All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa are set to enter a new chapter in their history after Steven Gerrard replaced Dean Smith in the managerial hot seat, and the 41-year-old certainly has some big decisions to make.

The Villans are currently on a five-game losing streak after struggling to cope with the exit of former talisman and skipper Jack Grealish over the summer, a run that ultimately resulted in Smith’s dismissal.

If Gerrard wants to stop the rot and kickstart his tenure with a string of positive results, then he may have to make some bold decisions and recall some tried and trusted performers into the starting XI.

One of those who deserve to be instantly reinstated is Douglas Luiz.

The defensive midfielder is currently missing international duty with Brazil as he makes his continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. The £31.5m-rated gem has been absent from the Villans’ last two fixtures, both of them defeats at the hands of West Ham United and Southampton.

However, Luiz posted a photo of himself in action earlier this season, along with the caption: “I’ll be on the field soon @AVFCOfficial”, which raised hope that the South American could be set to make his comeback against Brighton and Hove Albion.

In his absence, Smith had been utilising Marvelous Nakamba at the base of the engine room, and although the 27-year-old put in some full-blooded displays, he lacks the class and guile of his more technically-gifted teammate.

Following a stellar performance against Manchester United last season, journalist Gregg Evans labelled Luiz an “absolute star” while he’s also caught the eye of former Napoli manager Gianni Di Marzio.

The Italian tactician spent some time talking to TuttoMercatoWeb Radio about some of the up and coming players that have impressed him in the past and recently.

Among them was the Villa star. He said: “During the Toulon tournament, I was impressed by a playmaker called Douglas Luiz, who seems ready for the jump in Italy. He’s 22 and seems to be among the best in his role.

“Now he’s at Aston Villa and has also been called up for Brazil. He’s very technical, he acts like a filter in front of the defence. A little like Miralem Pjanić, so to speak. He anticipates the opponent well”.

And when looking at Luiz’s underlying numbers, his importance to the Midlands outfit becomes evidently clear.

As per FBref.com, the youngster has recorded 1.84 tackles, 2.24 blocks and 2.5 interceptions per 90 this season, bettering Nakamba’s tallies of 1.75, 1.5 and 1.25, respectively.

But Luiz has also outperformed his Zimbabwean colleague when in possession of the ball as well, highlighting his influence over proceedings at both ends of the pitch.

Luiz has made 2.9 Shot Creating Actions per 90 and 1.71 key passes, whereas Nakamba has put up totals of just 0.76 and 0.25.

Therefore, Gerrard must get the Brazilian back into his starting lineup as soon as possible in order to make his spell in the Midlands a success, restoring the balance back to his midfield in the process.

And, in other news…Lange could seal dream AVFC deal with “fantastic” £5.4m-rated ace, Gerrard “loves him” 

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, journalist Dean Jones has shared an interesting update on Tottenham Hotspur’s links to former star Gareth Bale.

The Lowdown: Bale set for summer exit…

The Wales international is set to leave Real Madrid as a free agent in June with his contract on the verge of expiry, leaving the door open for interested clubs to sign him on a Bosman this summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Bale’s pedigree and experience at the very top level could be a real pull for clubs in the Premier League and beyond with Spurs having been linked to signing him a third time.

The 32-year-old spent 2020/2021 on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, finishing last season as the Lilywhites’ third-most threatening player in terms of league goals and assists combined (WhoScored).

Bale, who is about to become one of the big name free agents up for grabs, is apparently attracting Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s personal interest as Jones shares what he knows.

The Latest: Jones shares interesting Bale to Spurs update…

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, the transfer reporter explained how Levy is ‘tempted’ by the idea of signing Bale, a player he ‘loves’.

When asked if the Tottenham chief could be contemplating a summer swoop, Jones explained:

“I mean, he’s always tempted. He loves him. He managed to get him back there before.”

The Verdict: Third time lucky?

Bale’s reunion at N17 last year was a mixed one, with the attacker enjoying spells of brilliant form but also suffering from various fitness issues throughout.

He even attracted criticism from ex-manager Jose Mourinho for giving a false depiction of his rehabilitation on Instagram at one point.

Wales’ superstar could also command huge wages which may be a point of contention financially for Tottenham amid their issues with mounting club debt.

That being said, critics in England believe his quality remains, with talkSPORT host Andy Golstein claiming last year that Bale is still ‘world class’ and he would take him at Manchester United.

Having racked up an impressive career total of 183 goals, there is no question that the ex-Southampton product carries a threat when at his best, but manager Antonio Conte’s intense training methods and high-intensity pressing style could wreak havoc with Bale’s fitness.

This move arguably comes as a mixed bag when taking all of this into account and it will be interesting to see whether Levy does in fact green-light the transfer this summer.

In other news: Paratici sets sights on ‘phenomenal’ £100m man who Spurs have been offered before! Find out more here.

Celtic are edging closer to securing a deal that would see Jota make a permanent move to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s side are on the brink of securing a deal worth around £6m to convert the 22-year-old’s current season-long loan into a permanent switch to the Bhoys.

The report goes on to state that Celtic have been in talks with Benfica regarding a move for the Portugal U21 international for a considerable length of time, and that these negotiations have progressed in recent days, before suggesting that the deal now looks to be close to completion.

Fans will love it

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic side Jota has become since his temporary switch to the club last summer, the news that the 22-year-old looks set to become Postecoglou’s fifth signing in the January transfer window – following the arrivals of Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny – is sure to be an update Celtic fans will love.

Indeed, over his 11 Premiership appearances so far this season, the £4.95m-rated winger has been in remarkable form, scoring five goals, registering four assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £7.1k-per-week forward average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him not only as Celtic’s fourth-best performer in the current campaign – of those who remain at the club – but also as the sixth-best player in the entirety of the Scottish top flight.

Furthermore, Jota has also bagged a further two goals and two assists over his five Europa League fixtures, in addition to one goal over two League Cup appearances, taking his total to eight goals and six assists over just 18 games for Celtic.

As such, it would indeed appear an extremely wise move for Postecoglou to do all he can to tie up the transfer of Jota this month, as, at just 22 years of age, the winger is undoubtedly a player who boasts an incredible amount of potential – something which could see him become an extremely valuable asset for the Bhoys both on and off the pitch.

In other news: “Advanced stage..”: Joseph drops huge transfer update that’ll have Celtic fans buzzing

Everton have been absolutely plagued with injuries in the first half of the season, with Rafael Benitez having to put together makeshift teams with key players missing for large chunks of the Premier League campaign so far.

As a result, it has left the Toffees 15th in the table after 17 games, but the impending return of one very influential player could change everything for the Merseyside club.

What’s the word?

Having last played at the end of August due to a toe injury, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been teasing his return for a few weeks and injury expert Ben Dinnery has now claimed that, following his analysis, the 24-year-old is back available. He told Football Insider: “There is a big difference between being available and being fit. He is certainly available for selection.”

However, Dinnery also added a word of caution for the Everton manager regarding the usage of the striker, saying: “He has been out for the past four months now. To throw him into that highly pressurised environment is a very, very risky situation.”

The England international had sent a video message to a fan just before Christmas and made the claim of a potential of a return to the team on Boxing Day. However, with further Premier League fixture postponement, Everton are yet to play since 16 December, but it could be a blessing in disguise in terms of allowing Calvert-Lewin further time to recover fully from his injury.

Fans will be buzzing

Some Everton fans have made no secret about their excitement for Calvert-Lewin’s return, with plenty taking to social media when news travelled on his imminent return.

The club’s official Twitter account posted pictures of training this afternoon and there were numerous replies expressing glee over the sight of the 24-year-old, who it seems is closing in on a comeback to action.

There is no doubt that Benitez will be thrilled and relieved with the return of the prolific striker, as his side really need to start picking up points. Their last 13 league games have yielded just two wins, with last season’s 21-goal top scorer being sorely missed in that time, not least as he had carried over his fine form into the early weeks of the current campaign prior to his injury.

What better way to kick off the New Year than the potential return of Calvert-Lewin, especially if it accompanies a win against Brighton at Goodison Park on Sunday. With the Seagulls being the last team he faced (and scored against), a goalscoring return to the fold this weekend would seem quite fitting.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano confirms Toffees’ interest in this La Liga maestro

Taking to Twitter, Foot Mercato journalist Sebastien Denis has broken some West Ham United transfer news involving RC Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque.

The Lowdown: West Ham in striker hunt…

In perhaps the worst-kept secret of the January transfer window, Irons manager David Moyes and new transfer chief Rob Newman have their eyes firmly placed on bringing in a new striker alongside other additions.

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

There have been plenty of names linked with a move to east London, including Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa and Blackburn’s Ben Brereton-Diaz, with Moyes and Newman seemingly looking under every rock.

The latter has been tasked with assisting West Ham in the transfer market after leaving his role of chief scout at Manchester City, coming with a big reputation from his time at Eastlands (The Athletic).

As of yet, the head of recruitment has been unsuccessful in clinching any West Ham deals, but he has now set his sights on a new target.

The Latest: Newman eyeing Ajorque…

According to French journalist Denis, West Ham and by extension Newman have set their sights on Strasbourg’s in-form talisman Ajorque amid their drawn-out search for centre-forward options.

The journalist explained on Twitter: “Looking for a 9 for many months, West Ham is interested in Ludovic Ajorque, the Strasbourg serial scorer, current 2nd top scorer in L1 with 10 goals.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee recently claimed that the Irons were looking for talent in Ligue 1, with the French top flight potentially becoming a solution for Newman (West Ham Way).

It is therefore no surprise to see another name from France linked with a move to West Ham, but going by his numbers, Ajorque could be a shrewd option.

Alongside his impressive strike rate this season, the 27-year-old has notched an impressive total of 79 senior career goals and is an imposing threat going forward.

Compared to West Ham’s current squad, the towering 6 foot 5 striker has averaged a colossal 3.7 aerial duels won per 90 over 17 league starts – far more than any Irons player this season (WhoScored).

An aerial threat and proven in front of goal, it’s little wonder the Hammers and Newman now hold an interest in Ajorque.

In other news: West Ham source: Newman also moves to sign ‘devastating’ forward after price plummets by £32m, find out more here.

With Everton having racked up a mixed bag of results in the Premier League so far this season with five wins, three draws and seven defeats, they have the opportunity to do some business in the upcoming January transfer window to help revitalise the squad and get them on track for the second half of the campaign.

One bit of business which could be done at Goodison Park in January could see one of their current players wave goodbye to the club before any potential new signings walk through the door.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Everton journalist Phil Kirkbride in the Liverpool Echo, Toffees manager Rafael Benitez is seemingly keen to offload players in January, including Cenk Tosun.

Everton secured the signing of the Turkey centre-forward back in the 2018 January transfer window from Turkish club Besiktas in a deal worth a reported fee of £27m. Since then, he has had a loan spell at fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace, as well as a temporary return to Istanbul last season.

Overall, the 30-year-old has made 59 appearances for the Toffees across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists along the way.

Even though he has been injured for a significant period this season, Tosun has only played six minutes (in one game) in the six matches in which he has featured in Everton’s senior squad in the Premier League in 2021/22.

This suggests to us that he is not regarded fondly by Benitez, even though the Toffees have had Dominic Calvert-Lewin out injured for quite a while.

With this in mind and the manager seemingly preferring Salomon Rondon, who has played in 10 league games without scoring for Everton so far this season, it’s not surprising to hear that the Spaniard would be willing to move Tosun on from the club in January.

Moving forward, if Everton receive an offer to take him off their hands on a permanent basis for a suitable transfer fee, this could be the best option for all parties if he’s able to get regular playing time elsewhere and the Toffees are able to get his £69k-per-week wages off their books.

Getting Tosun out the door could be a significant step in Benitez revitalising Everton’s stagnant season, especially if it helps to finance a new signing next month.

In other news: Moshiri risks further Everton fury as links emerge on “complete” £110k-p/w machine

Everton are reportedly among a number of clubs who want to sign Christian Eriksen on a free transfer in the summer.

The Lowdown: Eriksen’s deal expiring

The 30-year-old’s six-month deal at Brentford expires in the summer, so he will be able to talk to other clubs about signing as a free agent.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-4/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Denmark international has made a return to the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for his country at Euro 2020, so caution was taken by the Bees over the length of contract given to him during the January transfer window.

The Latest: Eriksen wanted by Everton

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that Everton are just one of the clubs ‘looking’ into offering Eriksen a contract this summer, along with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Fulham.

The Dane’s former club Tottenham Hotspur are also ‘interested’ in his signature, and there is interest from abroad too, but the 30-year-old would prefer to remain in England.

The Verdict: No-brainer

Assuring that the Merseyside club can stay in the Premier League, signing Eriksen for free is surely a no-brainer.

Described as a ‘magician’ by Spurs insider John Wenham earlier this season, and recently hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by his manager Thomas Frank, the playmaker has already reminded the Premier League what he is capable of by scoring one goal and supplying one assist in his five Brentford appearances so far, including netting in the recent 4-1 demolition of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (Transfermarkt).

Currently rated at £13.5m, and not thought to be wanting six-figure wages, landing Eriksen on a free transfer would be a real bargain, and the Toffees would do well to beat off the fierce competition for his services.

In other news, find out what ‘significant’ update has now emerged from Goodison Park

Some Wolves supporters have been hailing a brilliant piece of skill produced by Rayan Ait-Nouri in the weekend victory over West Ham.

Bruno Lage’s side are still on a high after seeing off the Hammers at Molineux on Saturday, with Raul Jimenez’s goal earning them a 1-0 win.

It was a victory which further suggested that Wolves could be eyeing up European football this season, with their sixth-place position achieved after a strong run of form.

Lage has got his team playing attacking football and picking up positive results at the same time, with his players performing well both individually and as a collective.

One player who shone against West Ham was Ait-Nouri, with five tackles and seven duels won on the day. On Tuesday, Wolves’ official Twitter channel posted a video of him producing a superb piece of skill on the touchline, backheeling the ball to take out Tomas Soucek in one slick movement.

Wolves fans laud Ait-Nouri skill

These Wanderers fans took to Twitter to hail the left-back’s moment of quality, with one hailing him as a “baller” and another revelling about how he “had West Ham on strings”.

“Just Hwang and Ait-Nouri running the show down the left”

Credit: @Westywwfc

“Bruno training, motivating, allowing natural skills. This team may falter but will get better”

Credit: @geofftwitt

“Silky baller”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Marcal would’ve broke his ankle attempting such filth”

Credit: @Staffs_chris85

“He had West Ham on strings all game”

Credit: @LoganL151

“Hoping to see this on Soccer AM Saturday.”

Credit: @warren_bland

In other news, Luke Hatfield has tipped one Wolves player to leave the club. Find out who it is here.

Celtic signing Reo Hatate has now landed in the UK and is set to be unveiled as a Hoops player soon, Kieran Devlin reports.

The Lowdown: Triple signing

Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson have made early inroads into the club’s January business, with moves for Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda already tied up.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-copy/” title=”Celtic updates!! (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Midfielders Hatate and Ideguchi have penned four-and-a-half-year contracts at Parkhead, whereas forward Maeda has joined on an initial loan deal with a compulsory purchase option included for the summer.

Both Maeda and Ideguchi have already been unveiled as Celtic players, and it seems as if Hatate will do the same shortly.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin shared a post on The Athletic on Wednesday, saying: ‘understand Hatate has landed in the UK and is set to be unveiled as a Celtic player over the next few days’.

The 24-year-old, along with Maeda, has been removed from Japan’s squad for their Kirin Challenge match against Uzbekistan, with the squad made up of domestic players only.

The Verdict: Good news…

With all three now in the country and Hatate soon to be unveiled, it can only be viewed as good news ahead of Celtic’s return to action following the winter break.

The Hoops face Hibernian in 11 days, so having the Japanese trio all at Lennoxtown and involved with the squad could mean they may all have a chance to feature at Parkhead on Monday, January 17.

That will be a welcome boost for Postecoglou, who had a number of players sidelined prior to the winter break against St Johnstone through injury and Covid-19.

In other news: Celtic may now sign £4.5m-rated man on loan; would ‘separate’ Nicholson from Lawwell. 

Liverpool are back in Premier League action this afternoon with an away clash against Wolves at Molineux in their latest push for the Premier League title. 

After seeing off their Merseyside rivals in midweek with a 4-1 victory over Everton, Jurgen Klopp’s side are in third place in the league table with 31 points, one behind Manchester City and two behind Chelsea heading into this weekend’s fixtures. 

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Klopp could choose to be in his starting XI to take on Bruno Lage’s side, one player that didn’t play against Everton that should be in the mix this afternoon is defender Ibrahima Konate, who Klopp has previously said has “massive potential.”

Given how the Everton game was only on Wednesday, perhaps this could be an area where Klopp could look to rotate his players and kill two birds with one stone by resting Matip, who played in midweek, and giving Konate some minutes under his belt. 

Standing at 6ft 4in tall, Konate has kept three clean sheets in the four league games he’s played in so far this season, showing that he is more than capable of playing at a high level in the top flight. 

One of those clean sheets came during Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford where Konate managed to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently hit the 800 career goals mark, quiet for the day, showing that the Frenchman can battle it out against dangerous attacking opponents.

This performance against the Red Devils led to Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders calling Konate a “beast.”

Overall, Konate has managed to rack up an average of 4.8 clearances per game, two interceptions per game and 1.5 tackles per game, as well as winning 69% of duels, which could make him a terrifying opponent for Wolves on this occasion.

Looking ahead to the Wolves match, this could be a great test for the £70k-a-week earning Konate to play against some of Wolves’ attacking players such as Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Hwang Hee-chan as the Old Gold will presumably be on the attack given how they’ve only managed to pick up two 0-0 draws in their two previous games.

In other news: Big relief: Klopp given major LFC boost as transfer claim emerges, fans surely buzzing – opinion