All posts by h716a5.icu

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been handed a big injury boost as the squad prepare to head into the new season… 

What’s the latest?

Mateusz Zukowski has posted an image of himself in pre-season training for the Gers with the caption “Glad to be back” on Twitter as he confirmed that he has now recovered from the injury that kept him out for a large chunk of the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.

The right-back joined the club from Lechia Gdansk in the January transfer window and was unable to make much of an impact on the pitch as he struggled with a knock after arriving in Scotland.

He is now back in training and will be looking to catch the manager’s eye as he attempts to challenge James Tavernier for his place in the team.

Gio van Bronckhorst will be delighted

The Gers head coach will be delighted with Zukowski’s recovery as he is not blessed with senior full-back options in his squad.

If Calvin Bassey is playing at centre-back, Borna Barisic and Tavernier are the only first-team full-backs available to the Dutchman.

This means that the Light Blues would be in a tricky position if they lost either of them to injury without the Polish defender being fit and ready to slot in to take their place, which is why his return is a big boost for the club.

Ross Wilson hailed the signing at the time, saying: “As part of our transfer strategy this window we wanted to recruit a young, right full-back who we see high potential in to further develop.

“Mateusz absolutely fits the profile that we were looking for in the market and we are all looking forward to working with him. He is a determined character and I know how excited he is to come here.”

These comments suggest that he has been brought in with a view to him breaking into the starting XI further down the line, but he can also make an impact if called upon in the immediate future.

In the Polish top-flight last season, the 20-year-old made 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game and chipped in with two goals and one assist in 12 starts prior to making the move to Glasgow.

He has shown that he has the quality to win the ball back consistently at senior level and that is why van Bronckhorst will be delighted to have him back fit and firing this week.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Morelos: Rangers can form dream duo with bid for 98 G/A “delicious” gem…

West Bromwich Albion are leading the race to sign Derby County captain Tom Lawrence.

What’s the latest?

According to Football League World, West Brom are in pole position to sign Lawrence after a report from the Daily Record revealed that Rangers have downplayed reports linking them with the player.

The Baggies have been strongly linked with the forward recently but reportedly face competition from Watford and Sheffield United, as well as Gers, for his signature.

However, they have now been handed a huge boost with it now appearing as if the Scottish club aren’t pursuing a deal.

Imagine him & Dike

With his contract set to expire, it wouldn’t be too difficult to persuade Lawrence to move across the Midlands and link up with Steve Bruce’s side.

If he does move to The Hawthorns then one player he will be featuring alongside is Daryl Dike. The USA international joined West Brom in January from MLS side Orlando City after impressing during a previous loan spell at fellow Championship side Barnsley.

During his time in Yorkshire, the striker scored nine goals in 19 appearances which helped lead them to the play-offs. Should he be able to recreate this form next term, he could form a formidable partnership with Lawrence – if he joins the club.

Dike has only featured twice for West Brom after missing 11 games due to a hamstring injury. If you compare his statistics when he was at Barnsley to Lawrence’s last season, you can see how well they would work together.

The Welshman registered five assists and created three big chances showing that he is more than capable of creating chances for Dike to latch onto.

In his spell Oakwell, Dike averaged 1.7 shots per game which could easily be increased with service from Lawrence.

Given he will be available for free, and that his wage is only £27k per week, it makes perfect sense for the Baggies to do all they can to secure the 28-year-old’s signature.

He has been described as “brilliant” by journalist Ryan Conway and could be key to their promotion push next season.

The West Midlands outfit will also be hoping that Dike can replicate the form shown at Barnsley, if he does, then the club are in with a good chance of mounting a push back to the Premier League.

AND in other news: Bruce must finally axe West Brom’s “overhyped” £18k-p/w dud, they can do much better…

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Keane Lewis-Potter to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by I News, who claim that, despite Victor Orta moving on from his interest in Huddersfield Town central midfielder Lewis O’Brien, the sporting director is still tracking a number of the Championship’s most promising talents this summer, with Hull City’s Keane Lewis-Potter believed to be of particular interest to the Spaniard.

The report goes on to state that a number of other Premier League sides are also keeping a close eye on the situation of the left-winger ahead of a potential move of their own, while the Tigers are reported to be demanding a figure in the region of £15m in order to part with the England U21 international this summer.

“Similar to Hazard”

Considering how exciting a prospect Lewis-Potter undoubtedly is, it is not difficult to understand why Orta would be interested in a deal to bring the 21-year-old to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

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Indeed, over his 46 Championship appearances in 2021/22, the £10.8m-rated talent was in spectacular form for Shota Arveladze’s side, scoring 12 goals, registering four assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £500-per-week winger – who can also operate in attacking midfield and up top – average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Hull’s seventh-best player in the second tier of English football.

As a result of these impressive metrics, Lewis-Potter has already come in for a considerable amount of praise in his short career, with Hull youth coach Craig Fagan stating his belief that the England youth international is “similar to Hazard” in his playing style, while Nick Miller claimed that the youngster is a “special talent.”

As such, should Orta manage to get a deal over the line for the City starlet this summer, it would very much appear as if the Spaniard will have landed an exceptionally gifted young attacker – a prospect that is sure to delight both Jesse Marsch and the Elland Road faithful alike.

AND in other news: Contact made: Orta now in Leeds talks over £24.3m-rated signing, he’s “on KP’s level”

An update has emerged on Tottenham’s pursuit of Leeds forward Raphinha in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

The Athletic’s Adam Crafton has claimed that Spurs have a “genuine interest” in the winger as Fabio Paratici eyes multiple deals at the same time to ensure that the club do not end up missing out on adding in key areas.

In the accompanying article, it is reported that Leeds are open to cashing in on the Brazilian in the coming months and will not stand in his way if a reasonable offer comes in.

Arsenal and Chelsea are also said to be keen on the attacker, who the Whites signed for £17m in 2020, whilst Barcelona look set to be priced out of a deal that could cost around £47m.

Arjen Robben 2.0

By signing Raphinha, Tottenham can land their own version of former Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Chelsea phenomenon Arjen Robben.

The Dutch dynamo was renowned for being effective at cutting inside onto his left foot from the right wing and became a top player in Europe. Of his 209 career goals, 141 came via his left foot – from open play, penalties, and free-kicks.

These statistics show that he was lethal on his left whilst playing as a right-sided forward and that is what Raphinha has been for Leeds since making the move to England.

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In 65 Premier League appearances, the Brazilian has scored 17 goals for the Whites and a whopping 16 of them came via his left foot – mainly playing on the right of a front three. Journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor dubbed him “magic” and said that he “raises the temperature” by taking the ball onto his left foot.

Along with his being able to score goals, the 25-year-old wizard has proven that he can be a creative outlet out wide whilst performing consistently in the top flight.

As you can see in the graphic above, Raphinha regularly put chances on a plate for his teammates – creating almost two per match – but he was only rewarded with three assists for his efforts.

Now, imagine if he had the likes of Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-min Son to link up with in the final third.

He can take his game to the next level by playing Champions League football instead of being in a team battling against relegation as he will have teammates more capable of finishing off the chances he is able to create.

Antonio Conte would have his own version of Robben, scoring and creating goals on his left foot, if Paratici is able to beat Arsenal and Chelsea to the Brazil international’s signature this summer and the Italian chief must now secure his services.

AND in other news, Romano: Spurs set to enter exciting talks “in the coming hours”, Conte will be buzzing…

BBC pundit Alan Hutton has claimed that Liverpool will be ‘raging’ after news has emerged that Mohamed Salah has turned down the opportunity of an injury scan whilst away on international duty.

The Lowdown: Salah rejects Liverpool request

It was reported by BBC Sport earlier this week that the 29-year-old had rejected the Reds’ request for him to have tests on a mystery injury before participating in Egypt’s match against Guinea on Sunday.

In a post-match interview, manager Ehab Galal confirmed that the forward did indeed have a problem before the game kicked off, but that he decided to ‘play through it’, rather than getting it checked out by the medical team.

The Latest: Hutton’s ‘angry’ Salah claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton claimed that Liverpool will be far from happy with Salah taking any unnecessary risks ahead of the start of the new season.

“Liverpool will probably be raging. It’s things I’ve seen throughout my own career, this kind of battle between club and country.

“The player wants to play for this country, which is obviously great, but for the club, they obviously pay him the big wages. They expect him to be ready for pre-season and fighting fit.

“If he needed an operation, for talking sake, and he’d miss four, five weeks because of it, you could get that done now. He’d be back in time.

“Hiding the scan results or not showing Liverpool what’s going on, it masks over all that. They’re left in the dark.

“Of course, you’re going to be angry about that. It’s just natural you want your best players fit and ready to go for the start of the new season.

“It’ll be interesting to see what comes out from it. It’s not ideal hiding it from the club.”

The Verdict: Durable as ever

Salah did sustain a groin injury during the FA Cup final against Chelsea which saw him forced off the pitch, but was able to make a return before the conclusion of the season, having featured in the final day Premier League victory against Wolves to then going on to play the full 90 minutes of the Champions League final prior to leaving for international duty.

The 5 foot 9 talisman is an extremely durable player for Jurgen Klopp, having missed just three games through injury in his entire Reds career, so we don’t see this as a major issue.

He currently finds his future at Liverpool very much up in the air as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield, but if he is to remain on Merseyside, the Reds will expect their star man to be fully fit ahead of the start of the new season, while Egypt’s absence from the World Cup will force him to rest in the usually hectic winter period.

In other news… Liverpool are reportedly in talks with one of their first-team starlets over a possible new deal.

Liverpool are set for a big summer in terms of their transfer window after a huge update has emerged from a reliable source.

What’s the latest?

According to popular Liverpool insider @DaveOCKOP, Sadio Mane has agreed to a three-year deal with Bayern Munich to join them this summer.

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The 300k followed account tweeted: “Sadio Mane has agreed a three-year contract with Bayern Munich. PSG and Barcelona were also interested.

“He has spoken directly to Julian Nagelsmann. Now up to clubs to agree a fee. Liverpool and Bayern Munich began official talks yesterday [Tuesday].”

Supporters will be devastated

Mane has been a consistent and key player at Anfield for six years now and has been one of the most important influences in their success, winning a Champions League, Premier League title, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Premier League golden boot since his arrival in 2016.

The Senegalese winger has scored 120 goals and delivered 48 assists in 269 appearances for the club, with a goal contribution every 128 minutes which is an extremely impressive output that Liverpool will struggle to replace in the team.

Jurgen Klopp has always been full of praise for his player, hailing Mane after scoring the winning goal against Aston Villa this season:

“He’s a machine, I told him after the game,” the German coach claimed.

“Massive player. [His] physicality is brutal, this mix of technique, desire, and physicality in this moment when everybody has a few yards in the legs…you can see it with him to be honest. Top goal, just fantastic, a world-class player.”

This season, Mane was hugely influential in the Champions League campaign which saw Liverpool reach their third final in the prestigious competition in five years.

The 30-year-old star scored five goals this season in the competition, with two of those goals coming in the semi-finals against Villarreal scoring in both legs to guide his team comfortably into the final in Paris against Real Madrid.

As a result of the above, fans will surely be devastated that his exit from Anfield is now gathering pace.

FSG must make it a top priority to replace the winger as soon as they can this summer to recoup the number of goal contributions that Mane offers the team.

They will evidently have a difficult task in identifying the players that can make an instant impact that can seamlessly fit into the team next season.

AND in other news: Klopp plotting Liverpool swoop for “quality” £19k-p/w phenomenon, he can replace Mane

Newcastle United avoided falling through the Premier League trap door in the 2021/22 campaign as they achieved a comfortable midtable finish in the top-flight.

Eddie Howe led the team out of trouble after staring relegation in the face in the first half of the season and will now be looking to push on next term.

Dan Ashworth has been appointed as the club’s sporting director and the pair will now be working with each other to improve the squad in the coming months.

One player the club have been linked with a move for is Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca and the club must ensure that they can strike a deal for him.

Andy Carroll 2.0

The 6 foot 4 Italian can be the new Carroll – 6 foot 3 – for Newcastle as he is a well-rounded centre-forward who can be the focal point of Howe’s attack next season.

Throughout his time in the Premier League, the former Toon striker has scored 24 goals with his left foot, 24 with his head and six with his right. This shows the level of versatility he has in front of goal as he offers a threat on the floor and in the air.

In his short career to date, Scamacca – who reportedly rejected a £35m move to Arsenal – has scored 12 headers, 19 with his right foot and two free-kicks

Ex-Italy U21 coach Luigi Di Biagio previously commented on his all-round game, saying:

“He can become a very high-level centre-forward.

“He has the technique of a 1.75 m tall player and the physicality of a 1.95 m tall player, like him. And then he is complete: right foot, left, head, he attacks from deep, but also plays on the edge for his teammates.”

These comments, along with their respective statistics, suggest that the Italian centre-forward can be the new Carroll at St. James’ Park.

His goalscoring record in the Serie A also proves that he can score goals on a regular basis, along with being a complete player. He scored 16 goals in 25 league starts for Sassuolo and this shows that he can be a huge signing for Howe.

Scamacca is a prolific scorer and can lead the line for the Magpies in the Premier League next season, much like Carroll did prior to his move to Liverpool.

Therefore, Howe and Ashworth must work hard to complete a deal for the number nine so that he can showcase his goalscoring talents whilst playing in black and white next season.

AND in other news, Howe can axe £25m NUFC flop by signing “frightening” £94m predator who’s “the future”…

Nottingham Forest will compete for the chance to be promoted back into the Premier League for the first time in 23 years this weekend, and they have had quite a journey this season in the Championship.

There is no way that supporters could’ve imagined the club being in this position now with Steve Cooper in charge after an awful start to the season under Chris Hughton, who was sacked in September for losing six games out of seven, leaving Forest bottom of the table on a solitary point.

Cooper delivered one of the biggest U-turns that the Championship has ever seen with 22 wins, 10 draws and just six defeats in his 38 games at the helm; and if they are promoted to the top flight this weekend, it will be a dream come true for the club.

Although the Welsh manager has been phenomenal, there are certain players who have put in hard work and impressive performances over the season to get Forest over the line, with homegrown talent Brennan Johnson a standout in the squad.

Forest struck gold with Johnson

The 21-year-oldhas become one of the Championship’s most exciting young talents this season, winning EFL Young Player of the Year recently, and it is no wonder when you consider his output.

The £2.5k-p/w livewire, who was dubbed “wonderful” by Wales manager Robert Page, has scored 16 goals and contributed 10 assists, created 15 big chances, made 1.3 key passes and taken 1.9 shots per game. This shows that he has been a real force in front of goal to lead Forest out of trouble and on the brink of potential promotion with his output.

These achievements have consequently attracted the attention of many Premier League clubs keen to secure his signature this summer, with Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton all named as potential suitors.

Johnson is a product of Nottingham Forest’s academy, so they paid no transfer fee for the player. They could duly make a huge profit on the 21-year-old if they were to sell him this summer, with Transfermarkt listing his market value at £13.5m as of this month.

Even with that market value, the Championship club are reportedly attracting offers of £20m, but they will surely be hoping that they can keep hold of the young forward for next season if they secure Premier League promotion this weekend.

AND in other news: Cooper heading towards his first Forest disaster this summer, he’ll hate it

A huge Newcastle United claim has emerged regarding their plans for their left-back position heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Jacque Talbot has claimed that the Tyneside club may look to strike deals for both Renan Lodi and Matt Targett in the coming months.

The reporter has also stated that the Magpies are not the only team interested in landing the former, as some Serie A clubs are also looking at the Brazilian.

Talbot tweeted: “Now would you pile on me if I told you that one source did say that both Lodi and Targett could happen? Lodi has known to be a very attacking full-back, but he has been played on the left-wing position as well – it’s actually where he’s scored three goals from this season.”

This was in response to another one of his tweets, which read: “Told nothing in the reports Renan Lodi and Newcastle will be meeting next week. The defender is on the club’s list but there’s interest from Italy as well, a country he has a passport for…”

Supporters will be excited

Newcastle supporters will surely be excited by this claim, as signing both Lodi and Targett would be outstanding business by the club.

Eddie Howe would have two quality left-back options to pick from throughout the season and they would be able to push each other on the training pitch to avoid complacency.

Targett is a proven Premier League performer who has shown that he can be a solid presence in the number three role. In 33 top-flight appearances in 2021/22, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.96 as he made 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game.

He is tried and trusted and would be a sensible signing by PIF if they make his loan from Aston Villa a permanent deal this summer.

Lodi would a riskier, albeit more exciting, addition. In the recently-concluded La Liga season, the Brazilian excelled in the final third with two goals and two assists in 13 starts for Atletico Madrid, creating three ‘big chances’ in his limited time on the pitch.

However, he only made 1.5 tackles and interceptions per game and has never played in the Premier League. This means that he would not be the safe, sensible option that Targett would be, and this may be an exciting prospect for Newcastle fans as they might not know quite what to expect from the 24-year-old.

Lodi’s attacking statistics suggest that he enjoys getting forward, with Talbot citing that the Atletico defender is capable of playing out wide, and this will delight supporters who want to see an attacking style of play.

Therefore, fans will be excited by the prospect of both players coming in, as Howe would have the reliable presence of Targett for tight matches and a potential maverick in Lodi in games where Newcastle want to attack down the flanks.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Bruno: NUFC can form a deadly duo by signing “outstanding” £34m “rock”…

Tottenham Hotspur will be delighted with UEFA’s latest U-turn, which involves awarding additional spaces in the Champions League based on a league-specific coefficient system, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed.

The Lowdown: UEFA’s plans

UEFA had originally intended to hand out two extra places in the Champions League, which fell in accordance with clubs’ 10-year coefficients. However, critics argued that this represented an unwarranted insurance policy for the ‘big clubs’ who were seen to be underperforming.

As a result, The Times have reported that UEFA will now award an extra spot based on a country’s performance in the competition, which would likely lead to a fifth team qualifying from the Premier League.

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The Latest: Maguire’s claim

With Tottenham still fighting it out for a fourth-place finish and a spot in the Champions League, Maguire has claimed that Spurs, and by association their chairman Daniel Levy, will welcome this news – especially with the potential to earn up to £150m from qualifying for the competition.

Speaking with Football Insider, he proclaimed: “It is a backstop for the likes of Spurs.

“Qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League generates more money than winning the Europa League, and the upper limit is £150m.

“We can argue about the fairness of it but this is why Tottenham would understandably be so keen to have these insurance options in place.”

The Verdict: Levy will be delighted

With the new insurance policy set to come into play, Levy will be delighted with the increased probability of gaining revenue as a result of Champions League qualification.

Furthermore, this could also act as an incentive for manager Antonio Conte to remain with the club, as it has previously been reported that it is unlikely that the Italian would stick around in N17 without Champions League football.

Therefore, the introduction of a backstop will surely be welcomed by Spurs, as Maguire has suggested.

In other news: Noel Whelan drops Richarlison/Spurs transfer claim