All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic have made an enquiry to Derby County over a potential move for Nathan Byrne, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Byrne profiled

Byrne is mainly a right-back but can also play as a left-back or a right-midfielder. The 29-year-old has just 12 months left on his Derby deal and is currently valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt – the highest of his career.

He’s made 184 League One appearances and 148 Championship appearances – becoming a regular for the Rams last season.

The former Tottenham youngster, described as ‘vocal’ by journalist Ryan Conway, is on £8,900-a-week with Derby.

The Latest: Recent report

The Daily Record shared a transfer story on Celtic on Wednesday evening after the Hoops announced the signing of centre-back Carl Starfelt.

They suggested that Sheffield United right-back George Baldock is a top target, however, the question has also been asked to Derby regarding Byrne.

The report adds that Celtic’s scouting staff flagged up a possible swoop for Byrne, but Ange Postecoglou is yet to give a transfer the green light.

The Verdict: Down to Ange

Postecoglou has reportedly watched footage of a number of right-back targets, and with no director of football in place to bounce ideas off, a new signing will of course be down to him.

Byrne could well be the cheaper option over Baldock, with a £3.15m difference in Transfermarkt valuations.

However, with Celtic selling Kristoffer Ajer to Brentford for an initial £13.5m, there should be plenty of funds to bring in a senior right-back as soon as possible.

In other news: Sources share Odsonne Edouard latest, find out more here. 

Ange Postecoglou has only been Celtic manager for a small period of time but he’s already living up to his opening day promise.

After being announced as the new boss, he declared that the Hoops needed to crack on with their transfer business ahead of a busy window.

What’s the word?

One area of concern for the Bhoys will be in attack where Postecoglou and Dominic McKay will need to act quickly to replace the outgoing Odsonne Edouard.

The Frenchman is reportedly on the verge of joining Leicester in a £15m deal but it doesn’t look as though they’ll use that sum to find a replacement.

Instead, the recruitment team are working on a free transfer in the shape of Charlie Wyke.

Football Insider reported this week that talks are now underway to lure him to Parkhead with his contract expiring with Sunderland at the end of the month.

The outlet suggests Celtic will make a concrete offer to the forward during the course of this week.

A great fit for Postecoglou

The Australian may rely on a quick and frantic style of football but Wyke would offer something Celtic don’t have in attack right now; an aerial ability.

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Edouard has always been a big physical presence in the final third but his heading ability isn’t the most natural.

Leigh Griffiths prefers to play with the ball on the deck while the less said about Albian Ajeti’s time in Glasgow, the better.

Standing at 6 foot 2, Wyke is a dominating figure in the box, capable of brushing defenders to one side with ease.

He is a monster in the air but he also knows how to find the back of the net with his feet as well.

The Sunderland forward scored 31 goals last term, netting 26 in the third tier of English football. Remarkably, 12 of those strikes came with his head.

Described as “clinical” by Mackems boss Lee Johnson, Wyke has a wonderful habit of being in the right place at the right time.

He makes clever runs to the near post and holds the ball up tremendously well. In winning 4.8 aerial duels per match this term, no attacker at Celtic even comes close to replicating that.

Mohamed Elyounoussi had the best aerial ability from an offensive point of view last term, winning just 1.5 battles per match.

With that in mind, this transfer has the potential to be absolutely game-changing for Postecoglou and his coaching staff.

AND in other news, McKay must complete Celtic move for 42-cap beast who dubbed Postecoglou “intimidating”…

Leeds United are set to be handed a major boost as news emerges from Thorp Arch about some key work being undergone at the club’s training ground.

What’s the story?

After having to relay the pitch at Elland Road earlier last season due to the awful conditions, the Whites have now begun work on their training ground, with head groundsman at Thorp Arch, Stefan Jones, posting a picture on Twitter of the progress so far.

And in response, former Leeds man Noel Whelan spoke of just how important it is for the pitches at Thorp Arch to be in top condition and saying that it could give Bielsa a real advantage.

He said: “Our pitch is definitely getting dug up. They’re going to spend a lot of money on getting the surface right at Elland Road. I think when you think about the style of play that we like to play, it’s imperative that you get the pitches, training pitches, everything that’s going to give you that extra edge over other teams.

“The surface is a massive part of it, the way we play. We’re on the deck, we’re quick, we’re a very counter-attacking side. It is two or three passes that lead to a goal.

“You get a feel of it and for progression of players, this is what you need to have now. You know you need to have those standards set high on and off the field.

“That’s exactly what Leeds United are doing. They’re not going to leave any money in the bank not to give everyone that added advantage to play the style of football that’s been so attractive to watch.”

Bielsa will be relieved

Given the kind of football that Leeds like to play – fast, counter-attacking and slick on the ground – ensuring that their preparation ahead of the actual game at the weekend is done on surfaces that reflect a top-tier Premier League pitch will be much welcome.

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The state of the pitch at Elland Road came under a lot of scrutiny and there’s no questioning that Bielsa himself would not have been happy at how it turned out.

The fact that work is already being done back at Thorp Arch to ensure the training grounds are up to scratch, will give the Leeds boss a bit of confidence that the club are taking the right steps to ensuring things are much better prepared this time around.

Getting Thorp Arch in prime condition is a great start. Making sure Elland Road is the same will be the next step.

Meanwhile, Graham Smyth has dropped an exciting update…

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly called off plans to appoint Antonio Conte as their new manager after negotiations hit a stumbling block, as reported by Sky Sports.

The north London outfit had been in talks with the 51-year-old over becoming Jose Mourinho’s successor in the role, but on Friday evening it emerged that those negotiations broke down over some of the Italian’s demands, including an apparent reluctance to work with the club’s up-and-coming talents, as per Sky Sports.

According to the Evening Standard, Spurs could now refocus their attention back towards Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag as potential candidates for the vacant managerial post at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With Conte seemingly falling by the wayside, whoever ends up as Tottenham’s new manager faces potentially one of his toughest tasks yet at N17. They risk losing leading talisman Harry Kane after he expressed his desire to leave, they’ll be competing in the newly-formed Europa Conference League after their lowest league finish since 2008/09 and they may need to operate on a constrained transfer budget.

Back in April, the Daily Mail claimed that Spurs would have to sell before they buy this summer, although there are plenty of names who could garner finances, with the futures of Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Serge Aurier, Juan Foyth, Erik Lamela, Davinson Sanchez and Lucas Moura all up in the air.

Arguably the biggest problem facing the new manager will be the defence they inherit. Individual mistakes and a lack of cohesion in the backline was Spurs’ Achilles heel throughout the 2020/21 season.

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It was evident that Sanchez and Eric Dier aren’t good enough as a pairing, whilst Toby Alderweireld is getting no younger. It’s hardly a surprise that football.london reported that Tottenham want two new central defensive additions but that’ll cost a lot of money.

Perhaps they may have one solution at the club already in Joe Rodon, the rarely-seen summer window signing, who looked the part whenever given an opportunity.

After arriving from Swansea City for an initial £11m, the Wales international only made eight league starts, playing a total of 729 minutes across a 38-game campaign, via Transfermarkt.

He’s a player who has been earmarked for the future, with former Spurs captain Gary Mabbutt telling Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he possesses “great potential”, whilst Steve Cooper, his former boss at the Liberty Stadium, dubbed him a “pure defender” and a “real asset.”

Similarly, Lilywhites legend Graham Roberts told supporters on Twitter that the Welshman has “huge potential.”

Despite hardly featuring for the club this term, Rodon was one of the more productive defensive options, registering a squad-high 1.8 interceptions per game whilst also recording the highest passing success rate (88.1%) of anyone at Spurs except Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, via WhoScored.

By unleashing the 23-year-old colossus, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could save millions in the transfer window this summer. While Rodon is certainly in need of a viable partner in the middle, an increased show of faith in him could save Spurs the need for multiple additions.

AND in other news, Spurs could seal bargain Kane heir in 34 G/A “special talent”, he won’t cost Levy a penny…

Tottenham Hotspur have received some rather encouraging news…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Spurs star Heung-min Son is expected to sign a new long-term contract, having held talks with the club since December.

He tweeted:

“Heung-min Son is expected to sign soon his new contract with Tottenham, negotiations going on since December and now all parties confident to complete the agreement.

“Son is staying at Tottenham, higher salary and new long-term agreement.”

The 28-year-old forward originally joined the North London outfit in a £22m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 and is thought to currently be on around £140k-per-week.

Fonseca boost

After all the disappointment throughout the 2020/21 campaign, this is finally some great news for the Lilywhites faithful, and it’ll also hand their incoming new manager Paulo Fonseca an instant boost.

There are doubts over the future of Harry Kane after Sky Sports reported that he had expressed his desire to leave the club this summer.

That, combined with a seventh-place finish and yet another season without silverware, would surely be enough to put any key man off sticking around – but not Son.

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Valued at a whopping £76.5m, the 91-cap South Korean international is one of Spurs’ most influential and biggest players. He has provided 107 goals and 64 assists across 280 appearances, which is one direct goal contribution every one-and-a-half matches, via Transfermarkt.

He has formed a pretty lucrative partnership with Kane over the years, too. And that reached a new level early last season, where the pair broke a Premier League record to become the most prolific duo in any season, beating Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton from 1994/95.

Son’s importance to this Spurs squad was also displayed by the fact that he was one of their most creative options, finishing the campaign with a squad-high two key passes per game, on top of providing ten assists.

On his own, he provided nearly 40% of all their goals scored during last term.

Fonseca will surely be delighted to know that he will arrive at Tottenham with Son on the verge of being tied down for the long term. It gives him one less thing to worry about and of course, hands him a beast who will play a big part in his team.

This latest Hotspur Way development is exciting news for everyone.

AND in other news, Paratici could finally axe Lamela with Spurs swoop for “magical” £26m-rated “prodigy”…

Journalist Stuart Hodge says any suggestion that Eddie Howe’s proposed appointment at Celtic is collapsing is ‘not true’, but has slammed the Hoops’ ‘despicable’ approach toÂfinding a new boss.

The lowdown

Celtic parted ways with Neil Lennon at the end of February and have still yet to appoint a successor.

John Kennedy took the reins for the remainder of the season, ending the campaign with a goalless draw at Hibernian last week.

It was reported at the start of April that Howe had agreed in principle to become the Hoops’ new boss, but no announcement has since materialised.

This has led some to speculate that the deal has unravelled, with former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie even telling The Transfer Tavern he ‘really can’t see it happening’ at this point.

Hendrie hinted that Howe was ‘dragging his feet’ because he was ‘waiting for something else’.

The latest

Now, Hodge, who is a Scottish podcaster and journalist,Âhas taken to Twitter to dismiss any such fears. He ‘did look into them’ but ‘everything credible that came back’ reassured him the claims were a mere ‘hoax’.

However, Hodge did argue that this once again highlighted Celtic’s ‘despicable’ standard of communication.

He accused the Glasgow outfit of showing ‘absolute contempt for fans’.

The club acknowledged fans’ frustration in a statement on 7 May and admitted ‘the need to complete this process as soon as we can’.

The verdict

Perhaps there’s an explanation for the delay. Record Sport say that Howe is waiting for his former club Bournemouth to complete their Championship play-off campaign.

That’s because he wants to bring some of his former colleagues to Scotland as part of his backroom team.

The Cherries won the first leg of their tie against Brentford on Monday night, so a trip to Wembley for the final could delay this process even further.

There’s no doubt that the delay has been concerning, and the mood now if/when the appointment is confirmed will be one of relief rather than excitement.

In other news, could this be another issue delaying the appointment?

A number of Liverpool supporters want to keep hold of Harry Wilson this summer following fresh reports surrounding his Reds future.

The 24-year-old is currently on loan at Cardiff City, where he has made 35 Championship appearances this season, scoring four goals and registering 11 assists.

Wilson was deemed surplus to requirements by Jurgen Klopp last summer, not promising him regular football, but it remains to be seen what happens this time around.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

According to the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst, the Reds are willing to sell the Welshman for between £10m and £15m, bringing an end to his time at Anfield. He has still only made two competitive appearances for Liverpool, and if this update is to be believed, a permanent move could finally be sealed in the coming months.

Liverpool fans want Wilson to stay

Despite this, some Reds fans want to see Wilson stay put moving forward, taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts. One Kopite believe he is better than fellow Anfield loanee Takumi Minamino, who has managed just four goals in 31 games for Liverpool thus far.

“He is better than Minamino, Origi and Ox, and with the Gini departure I think he deserves a chance”

Credit: @QendrimSadiku

“Better keep him. We are going into UEL and will be competing in cup games and will want to qualify for UCL”

Credit: @Alexand36742345

“Sell Origi, Shaqiri and Keep him”

Credit: @TheRealDolch

“He’s better than Minamino so I expect Minamino to go as well then”

Credit: @LFCJadenV2

“Sale Ox and Keita, give Harry Wilson a chance”

Credit: @kamatshawila

“Can’t wait to see Harry Wilson stood over free kicks at home to Norwich next year in front of 15,000 fans”

Credit: @davew97

In other news, a Liverpool player has called for his agent to push through a move away this summer. Find out who it is here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds United, has revealed that Ezgjan Alioski will certainly be leaving Elland Road when his contract expires this summer.

Alioski has reportedly signed a pre-contract with Galatasaray – this is despite the winger/full-back featuring frequently under Marcelo Bielsa this season, making 31 Premier League appearances.

Bielsa has opted to deploy Alioski as a left-back this term, which has allowed Stuart Dallas to play as a central midfielder, with his seven goals and two assists being very important for Leeds this campaign.

Speaking on how Alioski will be leaving this summer and why he wouldn’t be surprised to see a replacement arrive at the end of the season, Norris exclusively told FFC:

“Yeah, Alioski is definitely going to be leaving. So, with him off I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone new come in.”

It has been reported that the £15,000 per week ace turned down a new contract offer at Leeds and he has been able to speak with clubs outside of England, as he’s in the final six months of his current deal.

Leeds have improved at the back recently, with Bielsa’s side only conceding four goals in their previous six games.

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce has suffered a major transfer blow in the chase for Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that the Gunners youngster, who was on loan at St James’ Park for the Premier League season just gone by, is open to making the move to Tyneside.

Now, Football Insider claim that the Magpies may not even have the finances to pull off such a deal.

The report reveals that Bruce has been informed by the club that he will receive a budget of just £10m and that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is refusing to spend big while takeover talks continue.

It’s added: “The bombshell rules out the possibility of Newcastle signing Joe Willock permanently from Arsenal after his dazzling loan. That is now a non-starter unless United cash in on one of their few stars capable of generating a £20m-plus transfer fee.”

Fans will be fuming

After seeing him score on his Newcastle debut against Southampton earlier in the Premier League campaign, Bruce claimed that Willock has the style of play from which his side could really benefit.

He said: “It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”

And, when you look at the rest of the Newcastle midfield, Willock really does solve a major Bruce nightmare.

The 21-year-old’s eight goals from midfield are far more than what the rest of Newcastle’s midfield options have managed this season, with Jeff Hendrick the next closest with just the two in the league.

It’s exactly why then that news that Bruce will have such a measly budget to work with in this transfer window will surely have fans fuming at Ashley and his reluctance to open up his chequebook to strengthen the squad.

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A move for Willock in particular isn’t a typical transfer gamble given what he’s already shown while on loan, and it makes the Newcastle owner’s decision to not at least release the funds to just sign him on a permanent basis incredibly baffling.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must land this defender who bullied Ivan Toney…

Several Crystal Palace supporters have been heaping praise on youngster David Omilabu on social media after the Eagles shared news of his hat-trick this week on their official Twitter account.

The 18-year-old, who signed his first professional contract with the club just last month, netted a hat-trick on Wednesday for the club’s Under-18 side.

Omilabu netted two penalties before sealing his hat-trick on the hour mark in a 5-1 win over West Ham.

Prior to Wednesday, Omilabu, who is capable of playing anywhere across the front line, had scored 12 goals in just 11 starts for the Under-18’s.

Fellow youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who has is pushing to feature for the first-team before the end of the season, also starred alongside Omilabu in the win.

Palace fans react

The club provided live updates of the Under-18’s on their official Twitter page on Wednesday afternoon.

This is what these fans had to say about Omilabu after he sealed his hat-trick, with many waxing lyrical over the forward and one describing him as ‘phenomenal’.

“Running out of words for this kid absolutely unreal talent.”

Credit: @CPFCH10

“David Omilabu is the real deal.”

Credit: @HLTCO

“Phenomenal”

Credit: @rossbart97

“Get him on the bench at least @roy”

Credit: @LouisWhite_

“I support Omilabu FC now”

Credit: @kurtisamor_

“Omg I love him so much”

Credit: @cpfcpaddy

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to Eddie Howe twist, find out more here.