All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United could be on the verge of repeating a familiar, yet fatal, mistake…

What’s the word?

The Irons have been mooted with interest in Blackburn Rovers sensation Adam Armstrong for quite some time, with The Sun claiming last month that they were the front-runners to seal his signature.

It was also thought that Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion and Everton were in the running, too.

And now another three teams have been mooted with interest this week.

According to the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, newly-promoted Norwich City are the latest side to enter the race to sign the prolific 24-year-old talisman, whilst Southampton and Newcastle United have also been linked by the Express.

Toney 2.0

If the Hammers aren’t careful here, then they could be about to get a worrying sense of deja vu.

Last summer, the East London outfit were linked with a move for then-Peterborough star Ivan Toney after his 24 goals and six assists caught the eye in League One.

Posh chairman Barry Fry recently told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that West Ham co-owner David Sullivan rejected the chance to sign the forward. He said:

“I spoke to David Sullivan before I sold him to Brentford because I thought Ivan Toney would be ideal for West Ham. But David didn’t agree and thought I wanted too much money and didn’t think he would have the impact in the Championship.”

He cannot afford to have history repeating itself with the Blackburn dynamo as there’s every chance he feels that the young forward will struggle in the Premier League, especially given the disaster surrounding Jordan Hugill several years ago.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-news-irons-transfer-gossip-rumours-more-moyes-striker-gsb” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

Not to mention David Moyes’ desperate need to bolster his frontline – following Sebastian Haller’s exit in January, the Scot was left with just one first-choice senior striker and that was an injury-prone Michail Antonio, who has never started more than 24 games in any top-flight season.

However, Toney has since gone onto prove how stupid a call that was, bagging 33 goals and ten assists, helping steer the Bees to promotion to the Premier League He should now get that chance in the big time.

Armstrong has all the attributes to cause Moyes a similar sort of headache at the London Stadium – even more so if he plumps for one of their rivals instead.

Once compared to Sergio Aguero by Irons legend Joe Cole, the £25m-rated forward provided 29 goals in all competitions this season, which is the same number as all three of West Ham’s top goalscorers combined.

Rovers boss Tony Mowbray also described him as “explosive” and “devastating” in an interview with The Athletic at the start of the year, having managed him at Ewood Park, as well as Coventry.

There certainly isn’t anyone who knows him better than Mowbray.

On the above evidence, the Hammers could well be making a mistake by not pushing to sign Armstrong and given their fatal blunder on Toney, the club’s owners really must ensure that lightning doesn’t strike twice.

AND in other news, Moyes could secure West Ham’s best striker since Di Canio in “perfect” 30-goal monster…

Norwich City’s Max Aarons is a possible right-back target for Everton in the summer transfer window.

However, according to a transfer update from Fabrizio Romano, he is ‘not close’ to sealing a move to Goodison Park any time soon, with the journalist claiming that ‘other clubs are joining the race’ for the 21-year-old.

The right-back has previously been linked with Barcelona and Manchester United, and according to The Times, it will cost £30m to prise away from Norwich, who have just been promoted as winners of the Championship.

Everton want to dip back into Carrow Road talent pool

It seems as if Everton are in the market for a long-term successor to veteran skipper Seamus Coleman, as the Republic of Ireland international will turn 33 this year.

Aarons has provided two goals and two assists from right-back this season, with match averages of 1.4 successful dribbles and 1.4 key passes per game highlighting his attacking prowess (WhoScored). Coleman has provided three assists in 2020/21 but not found the net himself, while his averages for the other two metrics are 0.8 respectively (WhoScored).

The Blues and the Canaries did mutual business last summer, with Ben Godfrey making a £24.75m switch from East Anglia to Merseyside. Attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell went the other way for a fee of £1.98m.

This year’s transfer window is set to open on June 9.

Everton fans fret over concerning Aarons update

Here’s how Everton fans reacted to Romano’s update on Sunday night, with despair the order of the day from many of the Goodison Park faithful.

“Pain”

Credit: @SP0RTSEDITS

“Please no”

Credit: @TashanCockburn3

“Oh no no no”

Credit: @Efc_sai

“I’m gonna be heartbroken seeing him go to someone else”

Credit: @efccarlo

“Got the budget of a pack of quavers probably if we don’t get Europe, wouldn’t be surprised”

Credit: @ElliotB1878

“Pure pain”

Credit: @iiCeDEFC

“Brands out”

Credit: @gowens1878

In other news, some Everton fans were much more positive about this transfer update.

Former Leeds United star Jon Newsome has suggested to Football FanCast that the club should consider a swoop for Tammy Abraham this summer.

Reports have suggested that Chelsea are willing to part with the striker in the next transfer window and The Daily Telegraph have reported that he will cost £40m to extricate from Stamford Bridge.

Abraham has struggled for minutes this season and was not even included in the squad for the FA Cup final against Leicester City.

That could well open the door to a summer exit and Newsome thinks that Leeds ought to consider making a move for the 6 ft 3 England international.

He has scored a total of 30 goals in 82 games for Chelsea and Newsome says he has been watching the 23-year-old since he played for Bristol City on loan as a teenager.

During his time in Bristol, Abraham netted 26 goals in 48 games and Newsome thinks he would be a superb acquisition for Leeds.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I see they’ve put a price tag of £40 million on Tammy Abraham. Do you push the boat out and go and buy Tammy Abraham?

“I’ve watched him since he was out on loan at Bristol City as an 18-year-old and I think he’s a fantastic player.

“He leads the line, he just needs that club where he’s the number one target and the number one man and I think he’ll just blossom again. So do the club do something like that?”

According to a report from The Sun, coming as West Ham stars Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell remain out through injury, the club are ‘concerned’ over the fitness of star midfielder Jesse Lingard who is being ‘hampered’ by aching legs.

Indeed, as per this report, the Englishman underwent intensive treatment to solve the issue throughout last week and West Ham are praying he doesn’t become the latest player to be ruled out of action.

West Ham dealt Lingard concern

As David Moyes’ men chase an unprecedented Champions League qualifying place, Lingard is apparently still struggling with the leg problem as a concern emerges he won’t be able to play against Burnley on Monday.

The 28-year-old has been a revelation since joining the Hammers on loan in January and Moyes reportedly would have ideally rested him against Chelsea if the likes of Rice, Antonio and Cresswell weren’t already ruled out.

In another injury concern, West Ham now appear to be slightly sweating over Lingard’s fitness.

Transfer Tavern take

If the Englishman is unable to play at Turf Moor it would be a major blow, without question.

He has been Moyes’ most crucial asset since his signing, having scored nine Premier League goals in 11 appearances for the Hammers this season.

Lingard is also the most threatening West Ham man in terms of shots per game, averaging an impressive three attempts on goal every 90 minutes (WhoScored).

It’s little wonder Vladimir Coufal called him ‘unbelievable’ in an interview with Sky Sports, Hammers supporters will be hoping that the concerns over Lingard don’t become any more serious.

In other news: West Ham fans react as club confirm ‘great news’, find out more here.

Speaking to BILD (via Sport Witness), journalist Christian Falk has dropped a major claim on a possible new manager for Tottenham Hotspur involving Ralph Rangnick – with the reporter stating that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role and talks ‘will come’ given he is on the shortlist.

The 62-year-old, who recently emerged as a candidate for Spurs, is now climbing up the managerial shortlist in north London after blows involving previous targets Julian Nagelsmann and Erik Ten Hag.

The former has agreed to become the new manager of German giants Bayern Munich while the latter has signed a new deal at Ajax, dealing two big hits as Spurs hunt for their Jose Mourinho successor.

Falk drops major Tottenham claim

However, in a positive twist, Falk now believes that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role – dropping the latest from what he has heard in regards to the manager chase.

“We have already talked about how Rangnick and Tottenham could become hot, and I have now heard quite specifically that he was offered the job,” he told BILD (via Sport Witness).

“In any case, he is on the shortlist, and that means talks will come.

“From the club, he still hears a bit of scepticism, but he’s already held talks with Manchester United and Everton in the UK in the past that never quite worked out.

“There must have been reasons for that, we don’t know them all, but it’s nice that he’s now being discussed.

“They need a new Tuchel, and in the UK, they believe the German coaches have done a lot of groundwork, which could be a big ace in the hole for Rangnick to Tottenham.”

Transfer Tavern take

After the big announcements involving Nagelsmann and Ten Hag, we believe that Spurs are quite right to offer Rangnick the job as he appears to be the next best option.

Described as a ‘perfectionist’ by RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen, he has also been credited with influencing Premier League bosses Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Ralph Hasenhuttl (The Telegraph).

Spurs are also on the hunt for an attack-minded boss who can reinstall that exciting brand of football, and Rangnick’s label as the ‘father of gegenpressing’ certainly throws him into this category of manager.

In other news: This boss is also eyeing the Spurs job, find out more here.

Borna Barisic has been in excellent form for Rangers this season and his latest superb performance for his international side Croatia emphasises just how well Steven Gerrard and Mark Allen did to bring him to Ibrox in 2018.

Rangers signed the left-back from NK Osijek for just £2.2 million after impressing Gerrard with his performances against the Gers in a Europa League qualifying fixture.

It was suggested that Barisic felt moving to Rangers would increase his playing time for Croatia, having earned three caps for his country at that stage, and he has now earned 17, so the move has definitely worked out for the defender.

The 28-year-old has been a regular in Gerrard’s side ever since, having made 107 appearances for the Light Blues, in which he has contributed an impressive seven goals and 31 assists.

He has played a huge part in Rangers’ title win this season, contributing one goal and five assists in 30 top-flight appearances, which have helped him earn a superb 7.35 average rating.

It seems as if Barisic is continuing his form for Rangers with his country, as he produced a Man of the Match display in Croatia’s 1-0 win against Cyprus last weekend.

As per SofaScore, the defender would earn an impressive 7.7/10 match rating, which was enough to see him rated as the best player on the pitch from both sides.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Considering the likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Mateo Kovacic all featured in the game, it emphasises the immense quality that Barisic possesses, which makes it extremely impressive that Rangers’ former director of football Mark Allen was able to bring him to Ibrox for such a low fee.

Barisic was clearly a threat from both an attacking and defensive point of view throughout the game, as he made three tackles, which was the joint-most of any Croatian player, whilst also attempting 16 crosses during the game, suggesting that one of Zlatko Dalic’s side’s main tactics is to utilise the left-back’s impressive crossing ability.

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Therefore, when you consider that Barisic has become one of the star players for Croatia, who reached the final of the last World Cup, it seems remarkable that Allen and Gerrard were able to bring him to Rangers for just £2.2 million in 2018.

And, in other news… Gerrard suffers potential Rangers blow with £10k-p/w “leader”, Wilson can’t be bullied

Whatever you think of Jorge Mendes and his methods, you can’t help but laud the things he’s done for Wolves.

Since Fosun became involved with the Midlands outfit, they have established a friendly relationship with one of the most powerful football agents in the game.

The club’s manager, Nuno Santo is a client of Mendes’ Gestifute agency while several of their playing staff are also on his books. To name a few, he leads negotiations for the likes of Pedro Neto, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Neves and Fabio Silva.

Ties to Mendes have even led to incredible links regarding a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. His arrival at Molineux is far-fetched but one that shouldn’t have been a few years ago was Bruno Fernandes.

The Manchester United star is one of the super agent’s biggest clients and managed to pave the way for one of the most game-changing transfers the Premier League has seen in recent years.

He was signed for a considerable £47m from Sporting Lisbon but if Mendes had noticed his talent quicker, a move to Wolves could have occurred.

That’s the word of club legend Steve Bull anyway. Speaking exclusively to FFC’s sister site, Transfer Tavern, he said: “I think he went under the radar for [Jorge] Mendes otherwise, I think he would have definitely been on our scale and we definitely would have had him all day long.”

He would have been enthralling capture for Wolves, and Fosun must be cursing Mendes after missing out.

Fernandes is now valued at £81m by Transfermarkt and has become one of the most impressive attacking midfielders in world football.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-wolves-transfer-news-and-views-ocampos-ronaldo-trincao-fabio-silva” title=”Latest Wolves transfer news and views!”]

Speaking about him recently, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel commented: “The impact he has since he arrived in Man United is indescribable. Unbelievable.”

The Portugal international has scored a mighty 23 goals this term, providing a further 14 assists in 46 outings. That adds to his tally of eight goals and seven assists in 14 Premier League matches last season after moving in January 2020.

Evidently, he could have been a real star in this Wolves team. That’s not just because of his antics in terms of creativity and goals, but because of his mentality and leadership.

“Bruno Fernandes is not really a tackler, but he leads by example because he works really hard and he’s brilliant on the ball,” Bryan Robson admitted this week.

“But I always see him talking and shouting to players and he is always either trying to encourage or having a bit of a go at players if they are not in the right position,” the Man United legend added.

Fernandes has very quickly become a star of European football and besides Ronaldo, he is Mendes’ diamond.

AND in other news, Shi will regret awful call on “intelligent” £75k-p/w ace, Wolves could have signed him…

A number of Liverpool fans have been left stunned by Owen Hargreaves’ comments regarding Andy Robertson and Luke Shaw.

Robertson has proven to be an unbelievable signing by the Reds, after arriving to a relatively low-key reception back in the summer of 2017.

Having just been relegated with Hull City, the Scot wasn’t exactly a glamorous addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad, but it quickly became evident what a key man he was going to be.

Robertson became a vital player just a few months after joining, ousting Alberto Moreno as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back and reaching the Champions League final in his first season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“306736”]

In the last few years, the 27-year-old has outlined his reputation as one of the world’s best left-backs, producing consistent brilliance as the Reds have won both the Champions League and Premier League.

His form has dipped a little this season, however, like so many Liverpool players, and former Manchester United midfielder Hargreaves has claimed Luke Shaw is now the superior player.

The Englishman is enjoying an excellent campaign for United, but is still a huge thing to say, considering the level Robertson has reached over a sustained period.

Liverpool fans react to Hargreaves claim

Here’s how some Liverpool supporters reacted to Hargreaves’ comments on Twitter.

“It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen”

Credit: @22Seangill22

“Yeah right Owen. Come back when Shaw wins Premier League and Champions League”

Credit: @sidkidwai

“Wow what a shock”

Credit: @nabydeco08

“Nonsense”

Credit: @footballlfc3690

“And that’s why these ex – players cannot be successful as managers even in the lower divisions. The best Shaw cannot do half the things an out of form Robertson does on the pitch. If you cannot see it, football is not for you, better watch baseball”

Credit: @zisiskoutsoumb1

“I wonder what he is smoking”

Credit: @ade_timlish

In other news, one Liverpool player has been tipped to leave Anfield, but it’s not Gini Wijnaldum. Find out who it is here.

Carlo Ancelotti must work on offloading Jonjoe Kenny in the summer transfer market amid doubt in the Everton defender sealing a permanent move to Celtic.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Toffees striker Kevin Campbell has raised doubt in Kenny remaining with the Hoops beyond his loan spell.

The right-back move to Parkhead on a half-season deal on Deadline Day of the winter market, having struggled to establish himself under Ancelotti.

Following a year on loan with Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04, Kenny returned to Goodison Park but only played eight times in all competitions before heading north of the border, where he has already featured on nine occasions.

Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon was a key factor behind the Premiership giants pursuit, but Campbell expects that the Northern Irishman resigning could now impact the 24-year-old’s chances of remaining in Glasgow beyond the season.

“It all depends on who comes in,” Campbell said. “I think he’s a decent player. He’s not looked out of place for Celtic. But whoever comes in might have their own players in mind who they want to recruit. Watch this space.

“I thought he had a decent game against Rangers the other week but the one moment he fell asleep, [Alfredo] Morelos gets the goal [to equalise].

“That’s the defender’s lot. You have to be able to defend these things properly because that’s where the danger is and that’s what he’s paid to do. I’m sure he’d be disappointed, but I think he did have a decent game overall.”

Should Everton sell Kenny?

Ancelotti had proven throughout the season that Kenny was far from his first-choice, with Mason Holgate often selected to deputise for Seamus Coleman, and his position is unlikely to change with Everton being linked with moves for the likes of Diogo Dalot, Max Aarons and Tariq Lamptey.

If the Toffees are moving to sign a new right-back to act as Coleman’s long-term successor, Kenny’s time at Goodison Park will be expected to come to an end this summer as the club’s Director of Football Marcel Brands strives to balance the books.

Everton had been open to selling Kenny in January but priced the former England U21 international out of a move to Burnley by demanding £10m, and may struggle to earn that fee at the end of the season.

Kenny had cost Everton £300,000 per Premier League start this term having only started one of his four appearances before joining Celtic, who took on his wages, and he’d played a mere combined 77 minutes while earning £15,000-per-week on a deal that expires next year.

The full-back, who boasts a TransferMarkt valuation of £6.5m, is hardly playing his way into earning new terms at Celtic, making this summer potentially Everton’s last opportunity to secure a fee and avoid losing their academy product for free in 2022.

Kenny inadvertently set up Morelos for Rangers’ equalising goal in the Old Firm Derby earlier this month by playing a lazy back pass which went out of a corner, and ultimately endured a nightmare as he lacked form at both ends of the pitch.

The 24-year-old left a lot to the imagination in defeat to Ross County last month, as well, when Kenny lost possession more times (22) than all but one of his Hoops teammates and failed to find a green-and-white shirt with any of his six attempted crosses, per SofaScore.

His display returned Kenny’s worst SofaScore match rating in the Premiership to date at 6.5 out of 10, but the full-back’s output was on par with average performances after offering just 0.6 accurate crosses a game with a 16% success rate and losing possession 15.9 times.

Ancelotti will undoubtedly be keen to move Kenny on in the off-season, knowing the Liverpool-born defender is not up to the standard he will require.

AND in other news, Everton land a huge boost but face PL competition for a £26m star who’s “grown so much”…

Leicester City came from behind to secure a point against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday evening.

Matej Vydra had given the hosts an early lead before Kelechi Iheanacho equalised with a stunning drive to see the spoils shared.

The goal was the tip of the iceberg of an impressive performance from the former Manchester City hitman, again sending justification to Foxes’ boss Brendan Rodgers that he should be included in the starting lineup on a more regular basis.

In his 66 minutes on the pitch before he was withdrawn for the returning Wesley Fofana, Iheanacho only had 29 touches of the ball, according to WhoScored, but he was effective when he received it.

He attempted three shots throughout his appearance, no player on each side had more attempts. The £13.5m-rated Nigerian also managed to combine well with his teammates, providing a key pass and also contributing two crosses.

For context, Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy only had 16 touches in the full 90 minutes, only providing one key pass.

Even Rodgers admitted that the 34-year-old ‘didn’t do much’ but still elected to leave him on the pitch and withdraw his strike partner.

It wasn’t just in the statistics where Iheanacho caught the eye though. His hold-up play against a stubborn Burnley backline was impressive as he acted as a focal point in the Foxes attack.

The most spectacular element of his game though was, of course, the goal that earned the East-Midlanders a point in Lancashire.

Iheanacho showed fantastic awareness to get on the end of Wilfred Ndidi’s lofted ball to then watch it over his shoulder and volley home with a lethal left-footed drive.

The goal now takes his personal record to six in all competitions so far this season, having scored three in his last five domestic appearances.

Considering Vardy is currently in the middle of a barren run of just one Premier League goal since mid-December, Iheanacho will feel like he has sent a stark message to his manager.

In other news, why Cengiz Under’s absence at Turf Moor could have provided clues to Leicester’s summer transfer plans.