All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic are interested in signing Manchester City defender Yan Couto, according to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Couto profiled

City agreed on a deal for Couto last March, with the right-back penning a five-year deal.

The 19-year-old, who can also play as a right-midfielder, spent last season on loan at Spanish side Girona, making 30 appearances in all competitions.

The 5 foot 5 full-back scored twice and provided five assists during his temporary spell in Spain.

He’s on a £15,000-a-week deal at the Etihad, and it seems as if Celtic are now targeting the Brazilian ahead of the new campaign.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-10/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Joseph’s post

Reliable reporter Joseph took to Twitter on Friday evening to share the links to Couto.

He claimed that the Hoops are looking at a loan deal, with a number of clubs from Portugal also keen on the teenager.

“Not back to work yet – far from it! But I’m told Celtic are targeting Man City right-back Yan Couto for a potential loan. There’s interest from Portuguese clubs too.”

The Verdict: Needed

Ange Postecoglou has just Anthony Ralston and Lee O’Connor as right-back options at this moment in time, so one, perhaps two right-back additions appear to be needed this summer.

Bringing in Couto, who enjoyed a successful loan spell in Spain last season, could be a shrewd move. He would give Postecoglou another full-back to choose from while also providing cover as a right-midfielder if needed after turning out 14 times further forward last season.

Couto could challenge any senior right-back that may possibly arrive at Parkhead, but with the Hoops signing Olivier Ntcham and Jeremie Frimpong from City previously, perhaps they will be willing to do business.

In other news: Reporter reveals Celtic ‘talks’ for 6ft ace on Thursday evening; he wants Parkhead move. 

Manchester City remain interested in Leeds United winger Raphinha and if he joins Pep Guardiola’s side this summer it could perhaps be a factor in Bernardo Silva departing the Etihad, as the Spanish boss seemingly plans a rebuild of his side ahead of the 2021/22 season.

City have regularly been linked with the Brazilian after his impressive debut campaign in the Premier League, with Brazilian news outlet UOL Esporte claiming recently that he is still in City’s plans for this summer transfer window.

Despite a superb campaign which saw them cruise to the Premier League title and win another Carabao Cup, whilst also reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup and final of the Champions League, it has been widely reported that Guardiola is keen for a shake-up this summer, which will require some first-team regulars to leave.

City would certainly be forced to splash the cash if they want to land Raphinha this summer, as Transfermarkt currently values him at £27m, whilst he still has three years left on his contract at Elland Road having signed a four-year deal when joining from Stade Rennais last summer.

The 24-year-old quickly established himself as a key member of Marcelo Bielsa’s side, contributing six goals and nine assists in 30 Premier League appearances last season, averaging an impressive 7.22 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the top-flight.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

Therefore, he could prove to be a superb addition to Guardiola’s side and may even be an upgrade on Bernardo Silva should the Portugal international’s potential departure lead to Raphinha making the switch to Man City.

The former AS Monaco man is reportedly on a list of names who could depart the Etihad this summer, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona amongst those interested in the 26-year-old.

Silva would manage just two goals and six assists in 26 Premier League appearances last season, averaging a 7.09 rating from WhoScored, so could easily be outed by Raphinha next season if the Brazilian were to maintain his form from Leeds in Guardiola’s side.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936″]

Therefore, if City are truly interested in signing the “phenomenal” Raphinha this summer, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see Bernardo Silva depart in order to fund a move.

And, in other news… Man City suffer huge blow with “world-class” beast, Pep surely fuming

Sunderland manager Lee Johnson has admitted that a number of players will move on from the club this summer following the Black Cats’ play-off disappointment.

The Lowdown: Another season in League One

Johnson’s side may have beaten Lincoln City 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon, but they still exited the League One play-offs at the semi-final stage.

The 2-0 defeat in the first leg did the damage for Sunderland, meaning they must now prepare for a fourth successive season in English football’s third tier.

The Latest: Johnson provides key update

There have been claims that Johnson could be sacked this summer, and speaking to The Chronicle after the Lincoln match, the manager admitted that several players will leave in what is set to be a summer of upheaval on Wearside. The 39-year-old outlined:

“There’s going to be a natural evolution of the squad now. Some players will have played their last game there today for various reasons.

“Some we may want to keep but can’t afford to, some we might not want and will want to move on, and others we might want to retain and will give them our best offer. It’s a sad day because you do build a rapport with these players.

“I think our recruitment becomes the difference, to be honest with you. That is the summer challenge – to make sure, potentially on a slightly reduced budget, that we actually recruit very well.

“I fully believe in the club, there’s no doubting that. I came into the club knowing how difficult it was going to be.

“We’ve had an unbelievable run of things that have gone on – some you know, and some you don’t know – and we’ve obviously continued to try to plough away.

“In the background, we’ve got a sporting director and owner working very hard, and a new head of recruitment and data, and that’s a process that’s ever-evolving, but that I don’t have to be involved in until now.

“We will set down and reflect on the season, and have some really honest conversations and be brutally honest about what went well and what didn’t go well.

“There’ll be changes. It’s inevitable there’ll be changes, and the test will be whether we can make those changes for the better.”

The Verdict: Time for an overhaul

With so many Sunderland players out of contract at the end of the season, with the likes of Grant Leadbitter, Josh Scowen or Aiden McGeady among that list, it does feel like a new era is beginning at the club, particularly in light of Johnson’s candid admission.

Another promotion push has to be the aim in 2021/22, however, as the Black Cats desperately look to battle their way back into the Championship for the first time since 2017/18.

Whether or not Johnson is the man to oversee a new batch of players coming to the club remains to be seen, but he is clearly under no illusions that his squad will be very different if he stays. There were numerous new arrivals at the start of the campaign; we can expect that to be the case again this summer.

In other news, many Sunderland fans slammed one player after the play-off exit. Find out who it is here.

Queens Park Rangers have been handed a boost in their attempts to bring Josh McPake to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the Harrogate Advertiser, Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver revealed that the Rangers winger could be set to leave Steven Gerrard’s side on a temporary basis this summer, although the 19-year-old will not be returning to The EnviroVent Stadium.

It has previously been reported that QPR had sent scouts to watch the Scotland under-21 international in action for the League Two side, and are considering a move for the younger this summer.

When asked about McPake’s future, Weaver said: “He did very well for us, but I don’t envisage him returning here. I know that he won’t want to come back to Harrogate because he wants to play higher up the ladder.

“Whether that’s playing games at Rangers or going out on loan again, I’m not sure. But I know he is aiming higher than League Two.”

Warburton will be delighted

While McPake’s form was somewhat up and down with the Sulphurites last season, the Rangers loanee showed glimpses of brilliance which could well indicate that he has a very bright future in the game.

Over his 23 League Two appearances for Weaver’s side, the winger scored four goals and created two big chances for his team-mates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £2,100-a-week earner accrue a modest seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.57, but the 19-year-old showed what he is truly capable of in flashes for the club.

In Harrogate’s 2-1 victory over Bradford City, McPake scored an 89th-minute winner, as well as having two shots on target and winning 10 duels, with these metrics culminating in a SofaScore match rating of 7.1.

The winger also impressed in the club’s 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient, once again scoring late on to equalise for Harrogate, in addition to having three shots on target and winning 11 duels and four fouls for his side, seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.9 – the best of any Sulphurites player on the day.

As such, with it being reported that Mark Warburton is looking for additions to the wide areas of his QPR squad this summer, McPake could well be a very astute signing in the upcoming transfer market.

With it appearing as if Rangers will not stand in the way of the man David Hopkin claimed has a “fantastic chance in football” leaving the club in the coming months, a deal seems as if it’s there to be done for the QPR manager this summer.

In other news: Get it done: Bhatia must sanction QPR swoop for “important” £8k-p/w beast this summer

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing up a move to try and sign Merih Demiral in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Tottenham need new centre-back

Given that Spurs conceded 45 goals in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season, which is a rate of more than a goal a game, they clearly need to bolster up the defence.

A brand new central defender would go a long way in doing this, and given the impact that the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Ruben Dias have had on both Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, the North London club will be hoping that a new centre-back could make a similar one.

The Latest: Tottenham eye Demiral

As per Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Demiral is on the agenda of the Lilywhites, and they may have an advantage over other clubs in the race to sign the Juventus man.

Fabio Paratici signed him for the Old Lady from Sassuolo back in 2019, and the news outlet describes THFC’s new managing director of football as his ‘discoverer’.

Both Everton and Atalanta are also in the hunt for his signature, and any deal could be done after Euro 2020, with Demiral currently representing Turkey in the tournament.

The Verdict: Sign him

It would be a gamble signing Demiral, but it is a gamble that Tottenham should be willing to take.

Described as ‘outstanding’ by Italian media after a stellar performance for Juve back in February against eventual Serie A title winners Inter Milan, the six-foot-two colossus certainly has the physical attributes to cope with the demands of the top flight.

Winning over four aerial duels per 90 minutes and at just 23 years of age as well, Demiral certainly still has a lot of potential, and given how fond Paratici is of him, it could well turn out to be a match made in heaven.

In other news, find out which Premier League ace once dubbed ‘the new Ronaldo’ is Spurs’ main target here!

Tottenham Hotspur host their final home game of the 2020/21 season this evening as they welcome Aston Villa to North London, and there will even be fans in attendance for the first time all campaign.

Spurs are still in contention for a place in Europe next season as they currently sit in sixth place, knowing a victory would move them to within one point of Liverpool, who play Burnley later tonight.

Interim head coach Ryan Mason will need to get his team selection spot on and whilst the Midlands outfit haven’t been below 11th all campaign, there isn’t a better time to play them as they have won just two of their last 12 matches.

Last time out, the Lilywhites eased to a 2-0 victory over Wolves.

However, there are now emerging doubts over the chances of Gareth Bale featuring once again. When asked if the Welshman would start, Mason claimed he was “not sure.”

It could mean that Spurs need to find a spark from somewhere else, so perhaps it’s time to recall Tanguy Ndombele to the starting XI tonight.

The £45m-rated Frenchman has been snubbed from the off in their last four matches in all competitions, with Mason preferring Dele Alli in the no.10 role and Giovani Lo Celso a little deeper.

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

Ndombele had started to come into his own this campaign, providing six goals and four assists, and on his day, is one of the highest-quality players on the pitch.

There aren’t many in this current Spurs squad that can pick up the ball and drive with it. The 24-year-old dynamo tops the charts – by some distance – for dribbles per game (2.4), with the next best ‘regular’ being Harry Kane (1.4) and Bale (1.4).

Furthermore, Ndombele manages 6.52 progressive runs every 90 minutes, meaning he is the most productive in moving the ball towards the opposition’s goal or into the penalty box – no other Spurs regular is better, not even Heung-min Son, Lucas Moura or Bale, via FBRef.

If the Real Madrid loanee is out, then Mason could benefit massively from having Ndombele’s presence on the pitch, rather than on the bench.

According to Spurs’ backup goalkeeper Joe Hart, via football.london, the box-to-box monster is a “world-beater” and “unplayable,” so it seems a recipe for disaster to leave a player of this calibre out of your squad.

Against Villa in the reverse fixture, the former Lyon star was dominant in the engine room, where he recorded a whopping six successful dribbles, won 92.3% of his midfield duels, and made 94% of his passes, as per SofaScore, causing the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz all sorts of trouble.

Forget Bale, Ndombele could well be Mason’s game-changer this evening. He must be unleashed from the off.

AND in other news, Levy could transform Spurs’ fortunes by hiring 62 y/o “scientist” who’s “Bielsa-esque”…

Newcastle could be heading for a major transfer nightmare this summer amid reports linking Jacob Murphy with a move away.

What’s the story?

The winger has emerged as a key part of the Magpies’ revival in recent weeks, shining in a wing-back role in the past four games and helping the side to pick up two wins and two draws.

Now, The Sun claim that both Burnley and Watford are leading the race to sign him amid his current deal at St James’ Park coming to an end next season.

The report adds that Steve Bruce’s side will open talks with the 26-year-old over a new contract and that they are keen to reward him for his recent form. However, it’s suggested the newly-promoted Watford are ready to test Newcastle’s mettle to keep hold of him by putting in a potential £6m bid in the summer.

Newcastle can’t sell him

While Murphy has hardly been a key first-team star over the course of this entire Premier League season for Newcastle, he has shown real quality as a wing-back in recent weeks.

The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter waxed lyrical about his ability to deliver in that position a couple of weeks ago following his performance against Tottenham, saying: “Jacob Murphy outstanding for NUFC at right wing-back, ran himself into the ground, defending/attacking, got cramp, eventually subbed. His resilience echoed all over.”

Given Bruce’s own comments about Murphy earlier this year, then it would be fair to say the Newcastle boss won’t be happy at all if the Magpies cashed in on him this summer.

He said: “I won’t be letting him out on loan! Not after a performance like that. He deserves to stay with us and he has improved enormously.”

With Murphy really stepping up to the plate in recent weeks – including scoring in a priceless 2-1 win over Burnley – Newcastle’s board simply can’t let him go, especially to a team who they could be in a battle with next season. If they do, Bruce would rightly be furious.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could sign their new Demba Ba in this star…

Ryan Christie could agree to leave Celtic for nothing once the summer transfer window ends, according to a report in Tuesday’s edition of the Scottish Daily Mail (via Daily Record).

Burnley and newly-promoted Norwich City have been monitoring the situation and could launch a move, while there is also said to be interest from European teams.

Christie is valued at £8.1million by Transfermarkt, but his contract situation puts Celtic in a weak position.

Christie’s contract at Parkhead expires in January 2022 rather than in the summer, meaning interested parties know that they can hold off until the end of the window and strike a pre-contract agreement with the player directly.

If a deal is not struck to either extend his stay or sell him on this summer, then the Hoops face losing over £8m worth of talent for nothing in 2022, in what would be a nightmare start to Dominic McKay’s reign as CEO.

Ryan Christie’s importance to Celtic

26-year-old attacking midfielder Christie has scored seven goals and provided 14 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions this season (via Transfermarkt).

Only Rangers duo Ianis Hagi and James Tavernier have set-up more goals in the Scottish Premiership.

In all, Christie has made 140 appearances in green and white since joining from Inverness in 2015.

He’s also been influential at the international level, helping Scotland qualify for their first major tournament this century.

Chris Sutton described him as a ‘manager’s dream’ and lauded his ‘ferocious workrate’ after his display in the play-off victory over Serbia.

Nightmare for McKay

Christie would be a significant loss for Celtic, who have again been guilty of poor planning, with McKay left to pick up the pieces.

The rising talent has been allowed to reach the final stages of his contract – his value dropping all the time – without any concrete talks in place for a new deal.

Meanwhile, Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, two other Hoops stars, are about to enter the last year of their current contracts.

Of course, you want to keep these players around as long as possible, but sometimes you have to think long-term, and allowing any of the trio to leave for free at the end of their deals would be a catastrophic – where would McKay find funds to help whoever the new manager is rebuild the team?

If they aren’t going to extend their stays in Glasgow, McKay and the club must simply get what they can and put the funds raised towards their replacements.

In other news, Kevin Campbell sent Celtic fans some pleasing assurances over their manager hunt.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is heading for a major transfer howler as a fresh update emerges on their pursuit of Brest’s Romain Perraud.

What’s the story?

According to previous reports from The Athletic’s Phil Hay, the Whites were eyeing a summer transfer move for the left-back.

However, The Mirror’s David Anderson has now claimed that Bielsa’s side have actually moved on from their chase of Perraud, saying that he’s hearing the Yorkshire club are “no longer trying to sign” him.

Bielsa howler

In Perraud, not only would they be getting a solid defender, but also someone who really comes into his own going forward and providing his team with a vital attacking outlet. This season alone has seen him manage an impressive seven assists in Ligue 1 alone, with only three Leeds players managing more (Raphinha with nine, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison with eight each).

Writing a profile piece for The Athletic, Hay noted: “Perraud, 23, played for France up to under-20s level and his performance data — taken from smarterscout, which gives detailed analytics on players all over the world and gives ratings between zero and 99 across a series of metrics — shows characteristics which would meet Bielsa requirements: a creative edge and a high number of dribbles and shots for a player at his position, combined with a very active role in pressing defensively.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

As per WhoScored, Perraud outshines Gjanni Alioski in numerous key categories both offensively and defensively, averaging more interceptions, key passes, shots, dribbles and crosses, while also being dribbled past only half as often as the Leeds defender.

With Alioski looking set to leave Elland Road, the £7.2m-rated Perraud appears to be the ideal fit for Bielsa as Hay suggests, and his stats certainly prove as such.

For Leeds and Bielsa to seemingly move on from him comes across as a major and baffling transfer oversight. It’s a decision which could leave the fans very unhappy indeed.

Meanwhile, Leeds United are plotting a fresh move for this star…

The run is finally over. Sunderland have launched a phenomenal assault towards promotion but for the first time since early February, they tasted defeat.

The Mackems were unbeaten in 14 matches heading into their pivotal match with Charlton but unfortunately for Lee Johnson and his men, they lost 2-1.

This was always going to be a tough test for the Black Cats but this was arguably one of the most lacklustre displays of football we’ve seen from a Johnson team since he took over.

On a normal day, Sunderland would have played some wonderful free-flowing football. We’ve already seen them dominate the likes of Portsmouth and Lincoln under this manager’s watch but they were miles off the pace on Saturday.

It was a defeat that broadened the gap between themselves and Peterborough in second place to five points. Sunderland do have a game in hand but they may well now have their work cut out in order to achieve automatic promotion.

Aiden McGeady stepped up to the plate again by completing five key passes from the wide positions while Josh Scowen scored a rare goal.

However, the vast majority of individuals were poor. That can be especially said for Lynden Gooch.

The American has been with the Black Cats for nine years now and has witnessed the rise and fall in the north-east. He has Premier League appearances to his name for the club and helped them to win their first trophy in 48 years.

Gooch was on the score sheet at Wembley a number of weeks ago in the EFL Trophy final but the fact is, his performances have been rather inconsistent of late.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-transfer-rumours-and-news-grigg-denayer-louis-dreyfus-sanderson-melamed” title=”Latest Sunderland transfer news and views!”]

The winger was dragged off just after the hour mark on Saturday but it was hardly a surprise. Gooch have a very minimal impact on proceedings, taking just 28 touches of the ball. That happened to fewer than goalkeeper Lee Burge (33).

The 25-year-old offered little threat in the final third, registering only nine passes in the entire contest, completing a measly 64% of those he attempted.

He didn’t have a single shot and managed just one key pass and one dribble. On this evidence, you wouldn’t have thought Gooch’s best trait was to beat a man.

From his 28 touches, the attacker also managed to lost possession on 12 occasions. With Jordan Jones absent from the starting XI this weekend, Gooch had a real opportunity to stake his claim.

Unfortunately, he didn’t take it. This was a performance that will have left the manager seething.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Jones: SAFC must swoop for “clinical” 13-goal gem, he makes fans “gasp”…