All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal have finalised their first move of the summer, but seemingly have no intention to slow down in their pursuit of an even brighter future.

What's the latest on Jurrien Timber to Arsenal?

This newest addition could now come in the form of Jurrien Timber, who is reportedly the latest to close in on a switch to the Emirates.

Having announced Kai Havertz's arrival only yesterday, this creative Dutch defender could provide a fine partner for the German creator, should Mikel Arteta seek to invert him into midfield.

Journalist James Benge would detail Edu's progress with Ajax, with the CBS Sports account tweeting:

"Ajax defender Jurrien Timber is getting close to joining for around $55m (£44m). @JamesBenge understands Arsenal are optimistic that the deal will progress swiftly in the coming days."

Would Jurrien Timber improve Kai Havertz?

Whilst many might scratch their heads as to where the former Chelsea maestro will feature within their team, Arteta sought to clear up the reasons behind his acquisition: "Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility & is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield & variety to our play."

This suggests that, whilst his favoured role might be in the ten, perhaps his quality elsewhere could see him deployed deeper.

If so, to be partnered beside Timber could prove the perfect platform for him to truly reach the potential that many would argue he failed to fulfil at Stamford Bridge.

Just 49 goal contributions in 139 games for the west London outfit showcases a struggling figure, especially given he scored 18 times in just one season across all competitions before he departed his homeland.

Joining up with this free-flowing outfit now though could help revitalise the 24-year-old, who boasts experience way beyond his years. It seems that his time in England has added an element of steel to his already excellent offensive capabilities, with the Blues now gift-wrapping an all-around monster to their north London rivals.

After all, when compared to other forwards across Europe, Havertz ranks in the top 6% for pass completion, the top 9% for progressive passes and the top 10% for tackles per 90, via FBref.

Placing this beside the 22-year-old titan, who can also play in midfield, would be impressive. Indeed, the Dutchman has showcased a quality way beyond others in his role, with his work rate and quality in the engine room potentially allowing the £65m magician to recapture his form of old.

When compared to other centre-backs across Europe, Timber ranks in the top 1% for passes attempted, pass completion, progressive passes and progressive carries per 90. This was all whilst maintaining 1.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in the Eredivisie last term, via Sofascore.

Journalist Casey Evans sought to praise the youngster last summer, as he implored Erik ten Hag to secure a deal for Manchester United. He wrote: "Get him to bring Timber or Martinez with him, both are outstanding."

To potentially have a couple of ball-playing leaders in such key positions could see Arteta enact even more control over each game next campaign, with Edu's stellar recruitment continuing to impress.

Leeds United have offered Adam Forshaw the chance to extend his stay at Elland Road, according to reports.

Is Adam Forshaw out of contract?

The Whites’ central midfielder has been a long-time servant in LS11 having first arrived from Middlesbrough back in 2018, but with the 31-year-old not getting any younger and suffering several long-term injuries, he’s started to fall out of favour.

The Elland Road veteran was handed just five starts in the Premier League last season across the reigns of Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce, so he’s significantly low down in the pecking order.

The Liverpool-born talent’s contract is currenlty going to expire tomorrow and he was all set to depart upon it’s conclusion having been named on the released list alongside Joel Robles, Will Brook & Stuart McKinstry, but it seems that club chiefs have had a late change of heart regarding his future in Yorkshire.

Have Leeds offered Forshaw fresh terms?

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds have “offered a new contract” to Forshaw in what they describe as a "U-turn". The Whites have “invited” the midfielder to link up with the squad for pre-season training and the two parties are “in talks” about the possibility of staying on the books ahead of the new season in the Championship.

The 49ers’ fresh offer has been tabled on “reduced terms” and it’s stated that he is now “weighing up his options” because he has “several other clubs” monitoring him.

Should the 49ers keep or sell Forshaw?

Leeds will know that Forshaw doesn’t contribute in the final third having posted zero goals or assists across all competitions last season, and whilst he won’t be a regular starter moving forward, he’s still a valuable asset to keep in the building should unforeseen circumstances occur.

The Wasserman client loves to get stuck in having won nine out of his 12 tackles during the previous campaign, not to mention he also recorded an 84.2% pass success rate which was higher than any other of his first-team peers.

Hailed a maestro that causes “all sorts of problems” with his pass selection by journalist Josh Bunting, the £20k-per-week earner provides the manager in charge with wonderful versatility with his ability to operate in all five positions in the centre of the park which is a great quality to possess.

Finally, Forshaw knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the required level having been part of the squad that achieved promotion back in 2019/20, so his experience will be vital to retain to help try and get out of the second tier at the first time of asking.

Burnley are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to retain their Premier League status in their first season back in the top flight.

The Clarets earned promotion in style last season, going up with triple digits in terms of points, but impressive head coach Vincent Kompany is not resting on his laurels.

Kompany's side have been linked with new players in every position since the Championship campaign came to a close last month, including in the heart of defence.

Indeed, French outlet L'Equipe reports that Burnley are in advanced talks to bring in teenage centre-back Soumaila Coulibaly from Borussia Dortmund.

Who is Soumaila Coulibaly?

The 19-year-old came through Paris Saint-Germain's academy before making the move to Dortmund, where he spent a year in the reserve side prior to making his first-team debut last season.

Coulibaly made two appearances for BVB, both from the bench, including an 18-minute cameo in a Champions League group draw away at Copenhagen.

Despite being highly regarded at the Westfalenstadion, it is reported that Dortmund are happy to let the France U17 international find his feet elsewhere on an initial loan basis.

Where would Soumaila Coulibaly fit in at Burnley?

Coulibaly hails from Ile de France, which is the same region that Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba originate. Coulibaly may play in a different position to those two, but he will hope to rise to the very top in the same way as those global superstars.

Mbappe made his senior debut with Monaco at 16 years and 347 days, whereas Coulibaly has just a couple of appearances under his belt for Dortmund at the age of 19.

But that is not to say the Frenchman cannot make a name for himself, with this proposed move to Burnley providing a chance to do just that in the Premier League.

The £23k-per-week youngster may be young but you would not know that by looking at him, measuring as he does at 6 foot 2. Indeed, his stature and ability on the ball has earned him comparisons with Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano.

The youngster previously revealed he looks up to Presnel Kimpembe, whom he worked with at PSG, given they are both left-footed centre-backs. For that reason, Coulibaly would be a perfect replacement for Taylor Harwood-Bellis at Burnley.

Harwood-Bellis started 31 of Burnley's 46 Championship matches last season, but he has now returned to parent club Manchester City. Jordan Beyer's loan from Borussia Monchengladbach has been made permanent, however, making him a natural partner for Coulibaly in a back four.

Coulibaly may only have played a couple of games at senior level, but it is clear to see he is a defender who has an eye for a pass. Indeed, his 12.9 progressive passes per 90 minutes last season – completed passes of at least ten yards, as per FBref – is more than any Burnley player managed.

For comparison, Harwood-Bellis registered 5.77 per 90 minutes last term. Coulibaly also completed 96.7% of his passes, which was better than that of Harwood-Bellis' 85% success rate.

It must be factored in that Coulibaly's figures are over a far smaller sample period, and it remains to be seen if he can have the same impact as Harwood-Bellis – let alone a career even half as special as compatriot Mbappe.

But the initial signs are promising, and Kompany has shown during his time as Burnley boss that he knows a talent when he sees one.

Leeds United are still on the search for a manager to lead their Championship campaign next season and now a new update has emerged on a promising candidate.

What's the latest on Leeds' interest in Daniel Farke?

According to The Telegraph, Daniel Farke is now on the shortlist to become the next manager at Elland Road.

As per the report, the club's hierarchy intend to finalise their search next week after they have spoken to all of the contenders in the coming days and Farke has joined Scott Parker and Carlos Corberan on the shortlist.

Is Daniel Farke the right man for the Leeds job?

The German coach has amassed a wealth of experience over his career so far and especially excelled in the Championship during his four-year tenure at Norwich City.

Farke managed the squad at Carrow Road from July 2017 to November 2021 masterminding promotion to the Premier League twice and averaging 1.50 points per game over 208 fixtures, but was ultimately sacked after failing to continue the success and provide consistency in performances in the top flight.

Despite being axed in the end, Canaries legend Chris Sutton was massively impressed with the brand of football that was being played under Farke's guidance, telling BBC Radio 5 Live back in 2019:

"I have been shocked in a pleasant way with Norwich City this season, I think their brand of football has been absolutely incredible, I really, really do,"

"They have got up playing a brilliant, exciting, attacking brand of football with good players and what they’ve gone back to is the days when i was there and they were developing from within."

Norwich scored 294 goals and won 83 games during Farke's reign – with the side scoring a whopping 93 goals in his first season to win the Championship and 75 goals to finish top of the second tier table in the 2020/2021 season too, demonstrating the formidable attacking force that the coach had curated at Carrow Road.

More recently, the 46-year-old returned to his native Germany to manage Borussia Mönchengladbach leading them to a tenth-place finish and securing victories over Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich during his short spell at the Bundesliga outfit, but after just one season in charge mutually parted company with the club.

Leeds could massively benefit from Farke's Championship experience and proven success with the 49ers surely keen to get the West Yorkshire club back in the Premier League as soon as possible.

Farke has been the recipient of high praise of his peers in the past, with his compatriot and former Dortmund colleague Thomas Tuchel complimenting the manager's attributes when Chelsea faced Norwich in the top flight:

"I like him a lot, first of all as a person. He is a very nice and humble person."

"He is a very good manager in terms of also people management. I would have liked to be a player under him because I can imagine he gives you a lot of confidence and a lot of trust."

Tuchel's comments about Farke's 'people management' highlights a great attribute that would be massively beneficial to the Leeds squad, who will be currently feeling dejected and low on confidence as a result of their relegation troubles.

With that being said, there is no reason why Farke wouldn't be a good fit for Leeds in their pursuit for promotion, however, he could be a short-term solution for the 49ers if they do return to the Premier League as the manager has failed to prove he can keep up with the demands of the top flight.

Glasgow Rangers are in full-on transfer mode this month as they attempt to improve their squad after failing to secure a single trophy in the 2022/23 campaign.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was dismissed from his duties during the break for the 2022 World Cup and his replacement, Michael Beale, was unable to claw back the Scottish Premiership or win either of the domestic cups.

The English head coach is now hard at work to recruit new players for his team and has already wrapped up deals for Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling, who will join at the start of next month from Norwich and Chelsea respectively.

A recent report from the Daily Record claimed that the Light Blues remain keen on a deal to sign Swansea attacker Morgan Whittaker to bolster their attacking options, having previously seen three bids rejected for the youngster in January – the last of which totalled around £2m.

Should Rangers sign Morgan Whittaker?

Beale must secure a swoop to sign the versatile attacker, who can play out wide on the right or through the middle as a centre-forward, as he could form an exciting partnership with current Rangers ace Todd Cantwell in the final third.

Whittaker only started two games in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign for Swansea but the ace was able to showcase his potential on loan at Plymouth Argyle during the first half of the season.

The 22-year-old winger, who talent scout Jacek Kulig described as "flamboyant", averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 across 19 starts in League One and contributed with nine goals and seven assists from out wide.

He offered a goalscoring threat and consistently provided his teammates with service as the magician created seven 'big chances' and made 1.3 key passes per match for the English side.

These statistics suggest that the dynamo, who plundered a staggering 31 goals and 13 assists in 53 U18 games for Derby County, has the quality to make a huge impact in the final third by scoring and creating goals for his side, although the club would still be gambling on him being able to adjust to Scottish football.

This could make him an exciting player to watch alongside Cantwell in the number ten position for the Gers. The English playmaker averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.36 and chipped in with six goals and four assists in 15 Premiership starts for the club after joining from Norwich in January.

He created five 'big chances' for his teammates and registered 1.3 key passes per game and this shows that, like Whittaker, the 25-year-old is a game-changer as part of the frontline as the magician can be a match-winner with his ability to punish opposition teams with his finishing and passing abilities.

Therefore, Cantwell and Whittaker could be a dream pairing as part of the attacking trident behind the starting centre-forward, as they could create for each other and finish off the chances that come their way, and that is why Beale must swoop for the Swansea whiz.

Tottenham Hotspur may be set for a hitch in their efforts to try and sign Manor Solomon as Fulham are keen to keep him at Craven Cottage, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Manor Solomon?

As per The Athletic, Tottenham are keen on signing Solomon this summer and he would be available for nothing due to the fact that he suspended his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk last year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The report states that FIFA have ruled that he is free to move for nothing in the off-season and clubs around Europe have been put on alert by this development as he intends to suspend his deal by a further year.

Of course, Solomon is on loan at Fulham and enjoyed a productive campaign at Craven Cottage, netting five times in 24 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

According to The Sun, Fulham also want to sign the Israel international on a permanent basis and will endeavour to secure his signature despite protestations from Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin, who stated in a recent interview: "The over-reaching measures applied by Fifa led to massive loss of player transfer income and a depletion of essential Club revenues. We believe the extension of Annex 7 continues to place clubs like FC Shakhtar in Ukraine in a seriously disadvantaged position with zero protection and threatens our very existence."

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Fulham would be very keen to sign the £20k-a-week earner this summer, potentially derailing Spurs' plans to swoop for his services.

Jones told FFC: "The interest in Manor Solomon is interesting, I know that Fulham anticipate him staying and have been hopeful that they would be able to extend his time at Craven Cottage. It's obviously quite complicated because of the manner of this transfer and how he ended up signing for Fulham in the first place."

Would Tottenham Hotspur suffer a blow by missing out on Manor Solomon?

Given his availability on a free transfer and his promising start to life in English football, it would be a miss for Tottenham if they were to be stumped in their efforts to land Solomon by Fulham.

As per WhoScored, the 23-year-old has managed to complete around one dribble per match in the Premier League this term, illustrating that the Israeli does have the propensity to beat his marker with regularity.

FBRef also show that Solomon is an extremely hardworking player to have in the ranks and he has excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of tackling, successfully winning 3.15 challenges per 90 minutes over the last 365 days, putting him in the first percentile for this metric.

Solomon has a lot to give and can still improve in the coming years and it would be a shame for Spurs if they were to miss out on signing a talented star in the ilk of the Fulham ace, especially when their squad is devoid of offensive depth.

With the summer transfer window on the horizon, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Aston Villa hotshot, Ollie Watkins, amid the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane's future at the club.

According to reports in Spain late last week, the Villa marksman has been identified as a possible replacement for his England colleague at N17, with Kane having been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid of late with just 12 months left to run on his existing deal.

This latest piece suggests that the Lilywhites have shown an 'interest' in snapping up Watkins as a result, albeit with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United also said to be monitoring the 27-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window.

While the report goes on to add that the former Brentford striker has a market value of around €32m (£28m), there have been previous suggestions that the seven-cap ace is worth closer to £70m, having been in talk over a new deal at Villa Park.

That may appear a sizeable outlay for Daniel Levy and co, although Watkins could well be a perfect striking solution for Spurs next season…

Should Tottenham sign Watkins?

The one-time Exeter City man has certainly emerged as an attractive target having enjoyed a stellar end to the 2022/23 campaign, the £75k-per-week machine ending the season with a respectable haul of 15 league goals – taking his total tally in the competition to 40 goals across the last three seasons.

That fine record from the "lethal" goalscorer – as praised by pundit Trevor Sinclair – has seemingly caught the attention of those in north London, with it no surprise that Watkins is being lined up amid the rampant speculation surrounding the future of Kane.

The addition of the Villa man could also be a perfect match for prospective new boss, Ange Postecoglou, with the Greek-Aussie looking all but certain to be named as the next permanent manager at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While the 57-year-old is not yet in the door, there have been claims that the Celtic coach is keen to bring prolific forward, Kyogo Furuhashi with him from Parkhead, with the Japanese international having ended the recent campaign with 34 goals to his name in all competitions.

With Watkins offering the benefit of having already shown his class in the Premier League, the Englishman could well prove to be a dream alternative to the current Hoops star, thus allowing Postecoglou to find his next talisman in the process.

Aside from knowing where the back of the net is, the two men are also alike due to their impressive movement when leading the line, with Postecoglou previously hailing Kyogo as the "best" he has ever seen with regard to that trait.

Watkins is also adept at being able to stretch a defence, with the Torquay native – who has been studying the likes of Edinson Cavani in order to improve that side of his game – having been lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, who stated:

"His movement opens up the centre-backs and it allows him to make those direct runs in between."

The comparison between the pair can also be made due to their quality off the ball, with Watkins described as "selfless in terms of what his work rate is" by ex-Villans boss Dean Smith, while Kyogo has also been described as someone who "hounds defences" by former Bhoys ace, John Collins.

With the latter man having played an integral role in steering Postecoglou's men to treble glory this season – after finishing as the leading scorer for the Old Firm giants – perhaps Watkins can emulate that feat and become the Greek-Aussie's new leading man at Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Gabriel Jesus to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Antonio Conte’s side have now joined Arsenal in the race for the Manchester City forward this summer, with the 25-year-old believed to be keen on a move away from The Etihad in a bid to secure more regular first-team football.

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The report goes on to state that, while the Brazil international’s agent, Marcelo Pettinati, is known to have discussed the possibility of a move to The Emirates with Mikel Arteta, it is also thought that Fabio Paratici has made Tottenham’s interest clear with the player’s representatives.

Diaz 2.0

While it is true that Jesus has somewhat struggled to hold down a starting spot in Pep Guardiola’s side over the past five years, it is undeniable that the versatile forward is an exceptionally talented player – with it being easy to see why Conte is interested in a deal to bring the 25-year-old to north London this summer.

Indeed, over his 28 Premier League appearances this season – 13 of which came on either the left or right-wing – the £59.5m-rated attacker was in fantastic form for City, scoring eight goals, registering eight assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £90k-per-week Brazilian who Jack Lang dubbed “stunning” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Guardiola’s ninth-best performer in City’s title-winning campaign.

Furthermore, according to FBref data, Jesus also ranks in the top 7% of wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 4% for npxG, the top 13% for shots, the top 9% for assists, the top 6% for npxG+xA and the top 6% for passes completed over the last 365 days.

These metrics see the 25-year-old compared to some of the most talented wingers in world football, such as Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane, City’s Raheem Sterling, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane.

As such, should Fabio Paratici be able to get a £55m deal over the line for the 25-year-old this summer, the Italian sporting director could well have made up for missing out on Diaz back in January, as Jesus very much looks as if he could be an equally impressive signing as the Liverpool sensation.

AND in other news: “I understand…”: Gold drops huge Spurs transfer claim, supporters will be buzzing

Wolverhampton Wanderers need to sign “exquisite” forward Hirving Lozano from Italian side Napoli this summer, as he could be the perfect alternative to Fabio Silva who has failed to hit the heights expected of him this season.

According to reports in Napoli today recently, Wolves are interested in the Mexic0 international and have been monitoring his performances in Naples this season.

The 26-year-old has been a Napoli player since 2019 after he signed from PSV Eindhoven for €40m (£36m). He has since made 112 appearances for the club and been directly involved in 28 goals. A move to the Premier League may help to move his career up a level and it would really help Wolves in their bid to be regulars in Europe.

When you compare Lozano to those in his position playing in Europe’s top five leagues this year, he ranks in the top 8% for crosses into the penalty area. If he moved to Molineux and replicated this then Wolves’ other forwards would be spoilt for opportunities to score.

Whilst the Old Gold still have a goal threat in Raúl Jiménez, they’ve never really found a good enough replacement for Diogo Jota and they currently sit fourth on the list for the least amount of goals scored in the Premier League this season.

Thankfully they keep a decent amount of clean sheets which means they aren’t in any relegation trouble.

In 2020 they signed Portuguese youngster Fabio Silva from FC Porto for a club-record fee of £35.6m. This was a huge amount to pay for an 18-year old and with it came huge pressure for him to perform.

Since arriving he has made 61 appearances and been directly involved in ten goals. For a player of his age, it’s not bad, but if Wolves want him to lead the line straight away then it’s not good enough.

Of course, none of this is the fault of the teenager, and the Midlands outfit need to be patient. If they signed £31.5m-rated Lozano they would be getting a player with far more experience, who would be ready to produce the level of performance required on a consistent basis.

If you compare them both this season Lozano is miles ahead in many categories. He averages 1.17 shots on target per 90 minutes compared to Silva’s 0.81, as well as 3.21 shot-creating actions to the youngster’s 2.58 per 90.

Buying him is guaranteed to bring you more goals, and it will allow Silva the time he needs to develop his game without a huge amount of pressure put on his shoulders.

IN other news: Wolves now want to sign “immense” £10m “beast” this summer, he’s better than Boly…

Tottenham Hotspur officials watched long-time target Pau Torres and a new objective in Arnaut Danjuma for Villarreal against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League semi-final this week, according to 90min. 

The lowdown: Remarkable European adventure

Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has overseen a memorable journey in Europe this season as the La Liga side eliminated Juventus and Bayern Munich on their way to a semi-final showdown with Liverpool.

It wasn’t to be for the Yellow Submarine though, as despite a second-leg comeback, the Premier League title-chasers, and Spurs’ next domestic opponents, prevailed 5-2 on aggregate to reach the final.

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Now it appears that top officials from North London were present to run the rule over two of Villarreal’s most influential players…

The latest: Scouts sent to Spain

As per 90min, scouts from Tottenham were in situ for both legs of the semi-final to ‘keep tabs’ on Danjuma and Torres, despite the former missing the meeting at Estadio de la Ceramica due to injury.

Whilst boss Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici begin to draw up plans for the summer transfer window, it’s claimed that the pair are ‘on their radar’ for a double swoop.

The report claims that there were watchers from multiple clubs in Eastern Spain as on-loan Spurs man Giovani Lo Celso played 90 minutes, however, the ‘specific purpose’ of those sent from N17 was to watch the Dutch forward and Spanish defender in action.

The verdict: Take your pick

Having reportedly come close to landing 25-year-old centre-back Torres in 2021, it’s no surprise that the Lilywhites would reignite an interest this summer.

So far this season the 17-cap Spain ace has earned a superb 7.07 Sofascore rating from performances in the league containing 3.2 clearances per game on average whilst helping to keep 10 clean sheets from 29 outings.

Meanwhile, the interest in former Bournemouth winger Danjuma is a fresh link, but the man hailed as a ‘nightmare for defenders’ by ex-Premier League man Kevin Phillips has enjoyed a stellar time in Spain, scoring 16 times and providing four assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.

Adding either Villarreal ace to the ranks at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be an excellent piece of business – adding both could be future-defining.

In other news: Tottenham expected to move for ‘phenomenal’ £101m star after Conte request, find out more here.