All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Bromwich Albion have been heavily speculated to utilise strongly the upcoming winter transfer window, however, Valerien Ismael could make the most of a young player they already have developing in their youth system currently.

Reyes Cleary has been playing for the West Brom U23s in the Premier League 2, and has been putting in performances that should be catching the eye of first-team manager, Ismael, who until last weekend has been struggling to inspire his side to score in the Championship.

The 17-year-old sent a clear message to the senior management at West Brom, when he scored twice in the first 11 minutes of the U23’s fixture against Middlesbrough last weekend leading onto a hat trick by full time, with the youngster scoring a phenomenal 16 goals in just 14 appearances so far this season.

Cleary has been doubling up on his duties for West Brom, by also playing in the U18’s Premier League side too, with coach Peter Gilbery hailing the young player as “powerful” recently.

“Reyes is a powerful forward player with an eye for goal and is an excellent finisher.”

The young goal scorer is yet to secure a professional contract with the club but has reportedly already caught the eye of many big clubs who are poised to offer him his next challenge, including Newcastle United and Bayern Munich.

With the possibility of the teenager being snapped up by another club, West Brom need to act fast in offering him a contract as he continues to develop and become more attractive to clubs in positions of power to offer him the opportunity to play European football.

The Baggies are crying out for a creative goal scorer who will put them in a position to be promoted back into the Premier League next season, and Cleary could be their golden ticket right under their nose to succeeding that.

It would save Ismael not only the headache of finding a goal scorer in the upcoming transfer window but would also save the club millions in transfer fees as he strives to do so.

West Brom fans have already taken to social media to express their desire to see the youngster in the first team, with one fan tweeting;

“Can’t ignore him anymore Val. He needs to be on the bench at least!”

The Baggies have a long way to go in their Championship campaign and will be hoping to close the gap on Bournemouth and Fulham who are currently sitting the automatic promotion spots in first and second place in the league.

In other news: Jordan Hugill set for January exit

A major  transfer update has emerged, one regarding reported Ipswich Town target Martyn Waghorn.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, Derby County are struggling to pin striker Martyn Waghorn down to a new contract at the club. The report claims that Derby have made no progress in their efforts to keep Waghorn at the club, with his deal due to expire at the end of the month – making him a free agent at the start of July.

Football League World reported last month that Ipswich are considering a swoop for Waghorn to bring him to Portman Road for a second spell. The report claimed that Ipswich will weigh up whether or not to make a move for Waghorn if he becomes a free agent this summer.

Speaking about Waghorn in 2019, former Derby boss Frank Lampard lavished praise on the incredible forward. Lampard highlighted his ability on and off the ball, along with his quality on and off the pitch. He told the Derby Telegraph:

“I get asked (about him) regularly when he hasn’t been playing at times this season. We have competition in forward and wide areas.

“But at the moment, he is in fantastic form. He’s giving everything to the team, on and off the ball, and quality with it.

“He got his goal at Southampton and has shown an incredible work rate – and he’s incredible around the place day in, day out, in how he is in the group.

“I’m delighted with him, and we need to have that and more from everybody.”

Cook needs him

Paul Cook needs Waghorn next season and CEO Mark Ashton must ensure that he can seal a deal for the attacker in the coming weeks. This latest update from the Derby side appears to suggest that Waghorn is due to become a free agent, as he has not made any clear indications that he will be staying in the Midlands, which could be a major boost for Ipswich.

It could now allow the Tractor Boys to snap him up on a free transfer, avoiding the need to lavish out on a transfer fee for the attacker.

The £7.9k-per-week beast enjoyed a sensational season in his one year at Ipswich earlier in his career. During the 2017/18 Championship campaign, Waghorn scored 16 and assisted 13 goals in 44 appearances for the Blues to help them finish in midtable. He then moved on to Derby, where he has scored 30 and assisted 13 in 112 competitive games for the Rams. This proves that he is a quality attacker at Championship level, as he has scored goals at a respectable rate whilst also being a provider for his teammates.

Therefore, Ipswich manager Cook would love him in Suffolk next season. Waghorn should be able to flourish at League One level as it is a step down in the pyramid from the Championship, where he has already shown that he can score goals.

He could be the goalscorer Cook is currently lacking in his squad and Ipswich must seal a deal for the 31-year-old this summer.

Ipswich’s top scorer last season was James Norwood with nine goals, highlighting the lack of threat at the top end of the pitch in Cook’s squad.

If Waghorn is going to be available, as is looking likely, Ipswich must do all they can to sign him this summer.

AND in other news, ITFC dealt major transfer blow with “brilliant” £6.4k-p/w ace, Cook will be livid…

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t think playing in Europe next season would derail West Ham’s Premier League form.

David Moyes’ side are currently fourth in the table, despite defeat against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday.

The Hammers haven’t finished in the European places since their final campaign at Upton Park, but have every chance of ending their five-year wait with a strong end to the season.

Finishing in the top-six will currently be good enough for a place in the Europe Conference League as it stands, but that could change depending on who wins both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

If West Ham don’t come higher than sixth, they could face a July-start, with the potential of Europa League qualifiers – as they did in consecutive seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17 when they failed to reach the group stages both times.

But McAvennie believes that a couple of additions would see West Ham cope with the potential of a Thursday-Sunday-Thursday schedule.

He told Football FanCast:

“It’s only managers that moan about games, you never seen players moan about it. Players want to play football. Players just want to go out and play, whether it’s a Thursday night, Sunday or Saturday.

“You have got to have an in-depth squad to deal with it. They need a midfield player. No disrespect to Mark Noble, but he doesn’t have the legs to compete with the Premier League anymore. You need somebody in there who’s going to freshen it up.”

Leeds United moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a hard-fought point at Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Jesse Marsch’s side were far from their best down at Selhurst Park but few teams have taken anything away from the Eagles on their own patch this season, including the likes of league leaders Manchester City (0-0), Arsenal (3-0 loss) and Spurs (3-0 loss).

It was a pretty disappointing display from the Yorkshire giants, making that point all the more valuable and not to mention the fact that Premier League safety is still firmly in their grasp.

The Whites mustered up only two shots on target, in comparison to Palace’s seven, also managing nine fewer shots inside the penalty area, so you could even argue that they were lucky to return north with a point.

Dan James, Jack Harrison and Raphinha all struggled to make their mark in the attack, though there was one shining light for the American head coach in skipper Liam Cooper, who was an absolute rock at the back.

As per SofaScore, he earned the highest rating of any outfield player for Leeds (7.6) and it’s easy to see why as he won absolutely everything up against their former transfer targets Jean-Philippe Mateta and Conor Gallagher, as well as Wilfried Zaha and co too.

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The 6 foot 2 colossus, 30, won a whopping nine of his 11 duels (81%), both in their air and on the ground, and also registered a match-high seven clearances, two tackles, one interception and one block.

It seems no one was getting past the Scotland international on the day and without his leader-like presence in the backline, the Premier League’s second-worst defence may well have crumbled from the Eagles’ pressure, particularly in the second half where they managed a 56% share of the ball.

Elsewhere, Cooper was among the most active players, registering the third-highest number of touches (69), which was more than Kalvin Phillips and any of Leeds’ attack, whilst one of his 34 accurate passes resulted in a key chance created – the same as James and Rodrigo, and more than Raphinha.

Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Graham Smyth was certainly left impressed by the skipper’s display as he wrote in his post-match ratings column: ‘Solid with few mistakes, lots of full-blooded defending and aerial battles.’

Whilst young goalkeeper Illan Meslier will take plenty of the plaudits for keeping out Palace’s seven attempts on goal, it was the colossal captain in front of him that helped thwart the home side to stop there being way more chances on the night.

As such, the £35k-per-week Cooper was Marsch’s big shining light down in south-east London.

AND in other news, Victor Orta could finally replace Pablo Hernandez in summer swoop for “gorgeous” 24 G/A “top talent”…

Writing for football.london, as shared on Twitter, reliable Lilywhites correspondent Alasdair Gold has shed light on a ‘huge’ Tottenham transfer decision Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho have to make if they wish to have a busy summer window – with exits ‘needed’ to raise funds for signings. 

Amid the financial difficulties at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, coming as their state of the art £1.2 billion ground has sat largely unused over the last 12 months due to coronavirus, Gold has shed light on Spurs’ upcoming summer transfer window and the implications surrounding it.

Tottenham could be set for ‘huge’ transfer decision

In an article, the journalist has explained what he understands regarding any business Tottenham will do at the end of the season, explaining that any new signings will need to be funded by potential outgoings.

Harry Kane, who has been a star man for Tottenham this season, is at the centre of this dilemma – with Gold shedding light on the ‘huge’ transfer decision Levy and Mourinho have to make.

He says that what comes in the next few months is ‘likely to define’ whether the 27-year-old will ‘bankroll’ a summer spending spree, coming as clubs with financial power may look on Kane with ‘envious eyes’.

Due to the financial dilemma in north London, Tottenham face a big transfer call over the star striker and whether or not his exit would leave too big a hole – with Mourinho potentially wishing to reinforce his team for the 2021/2022 campaign.

Transfer Tavern take

Time will tell whether Kane makes way to assist Levy and Mourinho’s transfer budget for the summer, but Gold claims it will be a massive decision for Tottenham as the window looms.

Any new acquisitions will need to be funded off the back of exit deals, with Tottenham having to decide whether they stick or twist with Kane.

This will be determined over the next few months and how the Lilywhites finish 2020/2021 and it will certainly be an interesting development to watch over.

In other news: Tottenham are planning to unleash this ace over the last few months of the seasons, find out more here.

After Fulham’s relegation was confirmed to the Championship, there has been a lot of speculation over the future of Scott Parker and Peterborough’s Director of Football, Barry Fry, believes that he may not want to stay at Craven Cottage any longer.

It was reported that the Fulham board were not happy with some of the comments and performances from Parker and his side towards the end of last season, which appeared to shine a bad light on the owners in terms of them not taking a big interest in the team.

This has led to widespread speculation over his future with talks set to commence on what the future looks like in the Fulham dugout, and reports have suggested that Parker could be tempted to take the Bournemouth job this summer.

It would be a huge blow for Fulham if they were to lose the manager that got them promoted last time out in the Championship and it could all come down to which club will offer him the biggest transfer budget, according to Fry when he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“It all depends on the talks about recruitment and the budget for next season.

“If he’s had those talks with the owner and they’re not giving him a budget that he thinks he can compete with to get them up next year, then he won’t want to stay.”

Parker was tasked with getting Fulham out of the Championship during the 2019/20 season and he managed to do so as they bounced back at the first time of asking via a play-off final win against Brentford.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth underachieved last year especially considering the squad they had in the Championship as they were beaten in the semi-final of the play-offs by eventual winners, Brentford.

As concerns start to mount in East London, a reliable West Ham source has dropped an encouraging update…

What’s the word?

The Irons are yet to complete any business since the transfer window opened last week, which is pretty understandable given the European Championships are on right now.

However, mooted striker target Patson Daka appears to be on the verge of joining Premier League rivals Leicester City, whilst it seems like manager David Moyes and the club have also been dealt a devastating setback in their pursuit to sign Jesse Lingard permanently.

But the anonymous ExWHUemployee has now delivered his thoughts on the current situation.

In response to one worried supporter on Twitter, he wrote:

“Unfortunately a lot of the players we are keen on are currently awaiting other transfers to happen (domino effect) before they are allowed to go with the Euros being on it means players are occupied etc. I know only youngsters but we have brought 2 in. Top ones to follow.”

Encouraging claim

This should come as very promising news to many in East London right now. After all, it’s still early days and the new season is still months away.

The Hammers have been handed some positive news in recent weeks.  The 58-year-old signed a new long-term agreement to remain in charge of the side.

He had steered West Ham from relegation candidates to the Europa League, recording their best-ever Premier League points tally and their highest finish since 1999.

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A little patience is now required as the club looks to work on getting transfers over the line. Moyes needs plenty of additions, none more so than upfront, where he only has an injury-prone Michail Antonio to call upon right now.

But even though Daka will be going elsewhere, it seems like the Irons’ hierarchy is working on other deals, with Ex claiming that the top targets are to follow in due course.

Moyes also has to put together his own recruitment team as he has been given the green light to bolster his scouting network by David Gold, David Sullivan and Karen Brady, according to Football Insider, so that could be another reason behind their delay in the transfer market.

All in all, it’s far from the time to start panicking just yet. As the reliable source says, things are likely to fall into place after Euro 2020, even if some targets are going elsewhere.

AND in other news, Moyes can seal biggest West Ham signing since Payet in “complete” 64-cap “technician”…

Aston Villa and Leicester City are both interested in Rangers defender Filip Helander.

That’s according to Swedish outlet Sportbladet, cited by the Daily Record, who claimed that the Scottish champions could replace Helander with Elfsborg’s Joseph Okumu.

Helander a Rangers regular

Helander, valued at just £1.8m by Transfermarkt, is under contract at Ibrox until 2023.

The Sweden international has made 27 appearances under Steven Gerrard this season, and it seems as if his performances have caught the eyes of Dean Smith and Brendan Rodgers.

Transfer Tavern take

It’s not the first time Villa have been linked with the towering centre-back. Former Villa manager Steve Bruce was reportedly keen on Helander back in the 2018 January window during the player’s time with Bologna.

It seems as if the club have reignited their interest three years on, and statistically Helander has outperformed both Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa this season. As per WhoScored, the Swede has averaged a match rating of 7.11 in the Scottish Premiership, higher than Mings’ 6.88 and Konsa’s 6.82. Helander has also won more aerial duels per game with 4.3, compared to Mings 2.8 and Konsa’s 2.6.

Based on those figures, the 27-year-old could be well worth the Villans’ time in seeking a potential move south of the border.

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to Villa-linked star’s social media activity, find out more here. 

Writing on Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared news regarding West Ham left-back Arthur Masuaku, with the Congolese ace now looking likely to miss the rest of the season.

Indeed, as per the source, the 27-year-old is unlikely to feature again before the end of 2020/21 despite only recently coming back from knee surgery. Responding to a query from a supporter, Ex wrote: “He is likely to be out for the rest of the season now. His knee hasn’t recovered well from the operation he had and fluid had to be drained from it.”

Masuaku missed a large portion of the season – 20 games to be exact (Transfermarkt) – in order to resolve an issue with his knee which had been bothering him for years. However, due to fluid build-up around the area, his return at Wolves last month has been quickly followed by another spell on the sidelines.

Ex has told followers not to expect the defender to play again this season and many West Ham fans are seething at this news on social media.

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While some profess their heartache at Masuaku’s latest injury blow, others are in disbelief that he is on the treatment table yet again.

Check out a flavour of their verdicts from social media below.

West Ham fans seethe as ExWHUemployee shares news

“Needs to go and be replaced with a more robust player this summer, almost as bad as Carroll/Wilshere.”

Credit: @josh_whu

“I swear this happens to a lot of our players after surgery. Who are these absolute butchers that we let operate on our players?”

Credit: @SamInStockwell

“Never been sure of him if I was honest..has flashes but reminds me of Said ..unreliable? That’s a question. Not a statement”

Credit: @Ralph28244587

“Another player rushed back from injury then?”

Credit: @Jack_disley

“It is so WHU. He was showing arguably his best form in a system that suited him. Gets injured and I am sure the original assessment was 2-3 months but ends up being season ending.”

Credit: @IanDeakin16

“Arthur injured a lot, decent player at LWB but if he needs to be sold to fund a LB I think we should do it.”

Credit: @Stuuu_0628

“Genuinely crushed by the Arthur news”

Credit: @stephenlott

In other news: Many West Ham fans were buzzing over this journalist’s ‘brilliant’ update – find out more here.

Manchester United will not be sanctioning Diogo Dalot’s departure from Old Trafford over what remains of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist revealing on a post on Twitter that, despite a number of clubs making an approach for the 22-year-old, United are not willing to part with the right-back this summer.

Romano continues by stating that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer views the Portugal international as a non-transferable player, as well as believing the defender can play a role in the first-team this season, as well as in the future.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Manchester United have made a final decision: Diogo Dalot will stay. He’s non-transferrable. Club and Solskjaer are very happy with Dalot, they trust him for [the] present and future so he’s NOT leaving. Borussia Dortmund approached Man Utd as [did] many other clubs but no way.”

Get rid

While it is undeniable that Dalot is a player who at 22 still carries potential – Jose Mourinho even went so far as to dub the 22-year-old as “the best full-back in Europe” in his age group upon joining United – whether or not the defender is actually good enough to cement his place as the first-choice right-back in Solskjaer’s side for the foreseeable future is very much up for debate.

Indeed, the £9m-rated man has hardly impressed when given a shot so far in his United career, having earned a distinctly average SofaScore match rating of 6.79 over his 16 Premier League appearances back in 2018/19, as well as an even more disappointing rating of 6.60 over his four top-flight appearances in 2019/20.

And, while the £34k-per-week defender’s performances did improve over his 21 Serie A appearances while out on loan at AC Milan last season – over which Dalot helped his side keep four clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.5 tackles 1.8 clearances and winning 3.1 duels per game, seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 6.95 – the 22-year-old nevertheless failed to make the position his own, with Stefano Pioli opting to start the United loanee in just 10 league fixtures.

As such, considering his below-par returns so far in his spell at Old Trafford, in addition to the fact that there seemed to be a significant amount of interest in his services this summer, it could well prove to be something of a mistake by Solskjaer in not cashing in on the man Mourinho dubbed a “talented” player this summer, and subsequently reinvesting the funds received from his sale in a more proven option in the position.

This summer could have been the perfect chance to capitalise on the amount of interest in Dalot, but instead, they’ve made a late u-turn and decided to hang on to him.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Man Utd claim which will be music to the ears of fans