Category Uncategorized

Arsenal want to ‘join the race’ to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

The Lowdown: Selected by Santos

The Premier League veteran had his contract at Manchester United terminated by mutual consent following a series of off-field incidents last month, making him a free agent for any potential suitors interested.

The Portuguese striker is currently in Qatar having been named in Fernando Santos’ 26-man squad for the World Cup, and the Gunners are already considering making an approach if a fresh update is to be believed.

The Latest: Arsenal eyeing Ronaldo

Taking to Twitter, Galetti claimed that Arsenal are interested in bringing Ronaldo to the Emirates Stadium and are plotting to ‘convince’ the superstar to join.

“Arsenal would like to join the race for CR7. The club will try to convince the player, who already have on the table many options.

“As told, Cristiano Ronaldo will decide his future only after the WorldCup in Qatar.”

The Verdict: Jesus alternative?

Gabriel Jesus has recently been ruled out of action until the New Year through injury, so Ronaldo could be the perfect alternative to take his place.

United’s former talisman has racked up an astonishing 924 goal contributions in 949 appearances throughout his career and can operate on both flanks as well as at centre-forward (Transfermarkt).

Mikel Arteta’s side are currently top of the table after a blistering start to the season, and with the opportunity to secure silverware real, there’s no reason why Ronaldo wouldn’t want to join.

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst is under pressure in the dugout at Ibrox and it remains to be seen whether or not he will still be in the post on the other side of the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Football Insider recently reported that the Dutchman is hanging on by a thread and that it is ‘increasingly likely’ that the Gers board will dismiss him in the coming weeks.

However, journalist Marcel Van Der Kraan has claimed that the manager is “counting” on being in charge when the Light Blues return to competitive action in December.

These conflicting reports make it difficult to gauge where van Bronckhorst’s future is heading, although he remains the first-team manager of the club at the time of writing.

If Rangers do decide to sack the former Feyenoord coach, though, who could they bring in to replace him? Charlie Nicholas recently named former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl as one of the managers who could be a “serious” contender to take over at Ibrox.

The Light Blues could finally unlock the potential of Alfredo Morelos and Antonio Colak as a strike pairing by appointing the Austrian as a replacement for van Bronckhorst should the Dutchman loses his job.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola previously stated that he was “impressed” by the way Hasenhuttl set his Saints team up to face the Premier League giants.

That was not a one-off appraisal, as the Spanish coach previously said: “Southampton have an exceptional manager. I know him a little bit from my time in Germany. He was at many clubs, Leipzig played in a specific style.

“So no surprise in their success. Southampton for many, many years have been working well – so no surprise.”

These comments, and the 55-year-old keeping the English side in the top flight for four successive seasons, suggest that Hasenhuttl is a brilliant coach who could be a strong appointment for the Gers.

It is his style, however, that could be the most appealing part of bringing him in. The former RB Leipzig boss typically deploys a 4-4-2 with a double six pivot, essentially making it a 4-2-2-2 in possession with the midfielders sitting deep and the wingers pushing on to support the strikers.

This means that he could play Morelos, who has 161 club career goals, and Colak, who has 162 goals for his respective clubs, as a pairing up front at Ibrox and he could, therefore, unlock an unstoppable duo in the Premiership.

The Croatian summer signing has plundered 11 goals in 14 starts in the Scottish top-flight and has established himself as van Bronckhorst’s go-to number nine in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 set-up.

Morelos, meanwhile, has only started one match but does have three goals and one assist from 12 appearances in total. The Colombian is being wasted on the bench as he has scored 68 goals and provided 29 assists in 147 Premiership games for the club in his career to date.

These statistics suggest that they could come together to form an unstoppable pairing for opposition defenders to deal with, as both of them have proven, in the present and the past, that they can score goals on a regular basis at this level.

Therefore, Rangers could get the best out of both of them by appointing Hasenhuttl to deploy his 4-4-2 hybrid in the second half of the Premiership season.

Liverpool appears to be undergoing somewhat of a transitional season this term as Jurgen Klopp’s men are struggling in the Premier League, although they are still riding high in the Champions League.

Injuries haven’t helped their cause, with the midfield area seemingly bearing the brunt of the number of players out, with Klopp having to constantly rejig his team and this lack of consistency has led to poor results domestically.

The failure to add anyone other than Arthur Melo – who was a desperate deadline day signing – to the midfield is coming back to haunt Klopp, especially when he should have splashed out on a Spanish youngster who is destined for greatness…

Gavi is the perfect Jordan Henderson heir

Liverpool were willing to pay the Barcelona youngsters £42.5m release clause in June with his contract scenario up in arms, however, he has since signed a new deal until 2026 with the Catalan club.

This shouldn’t deter Klopp however, as the 18-year-old could be a perfect long-term Henderson replacement. The Liverpool captain – who will be 33 next June – may have just a few years left at the top and with the Englishman missing 23 matches since the start of 2021, these niggles might become more commonplace.

Barcelona manager Xavi once described Gavi as an “erupting volcano” and his meteoritic rise from La Masia to shining in the first team has been incredible.

The Spaniard had his breakthrough season last year, playing 34 La Liga matches and chipping in with seven-goal contributions (two goals and five assists) displaying his talents at the highest level.

The £113k-per-week star is a much more attack-minded midfielder than Henderson.

Compared to positional peers in Europe’s big five leagues, Gavi ranks in the top 3% for dribbles completed per match (1.88), the top 5% for both touches in the opposition penalty area (3.17), and for progressive passes received (4.39).

Meanwhile, Henderson ranks outside the top 22% for the same performance indicators and that proves exactly why the 18-year-old should be top of Klopp’s list of signings.

The youngster has also been selected for Spain’s World Cup squad and if he shines at the tournament, this might push his value up significantly, with CIES Football Observatory already estimating his worth to be at a whopping €160m (£140m).

January might come too soon for any potential move, however the Liverpool faithful will surely be looking forward to next summer, where there could well be one or two exciting additions to the squad.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Nicolas Jackson ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are one of the Premier League clubs eyeing up the 21-year-old winger after being impressed by his performances.

The report claims that Everton and Newcastle have both been tracking the youngster this season, whilst Aston Villa have now joined the race for his signature due to his pre-existing relationship with Unai Emery – who managed him at Villarreal.

It is stated that the attacker will be available on a pre-contract deal in January as his current terms with the Spanish side expire at the end of the campaign.

Eddie Howe’s own Neymar

Newcastle could land the manager his own version of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar as Jackson has been compared to the Brazil international in his home country of Senegal.

Journalist Ashley Preece described him as a player with “bags of potential” and, at the age of 21, he is not someone who would be joining the club with the expectation of being an instant star.

Jackson is a player who could be signed with a view to the future as he is someone Howe could work with over the course of a number of years to help him live up to the Neymar comparisons.

The wide man, who journalist Josh Bunting once dubbed “exciting”, has shown plenty of promise in his short career so far. He scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 27 appearances for Villarreal B, playing 25 of those matches in the third tier of Spanish football.

His form in the B team led to him being given a first-team chance this season and he has caught the eye with two goals and two assists, whilst creating four ‘big chances’, in eight La Liga starts. He has also scored one goal in one start in the Europa Conference League for the Yellow Submarine, which shows that he has the potential to thrive on the European stage as well as domestic level.

This means that he has five direct goal contributions in nine starts between those two competitions and shows that he could be a terrific signing for Newcastle, as he has the scope to develop into a player capable of regularly delivering quality in the final third.

He may not go on to score 289 career goals like Neymar but he is a versatile and tricky player who can play anywhere across the frontline and has the ability to be a difference-maker in matches, just like the Brazilian.

It appears to be, on paper, a worthwhile gamble for Newcastle to snap Jackson up on a free transfer as he has shown huge potential at Villarreal and could develop into Howe’s own phenomenal wing talent.

Sheffield Wednesday trio Jack Hunt, Dominic Iorfa and Mallik Wilks could all start against Leicester City Under-21s, according to journalist Dom Howson.

The Lowdown: Sheff Wed in cup action

The Owls have a brief respite from League One commitments on Tuesday night, as they host the young Foxes in an EFL Trophy clash at Hillsborough.

In truth, even Darren Moore would admit that this competition certainly doesn’t take precedence this season, although a win still isn’t to be sniffed at.

While numerous changes are expected to the starting lineup, it could be that Moore’s team is stronger than some expect.

The Latest: Trio could all start

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Yorkshire Live‘s Howson claimed that key trio Hunt, Iorfa and Wilks could all feature prominently against Leicester:

“There is a strong chance Jack Hunt, Dominic Iorfa and Mallik Wilks will be involved in Sheffield Wednesday’s Papa John’s Trophy dead rubber with Leicester City’s Under-21s tomorrow night.”

The Verdict: Needlessly strong?

This is an intriguing update from Howson, considering the EFL Trophy feels more like a competition to give youngsters playing time in, rather than risk senior figures.

An injury to an important player at Hillsborough would likely cause much frustration among the fanbase when they could instead have been at home recharging the batteries.

That being said, Wednesday do arguably have the biggest squad in League One and Moore will want to retain match fitness in his players, so Hunt, Iorfa and Wilks could all benefit from the minutes, retaining sharpness ahead of the bigger matches to come.

Journalist Graeme Bailey has shared an Arsenal transfer worry involving star player Bukayo Saka amid recent contract negotiations.

The Lowdown: Saka shines…

The versatile gem has been such a key player under manager Mikel Arteta in recent times, prompting talks over a new and improved deal as the Gunners aim to fend off suitors.

As per WhoScored, Saka finished the 2021/2022 season as Arsenal’s best-performing player by average match rating – even totalling their most goals and joint-highest number of assists in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old has quite simply been a revelation under Arteta in north London so it’s little surprise he could attract interest from major clubs.

The Latest: Arsenal ‘worried’ over Saka…

As per 90min and journalist Bailey on Twitter, Arsenal are now ‘worried’ about the interest of Man City in Saka as the Sky Blues allegedly push hard to sway the starlet into an Eastlands move.

However, the lighter side of this story for supporters is that the club are hopeful they can convince him to put pen to paper on fresh terms.

The Verdict: Crunch time…

Losing Saka to City would be an almighty blow to Arteta and supporters will praying that the winger does in fact opt to remain at Arsenal on a blockbuster new contract.

The England international has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Arsenal, even being called a ‘guaranteed superstar’ by members of the press.

John Cross of The Daily Mirror perhaps sums up Saka’s unwavering quality best by calling his intelligence and decision-making ‘off the scale’ for his age.

It is imperative that Arsenal don’t lose him as they continue their major rebuild.

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst was left unhappy at one decision prior to Celtic’s opener in Saturday’s 4-0 Glasgow Derby defeat, Sky Sports report. 

The Lowdown: Derby defeat

Van Bronckhorst made two changes from his side at Celtic Park, with Glen Kamara and Steven Davis coming in for Tom Lawrence and Scott Wright.

However, it was the hosts who ran riot in the first half, with two goals from Liel Abada and one from Jota leaving Van Bronckhorst’s side with a mountain to climb in the second half. Jon McLaughlin’s error in the closing stages resulted in the hosts netting a fourth through David Turnbull.

The Latest: Sky Sports post

Sky Sports provided a live commentary feed from Celtic Park and spotted Van Bronckhorst unhappy and in furious conversation with the fourth official following Abada’s opener.

The Rangers boss appeared to be complaining about the decision to award Celtic a throw-in shortly before the goal. Replays show that Van Bronckhorst was wrong and the officials were in fact right, though, with Sky Sports co-commentator Andy Walker hailing ‘Jota’s quick thinking’  for being ‘key to the goal’.

The Verdict: Afternoon to forget

Just like in February, the result was decided in the first 45 minutes. It was certainly another trip across Glasgow to forget for Rangers, who are now already five points behind their rivals after six games.

On another day, decisions could go in Rangers’ favour, however, it’s fair to say that Ange Postecoglou’s side were the better side, giving Van Bronckhorst food for thought going forward.

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.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-much-more” title= “Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

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.

Manchester United appear to have stalled in their pursuit of one former Erik ten Hag protégé…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth, a move for Ajax winger Antony is “completely off the agenda” for the Red Devils.

Man United are unwilling to make a move for the player while his asking price remains as it is. Sky didn’t reveal a potential price tag but The Daily Mail suggested last week that it sat at a whopping £84m.

As a result, the only thing that would make the deal tenable would be a significant price reduction, and with the Amsterdam club under no pressure to sell, it appears that United will miss out on their transfer target.

Also, the Brazilian still has three years left on his £19k-per-week deal, further bolstering Ajax’s bargaining position.

Ten Hag will want him desperately

Although United have strengthened well in midfield by bringing in Christian Eriksen, they are yet to make any significant attacking additions this summer.

Whether or not Ten Hag plans to rely on the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, the skilful Brazilian would surely be a better option and would get supporters at Old Trafford off their seats. It will be a blow for United fans to see that their club will not fork out the astronomical £68m asking price for the Ajax gem.

A reunion between Ten Hag and the 22-year-old would in turn give the Red Devils a player who scored 12 goals and supplied ten assists in 32 appearances last season. Antony’s creativity and flair would likely pair well with Jadon Sancho and would facilitate the great Cristiano Ronaldo to finish things off in the penalty area, should he stay at Old Trafford amid speculation over his future.

The Brazilian’s average of 1.7 key passes per game from 2021/22 further supports this, and if those key passes were to find Ronaldo, there would likely only be one outcome – goal.

To add another constant goal threat would also be welcomed by the new manager, as Antony ranks in the top 1% for assists and total shots and the top 2% for progressive carries among positional peers in European competition last term. Those figures would suggest that there are few players in Europe who can terrorise full-backs in the way that he can.

The attacker was appropriately dubbed ”electric” by football writer Karan Tejwani, and perhaps this kind of excitement is exactly what United fans need after the misery of last season.

Most likened to former Old Trafford winger Angel Di Maria by FBRef’s similar players model, perhaps this signing would work out more favourably than the Argentine’s spell in Manchester.

Ten Hag will surely be desperate for a reunion with Antony, who could bring goals, assists and skills to the Red Devils. If they can tempt Ajax to lower their asking price, it could prove to be a huge coup for United.

For now, the manager may well be gutted that any such transfer appears to be off the table.

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.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

“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”…