All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy will be thinking about Antonio Conte’s contract situation as he enters the final 12 months of his current deal…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, it will be the “number one thing” on Levy’s mind, having done all he could to lure the Premier League champion to the club back in November.

Speaking during a recent appearance on The Last Word On Spurs YouTube channel, the reliable reporter said:

“At the moment, I haven’t heard anything to say that this is ongoing or this is imminent. That said, clearly, this will be the number one thing on Daniel Levy’s mind because you know, Daniel Levy moved heaven and earth to get Conte to the club.

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“He’s desperate to make Conte a success. He has found all this extra money for Conte that suddenly. He’s delivered in his players. So of course, Levy will be thinking about this all the time.

“The question is really and you know if Conte wants another big deal on [a] good salary I’m sure Levy would give it to him because Tottenham have got the money, and it’s so important to Levy to have Conte here as manager. I guess the question really is, does Conte want to be tied to Tottenham for the next few years?”

Tie him down

This will come as encouraging news to the Lilywhites faithful as Pitt-Brooke claims that Levy would be open to tying the Italian down for the long term, and given the sizeable investment this summer, it would be a wise thing to do.

Conte has got a lot of the players that he wanted – six in fact, particularly in defence, where he has signed his former player in Ivan Perisic, a right wing-back solution in Djed Spence and finally, a left-footed centre-back in Clement Lenglet.

The 52-year-old has also seen his squad bolstered by the £60m arrival of Richarlison from Everton and Yves Bissouma from Brighton, which will allow him to rotate for their midweek adventures in the Champions League, as well as remaining competitive in the Premier League, too.

It would make little sense for Levy to splash the cash as he has done, only to bring in a different manager at the end of the season as he’ll be left with the bulk of Conte’s expensive squad.

The Spurs supremo must also be aware that he will probably struggle to recruit a manager of this calibre again, given the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are holding down the fort at their Premier League rivals.

Conte is already on a whopping £15m-per-year, which is the third highest in the top-flight, so it would certainly be another bold move from Levy and co but ultimately, if they want to transition into a trophy-winning outfit, then their best chance is likely to be with Conte.

Those around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be rather excited by this claim.

AND in other news, Paratici now given green light to seal “amazing” signing as Spurs eye £50m “genius”…

Leon Bailey is primed for a big season at Aston Villa this season.

The 24-year-old winger has already given supporters some fighting talk, posting a highlight reel to Instagram, alongside a caption that said (via Birmingham Mail):

“Talk the same talk you did last season. New season incoming, I’m coming for everything they said I couldn’t achieve, mark my words,” he warned the rest of the Premier League.

Bailey completed 90 minutes in the Premier League only three times and was limited to just 18 appearances in total. He missed the final five matches of last season with an ankle issue, though he returned to goalscoring form for Jamaica in the subsequent international break.

In fact, manager Steven Gerrard has only been able to call upon the former Bayer Leverkusen star 12 times, averaging only 38.5 minutes per appearance.

There’s a reason that the Villa hierarchy splashed around £30m on Bailey’s signature. He was in fine form in Germany, where he delivered a whopping 15 goals and 11 assists from 40 matches during his final campaign at the BayArena.

The Jamaican international needs to keep fit and then he can be something of a secret threat for Gerrard, given that he has hardly seen the pitch under the former Rangers boss.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has backed the winger to set the ground alight this campaign, suggesting that he would be “like a new signing” to GIVEMESPORT:

“Fitness issues prevented Villa fans from seeing the best of him, but I’m sure he will be hungry to prove a point this season and can show he can be a top performer for Aston Villa because he’s definitely got it in him, and he could almost be like a new signing for Villa if he goes and hits the ground running.”

Bailey’s best position is on the right flank, perhaps where Villa have been their weakest in recent seasons, so he should have a clear run at making that position his own – he certainly needs to deliver this campaign after the sizeable investment in his signature.

During his time in Germany, the winger was likened to ex-Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben and lauded as “exceptional” and “very rare” by Ronald de Boer

So it could be time to forget about Philippe Coutinho and his playmaking impact this season, the unknown surrounding Bailey could work to Villa’s advantage as Gerrard looks to improve on their 14th place finish.

Bailey can, and is likely to, play a major role as the Midlands outfit look to rise up the Premier League standings.

AND in other news, “As far as I’m aware…”: Preece drops huge AVFC transfer update, Gerrard will be gutted…

The Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has confirmed that Everton are now ‘definitely’ interested in signing Armando Broja.

The Lowdown: Bid incoming?

The Goodison Park outfit’s interest in Broja has been reported throughout the window, with claims that they could even make a bid for the Chelsea striker.

A deal to sign former Wolves left-back Ruben Vinagre meanwhile is ‘done’ pending an official announcement, according to Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, and so the Merseyside club can now focus on securing other targets ahead of the start of the new season.

The Latest: Broja interest

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Taylor has now revealed that the Toffees are ‘definitely still interested’ in signing Broja, alongside Newcastle United:

“Everton and Newcastle are definitely still interested, but Newcastle would prefer a loan. But a source close to Broja tells me he’s only interested in a permanent move. He doesn’t want to go out on loan again.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

After the sale of Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur, getting in a striker is a no-brainer for the Blues, and Broja would certainly be a smart addition.

Dubbed as ‘devastating‘ by Albania assistant coach Sergio Porrini, the 20-year-old already has four goals in 14 caps for his country, on top of the nine that he managed while on loan at Southampton last season (Transfermarkt).

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He is a player Frank Lampard will of course know well from his time at Chelsea, and one that the Englishman greatly admires, having called him ‘very talented’, ‘fast’ and ‘strong’ back in February (Metro).

Nonetheless, Lampard will want other new faces to come through the doors alongside Vinagre before the season starts, and Broja could slot in straight away against his former club on the opening day if they can get a deal done quickly.

It seems that Wolverhampton Wanderers are finally closing in on finding a striker solution… 

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian publication Gianluca DiMarzio, who claim that the agent of Roma striker Eldor Shomurudov is touting the forward’s service.

With Wolves desperate for someone to fill the absence of the injured Raul Jimenez, Scott Sellars will reportedly battle it out with Bologna for the Uzbekistan international.

He has struggled for starts under Jose Mourinho and could get his career back on track under Bruno Lage.

He can be a Jimenez repeat

Wolves will be hoping that Shomurudov can certainly fill the boots of their talismanic Mexican, due to his recent long-term injury which will see him miss the start of the Premier League season.

This could be another deal that could see the Midlands club bring in a relatively unproven striker and turn them into Premier League quality.

Having already done the same by signing Jimenez from Benfica after a successful loan spell, Lage will be hoping he can come up with his own version of this success story.

In 28 appearances last season, with the most in the league coming from the bench, the 56-cap forward managed seven goal contributions for Jose Mourinho’s side.

He would not only deputise for Jimenez but would definitely add a new dimension to Lage’s side. Shomurudov ranked in the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area, suggesting that he could be more of a poacher than someone who links play like they are used to.

This could benefit them greatly, as the service the likes of Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence could provide for the close-range finisher often would not require neat link-up play from the striker to slip them through.

The creativity in midfield would likely see them through in creating the space for these tricky wingers to feed the forward.

Also, at 27 years old, the €37k-per-week (£31k) earner enters the prime of his career. He could start to hit his stride at the perfect moment for Wolves during their attacking crisis, and prove to be a smart signing who can challenge Jimenez upon his return to fitness.

He has been cited as being in “great shape”, further outlining him as a viable target for Lage.

There is no reason why Shomurudov cannot come and light Molineux up just as Jimenez did before him, and it would mark a handing over of the torch from one striker to another if the Roma forward could perform in his absence.

AND, in other news: “He will..”: Romano drops big transfer claim that should have Wolves supporters gutted.

Everton didn’t have an ideal start to their Premier League campaign at Goodison Park yesterday with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, but it wasn’t just the score-line that will leave Frank Lampard with a headache today.

What’s the latest?

Ben Godfrey suffered a nasty looking leg injury in the early exchanges of the game at Goodison on Saturday evening and was stretchered off while given oxygen during a lengthy stoppage.

However, he wasn’t the only Toffees defender to pick up an injury.

Indeed, Yerry Mina also suffered an issue during the game against Thomas Tuchel’s side, and in his post-match interview, Lampard gave an update on the current situation of his defensive duo.

The Everton boss told reporters after the game: “It [Godfrey’s injury] feels like it is a small fracture of his leg.

“We are assessing that. He will be out for a while, Mina is an ankle injury and could be out for a while.

“When it rains, it pours.”

Lampard should be frustrated

As Lampard says, when it rains it well and truly pours. Everton have had a tough summer and after failing to bring too many players to Merseyside, there is no doubt that he will be incredibly frustrated with the news that two of his centre-backs could be out of a while following the first game of the season.

We are only a match into the new campaign but it looks like the problems of 2021/22 are presenting themselves once again and Everton cannot afford to face another relegation scrap.

The pair of defenders join their teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the injury table, with the striker currently out for six weeks with a knee injury weakening the forward line with Lampard having to start Anthony Gordon in the centre-forward role for the Chelsea clash.

As well as having very few offensive options, Lampard is also now rather crippled at the back with Godfrey and Mina’s injuries leaving James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate. Considering the final two were part of a defence that was dubbed “Championship level” last season, it’s easy to see why Everton’s start to the season will frustrate Lampard.

There is a silver lining though as despite the injury complications the transfer window is still very much open for the next few weeks, and the Toffees are already linked with a move for a new centre-back, a move that will likely accelerate exponentially following the injuries to Mina and Godfrey.

It was reported that Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady is of interest to those at Goodison, and the speculation surrounding a move has only further heightened after Bruno Lage left him on the bench against Leeds United yesterday.

Lampard likes to deploy a back three, a defensive set up he presented against Chelsea last night and a set up that Coady has thrived in at Wolves over the last few seasons, but now that Lage has opted for a 4-3-3 formation, it could be that the club captain does not fit into his plans for the future of the team.

With that being said, the powers at Goodison Park must start addressing the areas with little to no depth as Lampard will be desperate to start tallying up points and putting out a team he can trust in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur’s negotiations with Villarreal over an exit for Tanguy Ndombele are ‘speeding up so fast’, according to Spanish radio broadcaster Xavi Jorquera Marquez.

The Lowdown: Ndombele not wanted at Spurs

Despite showing signs of promise under former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho, the Frenchman has failed to live up to expectations since he arrived at Hotspur Way in 2019 after his then club-record transfer from Lyon.

The 25-year-old is no longer a part of Antonio Conte’s plans at Tottenham, having been omitted from the side’s pre-season squad alongside the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon and Harry Winks.

Ndombele spent the second half of last season on loan at his former club Lyon, but the Ligue 1 outfit opted against enacting the buy option in his deal.

The Latest: Marquez’s news

Marquez, a reporter for Radio Castellon and Esport Base has shared an update on Ndombele’s future, touting him with an imminent departure from Spurs.

Taking to Twitter, the Spanish radio broadcaster claimed:

“Villarreal is already negotiating with Tottenham [over] the transfer of Tanguy Ndombelé.

“It’s speeding up so fast.”

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The Verdict: Needs to leave

Despite glimpses of his talent shining through at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 25-year-old has failed to maintain any type of consistency or reliability in a Lilywhites shirt.

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson worries that there are even echoes of Mario Balotelli in the midfielder, telling Football Insider: “Yes, in a similar way (to Balotelli).

“He is a top-quality player, there is no doubt about that. But his attitude and application are miles off.”

It is clear the player needs a move away from the north London club and England all together.

The proposed move to Villarreal will allow Ndombele to start off afresh in a new and likely slower-paced league, giving him the chance to revive his career at the top level.

Having been shunned from Conte’s plans at Tottenham, this seems like the ideal outcome for all parties.

Leeds United have been dealt a double injury setback ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Southampton.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, Phil Hay relayed the comments of Jesse Marsch regarding the current state of his squad ahead of the Whites’ trip to Southampton this weekend, with the 48-year-old confirming that both Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo are still a number of weeks away from making a return to action – and are subsequently unavailable for the trip to the south coast.

In his post, Hay said: “Firpo and Ayling still a couple of weeks away.”

Marsch will be gutted

While it is true that Leeds do have ample cover at right-back, with summer signing Rasmus Kristensen more than likely to start on the right of Marsch’s backline at St. Mary’s once again, the fact that Firpo is yet to recover from his knock is sure to have left the American manager gutted.

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Indeed, with Stuart Dallas also being ruled out of action due to injury, Marsch currently has no senior left-back available for selection, with Pascal Struijk – who is primarily a central defender – looking likely to once again feature on the left against the Saints.

However, considering just how much the 23-year-old struggled against Wolves – with the Dutchman being accountable for allowing Hwang Hee-chan to set up Daniel Podence’s opener, as well as being beaten by an opponent on three separate occasions and losing possession of the ball 18 times last weekend – it is clear that the £13.5m-rated talent is not overly comfortable on the left of a back four.

As such, both Firpo and Ayling’s continued absence will certainly come as a source of great frustration for Marsch and his side, who will undoubtedly be hoping to continue their 100% record with another victory over Ralph Hasenguttl’s side this weekend.

Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Newcastle United have been the offered the chance to sign Mauro Icardi.

The Lowdown: Down the pecking order

Icardi has found himself falling down the pecking order in Paris, with the superstar front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar often playing ahead of him.

He has not featured yet this season, and last term, he only managed 30 appearances in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

With the arrival of fellow striker Hugo Ekitike from Reims, Icardi’s game time is likely to be even more limited this campaign, and so his future at PSG certainly seems uncertain.

The Latest: Icardi offered

Writing in his latest column for CaughtOffside, Romano has revealed that Icardi has been offered to both the St. James’ Park outfit as well as Manchester United.

Galatasaray are also thought to have contacted his camp this week too ahead of a potential move.

The Verdict: Worth a punt?

Icardi has struggled for game time at PSG, and so has perhaps shown a lack of goalscoring form while he has been there, but the Argentina international still remains an elite finisher.

He boasts a total of world-class’ and ‘almost impossible to mark’.

Nonetheless, with the end of the transfer window drawing closer, this deal would at least give the Magpies an assurance of a top striker being brought in.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Lucas Paqueta in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

FootMercato reporter Sebastien Denis has claimed that the Magpies “are ready” to offer at least €40m (£34m) to sign the Brazilian midfielder.

The journalist has reported that they are willing to bid between €40m and €50m to land the Lyon man, although it remains to be seen if that is enough to tempt the Ligue 1 club into selling.

He has also stated that Paqueta is their number two choice after Leicester’s James Maddison, who the club have already had an offer of £40m rejected for.

Joe Willock upgrade

Newcastle could land a big upgrade on central midfielder Joe Willock by swooping to sign Paqueta before the end of the window.

Since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, the former Arsenal man has struggled to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch. He has played 32 Premier League matches in that time and contributed with just two goals and one ‘big chance’ created – failing to register a single assist.

Paqueta, on the other hand, has scored nine goals and set up six in Ligue 1 in that time – playing 37 games and creating nine ‘big chances’.

This suggests that he could offer a far greater threat in the final third, both in terms of scoring goals and creating them for others. Both of them played in a major European league and the Lyon talent’s statistics dwarfed the Englishman’s.

Defensively, Willock got stuck in last season as he made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game but he lost 52% of his overall duels, which suggests that he had a high volume of actions rather than high quality. Meanwhile, the Lyon man made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per match and won 50% of his overall duels last term.

Howe wants the Magpies to be a pressing team and Paqueta’s 23.10 pressures made per 90 over the last 365 days is similar to Willock’s 23.58 – showing that they are both suited to how the manager wants the team to play out of possession.

Therefore, the Brazil international – who Peter Bosz dubbed “extraordinary” – would offer similar qualities to the current Magpies midfielder in his play off the ball, whilst being a huge upgrade in what he is able to provide with the ball at his feet in the final third.

This is why Newcastle must press ahead with a swoop to sign him from Lyon as he could elevate their attack without compromising their defensive structure.

Tottenham Hotspur have fallen behind in the race to bring Ronnie Edwards to the Premier League this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that, despite both Tottenham and Crystal Palace being heavily linked with a move for the Peterborough United centre-back over the last few months, it is Chelsea who now appear to be leading the race for the 19-year-old – with Thomas Tuchel’s side said to be preparing to launch an offer for the defender in the coming days.

Further reports had suggested that Patrick Vieira’s side were the club who looked closest to tying up a £15m deal for the England U19 international, while the League One side’s owner, Barry Fry, revealed that Spurs have also been monitoring the teenager for a considerable amount of time.

In comments cited by The Sun earlier this month, Fry said: “Spurs have been watching him for a long time, but so have other clubs. There is a big German club showing interest which is no real surprise as they love to take young English players and develop them.

“I’ve had conversations with people at Chelsea who are in the know and who would be involved in any decision-making. They came to watch Lucas [Bergstrom], but they were taken by Ronnie. They haven’t made a bid yet, but there are three weeks until the transfer window closes. They certainly like him.

“Virtually the entire Premier League know about Ronnie [and] I have had big clubs asking to be kept informed if anyone does bid for Ronnie. Our position on Ronnie remains the same. It’s going to have to be a big bid to get him and we would try and make sure he was sent straight back to us.”

Paratici must act

Considering the sheer amount of potential Edwards quite clearly possesses, it is not difficult to see why all three of Tottenham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace would be interested in a deal to sign the 19-year-old over the remainder of the summer transfer window.

Indeed, over his 34 Championship appearances last season, the £810k-rated defender was in imperious form, helping Peterborough keep five clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 3.7 clearances and winning 3.0 duels – at a success rate of 55% – per game.

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The £2.7k-per-week talent also impressed with the ball at his feet, enjoying an average of 60.3 touches, completing 43.6 passes – at a success rate of 88% – playing 3.7 long balls and completing 0.3 dribbles per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Fry dubbed both a “Rolls-Royce” and “outstanding” average an eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as Peterborough’s joint eighth-best player in the second tier of English football last time out – a quite remarkable feat for a defender playing for a side who ultimately suffered relegation.

The 19-year-old has continued this fine form in his six League One appearances so far this season, helping Grant McCann’s side keep three clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.7 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 40.5 passes and winning 3.2 duels – at a success rate of 68% – per game.

These returns have seen the England youth international average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.23, not only ranking him as Posh’s third-best performer in the league but also as the joint 27th-best player in the third tier as a whole in 2022/23.

As such, with Edwards evidently being a centre-back who is incredibly solid at the back and extremely talented in possession of the ball, coupled with the fact that he is still just 19 years of age, it would very much appear to be a mistake for Paratici to miss out on landing the defender to either of Chelsea or Palace in the coming days.

Indeed, considering just how much potential the teenager has proven he possesses, it would take a very brave man to bet against the Peterborough starlet becoming a top-level Premier League centre-back in the not too distant future – something that Paratici must do everything in his power to ensure happens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rather than Stamford Bridge or Selhurst Park.