All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa must revive their interest in Montpellier winger Stephy Mavididi after the Englishman’s impressive campaign in Ligue 1.

What’s the word?

Italian news outlet Tutto Mercato Web claimed back in January that both Aston Villa and West Ham were taking an interest in the former Arsenal man. A move didn’t happen but a return to England is seemingly back on the cards.

The Birmingham Mail now claim that the likes of Everton, Brighton and Southampton are taking an interest in the 24-year-old attacker, so competition will be steep for Steven Gerrard if he wants to get a deal done, with reports suggesting that he would cost around £15m.

The new Saka?

Mavididi has found his feet at Montpellier and looks to be fulfilling the promise he showed at Arsenal as a youngster, which earned him a move to Juventus in 2018.

While it didn’t work out for the youngster in Turin, he has established himself as a key player at the Stade de la Mosson since making the move to France in 2020.

Last season saw the Englishman contribute eight goals and three assists in 30 Ligue 1 appearances, averaging a solid 6.71 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Although he is four years older than Bukayo Saka, the similarities are clear to see between the two, as Mavididi progressed through the Arsenal academy and likes to cut inside from wide areas, as Saka does so well for Arsenal.

WhoScored suggests that finishing is a strength for both Mavididi and Saka, while they also both like to dribble, do layoffs and play short passes, as is perhaps ingrained in the Arsenal academy philosophy.

Both players have also earned the praise of Premier League legend Thierry Henry, as he lauded the Montpellier man last season, saying:

“What I’ve always liked about Stephy Mavididi is that he’s a hard-working player who closes (opponents) down. He’s always in the right place. What was missing was finishing — whether to give the ball or to score — but now he’s brought that to his game.”

Saka is also well-regarded for his work rate at Arsenal, so if Villa were to sign Mavididi this summer then perhaps Steven Gerrard could soon have his own version of the Gunners’ wonderkid at Villa Park.

And, in other news… Forget Suarez: Gerrard should unleash Villa’s “unsung hero” next season

Journalist Terry Flewers has shared the latest news regarding a potential move to West Ham United for Chelsea striker Armando Broja.

The Lowdown: Broja transfer interest

According to a report by Goal, a host of clubs are queuing up to sign the 20-year-old this summer. It is said that Serie A trio AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli, alongside Premier League outfits Southampton, Newcastle and West Ham, are all interested in the forward.

The Albania international enjoyed a strong start to the season on loan at St Mary’s, having scored four goals in 13 games before Christmas. However, the second half of the campaign did not go as planned for Broja, with the player reportedly unhappy in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

The Latest: Flewers’ update on Broja

Taking to Twitter, Flewers has shared the latest update on Broja’s future, with the youngster currently set to return to his parent club Chelsea.

The journalist claimed: “Armando Broja to West Ham is ON”, adding: “West Ham started working on this deal in January. Nothing advanced yet.”

Flewers subsequently tweeted: “Chelsea have made no decision so it’s difficult for #whufc to do anything more right now. West Ham want on a perm. Very early stages right now.”

The Verdict: Go for it

Considering the striker’s raw athletic ability, this would be a great signing for David Moyes, who could utilise another centre-forward as competition for Michail Antonio.

Demonstrated by his rank in the 86th percentile for aerial duels won (4.28 per 90 minutes) when compared with positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues (via FBRef), Broja is dominant in the air, so the Irons would be getting a ‘dangerous’ threat in front of goal, in the words of Hasenhuttl.

With rumours linking 2021/22 top scorer Jarrod Bowen with a move away from the London Stadium, Moyes will need to bring in an attacker who can conjure up a similar goal tally to the 25-year-old.

Therefore, Broja could be the right man for the Hammers if they are able to persuade Chelsea to do a deal for the Albania youngster.

In other news: Journalist says West Ham could ‘listen to offers’ for this player

Everton are reportedly among the frontrunners to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski this summer, as Frank Lampard looks to bolster his defensive options at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

According to Dominic King in the Daily Mail, the Toffees and Aston Villa are the frontrunners to sign the 29-year-old centre-back on a free transfer, as he prepares to leave Burnley following their relegation to the Championship.

Fulham, Leeds United and Leicester City are also credited with an interest in the former England international but the Toffees will be hoping that they can attract him to Merseyside, and they may have the edge over Villa after the latter confirmed the signing of Diego Carlos from Sevilla earlier this week.

Would Tarkowski be a good addition?

Everton’s defensive woes were a key element in their fight against relegation last season and Lampard will surely be keen to add experience and quality at the back if his side are to steer well clear of the bottom three in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

The Toffees conceded 66 goals in the top flight, which was the fifth-worst of any side, while their top defensive performer according to WhoScored was Lucas Digne, despite the Frenchman leaving for Villa in January.

Tarkowski offers a wealth of experience, having made 194 Premier League appearances in his career thus far, in which he has contributed seven goals and five assists.

His performances have also earned him two England caps, and the £19.8m-rated centre-back will no doubt be aiming to reclaim his spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad with some strong performances next season ahead of the winter World Cup in Qatar.

Former Clarets boss Sean Dyche labelled Tarkowski “outstanding” after he made his Premier League debut in 2017 and the defender has gone from strength to strength since then, regularly averaging above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored for his performances across a top-flight season.

Considering that he is available on a free transfer, this signing would surely be an impressive one for the Toffees, so supporters will be hoping that the recent reports suggesting that Lampard’s side are in a prime position to sign him are true. Everton must now seize that apparent advantage and get this coup over the line ahead of rival Premier League clubs.

And, in other news… Everton can sign their own Lampard in 21 y/o wonderkid 

Newcastle United have made an enquiry for Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby with the Magpies keen to invest heavily this summer.

What’s the story?

That’s according to the Telegraph, who claim that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe wants to add a wide forward to his squad this summer with the northeast club making enquiries over a deal for the 22-year-old winger.

Diaby is now a senior French international and helped Leverkusen qualify for the Champions League this season with the German outfit finishing third in the Bundesliga.

The Frenchman still has three years left on his current deal at the BayArena and is therefore expected to cost in excess of £40m if a deal is to be struck this window.

Newcastle must sign Diaby

With Allan Saint-Maximin a firm fan-favourite whilst being one of Newcastle’s best players, having Diaby on the opposite flank alongside his fellow countryman would be a mouthwatering concept for the Toon Army.

Having spent three seasons in Leverkusen after joining from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, this campaign has been Diaby’s best to date.

Described as “clever” by teammate Kerem Demirbay,  the 22-year-old finished the season with 17 goals and 14 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, an improvement on last term’s ten goals and 15 assists in 43 appearances.

There is plenty of interest surrounding the Frenchman, who now has five caps for his country, with the wide man one of Europe’s hottest prospects on the flank.

Newcastle are expected to be busy this summer with the upcoming transfer window the first summer window under the ownership of PIF who have already demonstrated how deep their pockets really are.

The captures of Bruno Guimares and Kieran Trippier in January laid down a marker for what is to be expected from the Magpies over the coming seasons as they look to build a monstrous proposition.

Had it not been for a woeful start to the season under Steve Bruce, Howe’s side could’ve genuinely been in with a shout of securing a place in Europe with Newcastle finishing 11th, despite not winning their first league game of the campaign until December.

With Diaby alone, the Toon Army would massively upgrade their attack with the 22-year-old surely set for plenty of speculation this summer with numerous suitors keen.

AND in other news, Howe can ruthlessly axe £63k-p/w deadwood as PIF plot “insane” £40m Newcastle signing…

Fabrizio Romano has shared a potentially significant transfer update as Tottenham Hotspur eye a move for Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic.

The Lowdown: Spurs in hunt…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici are reportedly in the mix to sign Perisic on a Bosman deal this summer alongside Serie A giants Juventus.

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As broken by ESPN on Friday evening, the Croatia international is ‘open’ to a Premier League move as the Lilywhites explore a deal for him.

This come as Conte sets his sights on a plethora of new additions at N17, including three defenders, a midfielder and a forward, with as many as eight players heading out the Hotspur Way exit door (The Times).

The Latest: Romano shares Perisic update…

Taking to Twitter on Saturday afternoon, Romano has said that the ‘new meeting’ over Perisic’s future, confirmed by Inter boss Simone Inzaghi, will take place imminently.

The reliable transfer journalist added that Tottenham have made contact to sign the 33-year-old, saying that the Croatia international has been ‘approached’ by the north Londoners.

The Verdict: Wait to pounce…

Depending on whether the Nerazzurri can agree to extend Perisic’s deal, Spurs will surely be lying in wait and ready to pounce.

Even in the twilight phase of his career, the Serie A attacker could prove an absolute snip for Conte on a free transfer, especially considering that he ranked among Inter’s best players over 2021/22 by average match rating (WhoScored).

Indeed, Perisic even won among the most Man of the Match awards for Inter, leaving little wonder as to why some members of the media have called him a ‘monster’ in recent months (Siavoush Fallahi).

In other news: Tottenham readying talks to sign 23-year-old ‘machine’ after claim he’s ‘very keen’ to play in London! Find out more here.

Newcastle United play at St. James’ Park for the final time this season as they host Arsenal in the Premier League tonight.

The Gunners arrive on Tyneside chasing Champions League football and the Magpies have little to play for as they are safe from relegation and five points adrift of the top 10 with two matches to play.

Eddie Howe will be hoping for a reaction from his team as they were hammered 5-0 by Manchester City in their last outing.

How many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Fabian Schar all coming back in.

Starting off at the heart of the defence, we are predicting that Howe will bring Schar back into the fold after he was only fit enough for the bench against City. Jamaal Lascelles started in his place and struggled badly as he lost four of his six duels and recorded a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.1.

The Magpies coach must now axe him from the XI in order to bring the Swiss international back in alongside Dan Burn at the back.

At right-back, Trippier may come in to start his first game since picking up an injury in February. The gem, who was once dubbed “underrated” by Gareth Southgate, has scored two goals in five Premier League outings for the club to date and will be able to provide an attacking threat on the counter against the Gunners.

Finally, we are predicting that Wilson will come in for Chris Wood, who Frank McAvennie claimed is “struggling” this season. The New Zealand international missed a glorious chance with his head against City and lost 10 of his 13 duels as he failed to showcase his quality at the top end of the pitch.

Axing him will allow Howe to start the striker he worked with at Bournemouth to complete the front three alongside Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin. The Englishman has scored six goals in 14 starts this season and will be aiming to add to that before the end of the campaign.

AND in other news, “Keeping a close eye on..”: Downie delivers big NUFC claim that’ll excite supporters…

Patrick Boyland has now shared a double injury blow for Everton before they play Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League on Thursday night.

The Lowdown: One win away

Given that Leeds United can only get to a maximum of 38 points, the Goodison Park faithful know that they are only one win away from securing their safety in the top flight for next season.

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They would probably fancy their chances more at home to the Eagles than away at Arsenal on the final day, and so Frank Lampard and his team will surely be pushing for all three points on Thursday.

The Latest: Injury news

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Boyland has now shared the latest injury news from Merseyside, with two players now set to miss out:

“Mina and Delph still out.”

The Verdict: Blow

It is certainly a blow to be without both Yerry Mina and Fabian Delph for the clash against Patrick Vieira’s side.

They are already without long-term absentees Andros Townsend and Nathan Patterson, while both Jarrad Branthwaite and Salomon Rondon are suspended after red cards in the 3-2 loss at home to Brentford.

Mina and Delph rank highly among their teammates in terms of average interceptions and blocks per game in the Premier League so far this season, and their five yellow cards further suggest that they like to get stuck in (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, the Toffees will need battlers on Thursday, and so losing them both is a blow to their chances of winning a potential dog fight.

In other news, find out which Blues star Carlo Ancelotti is now eyeing this summer here!

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Antonin Barak to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Mondo Udinese (via Sport Witness), who claim that, following an extraordinary campaign in Italy, Antonio Conte is now keen on a move to bring the Hellas Verona attacking midfielder to the Premier League at the end of the current campaign.

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The report then goes on to state that the 52-year-old Spurs manager would play a key role in tempting the 27-year-old into a switch to north London, while it is also claimed that Juventus are also keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Czech Republic international.

He’s better than Soucek

With it being reported that a new central midfielder is one of Conte’s primary targets in the summer transfer window, and with Spurs having already been linked with a move to West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek, the argument that Barak would be a much better fit for Tottenham than his Czechia compatriot is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 29 Serie A appearances this season, the £18m-rated talent has been something of a revelation in the Hellas midfield, bagging 11 goals, registering four assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots, making 1.0 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week man who Josh Bunting dubbed a “fantastic” player average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Igor Tudor’s second-best performer in the top flight of Italian football – playing a key role in Hellas’ push to secure a top-half finish in the league.

In comparison, over Soucek’s 33 Premier League outings this term, the £43m-rated midfielder has scored five goals, provided one assist and created two big chances, in addition to taking an average of 1.3 shots, making 0.6 key passes and completing 0.3 dribbles per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £70k-per-week colossus average a SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as David Moyes’ fourth-best player in the English top flight.

As such, while Socuek’s returns are far from underwhelming, when taking into account the fact that Conte already has the options of the defensively-minded Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park, the signing of a central midfielder who possesses a more attacking mindset would appear the smarter move by Spurs – something which it is undeniable that Barak is when compared to Soucek.

Furthermore, with it being reported that the West Ham star will be available for around £40m this summer – as well as the 27-year-old himself demanding a weekly wage well above his current salary at the London Stadium – compared to Barak’s more modest €20m (£17m) asking price, the Hellas sensation would appear much better value for money.

So, all things considered, it would indeed appear that a move for Barak would be a far more intelligent choice by Conte and Fabio Paratici this summer.

AND in other news: Spurs now plot £17m bid for “one of the top four or five No 8’s”, Conte would love him

West Ham United have received a timely injury bonus ahead of Thursday’s pivotal Europa League, semi-final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

What’s the word?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, manager David Moyes revealed a double injury boost for the match, with both Ben Johnson and Issa Diop seemingly set to be in contention to feature.

Asked about the fitness of his charges, the former Everton boss confirmed the return of the defensive duo: “At the moment, everybody is fit, Ben Johnson had a thigh strain but he seems to be okay at the moment, so he’ll come back into the squad. Issa Diop had rolled his ankle but he has made an incredible recovery. Is he absolutely 100 per cent? Maybe not, but we’re at the stage of the season where we needing to maybe take one or two risks and get him back in the squad.”

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Johnson had missed the weekend defeat to Arsenal with that thigh issue, while his 25-year-old teammate, Diop – who was an unused substitute on Sunday – missed the loss to Chelsea and the first leg tussle against Frankfurt with an ankle injury. Long-term absentee Angelo Ogbonna remains out, however, with Moyes seemingly denting any hopes that he may return before the end of the season.

Huge boost

While neither man has been regular a starter so far this term, their return to action comes at a real crunch moment in the campaign, with the east Londoners seeking to secure their passage to a European final, as well as achieve a top-six finish in the Premier League.

At present, the London Stadium outfit are on a run of four games without a win in all competitions, albeit with injury having seemingly played its part in that slight stumble.

The lack of options, particularly defensively, was evident at the weekend against the Gunners, with the Hammers boss forced to name something of a makeshift backline, placing full-back Aaron Cresswell at the heart of the defence with £38k-per-week man Ryan Fredericks in an unconventional left-back berth.

The absence of Craig Dawson due to suspension had also been a factor in that defensive shakeup, although the former Watford man is available to feature against the German outfit, with the return of Diop also finally providing some competition at the heart of the defence.

The Frenchman has made just 13 league appearances in what’s been a frustrating campaign thus far, although the £10.8m-rated man has found some solace in European competition, scoring once and offering one assist in seven Europa League outings thus far.

The 6 foot 4 centre-back has also chipped in with 1.6 tackles per game as well as 2.1 clearances per game on the continent this season, while also winning an impressive 74% of his total duels.

As for Johnson, the 22-year-old academy graduate has also featured in seven games during the club’s surge to the last four, registering some standout defensive statistics of his own with 2.3 tackles and three clearances per 90 thus far.

Although there are doubts over whether the duo will start, their availability in itself is a huge positive, particularly on a night that could go the distance with the gruelling prospect of extra time.

IN other news, Moyes must unleash West Ham’s £47k-p/w “terminator” tonight, he’ll terrify Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent and reliable source Alasdair Gold has now shared some major in-house news for Lilywhites supporters.

The Lowdown: Paratici shake up?

Spurs transfer chief and managing director Fabio Paratici has been orchestrating a shake up behind-the-scenes since his appointment last summer.

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The Italian has already performed a scouting overhaul with Brian Carey, Tottenham’s former head of recruitment, leaving his post most recently.

This come as Paratici aims to back manager Antonio Conte this summer in an effort to appease the ex-Chelsea boss and ultimately display Spurs’ ambition for 2022/2023.

To do this, he will need all the technical assistance possible, with Gold now sharing a major update on Paratici’s plan to appoint a number two.

The Latest: Appointment in ‘final stages’…

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, the journalist claims Paratici is in the ‘final stages’ of hand-picking his assistant Spurs chief.

When quizzed on the former Juventus director’s progress, Gold explained:

“As far as I’m aware, Fabio Paratici has drawn up a shortlist of the candidates to assist him in running the football side of Tottenham and is in the final stages of appointing his number two, who is expected to be from abroad.

“Paratici had Spurs’ technical performance director Steve Hitchen to help him in the months after he joined from Juventus but he left the club in February and head of recruitment Brian Carey, who worked remotely and is believed to have been more of a chief scout figure, also left this week.”

The Verdict: Interesting summer ahead…

Depending on the name coming in, with little known in that regard, it’ll be interesting to see how the imminent appointment of a Paratici number two will help Spurs in the summer market.

Conte, according to reports, has his eye on as many as six major signings this summer as he seeks to transform Tottenham back into a Premier League force.

An extensive list of transfer targets has already been mocked up at Hotspur Way as Paratici and his incoming assistant are soon tasked to advance and finalise moves for Conte’s perfect players.

In other news: Spurs ready to make major bid for ‘world-beater’ who allegedly told friends he was keen to join…find out more here.