All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United winger Andriy Yarmolenko could be on the move this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Turkish newspaper Fotomac (via Sport Witness), Super Lig giants Galatasaray are looking at signing the Ukraine international this transfer window.

It’s thought that the 22-time league winners will be aggressive in the market, having been pipped to the title this season by arch-rivals Besiktas, once they appoint their next president.

The Irons are said to be keen on selling the 31-year-old as he enters the final year of his £115k-per-week contract at the London Stadium, though it remains to be seen how much the Hammers could command in terms of a transfer fee.

Show no mercy

Yarmolenko was one of Mario Husillos and Manuel Pellegrini’s many transfer disasters in East London, so as the club embarks on an exciting new era with Europa League football on the horizon, it would be a fitting way to move on from that troubled past by moving the veteran on.

The versatile 6 foot 2 attacker has been troubled by a mix of inconsistencies on the pitch and injuries. For example, this season under David Moyes, Yarmolenko has been restricted to one league start and a total of just 362 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Since arriving in a £22m deal from Dortmund in 2018, he has missed a total of 57 matches through injury alone, ranging from Achilles ruptures to back and abductor damage.

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All in all, it’s fair to suggest that he’s not justified his price tag or wages, which makes him one of Pellegrini’s worst mistakes.

It’s unlikely that the club can recoup much of what they’ve wasted on Yarmolenko but they should absolutely snatch what they can get from Galatasaray.

When factoring in fees and wages, the Ukraine winger has cost GSB around £39.5m – and counting – since he’s been at the club. In fact, it’s nearly three years to the day he signed.

It means Yarmolenko has cost £745k per appearance (53 in total) and £3.95m per goal (ten in total).

Despite being dubbed “really special” by teammate Declan Rice, it’s time for Moyes to show no mercy and get the 32-year-old off the books this summer.

He’s held the Hammers back for years and that money could be better off spent on improving the squad, rather than it being wasted on him. He must be axed following any approach for his signature.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Lingard: West Ham could form dream duo with “very complete” £20m monster…

Leeds United could be set for an exciting transfer window this summer as news emerges from Thorp Arch about the club’s plans.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season now in its closing stages, all eyes will now slowly be turning towards the start of the transfer window, and Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be very keen to get the ball rolling with new signings as soon as possible.

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has revealed “that the club are finalising a shortlist of forward targets capable of slotting into the first team next season”.

The report added that “the profile Marcelo Bielsa is looking for is a versatile forward in the 18-23 age bracket who can play out wide and down the middle, is quick and has an eye for goal.”

Bielsa will be buzzing

Make no mistake about it, the news that Victor Orta and co are in the process of “finalising” a shortlist of striker targets should be music to the ears of Bielsa, who has had to heavily rely upon Patrick Bamford for the bulk of Leeds’ goals this season.

The burden on the English striker has been immense, and he has started every single one of the Whites’ Premier League games – the toll that takes on a player both physically and mentally is huge and must be exhausting.

While he has handled that pressure pretty well – he’s bagged 15 goals in the league alone – there’s no questioning that he could do with someone to just lighten the load.

It’s exactly why bringing in a new, younger and quicker striker who can provide Bamford with much-needed competition and be rotated with him is necessary for the club to go forward.

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Given how the likes of the 24-year-old Raphinha has settled in at Elland Road (he was 23 when he first signed for the club last summer), news that the club are once again targeting that age range is exciting.

This latest transfer update will surely have Bielsa buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign Bielsa’s new pet project in this star…

Former Rangers star Michael Ball believes that Steven Gerrard could sanction Alfredo Morelos’ departure this summer as he looks to bolster his transfer war chest this summer.

Morelos has enjoyed another productive season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions, in 44 outings.

He has confirmed that he could depart this summer, giving an interview in March admitting that he could move to a bigger club if a bid is tabled.

Ball accepts that selling players such as Morelos can be hard for supporters to stomach at times but he believes that Rangers could well cash in as Gerrard looks to improve a squad that did not suffer a single defeat in the league this season.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Ball said: “It’s a difficult one, you don’t like seeing your good players or your key players leave a football club, no matter what level, but unfortunately when they start getting in the limelight and doing the business worldwide, clubs do want to come in for these players.

“It’s down to Rangers to accept the figure that they demand and if a club want to come in and stump up that fee, I think Steven will be happy for him to move on and wish him well. But then give Steven the treasure chest to go and bring in the new players to keep the club moving forward for the next couple of years.”

Morelos has been a real success story for Rangers since his arrival from HJK Helsinki and has scored 94 goals in 182 games in total for the club.

He is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt and his contract runs until 2023, meaning that there will have to be an acceptable bid for Rangers to cash in this summer.

Former Norwich City star Jon Newsome has told The Transfer Tavern that it would take an astronomical fee for a club to buy Emiliano Buendia this summer.

The Canaries star has been instrumental in helping Daniel Farke’s side win the Championship title at a canter this season.

In total, the Argentine has scored 14 goals and registered 17 assists in all competitions, with every strike coming in 38 league outings this term.

A tricky, jinking right winger, Buendia has been linked with a number of clubs ahead of the transfer window.

Aston Villa are chief amongst them, with Buendia potentially identified as a replacement for Jack Grealish who has been linked with Manchester City.

Newsome, though, doubts that there will be a situation where Villa are on the lookout for a replacement for the England international, purely due to the huge fees likely to be involved.

Grealish could cost, per one report, as much as £100m.

And Newsome told TT: “They’re talking about him maybe being a replacement for Jack Grealish so what’s it going to take to get Jack Grealish out of Aston Villa? It’s going to be a monumental sum.

“So then that maybe gets passed down but if you’re the owner or Stuart Webber at Norwich, to entice you to let Buendia leave the football club, again, would have to be a monumental sum.”

Manchester United might well have the opportunity to sign an excellent partner for captain Harry Maguire this summer.

The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, with reports from Calciomercato claiming that they are interested in the defender and could agree a deal worth approximately £26m with the Serie A outfit to bring him to Old Trafford.

Ed Woodward must certainly try and do that as United aim to bolster their defensive options heading into 2021/22.

Milenkovic has certainly harnessed his reputation as one of the most promising defenders in European football in recent seasons.

Rated at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, the 23-year has amassed 118 appearances in Serie A since a 2017 move from Partizan Belgrade. He has played a key role with the Florence club securing two top 10 Serie A finishes in his time at the club.

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Milenkovic has drawn lofty praise for his performances, too, with former Serbia head coach Mladen Krstajic labelling him as “a new Vidic” – a prospect which will certainly be tempting the Red Devils into making a move considering the 39-year-old’s achievements at Old Trafford in the past.

When comparing his statistics to his Manchester United counterparts, the current Fiorentina man comes out overwhelmingly on top.

According to WhoScored, he averages more tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks per game in the league this season than Victor Lindelof. He also exceeds the Sweden defender for aerial duels won per match.

It all makes a convincing argument for Milenkovic to be Harry Maguire’s partner in Manchester. With the Red Devils linked with a move for the Serbian, they must convert that interest into a tangible offer to his current employers and do all they can to bring him to Old Trafford in the near future.

AND in more news, find out why last week’s Liverpool postponement is a disaster for the Red Devils…

In a recent article, Alasdair Gold revealed that the Tottenham Hotspur centre-back, Davinson Sanchez, retains the backing of Spurs staff behind the scenes, despite Jose Mourinho’s desire to sell the defender.

According to Gold, writing for football.london, there are ‘some within the club’ who hold the belief that, with the addition of a centre-back partner who would complement Sanchez’s style of play, the 24-year-old could reach new heights for Tottenham.

However, this would appear to be a belief that directly contradicts the view of the Spurs manager, who has been reported to have tasked Jorge Mendes with replacing Sanchez this summer, as the 58-year-old feels that the £65,000-per-week defender “can’t be trusted” in big matches, according to a Football Insider source.

Transfer Tavern Take

If these reports are to be believed, the contrasting opinions of the Tottenham hierarchy and Mourinho regarding Sanchez would represent yet another disagreement between the two parties concerning the future of a Spurs player.

In perhaps the most tedious transfer story of the last year, Dele Alli has continuously been linked with a move away from north London, with Mourinho thought to be more than happy to see the back of the midfielder, while Daniel Levy was reluctant to sell the 24-year-old.

So, adding Sanchez to the list of players Mourinho wants rid of but Levy and co would like to keep does not appear to bode well for the future of the Portuguese boss, as the 58-year-old could be losing control of his say in Spurs’ transfer dealings.

In other news: the asking price of this £24k p/w Tottenham target has been revealed; Mourinho is being backed to seal a summer deal – find out more here!

Ever since his arrival at Manchester United, Paul Pogba’s relationship with the club has been a tempestuous one.

The French midfielder has been linked with a move away on various occasions, with recent reports from the Daily Express indicating that Juventus are interested in bringing him back to Italy.

However, former Red Devils striker Odion Ighalo has pleaded with the club to keep Pogba at Old Trafford – advice that they should heed.

Whilst having not quite potentially hit the heights expected of him since his arrival from Juventus, Pogba has still submitted some excellent statistics in his time as a Red Devils player.

In 190 appearances since his return to Manchester, he has scored 37 goals and provided a further 38 assists. That sees him average 0.39 goal contributions per game at Old Trafford, figures which are not too far away from the numbers he accumulated in his time in Italy.

Making 178 appearances for Juventus, the £54m-rated midfielder scored 34 goals and teed up 40 assists at a rate of a 0.41 direct goal contributions per game.

Whilst it may seem like Pogba has not quite performed at the peak of his powers for United, Ighalo’s assessment of the midfielder’s “exceptional” performances isn’t actually too far wrong.

Even in the current season, a campaign which has been disrupted through injury, the 28-year-old has continued to be decisive. In the ten matches in which he has had a direct goal contribution, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have a 100% record.

His contributions this season have also been pivotal. Having struck decisively against Fulham and Burnley, it means that Pogba’s goals have been worth four points, without which the Red Devils would be firmly involved in the battle just to finish in the top four.

Meanwhile, his goal against AC Milan at the San Siro in the Europa League guided United through to the quarter-finals of the competition, in which they are now well placed to reach the last four.

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Whilst Pogba’s future remains uncertain, Ed Woodward and the Red Devils hierarchy really need to listen to his former teammate Ighalo and keep him at the club.

AND in more news, Solskjaer has been boosted by the return of a defender at the best possible time…

Aston Villa should look to snap up Fulham ace Bobby Decordova-Reid this summer amid Lee Hendrie’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The Cottagers have been battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League all season, and of course, if they do go down, then there will be no shortage of suitors for their players.

And,speaking exclusively to FFC, Hendrie insisted that there are a couple of players Dean Smith should be looking to target in the summer, with Reid name-checked as someone who be a permanent fixture in the starting line-up.

He said: “If Fulham do go down, I just feel that there’s possibly a couple of players I would certainly look at in that team that would certainly stand out for me. (Harrison) Reed in the midfield, (Ademola) Lookman and Bobby Decordova-Reid, he’s one again that I’d certainly have, and he would play week in, week out.”

Lange must strike

With reports in recent days suggesting that Wesley’s time at Villa Park might come to an end this summer, it would be no surprise to see Smith’s side go after a new forward. And in Reid, they could find someone who can really buy into things at the club.

Speaking earlier this month, Fulham boss Scott Parker waxed lyrical about both his ability on the ball, and work-rate off it, saying: “He has been incredible with his versatility. There is never anything too much for Bob. Physically incredible – his numbers that he can produce physically are elite, and that always gives him that option to play in other positions.

“And he’s a real goal threat. He has got a knack of sniffing out goals, being in the right areas, gambling on things. He was fantastic for us last year, and this year, in his second year in this league, after a year with Cardiff, has been very, very good and has been key for us. He is a key player in this team. He has done tremendously well.”

Parker also dubbed him as “immense”, and there’s no questioning that the £9m-rated ace has been trying to lead the charge for Fulham as they seek to stave off relegation.

In 25 Premier League games, he’s bagged five goals, and that’s despite playing in a whole number of different positions, including up front, out wide, just behind the striker and even a game in central midfield against Chelsea.

But if Smith decides to deploy him as a number nine as cover for Ollie Watkins, as someone to play alongside him or someone to play on the opposite flank to Jack Grealish then Johan Lange could surely find a real bargain by snapping Decordova-Reid up this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa should sign this Premier League starlet this summer…

Reports by TuttoMercatoWEB over the weekend claimed that Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey could make a return to the Premier League at Everton this summer, which may see Carlo Ancelotti fix a key flaw of his side.

Juventus are plotting a raft of changes at the Allianz Stadium after a tepid Scudetto title defence under Andrea Pirlo, with the Turin outfit 10-points behind leaders Inter Milan.

Ramsey’s performances are felt to have been decidedly inconsistent this season to raise the potential for a move away, just half-way through the £400,000-per-week, four-year contract that the Welshman’s penned on his arrival in 2019.

Everton are claimed to have made an enquiry to sound out Ramsey’s potential availability ahead of the summer market, but so have Merseyside rivals Liverpool and fellow top-four hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool had already been linked with the Arsenal icon who won three FA Cups during his time in north London, with the Reds allegedly viewing Ramsey as the ideal replacement for soon-to-be free agent Georginio Wijnaldum.

West Ham have also emerged as a potential destination for the 30-year-old, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his time in Turin with Ramsey suffering 11 separate lay-offs with various issues.

Ramsey’s relentless injuries are said to have pushed him closest to the exit door at Juventus, as it is becoming increasingly harder for Pirlo to continue justifying his absences after a low-grade rectus femoris issue ruled him out against Cagliari and in Wales’ World Cup qualifiers.

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With Juventus also hit hard financially by the pandemic, they may now look to cut their ties with the Welshman at the end of the season, having only seen him deliver six goals in 61 games across all competitions since arriving as a free agent.

Ramsey’s long list of injuries may prove worrisome for some of his potential suitors, but Ancelotti should back the £18m-rated maestro to prove his fitness like he did with James Rodriguez and bring him back to the Premier League.

Rodriguez joined Everton on a free transfer from Real Madrid last summer after playing just 14 times in his final season at the Santiago Bernabeu due to various injuries that dogged his career in the Spanish capital.

Yet the Colombian has been a highly influential presence at Goodison Park, with Lucas Digne the only Toffees player to be credited with more assists (6) in the top-flight this term than Rodriguez (4), who also ranks third on the scoring charts with five in 18 games.

But Ancelotti has been unable to correct a key issue in his side through Rodriguez, as Abdoulaye Doucoure is the Blues’ leading scorer from a deep-lying or central midfield position with two goals in 25 games.

Andre Gomes, Allan and Tom Davies are yet to score in the Premier League this season, and so has Fabian Delph who has played just 90 minutes outside of the defence thus far.

Ramsey departed Arsenal in 2019 on the back of scoring four times and providing six assists in 28 Premier League games, to leave England with a career 40 goals and 51 assists to his name.

That talent has not gone away overnight, with Gunners icon Robert Pires fully behind the 30-year-old.

“Every time he plays, he is very consistent, has excellent technique and is often well-positioned to score as happened on Saturday against Sampdoria,” Pirlo told Tutto Juve last month. “He made an excellent choice.

“I maintain that he is making a difference here too, because it is not easy to play in such a quality midfield. I think he can help the team and be decisive like Arsenal.”

It remains to be seen if Everton move for Ramsey and if Juventus are open to selling him, but the former Arsenal star could be the answer to Ancelotti’s problems.

AND in other news, Everton can potentially save £13m by turning to this Max Aarons alternative…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer has rejected the idea of Liverpool needing to replace Roberto Firmino to become title challengers again.

Firmino has come under scrutiny this season for his lack of goals, and some have now suggested that the Merseyside club need to sign a new No.9 if they are to enjoy more success in the future. Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is one name that has popped up, with former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique urging his old side to go all out for the 20-year-old’s signature.

For Palmer, though, Liverpool’s main problem this season has been at the back following the long-term injury to Virgil van Dijk.

When asked whether he thinks the Premier League champions need to bring in a new No.9 to replace the £180,000-a-week ace this summer, the retired England international told FFC:

“No, I don’t. Listen, every club would always like players who score goals, but how you win leagues is by not conceding goals. As you’ve seen from Man City, that gives the confidence to your front players to go and score you a goal.

“They know it’s 0-0 and they’ve got the ability they have like Man City at the moment, that’s the basis of their resurgence, the fact that they’ve started keeping clean sheets. They were conceding too many goals. So, you know, that’s where Liverpool need to get back to now.”

Undoubtedly, defence is a huge concern for manager Jurgen Klopp right now. On top of losing Van Dijk, the German has also seen Joe Gomez and Joel Matip fall victim to season-ending injuries.

Bearing that in mind, trying to re-establish a solid and stable back four may be the solution for Klopp next term, rather than forking out on a new forward to replace Firmino.