All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga, according to the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Boga’s future remains ‘up in the air’

Boga has been with Sassuolo since 2018, after signing for the Italian side from Chelsea, having found regular game time with the Blues’ senior side hard to come by.

He has gone on to make 90 appearances in total for Sassuolo, but his future remains unclear at this moment in time, as they prepare for the 2021/22 Serie A campaign.

Boga made 28 appearances in the 2020/21 season, and chipped in with four goals and two assists for them, as they finished eighth in the top-flight standings.

He has two years remaining on his contract with Sassuolo, and has a reported transfer value of £18million according to Transfermarkt.

The latest: European side make eight-figure offer for Leeds transfer target

Leeds United are said to be rivalling Crystal Palace, Everton and Italian side Atalanta to a potential deal for Boga this summer, according to the Daily Mail. 

That same report claims that Atalanta have seen a bid of £15.5million rejected by Sassuolo, and are said to be weighing up another bid in the near future.

It remains to be seen as to whether Leeds will submit a formal offer of their own for Boga, although they’re likely to have to make a decision on their rumoured pursuit of the winger soon, with Atalanta looking to press ahead with their interest in the former Chelsea youngster.

The verdict: Leeds face a real battle to land Boga’s signature

This could turn out to be a smart bit of business by the Yorkshire-based side this summer, especially if he can adjust well to his new surroundings.

Boga will feel as though he has a point to prove in the Premier League, having failed to break his way into the Chelsea first-team earlier in his career, while the Whites could need a replacement for Helder Costa, who has been tipped to depart this summer.

The pressure on Boga therefore wouldn’t be overwhelming, as he would likely arrive as a squad option behind the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, allowing him time to settle into Marcelo Bielsa’s intense style.

But Leeds won’t have it all their way in the race to land his signature it seems, and with Atalanta already making a bid for Boga’s services, you would imagine that they’re ahead of Bielsa’s side in the race to sign the 24-year-old.

NSWE reportedly changed tact when it comes to Aston Villa’s summer transfer business, according to Birmingham Live.

And, as to be expected, the inside information on Villa’s owners has got a lot of supporters talking on social media.

Birmingham Live were told by a Villa insider last month that Villa had planned for a quiet summer transfer window.

However, as we now know, it has been anything but, with Emiliano Buendia joining on a club-record deal, Ashley Young returning and a £25m offer for Emile Smith Rowe rejected just over a week after the window officially opened.

NSWE had a change in thought when it comes to off-field dealings, as they reportedly see a real opportunity to catch and leapfrog the likes of Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham.

Villa fans react

Ashley Preece of the Birmingham Live shared the story on Wednesday afternoon.

@villareport shared Preece’s claims on Twitter that evening, which led to these Villa fans heaping praise on the club’s hierarchy and one describing the news as ‘exciting’.

“MY OWNERS”Credit: @catrinedwards18″Tears in my eyes! This is ambition! MY OWNERS!”Credit: @JayVtid”Exciting times”Credit: @Villacallum”Absolute legends”Credit: @AndreVillaGamer”I love our owners”Credit: @escapeinpixels”We are massive”Credit: @jackavfc1

In other news: Big James Ward-Prowse update emerges, find out more here. 

Manchester United could land their own Virgil van Dijk in the form of Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Marca, the 28-year-old defender could depart Los Blancos over the coming months, with a €60m (£51.5m) price tag mooted.

The report claims that Varane sees his future away from Madrid and, as he’s set to enter the final 12 months of his current contract, the club are willing to sell him in to avoid losing the World Cup winner on a free transfer.

Earlier this month, Manchester Evening News reported that United were holding talks with the Frenchman’s camp amid the uncertainly over his future in the Spanish capital.

United’s own Van Dijk

United made solid progress throughout 2020/21, recording consecutive top four finishes in the Premier League for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

However, a group stage exit in the Champions League, a hugely disappointing defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League final and a 12-point gap to Premier League champions Manchester City showcased the progress still to be made for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

One key area of weakness for the Red Devils over recent years has been at centre-back. The likes of Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe have failed to convince alongside Harry Maguire, with Wednesday’s final defeat the latest illustration of their shortcomings.

While club captain Maguire may be comfortable with the ball at his feet (87.3% passing accuracy), a dominant force in the air (wins four aerial duels per game) and a natural leader, the England international is occasionally exposed for his lack of pace.

The arrival of Varane would ensure that particular problem would be all but eradicated, and the towering Frenchman has earned significant praise from departing Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane in the past.

“He’s won a lot and shown his ability to be a leader, help others and show what he’s capable of doing out on the pitch. He deserves the two goals in the last game and the character to give us the win,” said Zidane back in February.

Another admirer of the defender is Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who compared Varane to Liverpool powerhouse Van Dijk in the past. The Dutchman transformed the Reds from top-four contenders to Premier League and Champions League champions almost overnight, but the ex-United man holds Varane in higher regard.

“That’s why I put Raphael Varane ahead of Virgil van Dijk. He’s won so many European Cups, a World Cup, he’s an amazing player,” revealed Neville.

United could secure their own transformative, dominant, world-class centre-back this summer in Varane, and it’s an opportunity that they can’t afford to let pass them by.

In other news…Woodward must seal MUFC swoop for 6 ft 5 colossus with “extraordinary skills”

Some Norwich City supporters have been reacting to the news that Emiliano Buendia will join Aston Villa in a big-money move.

The Canaries cruised to Championship tile glory last season, booking their place back in the Premier League at the first time of asking. Daniel Farke’s side will now aim to go one better than their last effort in the top flight, when they finished rock bottom on 21 points a couple of seasons ago, perhaps replicating Leeds United’s efforts and even pushing for a mid-table finish.

Norwich are going to have to do it without Buendia, however, and he has been a hugely influential presence at Carrow Road, scoring 24 goals and registering 42 assists in 121 appearances.

On Monday, it was confirmed that Villa have reached an agreement to sign the 24-year-old in a deal thought to be worth £33m. It is unquestionably bad news for Norwich, given Buendia’s influence for the Canaries, although they will at least now have plenty of funds for summer transfer business.

Norwich fans react to Buendia exit

Alas, these Canaries fans on Twitter didn’t see it that way, with some predicting a troubled 2021/22 season without the Argentine maestro and another saying that the news has already “ruined” their week.

“Ruined my weekend and now ruined the start of my week, cheers Norwich”

Credit: @Alex_Philpott

“This hurts. Good luck @EM10Buendia”

Credit: @Luke_Mannion

“We are actually finished if we don’t get his replacement in”

Credit: @ncfcjoee

“There may be trouble and dissent ahead…”

Credit: @Beerlightweight

“Best player we’ve ever seen in a Norwich shirt. Heartbreaking to see him go”

Credit: @nathandinho_

“And that’s us favourites to head back down to the Championship”

Credit: @andrewgwilt089

In other news, a pundit believes a current ‘big six’ player would be a good fit for Norwich this summer. Find out who it is here.

An intriguing claim has been made on Serge Aurier’s future at Tottenham Hotspur which is sure to leave many in N17 delighted…

What’s the word?

Speaking in a recent Q&A with supporters on football.london, the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold delivered some insight into where the north London outfit stand with their inconsistent right-back.

He wrote: “It’s quite simple with Aurier. He wants to go, Spurs would be happy for him to go, but they need a reasonable bid (not as high as the 20m euros reported in France last week).

“Tottenham will move for a new right-back if he does head out of the exit door. Tottenham like [Norwich City’s Max] Aarons and they need some homegrown signings but it’s all on Paratici now.”

Time’s finally up

Having joined the club from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain for £23m back in summer 2017, Aurier’s time at Spurs has been clouded by controversies off the pitch and poor performances on it.

The £18m-rated defender has featured 110 times for the club, in which he has regularly been lambasted as a calamity.

For example, following their Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher described the 28-year-old as “maybe one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football.”

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It’s certainly not the first time the word “liability” has been used to slam Aurier, with former Spurs stars Darren Bent and Jamie O’Hara saying the same thing some several seasons apart.

The fanbase has also echoed these thoughts regularly. Again, following that Wembley defeat to City, some called him “dreadful” and urged the club to “get rid,” as relayed by This is Futbol.

Amid interest from his former club PSG, lots of the Lilywhites faithful were buzzing, claiming that it would be a “[Fabio] Paratici masterclass” to offload him for a substantial fee.

During lockdown last year, The Mirror reported that the Ivory Coast international was fined for breaking government guidelines, with further reports suggesting that he stormed home after being substituted against Liverpool back in January.

Therefore, this latest claim from Gold will surely come as immensely exciting news to many in and around the club, as on the above evidence, Aurier is not a player who should be sticking around for the new era.

In short, he wants to leave, Spurs are happy for him to leave, and they will consider a replacement – perhaps Aarons. It’s all very encouraging news.

AND in other news, Levy could find his next Pochettino in 46 y/o who has already “impressed” Spurs’ squad…

Sabri Lamouchi is reportedly a leading contender to take over from Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves.

The Lowdown: Nuno to leave Wolves

It has been confirmed that Nuno will leave the Midlands club after taking charge of his final game against Manchester United at Molineux as the Premier League season draws to a close today.

Interestingly, it has been reported that Fosun initiated the end of his reign and moved to take action after what has been a very disappointing campaign overall.

It is understood that the Chinese ownership thought that him leaving is the way forward after months of tension behind the scenes, having been left frustrated by some poor performances and results, while there have also been arguments over the transfer policy and Nuno’s communication.

The Latest: Lamouchi a leading contender

As per Football Insider, Lamouchi has emerged as a leading contender to replace Nuno.

A source from the club has told the news outlet that the 49-year-old was lined up a year ago to take over from the Portuguese manager when it was feared that he would leave Molineux at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

Agent Jorge Mendes had already laid down the groundwork for Lamouchi to join Wolves from Nottingham Forest, whom he has since left for his current role at Al-Duhail SC, only for his move across the Midlands to be kiboshed by the first lockdown last year.

The Verdict: Wolves should not rush into things

Wolves should not rush into getting a new manager just yet, as other potential candidates may emerge from now until the start of next season – for example, they have been recently linked with former Benfica coach Bruno Lage.

Although Lamouchi has had past Transfermarkt). Indeed, Forest blew a seemingly nailed-on play-off place last season under him, while a dreadful start to the current campaign saw him given the bullet in October.

His overall CV flatters to deceive, in truth, and so Wolves should really be waiting for a better candidate to come forward.

In other news, this big contract update has had many Wolves fans talking!

Ralph Hasenhuttl has been handed a surprising, yet very welcome, boost at Southampton this week, after it was revealed that Oriol Romeu has returned to training after injury.

The Spaniard was expected to be out for the season after breaking his ankle in a 3-0 defeat against Leeds United back in February but Hampshire Live has confirmed that he is back on the pitch at Staplewood and could even return for some of Southampton’s remaining fixtures.

The Saints have five games remaining of the Premier League season and whilst they are not yet mathematically safe, Fulham would need to pick up at least 10 points and hope that Southampton pick up none, if they are to catch up to Hasenhuttl’s side.

To have Romeu back before the end of the season would be a huge boost for the Austrian manager, as he and James Ward-Prowse formed a superb partnership in midfield earlier in the campaign, which was a significant factor in their impressive start to the season.

The 29-year-old, who joined for £5m from Chelsea in 2015, has averaged an impressive 6.97 rating across his 20 appearances in the top-flight this season, which ranks him as the third-best performer in Southampton’s squad so far this campaign.

Southampton have seriously struggled in his absence, with Ibrahima Diallo flattering to deceive as his replacement, which has forced Hasenhuttl to play Armstrong in central midfield on occasion, which doesn’t suit the Scottish international.

[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”]

Therefore, if they can welcome back Romeu then the South Coast side can revert back to using the midfield which helped them briefly go top of the Premier League back in November and hopefully, they can finish the season strongly after a shocking run of form in 2021.

Romeu’s influence cannot be underestimated as, ahead of their meeting in December, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the defensive midfielder, saying:

“He (Hasenhuttl) has experience at the back and has one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, Romeu.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Romeu’s return ahead of schedule is certainly some good news for Southampton and hopefully, they can get him fit enough to feature in some of the remaining Premier League fixtures, as it would be a huge boost to have him back on the pitch.

And, in other news… Semmens disaster: Southampton missed out on “brilliant” PL gem perfect for Hasenhuttl

This has been a season to forget for Wolves and after being mauled 4-0 by Burnley a couple of weeks ago, it only went from bad to worse.

The Old Gold didn’t bounce back with a win against neighbours West Brom but it was still an encouraging performance nonetheless.

With injuries rife in the Wolves squad, Nuno Espirito Santo took the decision of handing out opportunities to some of the club’s younger players.

On the chalkboard

Their attack had a refreshing feel to it last weekend against the Baggies. Nuno fielded Fabio Silva in attack and behind him was a vibrant trio of Adama Traore, Owen Otasowie and Vitinha.

Traore has returned to form in recent weeks with a goal and two assists in his last five outings, while Silva is now among the goals too. That said, it was Vitinha who arguably stole the show in the middle of the park.

Daniel Podence was rightfully dropped from the starting XI after two dismal showings and was replaced by the dynamic loanee.

Vitinha has rarely been seen this season, starting just three times in the top flight since swapping Porto for Wolverhampton. He has played only 361 league minutes but you sense that number will dramatically increase between now and the end of the season.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-news-and-views-lingard-leao-jimenez-mir” title= “Read the latest Wolves news and views!”]

The Old Gold have an option to buy the 21-year-old and they’d be foolish if they turned it down.

Nuno needs to take the opportunity in the remaining weeks of the season to unleash him more often. If Vitinha hasn’t already proven he deserves to be at Molineux next term, this should be the chance to end any counter-arguments.

He appears to have all the tools necessary to become a star at Molineux. Compared to Joao Moutinho, the youngster has creativity in abundance.

Against West Brom last weekend, he produced four key passes, more than anybody else on the field. Vitinha also completed 90% of his passes and registered three dribbles, proving how impressive his ball-carrying can be.

Speaking recently, Nuno commented: “We are pleased with Vitor. He’s a young player, but full of talent and quality.”

We shouldn’t be surprised by his performances, however. He starred for Portugal in the group stages of the Under-21 European Championships during the last international break, creating chances and dribbling past players at a similar rate.

Blessed with clever feet and an eye for a pass, he could be the key to providing more goal-scoring opportunities to a laboured forward line at Molineux.

AND in other news, Forget Kilman: Wolves should unleash “outstanding” rarely-seen 18 y/o instead…

According to a report by Sky Sport Italia, the first contacts between Tottenham Hotspur and former Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte have ‘already been started’.

The Lowdown: Conte quits Inter…

The Nerazzurri and Conte decided to part ways earlier this week in what was a seismic update. Despite the 51-year-old guiding Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years, there was an alleged disagreement over how the club should move forward this summer.

Due to financial problems, Inter want to raise €80m (£68.7m) in profits through player sales, while Conte was reportedly adamant that he wanted new signings and a ‘clear project to win again’ (Fabrizio Romano).

The Latest: Tottenham on the prowl?

Sky Sport Italia have now revealed that Spurs have made first contact with Conte over the managerial vacancy in north London alongside La Liga giants Real Madrid, with their former manager Zinedine Zidane resigning on Wednesday.

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Indeed, despite heavy links with Paris-Saint Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs are apparently in the race for Conte and weighing his possible appointment. Former Real Madrid managerial target Massimiliano Allegri rejected their advances and instead chose a return to Juventus, with Los Blancos president Florentino Perez now ‘on the trail’ of Conte.

They face competition from the Lilywhites with Tottenham contact already made, but this report claims that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is also ‘considering’ a reunion for Pochettino.

The Verdict: Mighty alternative..

While Spurs’ priority should perhaps be Pochettino’s sensational return to north London, Conte certainly comes as a mighty alternative. His collection of silverware is impressive, having clinched four Serie A titles, two Italian Super Cups, a Premier League crown and an FA Cup winner’s medal (Transfermarkt).

Now that he has parted company with Inter, Levy also won’t have to worry about paying big compensation money to prise the 51-year-old away from Milan.

Lauded as a ‘top class manager’ by Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold, the prospect of Conte as a Pochettino alternative should excite Spurs supporters given that the ex-Chelsea boss is now more than attainable than ever.

In other news: ‘Another source just now saying’…Sky Sports reporter drops Pochettino claim for Spurs, find out more here.

David Moyes will surely be buzzing as West Ham United are only expected to be without Declan Rice for four to five weeks through injury.

That’s according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who has claimed that Rice will be fit for this summer’s European Championship and that he is pushing to return as soon as possible.

Rice sustained lateral knee ligament damage during England’s World Cup qualifier with Poland last month, and was expected to miss at least six weeks.

A worst-case scenario could have seen Rice be ruled out for the rest of the season or require surgery, throwing his hopes of representing the Three Lions at Euro 2020 into serious doubt.

Ornstein has now delivered West Ham and England a huge boost by suggesting the initial fears were overplayed, and claiming that Rice will be available for Gareth Southgate this summer.

“Rice, we’re assured, will be fit in time,” he said on The Ornstein and Chapman Podcast.

“I know that he saw the six-week timeframe on being a little bit on the cautious side and was aiming to be back in four or five weeks max from this very small tear to the lateral collateral knee ligament in his right leg.”

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Moyes will be buzzing to hear that Rice only sustained a very small tear to his knee ligaments and that he is expected to be available much sooner than first feared, though it naturally remains to be seen if he will feature again this season.

But a minimum four-week lay-off would see Rice return to training as West Ham enter the final month of the Premier League season, meaning he could yet still have a part to play in the London Stadium native’s final fixtures and push for Champions League qualification.

Rice was a key factor in West Ham establishing themselves in the conversation for a top-four finish before his injury, having proven to be – as Southgate describes – an “outstanding” player at recovering possession in the midfield area.

The England international had been able to protect the Hammers backline magnificently all season, and sparked the occasional attack with driven runs through the centre of the pitch.

Only Southampton centre-back Jan Bednarek (73) and Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill (61) – who has been linked with the Irons – have registered a greater number of interceptions in the Premier League this term than Rice (58), per WhoScored.

Moyes was disappointed to have to lose that presence in his engine room when Rice’s injury was announced, and will be itching to unleash the 22-year-old again as soon as possible.

AND in other news, West Ham are weighing up a £21.5m swoop for a “great” 10-goal striker…