All posts by z3u9t.icu

Peter Lawwell retired after 17 years as the chief executive of Celtic this year and left Parkhead having overseen countless title wins and trophy lifts with the Hoops.

Over the years, he was able to pull off some masterstrokes in the transfer market, bringing Virgil van Dijk to the club for example, but not every transfer works and one of his last pieces of business was to bring Ismaila Soro to Celtic in January 2020.

Soro was playing for Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv in Israel prior to arriving at Celtic, making 64 appearances for the club in three years after leaving Belarus-based outfit FK Gomel. His form in Tel Aviv seemingly prompted Lawwell and manager at the time, Neil Lennon, to take a gamble on him.

Celtic reportedly forked out a sizeable £2.07m for the defensive midfielder, which came as a phenomenal rise in value for him two years on from his move to Bnei Yehuda from Gomel. Transfermarkt valued him at £90k in January 2018, with Celtic paying a 2200% increase on that initial valuation.

This suggests that he was improving as a player and heading on an upwards trajectory in his career, which could be why Lawwell decided to pull the trigger on signing him. The young Ivorian may have been seen as a prospect who could develop at Celtic Park and either go on to become a top player for the club in the long-term or be sold on for profit, like the aforementioned van Dijk.

Unfortunately, Soro has been unable to kick on since arriving at Celtic Park, despite a positive first few months at the club. In the 2020/21 campaign, he completed 90% of his passes and made 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game for the Hoops in the Premiership. However, he only won 52% of his duels as a defensive midfielder, which meant that he was not dominating games in the middle of the park.

His form has taken a turn for the worse this term, with an average SofaScore rating of 6.63 in six Premiership appearances. He has made 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game, losing a whopping 64% of his duels on the pitch – including 75% of his ground battles.

Soro has started just once in the league, with the other five outings coming as a substitute, which shows that Ange Postecoglou does not trust him to play from the start. His horrific success rate in duels could be a major factor in his decision, with Soro failing to adjust to the physicality of the Premiership, allowing opposition players to come out on top of him more often than not.

At the time of writing (07/10/21), Soro’s market value on Transfermarkt is £810k. This means that his price has plummeted 60.8% from the £2.07m Celtic paid for his services less than two years ago, showing that Lawwell had a disaster with this piece of business as he overpaid for the 23-year-old.

Soro has not been able to establish himself in the starting XI and his value is continuing to drop as he flops on the pitch. The move, at this point in time, has not worked out and Postecoglou could have a decision to make on his future unless he turns things around quickly.

AND in other news, Ange must ruthlessly axe 26 y/o dud who left Celtic “livid”, he’s not good enough…

Celtic appear to have found their replacement for Odsonne Edouard in the form of Japan international Kyogo Furuhasi.

The summer signing has scored four times in four starts in the Scottish Premiership and eight goals in 11 appearances overall this season. He has been able to showcase his quality in the final third and looks set for a sublime campaign for the Hoops.

His form will surely come as a welcome relief to Ange Postecoglou, who inherited a misfiring striker upon his arrival at the club – Albian Ajeti.

Following the sale of Edouard to Crystal Palace, Ajeti was left to fill his boots and has scored three goals in 12 games in all competitions in the 2021/22 campaign.

How did Ajeti get to this point though?

The forward enjoyed a terrific season with Basel in his home country during the 2018/19 campaign. He scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions, earning himself a £10.17m transfer to Premier League side West Ham.

This is where the struggles began for Ajeti as he never adjusted to life in England. He failed to score in 12 games for the Hammers the following season, including nine appearances in the Premier League, as he averaged a SofaScore rating of just 6.46.

Following his horrific debut campaign for West Ham, Ajeti was sold to Celtic in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £4.95m. Transfermarkt valued him at £4.32m at the time of the transfer, which was already £5.85m less than West Ham paid for him a year prior.

In his first year at Celtic, Ajeti scored six goals in 20 Scottish Premiership appearances. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.85 and lost 65% of his duels on the pitch throughout the campaign, suggesting that he was too weak to compete physically in the division.

At the time of writing (04/10/21), Ajeti is valued at £2.88m by Transfermarkt. This means that his value has dropped dramatically by £7.29m in just two years of football, with one of those being at West Ham and the other at Celtic Park in Scotland.

He needs to turn his form around soon or his career could be at risk. At the age of 24, he is exiting the potential stage and beginning to move towards his prime years where he should be expected to be at his best.

If he fails to deliver consistent end product sooner rather than later, it could put other clubs off wanting to go near him – leaving Ajeti to waste away at Celtic or be forced to drop down to a lower standard of football to play regularly.

His value continuing to drop since leaving Switzerland is proof of his faltering career and highlights the downwards trend that he’s on. Hopefully, the attacker will be able to find his feet in Scotland and start to show why he was bought for £10.17m only two years ago.

AND in other news, Postecoglou provides fresh injury update that should excite Celtic supporters…

David Ornstein has dropped a concerning update on the future of Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is set to step down from his role at the club at the end of the season.

He is out of contract next summer and has told the board that he will not be signing an extension, having been in the sporting director role since 2016 and at Anfield since 2011. His assistant, Julian Ward, is well-regarded, but it remains to be seen if he will take over from Edwards.

Fans will be fuming

Liverpool fans will surely be fuming about this concerning update from Ornstein. The man in charge of their transfer successes in recent seasons is now due to leave and that could leave supporters wondering what the future holds for the club in that department.

With no replacement lined up, unless Ward is the man to take the job, it will be interesting to see what route Liverpool go down. Edwards has been an influential figure behind the scenes at Anfield and Jurgen Klopp has benefited greatly from his work in the transfer market over the last few years.

The likes of Mo Salah, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Sadio Mane are among the many successful signings Edwards has made for the Reds – with those players forming the spine of the team that won the Premier League and Champions League for Klopp.

These players mentioned highlight the level of quality Edwards has been able to bring to the club, but the fees he has brought in for players leaving Anfield is an equally impressive achievement. Reported fees of £142m for Philippe Coutinho, £20m for Danny Ings, £26m for Mamadou Sakho, £19m for Dominic Solanke and £15m for Jordan Ibe stand out as some of his finest pieces of work on Merseyside.

This shows that he has had a huge impact in terms of bringing excellent players to the club as well as being able to balance the books by selling players for big fees – allowing FSG to operate within their means instead of needing to finance signings to bolster the squad.

Fans will now be concerned about what is next for Liverpool and how they replace Edwards next summer, as his track record suggests that whoever takes over from him will need to produce high-quality work to replace him adequately.

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Borna Sosa to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to reports from Germany (via the Express & Star), Steven Gerrard is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the VfB Stuttgart left-back ahead of a potential move during the winter market, as the 41-year-old manager is keen to bring in a top-class addition to challenge Matt Targett for his starting spot in the position.

The report goes on to state that the 23-year-old would likely be available for a fee of around £25m, and, while Gerrard is also thought to be considering an £8m move for Rangers defender Borna Barisic, Sosa is believed to be Villa’s favoured option due to his potential resale value.

Lange must act

Considering just how impressive Sosa has been for Stuttgart this season, in addition to the fact that Gerrard currently lacks a considerable amount of depth at left-back, a deal for the Croatia international would appear to be a very wise piece of business for Johan Lange to get over the line in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 12 Bundesliga appearances this term, the £14.4m-rated man has already registered three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.9 key passes, 2.4 crosses and 1.4 long balls per game.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Pellegrino Matarazzo’s third-best performer in the top flight of German football.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old has also received extremely high praise for his style of play, with Stuttgart’s sporting director, Sven Mislintat, comparing Sosa to a very notable former England captain.

Speaking about the ability of the left-back, Mislintat said: “Borna’s said himself that David Beckham is his role model, and I think he has the same qualities. He puts in crosses from every angle: sometimes chipped, sometimes drilled, sometimes flat, sometimes in behind, sometimes to the front post, other times to the back post. His left foot is a real weapon.”

As such, considering all of the above, a deal for Sosa would indeed appear to be a very smart move for Lange, as the signing of a player who boasts the talent of the Croatian defender would very much appear to be one Gerrard would love.

In other news: “Some contact”: AVFC handed potential transfer boost that will leave Gerrard buzzing

Former Glasgow Rangers striker Nacho Novo believes Alfredo Morelos is in no great rush to depart Ibrox this summer.

The Lowdown: Morelos the subject of heavy interest

Morelos has been the subject of heavy interest already this summer (A Bola), with Portuguese outfit Porto in particular in pursuit.

So far, there does not appear to be any concrete approach made, but there is still plenty of time left before the transfer window slams shut.

The Latest: Novo discusses Morelos

Speaking to The Daily Record, Novo, who ‘took Morelos under his wing’ at Ibrox, believes the striker is in no rush to depart. He said:

“I don’t think Alfie has to prove himself to top clubs in Europe because his record is there for everyone to see. But obviously, if he can do as well in the Champions League as he did in the Europa League then he will attract even more attention and maybe a year from now he can move on.

“That’s a situation where everybody will win.

“He is a big, confident player. He believes in what he can do and he believes in himself. You look at him and he is more relaxed on and off the pitch. He has been at Rangers a long time now and he is settled.

“I know things can change very quickly in football and with agents involved anything can happen, but I know Alfie and I know he loves Rangers. He is passionate, he loves the atmosphere around the club and loves the fans. I honestly don’t think he is in a great hurry to move on.”

The Verdict: Big season ahead

Novo, who has been involved in some controversies down the years (centrocampista.com), knows all about what it takes to be successful in Glasgow. He helped the Gers win several titles, while he was also a part of the team that reached the 2008 UEFA Cup final, which the Gers lost to Zenit St Petersburg.

At 25, the Colombia international meanwhile still has plenty of time left ahead of him, but he will be aware that the time is approaching for him to move on. If the Gers qualify for the Champions League group stages this campaign, it may be the perfect way for Morelos to bow out and move on next summer.

In other news, Rangers fans were unhappy with the exit of this man.

Southampton’s hopes of signing Yangel Herrera this summer have taken a blow after it was reported that West Ham have submitted a bid for the Manchester City midfielder.

What’s the word?

It was reported earlier in the summer transfer window that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, along with West Ham and Leeds United, were interested in signing the 23-year-old after his impressive performances on loan with Granada in recent seasons.

Manchester City reportedly want £20m for the Venezuela international as they look to raise transfer funds, which may put him out of the Saints’ transfer range as Hasenhuttl suggested ahead of the transfer window that they would target players for £10m or less this summer.

However, City’s asking price has seemingly not deterred West Ham, with talkSPORT suggesting recently that they have submitted an official bid for the industrious midfielder, which suggests that he could soon be on his way to the London Stadium.

Should Southampton be trying to sign Herrera?

Central midfield is arguably an area in which Southampton need to strengthen ahead of next season, as they looked vulnerable there last term when Oriol Romeu was out of the team, with Ibrahima Diallo struggling to replicate the Spaniard’s performances alongside James Ward-Prowse.

Stuart Armstrong featured there on occasion but he looks at his best out on the right-hand side and doesn’t possess the defensive mindset of someone like Romeu or Diallo, who usually allow Ward-Prowse to push forward and get involved in the attack.

Therefore, you could argue that an all-action midfielder such as Herrera would be an excellent addition to Southampton’s squad ahead of next season, as he would offer them a different option in the midfield whilst also taking some of the pressure off youngsters such as Diallo and Will Smallbone.

The former New York City FC loanee earned rave reviews for his performances in Spain with Granada and posted their fourth-highest WhoScored rating for 2020/21, with commentator Andy West singing his praises last season.

He said: “You have to be incredibly fit to play the style he does – Thursday and Sunday every week – without dropping your standards. And he has done that, it is something that has stood out.

“He has been one of their most important players.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, he could definitely be a great option for Hasenhuttl to have next season, and if the Saints are truly interested in him, Martin Semmens will have to act quickly to bring him to St Mary’s following the news that West Ham have made an approach for the 23-year-old.

In other news… Semmens heading for Saints transfer disaster with £17m shocker, fans will be fuming

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has revealed Glasgow Rangers left-back Borna Barisic has had an MRI scan and could miss a large chunk of the rest of Euro 2020.

The Lowdown: Barisic struggling

Barisic was selected by his national team manager to represent his country at this summer’s European Championships.

However, he was not in the squad for the clash against England, which Croatia lost 1-0, and the boss revealed he was struggling with an injury.

The Latest: Still out

Speaking after that defeat to The Three Lions, Dalic provided an update on the £5.4m-valued 28-year-old (Transfermarkt). He said (via The Daily Record):

“Borna arrived to the camp and missed two training sessions because of a back injury he had previously with his club.

“He started working out again but unfortunately he’s not in the same shape as he was during the whole season.

“He did an MRI scan today so we will see exactly what the situation with him is over the next few days.

“It is a problem for us, especially against Scotland when he would be at home.

“We will have to see his results then we will know more about his status going forward.”

The Verdict: Knock-on effect for Gers?

In the short-term, this is a blow for Barisic. He will have been eager to represent his nation at a major tournament, and it now appears he may not even have the chance to take the pitch.

It remains to be seen how big the issue is when the the results from the MRI scan come in.

For Rangers, though, it could be a big issue in the longer-term. Dalic has suggested he has been struggling with this back problem for quite a while, and he has a history of injuries at Ibrox (Transfermarkt).

The last thing Steven Gerrard will be wanting is to be without his first-choice left-back when the club’s Champions League qualifying campaign begins.

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man’s Euro 2020 performance.

A key update has emerged on the fitness of Sheffield Wednesday beast Massimo Luongo, regarding how long he is set to be out for.

What’s the latest?

Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore has allayed fears that Massimo Luongo will be out until 2022, confirming that he should be out for weeks instead of months.

He told the Sheffield Star:

“Massimo is just going to be out for weeks… He won’t be out until the new year, he’ll be back with our medical team next week. And then he’ll start working and doing his rehabilitation. He’s got a hamstring string pull, which is unfortunate, he did it in the last kick of the game at Rotherham.

“We wanted to get him into a specialist to get another view, and that’s what he’s done. He’s been given a programme to follow, and we’ll have him back in weeks as opposed to the reports that said he’ll be out until the New Year. We expect him back before that.”

Fans will be buzzing

Wednesday fans will be buzzing with this news as it means that Luongo will not be out until 2022 with his injury, as was first feared. It would have been a major blow to Moore’s squad had the Australian international been out for a number of months, as he is a quality member of the team and a player capable of putting in excellent performances.

The 28-year-old was restricted to 12 games in the Championship last season, averaging a solid WhoScored rating of 6.65. He averaged an impressive 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in the second tier, showing that he was adept at winning the ball back off the opposition.

In his first league appearance of the current campaign, Luongo showed exactly what he is capable of doing at this level with a stunning display against Rotherham in a 2-0 win. He achieved a WhoScored rating of 8.33 as he won two aerial battles, seven tackles, one interception and made three clearances and a block.

Along with the defensive side of his game, the midfield beast also completed three dribbles and one key pass to push his team up the pitch in transition and help to create chances at the top end.

Ex-Owls boss Garry Monk hailed Luongo last year and claimed that he was one of the best players in the side.

He said:

“I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader.

“I have asked more of him vocally to come out of his shell. I think you have seen in some of the games that he is no afraid to say what he wants to say. We need that and I have tried to encourage that.”

This, along with his showing against Rotherham, highlights the impact that he can make on Moore’s side in League One.

Wednesday fans will be over the moon that his injury is not as serious as first thought and that he could be back fit and firing within a few weeks, rather than months.

Hopefully, he is able to get back as quickly as possible to contribute to the Owls’ promotion charge.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has taken the first step to signing Hertha BSC star Matheus Cunha this summer as a fresh transfer update emerges.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Brazilian is a player who the Whites are interested in bringing to the Premier League this summer, and it appears there has now been movement in that pursuit.

According to German publication Bild (via Sport Witness), Bielsa’s side have already expressed their interest in signing the forward, and that a move could be on the cards after the 22-year-old received approval from Hertha to leave.

Imagine him and Bamford

The £27m-rated Brazilian has shades of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino about him, with that impressive knack of getting his teammates involved, and it’s something which has been highlighted by the Bundesliga’s official website.

“Much like the former Bundesliga star, Cunha honed his skills on the streets of Brazil, giving him a one-up on defenders. He can beat them with his speed, skill or intelligence to drift from his marker, having practiced in every position across the front line.

“And much like Firmino, Cunha – even when leading the line – can be found dropping into midfield to pick up possession and link up play with teammates. It’s part of the reason why he’s such a hard attacker to defend against because more often than not, he’s not where you expect him to be.”

And that ability to drop off in between the lines, is what makes his potential partnership with Patrick Bamford a truly exciting one.

Dubbed as “something special” by former Hertha head coach Bruno Labbadia, the £55k-a-week earning Cunha averages an impressive 1.8 key passes and three dribbles per game, and clearly has that creative quality that Bamford could thrive off – to put those stats into context, only Raphinha averaged more key passes than Cunha in the entire Leeds squad, while no-one, not even the Brazilian, could manage his dribbles per match.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Just like Raphinha however, Cunha is direct and pacy, and that’s exactly what Bielsa wants from his side given the intense pressing game that they play and how they are so deadly in transitions and counter-attacks.

Cunha’s partnership with Bamford could be a tantalising one, and the Hertha star also seems to have the kind of attributes that make him tailor-made for Bielsa.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed a major boost…

Alessandro Bastoni could be a realistic signing for Tottenham Hotspur this summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to reliable journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a fresh verdict surrounding Spurs’ interest in the Inter Milan centre-back to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“Bastoni could be a more realistic option for Tottenham right now,” he said.

“[Antonio] Conte and Fabio Paratici will know all about him from their time in Italy and he might be a more achievable target.

“That could be the one Spurs push for as they look to bring in a new centre-back in the summer.”

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

Perfect Conte reunion

It is no secret that the north Londoners are targeting a major central defensive addition this off-season.

The Athletic recently claimed that a left-sided option will be a priority, naming the likes of Bastoni, Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, Lille’s Sven Botman and Nico Schlotterbeck of Freiburg as potential signings.

Given Conte’s history and experience with the Italian, he could well be the best candidate and just as O’Rourke suggests, he is surely a viable and practical signing that Spurs could make.

Prior to the 52-year-old’s arrival at the San Siro, Bastoni was a young and unknown talent that had not featured for the first team. He is now a Serie A winner and valued in the region of £60m.

He started 33 of their 38 games on their way to Inter’s first Scudetto in 11 years and he continues to be an integral part under Conte’s successor, Simone Inzaghi.

Compared to Leonardo Bonucci and Alessandro Nesta, Bastoni offers sublime ball-playing abilities, ranking in the top five in the whole Italian top-flight by attempting 70.9 passes per 90. His ball retention is just as effective, grading at the 86th percentile out of 99 – perfect for Conte.

And whilst he’s not too effective in the air, he is very active and aggressive defensively, ranking in the 94th percentile for intensity.

It’s no wonder the 23-year-old gem has been lauded as a “Rolls-Royce” of a centre-back, as well as being “complete” and “dominant” – this is exactly the sort of profile that Conte adores, so you can only imagine him in a back-three involving Cristian Romero.

The fact that Bastoni is viewed as a realistic signing, despite his £60m valuation, is certainly fantastic news for the Italian head coach heading into the summer.

AND in other news, 75% duels won: £36m-rated Spurs “animal” was Conte’s only shining light at Brentford…