Category Uncategorized

West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is an injury doubt for today’s Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.

The Lowdown: Hammers look to fight back…

Hammers boss David Moyes will be looking to resurge his side after a lacklustre start to this season overall. West Ham currently lie in the bottom half of the standings, having won just four of their opening 13 league matches whilst seriously struggling for goals.

The east Londoners are among the division’s lowest scorers and Moyes will be attempting to find a tactical solution behind the scenes, especially with the mounting injury issues they’ve had to deal with lately.

Fabianski, who was forced off at half time of their encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, may also be unavailable for their clash against the Eagles today.

The Latest: Fabianski doubt…

As shared by 90min, the Pole is a ‘doubt’ for Palace’s visit to the London Stadium after also not featuring in West Ham’s youthful side which dispatched FCSB in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

However, there is good news for West Ham and Moyes, with club record signing Lucas Paqueta potentially returning from his injury.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news-5/” title=”West Ham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Worry for Moyes?

While Alphonse Areola can prove a more-than-capable deputy on his day, Fabianski’s experience and know-how will be invaluable for Moyes as he attempts to turn around their fortunes.

The proof is in the numbers with West Ham’s ‘untouchable’ mainstay, as labelled by Football Insider, starting every league match before his injury, highlighting just how important he is to the east Londoners.

Chelsea and owner Todd Boehly by extension are now willing to pay over £79 million to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Potter set for backing?

Graham Potter has made a brilliant start to life at his new club since replacing former boss Thomas Tuchel, remaining unbeaten over his first five matches in all competitions.

Looking to turn Chelsea back into a major Premier League force, Boehly’s faith in the former Brighton manager appears to be paying off thus far with the American tycoon looking set to back his new gaffer.

Reports have suggested that Potter will benefit from investment in his new-look Blues squad with Lyon starlet Malo Gusto the latest to be linked with a Stamford Bridge move.

The Latest: Chelsea ‘willing to pay more’ than £79m for Bellingham…

Now, according to German outlet Bild (via Sport Witness), Boehly is open to shelling out a lump sum to seal a move for England’s arguably most exciting talent.

They claim Chelsea are ‘willing to pay more’ than €100 million (£79m) for the services of Dortmund star Bellingham with ‘contacts’ already underway.

Bild add this is to beat off competition from other interested clubs in Manchester and Spain as the in-demand sensation continues to dominate headlines.

The Verdict: Get it done…

The 19-year-old has already been called a ‘superstar’ by pundits like Troy Deeney and it’s not hard to see why.

Bellingham is currently setting the world alight in Germany, ranking as Dortmund’s best player by average match rating having completed more dribbles and attempted more shots at goal per 90 than any of his teammates (WhoScored).

A real all-rounder, the teenager has also made Dortmund’s joint-second highest rate of tackles per 90 in the Bundesliga and is fouled more often than any other player in his team (WhoScored).

Bellingham’s growing reputation, however, means Chelsea may well have to invest far more than £79 million.

Former Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez enjoyed a successful time as manager of the club between 2016 and 2019 after taking over from Steve McClaren.

The Spaniard was unable to prevent relegation from the Premier League at the end of 2015/16 but only lost three of his ten matches in charge after arriving at St. James’ Park.

He then led the Magpies to the Championship title and finished 10th and 13th in his two full top-flight campaigns at the helm, steadying the ship during his time on Tyneside.

Benitez brought in a number of talented players over his three-and-a-half years at Newcastle, including the likes of Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle, Isaac Hayden, Fabian Schar and Martin Dubravka, among others.

However, he was not faultless and one blunder he committed in the transfer market was the signing of Grant Hanley from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2016.

The Spaniard claimed that the defender brought “potential” to the squad as he signed the 24-year-old for a fee in the region of £6m, with the Scotsman putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.

Hanley struggled to break into the first team throughout the 2016/17 campaign as he ended the season with five Championship starts to his name, with ten appearances in total. He lost 62% of his ground duels and the club only kept two clean sheets in those matches, which suggests that he struggled defensively as he failed to dominate attackers and keep shutouts on a regular basis.

Newcastle ended up winning the title and earned promotion back to the Premier League, which led to Benitez deciding that the central defender was not good enough to be a key member of their team in the top flight.

He was sold to Championship side Norwich for a fee The Chronicle claimed to be £3.5m, which meant that the Magpies lost £2.5m on the centre-back in just one year.

The former Toon boss splashed out a £6m fee on the defender and Hanley failed to contribute much on the pitch before leaving for almost half the price they paid for him, which is why the transfer was a blunder by the Spaniard.

Journalist James Copley recently described him as a “colossus” after a Championship performance against Sunderland and the centre-back appears to have found his level in that division.

He has played in two Premier League seasons with Norwich but both of them ended in misery, with the Canaries finishing bottom of the table with 75 goals against them – more than any other team – in 2019/20.

In his second campaign in the top-flight with the Yellows in 2021/22, Hanley captained the team to a bottom-placed finish with 84 goals conceded – the most in the league by seven goals.

His side’s poor defensive record in both seasons and the fact that no other Premier League team has snapped him up from Norwich suggests that Newcastle were right to cash in on the 6 foot 2 defender when they did as would not have been at the level required to play for the club in the top-flight.

It was a blunder that the Magpies will not look back on fondly and Eddie Howe should be hoping to avoid similar transfer flops during his time working alongside Dan Ashworth.

Crystal Palace have worked wonders in the transfer window since Patrick Vieira was appointed manager in the summer of 2021.

Steve Parish gave the Frenchman some excellent backing during his first transfer window in charge as the club brought in Odsonne Edouard, Michael Olise, Joachim Andersen, and Marc Guehi to great success, finishing 12th in the Premier League while also reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

This summer saw Chris Richards, Sam Johnstone and Cheick Doucoure as the main additions to the Eagles’ squad.

However, it appears that Parish might have made a rare blunder by missing out on a proven goalscorer who could have improved Palace’s starting XI…

Parish had a rare howler with Toney

This summer, the south Londoners were linked with a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, with the Bees putting a £40m price tag on his head to deter any potential suitors.

He joined the west London outfit from Peterborough United in 2020, having scored 49 goals in just 94 appearances for the Posh, and his rich scoring form didn’t stop when he made the step up to the second tier.

Toney was instrumental in helping Brentford to achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time, contributing with 33 goals in 48 matches as they won the Championship play-offs. If anyone doubted whether the Englishman could cut it in the top flight, he duly proved them wrong by helping his side to a solid 13th-placed finish, scoring 12 league goals in the process.

It looks like Parish has had an absolute howler here, especially when you consider just how well Toney has started the current campaign.

The 26-year-old has a hugely impressive rating of 7.5 on SofaScore, having netted five goals and grabbed two assists already. Furthermore, the striker has created an additional four big chances, along with making 1.7 key passes and taking 2.5 shots per match, earning him a first England call-up during the week.

These figures show that Toney is performing at an incredibly high level and proves that he isn’t all about scoring goals, with the player looking to create opportunities for others.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank described him as “magnificent” following his performance against Leeds United recently, and with Palace only scoring seven goals in six league matches so far this term, they could have done with Toney to improve their attacking threat. Vieira must be devastated that the Eagles missed out on signing the Bees predator over the summer.

Leeds United’s move for FC Zurich finally appears to be gathering pace and a move could reportedly even be agreed today.

The Lowdown: Gnonto links

The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for Gnonto over the last five days. Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio was one of the first to break the rumours regarding a potential move, with reports since suggesting an agreement on personal terms with the player is ‘essentially there’.

Leeds appear to be looking to take advantage of the forward’s current contract situation, with Gnonto into the final 12 months of his Zurich deal.

The Latest: Transfer update

Blick provided an update on Thursday, claiming that ‘the transfer time is entering the hot phase’. They name-checked Leeds with the greatest interest and said that Dutch side Feyenoord have ‘dropped out’ due to the figures involved.

Journalist Alfredo Pedulla then shared a fresh update late on Thursday evening, reporting Friday could be the day an agreement is reached with ‘not a great distance’ between the two clubs when it comes to a fee.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-49/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Incoming?

It seems as if a move for Gnonto is gathering real pace and he could well be the perfect addition at Elland Road.

Already a full Italy international, the 18-year-old can play anywhere in attack and will be able to provide sufficient competition to centre-forwards Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt while also adding depth to the wide positions.

He appears to be a future star, so if Leeds can strike a deal between €6m-€7m as reported, it could prove to be a real coup in the long run, especially as his current Transfermarkt valuation already stands at £9m.

Leeds United are ‘working hard’ to secure manager Jesse Marsch a new striker…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Tim Thornton, who provided a fresh update on the state of play at Thorp Arch to GIVEMESPORT this week.

He revealed:

“They’ve been working hard on this, this is not something they’re suddenly shining a light moment where we need to get a striker in, they’ve known about it and have identified the targets.”

Marsch needs a striker

Indeed, the west Yorkshire outfit have been linked to an array of potential forwards in recent weeks, including Stade Rennes’ Martin Terrier, Arnaud Kalimuendo of Paris Saint-Germain and a proven Premier League talent in Che Adams from Southampton.

It’s been a busy summer of activity for director of football Victor Orta and chairman Andrea Radrizzani as they have overseen some major departures and as many as six new signings.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-much-more” title= “Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Some of the Whites’ recent protagonists such as Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips have moved on, the latter signing for reigning champions Manchester City.

They have been replaced by Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord and Marc Roca from Bayern Munich, whilst manager Jesse Marsch has sealed a plethora of his former players in Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Tyler Adams.

All of which add something considerable to Leeds – four of the six signings made their debut in the 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, only going to show their importance already and exactly why they were signed.

Now, the priority must be a new striker as both the American and his predecessor, Marcelo Bielsa, suffered from a lack of frontline options last season. That’s because of the persistent injury problems to Patrick Bamford, which limited him to only nine Premier League appearances.

Without an alternative, the burden fell on young striker Joe Gelhardt, who whilst undoubtedly talented isn’t ready for a regular starting berth, and diminutive winger Dan James, who is far from a leading striker in the big time.

Whether it be Terrier or Adams, the arrival of a new frontman could be Orta’s latest masterclass as it’s abundantly clear that the American is in dire need of another forward if Leeds are to avoid a fatal repeat of last season.

Bamford, who bagged a squad-high 17 goals a season earlier, needs competition and backup if the Yorkshire giants are to steer clear of the relegation zone this time around and as such, it would be an ideal seventh signing of the summer, whoever it may be.

AND in other news, Leeds have “definite interest” in £34m goal machine, he’d be a “real coup” for Marsch…

Everton have made an approach for Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez, according to journalist Cesar Luis Merlo (via EFC Daily).

The Lowdown: Rodriguez’s season

The defensive-midfielder enjoyed a strong campaign in La Liga last season; across 32 league appearances for Betis, the 28-year-old averaged three tackles, 1.6 clearances and one interception per game (via WhoScored).

In addition, the Argentina international made nine appearances in the Europa League and a further six features in the Copa del Rey, bringing his overall tally to 100 games for the Spanish outfit (via Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Everton make contact

According to journalist Cesar Luis Merlo (as shared by Toffees news channel EFC Daily), Everton are interested in signing Rodriguez this summer, and the Merseyside club have approached Betis over a potential transfer.

However, it is understood that a formal offer is yet to be made.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-7/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Great signing

When looking at the Argentine’s underlying stats, it is easy to see why the Toffees are interested in bringing the midfielder to Goodison Park this summer.

Compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, Rodriguez ranks in the 92nd percentile for blocks, in the 89th percentile for tackles and clearances, and in the 82nd percentile for pressures (via FBRef).

Hailed by former Blues striker Kevin Campbell as “a brilliant midfielder who is combative, good on the ball, can play and is mobile”, it makes sense to see Everton linked with the 28-year-old, given his potential to partner Doucoure in Lampard’s midfield and allow the former Watford man more freedom to roam forward.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has delivered his verdict on the future of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Liverpool. 

The lowdown: Benchwarmer

The 28-year-old has had mixed fortunes since joining the Reds from Arsenal for £35m in 2017 (BBC), often thwarted by injuries including a lengthy layoff during most of the 2018/19 season due to a crucial ligament rupture suffered against AS Roma towards the end of the preceding campaign.

In spite of those issues, the midfielder has made 133 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side, playing a part in the club’s most recent Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup and Carabao Cup successes.

Now into the final 12 months of his contract on Merseyside, following a campaign which saw the former England regular remain on the bench on 20 occasions, one intrigued onlooker has assessed Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chances of consistent game-time ahead of the 2022/23 campaign…

The latest: Campbell backs Oxlade-Chamberlain

Speaking to Football Insider, former Everton marksman Campbell suggested that the 35-cap ace can still play a major role in Klopp’s plans, after images emerged of his involvement in pre-season training.

The talkSPORT pundit said: “He is at Liverpool so he has got a chance. We all know that talent wise, he is brilliant. Nobody can question his talent.

“His availability has been the problem. When he does get a chance in the team he needs to take it. You have to. That is the level at Liverpool now.

“If you go in and coast, you are not going to chance. If you are not starting you are not realistically playing. The fact of the matter is, he has used his brain. He has gone into the close season, got super fit and is ready to start pre-season well.

“Why not have a right go at it. He has nothing to lose now. Have a right go at it and leave nothing on the side. If it doesn’t work out at least he can say he tried everything.”

The verdict: One last hoorah…

In truth, the £14.4m-valued Englishman’s availability was less of an issue than in previous years last term as the dynamic midfielder made the matchday squad 49 times, with 29 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing three assists in the process.

Whilst there is no doubting that on his day Oxlade-Chamberlain – who was branded ‘electric’ by football writer Liam Bekker in 2020 – can be an unstoppable force whose versatility makes him stand out from many amongst Klopp’s squad, all too often the fleeting performances haven’t been enough to warrant a prolonged run in the side.

That said, with another gruelling campaign ahead and a potential World Cup squad place still up for grabs, a fit and firing Oxlade-Chamberlain – who also has a new contract to play for – could be an exciting proposition for the Anfield faithful to behold over the next few months.

Rangers look set to make their second summer signing of the summer transfer window as Giovanni van Bronckhorst aims to strengthen his squad at Ibrox.

What’s the news?

According to Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane, the Light Blues have triumphed in the race to sign a prodigious teenager from the English Football League.

The reporter tweeted: “Rangers have won the battle for Millwall’s Zak Lovelace. The 16-year-old forward was wanted by several teams but will now move to Ibrox. Made his Championship debut at only 15”.

The Millwall gem is set to become the second new arrival at Ibrox this summer, following on from defender John Souttar, and Van Bronckhorst will surely be aiming to bring in more new faces in the coming weeks.

Another signing

Souttar was initially signed on a pre-contract agreement in January from fellow Premiership club Hearts, but Lovelace becomes the first signing that the Dutchman has made since the 2021/22 season finished.

The Gers appear to have fought off interest from Premier League duo Brighton and Leicester City for the talented 16 year old, who only made his debut for Millwall last December. He became the London club’s second-youngest debutant and he appears to have a very promising future.

Rangers have a solid record when it comes to signing players below Premier League level in England, with Joe Aribo costing the club a mere £300k upon making the move to Glasgow from Charlton Athletic three years ago this week, and he is now valued at £9m.

Lovelace made four appearances in the Championship last season as he was eased into senior football by Millwall manager Gary Rowett.

The forward will link up with with Rangers in the next few weeks as the Ibrox club ramp up their pre-season training ahead of what could be a monumental first few weeks of the campaign.

They face a crucial Champions League third round qualifier on 2/3 August, with the return leg a week later. This is followed by the play-off round later in the month, in addition to Premiership matches from the end of July, and it’s clear to see why Van Bronckhorst wants to add fresh faces to improve squad depth.

Lovelace might just be the catalyst for a flurry of new arrivals at Ibrox over the next month or so; and considering the teenager’s potential to be entrusted with first-team football at such a tender age, the Rangers boss must be delighted to have now sealed his signature.

AND in other news, Journalist reveals worrying Rangers news which will disappoint supporters

Aston Villa are keen on signing Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin, according to The Sunday Mirror (05/06, p72), via Birmingham Mail.

The lowdown

Steven Gerrard has already completed four signings for the summer transfer window – Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Robin Olsen and Boubacar Kamara – but his recruitment drive shows no signs of stopping.

Indeed, The Athletic's Gregg Evans reported after the capture of Kamara that a left-back is on the agenda for the 42-year-old.

Merlin has been with Nantes since the age of 11 but only made his Ligue 1 debut this season. He would go on to start 21 of his team's top-flight matches, making seven more substitute appearances.

The 20-year-old, who can also operate as a left midfielder, is contracted to Nantes until 2026 and is valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

The report from The Sunday Mirror (via Birmingham Mail) claimed that Merlin grabbed Gerrard's attention during a Ligue 1 scouting mission a few weeks ago.

The Villa manager travelled to the Stade Velodrome for a match between Marseille and Nantes on 20 April, intending to watch Kamara, but Merlin reportedly impressed him too.

The verdict

Merlin, who has been labelled a 'serious talent' by Jacek Kulig, looks like he could be a strong back-up to Lucas Digne and a potential long-term starter, with Matt Targett's Villa Park future uncertain.

The French youngster ranked in the 86th percentile among full-backs in the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions in 2021/22, notching three assists in addition to his two goals (via FBRef). With high volumes of progressive carries and dribbles too, he's clearly very active up and down the left flank.

He may only have played 20 minutes on the night that Gerrard was in attendance, but that speaks to the strength of his cameo against Marseille. Merlin won three of the four duels that he contested, completed two dribbles and was successful with eight of his 10 passes (via SofaScore).

He also shone against Paris Saint-Germain in February, scoring what sports journalist Josh Bunting called an 'incredible' goal, and he looks like an astute replacement for Targett if the latter has played his last game in a Villa shirt.

In other news, Matt Maher lays out his Villa transfer expectations