According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Aston Villa have seen an attempt to sign Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic fail to come to fruition.
What’s the word?
The 34-year-old has been without a club since July after he left Qatari side Al-Duhail, who he only joined back in the January transfer window from Serie A giants Juventus.
Now, Di Marzio claims that both Villa and fellow Premier League side West Ham both made attempts to sign the veteran forward, but that Mandzukic turned them both down, instead favouring a move back to Italy.
The report adds that Mandzukic’s decision to reject a switch to England was made “recently”.
Dean Smith would have loved him
Whilst he may be getting on a bit in footballing terms at 34, Mandzukic’s style of play means that he will continue to be a valuable addition to any side wherever he goes.
The Croatian is a tireless runner and always put his team first, running his heart out for the cause. Journalist Aleksandar Holiga remarked: “He stretches the defences with constant movement and seemingly endless stamina, opening space for others to come from behind or cut inside from the wing; his pressing on the ball has proven decisive on a number of previous occasions and he is, of course, one of the best strikers in the world when it comes to aerial power. So even if he does not score himself, his presence could be key for the team’s chances.”
And with an incredible 24 trophies won in his illustrious career, including winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich, Mandzukic would have represented an outstanding coup for Villa.
His former boss at international level with Croatia, Zlatko Dalic, even hailed the striker as representing the “soul of our team”. The 34-year-old’s desire to run himself into the ground in the interests of the team is unlike most forwards, and that selflessness would surely have gone down a treat with Dean Smith.
It’s just a shame that the 6 foot 3 ace didn’t fancy a move to Villa Park.
Leeds United seem to still be in the market for one more signing.
Todd Cantwell has been the name that has consistently cropped up over the past two weeks, and with Louie Sibley also being mentioned, it is quite clear that Leeds think they need a new attacking midfielder.
However, Leeds may want to reconsider their transfer stance, especially after the eye-watering fee Norwich want for Cantwell was revealed.
The Canaries apparently want £25m for their talisman, and although he is probably one of the best attacking midfield options available to Leeds at the moment due to the fact they can only buy players from the EFL, they shouldn’t be spending that much on a man who has just one Premier League season under his belt.
Fortunately, Leeds do have another option.
The pause in the football calendar earlier this year has led to the 2020/21 season starting later than anyone ever anticipated, and there are only 77 days between the end of this domestic window and the start of the January window, and that 11-week spell could be a huge blessing for Leeds.
United have a squad strong enough to tide them over until January, after all, they have seven points from their first four games this term, and rather than splashing out on Cantwell, they should take stock and use the 77-day gap between the transfer windows to sniff out a bargain in the same position who could prove to be even better than Cantwell for a cheaper fee.
January isn’t far away and if Leeds get to winter and feel that they still need a new attacking midfielder their options will be a lot more varied than they are right now as they will once again be able to operate in the international market, while also having the option of taking players from other Premier League sides.
Victor Orta would be better off saving Andrea Radrizzani £25m and re-assessing the situation in January.
Many Birmingham City fans have reacted to a transfer report linking former AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato with a move to the club.
Reports from Italian press have claimed the former AC Milan forward is being considered as a free transfer for the Blues. The Brazil international has been without a club since leaving Sao Paulo midway through August after a short spell.
Aged 31, the former Milan predator has bags of experience, having played for a number of clubs, including Premier League side Chelsea and Villarreal in La Liga. His time in English football at Stamford Bridge saw make just two appearances, finding the net once for the Londoners.
Birmingham sit 17th in the Championship as things stand and have struggled to score, finding the back of the net just three times in the opening seven fixtures.
Blues fans react to Pato transfer links
Do you think the Blues can seal a deal for Pato? Let us know your views in the comments section below…
West Ham United clinched their first points of the new Premier League season with an impressive 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the London Stadium.
Irons boss David Moyes will no doubt be delighted with his team’s display, even if he had to watch from home with Alan Irvine in charge.
Jarrod Bowen bagged a brace either side of the break with goalscoring midfielder Tomas Soucek and substitute Sebastien Haller kickstarting their campaigns with a pair of strikes.
The three points lifts the Hammers away from the drop zone and plenty of supporters were delighted with the performance of one man in particular.
Lining up at left wing-back Arthur Masuaku enjoyed a game and a half, assisting the final goal of the game, and here’s how some of the West Ham faithful reacted…
The 26-year-old was tasked with the tough test of defending against Adama Traore, the player who recorded the most take-ons (183) during the 2019/20 season – by comparison, the fifth-best was Nathan Redmond with just 79 as per Squawka.
Masuaku recorded three tackles, one clearance, one interception and four key passes. He also won seven duels and had a crossing accuracy of 100% via SofaScore.
The Wolves star, on the other hand, failed to register a single shot or key pass, failed with all eight of his crossing attempts and also lost possession 18 times.
It’s ever so clear to see who won that battle and that’s something many Irons fans have reacted to on Twitter…
There were plenty of comments aimed at his teammate Aaron Cresswell too, the usual first-choice at left-back. Some were pleased at his introduction as it allowed the Englishman to perform at left centre-back.
Whilst others were quick to claim that the DR Congo international was the better option in the role.
AND in other news, West Ham could land a new Ferdinand with a swoop for rival star…
Manchester City had a frustrating end to their 2019/20 season – they finished second in the Premier League despite being tipped for the title, lost their FA Cup semi-final tie against Arsenal, and crashed out of the Champions League quarter-finals to French club Olympique Lyonnais – finishing the season with just the Carabao Cup to their name.
With another big season ahead, the next Premier League campaign could prove pivotal in Pep Guardiola’s career, with the possibility of him moving on growing greater by the day with the club still failing to win the Champions League – a trophy that has eluded Guardiola ever since his time at Barcelona.
At a club such as Manchester City, however, money is no issue, and they will have no problems in trying to strengthen their squad even further to try and secure every trophy in all competitions they take part in. This is something that has helped to keep Guardiola in Manchester for as long as he has – due to the financial backing and trust from the Manchester City board virtually handing him a blank check year in year out.
So with all this money, who would be the most realistic signings for City this summer?
Ismaël Bennacer
The 22-year-old midfielder has been in fine form this season for AC Milan – the Algerian international joined Milan at the beginning of August last year from Empoli, and has had a fantastic first season with the club.
Bennacer made 31 league appearances, scoring just the one goal, but averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game – as well as this, the defensive midfielder is a great passer of the ball, with an 88.3% pass success rate and averaging 56.8 passes per game.
His style of play would suit City very well and would be welcome assistance in defensive midfield for Rodri, especially with the need to soon find a replacement for the aging Fernandinho.
Diego Carlos
The Brazilian defender has been a rock at the back for Spanish outfit Sevilla during the 2019/20 campaign and has even helped the club to the Europa League final. Carlos joined the club from French club Nantes at the beginning of the season, and his defensive numbers from this season have impressed.
The 27-year-old kept 17 clean sheets in 35 games in La Liga, as well as winning 2.8 aerial duels and averaging 5 clearances per game.
His physical prowess would be something that Manchester City would gain from, and would make an ample replacement of Vincent Kompany due to the similarities of the two – and would make a great partnership on the right-hand side of City’s defence alongside Aymeric Laporte.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Soccer Football – Serie A – Napoli v Hellas Verona – Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy – October 19, 2019 Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly applauds REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Despite his age, Kalidou Koulibaly would make a good choice in defence for Manchester City and is rated as one of the best defenders in the world.
According to Sky Italy – the club are keen on signing Koulibaly even though he is 29 years old, and along with the fact that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has valued him at £72 million, it seems like an odd transfer at first glance.
However, after deliberation, it could prove to be a great addition – the player’s ability is a given and there is no doubting that, but the blend of youth and experience with himself and Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Aké could create one of the best defences in the world given the chance to work.
Douglas Luiz
Soccer Football – Premier League – Aston Villa v Everton – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – August 23, 2019 AstonAston Villa’s Douglas Luiz REUTERS/Eddie Keogh EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
The Citizens sold Douglas Luiz to Aston Villa last year for just over £15 million – but recent reports have suggested that the club are looking to activate a £25 million buy-back clause in Luiz’s contract this summer.
Guardiola was said to have highly rated the player, but he never made an appearance for City due to issues with trying to gain a work permit.
The 22-year-old had a great breakthrough season with Aston Villa in the Premier League – scoring 3 goals with 2 assists and playing 36/38 games for Dean Smith’s side – with Douglas Luiz an almost like for like replacement for club veteran Fernandinho.
Lionel Messi
If you’d have asked me at the start of the season I’d of simply replied with “yeah, okay mate” – but this seems like a move that could genuinely and realistically happen this summer given recent circumstances.
After Barcelona’s shocking defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Messi has reportedly told the club he wants to leave immediately, and Manchester City have been named the frontrunners for the six-time Ballon d’Or winners signature – which is understanding given the relationship between himself and City manager Guardiola, as well as the fact that City would have no problems covering his wages.
All-in-all, it’s become a realistic signing that would change the landscape for Manchester City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Owen Otasowie remains a target for Coventry City and a transfer breakthrough could happen in the coming days, according to Coventry Telegraph’s Tom Leach.
The young Wolves academy talent, who was born in New York City, has represented USA twice at under-18 level, whilst also featuring for the Premier League club’s under-23 side.
Aside from featuring at under-23 level this term for the Molineux outfit, Otasowie has also made one appearance for Nuno Espirito Santo’s first team, playing in the Europa League against Turkish side Besiktas.
Coventry manager Mark Robins has now been credited with interest in Otasowie along with the likes of Luton and Peterborough.
Leach, who held a Q&A with Coventry fans on Coventry Telegraph’s website, gave an insight into the Wolves academy before claiming that a breakthrough could emerge in the coming days regarding Otasowie’s future.
“This is one that I missed surface as I was on holiday, but looked into it yesterday. He seems a tidy player and, as we know, we are close to Wolves thanks to Chris Badlan who worked there once upon a time.
“Wolves also have an incredible amount of young players, I used to cover Wolves back in the day myself and they keep their academy player really close to their training base as Compton.
“Players like Otasowie often train with first-team players and Nuno and his coaching staff are regularly at the indoor pitch speaking to them.
“It was part of Nuno’s arrival that he asked the young players to be relocated to Compton.
“We’ll see how the Otasowie story develops over the coming days.”
Robins has been busy already this summer in bolstering his squad options, bringing in the likes of Gustavo Hamer, Julien Dacosta, Marcel Hilssner, Callum O’Hare and Ryan Giles (as per Transfermarkt).
Those are intriguing comments made by Leach and it will be interesting to see if any significant developments happen in the coming days.
Otasowie’s international and Europa League experience bodes well for the future and he could be a good coup for newly-promoted Coventry ahead of their tilt at the Championship.
Do you think Otasowie is a good signing for Coventry? Let us know in the comments section below…
It looks like Glasgow Rangers could lose a rising star within their ranks, as a Premier League side are close to signing Adedire Mebude.
According to Football Insider, the 16-year-old has accepted an offer from English giants Manchester City of a scholarship which will become a professional contract when the player turns 17 next May.
The Etihad Stadium club are willing to pay compensation, which could exceed £100,000 and there are only a few minor details to sort until Mebude officially makes the move from the ‘Gers to Manchester City, as per Football Insider.
Mebude’s impending exit could be quite a blow for the ‘Gers as another young prospect looks set to leave the club on what is a sizeable fee for his age, but one which could have been even greater had he managed to break into the first team at Ibrox and make an impression.
Not only will they feel like they are losing him on the cheap, but they will know that he is not the first young talent to leave the Light Blues’ academy after being tempted by a move elsewhere.
As per Football Insider, 18-year-old Kai Kennedy had also rejected a new contract to stay at the ‘Gers to leave his future in Glasgow up in the air, whilst 19 year-old Billy Gilmour, whose performances for Chelsea have excited many, was from the Ibrox club’s academy but left for London at the age of 16.
Steven Gerrard will likely be keen to avoid the continuing exodus of academy talents from the ‘Gers, as the brightest jewels from the youth ranks could supplement their senior squad and may even grow into first team regulars who could save the club money in the transfer market further down the line.
‘Gers fans, is Mebude’s impending exit another huge blow for the academy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Glasgow Rangers have not had the best of relationships with those in positions of power in Scottish football in recent weeks and months.
Ever since the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been chaos in Scottish football, and the ‘Gers have often been the ones leading the charge against the authorities.
Firstly, they accused the SPFL of corruption following their handling of the league resolution proposal, and they even pushed for an independent investigation into the governing body with the aid of a 200-page dossier as proof of their claims. The investigation was eventually quashed but, to some extent, the damage had already been done.
The latest news from the SFA has not gone down too well, either. They have announced that, due to health issues, their president Rod Petrie has stepped down temporarily, and that vice-president Mike Mulraney will take his place.
These ‘Gers supporters are far from happy with this news – they believe that Mulraney is anti-Rangers. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below:
‘Gers fans, were you angered to hear that Mulraney is the temporary president of the Scottish FA? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Despite signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting CP back in the January transfer window, it appears Manchester United are still intent on targeting another attacking midfielder this summer.
The likes of Jack Grealish and James Maddison have been previously mentioned, whilst Bayer Leverkusen sensational Kai Havertz has also been one of the more recent names to have been linked with a switch to Old Trafford.
And on Saturday afternoon, the Germany international produced another exceptional performance to follow up the two goals he scored on the Bundesliga’s return to action last weekend.
Havertz netted twice again, this time in a 3-1 win away at Borussia Monchengladbach, and after seeing him steal the show once more, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their rumoured transfer target’s performance.
If Havertz is treating these last few games of the season as an audition for a potential move away, then he is passing it with flying colours to say the least.
Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?
The German has got four goals in two games now for Leverkusen, and just like these United fans, Ed Woodward and co will also surely be similarly impressed with his displays.
Having joined the club back in 2012, Jan Vertonghen’s career at Tottenham may finally be up this summer.
The Belgium international’s contract comes to an end at the end of the season, and reports in recent weeks have suggested the Lilywhites are perfectly happy for him to leave on a free transfer.
With the centre-back potentially leaving, Jose Mourinho will surely be on the look-out for a new defender, and according to French publication Foot Mercato, he has his eyes set on West Ham ace Issa Diop.
Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?
The report claims that Spurs have been in contact with those around the Frenchman about a potential switch, and that Diop is “not insensitive” to moving to the Lilywhites – it’s further suggested his current valuation is at €60m (£52.3m).
The 23-year-old has been a virtual ever-present for the Hammers since moving to the Premier League, playing 23 times in the top-flight this season, and even netting three times.
Standing at an imposing 6 foot 4, Diop cuts an imposing figure with his sheer physicality, and has averaged an impressive 1.7 interceptions per game in the Premier League this year.
Mourinho himself has previously waxed lyrical about the Frenchman’s abilities, and that is perhaps one of the main reasons behind Spurs seemingly targeting him this summer.
Back in September 2018, following Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham, then Red Devils manager Mourinho spoke glowingly about the centre-back. He said: “(He had a) fantastic match. Congratulations to the scout that found a 21-year-old kid Diop – a monster who dominated in the duels.”
At only 23, Diop has built up considerable experience of playing at the highest level in English football, and wouldn’t need time to adjust to the pace and intensity of the game were he to move across London.
Mourinho will no doubt feel he can further develop him, and it’s why he could represent the perfect replacement for the potentially outgoing Vertonghen.