All posts by z3u9t.icu

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Burnley central defender James Tarkowski…

What’s the talk?

Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards has claimed that the defender is keen on a switch to the club, but there is still a stumbling block in the club’s path.

He Tweeted: “I wouldn’t get Trippier printed on the back of any #nufc shirts just yet but this looks like a goodbye to me. As for Tarkowski, he’a not exactly playing his best games for Burnley at the moment. I’m told he also wants to come to #nufc but Burnley very reluctant to sell.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this claim from Edwards irrespective of the Clarets’ desire to keep him this month.

The news that he is keen to join the Magpies will get the fans excited as it shows that there is an interest from the player and he is out of contract in the summer, which means that he could join on a free if he does not arrive in the next few weeks for a transfer fee.

They will also be delighted as he could be an excellent signing for the side. In the past four full Premier League seasons, he has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.02 or higher, showing that he has performed to a high standard in the top-flight over a long period of time.

Meanwhile, no Newcastle centre-back has averaged a score higher than 6.42. This suggests that Tarkowski could vastly improve the standard of Eddie Howe’s options in that position.

His teammate Ben Mee previously lauded his professionalism, saying:

“Obviously there was a lot of talk around Tarky. I’ve said to him, ‘I’m glad you’ve stayed.’ He focused really well and he showed that on Saturday.

“He had the attitude of what will be, will be. He never once stepped out of line. You see other players at other clubs, you hear about something and they can go a bit off the rails. He’s stuck to it and trained really well and stuck with the group. He’s fully focused on playing for us.”

This suggests that he is a player who is able to cope with the speculation over his future, which is good news for Newcastle as it means that he could have a seamless transition into playing for the Magpies. He will not allow a big move to get to his head and will be able to come straight in and perform well.

The key question is whether or not he will join now or at the end of the season. Either way, Edwards’ update provides the exciting prospect of him joining the club and fans will be buzzing with it, regardless of when it happens.

AND in other news, Contact made: NUFC can kickstart PIF era with a bang in £20m deal for “phenomenal” gem…

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur have now become one of the teams interested in signing Sheffield United keeper Aaron Ramsdale this summer.

The Lowdown: Lloris replacement?

As long-time number one Hugo Lloris’ future hangs in the balance at Tottenham, and with no new deal agreed yet, links will keep emerging to his possible heir.

The Frenchman has been a mainstay for Tottenham since he signed from Lyon in the summer of 2012, making 373 appearances for the Lilywhites in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

His current contract expires at the end of next season, though, with Spurs seemingly contemplating his replacement between the sticks.

The Latest: Spurs now want Ramsdale…

As per the Daily Mail, Spurs are now looking at Blades keeper Ramsdale and could offer him a route back into the Premier League after he was relegated last season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news-2/” title=”West Ham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Named on England’s standby list for Euro 2020, the 23-year-old finished 2020/2021 as, arguably, one of the Yorkshire side’s bright sparks in what was a disappointing campaign.

Wolves are also said to be eyeing a move for the 6 foot 2 Ramsdale but Spurs are now ‘planning’ for life without Lloris as he continues to be linked with a move away.

The Verdict: Good shout?

He has no shortage of praise from both coaching staff at Bramall Lane and big name pundits.

Alan Shearer, for example, told the Premier League’s YouTube channel recently that Ramsdale is ‘strong’ and ‘fearless’ whilst carrying ‘lots of potential’.

Meanwhile, former Blades interim manager Paul Heckingbottom also lauded him as ‘excellent’ for his end of season form (Yorkshire Post).

As a result, we believe he should definitely be considered at the very least – especially given his potentially cheap price tag after Sheffield United’s relegation.

In other news: ‘Sources close…’ – Journalist shares exciting transfer development at Spurs, find out more here.

Newcastle United held in to salvage a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday afternoon but Miguel Almiron badly let Steve Bruce down with a wasteful performance from the engine room.

Bruce elected to keep his Paraguayan playmaker in the right-hand slot of a midfield three, having named an unchanged line-up at Anfield from the side that beat West Ham United 3-2 last week.

Having five defenders on the pitch failed to prevent Mohamed Salah from breaking the deadlock in just the third minute, when the Egyptian spun Matt Ritchie at the back post and drilled an unstoppable strike past Martin Dubravka.

Ciaran Clark will have felt he could have done more to prevent the ball from reaching Salah, with the Republic of Ireland international only able to make glancing contact as Sadio Mane’s delivery floated over the six-yard box.

Liverpool kept digging in search of a second and almost found gold through Clark again later in the first half, when the centre-back gifted possession to the Reds only for Diogo Jota to scuff his shot wide.

Clark thought he had equalised for a moment when he headed home from a corner, but he proved to be one of three players in offside positions with one of which Jonjo Shelvey, who blocked Allison’s path to the ball.

Bruce eventually saw enough from Clark, despite a reasonable recovery, to replace the defender with Joe Willock just after the hour mark, in a move that would pay dividends with the Arsenal loanee snatching a 90+4 goal to grab an unlikely draw.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views-2″ title=”Latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

Clark was an easy choice for Bruce to replace having offered no successful tackles while Paul Dummett had three, make no interceptions while Dummett and Federico Fernandez had one apiece, and win no aerial duels, having lost his only challenge, while Fernandez had one, per WhoScored.

Yet Almiron’s wasteful efforts in the engine room ensured he would let Bruce down to a higher degree on Saturday, and offer the Toon head coach an option to replace with Dwight Gayle nearing stoppage-time while a point remained in reach.

Almiron lost 75% of his duels at Anfield with success in one of one aerial challenges but just one of seven on the ground, per SofaScore.

Only Allan Saint-Maximin (12/24) lost more ground duels for the Toon than Almiron, while Jacob Murphy – behind the £14.5m-rated midfielder Kevin Phillips believes is “top quality” on the pitch – won nine of his 11, up against Jota (2/9), Mane (2/9) and Andrew Robertson (6/7).

Murphy also posed a greater attacking threat for the Magpies than Almiron with one shot attempted to the 27-year-old’s zero, and provided one of his side’s six key passes while the influential midfielder failed to carve out a single goalscoring opportunity for a teammate.

A lack of focus in the final third from Almiron had proven costly for Newcastle in the first half, as well, when a communication breakdown led to the former Atlanta United maestro crossing paths with Joelinton and Saint-Maximin as United sought to break forward.

Almiron is now without a goal in his last eight Premier League appearances and without an assist since the first game of the season, and would not have surprised Bruce to see that record continue with his efforts at Anfield.

AND in other news, Newcastle United hold keen interest in £35m titan who “flung his teammates under the bus”…

Leeds United will make Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson a ‘prominent target’, should Jesse Marsch keep the Whites in the Premier League, according to The Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Johnson starring at Forest

Johnson, who can play anywhere across the front three, has scored 15 times in 43 Championship games this season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-42/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” 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 20-year-old has now netted 29 senior goals during his career and has played a key role in Forest’s push for promotion to the Premier League.

As is stands, the Wales international will be entering the final 12 months of his City Ground deal in the summer, and it looks as if Leeds are still keen after Victor Orta revealed he tried to sign the winger when he was just 16.

The Latest: Leeds links

The Daily Mail shared an update regarding Leeds and Johnson on Tuesday afternoon.

They claimed that the Whites will join Brentford and Newcastle in the race to sign the forward, valued at £20m, in the summer.

However, the report adds that Marsch will need to keep Leeds in the top flight and Forest will have to remain in the Championship for a transfer to have any chance of materialising.

The Verdict: Next few weeks key

It looks as if Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers group are willing to reward Marsch, should he guide the Whites to safety, by splashing the cash ahead of his first full season in charge.

However, there is still a lot of work to be done, and you could argue there is a growing possibility Leeds and Forest will be swapping divisions over the coming weeks.

Hopefully, that isn’t the case, and if the Whites want to sign Johnson, they’ll be keeping a close eye on Forest’s automatic and playoff promotion bids in the second tier.

In other news: ‘Big blow…’ – Sky Sports man now reacts to ‘dramatic’ confirmed Leeds news for run-in. 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Marcelo Bielsa is waiting for assurances over transfers before signing a new deal at Elland Road.

Bielsa has transformed Leeds since arriving at the club back in 2018, taking the Whites back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence. And, under the 65-year-old, they look set to retain their status in English football’s top flight.

The Yorkshire outfit are not in any real sort of relegation danger, making this another successful campaign with Bielsa at the helm. One concern, however, will be the Argentinian’s expiring contract.

Bielsa’s current deal is up in the summer, and Palmer is convinced the ex-Lille and Marseille boss is holding off signing an extension until he finds out the club’s transfer plans. The retired England international told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“They’ll certainly bring players in if Bielsa stays. I think that’s why Bielsa hasn’t signed a new contract yet. I think he wants to get to the end of the season and sit down with the owners and see what money is available for him.

“I think Bielsa’s the type of manager, from what I’ve seen from him in the past, if he can’t see progression, he doesn’t see the point of staying — and that’s why he’s ended up moving so often.”

Last summer, Leeds were very active in the transfer window as Bielsa looked to strengthen his squad ahead of their Premier League campaign.

The likes of Raphinha, Diego Llorente and Robin Koch were all brought in, while Rodrigo was signed for big money, joining from Valencia for a club record £26m fee.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has tipped the Whites to pip Everton to the signing of Real Madrid legend Marcelo this summer.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Marcelo move

Marcelo Bielsa has reportedly eyed up an audacious swoop for the Brazilian left-back, as he looks to sign a new player in that position.

With Ezgjan Alioski widely expected to leave, Marcelo has emerged as a shock target for Leeds, having won four Champions League titles with Madrid.

The Latest: Kenny tips Whites to make signing

While nothing too concrete has arrived with regards to the move, someone who is confident about it happening is ex-Whites man Kenny.

Speaking to Football Insider, he claimed Leeds have more chance of acquiring Marcelo’s signature than Everton, who are also believed to in the race:

“I rate this. What a player he has been and what a career he’s had.  With Bielsa, they’ve got a chance at pulling that one off. He’d be an unbelievable signing, for me.

“Everton have stalled a bit at the moment. But Leeds are up-and-coming. So as it stands, it would have to be Leeds because they’re a club on the up compared to where Everton are at the moment.

“They play with a lot of freedom as well which Marcelo will like.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-copy-2/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Potential special signing

If Leeds did manage to sign Marcelo, it would be an unbelievable coup, considering he is arguably the greatest left-back of the last 10 years.

At 33, he may not at his peak anymore, but he could still bring an invaluable winning mentality to the team, not to mention enduring top-class ability – his control on the ball is something very few defenders will ever get near.

With a lot of clubs expected to be interested – his Madrid contract expires next summer – Bielsa will do very well to entice Marcelo to Elland Road, but there would be understandable excitement if it happened.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with another move for a player this summer – find out who it is here. 

The Euro 2020 tournament is well underway, and England played their final group game against the Czech Republic last night at Wembley Stadium.

Having won their first group game against Croatia, the Three Lions drew their previous game with Scotland at Wembley 0-0, after a poor performance, leaving Gareth Southgate and his squad needing victory to win the group, which they duly delivered.

They could now face Germany, France, Portugal, or even Hungary in their knockout stages.

Despite the current crop of England stars fighting it out, Betway recently sat down with a whole host of players to talk about that special feeling of playing at the Euros.

This included Brighton and Hove Albion duo Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana – with Welbeck a part of England’s Euro 2012 squad.

Lallana, however, never actually featured at a Euros for England, but did represent the Three Lions at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The pair opened up on that special feeling of being able to play for their country, having played a combined 76 games for England.

Welbeck first spoke about that feeling of the monumental support during those special tournaments, stating that he knew the whole country was behind himself and his teammates.

However, Welbeck did allude to the pressure of pulling on that coveted shirt, using the advice he received as a youngster at Manchester United…

“Growing up at the Manchester United academy, we’d always been told to play the game, and not the occasion… Try and take that pressure and use it as a positive”.

Lallana spoked fondly of his time playing for England, believing that he will only truly understand how special those moments were once he has retired.

The 33-year-old also the overriding feeling of joy when being able to win a game…

“When you win, there’s no better feeling in football. It’s worth fighting through the disappointments just to achieve them moments”.

One thing for sure is that the current squad will be craving that winning feeling, with all attentions turning to Wembley for tonight’s final group game against the Czech Republic.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has delivered an update on Mateusz Klich’s condition before they take on Sheffield United in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Blades’ visit to Elland Road, the Whites boss revealed: “The situation with Klich is in the process of being solved. There’s a protocol that needs to be completed and we will see what the consequence of that is.

“The rest of the players haven’t arrived back from international duty and it’s not convenient to anticipate whether they are okay or not fitness-wise without having evaluated them.”

Despite seemingly falling out of favour for Bielsa in recent weeks – he has completed the full 90 minutes just twice in Leeds’ last 11 Premier League games – there’s no questioning that, on his day, Klich can be a real influence in the middle of the park.

In his first 16 Premier League games, the £12.5m-rated Polish midfielder bagged himself two goals and picked up five assists, with Danny Mills raving about his performances.

He said: “I think Mateusz Klich has done very, very well because when Bielsa first came in he was almost surplus to requirements, he wasn’t being used an awful lot before he came in and could have been on his way.

“He’s got talent, he’s a clever midfield player, he’s very fit and he’s reliable. Undoubtedly he’s got quality. Maybe it’s a little bit of a stretch to say he could play in any team in the world. He’s just trying to say ‘I rely on this player, he’s been fantastic for me’ and he has, he’s been absolutely superb.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

The midfielder has yet to miss a single league game all season, while due to protocol would also have missed out on important training sessions over the past couple of weeks, which won’t have done his fitness any good whatsoever.

It’s exactly why Bielsa will be very worried over his midfield ace ahead of the all-Yorkshire clash.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a move for this Premier League starlet…

A number of Liverpool fans have been left hugely excited, following claims that Kylian Mbappe is interested in a move to Anfield this summer.

While the Reds have suffered endless woes at centre-back this season, their attacking struggles have also been a huge issue.

Mohamed Salah has been largely blameless, in that respect, continuing to score goals at a rapid rate, but Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have fallen a long way short of their best, mustering just nine league goals each.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

It could be that Jurgen Klopp wants to bring in a top class attacking player this summer, in order to make competition for places even stronger moving forward, with Diogo Jota also an option.

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe is a player who has been linked with Liverpool in the past, and according to Le Parisien [via The Anfield Buzz], the Frenchman ‘can see himself’ playing for the Reds, should they qualify for the Champions League.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-2/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans delight at Mbappe latest

It is undoubtedly an exciting update from a Liverpool perspective and these supporters took to Twitter to give their thoughts on the matter.

“Sunday could potentially win us Mbappe. This is bigger than any final”

Credit: @reformuddu21

“Town”

Credit: @KeithLFC6

“Please don’t give me hope”

Credit: @sarib_khalil

“We would walk the league next season with just him signing and Van Dijk being back”

Credit: @SirLeonP

“Someone tell me I’m dreaming”

Credit: @Lone_R_anger

“Mbappe 2021 is back on”

Credit: @NaeemLFC

In other news, some Liverpool supporters were horrified after key news emerged on Thursday. Read more here.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an exciting Newcastle United transfer update as deadline day looms closer.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Shields Gazette, Steve Bruce’s side have made their checks on Liverpool’s Kabak, with QPR’s Rob Dickie and former Celtic star Kristoffer Ajer also those who have said to have been scouted.

Now, Romano has delivered an update on where things stand with the Magpies’ pursuit of Kabak.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Torino have made a bid to sign former Liverpool centre back Özan Kabak. €1.5m loan fee plus buy option, Schalke refused as they want permanent deal. Talks on. #transfers Newcastle are also interested in Kabak but no official bid yet.”

Premier League proven

With Liverpool without the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez last season, Kabak was thrust straight into the deep end by Jurgen Klopp, but that certainly didn’t faze him, with the centre-back’s maturity something that has been previously lauded.

Thomas Hitzlersperger once commented: “It’s incredible how worldy-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how he mature he is.”

In fact, Klopp even revealed that Schalke boss David Wagner said “he would be a future captain”, while Arsenal’s former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat was equally glowing when talking about him.

He told The Athletic: “I told Jurgen that he’s a top lad. Top mentality, top character, top aggression. He’s a (Dejan) Lovren-type player. Very good in the air, both defensively and in the opposition box.

“He played his best stuff for us (at Stuttgart). He hasn’t been able to show how good he is at Schalke. He still needs to learn but he has all the skills for Klopp to make a success of him.”

With Liverpool having decided not to take up their option to sign Kabak in the summer, the £22.5m-rated ace could well be a shrewd signing for the Magpies.

Fans will surely be buzzing with the prospect of a Premier League proven player arriving at St James’ Park if Newcastle do in fact follow up on their interest in the centre-back.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United have made contact with this Bundesliga star…