All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leicester City have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen forward Leon Bailey.

What’s the story?

Brendan Rodgers’ side have been linked with a move for the Jamaica international in recent weeks, but fellow Premier League outfit Aston Villa have now agreed a deal for the 23-year-old.

This afternoon, the Foxes’ Midlands rivals tweeted: “Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen have reached an agreement for the transfer of Leon Bailey subject to the player completing a medical and finalising personal terms.”

Rodgers will be gutted

Bailey enjoyed a fabulous 2020/21 campaign, scoring 15 goals in 40 appearances for Die Werkself despite the club’s struggles in the second half of the season.

He also provided an impressive 11 assists in all competitions, highlighting the youngster’s ability to create and score on a regular basis, assets which Rodgers will surely be gutted to see on display away from the King Power Stadium given Marc Albrighton’s comparatively low output from the right flank last term.

Leverkusen were believed to have placed a £30m price tag on their prized asset, and it’s easy to understand why. His outstanding performances last season earned several plaudits from onlookers, including former Ajax and Barcelona star Ronald de Boer.

“He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points,” said the Dutchman.

The diminutive winger has terrorised Bundesliga defences on a regular basis throughout his time in Germany, using his electrifying pace and dribbling ability to devastating effect.

Bailey’s exploits in the 2020/21 campaign illustrate that he’s ready for the next step in his career, and Leicester fans will surely be disappointed to see him slip through their fingers, particularly to their Midlands rivals.

With Cengiz Under’s tame loan spell in the Midlands seeing him join Marseille from parent club AS Roma and leaving Leicester very short on right-sided attacking options, Bailey’s impending move to Aston Villa will force Rodgers to go back to the drawing board in his search for alternative targets.

In other news… Imagine him and Tielemans: Rudkin must complete Leicester swoop for £21.2m “menace” 

An update has emerged regarding Everton’s interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes.

What’s the talk?

According to Portuguese outlet Record, via Sport Witness, the Toffees could open up talks with Sporting to sign the midfielder this summer.

The report claims that Rafa Benitez is keen to get a deal done for the 22-year-old, for whom Sporting want £15m (€18m).

Dream deal

Director of football Marcel Brands could seal a dream deal for Everton by snapping Nunes up for £15m before the end of the window, as he could be a superb replacement for Andre Gomes.

The Toffees are reportedly open to selling the former Barcelona man this summer and that could open up a space in the midfield for a new signing to come in. Gomes averaged a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.46 in the Premier League last season, which suggests that he is not good enough to consistently provide good performances on the pitch at the top level.

Nunes could come in and offer an upgrade in the midfield. Last season, he won more ground duels per match than Gomes, with whom he tied for clearances and interceptions per game, whilst also losing possession less frequently than the Everton midfielder.

The Sporting gem is also six years younger than the man he could potentially replace, which means he would come in with potential as well as the quality to make an immediate impact. Therefore, he could be an excellent signing for Everton in the short and long-term.

He has been backed by his peers, with former team-mate Goncalo Santos lavishing praise on the youngster earlier this summer as he pointed out the unbelievable ability he has with the ball at his feet.

He told theLiverpool Echo: “In one game, he went on a run which was about 60 metres, it was amazing! People went crazy and everybody was talking about it.

“It’s unbelievable when he has the ball at his feet. Nobody can catch him; it’s impossible because he’s too fast.

“Matheus is a box-to-box player. He’s not so strong like midfielders in the Premier League but he’s very fast. He’s very good with the ball because he is a Brazilian boy.”

Taking all of this into consideration, Brands must get a deal over the line for the Portuguese midfielder this summer. He should bid farewell to Gomes and bring in Nunes to bolster Benitez’s squad, with a fee of £15m potentially making it a dream deal as they would not need to break the bank for his signature.

AND in other news, Brands must ruthlessly axe £112k-p/w Everton flop, Ancelotti wanted him gone…

Manchester City fans are far from happy after a transfer update suggested they will not be entering the Lionel Messi sweepstakes this summer.

Barcelona announced on Thursday evening that Messi will be leaving the club this summer, which will bring an end to a 21-year spell in Catalonia.

Messi has made 778 appearances in total for the Spanish giants, scoring 672 goals and adding 305 assists in total for them over the years.

That includes 38 goals and 14 assists from the 2020/21 season, as Barcelona finished third in the La Liga table.

It had then been reported by the Daily Mail that Manchester City and PSG were rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Messi, although talks were still at an early stage over any potential agreement.

But The Times’ Pol Ballus has poured cold water on any potential agreement between Manchester City and Messi by claiming that the Argentina international isn’t even part of their transfer plans ahead of the 2021/22 season, which gets underway next week.

Plenty of Manchester City supporters took to social media to react to the update on the club’s rumoured stance on signing Messi this summer.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from the City Xtra Twitter account below….

City fans fume at Messi update

“I’m done with football I can’t believe we’re not in this.”

Credit: @mcfchamdan

“Pain.”

Credit: @Priceless_Silva

“Get in the bin.”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“What are they thinking?! Do we honestly prefer a serial bottler for 150m over a free transfer for the best player ever?!”

Credit: @jpcancelo27

“It was fun while it lasted… the 20 min it lasted…”

Credit: @RealTalkMCFC

“This news doesn’t make sense. You mean to tell me they won’t even meet about it? I don’t think they will just stand by and don’t look to see if they sign him.”

Credit: @mathieudurand69

“Just put him in the plans then.”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

An interesting twist has emerged in West Ham’s pursuit of a new centre-back this week…

What’s the word?

The Irons have been left frustrated by their attempts to secure David Moyes a new top-level addition in defence, having been linked to several names throughout the summer transfer window.

Last week, reports emerged suggesting that Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma had rejected the opportunity to move to the London Stadium. However, it now seems that a potential deal isn’t completely dead in the water.

That’s according to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, who delivered a fresh update on the situation to his ‘The West Ham Way’ Patreon site.

He outlined: “In an interesting turn of events, I am hearing that talks for Zouma have resumed and that the transfer could still be back on.

“It is thought that West Ham went in with one last offer and that this offer could be enough to get it over the line. The talks will continue today and with Milenkovic (still agent issues with that deal) but this could be yet another interesting twist in the story as Zouma was always the preferred choice.

“The deal with Zouma could progress further now and we will keep you updated as we have done all window.”

Fresh transfer twist

Seeing as plenty of Hammers supporters were very keen to see the club pull off an audacious move for the Champions League winner, who Blues legend John Terry once described as a “beast”, this latest update should leave many fans buzzing that it could be back on.

Angelo Ogbonna is facing time on the sidelines through injury and could miss this weekend’s opener against Newcastle United, whilst Moyes let Fabian Balbuena see out his contract, so there’s certainly a need for a new central defensive addition and quickly.

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Zouma would be a fine addition for the Europa League-bound Irons, particularly given his experience and skillset.

Described as a “top level” defender by current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, the £34m-rated Frenchman displayed his imposing physical attributes by averaging 3.6 aerial duels won per game, as well as his ability on the ball, managing a seasonal 90.9% passing accuracy, as per WhoScored.

In terms of passing, only three other centre-backs in the top-flight managed a better average – none from West Ham.

When the reports first surfaced, the fanbase went wild. “Imagine him on the end of a [Aaron] Cresswell corner,” claimed one supporter, whilst another suggested it would be a “steal,” as per Hammers.News.

Despite it being only a small portion of the reactions, it very much highlights the general consensus at the London Stadium. Therefore, this exciting twist should give them hope that a deal for Zouma could still be completed before the deadline in three weeks’ time.

AND in other news, GSB could end Moyes’ transfer nightmare with West Ham swoop for £16.2m-rated “leader”…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that Gabriel Jesus will remain an ‘incredibly important’ player for the Sky Blues in 2021/22 whilst citing his ability to play in either centre-forward or wide positions [City Xtra].

Putting up respectable numbers last campaign, the Brazilian attacker managed to notch 18 goal contributions in 42 appearances; 14 goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

Now, he looks set to shoulder added responsibility at the Eithad Stadium this campaign, owing to his managers’ recent comments.

In a recent interview, Guardiola stated: “Gabriel is an incredibly important player for us, he can play a striker or wider. He had an incredibly key role in these many years of success in every season.” [City Xtra].

Frequently contributing for City during his time at the club, he may be a key player for his current employers in forthcoming months should they miss out on reported target Harry Kane.

In light of these comments, loads of Manchester City diehards took to social media to discuss the striker, who has been linked with an exit this summer.

Manchester City FC fans react:

Replying to popular Manchester City fan outlet City Xtra on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say about the update:

“I really wanna see him tried on the wing or just wanna see him be a bit more confident again”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

“Music to my ears if we sold him he would become a star this season for whoever he’s playing for and be a 150 mill player and we would be gutted, let’s keep the faith in him he hasn’t been great in recent times but he hasn’t been bad, I’m happy he’s staying and pep values him”

Credit:@MrkGmn1

 “unpopular opinion, but in a conventional system as a striker (no help defensively) position, gabby would bag 15+ goals a season in the prem. He is so skillful could beat a defender in a beat.”

Credit: @karthik_mcfc”The mans work-rate is fantastic and I really hope he can rake in the goals this season! Not enough of those have come through him.”Credit: @_JDHart”That’s what I like to hear, I hope he has a great season and stay here”Credit: @Mysterio__01″Keep gabi”Credit: @Basseysamuel998In other news, an ex Premier League player has his say on the 2021/22 title race.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is working hard to win over the supporters at Parkhead after a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign.

In their first three competitive games of the season, the Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League and lost their opening Scottish Premiership match to Hearts. This meant that the Australian coach started on the back foot and has had to work hard to regain momentum.

Recent results suggest that they are now on the up, with four straight wins in all competitions. Celtic have beaten Jablonec twice, scoring seven goals, Hearts and Dundee in their last four matches. They scored 16 goals in total in that period, bringing attacking football back to Celtic Park.

However, a tough test against Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar awaits them tonight as they bid to progress through to the group stages of the Europa League.

Will Postecoglou switch it up from the 3-2 win over Hearts? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make two changes to his starting XI, with Liel Abada and Ismaila Soro coming into the team for James Forrest and Tom Rogic.

Starting with Soro, this was a tough call to make but one that could be needed. Rogic was subbed off after 75 minutes against Hearts and after 74 minutes against Jablonec in the second-leg. This suggests that the midfielder has been tiring in games, which indicates that Celtic could benefit from bringing in some fresh legs in midfield who will be able to see out the 90 minutes without breaking down.

James McCarthy made his Celtic debut against Hearts in the League Cup with a 15-minute cameo, whilst Soro has racked up 386 competitive minutes across six games this season. Therefore, he could be fresher than the £16k-per-week Australian international whilst also being more match-fit than the ex-Everton man.

The second and final change we are predicting is Abada for Forrest. We published an article urging Postecoglou to unleash the teenage attacker against Alkmaar, given his recent form for Celtic and the amount of game time Forrest has had in recent weeks.

Abada has two goals and two assists in five appearances for the Hoops this season, proving that he can provide quality at this level. Forrest, 30, meanwhile has already played 446 minutes and could benefit from a game on the sidelines. Start the youngster and allow him to strut his stuff, before potentially bringing the Scotland international on for the final 20 minutes or so to run at a tiring defence.

We are predicting the rest of the team to stay the same, as it does not make much sense to make wholesale changes to a winning side.

AND in other news, “Decision to make”: Manager’s update on 23 y/o gem will potentially excite Celtic fans…

Noel Whelan has offered his thoughts on Kurt Zouma’s possible move to West Ham this month.

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League forward Noel Whelan has suggested that West Ham could be an ideal destination for Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma. Whelan has said that the Hammers being in London and playing in the Europa League could make them the perfect place for the ‘dominant’ centre-back.

He told Football Insider:

“It’s a club in Europe, a club that, whatever he would be paid, (he) would be one of their first-choice centre-halves.

“The transition is already there when it comes to English football. He’s been here a long, long time now. He is a very dominant centre-half, there’s no doubt about that.

“A very powerful player, very good in the air and dangerous and committed in both areas, going forward and defending.

“I think it’d be an easy transition. He’s probably not going to be needing to move home.”

These comments came after Sky Sports reported that West Ham and Tottenham are keen on a deal for the defender, who is reportedly valued at £25m by Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Moyes needs him

GSB needs to get this deal done before the end of the window. They need to pay up the £25m and pounce on this opportunity to add Zouma to David Moyes’ squad as he could be a phenomenal addition to the team.

The French international is experienced and proven in the Premier League, whilst also still relatively young by centre-back standards at the age of 26. This means that he could come in and have an instant impact on the team whilst also having the potential to develop further and become a key player for the club for many years to come.

Last season, Angelo Ogbonna was West Ham’s highest-rated centre-back on WhoScored. He achieved a rating of 6.73 for his performances, putting him ahead of Fabian Balbuena (6.71) Craig Dawson (6.67) and Issa Diop (6.64) in the pecking order.

The Italian won 2.3 aerial battles and made 1.1 interceptions per game in the Premier League. Zouma, meanwhile, averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.07 as he won 3.6 aerial battles and made 1.2 interceptions per game. This suggests that the Frenchman could come in and be an immediate upgrade on what Moyes already has at his disposal.

Moyes also needs Zouma because of his age and the age of his other options. Balbuena, Dawson and Ogbonna will all be 30 or older by the end of the month and Diop, 24, only started 15 matches last term.

This means that the Scot is in need of a younger defender who can come in and be a regular starter for the next four or five years, as the other options in the squad begin to enter the final years of their career. At the age of 26, Zouma would be exactly what he needs.

AND in other news, Get it done: GSB must complete West Ham move for 22-goal marksman, Moyes needs him…

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford could be sussed out this season, former Premier League forward Dean Windass has told The Transfer Tavern.

Bamford was fantastic for Leeds last term following their promotion from the Championship. The 27-year-old featured in all 38 of his side’s Premier League fixtures, scoring 17 goals.

He has also made a decent start to this campaign. While the Englishman was not able to find the back of the net in either of Leeds’ first two fixtures, he did manage to grab an assist against Everton to help the team earn a point from that 2-2 draw at Elland Road.

Windass, however, would not be surprised to see him struggle later on now that Premier League defenders know his game.

“I know Bamford scored double figures last season and did unbelievably,” the ex-Hull City player said. “But it’s a fact, centre-halves will suss you out. They get tighter to you.

“It’s so difficult in the Premier League because, you know, you’re playing with athletes. And all of this analysis now, they know everything, your strengths and weaknesses.”

It will certainly be interesting to see if Bamford can maintain his goalscoring form. If he can, you would expect Marcelo Bielsa’s men, who finished ninth last season, to be in for another solid campaign in English football’s top flight.

Newcastle United are now reportedly at risk of losing Matty Longstaff on a loan deal before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Longstaff exit?

There have been a number of reports throughout the window that the St. James’ Park faithful are willing to let Longstaff out on loan.

However, with just a few days until the window shuts, a deal will have to be done fast, so that they can potentially bring in a replacement for him.

The Latest: Longstaff targeted

As per The Daily Mail, Longstaff is a loan target for both Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town.

The news outlet quotes Steve Bruce as admitting that he has had a ‘conversation’ with him about the possibility of sending him out on loan, and a move could well happen ‘in the next couple of days’.

The Verdict: Loan out

Longstaff was limited to just five senior matches in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and so a loan move away from the North East would suit all parties.

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Dubbed a ‘talented’ player by pundit Kevin Campbell back in June, the Englishman still has potential, and being a local boy, the Tyneside club should not be looking to sell him on a permanent deal.

Thus, sending him out on loan would be ideal, so that he can get some more regular game time and come back a better player.

In other news, find out which three Premier League players Bruce is eyeing here!

Leeds United must return for Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien in the January transfer window amid Kevin Campbell’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side failed in their attempts to sign the 22-year-old in the summer, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay reporting that the Whites simply did not want to pay the money that the Terriers were demanding.

However, Campbell has now suggested that the Whites could well return for the midfield dynamo when January comes around.

He said: “The money is there. Sometimes these transfers are to fatten your squad up. The player might not go into the starting 11 straight away.

“£8million to fatten the squad when Leeds actually have players who can do a job, maybe it wasn’t the priority. Maybe they will bide their time and return for him in January.”

Could answer Marcelo Bielsa’s prayers

While Leeds addressed their need for a new senior left-back (Junior Firpo), and a winger to challenge the likes of Jack Harrison and Raphinha (Dan James), one area of real interest on which they failed to deliver was a new central midfielder.

The decision not to pay up for O’Brien now places an even bigger demand on the limited options Bielsa currently has, and the Leeds manager will be hoping and praying that the likes of Kalvin Phillips can stay injury-free.

A January move for O’Brien would go a long way to ensuring that the Whites are well protected in that department.

Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken has raved about the 22-year-old’s work-rate and ability to develop into a Premier League player despite only playing at Championship level thus far.

He said: “O’Brien is a left-footed, tough-tackling central midfielder. Former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley often praised O’Brien as being ‘like having two players’, with the midfielder receiving particular praise from his manager and fans alike for his ability and willingness to rush back and win the ball with a clean sliding tackle whenever his side were caught on the counter-attack.

“He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already.”

As per WhoScored, O’Brien averaged two tackles and one interception per game in the Championship last season, which is only slightly less than the 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions that Phillips managed in the top flight.

The £5k-a-week ace should be a top target for Leeds once again when the January transfer window comes around in a few months’ time. Signing him would solve one of Bielsa’s big problems of not having enough depth in central midfield.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet who’s more exciting than Dan James…