prospect, the player has more chance of minutes and the Gunners will hopefully see their man develop further.

Gunners fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Let us know down below!

The Chronicle journalist Mark Douglas has revealed some of the ideas that Newcastle’s prospective owners are keen to put in place once their takeover is confirmed.

What did he say?

The Magpies continue to play the waiting game as they wait for the Premier League to officially sign off on the takeover, but Douglas has intimated that there is already somewhat of a blueprint of what needs to be addressed in the immediate aftermath.

He said: “That includes contact between the group and executives at the city council over plans for the future, with at least two long conversations being held recently to discuss how United could be at the centre of civic life in Newcastle.

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“Possible renaming of the number nine bar – with the possibility of returning it to the original which bore Alan Shearer’s name – and the East Stand after a club legend have been among two “easy wins” mentioned but there have been other deeper discussions. Building on the club’s relationship with organisations in the city (which, to be fair to the current regime, has improved in recent years) is key to winning hearts and minds in the city.”

New era

If and when the takeover does get confirmed, it seems clear that the new owners are intent on changing the entire culture and atmosphere surrounding the club, and not just things on the pitch.

The scope for improvement is massive, and uniting a fan-base that has had to sit through years of failure under Mike Ashley holds the key to getting the Magpies into the elite in the Premier League.

Clubs from London, Manchester and Liverpool have been the most dominant during the majority of the Premier League era, but Newcastle look like they’ve got the right attitude to break that hold.