All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to reports, Leeds defender Barry Douglas is set to leave Elland Road this summer once his contract expires with the Premier League club.

What’s the story?

The 31-year-old is currently spending the season out on loan at Championship side Blackburn and has been a near-permanent fixture in Tony Mowbray’s starting line-up, making 25 appearances in the league alone.

However, Football Insider now claim that, with his contract at Leeds coming to an end this summer, Marcelo Bielsa and co have no intentions of offering him a new deal to extend his stay in Yorkshire.

The report added that Douglas is set to follow Gjanni Alioski out the exit door this summer.

Ruthless call from Bielsa

Given how Douglas has only made 44 appearances for Leeds since joining from Wolves in the summer of 2018, the time has surely come for Bielsa to wave goodbye to the left-back this summer.

Speaking earlier this season, The Athletic’s Phil Hay hinted that the writing seemed to be on the wall for the £40,000-a-week earning Douglas at Elland Road, saying: “It tells its own story that Stuart Dallas is currently the best left-back at the club. There is interest, Watford are very keen, Blackburn have spoken about him.

“On the basis that he didn’t make the 18 against City, when Jack Harrison was unavailable, if, in those circumstances, Douglas isn’t in the 18 you know he’s on his way.”

Subsequent confirmation of his loan move to Blackburn really painted a picture of just how far his stock has fallen at Leeds, and why the club must make a ruthless call and just let him go as a free agent this summer.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterclass for Leeds with this signing…

According to a report by Italian outlet Corriere Granata, GSB and West Ham United are eyeing Torino star Andrea Belotti as the striker search brings up a new name – coming as the Serie A side wish to make a new contract offer to keep their captain.

GSB eyeing Belotti

The 27-year-old, who has amassed 32 caps at international level, is attracting interest from a plethora of Premier League sides with West Ham mentioned as one of the teams who are monitoring his situation in Turin.

Belotti has bagged 27 goals and 8 assists over the last two league seasons (WhoScored), with manager David Moyes said to be prioritising a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard alongside a new striker this summer.

The Irons have been most recently linked with the likes of Ivan Toney, Adam Armstrong, Tammy Abraham and Youssef En-Nesyri (ExWHUemployee), but according to Corriere Granta, Belotti has now entered the fray as the striker hunt takes another twist.

Transfer Tavern take

A proficient goal scorer and threat in the final third, averaging more shots per 90 (3.4) than any West Ham player in the league this season (WhoScored), it is understandable why GSB and co are monitoring his situation.

Moreno Longo, who briefly took charge of Torino last season, lauded Belotti as an ‘extraordinary striker’ (via Football Italia), but only time will tell whether West Ham can realistically land him in the summer as his club prepare a new deal offer.

In other news: West Ham are also keeping tabs on this ‘relentless’ 6 ft 2 man, find out more here.

Southampton are reportedly taking an interest in Liverpool defender Neco Williams ahead of the summer transfer window, and if he were to make the move to St Mary’s, he could be an excellent addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

According to The Athletic, the Saints are keen on the Welsh international and admire his versatility, so they could look to sign him on a deal similar to the one which saw them bring Kyle Walker-Peters to the south coast last summer after the right-back impressed in an initial loan spell.

The report suggests that Southampton admire the defender’s versatility, as despite featuring predominantly as a right-back for Liverpool, Williams has appeared as a left-back for Wales on a number of occasions. Versatility in a player is definitely something that Hasenhuttl appreciates in his players, so the Austrian would surely love to have him in his squad.

The 19-year-old is a product of Liverpool’s academy and has gone on to make 24 appearances for the first team under Jurgen Klopp in his career thus far, in which he has managed to contribute three assists.

However, the teenager is always likely to struggle for regular game-time at Anfield whilst he has Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of him, so perhaps the Reds would be willing to loan him to Southampton next season, where he could become an established part of Hasenhuttl’s side.

The Austrian will no doubt be looking to sign someone who can play as a left-back this summer, especially if Ryan Bertrand ends up departing the club when his contract expires, so Williams could step in as his replacement.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Injury problems have seriously disrupted Southampton’s Premier League performances this season, so Williams could also provide excellent cover for Walker-Peters if he were to get injured, and this signing would definitely make a lot of sense for the Saints.

After impressing for Wales last year, national team boss Ryan Giggs was full of praise for the teenage defender, saying: “He is a fantastic player, still young and still learning, but the energy and quality he has shown when he has stepped up into the first team has been really good, so it’s exciting.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, if Southampton and Martin Semmens can complete a move for the £9m-rated Williams this summer, there seems no reason why he can’t be a success with the Saints.

In other news… Hasenhuttl hint on £5.4m-rated speedster could be bad news for rising Saints star

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy after their Scottish Cup fourth round clash this weekend was moved from Saturday to Sunday.

With the Premiership already sewn up for the Gers, Steven Gerrard’s men can now concentrate on the Cup as they go in search of a domestic double. This weekend, they face Celtic in what is likely to be their most demanding test in the competition – if they progress, they will be confident of lifting the trophy at Hampden Park.

The match was set to be played on Saturday at 3 pm, but due to the funeral of His Royal Majesty Prince Phillip, the match will now be played on Sunday at the same time. While Rangers are generally staunch supporters of the monarchy (The Athletic), many are frustrated the match has been moved a whole 24 hours rather than just played at a later time on the same day.

The news was shared on Twitter by Rangers’ official account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“This is farcical. Whats it gettin changed to tmr?”

Credit: @thecollectorpro

“Outrageous man”

Credit: @ZakWinning5

“Ruined my day Mr rangers”

Credit: @Lewis72_

“Missing the game as I agreed to work Sunday disgusting”

Credit: @Seanmcgowan1992

“That’s me sacked on Monday, thanks for ruining my life”

Credit: @Faz_50

“Rediculous could had us saturday at different time”

Credit: @Missyplt38

In other news, Paddy Kenny has urged Rangers to consider the sale of this man.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to latest claims regarding Gini Wijnaldum, mocking the report and urging the club to move him on.

The 30-year-old has been a great servant for the Reds, arriving from Newcastle United in 2016 and being a key man ever since. Wijnaldum has made 229 appearances for Liverpool in his five seasons at Anfield, highlighting both his availability and consistency for the club.

The Dutchman’s performance levels have diminished this season, however, and there have been constant question marks surrounding his future, with his current Reds deal expiring at the end of the campaign.

According to Abendzeitung, Bayern Munich have turned down to opportunity to sign Wijnaldum this summer, instead switching their attention to Borussia Monchengladbach’s Florian Neuhaus. It is claimed that the Liverpool midfielder was offered to the European champions, but they opted against bringing him to the Allianz Arena.

Liverpool fans call for Wijnaldum to leave

The saga appears to be getting too much for some Reds supporters, who provided their thoughts on the situation on Twitter.

“Someone take him”

Credit: @lfcgerrard17

“Half wage for ghosting and half for side passes who would want him anyway”

Credit: @Sk8erboi008

“Gini’s gonna end up at Inter. They are the only ones running a PL Retirement Home”

Credit: @visheshpraani

“Not surprised…”

Credit: @01mJulian

“Bayern Munich, bro help us out”

Credit: @lfcthijs

“Will end up in Turkey”

Credit: @TheJackallllll1

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to new claims surrounding Mohamed Salah’s Reds future. Read more here.

Many Wolves fans have been fuming over the performance of Daniel Podence despite their 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday night.

Willian Jose grabbed his first league goal for the Midlands club and the only goal of the match after some nice work by Adama Traore on the wing, confirming Blades’ relegation from the top flight with six matches still to play.

Podence did not have his best game in an Old Gold shirt, losing out on 12 of his duels, the most of any player to have set foot on the pitch. He also failed to record a single shot on target, key pass, cross or accurate long ball, all while losing possession on 19 different occasions in the match, the second-most of any of his teammates (Sofascore).

Wolves fans slam Podence’s display

These members of the Molineux faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Wolves supporter even claiming that the Portugal international is a ‘liability’:

“Podence away from his skills is a liability !! Temperament is questionable #wwfc”

Credit: @Pukkawolf

“Thank god Podence has gone off. Awful #wolves #wwfc”

Credit: @wdt17

“Please take Podence off he’s been awful!!! #wwfc”

Credit: @Goughy_WWFC

“Podence is so anonymous it’s untrue #wwfc #WOLSHU”

Credit: @FarenheitDP9

“Semedo has been the only player looking to move forward, Podence may as well be sat in the stands tweeting about Olympiacos #wwfc”

Credit: @BKristianmarcus

“Podence has been poor. #wwfc”

Credit: @cruyffwulf

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by numerous Wolves fans!

Swansea City are interested in a summer move for Carlos Mendes Gomes this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

That’s the word according to Football League World, who claim that Steve Cooper’s side have joined the likes of Hull City, Peterborough United, Sunderland, Barnsley, Cardiff City, Luton Town and Huddersfield Town in the race for the Morecambe forward.

Andre Ayew replacement

With Swansea star Andre Ayew – who has scored 16 goals and registered four assists over his 42 Championship appearances so far this season –  potentially on his way out of the Liberty Stadium at the end of his contract this summer if the club do not achieve promotion to the Premier League – the Swans could be in need of finding a suitable replacement for the 31-year-old in the summer market.

However, even if Swansea do manage to keep hold of Ayew this summer, it could easily be argued that Cooper is in need of greater depth in his attacking arsenal, as, at present, aside from the Ghana international, the 41-year-old only has the option of Liam Cullen as an out and out centre-forward.

This is where Mendes Gomes comes in, with the former Atletico Madrid youth player having highly impressed over his 42 League Two appearances for Morecambe this season, bagging 15 goals and providing two assists for Derek Adams’ side – with the manager dubbing the starlet as a “fantastic” talent.

And, while the forward may not be enough alone to provide Cooper with sufficient attacking depth should the Welsh side indeed go on to achieve promotion via the Championship play-offs, he would certainly be a fine additional option for the Swans.

Furthermore, while the Spaniard is still just 22-years-old, he has plenty of time left to develop as a footballer, and, with the amount of potential his returns for Morecambe this season are evidence of, he could well go on to prove Ayew’s eventual successor as Swansea’s main attacking threat.

It seems as if Eddie Howe’s proposed move to Celtic could be back on.

Reports had suggested that the 43-year-old was having second thoughts after verbally agreeing to become the new Hoops boss earlier this month.

However, the Scottish Daily Mail’s back page on Wednesday provided a positive development on the Englishman.

They claim that the available manager is ‘close to finalising an agreement to replace Neil Lennon’.

The report from Stephen McGowan added that Howe is now ‘piecing together’ his backroom team, although a move for Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes ‘hangs in the balance’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2020-08-01T203924Z_1720062892_RC2TLD9CTXKL_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-BOU-REPORT-1-640×853.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Transfer Tavern take

To us, this latest development should be seen as a major boost. The fact that Howe is ‘piecing together’ his backroom staff could be taken that a deal is progressing nicely.

Howe’s representative insisted that he wouldn’t return to management until the summer, but,  that doesn’t rule out agreeing on a move to Parkhead ahead of the 2021/22 season and starting plans for a rebuild at Parkhead, even if the official gig does not begin until later.

Should all parties involved agree on a summer switch, that may give Howe the time required to look at the Hoops squad ahead of what could be a busy transfer window, with plenty of work required to transform a squad set to lose its leader, Scott Brown, into one capable of challenging Rangers next season.

In other news: Celtic interested in free-scoring 27 y/o forward, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Daniel Pinder, the Editor-in-Chief at Get German Football News, believes there is a chance that Liverpool could sign Ozan Kabak permanently this summer, with The Sunday World reporting this week that he and Ibrahima Konate could both arrive at Anfield.

The on-loan Schalke defender had a rocky start to his Liverpool career, especially against Leicester City when Jamie Vardy tormented him, however Jurgen Klopp believes he is a “really big talent”.

Kabak has watched on from England as his parent club were relegated from the Bundesliga to 2. Bundesliga this week for the first time in 33 years, which led to fans chasing some players outside their ground.

Speaking on how there is a chance Liverpool sign Kabak permanently and why it would be a good idea to keep him at the club, Pinder told FFC:

“I think there’s potential there but I’m just thinking who they’ve got at the club already in Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Konate (if they sign him) and Kabak.

“That’s four good central defenders that they can have at the club, so I think it’s a possibility.”

When Liverpool signed the 21-year old on loan in January, they instilled a clause in the deal which allows them to sign the defender for £18 million if they want to make the deal permanent.

Klopp will want to have strength in depth going forward if his number one centre back, Virgil van Dijk, gets injured like he did earlier this season.

Alan Hutton has suggested that Danilho Doekhi could replace Filip Helander at Glasgow Rangers.

Hutton makes Doekhi claim

The Gers have been linked with a move for the Vitesse Arnhem defender (The Telegraph), while Leicester City and Aston Villa have both been linked with moves for Helander (Aftonbladet).

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has suggested that Doekhi could be a replacement for the Swede. He said:

“They obviously do their work on the scouting side.

“They look into the potential these players have. If they can, they’ll sell the likes of Helander and replace them with someone who fits the bill. 

“Someone they can mould into their type of player, that’s how Rangers are working now. 

“Bringing in youth players who are hungry to do well and then get them in the Premier League for a fee. 

“This guy sounds talented and the scouts will have watched him for a long time, he obviously fits the bill.”

Planning for the future

At 21, Doekhi has almost his whole career ahead of him. With him at the heart of the defence, Vitesse have also enjoyed a positive season – only champions Ajax have conceded fewer than their 29 goals in the Eredivisie (Sky Sports). Potentially available at £1.5m, he could be a bargain signing for the Gers.

Meanwhile, the Gers are said to be demanding £6m for Helander. The Sweden international has been an important player for the Ibrox outfit – they are yet to lose a league game with him in the side – but he has managed just 29 Premiership appearances in the two seasons he has spent in Glasgow (Transfermarkt), and he is already 28 years of age. Replacing him with Doekhi could well be an astute decision from Ross Wilson and co.

In other news, some Rangers fans slam this man’s performance against Celtic.