All posts by z3u9t.icu

Valerien Ismael is among the contenders for the vacant West Brom manager’s job, according to reports…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from the Daily Mirror, who suggested that the Barnsley boss is high on the Baggies’ shortlist to replace Sam Allardyce at The Hawthorns this summer.

It’s also thought that the Midlands outfit would need to pay around £1.5m in compensation to land the 45-year-old coach after an impressive season in charge of the Tykes.

Former West Brom manager Roy Hodgson and Chris Wilder have also been mooted with the Albion job.

Baggies stars beware

After an abject and pathetic season on the pitch (just five league wins), culminating in relegation to the Championship after just one season back in the big time, a stern presence in the dugout could be exactly what West Brom need to spark the club back into life.

Former LASK Linz and Wolfsburg manager Ismael has completely transformed Barnsley from relegation favourites into play-off contenders in the second tier, before losing to Swansea City.

In his 44 games in charge of the club, he has registered a respectable 56.8% win rate, which is better than the other two candidates in their recent posts. Hodgson leaves Palace having won just 33% of matches, whilst Wilder only won 46.7% of games in charge of Sheffield United despite achieving promotion twice in three years.

Ismael has also been linked with the vacancy at Selhurst Park and, when speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie waxed lyrical about the Barnsley boss.

“He wants that aggressive style. He’s got a very good, young squad at Barnsley and done absolutely brilliant this season with what he’s had at Barnsley. I’ve got to say that, for sure,” the 44-year-old claimed. “I say he likes that aggressive style, but he likes that energy and he plays football in the right way.”

These are all encouraging signs towards why West Brom sporting and technical director Luke Dowling would be wise to appoint someone like Ismael, who was hardly heard of before his stint in the Championship this season.

Some of West Brom’s squad have been around the club for several years, whilst an average age of 26.5 ranked them amongst the oldest in the top flight during 2020/21, as per Transfermarkt.

Albion have a fine academy setup, which means that Ismael would tick another box as his Barnsley side were by far the youngest in the Championship, with an average of just 23.5, as per Transfermarkt.

That would suit Dowling and his academy setup at The Hawthorns, so if he wants to get a reaction ahead of the new season, then the 45-year-old Frenchman must be considered as a serious candidate alongside the likes of Wilder and Hodgson.

AND in other news, Dowling may be on verge of landmark West Brom appointment amid surprise manager twist…

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…

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that a centre-back will be Tottenham’s transfer priority this summer, calling out Davinson Sanchez as one player who is too error-prone.

Despite Tottenham boasting one of the better defensive records in the Premier League this season, former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was still unable to find a settled centre-back pairing.

£65,000-a-week man Davinson Sanchez and summer signing Joe Rodon had started against Aston Villa and Newcastle, although Toby Alderweireld started the previous four prior to missing the Villa victory before the international break through illness.

Since then, Rodon and Eric Dier faced Manchester United, and those two plus Alderweireld came up against Everton in a back three – Mourinho’s last match in charge.

Ryan Mason selected Dier and Alderweireld against Southampton in his first match in charge, with the former not the only one who has cost the north London outfit at times this term – Sanchez was at fault for at least one of Newcastle’s goals during the draw at St James’ Park earlier this month.

And Windass told Football FanCast that Daniel Levy and the prospective new Spurs boss are likely to make serious changes to Tottenham’s defensive department this summer:

“If you’re not cutting the mustard then you’re not going to play.

“Levy definitely needs a centre-half, he’s [Sanchez] making too many mistakes the lad, and at that level you get punished.”

Despite their defensive record not looking too shabby on paper, Tottenham have generally been poor at the back, meaning a centre-back or two should be close to the top of the summer shopping list.

Rodon has generally performed well, but the likes of Dier and Sanchez have continuously let the team down by conceding penalties and gifting goals away, which is exactly why Spurs need to upgrade.

Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has dropped a major update on West Ham United’s plans for the rest of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Speaking on The Transfer Show on Sky Sports, Sheth revealed that the Hammers are “still” keen on bringing in a new centre-forward as they look to provide Michail Antonio with some vital striking competition.

He said: “David Moyes is still looking for a striker to strengthen his West Ham United squad this month, but he won’t take any risks in the market.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Antonio has certainly led the line well for the Hammers this season – he’s scored eight goals and provided another six assists in just 21 Premier League games – he could certainly do with being given some help up front.

That’s something which former Leeds man Noel Whelan has suggested Moyes’ side should be targeting this month. He said: “You can’t have enough strikers. When you look at the top sides and where where you want to be year in, year out in the Premier League, you’ve got to have cover.

“You’ve got to have options. It’s no different to Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool. You’ve got to have options in these positions. I think it will benefit, Michail Antonio. Yes, I know he’s going to be up for the fight to keep his place but it becomes healthy competition. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to play the same as you did the week before when you’re on a good run.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Paddy Kenny, who insisted: “You can’t rely on one man to score all of your goals. Antonio is great but he’s not going to score every week. Sometimes that pressure of scoring goals can almost be a burden. It wouldn’t surprise me if West Ham went and got a player to come in and support him.”

If the Hammers are intent on making a push for a Champions League place for next season, then bringing in someone who can share that goal-scoring burden with Antonio could prove to be crucial, and be the real difference-maker.

The news that Moyes is “still” looking for a new centre-forward is sure to have West Ham fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, West Ham are pushing hard for this attacker…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, David Norris, who made 118 appearances for Ipswich Town, has claimed that on-loan striker, Troy Parrott, won’t be able to make a career for himself at his parent club Tottenham Hotspur.

Parrott has high expectations at Spurs with current manager, Ryan Mason, claiming that the club still have confidence in the striker to fulfil his potential, despite a tough time during both his loan spells at Ipswich and Milwall respectively this season.

The 19-year old has only managed one goal in 29 games this campaign, which saw him also fail to score at all during the first half of the season when he played 11 times in the Championship with Millwall.

Speaking on how his loan spells haven’t worked out for him and how he doesn’t think the striker has enough to make it at Tottenham, Norris exclusively told FFC:

“It’s not worked out for him because one goal in 15 games is not great and it’s not what the club would have hoped for, and it’s certainly not what the lad would have wanted. 

“I think I’d probably say I’m not sure he’s going to cut it in the Premier League.”

Parrott has made just four appearances for Spurs but his record for their U18s side was phenomenal, which saw him score 17 goals in 15 games.

Spurs may feel he needs a season in their U23s to potentially regain some of his confidence after a poor season on the pitch for the Republic of Ireland international.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans are buzzing as Sky Sports share news involving Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

The Serbian powerhouse, standing at a colossal 6 foot 4, was a mainstay for La Viola over the 2020/2021 Serie A season – starting 34 league matches whilst averaging more clearances per 90 (3.6) than any Fiorentina man with over five appearances (WhoScored).

West Ham are said to be prioritising a new centre-half alongside the signing of a new striker and permanent deal for Jesse Lingard this summer (Claret & Hugh), with Milenkovic linked as a defensive target.

Now, Sky Sports Italia (June 23, 10:20) say that the Hammers are ‘back to pushing’ for Milenkovic this summer after they lodged a €25 million (£21.4m) offer last year.

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

They also say that the bid this time round from West Ham could be lower, but in any case, Fiorentina may be convinced to sell if the right amount arrives.

It’s safe to say this news has many supporters excited, with many Irons dropping takes on the development in response to West Ham Fan Zone and West Ham Central.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans excited by Sky claim on Milenkovic

“Yes please”

Credit: @WHU_Tom_

“MY NUMBER ONE TARGET PLEASEEE”

Credit: @WestHam_Central

“Milenkovic is a top top top player”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Pleaseeeeeeeee”

Credit: @idkwhatnameeee

“Hand over the Europa League title already will ya.”

Credit: @HR_whuFC

“Milenkovic and Caleta Car were the two I wanted the most so I’m hyped if this is true”

Credit: @NoContextWalker

“Over the moon. Feel like he could be incredible for us.”

Credit: @louiefootball

“Apparently available for less than £25M too, would be great for us”

Credit: @morgzwhu

In other news: ‘Please be true’, ‘Surely not’…West Ham fans also flocked to this exit claim, find out more here.

Dean Windass believes that Tammy Abraham would snap up the chance to return to Aston Villa this summer.

The 23-year-old spent the 2018-2019 campaign on loan at Villa Park, scoring 25 Championship goals, including a crucial one in the play-off semi-final to help Dean Smith’s men return to the Premier League.

His fine loan spell clearly impressed then Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, who quickly made Abraham his first-choice striker at Stamford Bridge following their transfer ban.

And the Abraham repaid the faith shown in him by scoring 18 goals in all competitions to guide the west London outfit to a top four finish.

But since Lampard was sacked back in January, Abraham’s opportunities have been limited, and having been left out of the squad for both the FA Cup final and Champions League final, his days at Stamford Bridge would appear limited.

With that in mind, several Premier League clubs have been linked with the £40m-rated striker, with Villa in the running.

And Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that following his affiliation to the club, a return to Villa Park would make sense:

“Tuchel has come in and didn’t fancy Tammy, so if Dean Smith, if Villa come calling he’ll say yes because he’s been there before.”

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…

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

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.