All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of Rangers supporters have praised John Lundstam’s first half performance in their Premiership clash with Hibernian.

Steven Gerrard’s side face a key match in the title race, entertaining third-placed Hibs at Ibrox. Rangers know that a win would take them four points clear of their opponents, not to mention overtaking Hearts and returning to the top of the table.

Things didn’t start well for Gerrard’s men, though, with Kevin Nisbet heading Hibs into an early lead to stun the home supporters, giving the visitors a half-time advantage. Despite the interval deficit, Lundstram has been active in the final third and nearly had an assist early in the second half, only for Scott Wright’s shot being blocked down.

Rangers fans react to Lundstram display

Lundstram is someone who did well in the opening 45 minutes, clocking 50 successful passes in the first half alone, and these Rangers fans took to Twitter to hail his “brilliant” performance at Ibrox.

“Lundstram genuinely looks a completely different player these last few games. Playing the CDM role magnificently”

Credit: @TK86_

“Lundstram excellent so far”

Credit: @chr1sbett

“Lundstram class so far again”

Credit: @kieranmcl96

“Lundstram already Man of the Match”

Credit: @C_M286

“Lundstram looking interested”

Credit: @becalmfollowon

“Fantastic tackle Lundstram”

Credit: @RonnieP_77

In other news, some Rangers fans have erupted at Gerrard’s recent comments. Read more here.

Former Everton frontman Marcus Bent has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Ben Godfrey could be the key to the Toffees signing Max Aarons.

The 21-year-old, who came close to making a sensational move to Barcelona 12 months ago, has been on Everton’s radar for some time, with the Merseysiders still searching for a long-term Seamus Coleman replacement.

Aaron won’t turn 22 until January but has already racked up almost 150 senior appearances for Norwich and has achieved to promotions and an impressive season at Premier League level.

Wherever Aarons ends up, he’s more than likely to remain in the topflight after helping the Canaries make an instant return.

Two of Everton’s Premier League rivals in Tottenham and Manchester United are both keen on signing the high-rated full-back, but Rafa Benitez’s side have a slight advantage in Aarons’ former Norwich teammate Godfrey.

The pair not only came through the ranks together at Carrow Road but are also teammates at England Under-21 level.

Bent exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s a good, young player, and Everton said that if Ben gets in his ear, they might get him. Hopefully, he will come to Everton, but I don’t think he’d want to be second or third choice.”

Aston Villa are prepared to cash in on Bertrand Traore during the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Steven Gerrard has given Aston Villa the green light to accept offers for the 26-year-old winger in the upcoming winter market, as the 41-year-old believes his current squad features too many wide attacking options.

The report goes on to state that, in order to give themselves the best possible chance of parting with the Burkina Faso international, the club would be willing to sanction the forward’s departure on either a temporary or permanent basis in January.

Gerrard must axe Traore

Having joined Aston Villa from Olympique Lyon in what was an initial £17m deal – plus £2m in add-ons – back in the summer of 2020, with the winger being handed a four-year deal on £63k-per-week, it would appear to be a fair statement to make that Traore has not quite lived up to his price tag so far in his career at Villa Park.

Indeed, despite scoring seven goals, providing six assists and averaging a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95 over his 36 Premier League appearances last season, the £18m-rated man struggled to maintain a consistent level of performance throughout the campaign, something which Dan Bardell took aim at the 26-year-old for.

Speaking on The Villa View Podcast (via This Is Futbol), the journalist said: “There was a period where I thought, ‘this guy’s brilliant, what a signing, he looks great,’ but he’s suddenly just become so inconsistent.

“He got his assist against Fulham and I thought right here we go, that might give him a little bit of a lift-off again, but [he was] just completely ordinary [against Liverpool] and just not really offering us anything at times on the flanks.”

Unfortunately for Traore, this has proven to be the case more often than not over his four Premier League appearances so far this season, with the forward scoring no goals, registering no assists and averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.67 – ranking him as Villa’s 11th-worst performer in the top flight.

As such, considering that Gerrard has a wealth of options on the wing, coupled with the fact that Traore’s returns thus far have not exactly reflected the near £23m figure Villa have shelled out on his transfer fee and wages since joining the club, the 41-year-old manager simply must axe the Burkinabe winger this January, as he is somewhat stealing a living at Villa Park.

In other news: Lange can seal dream AVFC deal for £54k-p/w beast with “no limits”, Gerrard is in love

As per Italian source Calciomercato, there has been a development in West Ham United’s hunt to sign cover for Angelo Ogbonna and it involves Nikola Milenkovic.

The Lowdown: West Ham re-join race?

Before the signing of Champions League winner Kurt Zouma in a £29.8m deal, it was strongly believed that the Fiorentina powerhouse would be on his way to east London.

Indeed, as per other claims from Italy, the Serbia international had his suitcase ready and was one step away from signing for West Ham at one point in the summer.

However, when talks broke down, Milenkovic ended putting pen to paper on a one-year contract extension keeping him at Fiorentina until 2023.

That appeared to be that until key centre-half Angelo Ogbonna injured his ACL in a 3-2 win over Liverpool last Sunday, prompting manager David Moyes and co to ponder defensive reinforcements for the Hammers (The Evening Standard).

The Latest: Hammers ‘forcefully’ return…

As explained by Calciomercato, West Ham and Moyes ‘forcefully returned’ in a swoop for Milenkovic right after Ogbonna’s cruel blow.

However, his current club consider him ‘untransferable’ in January, thus putting a dampener on transfer chief Rob Newman’s hopes of landing the 24-year-old for Moyes.

Despite Fiorentina’s firm stance, both Roma and AC Milan remain very much in the race.

The Verdict: Blow…

Milenkovic would have been a solid and cheap alternative to Ogbonna, especially going by his numbers last season compared to West Ham’s colossal defender.

An untouchable in Moyes’ team before being sidelined, having started every Premier League game this year, he would take a lot of replacing but La Viola’s star centre-back fits the bill.

Indeed, Milenkovic outperformed Ogbonna last season in many defensive aspects – averaging a higher rate of top flight tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won per 90 over 2020/21 according to WhoScored.

Lauded as an ‘extraordinary’ player by fellow defender Pol Lirola, his estimated £22.5m valuation by Transfermarkt seems like a small price to pay.

However, La Viola’s hardline stance on selling him mid-season is undoubtedly a blow, and Moyes may now have to scour for other options over their 6 foot 4 beast.

In other news: ‘Huge’…Sky Sports pundit thrilled as West Ham eye ‘massive signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Manchester City’s hopes of signing Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur this summer have been handed a huge boost, with recent reports suggesting that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has finally agreed to sell to the Citizens.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Levy has agreed to let the England captain leave Spurs this summer should City pay the North London club’s £160m asking price.

Previous reports had suggested that Kane would not be allowed to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but after an exceptional individual season for the striker, in which Spurs still failed to win a trophy or secure Champions League qualification, it is no surprise that he is keen for a new challenge.

Can Man City sign Kane?

Guardiola is clearly desperate for a new striker at the Etihad following Sergio Aguero’s departure earlier this summer, and it seems clear now that Kane is the Spanish manager’s top target.

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Although it would cost a huge amount of money to prise him away from Spurs, City have already begun raising the funds to bring him in through player sales, as well as the sell-on fee they received following Jadon Sancho’s move to Manchester United.

Considering Kane managed 23 goals and 14 assists in just 35 Premier League appearances last season, averaging a superb 7.79 rating from WhoScored for his performances, it seems clear that he would be a success at Manchester City should he make the move north this summer.

Now that reports are suggesting that he is free to leave Spurs should their asking price be met, it looks as if Guardiola’s side will be the favourites to bring him in, which will surely delight the Spanish manager ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

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If the “exceptional” forward can continue his form from Spurs with Manchester City, then it would be difficult to see them failing to retain their Premier League title next season, as with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden behind him, there is no telling how many goals Kane would score in this Manchester City side.

And, in other news… Romano drops Man City latest on “outstanding” transfer target, fans will be buzzing

Stoke City are reportedly eyeing a swoop for Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor, as reported by The Mirror.

The Lowdown: Stoke City looking for some final-third firepower

Moving towards 2021/22, Stoke City will be hoping to build a team capable of challenging for top-flight promotion.

In need of strikers in the midst of Tyrese Campbell’s well-documented injury woes [Sportsmole], the Potters have previously been linked with the likes of Bristol City striker Andreas Weimann as they look to bulk up their final-third options [Stoke Sentinel].

However, it now seems they have turned their attention towards experienced poacher Taylor as they rebuild for next term.

The Latest: Potters back in for Taylor; they were also interested last summer

Aware of his desire for a fresh start away from Nottingham, Stoke City boss Michael O’Neill is rumoured to be attracted to the idea of bringing the Monserrat international to the Britannia Stadium, report The Mirror.

Needing another option up-top, the Lancashire outfit are said to again be keen on the man they previously courted last summer whilst at Charlton Athletic [TEAMtalk].

The Verdict: Proven goal-scorer Taylor would be a solid addition

Undoubtedly, Taylor would be an excellent fit for Stoke City. Despite only notching five goals in 2020/21 with Nottingham Forest, the striker registered an unbelievable 35 goals and 14 assists in 67 games for the Addicks the two years previous [Transfermarkt].

Once labelled as an ‘outstanding player’ by Neil Ardley, the 31-year-old has previously received interest from the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Galatasaray in his services [Glasgow Live].

Born to score goals, Stoke City should look to continue their pursuit the former AFC Wimbledon man. Whether as a starter or a squad player for the Potters, he would be a solid 2021/22 addition given his proven track record in front of goal.

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Wolves journalist Luke Hatfield believes Sven Botman would be a big signing for the club.

Wolves are in the market for a central defender before the transfer window closes and Botman is thought to be high on their list.

According to Sky Sports, the Midlands outfit are interested in signing the Lille youngster but face strong competition for Sevilla.

Wolves have already been able to strengthen that central defensive position this summer by bringing in Yerson Mosquera from Atletico Nacional. However, Hatfield is convinced they would like another addition, suggesting Botman could be perfect.

“It would be a big signing for Wolves, Sven Botman,” the Express & Star journalist said. “He’s been linked with plenty of clubs, clearly a talented player.

“It’s a position that Wolves probably want to strengthen in as well. He’d be a really good signing; I think Wolves fans would get really excited about that one.”

As for centre-backs currently at the club, Conor Coady had been linked with a move away from Molineux earlier in the transfer window.

According to Football Insider at the start of August, Tottenham had opened preliminary talks to sign the Wolves captain as former manager Nuno Espirito Santo eyed up a reunion.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his attacking options.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish publication Fichajes (as relayed by the Daily Star), the Reds are contemplating making a move for the highly-rated 27-year-old with only a few days remaining of the current window.

Ocampos is under contract at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan until 2024 and would command a sizeable fee if Liverpool are serious about pursuing their interest in the Argentina international.

Liverpool fans will be buzzing

The South American forward arrived at Sevilla from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille back in 2019 in a £12.8m move and has enjoyed two successful seasons with Julen Lopetegui’s charges.

In 90 appearances for Los Nervionenses, Ocampos has bagged 25 goals and provided nine assists, playing a pivotal part in their 2019/20 Europa League triumph and back-to-back top-four La Liga finishes.

Speaking about the versatile forward previously, Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan recalled his days in Argentina, calling him “electric.”

And, therefore, it’s easy to understand why Klopp is reportedly keen to add Ocampos to his first-team squad before the August 31st deadline.

With Xherdan Shaqiri sealing his move to Lyon, the German tactician has space for another overseas talent, and the funds generated from his departure should give Klopp room to maneuver in the market, meaning a replacement for the diminutive Swiss attacker could be on the way.

Although Liverpool’s current front four of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota have all found the back of the net in the opening weeks of the new campaign, the 19-time English champions are likely to need greater strength in depth in order to fight on multiple fronts.

Therefore, a large section of the club’s supporters will surely be buzzing to learn of the Anfield outfit’s interest in the £36m-rated magician.

After watching their domestic rivals spend huge money on several superstar acquisitions in the final third of the pitch, Liverpool’s director of football Michael Edwards must follow suit, providing Klopp with the resources he needs to guide the Merseysiders back to the Premier League summit.

And, in other news…Liverpool receive boost in pursuit of “incredible” 23-y/o gem, Klopp would love him 

Leeds United are scheduling talks with Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang as some key transfer news emerges from Thorp Arch.

What’s the story?

According to The Telegraph in recent days and weeks, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been been watching the talented 21-year-old in action this season, although they are set to face major competition to try and land him this summer.

Now, Football Insider claim that a Leeds source has told them that the Whites will hold discussions with Lang once the season is over “as they step up plans to bring in attacking reinforcements”.

Fans will be buzzing

Hailed as a “phenomenon” by Belgian journalist Peter Vandenbempt, Lang made history when he became the first player in 60 years to to score a hat-trick on his Ajax debut, prompting manager Erik ten Hag to rave about him afterwards.

The Ajax boss said: “He showed (his talent) today and I am very happy with that. Noa shows (his ability) it during training and during the reserve matches. And today he has also clearly shown it at the highest level too.”

Able to play anywhere across the front, the starlet has shown he has a real eye for goal in his loan spell at Brugge this campaign, scoring 16 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games across all competitions.

Given his age, and the fact he’s a real goal threat in terms of scoring them himself and setting up his teammates too, Lang has got all the hallmarks of being a potentially exciting signing for Leeds.

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What will also have the fans buzzing, is the fact that the Whites appear to be making immediate moves to strengthen the squad. Getting new signings in early will allow them the chance to work with Bielsa during pre-season, and better preparing them to hit the ground running at Elland Road next season.

Leeds appear to have their act together in terms of the upcoming summer transfer window, and that bodes very well for the future.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a move for this Bundesliga sensation…

A negative reaction to Celtic missing out on winning a treble this season would be ‘absolutely ridiculous’, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie, after he witnessed their Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers last weekend.

The Lowdown: Celtic miss out on treble

Ange Postecoglou’s side had the opportunity to seal a domestic treble this season, prior to last weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers.

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Celtic were beaten 2-1 at Parkhead, however, meaning they can now only add the Scottish Premiership title to their Scottish League Cup crown that is already sealed.

The Latest: McAvennie positive

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said winning the league would be an incredible success, bemoaning any negativity surrounding missing out on a treble:

“It was a disappointing loss last weekend. I thought we would win, I think a lot of people did. But it wasn’t to be.

“Look at it this way. This season I was happy for us to just compete. I had no thoughts about us winning anything. The fact we are gutted about missing out on a treble is absolutely ridiculous.

“Next season we should be even better and I want to see us do better in Europe but what a job he has done. It will be just remarkable if we do win this title.”

The Verdict: Title matters most

McAvennie is spot on in his opinion, with a treble something that seemed highly unlikely at the start of the season, and not something to gauge the team’s success by.

If Celtic can wrestle back the league title from Rangers it would be a superb effort by Postecoglou and his players, ensuring last season was nothing more than a blip during a strange time in the world.

A double would still be deemed a hugely successful campaign, suggesting the Hoops are only going from strength to strength going into next season, when Champions League football will hopefully return to Parkhead.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly in advanced talks to sign one player. Find out who it is here.