All posts by z3u9t.icu

Some Everton fans have been left buzzing as some news emerged on Lewis Dobbin and Ellis Simms.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Patrick Boyland has now revealed that the Goodison Park faithful are currently in talks with both players to give them new deals.

Dobbin’s contract expires at the end of the season, while progress has been made with Simms’ deal.

Both players are certainly two of the most promising youngsters at the Merseyside club at the moment, as Dobbin has already Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, they are the future of the club, and so tying them both down to new contracts would be great business, especially considering what unfolded with Thierry Small this summer.

Everton fans on Dobbin and Simms news

These Toffees buzzed as the news was shared across Twitter, with one Blues supporter claiming that it is ‘good news’ while another praise the ‘massive potential’ on show:

“Definitely need to keep these two at the club, Dobbin in particular has got massive potential”

Credit: @Stevie_SES

“Good news, get these two on long-term deals then get them in and around the first team”

Credit: @ChrisPerez75

“Love it if these 2 and DCL could spearhead our attack for 5/6 years. But fans won’t have the patience. Crave immediate success. Hopefully they’ll be more Rooney than Jeffers or Cadamarteri.”

Credit: @jayhow15

“Dobbin should be given an open cheque book”

Credit: @LiamTheToffee

“Not exactly stacked with options up front and because of FFP he’ll get more time afforded to him than I suspect he would have previously. Get him tied down and get him involved”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

“The lad should sign a new deal and stick around. Rondon ain’t the answer. Tosun will be gone next Summer and probably won’t get a look in anyway this year. With Kean gone too it’s a position where he will more than likely get an opportunity to impress.”

Credit: @sav4efc

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ Premier League ace EFC are eyeing here!

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge says that Arsenal’s priority on transfer deadline day is going to be outgoings rather than incomings.

Mikel Arteta’s side have spent more than anyone else in the Premier League, but their starting line-up hasn’t been massively strengthened, with many of their signings coming in as squad players.

Arsenal’s five summer additions have cost more than £130m, but their business hasn’t helped their early-season results.

Following their 5-0 hammering at Manchester City on Saturday, the Gunners head into the international break rock-bottom of the Premier League table on zero points, with nine goals conceded and they are yet to find the net themselves.

Only one of their five signings in Martin Odegaard was involved at the Etihad Stadium and he was hooked after 70 minutes with Arsenal trailing 4-0.

Despite their need for players, Bridge told The Transfer Tavern that their business today is likely to revolve around moving players on rather than adding to their squad:

“There’s nothing coming out at the moment. They have spent a hell of a lot of money. Unless something comes out of the woodwork, it’s outgoings for them – Bellerin, Maitland-Niles and Nketiah.

“I have not heard anything in terms of incomings since their double signing of Odegaard and Ramsdale.”

Lee Johnson could not have asked for much of a better start to the 2021/22 campaign. The Black Cats ended the fifth matchday top of the League One table with 12 points, winning four of their first five games.

The Black Cats came out on top against Wigan, AFC Wimbledon, MK Dons and Wycombe, with their solitary defeat in August coming away to Burton Albion.

Many plaudits will rightly go to Scottish striker Ross Stewart as he found the back of the net four times in five matches. However, one player who perhaps stole the show from the big Scot is Elliot Embleton.

The Sunderland academy product, who was on loan at Blackpool last season, has made the number 10 position his own and kept summer signing Alex Pritchard out of the team with his terrific performances in August.

He averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.22 across his five starts in League One, scoring two goals and creating another two for his teammates. His excellent displays in midfield have helped string together some superb team performances from the Black Cats.

In terms of his finishing, Embleton has been fairly efficient in front of goal. The midfielder has scored two goals from eight shots and missed one big chance, compared to Stewart’s four goals from 15 shots and two big chances missed this season. This shows that he could have the potential to end the campaign with a respectable, potentially double-figure return in the goals column.

However, it was creatively where Embleton displayed his best qualities. As per SofaScore, he created 11 chances in five games (2.2 per match) and set up one key opening, highlighting the quality of his passes in the final third. This resulted in him picking up two assists, with the midfielder ending the month with four direct goal involvements in five matches.

This shows that the 22-year-old was key to much of what Sunderland did in attack during August as he was at the heart of the action in terms of scoring and creating goals for Johnson’s side. This is why he perhaps stole the show from Stewart, as he coupled scoring with creativity, something the Scot was unable to do with zero assists.

It is now up to Embleton to show that he can be consistent over a longer period of time, but for now we can appreciate the excellence he displayed during August.

AND in other news, Possession lost 89x: Sunderland disaster with 0 goals let Johnson down badly in August…

Celtic unveiled new signing James McCarthy on Friday afternoon after he penned a four-year deal at Parkhead.

As to be expected, a number of Hoops supporters were quick to share their delight at the news via social media.

McCarthy was announced as a Celtic player alongside Joe Hart on Tuesday afternoon, with the latter making his Hoops debut on Thursday against Jablonec. The Irishman didn’t travel with Ange Postecoglou’s side for the 4-2 Europa League qualifier win but was unveiled at Celtic Park 24 hours after the match.

McCarthy will wear the number 16 shirt in Glasgow, with the central midfielder describing the deal as a ‘dream come true’.

The 30-year-old is a boyhood Celtic fan and becomes the club’s latest number 16, following on from Lewis Morgan in the 2019/20 season.

Celtic fans react

Celtic posted the news regarding McCarthy on their official Twitter page on Friday. These Hoops fans were buzzing, with one describing a deal for the midfielder as ‘big’.

“My whole timeline is gonna hate me but I’ve honestly never been happier with Celtic”Credit: @Danielle_McG4″Tasty”Credit: @EuanCampbell_05″Big signing”Credit: @darrand_02″A brilliant signing, can’t wait to see him play for us”Credit: @Marion1888″Excellent signing, bring it home James”Credit: @Sligodamo32″Content I love to see”Credit: @currancharles1

In other news: Hoops linked with new right-back amid Aurelio Buta delay, find out more

An update has emerged on Everton target Ilaix Moriba, regarding Barcelona’s valuation of the midfielder.

What’s the talk?

According to ARA, via Molineux News, Everton target Ilaix Moriba is available for a fee in the region of £12.8m (€15m) this month.

90Min reported earlier this week that the Toffees are one of a number of Premier League clubs who have the chance to sign Moriba from Barcelona. Tottenham, Manchester United, Wolves and Leicester were among the others.

Upgrade on Davies

Marcel Brands must pounce on this opportunity to sign Moriba. Barcelona want £12.8m for the gem and the Everton chief should cough up the cash to add him to Rafa Benitez’s squad as he could prove to be a big upgrade on existing midfielder Tom Davies.

In the 2020/21 campaign, the Toffees academy product averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.75 in the Premier League for Carlo Ancelotti. This was an improvement on the previous three campaigns, when he scored 6.64, 6.63 and 6.52 respectively, but still far from impressive.

Moriba, meanwhile, averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.94 in La Liga for Barcelona as he made 14 appearances, despite only turning 18 in January. He won an eye-catching 61% of his duels on the pitch, compared to Davies’ 52% last season.

Whilst it is impossible to gauge the difference in quality between the two leagues, it does show that the teenager was able to perform to a high standard under pressure whilst playing for a massive club like Barcelona. Whereas, Davies has been unable to make his mark on Goodison Park after several years in the first-team.

Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman hailed the midfielder as being very strong last term, saying: “Ilaix scored a fantastic goal, it was an incredible goal and had a lot of impact on the match. He took advantage of the opportunities he had. He is very good at controlling the ball and he is a very strong player.”

This shows how highly the Dutch manager rate him, as does the fact that he integrated him into the first-team despite his young age. Therefore, Moriba could prove to be a big upgrade on Davies if he is able to translate his form over to England, whilst also being five years younger than the Everton man with potential to improve further and develop as a player.

At the age of 18, there will be no rush for him to be an instant success. He could take up Davies’ role in the rotation and learn from the likes of Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure whilst also getting minutes under his belt when needed to aid his growth. This means that he could prove to be a big upgrade on Davies in the long run, as he has time on his side to fulfill his potential.

And, with reports claiming that Andre Gomes could be set for an exit from Goodison Park this summer, Moriba could arrive as his direct replacement and ensure the Toffees don’t miss the Portuguese ace whatsoever.

AND in other news, Everton could sign major Doucoure upgrade in “very complete” £55k-p/w powerhouse…

Southampton fans are far from happy with an update on Mario Lemina, who is said to have travelled to complete his transfer to Nice without permission from the Saints hierarchy.

£9m-valued Lemina (Transfermarkt) recently completed a move to Nice after ending his time at St. Mary’s Stadium (ogcnice.com). He made the move initially to the south coast from Juventus in 2017, but he managed just 52 appearances for the Saints before moving out on loan to Galatasaray and then Fulham (Transfermarkt).

Unfortunately, his attitude appeared to be an issue at Southampton, and his problems in that department have once again reared their ugly head. As per The Athletic, the 27-year-old Gabon international flew to France to complete his transfer to Nice without seeking permission from the Saints higher ups.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Lemina update

“Lemina proving his attitude problems even on the way out… If only he dropped all of the shenanigans, he could be a seriously good player.”

Credit: @kierangallop00

“Unprofessional until the end”

Credit: @PixelKicker

“Good riddance”

Credit: @olliesaints7

“And that just shows why he could not stay with the club. A good move for all. Hopefully for OGC Nice too”

Credit: @AndrewLeakey57

“Big time Charlie! Exactly the reason why he won’t be a loss ………. no respect for the club or his team mates!”

Credit: @KevanBrown05

“just shows his attitude really they can have fun with that”

Credit: @sfctom_

In other news, Southampton fans were far from happy with these Martin Semmens comments.

West Ham could find another Michail Antonio if David Moyes reignites interest in one of his striker targets this summer…

What’s the word?

Back in March, 90min listed the Irons among the teams monitoring Hatayspor striker Aaron Boupendza ahead of a potential move, and now they have learned how much it’ll cost to prise the 24-year-old away.

According to honorary president Lutfu Savas to Turkish outlet Sabah, they will only let the versatile Gabonese frontman leave for €8m (£6.8m).

The Hammers are likely to face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal, where Boupendza’s fellow countryman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is captain, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Southampton, to name just a few.

Shades of Antonio?

Moyes has had Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham atop his shortlist for most of the summer but any move for him seems to be dead in the water after ExWHUemployee revealed that he had no intention of joining the East London outfit.

It leaves the 58-year-old in a sticky situation as he’s heading into the new season with only one senior striker in Antonio, so something needs to happen soon.

Perhaps he should look to reignite his interest in Boupendza, especially as there are plenty of similarities to be had with the 31-year-old forward.

The 16-cap Gabon international found the net a whopping 22 times during the 2020/21 campaign, which was the most in the Turkish top-flight.

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

He did so playing both centrally and out on the wing, In fact, 24 of his 38 appearances came on the left flank, whilst he was deployed through the middle on eight occasions.

Before the intervention of Moyes, Antonio began life as a right winger but has emerged as a prolific marksman ever since that transformation. Last season, he finished the campaign as the Hammers’ top scorer on ten goals.

Boupendza has similar abilities, having been described as a very strong dribbler and finisher by WhoScored, which is backed up by his average of 3.1 shots and 2.6 dribbles per league outing last season.

Furthermore, the 24-year-old gem has been lauded as a “very good footballer” and a “goal machine” by Hatayspor president Nihat Tazearslan.

The 5 foot 11 dynamo has even been likened to Kylian Mbappe and considering his nickname is the “panther”, it suggests that he has explosive speed which could devastate defences in the Premier League.

Evidently, Boupendza has an eye for goal and he could well be worth a chance for just £6.8m, especially considering Moyes’ coaching – something we’ve seen first-hand with Antonio.

GSB should look to get him in following the recent Abraham setback.

AND in other news, Moyes risks repeating fatal Pellegrini mistake if West Ham sign £120k-p/w “passenger”…

West Brom are not interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane this summer, according to Joseph Masi.

The Lowdown: West Brom keen on Hourihane move

Valerien Ismael will be looking to make new signings ahead of his first season at The Hawthorns, as the Baggies look to return to the Premier League.

One player who has been linked with a summer move to West Brom is Hourihane, who found game-time hard to come by at Villa last season. The 26-cap Republic of Ireland international only appeared four times in the top flight and was loaned out to Swansea City in January.

The Latest: Journalist plays down rumour

Despite the Baggies’ apparent interest in the £42,000-a-week midfielder, Express & Star journalist Masi played down the rumour on Twitter on Sunday.

Responding to a question from a West Brom fan, he stated: “From what I am hearing Albion aren’t interested in him.”

The Verdict: Strong squad option

Hourihane could be an ideal signing for West Brom, so it is disappointing to hear that their interest seemingly isn’t genuine.

At 30, he may not represent a long-term addition, but he has international experience and has played 31 times in the Premier League. He also showed some good form in the latter half of last season, scoring five times during his loan spell at Swansea as they made it to the play-off final.

Ismael could benefit from having more seasoned individuals in his squad who know how to earn promotion from the Championship, as Hourihane did with Villa back in 2018/19.

In other news, West Brom have suffered a potential blow in their quest to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Ashley Preece has dropped a major transfer update on Aston Villa’s plans to potentially recruit a new centre-back in the summer window.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side saw the surprise departure of Bjorn Engels in recent days, with the Belgian defender making the permanent move to Royal Antwerp.

Preece has indicated that Smith will now look to dip into the transfer market to bring in some cover for Engels, with a replacement for the 26-year-old possibly made clearer “next week”.

He said: “Engels was a bit of a flash sale; happened so quickly last Friday. Engels knew he wouldn’t feature and jumped at chance to return to Belgium. Smith wasn’t keen on that happening but he’ll look to replenish that gap now. Villa would be an injury or two away from a disaster at the back. They’ll need one more, I think.

“It’s quiet on the CB front because the Engels transfer happened so quickly. I’ve said this; Smith didn’t envisage Engels leaving. It’s happened and targets are being checked out now. We should have a good idea of an Engels replacement next week. Villa didn’t want to spend money in that position but it’s looking likely. U23 Dom Revan just had knee op unfortunately.”

Fans will be buzzing

As everybody would have seen with Liverpool last season, all it takes is for a couple of injuries to key members of a defence for things to really expose the lack of strength in depth in a first team squad.

Jurgen Klopp’s side saw both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez go down with lengthy injuries, and the Reds were ultimately forced to go into the January transfer market to bring in some cover while holding midfielder Fabinho dropped into the defence as well.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/aston-villa-dean-smith-transfer-window-premier-league-villa-park-emi-buendia-gregg-evans-gossip-rumours-update-news” title=”Read the latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

It would be an absolute nightmare for Villa if Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa suffered something similar and robbed Smith of his stalwart centre-back partnership – Kortney Hause is now the only other senior player in that role at Villa Park.

It’s exactly why Preece’s update that the club will now look to bring in some much-needed defensive cover after the departure of Engels will surely have Villa fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Villa could finally replace Idrissa Gueye with this man…

Club legend Steve Bull feels Wolverhampton Wanderers fans can expect to see a number of shocks this summer, with some key players possibly facing the chop under new boss Bruno Lage.

Former Benfica head coach Lage was appointed as Wolves’ new chief last month, following Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to leave at the end of last season.

The Portuguese has moved quickly to add two promising youngsters to his squad, with 20-year-old defender Yerson Mosquera making the move from Colombian outfit Atletico Nacional and Francisco Trincão completing a season-long loan switch from Spanish giants Barcelona.

Lage is expected to be busy in the transfer window, with fears that Nuno could be looking to take some of his former charges to Tottenham Hotspur following his appointment in north London.

Bull, who is Wolves’ record top goalscorer, feels a number of players who have played a key role since the club’s Championship title win in 2018 could move on from Molineux.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “It all comes down to the new manager but I would keep all of the players, if I could, and strengthen on top of that.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of shocks. I know the manager has come in and there will still be a lot of players going out who no-one would have expected to leave.

“There will also be players coming in who no-one expected. Hopefully, when a player signs, he needs to get his feet under the table as soon as possible.

“On that first day of training, Lage needs a full and fit squad to have a good go next year.”