All posts by n8rngtd.top

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Celtic are not Eddie Howe’s first choice as he looks to get back into management.

Howe has been out of work since leaving Bournemouth last year following their relegation from the Premier League.

He has since been linked to the Celtic job, with many reports claiming that he is the Bhoys’ No.1 target in their search for a permanent successor to Neil Lennon.

Meanwhile, journalist Alan Nixon has reported that difficulties in assembling his potential coaching team have complicated things.

Hendrie, however, does not think Celtic are No.1 for Howe, suggesting that the 43-year-old is possibly holding out for another club as he continues to leave the Glasgow giants waiting.

On the Howe to Celtic links, the ex-Aston Villa player told TT in an exclusive interview:

“I think Eddie Howe, at the moment in time, I think he’s been linked with this job for so long, that I kind of feel like he’s waiting for something else to come along if you get what I mean. And I feel that’s not his first option.”

Howe has been linked with Premier League clubs, including Crystal Palace, so perhaps he has told Celtic to wait as he considers all of his options.

Roy Hodgson’s contract at Selhurst Park expires at the end of the season, meaning a job could soon open up there.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Daniel Pinder, editor-in-chief at Get German Football News, has claimed that Milot Rashica would be a massive upgrade on what Aston Villa already have in the final third after Football Insider reported they could reignite a move for him.

It was reported last summer that Villa had agreed to meet Rashica’s £20.5 million release clause, however the deal was scuppered when the 24-year old asked for his £40,000 per week wages to be doubled.

Aston Villa have struggled for creativity in the final third during Jack Grealish’s time on the sidelines with Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore not being consistent enough as they have just 13 goals between them in the Premier League this season.

Speaking on how Rashica would be an improvement on what Vill already have and how playing with someone like Grealish would help Rashica, Pinder told FFC:

“He is a versatile player who can play anywhere across the front three as he has done for Werder Bremen, and I think he would be a huge upgrade on Trezeguet and El Ghazi.

“At a team like Villa where he would have the likes of Grealish and John McGinn, I think he could do well and excel.”

Rashica has been a steady performer at Bremen since joining in 2017, with a record of 26 goals and 19 assists in 95 games for the Bundesliga outfit.

The Kosovo international has also been linked with fellow Premier League sides, Leeds United and Southampton recently.

Former Everton striker Marcus Bent has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that losing Yerry Mina would be a big blow for his old side.

Latest reports suggest that the 26-year-old central defender could leave Goodison Park in the summer, with Serie A outfits Inter Milan and Fiorentina both said to be interested.

Mina joined Everton from Barcelona back in 2018 on the back of an impressive World Cup in Russia and has been a regular under Carlo Ancelotti this season when fit.

The Italian, however, may find himself having to turn to another centre-back next term if the likes of inter Milan and Fiorentina really do end up making a play for the Colombia international in the next transfer window.

On the Toffees potentially losing Mina this summer, Bent told FFC:

“It would be a big loss because he is one of the bigger players within the team. Again, we’d have to replace him. Have we got the money? Yeah, I think we’ve got a little bit of money to spend, but how much?

“You’ve got to pay the wages to attract these players. I think that’s been Everton’s problem over the years.”

As for incomings, Everton have been linked with one of Ancelotti’s former players at Napoli, Kalidou Koulibaly, who could replace Mina in central defence.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks was once touted to be the future at both domestic and international level.

In 2018, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino backed him to become England’s Andres Iniesta, and the Englishman’s value soon soared to a career-best of £36m less than a year later.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player. His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and Iniesta, he’s like this type of player,” claimed the Argentine to the Evening Standard.

Value crash

Things have not gone to plan for Winks in the past 18 months or so.

Transfermarkt’s latest valuation update (18th March 2021) on the 25-year-old, who is soon to enter the peak years of his career, shows a drastic 45% decrease to £19.8m.

This merely emphasises how big a downfall he has had since the appointment of Jose Mourinho.

It now makes Winks the 12th-most valuable player in Spurs’ current squad, the 127th-most in the Premier League and the 352nd-most worldwide, via Transfermarkt. That’s not the levels you’d expect from someone who was once compared to a World Cup and five-time Champions League winner.

Out of favour

What’s to blame, though?

Well, Winks started Mourinho’s first game in charge back in December 2019 – a 3-2 win over West Ham United and even closed out the season as a first-choice option, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in their last six league outings.

But with the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer and the re-emergence of club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele, he has found it hard to cement down a regular spot in the starting XI.

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Indeed, the 5 foot 10 academy product has been restricted to only seven league starts all campaign. Even when trusted, he’s failed to deliver, as the midfielder ranks amongst Mourinho’s worst-performers, with an average WhoScored rating of just 6.38.

No player who has started more games has delivered a poorer rating.

That has to be a major contributing factor towards his downfall.

England axe

A direct consequence of that has been his absence from Gareth Southgate’s recent England squads – a lack of game time plus inconsistent performances is a surefire way to see yourself axed from international duty.

Having picked up all ten of his Three Lions caps under the 50-year-old, Winks has not been seen since a 26-minute cameo against Iceland in November.

The latest squad even included a return for Jesse Lingard – not seen since the UEFA League Nations third-placed playoff win over Switzerland in June 2019 – and another call-up for 17-year-old wonderkid Jude Bellingham.

And when you consider it was missing the likes of James Maddison and Jack Grealish through injury, it’s hard to make a case for Winks returning before this summer’s European Championships.

Levy’s fury

Given everything mentioned above, it’s hard to see a long-term future for him at Spurs either, and this could result in chairman Daniel Levy looking to cash in whilst he still can.

But, understandably, he must be left reeling by his drastic dropoff in value, as he won’t be making as much as he would expect as say two years ago.

There have even been reports suggesting that Winks will insist on an exit this summer, that’s according to Sport (via Sport Witness), who also claim he is enticed by the idea of playing in Spain.

At £19.8m, Levy will have a hard task of driving up his price but if anyone can do it, then it’s certainly the tough negotiator himself.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt double injury blow ahead of Newcastle clash

Leeds United will be looking to sign around five players during the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

The Whites have enjoyed an impressive first season back in the Premier League, rarely looking relegation-threatened at any point.

While some from outside the club may have tipped Marcelo Bielsa’s side to return to the Championship, they now sit 11th in the table and are fresh off the back of a 2-1 win away to Fulham.

Despite this, Leeds will know they have to keep strengthening in order to maintain their momentum with Bielsa at the helm.

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Hay tips Leeds to make numerous additions

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after Friday’s victory at Fulham [via Leeds Live], the reliable Hay gave his verdict on the Whites’ transfer business, responding to a question from a fan:

“I’m told they’ll look at signing around five players in the summer.

“The numbers can’t be wild because a) good players at this level are expensive and b) if Bielsa stays on, he doesn’t like massive overhauls. But I think we can all see what needs to be done.”

Transfer Tavern take

As mentioned, it is vital that Leeds don’t rest on their laurels, continuing to make key signings and ensuring competition for places is greater than ever.

The worst thing they could do is sit still and not build on their current success, suddenly finding themselves in a relegation battle next season. They only need to look at the decline of fellow Yorkshire side Sheffield United as an example of ‘second season syndrome’ back at Premier League level.

In other news, Leeds have allegedly confirmed their interest in one player this summer – read about who it is here.

With Sunderland’s 48-year-long trophy drought now dead and buried, the Mackems can start looking towards a brighter future under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Sunderland’s new owner has immense hunger and the club are already reaping the rewards from a change in hand at the top.

What’s the word?

Louis-Dreyfus hasn’t really had a chance to be involved in Sunderland’s recruitment yet but the club are already targeting new players ahead of next season.

Jermain Defoe has been mentioned as someone who could come to the Stadium of Light, but for now, the focus is on youth.

According to Chronicle Live, the Black Cats have taken Gateshead’s Danny Greenfield on trial for two weeks.

The 20-year-old has caught the eye in the middle of the park for the National League North side and is being watched by a number of EFL sides.

Sunderland have been the first to act and will now take a closer look at Greenfield over the next fortnight.

The midfielder was once on the books of Manchester United and Barnsley.

Louis-Dreyfus vision in place

It’s thought that if Greenfield does sign for the Mackems on a permanent basis then he’ll initially link up with the U23 side.

This has been a part of the club that’s been neglected by the previous owners so it bodes well that Louis-Dreyfus is already looking to build on the academy.

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He said when he first joined the club: “I look forward to supporting our new academy leadership group as we strive to deliver a best-in-class youth system with a clear talent pathway through to the senior squad.”

Indeed, the new owner has been keen to act where others haven’t. He has built a completely new structure at the academy level and is now looking to bring in fresh faces too.

This marks a huge change at the Academy of Light. In recent years, we’ve seen Sunderland as a place where young players are quick to depart. They failed to win a single game last season and you can hardly blame them considering the players they’ve lost.

During Stewart Donald’s tenure, he witnessed Josh Maja, Sam Greenwood, Bali Mumba, Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer, Joe Hugill and Logan Pye all depart.

However, Louis-Dreyfus has a different vision. He wants to supply young players for the first-team and that may well start with the addition of Greenfield.

He seemingly has a bright future ahead of him and has produced some promising performances for Gateshead this term, registering two assists and scoring once; a wonderful volley from outside the box.

Their player-manager Mike Williamson, once of Newcastle, only has good things to say about him: “He’s done extremely well since he came back, and he is improving so much. We have given him a new contract and told him that he will get opportunities in the side,” he commented.

“He has grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, and he has so much ability,” Williamson concluded.

Greenfield is clearly very gifted; he’d be a smart way to start Louis-Dreyfus’ long-term vision in the north-east.

AND in other news, Forget Gooch: Sunderland star who made 8 key passes was their true hero at Wembley…

Leeds United prospect Cody Drameh has been nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for February, as revealed by the club’s official website.

The latest on Drameh

The 19-year-old right-back, signed from Fulham last year, played his part in a perfect month for Mark Jackson’s side, who sit top of the Division 2 table after keeping three clean sheets in four successive victories.

Manchester City’s Liam Delap and Manchester United’s Shola Shoretire – who have both had first team exposure at their respective clubs this season – are also among the award nominees.

This is great news for Leeds

Drameh could be making his way into the first team soon if he continues to perform in this way. However, whether the England under-20 international is ready to come into Marcelo Bielsa’s still remains a huge unknown.

The teenager has played 17 times in Premier League 2 this season and picked up two assists (Transfermarkt). His performances at that level have seen him receive rave reviews from numerous Leeds fans, while club commentator Thomas Hill described his most recent display as “outstanding”.

The future certainly seems bright for Drameh, who is doing his chances of a first team breakthrough no harm with his deserved shortlisting for the Player of the Month prize. Keep an eye on this one, Whites!

In other news, Noel Whelan has discussed this Leeds duo!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United man Steve Howey has been discussing Manchester City’s reported interest in Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

The Citizens are reportedly ready to splash the cash in the summer transfer window and Kane is one name who has been touted as a potential option, with Pep Guardiola no doubt looking to bring in a replacement for the legendary Sergio Aguero, who looks likely to leave this summer when his contract expires.

Kane has enjoyed a superb season so far with Spurs, contributing 13 goals and 11 assists in just 20 top-flight appearances, resulting in an outstanding 7.82 average rating – the best of any player in the Premier League.

Therefore, considering his superb form with the North London club in recent years, it seems fair to suggest that he would be an exceptional addition to this City side, should they manage to prise him away from the Lilywhites and Daniel Levy in the summer.

Asked if he’d like to see City sign Kane, Howey told FFC exclusively:

“Imagine how many goals he’d score at Man City. He’d score about five a game, the amount of chances he would get. He scores goals on his own, he creates his own goals. It’s basically like having four Heung-Min Sons in the same team. He would be absolutely lethal. For me, I think that he would be a better signing than [Erling] Haaland.”

Howey clearly rates Kane highly and seems to think that Kane would be even more prolific if he joined City, due to the number of chances they create.

He also suggests that he would be a better signing than Erling Haaland, who has also been linked with City, as he continues to star in the Bundesliga following his move to Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg.

Kane certainly boasts more experience in the Premier League than Haaland would, and whilst the Norwegian is clearly destined for an amazing future, it is difficult to see the England captain not being a huge success with City should he make the move to the Etihad next summer.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Fernandinho: Txiki should complete swoop for £36m-rated beast

According to The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers outcast Jordan Jones is set for a six-month loan away from Ibrox at the Stadium of Light with Sunderland.

What’s the word?

After falling out of favour with Steven Gerrard for breaching Covid-19 rules with George Edmundson, Jones has found himself playing very little football this season and has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Ibrox boss.

It’s claimed that he had attracted interest from clubs across Scotland but favoured a move south of the border.

And now, he may have already played his last game for Rangers.

End of the road?

Jones, 26, has been nothing short of a flop since he first arrived at Ibrox from Kilmarnock, having been the subject of a failed bid from the Light Blues the year beforehand.

When he arrived on the scene in in 2019, he took to social media to share his delight, writing it was an ‘unbelievably proud day for me and my family’, adding ‘I’ve waited for this moment for a long time and today is a dream come true!’

However, despite being capped nine times by his country, the Northern Irishman has failed to rediscover the form he enjoyed at Kilmarnock.

In 19 appearances across all competitions, Jones has scored just once, as per Transfermarkt, which is a pretty measly return for a player who contributed to 33 goals in 119 games during his time at Rugby Park.

Gerrard praised him for his impact in the Europa League qualifier against Willem II at the start of the season, calling him a “real threat”, but he has been unable to break into the starting XI after his latest indiscretion. In fact, he is yet to feature since the turn of the year.

With Rangers recently confirming they have signed left-winger Scott Wright on a pre-contract agreement from Aberdeen, it might be the end of a chapter for Jones in his faltering Ibrox career.

AND in other news, Why Glasgow Rangers should give Ryan Kent whatever he wants…

Carlo Ancelotti must boot Bernard out of Goodison Park in January amid claims of AS Roma eyeing a winter raid on Everton for the Brazilian midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Giallorossi are monitoring Bernard’s situation ahead of the mid-season market as they look to acquire additional offensive weapons for head coach Paulo Fonseca.

Roma are presently pushing plans to sell Carles Perez in January before turning attentions to incomings, with Bernard, Stephan El Shaarawy and Roman Yaremchuk under consideration.

Everton are expected to demand €12m (£11m) to release Bernard next month, with the 28-year-old likely to look for a move away after starting just three fixtures across all competitions – including one of five Premier League appearances – thus far this season.

Fonseca was the coach of Shakhtar Donetsk during Bernard’s time at the Ukrainian side, and sought to secure a reunion in the summer with talks taking place on Deadline Day only for Ancelotti to insist the 14-cap international was wanted at Goodison Park.

El Shaarawy now appears as Roma’s favoured candidate but are yet to convince Shanghai Shenhua to sanction a loan deal, while Bernard is mentioned daily in discussions between Fonseca and Giallorossi staff.

Time to leave

Ancelotti may have insisted that Bernard had a role to play on Merseyside in the summer, but must accept that it is now time to boot the midfielder out of Goodison Park where he is the joint-highest earner on a £120,000-per-week contract.

Bernard and his agent were able to secure such a lucrative deal with the Brazilian joining on a free transfer in 2018, but has failed to prove value for money with fleeting appearances and a hand in just 14 goals (seven scored, seven assisted) over 74 outings across all competitions.

Ancelotti only awarded Bernard his sole Premier League start of the season so far as he sought to find a replacement for Richarlison whilst the winger was suspended, too, and immediately benched the Roma target despite finding the net against Manchester United.

Question marks have also stood over Bernard’s impact at Goodison Park for some time now, with Noel Whelan hinting just over a year ago that the 28-year-old is a luxury player.

“Can he do the defensive side as well? Every midfield player now, you can’t afford luxury players, everyone’s got to chip in on both sides of the game. Defensively, that’s the only area that I’d worry – can he get back in formation, can he get behind the ball, can he do it in 90 minutes?” Whelan told Football Insider.

Those concerns continue to remain, with Bernard offering one interception every 41.8 minutes of Premier League action this season, plus a successful tackle every 41.8 minutes, a clearance every 69.7 minutes and has registered one block every 104.5 minutes, per WhoScored.

Added to his tame offensive record with one shot every 69.7 minutes and an on-target effort every 209 minutes, plus a key pass every 41.8 minutes, it really is time for Ancelotti to show the Marco Silva signing the boot.

AND in other news, Everton have been dealt a huge blow, from which the long-term effects may hurt Carlo Ancelotti.