All posts by z3u9t.icu

It’s very rare in the modern game that you find a player capable of holding such a strong influence over a team even when they’re not playing, especially at a club like Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, Conor Coady is very much following the example of players like John Terry and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Their quality obviously eclipses that of the Wolves centre-back but his captaincy, leadership and motivational skills are right up there among the elite.

Coady didn’t play a single minute for England at the European Championships but he was a pillar of the squad and someone Gareth Southgate can’t help but admire.

The Three Lions boss has his own leadership methods but Coady has all of the desirable personality traits you’d want from a skipper.

“Conor Coady, Ben Chilwell, Sam Johnstone, Aaron Ramsdale, they’re the ones making this team successful. The spirit in the group is phenomenal,” Southgate said this summer.

“The squad mentality is fantastic. That’s uppermost in my mind, looking after those guys,” he concluded.

Coady was arguably the most important member of that quartet.

After all, he has already captained England, an honour Southgate is all too keen to hand him again: “He’s got that real infectious personality,” the former defender remarked.

“He ended up with the armband and I wouldn’t have hesitated to give it to him at the start.”

The Wolves star’s performances have been top drawer for a while now but he owes much of his career to Nuno Santo.

Kenny Jackett signed the 28-year-old for just £2m from Huddersfield Town back in 2015 but it was Nuno who transformed him from a central midfielder to a centre-back.

He is calm on the ball and his sweeping abilities make him a natural fit for a position in a back three that’s been defined as the ‘Conor Coady role’.

The England international plays in the middle of a three-man defence and has rarely missed a game because of his commitment, dedication and attitude to the cause at Molineux.

Dave Edwards once commented: “Two of his main attributes are leadership — he always talks, and now he could see the whole pitch — and his range of passing, which was already good but he’s got better and better at it, to the extent he’s arguably now one of the best passing centre-backs in the Premier League, which is phenomenal.”

Such are his good performances that his transfer value has ultimately soared considerably. From a £2m youngster, the Wolves captain is now rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

It’s unlikely he’d ever move but if the time did come, it’s likely Bruno Lage would demand a hefty fee.

AND in other news, Wolves already have a new Neves in rarely-seen 5ft10 gem who’s a “delight to watch”…

Everton’s transfer deadline day has been in tune with the rest of their window – quiet and not a lot going on.

Rafa Benitez has spent just £1.7m in the market so far but the Toffees are closing in on a few more signings before the 11pm deadline.

What’s the word?

While Everton undergo negotiations with Porto for a swap deal involving James Rodriguez and Luis Dias, Benitez and Marcel Brands are still awaiting phone calls elsewhere.

That’s because they’re aiming to bring in a striker and a right-back before the deadline. The Toffees are notably in the market for Salomon Rondon, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles could still join despite Arsenal rejecting their offer for the versatile youngster on Monday.

However, providing the latest on what’s happening at Goodison Park today, Sky Sports reporter Vinny O’Connor said on their deadline day coverage:

“What I have been told is that it could be a late one here. Everton also want to bring in a right-back. We’re awaiting developments on who might come in as competition for Seamus Coleman. It’s very important that Everton get a striker in too; Salomon Rondon is the option Everton are looking at.

“It’s our understanding that they’re still working on getting Rondon in. We’re expecting a late one here at Everton.”

Exciting times

With that update from O’Connor in mind, it looks as though Everton supporters can begin to get excited as the transfer window comes to a close.

It’s not been the best market for the Toffees, but if they are able to secure back-up for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and bolster their options at right-back, it can be considered a good window.

Although a more notable forward would presumably be preferable, it’s hard to complain with any signing on deadline day. After all, Benitez could be on the verge of signing two Premier League proven players here.

Rondon has made 140 appearances in the English top-flight, bagging 35 goals in the process. Crucially, he also knows Benitez’s methods after spending time with the Spanish manager at Newcastle.

Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, has been a vibrant prospect after coming through the academy ranks of Arsenal. He is an FA Cup winner and showed during his time on loan at West Brom last season that he can perform regularly in the Premier League.

Benitez’s signings, specifically Demarai Gray with his two goals, have hit the ground running, so fans should back these potential acquisitions to do the same. This is an exciting time for all involved at the club.

AND in other news, Paul Joyce drops intriguing Everton transfer update, it’s now or never for Brands…

Crystal Palace are reported to be interested in Millwall winger Jed Wallace, with his contract due to expire next summer, according to Football League World.

Starting off 2021/22 in commendable fashion, the versatile attacker has registered five goal contributions in seven appearances, with three goals and two assists for the Lions [Transfermarkt].

He could be set for a move further south in London in the near future, according to recent reports.

The 27-year-old is reportedly attracting interest from Crystal Palace, as well as the likes of Burnley, Newcastle United, Celtic and Rangers, as reported by Football League World. He is out of contract at the Den at the end of the current season.

In light of the prospect of Wallace swapping Millwall for the Eagles, plenty of Crystal Palace fans took to Twitter to share their opinions on the links with the Lions maestro.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to popular Crystal Palace fan outlet CPFC Transfers HQ on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the rumours, which were largely well received:

“I’d have this all day long just to see the reaction from Millwall fans”

Credit: @cjbearcpfc

“Haha they won’t like this one down the Den”

Credit: @danofthesouth_”There’s probably nothing in this but he’s pretty good”Credit: @liamb0117″Surely that’s a wind up”Credit: @Wheddsta”I doubt it’s true but he’s a decent player not gonna lie”Credit: @DrizzyCPFC”He’s actually not a bad player, and statically he’s very good, I wouldn’t be upset with him, good to have more depth”Credit: @CTuckey99In other news, the timeline for the prospective return of a Palace star from injury has been revealed. Find out more here.

Former Rangers star Michael Ball was left shocked by the defeat to Malmo in the Champions League, insisting that the club should be embarrassed by the performance.

The Scottish club have not even made the group stages, losing to the Swedish side in the third qualifying round.

It means they will drop into the Europa League qualifiers, so they may still have the opportunity to play European football this season.

The defeat will come as a particular blow because Malmo scored both of their goals in the 2-1 second leg win when they were down to 10 men.

The first leg also ended with a 2-1 win for Malmo, and Ball was left disappointed by the club’s performance.

It comes as a particular shock after Rangers’ performance in the Scottish Premiership last season, where they went unbeaten.

This season, already, Rangers have also been beaten by Dundee United in the league.

Ball said in an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern: “Very disappointing, very shocked really. Steven’s record at the club has been fantastic since he’s been there.

“They let themselves down in the first leg but then Steven asked the fans to turn up in their numbers and get behind the boys and the fans did that, they got themselves 1-0 up but unfortunately it was pretty embarrassing, really, how they capitulated, especially against 10 men.”

West Ham United are reportedly considering making a move for Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

What’s the story?

According to The Daily Express, David Moyes’ charges are weighing up whether to make a loan bid to sign the 27-year-old England international this summer.

The report states that West Ham are prioritising the signatures of Jesse Lingard or Matheus Pereira over the Liverpool ace, meaning that a deal is unlikely to happen at this stage.

Jurgen Klopp will be fuming

Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived at Anfield in a £35m move back in 2017 and hit the ground running at his new surroundings. The box-to-box dynamo scored five goals and provided eight assists in 46 appearances for the Reds, playing a pivotal part as they reached the Champions League final.

However, a serious knee injury picked up in the first leg of Liverpool’s semi-final against AS Roma that year ruled him out for almost the entirety of the following campaign, limiting Oxlade-Chamberlain to just two outings in 2018/19.

He returned to form during Liverpool’s title-winning season, but a string of minor fitness issues once again plagued the former Arsenal ace last term.

Nevertheless, despite Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury concerns, Jurgen Klopp will surely be fuming if the club’s hierarchy sanction his departure.

With Gini Wijnaldum already leaving Merseyside this summer, Liverpool are light on numbers in the middle of the park and need to bolster their current options, not deplete them further.

On his day, Oxlade-Chamberlain is a very useful asset to have, capable of scoring on a semi-regular basis, and is a perfect fit for Klopp’s gegenpressing style.

Therefore, director of football Michael Edwards must keep hold of the £120,000-per-week monster for at least another 12 months, avoiding a potential nightmare and allowing Klopp to slowly overhaul his first team squad.

Liverpool currently have several big names approaching the final two years of their contracts, with Oxlade-Chamberlain one of them.

Allowing him another season to prove his worth before deciding to extend his deal or cut him loose appears to be the best option for the 19-time English champions, and one which Edwards must choose in order to help prevent another disappointing campaign for the Reds.

In other news… Romano drops disappointing update over “devastating” LFC target, Klopp will be gutted 

Sunderland are interested in a deal to bring Jamie Robson to the Stadium of Light this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that both Lincoln City and the Black Cats are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Dundee United left-back in the summer transfer window.

The report added that the Imps have even gone as far as to submit a bid for the 23-year-old, with their six-digit offer believed to have been rejected by the Scottish Premiership outfit.

Meanwhile, it is said that although Lee Johnson’s side are interested in a move for the defender, they have yet to firm up this interest with a concrete offer.

Louis-Dreyfus must move

With the contract situation of Denver Hume having dragged on for over a month now, and there having been no updates regarding the 22-year-old putting pen to paper on a new deal at the Stadium of Light despite the new League One season kicking off this weekend, it would appear to be time for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to make a move in the market for another option in that position.

Considering the potential Robson seems to possess, he would very much appear to make a fine addition to Johnson’s side ahead of what is sure to be another arduous campaign in the third tier of English football.

Indeed, over his 36 Scottish Premiership appearances for Dundee last season, the £360k-rated man helped his team to keep 12 clean sheets, averaging 1.3 interceptions, two tackles and 2.3 clearances and winning 5.5 duels per game.

For comparison, over Hume’s 24 League One appearances last season, the Sunderland left-back made an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 0.7 clearances and won 4.1 duels per game.

While it would undoubtedly be a blow for the club to lose the services of Hume this summer, if Louis-Dreyfus manages to bring in the man who Micky Mellon dubbed a “brilliant” player in as the 22-year-old’s replacement – or better yet, as competition for the academy product – it would certainly soften the blow for Johnson and his side. We believe the Sunderland owner should do all he can to land Robson this summer.

In other news: Speakman drops update on “huge” £4.3k-p/w “nightmare” that will have SAFC fans buzzing

Former professional footballer Nigel Jemson believes that Watford have gained some good players this summer and has praised them for deciding not to go crazy in the transfer market.

The Hornets have added ten new players to their ranks this summer and got their Premier League campaign off to the best possible start as they beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Vicarage Road before their 2-0 defeat to Brighton.

Debutants Emmanuel Dennis and Cucho Hernandez marked their debuts in style, as they got on the scoresheet either side of Ismaila Sarr scoring for Watford during that first game.

After two debutants got on the scoresheet for Watford, Nigel Jemson was asked about the summer recruitment and believes that the club have gained some good players, telling Football FanCast: “Again, you know, do you want Watford to go out there and spend twenty, thirty million on two or three players and it not work and then financially it’s going to kill them.

“You’ve got to be very good; you look at the likes of Burnley with Sean Dyche, they’ve been in the Premiership for quite a while now, but you don’t see him splashing a lot of cash there, you know, he’s very shrewd in his business and you’ve got to take his hat off for that reason, you know. They’ve gained some good players at Watford.”

After a good transfer window and marking their return to the Premier League with a win, there will be an air of optimism and hope around Vicarage Road that the Hornets can have a good season back in the top flight of English football.

Aston Villa striker Wesley Moraes was sent off in a 2-0 pre-season defeat to Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans voiced their frustration at the Brazilian on social media.

Villa made the trip to face Michael O’Neill’s side three days on from their opening pre-season win over Walsall, with Craig Shakespeare once again in charge due to Dean Smith following isolation protocols.

Wesley played the second half against Walsall on Wednesday and was brought on in the 60th minute against Stoke on Saturday.

However, shortly after coming on, with the score already 2-0 to the home side, Wesley was sent off following an altercation with Nick Powell.

The forward appeared to move his head towards Powell before grabbing his throat and as such, he was shown his marching orders.

Villa fans react

Villa posted the news of Wesley’s red card on their official Twitter page. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling it as ‘dreadful’.

“Can we finally give up on Wes? Waste of time and money.”Credit: @B6Utfv”Surely the end of his time at Villa”Credit: @AlexHal81702860″Dreadful. Unnecessary. Especially in a friendly. Something said might have riled him up a bit but need to stay more professional than that. Poor behaviour.”Credit: @MikeFGroves”Dear oh dear”Credit: @avfcke”Sell him. Just sell him. Get another striker in. Not like Wesley is exactly lethal”Credit: @HarryUTV”I was at the game and sorry, he needs to go. He’s not right in the head and he can’t run. Should have seen him attempt to run off the pitch after the red. He’s just not right. Is that a record btw? Comes on as a sub in a friendly for 8 mins gets sent off”Credit: @scollins87avfc

In other news: ‘Classic Villa’ – Many Aston Villa fans react to ‘strange’ transfer update. 

Les Reed has warned Premier League clubs like former side Southampton that they should not expect instant success when spending up to £10million on their transfer targets ahead of the new season.

The former Southampton executive vice-chairman joined non-league Wrexham, where he is working with big-name co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, as an advisor last month.

During his time with Saints, Reed played a key role in getting a number of high-profile deals over the line during transfer windows, but current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted back in April that the south coast outfit are shopping for players that will cost around £10m maximum.

The 68-year-old, who also enjoyed a spell as the Premier League club’s vice-chairman, was integral as Sadio Mane joined from Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg in 2014 for £10million.

Premier League bosses are currently scouring the transfer market as they look to improve their squads ahead of another energy-sapping campaign which is due to kick-off next month, with Southampton already adding Romain Perraud to their squad for around €12m (£10.3m).

Reed, formerly an FA technical director, feels clubs like Southampton looking to give up-and-coming talent an opportunity in the top flight must be patient.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “You can buy players for £10million or less, but they will be younger and less experienced and you have got to take a long-term view on them actually developing with you.

“The overnight successes, like Sadio Mane, are probably out of that league now in terms of cost.

“Agents have wised up in terms of the kind of salaries you are able to negotiate when you pluck someone relatively unknown.

“There is greater competition now as well. You can buy players for £10million and if your scouting, recruitment and analysis of those players is really top drawer and you can analyse the potential and have a good development culture, you can bring them through. But it’s a longer-term process rather than having them in the Premier League for one year and then selling them on for triple or quadruple what you bought them for.”

Victor Orta could deliver another Raphinha-esque masterclass for Leeds United by signing West Brom star Matheus Pereira this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Whites are interested in signing the Brazilian this summer, and it’s even been claimed that he could be available for as little as £15m.

And now, speaking exclusively to This is Futbol, David Norris has said: “If you’re scoring goals in a relegated team, when it’s hard enough to create chances, then you’re doing something right – £15m is nothing. We spoke about Leeds and their budget, but £15m for a player that scores goals in a struggling team makes sense.”

Another Raphinha masterclass from Orta

Having a sealed a deal for Raphinha for just £17m last year, it’s safe to say Orta played an absolute blinder for Leeds.

And in Pereira, Orta could do exactly that the same.

Hailed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira enjoyed a superb campaign in the Premier League last season, netting 11 goals and provided a further six assists as he tried to rescue his Baggies side from relegation.

Former Leeds man Noel Whelan has already talked up the prospect of Pereira joining the likes of Raphinha at Elland Road previously, saying: “It is a mouth-watering prospect. We missed out on certain players last season, and this is a player that excites everybody. I would definitely take him all day long.

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s great on the ball, he can turn people inside out. Pereira’s another option we can use right across that front three and maybe in a number 10 role as well. He’s the right age and he’s the sort of player we should be looking at. Imagine, if you put him alongside Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison etc, that’s pretty formidable.”

In fact, Pereira’s average of two shots and 1.8 key passes per game in the Premier League last season was only a touch lower than Raphinha (2.2 and 2.1), while he was actually fouled significantly more times than his Brazilian counterpart (1.6 to one).

And, after a particularly fine performance earlier this year in the Premier League against Aston Villa, former England ace Jermain Jenas said of the 25-year-old: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

Given the relatively cheap price the Whites could get him for, Orta could deliver another transfer masterclass with Pereira just like he did with Raphinha last summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed a major Marcelo Bielsa boost…