All posts by h79snht.top

Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new right wing-back has taken an interesting twist this week…

What’s the word?

According to Spanish outlet AS, Spurs are among the teams interested in signing Shakhtar Donetsk star Dodo, who wants to leave Ukraine this summer.

The north London outfit will have to battle LaLiga giants FC Barcelona, who view the 23-year-old as ‘the next Dani Alves’ to his signature.

It still remains to be seen on how much the Brazilian would command in terms of a transfer fee, with Transfermarkt currently valuing him in the region of £18m.

Bye-bye Emerson?

Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte has long been looking for an upgrade on the right flank. He tried to sign Adama Traore from Wolverhampton Wanderers during his first window in charge, back in January, but his efforts failed to come to fruition with the winger opting for the Nou Camp instead.

The Times also reported at the time that the Italian had little faith in his current options, particularly Emerson Royal and his impact in the final third.

Evidently, not much has changed since, barring a long-term injury to Matt Doherty.

Often, the 23-year-old, who was a summer signing under Nuno Santo, has been lambasted for his performances with former Spurs centre-back Jonathan Woodgate once describing him as “horrendous”, whilst the supporters have deemed him to be a “liability.”

During the games Shakhtar were able to complete in the league this season, Dodo managed four assists in 14 appearances, a feat that took his total tally to 22 goal contributions across 97 matches, via Transfermarkt.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

That average of one goal or assist every 4.4 matches is considerably better than Emerson’s rate of once every 15.5 games.

Given the success that sporting director Fabio Paratici has had with his signings at Hotspur Way, he should be trusted with this one and given the situation over in Shakhtar, Dodo could be allowed to leave on the cheap, thus making him a bargain.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops Conte contract update…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs interested in signing FC Porto midfielder Sergio Oliveira this summer, according to O Jogo (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Experienced operator

The 30-year-old has enjoyed a well-travelled career to date, having started out in the youth system at Porto before spending time on loan at various clubs including Nantes, Mechelen and PAOK Salonika prior to a loan spell at AS Roma this year.

The midfielder has made a mammoth 315 senior domestic appearances and recently added the Europa Conference League to a trophy cabinet which boasts three Portuguese league titles, three Portuguese Cups, one Greek top-flight title and one Greek domestic cup.

Despite a long and distinguished career, Oliveira is yet to take on the Premier League, although that could be about to change in the near future…

The latest: Wolves interested in Oliveira

As per O Jogo, translated by Sport Witness, Wolves are ‘interested’ in the prospect of adding the 13-cap Portugal star to their ranks.

It is claimed that Napoli, Valencia and Lazio are also in contention to sign Oliveira, who was described as a ‘champion’ by Roma manager Jose Mourinho during his time in Italy.

The report outlines the influence of super-agent and known Old Gold affiliate Jorge Mendes, as Porto hope to receive offers of around €10m (£8.5m) for the cultured midfielder.

The verdict: Smart move

With the future of Ruben Neves hanging in the balance and Joao Moutinho’s ever-advancing years in mind, signing Oliveira for anything close to the mooted asking price would be a shrewd move from the Molineux hierarchy.

During 2021/22, the Portuguese ace scored eight goals and provided two assists from 46 appearances across his time with Porto and Roma. In Serie A, he earned a 7.04 Sofascore rating and won an impressive 4.9 duels per game in the process, underscoring his battle-hardened nature and his strong durability.

Possessing similar traits to robust operators such as John McGinn, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Rodrigo de Paul (FBRef), Oliveira would add a decorated and much-needed alternative to Bruno Lage’s midfield options after the Old Gold ran out of steam towards the end of the recent campaign.

In other news: Wolves also want to bring this ‘special talent’ to Molineux, read more here

Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell is set to hold talks with Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta regarding his immediate future.

The Lowdown: Five league appearances

Cresswell was a regular in the matchday squad under Marcelo Bielsa and Marsch last season, making his full Premier League debut against West Ham last September.

The 19-year-old was described as ‘unbelievable’ by Joe Wainman following his display against the Hammers and went on to make four more appearances in the top flight.

The last of those came in the dramatic 3-2 win away at Wolves, with Cresswell helping the Whites turnaround a two-goal deficit after coming on just before half-time.

The Latest: Talks planned

LeedsLive relayed comments from Cresswell on Wednesday lunchtime, with the centre-back currently away on international duty with England U21s.

The centre-back was asked about his Whites future, to which he shared his plans to talk with Marsch and Orta ‘over the next few weeks’.

Cresswell added that a loan move away from Elland Road could be on the cards as he wants to ‘to play more football’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-4/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” 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: Summer rebuild?

Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Harrison have all been linked with moves away from Leeds in recent weeks, and it looks as if Cresswell could also be on the way out on a temporary basis.

Marsch inherited a small senior squad from Bielsa, so losing some key players and having a young star in Cresswell possibly wanting to leave in search of regular game time isn’t ideal.

It would leave the Whites needing plenty of senior signings, but you can understand Cresswell’s wish to play first-team football, and who knows, a loan spell away in the Championship could then help him break into Marsch’s first-team plans for the 2023/24 season.

In other news: After Kristensen: Radz & 49ers now ready to write Leeds cheque for ‘really exciting’ midfielder. 

According to a report by The Daily Mail, a major West Ham United transfer update has now come to light involving Man United attacker Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: Hammers eye move…

Since the Englishman’s phenomenal spell on loan in east London, manager David Moyes has been eager to bring him back to West Ham on a permanent deal.

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

Lingard looks set to leave Old Trafford as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract in June, potentially gifting the Premier League side a chance to re-sign him on a Bosman deal.

Big name players like Lingard and fellow midfielder Paul Pogba are edging closer to the Man United exit door and it is now claimed that Moyes has made an ‘early move’ for his former star.

The Latest: Mokbel shares big Lingard update…

According to The Mail, West Ham’s manager has in fact moved early ahead of the competition to try and seal a summer switch for the 29-year-old.

Indeed, with the Hammers ‘making an offer’ to Lingard, they’re now ‘looking to secure him’ as they seek to get ahead of the competition for his signature.

The Verdict: Promising…

Lauded as a potentially ‘huge’ and ‘massive signing’ at West Ham by pundit Paul Robinson, sealing an agreement for the soon-to-be free agent comes as a no-brainer for the east Londoners.

He is already proven under Moyes and knows the club well having thrived there for the second half of 2020/2021, not to mention the fact Lingard would arrive at zero transfer cost.

Taking all of this into account, agreeing a move for the Red Devils ace should be one of Moyes’ first items on the to-do list as he prepares for a busy window.

In other news: Talks held: West Ham are also pushing to sign £20m ‘beast’ as club green-light summer sale…find out more here.

Celtic are reportedly looking to secure a summer transfer move for Ferencvaros striker Ryan Mmaee.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Record, the striker has “emerged on their radar in recent months – with extensive data analysis undertaken.”

The report also adds that Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou “is keen to add more firepower ahead of their return to the Champions League following a five-year absence.”

The Moroccan only arrived at Ferencvaros last summer, but with 37 appearances under his belt across all competitions, the striker has quickly become a star figure for them by scoring 19 goals and supplying 11 assists in the process.

Throughout his career, the 24-year-old has scored 51 goals and delivered 26 assists in 143 club appearances at senior and youth levels.

Taking this into account, it’s easy to see why the Hoops have identified Mmaee as a suitable figure to come in and add some strength to their attack.

Supporters will be buzzing 

The previous summer transfer window saw the Bhoys cash in on Odsonne Edouard by selling him to Crystal Palace in a deal worth £15m.

During his time with the Parkhead club, the Frenchman scored 86 goals in 179 appearances across all competitions.

To replace the 24-year-old, Celtic brought in Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis, who ended up scoring a combined total of 25 goals between them in the league.

Labelled as a “feisty” player by journalist Tomasz Mortimer, Mmaee could end up being a better version of Edouard for Celtic. He has a clear knack for scoring and creating goals, which is something that the former Hoops star has failed to find at Palace this season, suggesting the Hoops were right to wave farewell to him.

Of course, Edouard scored plenty in Glasgow but his performances dwindled in 2021/22 with just nine goals to show for his efforts. Mmaee, it would appear, is in better form than the Frenchman and would surely be a hit at Parkhead.

He has scored a goal every 83 minutes this term, while Celtic’s former Bhoy only managed a goal every 137 minutes in his final campaign in Scotland.

Should they find themselves securing the Ferencvaros star’s signature this summer, it would surely leave Celtic fans rather pleased given the attacking talent he has and the depth that he can give their squad.While the Hungarian club will surely be reluctant to let their summer recruit leave after just one season in their ranks, Celtic must do all they can to bring the sharpshooter to Parkhead in the coming weeks.He could be exactly what they need to put them in a good shape to secure as much silverware as they can next season.In other news: Worth £1.8m in 2021, now worth £4.9m: Celtic struck gold on “magic” £18k-p/w star

West Ham United opted against bolstering their offensive line in the January transfer window but it doesn’t look like David Moyes is ready to make the same mistake twice.

What’s the word? West Ham are interested in signing Emmanuel Dennis from Watford this summer according to the Mirror.The already-relegated striker is on the radar of the Irons with the club’s hierarchy believed to be weighing up a £20m bid for the attacker.[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more” title= “Read the latest West Ham news!”]That said, the Hammers may need to fork out up to £30m in order to get their man.Sign him upWest Ham haven’t got much wrong this season.They are on the cusp of qualifying for Europe again and enjoyed a miraculous run to the semi-finals of the Europa League.It’s hard to find fault with their football and their practices behind closed doors but not investing in a striker over the winter has arguably cost them dearly.Michail Antonio will run himself into the ground for Moyes but he has been the club’s sole centre forward for the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign.The Jamaica international’s efforts have to be applauded but such is his workload that performances have dwindled at times, scoring just twice in the top-flight since the turn of the year.That’s why signing Dennis would be a particularly good idea.He’s not exactly had the best service at Vicarage Road which makes his first season in the Premier League all the more impressive.Dubbed “superb” by one journalist, he has found the net on ten occasions while registering six assists in the process.Rather amusingly, he also ranks at the top of the tree when it comes to nutmegs in England’s premier division this campaign with a whopping 21.Clearly a nightmare for opposition defenders, the forward is also similar to a certain Jarrod Bowen.FB Ref’s detailed statistics reveal that the pair are ‘similar players’ and despite the duo operating in different positions, there are plenty of comparable attributes.For starters, they shoot with similar regularity. Throughout 2021/22, Dennis has registered 0.94 shots on target per 90 compared to Bowen’s 1.03, via FB Ref.When it comes to pass completion, they are both successful with 68%, while they also complete around five and a half passes under pressure per 90 minutes.Furthermore, their shot-creating actions per 90 are also pretty alike with the Nigerian registering 3.17 per 90 compared to the England hopeful’s 2.96.Finally, they both take the same number of touches per 90 at 38 and are successful with 41.5-44.5% of their dribbles.It took Bowen a while to finally get up to speed in the Premier League but since then he’s been a spectacular piece of business.GSB will have to hope that Dennis turns out the same way. Given his experience of England already, however, it would be a surprise if he didn’t settle in quickly.AND in other news, “I believe” – ExWHUemployee drops big West Ham transfer claim, supporters will love it…

Rangers brought down the curtain on another Premiership campaign with a 3-1 victory this afternoon as Ibrox manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst made 10 changes to his side.

The match was a warm-up before the two teams take to the Hampden Park pitch next Saturday to fight it out over the Scottish Cup as the season reaches its climax, and the Gers manager clearly had that and the upcoming Europa League final on his mind.

Debuts were handed to youngsters such as Adam Devine, Tony Weston and Cole McKinnon, the latter two coming off the bench, as the Dutchman put his faith in academy talents to see out victory over Hearts this afternoon.

The home side opened the scoring through Peter Haring in the first half, before goals from Cedric Itten and new sensation Alex Lowry gave Rangers a 2-1 advantage heading into the interval.

Van Bronckhorst made changes galore as the second half wore on and debutant McKinnon was rewarded with a first senior goal, showing the manager what he is capable of ahead of next season.

However, it was a performance to forget for another youngster in Amad Diallo, who let the 47-year-old down in a match where he could have proven his detractors wrong.

A SofaScore rating of 6.9 wasn’t the worst on the Gers team, but the Ivory Coast winger only had 47 touches during his 61-minute spell on the pitch, five fewer than Jon McLaughlin in goal.

Diallo also lost possession 14 times, the third most of any Rangers player behind Itten and Devine, and registered just one shot during the game (which was off target) despite playing in attack.

There is talent in the 19-year-old, as evidenced by some of his displays at parent club Manchester United, but his performances in his limited opportunities in a Rangers shirt just haven’t been up to the required standard. Of the 36 players who featured in the Light Blues’ Premiership campaign, he was the fifth-lowest rated by WhoScored, averaging a lowly 6.32.

At a club where victory is expected every week, it can be a baptism of fire for many youngsters, and it looks like the cauldron was just too hot for the Ivorian teenager, who once again let Van Bronckhorst down this afternoon.

AND in other news, Wilson heading for big Rangers disaster on “ridiculous” £6.4k-p/w tank, GvB needs him…

Wolves manager Bruno Lage is set to welcome back attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White this summer once the 22-year-old completes his loan spell at Sheffield United and could integrate him into his Premier League squad.

According to TEAMTalk, the Wanderers boss is ready to hand the England U21 international a chance with the first team during pre-season after impressing on loan in South Yorkshire.

The attacking midfielder, labelled as “outstanding” by former Barnsley boss Poya Asbaghi, has scored 11 goals and registered nine assists in 35 Championship appearances for the Blades this term which has seen them secure a play-off place. One of those strikes was even labelled as “filth” by Wolves reporter Tim Spiers.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side will take on Nottingham Forest across two legs, starting next weekend, for a place in the final at Wembley as United look to instantly bounce back into the Premier League.

Moreover, Gibbs-White was awarded with both Sheffield United’s Player of the Year Award and Young Player of the Year and promotion would cap off an excellent loan spell.

Given his success away from Molineux this term, it’s vital that Lage ensures that the 22-year-old is handed an opportunity to impress in the Premier League for Wolves next term, no less so than with Ruben Neves constantly linked away from the club.

In the pipeline

Prior to his loan spell, the £8.1m-rated attacking midfielder did score one of the first goals of the Lage era, netting in the 4-0 EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest in August whilst also playing seven minutes of Premier League football across two appearances.

The current Wolves boss’ predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo was certainly a fan of the Englishman, recalling him from his loan at Swansea City midway through last term and handing the midfielder 11 appearances in the Premier League.

Having come through the youth ranks at Wolves, the Stafford-born playmaker was also a part of the U17 World Cup winning England squad in 2017 and has earned four U21 caps for his country.

Goals have been at a serious shortage for the West Midlands outfit this term, with just Burnley and relegated sides, Watford and Norwich, scoring fewer league goals than their 35.

Therefore, extra creativity in the final third is a must as Lage looks to build on his first season in England, which looks like a top-half finish will be secured at the very least with Europe still achievable.

Moreover, that creativity can be found for no extra money through unleashing Gibbs-White next term.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Wolves handed massive injury lifeline, it could help secure Europe

Everton have been involved in plenty of transfer sagas since their cash injection from current owner Farhad Moshiri, with some huge names being linked to unlikely moves to Goodison Park.

James Rodriguez was one stunning name who actually made the switch but back in 2016, they could’ve had the next big thing snapped up way before he had developed into the machine he is today.

Bryan King, the Toffees’ Scandinavian scout at the time, had organised a trial after recommending 15-year-old Erling Braut Haaland to the club.

Rejected because he would “lose his effectiveness” as he grew older, it is a laughable decision given his goal-scoring form over the last few years.

It remains one of the great ‘what if?’ moments for Everton in recent years, who since the departure of Romelu Lukaku have struggled to secure a regular goal scorer.

The Belgian remains their all-time top scorer in the league and scored 87 times in 166 appearances.

Around £60k was the financial outlay demanded by Molde, whereas most recently he has moved from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City for a fee of £51m.

CIES Football Observatory knows, as we all do, that he is worth much more than that, however. They place a valuation much closer to €180m (£157m) upon his head, much more fitting for the 22-year-old who already has 149 goals for his various clubs.

Upon making the move to Manchester, many questioned whether his goal-scoring exploits would perhaps come to a halt.

Nevertheless, 14 goals in his first nine appearances across the Champions League and the Premier League are indicative of a man who is destined to fire City to further glory.

There is no doubting that if Frank Lampard had Haaland under his disposal last season, there would have been no relegation battle whatsoever.

His quality seems to shine through wherever he goes, with his ability to score no matter what being labelled as a “robot” and “insane” by Elliot Hackney.

With a proper striker to replace Lukaku at Goodison Park, especially one that was destined to go to the very top, perhaps it could have seen Everton fighting at the other end of the table to the one they were last season.

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson is reportedly wanted by Galatasaray and is ‘attracted’ by a move away from Villa Park.

The Lowdown: Turkish window still open

The English window slammed shut last Thursday, with Villa completing a late move for Wolves midfielder Leander Dendoncker, prior to drawing 1-1 at home to Manchester City.

However, there is still a technicality for Premier League clubs to do business with other countries whose windows are open, such as Turkey, where the transfer period ends on Thursday evening.

It looks as though Villa could be one of those affected, following a key update.  Although I have to say, I am not sure this will make much of an impact on the betting for Aston Villa right now, but you can check unibet to be sure of the best odds.  With their new manager seemingly making a poor start for the Lions, I would imagine more eyes will be on the relegation odds, than the top six odds for the season.

The Latest: Sanson wanted by Galatasaray

Taking to Twitter, journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed that Galatasaray want to sign Sanson on loan and the player is ‘attracted’ to the move:

#AstonVilla’s midfielder Morgan #Sanson attracted by the sirens of Turkey! Despite his last minute aborted deal with #Espanyol (TMS issue), the ex-#OM player could find his happiness at #GalatasaraySK, interested by him on loan! Wait and see.”

The Verdict: Good move for all parties

Sanson has found himself generally out of favour under Steven Gerrard, with the 28-year-old not appearing at all in the league so far this season.  In fact, since his move from Marseille on 26 January 2021, the Frenchman has only made 19 starts for the Birmingham club, seeing his career stall in the process.  A move could well suit both parties, as Aston Villa look to reduce their wages on players who aren’t even playing a bit part in their push towards trying to compete, once again, in the top half of the Premier League.  Billionaire owners or not, no club wants to waste a wage on a player that their manager doesn’t seem to want.

For that reason, a move away from Villa makes complete sense, especially after the arrival of Dendoncker, allowing the midfielder more regular minutes and potentially seeing Galatasaray pay some of his wages too, which is a boost for Johan Lange and NSWE.

Sanson has been hailed as a ‘great technician’ by Dean Smith and could thrive in Turkey, but Gerrard will likely be happy to see him move on, so this makes perfect sense for all concerned.

Photo by Unsplash