All posts by z3u9t.icu

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have been left buzzing over a transfer update out of Anfield involving RB Leipzig sensation Christopher Nkunku.

As both star forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah take part in the Africa Cup of Nations, much has been made of how manager Jurgen Klopp will cope without the Reds duo.

There have even been reports of possible bids for alternatives, including the likes of Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma, with Mane’s contract situation also a point of contention.

The Senegalese star has just 18 months remaining on his current deal at Anfield as things stand with both FSG and the Reds potentially having to ponder replacements if he doesn’t opt to to extend.

As such, both Spanish news outlet Fichajes and the Liverpool Echo (Tuesday, 10:01) have shared that Klopp is personally eyeing Bundesliga forward Nkunku as a possible like-for-like successor.

It is believed that the 24-year-old is well liked by Klopp with Liverpool now holding a keen interest.

Liverpool fans buzz…

Flocking to this claim, many Reds supporters have been left buzzing on Twitter, with one fan even calling him a would-be ‘dream signing’.

Scoring 16 goals and assisting eight others over his German top flight and Champions League appearances combined this season (WhoScored), Nkunku has also impressed in other attacking aspects.

Indeed, the Frenchman has averaged a highly threatening 2.2 completed dribbles per 90 in the Bundesliga – more than any player in Liverpool’s squad by comparison (WhoScored).

It is clear that Nkunku could certainly add a different dimension in the final third as many Reds rave over their side’s interest.

Find all of their best reactions down below:

“Brilliant player yesss please worth up to 55-70 but hopefully can get him for 40-60mil”

Credit: @AbzzLDN

“He’s literally the most perfect player for us”

Credit: @FPLlfcarish

“sign him now”

Credit: @Veettu_

“Please

@LFC”

Credit: @DanTremarco

“Would be the perfect signing for us”

Credit: @NabySZN21

“oooooooo I hope this true but not too replace mané, just add too what we have”

Credit: @oni_kzz

“We already started making moves. Watch this space”

Credit: @ItsssAkiii

“Would be a dream signing tbh, Nkunku built different”

Credit: @Aadam_B4Z

In other news: Liverpool now want to seal signing of ‘exceptional’ player as soon as possible, find out more here.

Aston Villa are among a number of Premier League clubs interested in signing Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier.

What’s the story?

Despite already having Matty Cash firmly established as the team’s number one right-back, it appears that Steven Gerrard is keen on strengthening his options in that area.

According to 90min, Villa – along with the likes of Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace – are willing to make a move for Trippier if Atletico give any indication that they would be ready to sell.

Another England international

While Cash may be Villa’s first-choice right-back for now, a move for Trippier would add to the impressive contingent of England internationals and hopefuls currently at Villa Park.

The likes of Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins have made their Three Lions bows since making the switch to the Midlands, while Ezri Konsa is surely pushing for a call too.

In Trippier, Villa would be getting someone who has been playing at the highest level in the Champions League for a number of years now, and it’s no surprise that he’s firmly in the mix with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Reece James in that fiercely competitive right-back slot for England.

One man who appears to be a big fan of the 30-year-old is England boss Gareth Southgate himself, who has said previously: “He (Trippier) is a very underrated player. People are still looking at the player from a few years ago and not at the one who is at Atletico Madrid and playing like a warrior in the last few seasons. He is a big part of what we’ve done over the last few years and he gave a really good performance.”

After watching him shine against Belgium in October 2020, he added: “Trippier was like a soldier out there, unbelievable defensive performance.”

The £18m-rated ace would bring a wealth of experience to Villa Park and really give Cash the kind of competition which could see him push on as well, rather than just coasting through.

If Johan Lange can pull off a deal for Trippier, then Gerrard will surely be delighted at being able to call on a proven performer at both European and international level in recent years.

Meanwhile, Villa are also interested in this Championship midfielder…

A Rangers transfer update has emerged detailing the Glasgow giants’ attempts to bring Olimpiu Morutan to Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

According to Turkish outlet En Son Haber, via Inside Futbol, the Gers are seriously keen on a deal for the Galatasaray midfielder and are exploring the possibility of signing him on loan in the January transfer window with an option to pin him down to a permanent contract at the end of the season.

The report claims that this comes off the back of the club’s concern that Ianis Hagi could leave the club to join a ‘serious figure’.

Hagi 2.0

Gio van Bronckhorst could land a dream deal by signing Morutan in January, as he could be the club’s Hagi 2.0 at Ibrox.

Both players are young, Romanian, attacking midfielders who can score and create goals from wide positions. Morutan has three goals and two assists in eight league starts for Galatasaray, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.06 across 12 games in total.

The forward’s agent, Florin Vulturar, heaped praise on Morutan earlier this year, saying: “He is an innate talent, probably the most technical Romanian player since Gheorghe Hagi.

“He is a pure number 10, capable of creating opportunities for his teammates, but who can also do well in the defensive phase of every match if necessary.

“He is fast, has a great vision and is good at passing. He easily surpasses his opponents in one-on-one situations.

“Paulo Dybala and Lionel Messi are the models to follow in his role, we can probably assimilate his style of play with the play of these players.”

Last season, Hagi produced seven goals and 11 assists in 33 Premiership outings for Rangers, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.02. This highlights how similar they are in terms of what they bring to the team, both in terms of their positions, and their average performance rating per match.

Therefore, signing Morutan could be a dream deal for van Bronckhorst as he could be the ideal replacement, a 2.0 if you will, for Hagi in January. They could cash in on the current Ibrox star and sign the Galatasaray man on an initial loan, potentially making a healthy profit and bringing in a talented young player whose statistics suggest that he could be a fine addition to the team.

AND in other news, Gio could save Rangers millions by unleashing £17k-p/w beast, he’s got “major talent”…

Everton could form a formidable defensive partnership after being linked with a move for Inter centre-back Stefan de Vrij ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

According to 90min, the Toffees are one of several Premier clubs keen to secure the 29-year-old’s services, with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur also listed as potential suitors.

It’s claimed that De Vrij has been offered to the Magpies after they joined football’s financial elite following their recent takeover, but Everton and Spurs still retain an interest.

With the Dutch international having just 18 months left to run on his current contract – and Inter needing to lower their wage bill – the £45m-rated colossus could be available for a bargain fee this winter.

Since his arrival at San Siro back in 2018, De Vrij has established himself as one of Europe’s most dominant centre-halves, making 139 appearances for the Nerazzurri in all competitions.

And the highlight of his career came last season when the 6 foot 2 beast played a pivotal part in Inter’s first Serie A title success in 11 years, ending Juventus’ run of nine consecutive victories.

Amongst De Vrij’s list of admirers is former Lazio teammate Mauricio, who lauded his quality to ESPN (via Football Italia), saying: “Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster! He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

Recent reports have claimed that Benitez could have up to £35m to spend in the January window after splashing out just £1.6m on Demarai Gray over the summer, and De Vrij could be the ideal candidate to bring in using that money.

Everton have kept just three clean sheets all campaign, conceding three or more goals on three occasions, including a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of newly-promoted Watford.

Therefore, defensive reinforcements may well be prioritised by the Merseyside outfit, and De Vrij would make for the perfect partner for the highly-rated Ben Godfrey.

The 23-year-old is still very much learning his craft at Goodison Park, but his versatility, mobility and tackling ability highlight a promising future, while De Vrij’s experience, passing range and concentration would superbly compliment the youngster.

As a result, their partnership would have the potential to transform Everton’s fortunes this season, and Marcel Brands should carefully consider sanctioning a move for a player that the club’s supporters would surely love based on his wonderful list of expertise.

And, in other news…Huge boost: Everton receive selection uplift ahead of BFC, Rafa will be delighted 

Everton could be set to receive a significant injury boost ahead of their Premier League encounter with Arsenal at Goodison Park this evening.

What’s the word?

In his pre-match press conference, Rafa Benitez revealed star defender Yerry Mina is in contention to make his long-awaited comeback from injury after making a successful return to first-team training.

“Yerry Mina has today done part of training session, so he is getting closer, we will see how he reacts in the next couple of days to see if he’s available or not, ” the Spanish tactician told reporters.

But that wasn’t where the good news ended for everyone associated with the Toffees. Striker Salomon Rondon could be a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad after limping off against Liverpool, while Andre Gomes is also available for selection once again.

“Rondon, we are assessing him, we are waiting, he is feeling better but we need to wait for the scan and see how he’s doing.

“Andre Gomes has been training, we are missing just Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tom Davies, the other players at the moment are available,” Benitez concluded.

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Everton are set to be boosted by the return of up to three first-team stars will leave Benitez absolutely buzzing. The Blues are currently enduring an eight-game winless run in the top-flight, piling the pressure on the 61-year-old.

Therefore, it’s the potential comeback of Mina that the former Real Madrid boss will be eagerly anticipating the most, given his importance to the team.

The Colombia international made an impressive start to the current campaign, losing on just one occasion before picking up a thigh problem.

And his underlying numbers highlight Mina’s influence over proceedings. As per WhoScored, the 27-year-old has averaged 1.5 interceptions per league game this season, four clearances and 2.8 aerial duels won, placing him in the top four for each metric compared to his teammates.

In the South American’s absence, Everton have picked up just one point from a possible 18, highlighting the significance of Benitez’s latest update on his fitness situation. He will be absolutely elated if he’s able to select him this evening.

And, in other news…“My understanding is”: Alan Myers drops Everton DoF update that’ll have fans intrigued

Adam Forshaw could make a shock start for Leeds United against Wolves on Saturday afternoon, according to the reliable Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Forshaw’s injury woes

The 30-year-old has experienced a horrendous time of things in recent years, with injury threatening to end his career prematurely.

Forshaw only recently returned from a serious hip problem that has hampered him since the start of the 2019/20 season, cutting him down in his prime.

In fact, the former Middlesbrough ace has barely even been seen in Leeds shirt, playing just once in the top flight since the Whites were promoted, totalling 26 minutes of playing time from the beginning of last season to now.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay makes big claim

The midfielder, who has been hailed as ‘excellent’ by former Elland Road man Noel Whelan in the past, could get the nod at home to Wolves on Saturday, with The Athletic‘s Hay claiming as much in a shock prediction:

“This might be Forshaw’s moment. Struijk has had decent games as CDM but he’s had poor ones too and in Forshaw you’ve got an out and out midfielder.

“If he’s fit, I think I’d be picking him. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-21/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Special moment, if it happens

Forshaw’s injury woes have been as frustrating for supporters as they have been for him, but if he were to be handed a start by Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road, it would likely be met with huge positivity.

He has to be ready to play, of course, but if he is picked, the manager will clearly have faith in him coming through the game unscathed, or at least playing more than an hour, offering more experience than Pascal Struijk.

In other news, one Leeds player could return for the Norwich City clash. Find out who it is here.

A number of West Ham United fans have hit out at the performance of Issa Diop on social media in Thursday’s meeting with Genk in the Europa League. 

David Moyes made seven changes from the 4-1 win over Aston Villa last time out with Alphonse Areola, Issa Diop, Craig Dawson, Vladimir Coufal, Arthur Masuaku, Mark Noble and Manuel Laninzi all coming into the side.

And it was Diop’s display which had a number of fans talking, and not for the right reasons either. The 24-year-old was making just his sixth appearance of the campaign, playing in his usual centre-back role alongside Dawson.

The Frenchman appeared to be extremely rusty early on, though, and was caught out by Joseph Paintsil, who opened the scoring for the hosts after beating Diop for pace in behind.

As per SofaScore, Diop lost the ball on seven occasions, more than partner Dawson, was dribbled past once compared to Dawson’s perfect record, made one error leading to a shot and failed to even make a single clearance or block a shot.

West Ham fans react

Here is what these Hammers supporters had to say about Diop on Twitter, with one labelling him as ‘shocking’ following his early mistake and another comparing him to former forward Sebastien Haller due to their inconsistency.

“Wow Diop caught napping”

Credit: @RyanReed93

“shocking from diop there. sleeping!”

Credit: @apl63

“That was appalling from Diop”

Credit: @AndrewIron85

“Diop back to his usual standards”

Credit: @LH_WHU

“Diop is literally the defensive version of Haller. Just when you thought he was getting better he pulls a stunt like that”

Credit: @moyes_boy

“Areola should have done better but absolutely shambolic from Diop”

Credit: @whucharlie_

In other news: West Ham still want ‘unreal’ powerhouse who was allegedly ‘very keen’ to join Moyes. 

Ashley Preece is ‘expecting’ Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey to return against Wolves on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Bailey’s injury

The 24-year-old actually injured himself when he scored his first goal for Villa following his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen. The Jamaican suffered a thigh strain against Everton and missed games with Manchester United and Tottenham as a result.

Villa were targeting a return following the international break against Wolves this weekend, and Preece believes that it could be on the cards.

The Latest: Preece’s tweet

Reliable reporter Preece took to Twitter on Monday evening to inform supporters of Bertrand Traore’s latest injury.

He was asked by one fan for any news on Bailey, to which he replied: “I’m expecting him to play some part on Saturday, Smith might not want to risk him from the start. We’ll wait and see. Due a team news update later this week.”

Preece’s post appeared to go under the radar, with just one retweet and four likes as of Tuesday morning.

The Verdict: Good news

Even if Dean Smith doesn’t risk Bailey from the start on Saturday and places him on the bench, it will still give Villa a big boost for the game against their Midlands rivals.

Bailey has already shown what he can do off the bench at Villa Park, and another starring cameo display this weekend could make all the difference if it is a tight match.

Hopefully he will be in and around the matchday squad on Saturday, but if he isn’t fully fit, he shouldn’t be risked.

In other news: Smith looking to pip Arteta again as Aston Villa eye move for ace who has the same agency as Mings

Ryan Sessegnon should consider a loan move away from Tottenham in the January transfer window, according to former Spurs defender Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Sessegnon’s struggles continue

Sessegnon joined Spurs in 2019 with a massive reputation after shining for Fulham, but he has struggled in north London, making just 14 appearances to date.

The 21-year-old has suffered from fitness issues and Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed another development earlier this week, with a setback expected to keep the youngster out for ‘a while’.

The Latest: Hutton tips youngster for move

First-team opportunities look sparse for Sessegnon currently, so it could be that a loan move in January is beneficial to him.

That’s certainly the opinion of Hutton, who told Football Insider that a switch elsewhere could be important for Sessegnon following the news on his fitness this week:

“I would want to move out somewhere on loan. He can have a future at Tottenham but it’s a matter of going out and finding out about himself. Where is his best position?

“Playing for a club regularly to come back a better player and then really try and focus on getting into that Tottenham team. I think it would be good for him to go out on loan.”

The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

At 21, Sessegnon is still such a young player and his talent is undeniable, with Jose Mourinho once hailing the left-sided player as ‘fantastic’.

The Englishman needs some luck with injuries and to pick up some playing time and confidence elsewhere – if he can achieve those things he can still go on to reach his potential at Spurs.

Time is still very much on Sessegnon’s side and some players can take longer to fully develop than others.

In other news, three Spurs players struggled in the defeat to Vitesse Arnhem. Find out who they are here.

Tottenham Hotspur have been heading in a new direction since this summer’s major overhaul both on and off the pitch.

Although they may well not see the fruits of their labour in the near future as a lot of their moves have been with the long-term in mind.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy appointed a sporting director for the first time in over six years, hiring the trophy-laden Fabio Paratici from Juventus, who then opted for Nuno Santo as the club’s next manager.

And his work in the transfer market has been pretty impressive thus far, especially considering it has been his first and only opportunity to do business.

The Italian supremo has managed to offload some of the deadwood that had been holding the Lilywhites back, seeing players like Erik Lamela, Moussa Sissoko and Serge Aurier finally move on.

In the opposite direction, the vast majority of Spurs’ signings have been 23 years old or under, particularly the additions of Bryan Gil and Pape Matar Sarr.

The latter is a perfect case in point on why we will not see the rewards anytime soon as he’s currently on loan to Metz, where he signed from in a £14.6m deal this summer.

Aged just 19, the young midfielder is a hugely talented prospect that has been tipped for big things and for the time being, he’s getting valuable minutes at a top European league.

By the end of the season, you’d hope that he could come straight into Nuno’s squad and perhaps take the place of some of the remaining deadwood, such as Harry Winks, who Spurs were reportedly keen to offload before deadline day.

The Senegalese teenager, who came through the same system as Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, has been likened to two elite stars, both past and present.

Metz director Olivier Perrin once compared him to former Juventus and Barcelona maestro Miralem Pjanic.

“I immediately knew that Sarr was going to be a top player, with a very high level when it comes to reading and analysing the game. He is like Miralem Pjanic,” he told Senego.

Whilst his free-kick ability has earned him the nickname ‘Carlos’ after Brazilian great Roberto Carlos.

He has also been likened to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

“I am told this guy is really more than an interesting talent. He has real potential, [he’s a] fantastic talent,” he told his YouTube channel. “One of my sources told me he could become one style of [Paul] Pogba player. He has style, he has potential, he has skills, so we will see what happens with this guy.”

Sarr is known for his aggressive ball-playing technique and is capable of picking up possession in his own half and driving forward to help contribute further up the pitch, perhaps something that is severely lacking in the current Spurs squad.

Across the last two seasons, the young £9m-rated dynamo has averaged 1.9 dribbles and 1.1 key passes every 90 minutes, via WhoScored, which would certainly reinforce the reputation he’s received during his time in France.

Someone like Winks must be very careful this season because if Sarr continues to impress at Metz, he could well walk straight into Nuno’s squad come next summer.

AND in other news, Worse than Kane: Anonymous £70k-p/w Spurs star who lost 100% duels badly betrayed Nuno…