All posts by z3u9t.icu

Flocking to a Nuno Espirito Santo and Jules Kounde claim made by ABC, via Hotspur Related, many Tottenham fans have shared their views as the Portuguese boss identifies his first summer target.

The 47-year-old’s appointment has finally put an end to Spurs’ long search for a new manager and the Lilywhites can finally now take to the transfer market and start preparing for next season.

Tottenham are said to be eyeing a major defensive overhaul with the club preferably wanting two new signings at the back this summer.

ABC have now come out to reiterate Spurs’ interest in starlet centre-back Kounde, who was targeted by the likes of Manchester City last summer.

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They claim that Nuno has personally identified the Frenchman as his first Tottenham target this summer, and despite the fact he wants a Champions League club, there is still time to convince him.

Many Lilywhites fans have now flocked to this claim, with one supporter even dubbing Kounde a potentially ‘perfect signing’.

Starting 33 La Liga matches for Sevilla over 2020/2021, the rising 22-year-old also managed a composed 90.1% pass accuracy out from the back (WhoScored)- displaying a cool head on young shoulders.

Here’s what Tottenham fans had to say as their club allegedly eye a move.

Spurs fans flock to Kounde claim

“Offer him whatever he wants, he’ll be a game changer for us”

Credit: @thfcmitchell

“Do whatever it takes to get him, he’d be the perfect signing for us”

Credit: @_JoeGTHFC

“YESSSSS”

Credit: @JacobTHFC_

“VAMOS NUNO”

Credit: @THFCenthusiast

“Nuno knows ball”

Credit: @batibat_10

“Apparently we can sign him for around €45 mil so please do for it he’s affordable and he’s his top target so we should try our hardest”

Credit: @ParishLizzie

“Just get him somehow”

Credit: @TopDier

“YESSSS”

Credit: @thfclukas

In other news: ‘I’d be excited, Spurs fans’…Stan Collymore thrilled by major news out of N17, find out more here.

Despite currently sitting in fourth place in the Championship table and just four points off the top spot, West Brom have scored the fewest number of goals out of any of the top five teams in the league at the moment with 30 scored in 23 games.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is close to opening, this could provide the Midlands club with the opportunity to strengthen their squad to put themselves in the best possible shape to attack the second half of the campaign and push for promotion.

In recent days, it has been reported by The Athletic that Barnsley striker Cauley Woodrow is “under consideration” for the Baggies to sign in January, which could be just what they need to progress.

The 27-year-old originally joined Barnsley on a loan deal from Fulham back in the 2018 summer transfer window before signing on a permanent basis in January 2019.

Overall, the striker, who is currently valued at £2.7m according to Transfermarkt, has made 151 appearances for Barnsley across all competitions, scoring 53 goals and providing ten assists along the way, showing how much of a goalscoring threat he could be for the Baggies.

With 42 appearances under Valerien Ismael during the duo’s time together at Barnsley, Woodrow managed to score 12 goals and provide six assists, showing that the West Brom manager knows how to get a tune out of the player and why it would make sense for them to reunite in January at The Hawthorns.

Labelled as a player that “carries a goal threat” by former Huddersfield Town boss and pundit Danny Cowley, Woodrow could be a great January signing for West Brom if he’s able to hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals and push the Baggies to promotion back to the Premier League.

However, with the striker playing the full 90 minutes in all but one of the 22 Championship games he’s appeared in so far this season, it could be tough for the Baggies to get Woodrow out of Barnsley based on how important he clearly is to their team.

Although, with Barnsley in the relegation zone with just 14 points on the board, a chance to secure promotion and play in the Premier League with West Brom could be rather tempting for Woodrow and possibly give hope to the Midlands club that they would be able to work out a deal to sign him in January.

In other news: Lai still wants to sell the Baggies

West Bromwich Albion have only been able to score more than 50 league goals in just two of the nine Premier League campaigns they’ve been involved in since the start of the 2010/11 season.

Looking back down the years, one player the Baggies were linked with but didn’t end up signing that could have been a massive goalscoring threat for the team is Robert Lewandowski.

According to the Express & Star, former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray wanted to bring the then 20-year-old striker to the club in January 2009 when he was at Lech Poznan.

Having ended his time in Poznan with 41 goals in 82 appearances, it’s easy to see why the centre-forward was on West Brom’s radar.

The Polish side apparently wanted a fee of £2.6m for the striker, but Albion reportedly had no money to spend on him.Since then, the Poland international has shown with every season why the Baggies should have exhausted every financial possibility to be able to bring him to the Hawthorns when they had the chance.In the 2010 summer transfer window, the striker joined Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £3.7m where he then went on to score 103 goals and provide 42 assists in 187 appearances.The attacker then joined fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 on a free transfer.During his time with the German giants, the 33-year-old has unbelievably found the back of the net 340 times in 369 appearances across all competitions.To highlight what an elite player he has become since moving to Germany, the veteran has won a combined total of 25 team titles and individual awards including nine Bundesliga trophies and one Champions League trophy.Labelled as a “breathtaking” player by Owen Hargreaves, Lewandowski has racked up a phenomenal total of 637 goals and assists throughout his illustrious club career.On the international stage, the former Poznan starlet has scored 75 goals in 129 appearances for Poland, showing just how much of an icon he is for his country.Taking all of this into account, it’s evident that had the Baggies been able to somehow finance a transfer deal for the striker, then they would have had a player in their side that could have been a vital figure for them.In other news: West Brom: Grady Diangana struggled in defeat to Stoke City…

With their 3-2 defeat against West Ham United now behind them, Liverpool’s next Premier League clash sees them take on another tough opponent in Arsenal who are not only one place and two points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side in the league table, but they are also unbeaten in the league since August.

On the chalkboard

With this in mind and the fact that Mikel Arteta’s side have managed to score eight goals in their previous four league games, one player that should be in consideration to be in Klopp’s starting XI on this occasion is centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

Despite only playing in four games for the Merseyside club so far this season after arriving at Anfield during the previous summer transfer window from German club RB Leipzig in a deal worth a reported fee of £35m, Konate has managed to keep a clean sheet in three of those games, including their 5-0 win over Manchester United, keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet in the process.

This performance, in particular, not only earned the Frenchman an overall match rating of 7.2/10 from SofaScore but also heavy praise from Reds captain Jordan Henderson who described Konate’s performance against the Manchester club as “outstanding” after Konate made eight clearances, one tackle and won three of the four duels he was involved in.

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Despite this, Konate, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £70k-per-week according to Spotrac, didn’t manage to have a similar sort of impact during their 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion where the Liverpool Echo said that he was “a little slack on occasion” in terms of his distribution and decision-making.

However, with Joel Matip racking up a fairly disappointing overall match rating of 6.4/10 for his performance against West Ham from SofaScore, this could be a good time for Klopp to give Konate his chance back in the team again and put his shaky display against Brighton behind him.

Looking ahead to the Arsenal match, Konate has definitely shown during his time with the Reds that he has what it takes to step up to the plate in big fixtures such as the match at Old Trafford and dominate opposition attacking players, which he could well do against the Gunners.

In other news: FSG could seal Klopp’s dream transfer with swoop for “undefendable” £27m-rated machine – opinion

Speaking to West Ham Zone, former Irons striker Frank McAvennie has reacted to a transfer development involving Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette.

The Lowdown: West Ham in Lacazette chase…

The Frenchman, who’s contract expires at the end of this season, could leave Arsenal for free in 2022 as West Ham eye the possible signing of a new striker for manager David Moyes.

West Ham had been trying to strengthen that weakened position all summer, with Moyes himself admitting he was ‘desperate’ to bring one in over the summer, but the lack of available options ultimately lead to no incoming forward option.

Star striker Michail Antonio’s history of injury problems have been a general concern and there are fears that one bad injury for the Jamaica international could land West Ham in a lot of trouble.

As such, it is arguable that new recruitment chief Rob Newman needs to prioritise the signing of a new striker and West Ham have apparently been targeting Lacazette.

It is claimed by jeunesfooteux.com that the Gunners could look to sell in January and West Ham have ‘already positioned themselves’ to sign the 30-year-old – with contacts made between the various parties.

The Latest: McAvennie reacts…

Speaking to WHZ, despite his prolific record for Arsenal last season, Hammers legend McAvennie questioned whether he is the right man for the job.

“Will he score enough goals or work hard enough off the ball? I don’t know. But they do need a striker,” he explained.

“Would they come in as back-up to [Michail] Antonio? I don’t know. Everyone’s in great favour of this false nine now.

“In David Moyes, we trust. He’s a great believer in getting players from abroad. The two boys he got in from the Czech Republic, Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, are just magnificent. By all accounts, they’re wonderful trainers and they just go about their business, they never cause any problems, there’s never any hassle with them.

“I think he’ll be asking them about their pals, who’s coming through, who do you think can make it in the Premier League? I think that’s a big thing, they’ll be asking players. Kevin Nolan is there, he’ll be in their ears and trying to get a good one in before they go on the market.

“Lacazette? I’m not sure if he would come in and play second fiddle to Antonio.”

The Verdict: Disagree…

While the aspect of Lacazette coming in to compete with Antonio is a point of contention, we believe the signing of Lacazette would be a real coup for West Ham overall.

Scoring 17 goals in all competitions last season, he also has vast experience competing at the highest level over a career spanning more than ten years.

Averaging 2.1 shots per 90 since making his senior debut for Lyon back in the 2009/2010 season, with only Jesse Lingard and Antonio bettering that figure last season for West Ham, Lacazette is proven at finding the net when given consistent opportunities in the team.

Lauded as a ‘real handful’ by pundit Tony Cascarino to talkSPORT, 90min claimed recently that West Ham are indeed a likely destination for the player due to his openness to the idea of staying in London.

His contract situation, putting West Ham in a really strong negotiating position to sign the player in January, certainly marks him out as a real potential coup.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Finally’, ‘So massive it’s terrifying’…West Ham fans erupt over official development, find out more here.

Leeds United could find it hard to keep hold of Raphinha after his impressive form for Brazil, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Raphinha on fire for Brazil

The 24-year-old has been fantastic for the Whites over the last year and his form earned him a call-up to Brazil’s squad during the current international break.

Raphinha made an immediate impression on his Selecao debut, registering two assists in his country’s 3-1 win away to Venezuela on Friday, showing exactly what he is capable of producing.

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The Latest: Leeds exit soon?

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips admitted that the winger’s performance will only increase the chance of him moving on from Leeds eventually, with elite clubs sure to be eyeing up a transfer. The former Sunderland striker said:

“His stock is rising, big time. To perform like that for Brazil, it doesn’t really get any better.

“We know the impact he has had on the Premier League. He has been amazing. But, to do it for Brazil is just brilliant. It puts his stock even higher.

“A performance like that has pros and cons for Leeds. On one hand you think, ‘Brilliant. He’s improving all the time.’

“But, on the other hand you fear that there will be a lot of interest from other clubs next year. They might try and nick him.

“It is great news for Leeds that he will come back buzzing and full of confidence though. Hopefully he can keep up that level of performance.”

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The Verdict: Tough to keep hold of him

Much like Kalvin Phillips, in an ideal world Raphinha would stay at Leeds for the rest of his career – he has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Phil Hay – given how important he is to Marcelo Bielsa. He is their leading scorer this season with three goals and, as per WhoScored metrics, is their best-performing player by a distance.

In reality, the Whites may have to accept that a fresh challenge could appeal to the 24-year-old in the near future, with the Brazilian perhaps keen to play for a Champions League club or a team challenging for league titles.

Whether or not it is as early as next summer remains to be seen, but as Kevin Phillips has hinted, it is difficult to see Raphinha staying at Elland Road in the long-term if he continues to thrive for club and country.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided an update regarding Leeds’ January transfer business. Read more here.

Everton are set to receive a big injury boost ahead of their Premier League encounter with West Ham United following the international break.

What’s the word?

Toffees manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed he’s hopeful that multiple players will be available to return from injury after the current pause in Premier League action.

Although Everton have made a fast start under their new boss, the Spanish tactician was unable to call upon the services of Seamus Coleman, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Alex Iwobi, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the draw against Manchester United last time out.

And while Benitez hasn’t given any specific information about when his injured stars will be ready to return, he does expect to have a stronger squad for his side’s game against the Hammers at Goodison Park a week on Sunday.

“Hopefully, we can rest some players (during the international break). We can recover some players who are a little bit tired – and then the others, if we have one or two coming back, we will be grateful, because we need legs,” the 61-year-old said (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO).

“I am really pleased with the players we have at the moment, but if you have two or three players that will come back and help the others, then hopefully, it will be very useful for the team.”

Benitez will be delighted

Benitez’s arrival at Everton over the summer was a controversial one given his previous history with local rivals Liverpool, but the Champions League-winning manager is quickly winning over the fanbase.

A healthy total of 14 points from their opening seven top-flight fixtures has left the Toffees in fifth position at this moment in time, sparking genuine hope of a European push.

The fact they’ve managed to achieve that despite having a number of their star players on the treatment table, therefore, is quite incredible. They haven’t missed the goals of Calvert-Lewin who had netted three times in his opening three outings with Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray hitting the ground running so well in Merseyside.

Gray has four goal involvements to his name while Townsend has five strikes and three assists in ten outings.

Therefore, if you combine that sort of form with returning players like Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, the Toffees should become even better in the weeks to come.

Benitez will no doubt be delighted that several of his injured players are nearing a return to full fitness as the visit of West Ham will be a tough test for his threadbare charges.

And, in other news…Bought for £26m, left for £0: Everton endured transfer nightmare over 32 y/o flop 

Tottenham Hotspur hero Graham Roberts insists that Harry Kane will not sulk after failing to earn a move to Manchester City, and believes he will want to prove Pep Guardiola’s side wrong.

Kane announced earlier last week that he intends to stay at Spurs this summer, despite repeated links with City throughout the summer.

One report suggests that the only bid tabled by City came to £75m plus £25m in add-ons, falling short of the reported £150m asking price chairman Daniel Levy had placed on the England captain.

Hints of Kane’s stay were dropped at the weekend, as he came off the bench late on in the 1-0 win over Wolves.

He then subsequently was handed a start by Nuno Santo for the 1-0 success against newly-promoted Watford on Sunday, and despite the fact he was unable to get on the score-sheet Roberts is confident that he will spend the season scoring goals, as he looks to show City they should have paid up.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “The one thing with Harry Kane, he won’t be unhappy, because he’ll want to play, he’ll want to score goals and he’ll want to prove to Man City that they’ve mucked up.”

After securing a 1-0 win over West Ham United last weekend, Wolves are back in action today with an away clash against Norwich City. 

Speaking ahead of the match in his latest press conference, Wolves manager Bruno Lage revealed that the club have been dealt some negative injury news as Willy Boly will be absent today after suffering a muscular injury.

With this in mind, here’s how we feel Wolves could line up to take on the Canaries this afternoon, with two changes from last Saturday. 

In goal, considering that he’s played in all of their league games so far this season, it seems likely that Lage will stick with Jose Sa to see if he can keep another clean sheet this time out. 

For the back three, we can see the 45-year-old sticking with the same trio which managed to keep a clean sheet against West Ham, with Max Kilman and Romain Saiss on either side of Conor Coady. 

Then for the wing-back positions, we think Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait Nouri will keep their places in the team, with the same pairing of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in central midfield. 

Although we reckon Raul Jimenez will keep his place in the side to see if he can add to his goal tally for the season after scoring the winner against David Moyes’ Irons last weekend, we think Lage will make a couple of attacking changes to freshen up his team slightly. 

The first of those sees Adama Traore come back in on the left wing instead of Hwang Hee-chan, who didn’t have a shot at goal against West Ham. Also, Francisco Trincao comes in for Daniel Podence, who is currently earning a wage of £60k-per-week according to Spotrac, to see if he can help Jimenez in the attack. Despite Podence setting up the winner seven days ago, Trincao has had a higher WhoScored rating overall for the season and could be restored today.

With Norwich having struggled in the league so far this season, this is a great opportunity for Wolves to secure another win and push themselves higher up the table. 

In other news: One man is edging closer to a significant deal with the club

According to a Tottenham Hotspur source at Football Insider, midfielder Harry Winks is now in talks to join a Premier League rival.

The Lowdown: Spurs in major overhaul…

Since managing director Fabio Paratici arrived in north London, there has been no shortage of transfer activity in and out of Tottenham.

Pierluigi Gollini and Bryan Gil have both officially arrived at the club while Erik Lamela, Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Juan Foyth have all departed N17.

Now, a Spurs source has shared yet more news on their outgoings this summer.

The Latest: Winks in exit talks…

As per FI, midfield man Winks has been told he will be a fringe player under Nuno Espirito Santo this season and is in talks to join a Premier League rival this summer.

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Nuno has even personally green lit the transfer and Winks could now leave before next month’s transfer window deadline.

Negotiations are ‘underway’, as per this report, as Tottenham look to complete another permanent sale following the flurry of outgoings this summer.

While Spurs value the 25-year-old at around £30 million, it is believed they may have to accept a lower bid.

The Verdict: Boost for Spurs?

Depending on how Spurs fill the hole left behind by Winks’ possible departure, this could be a further boost for Tottenham if they manage to finalise a sale.

The Lilywhites are in a sell-to-buy hole but have their sights set on more defensive additions as well as the acquisition of someone to partner Harry Kane up front.

Offloading Winks for more profit could be a necessity if Paratici wishes to strengthen even more this summer.

In other news: ‘Massive’, ‘Exactly what Levy wants’…Sky pundit excited by Spurs stadium news! Find out more here.