All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Everton fans have been left to buzz over a manager update on Christophe Galtier.

As per Be Foot, the now former LOSC Lille boss has a potential move to OGC Nice agreed in principle.

However, the Toffees are said to be very interested in bringing the 54-year-old to Goodison Park as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who has departed for Real Madrid.

The Merseyside club would be able to offer the attraction of the Premier League over Nice, and are also better off financially.

Galtier has just come off the back of a remarkable Ligue 1 title win over PSG, and so it is not a surprise whatsoever to see him linked with plenty of manager-needy teams.

Former sporting director at Lille, Luis Campos, has claimed that Galtier has ‘all the qualities’ to coach in English football, and believes that he would be a good choice for the Blues.

Everton fans on Galtier manager update

These EFC supporters buzzed as the manager update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim they they were ‘begging’ for his appointment:

“I’ve said this fella from day 1. He’s a head coach, and clearly a very good one. He’s had a director of football so is used to working that way. It’s a no brainer really, just surprised no one else has seen this before now”

Credit: @keepitreal_82

“Wow please @Everton if we sign Christophe Galtier I will be going on 2 weeks bender who’s joining me?”

Credit: @NSNO61878

“I’m begging”

Credit: @taylor_davies77

“I would be over the moon if we pulled this one off, he’s comfortably the best man for the job”

Credit: @dannymonnox

“This is the one”

Credit: @phil55200282

“I swear to god if we pull this off, I’ll love Marcel Brands forever”

Credit: @_AdamJM

In other news, find out what big manager update has Toffees talking here!

Pep Guardiola may already have his Sergio Aguero heir at Manchester City with Ferran Torres’ superb recent displays suggesting that he can step up as his long-term replacement at the Etihad.

The Spain international, who reportedly earns £46k per week at City, fired in a superb hattrick in Friday evening’s 4-3 win against Newcastle United, which takes his tally for the season to 13 in all competitions – an impressive return for his debut season.

The 21-year-old joined City from Valencia last summer and whilst he has been on the peripheral of Guardiola’s squad for much of the season, he has regularly found the back of the net when given a chance to start, and is now showing his worth in the Premier League, which suggests that he could be much more of a regular next season.

City are likely to be in the market for a new striker this summer when Aguero leaves the club, with it already confirmed that the legendary Argentine, who joined for £38m in 2011, will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Gabriel Jesus is currently the only senior striker in Guardiola’s squad and the Brazilian, whilst a top-quality player, has emphasised that he will perhaps never have the goalscoring instincts of someone like Aguero.

It has also been confirmed that 18-year-old Liam Delap will be a part of Guardiola’s squad next season after impressing with the academy sides, but it would be unrealistic to expect him to replace Aguero’s goals in this City side.

However, Torres’ performance against Newcastle emphasised that City might not need to delve into the transfer market and spend millions on someone like Erling Haaland or Romelu Lukaku this summer.

The youngster moved into a more central role in the second half and added to his remarkable backheeled flick goal in the first half with two poachers goals, first smashing home Jesus’ cross from the right, before volleying into the roof of the net after Joao Cancelo’s shot came off the post.

Following Torres’ hattrick at St James’ Park, Guardiola certainly hinted that he could have a future as a striker, saying:

“Not just this evening, of course this evening was important, but his first season in England and his numbers are exceptional. He came as a winger, but he has to think about (being) a striker. When Sergio, Gabriel were out, he was there. He scored against Leeds and Crystal Palace. He didn’t have many minutes, but when he played, he had a sense of goal.

“Yeah, he can be [a No 9]. We will use him, we used him and he was brilliant. His rhythm, especially defensively he has improved a lot. The game at Palace, he makes a turn [in his season] – so good. The movement he makes as a striker, for the [third] goal, it hits the bar and where it goes, he knew it.

“The smell, the strikers know, intuitively where it will arrive. He has this talent and the first goal is fantastic. Very pleased.”

Therefore, with regular game time next season, there seems no reason why Torres can’t become a regular option up front for Guardiola, and perhaps step up as Aguero’s replacement, as his goalscoring instincts have been clear to see this season.

And, in other news… Txiki could be set for huge Man City mistake with £9m-rated dud even worse than Mendy

Theo Walcott has flattered to deceive and has not improved as a footballer, says former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer.

Walcott, a Southampton youth product, rejoined the Saints on loan in the last summer transfer window but has since agreed to sign permanently when his contract at Everton expires, with the south coast club confirming this earlier this month.

He did manage to chip in with a few goals in the Premier League campaign that just concluded, but the English forward also missed a lot of games due to injury.

Overall, it is a permanent signing that has not impressed Palmer, who is concerned by the lack of progress he has seen in Walcott’s development down the years.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s flattered to deceive all the way throughout his career,” the ex-Southampton player exclusively told TT.

“I don’t think he’s improved as a football player having been blessed with all that kind of pace. I don’t think he’s improved and if you’re not going to improve under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger, then you are what you are.

“So at Southampton, no pressure, he will probably give you one performance in every six or two performances in every six.”

On a free transfer and a player that Ralph Hasenhuttl now knows, you can see why Southampton decided to sign Walcott permanently in the end. The above, though, plus his injury record, may be a concern to some.

A number of Manchester City fans are delighted with comments from Mino Raiola, who is the agent of summer transfer target Erling Haaland.

The Citizens have been heavily linked with a move for the 20-year-old dynamo (The Sun), who continues to set the world alight at Borussia Dortmund. Incredibly, in 56 games for Die Schwarzgelben, he has managed to find the back of the net on 53 occasions (Transfermarkt), while he has netted 20 goals in just 16 matches in the Champions League throughout his fledgling career.

With City losing Sergio Aguero this summer (Manchester Evening News), they need another striker, and £99m-valued Haaland (Transfermarkt) fits the bill. Unfortunately, Pep Guardiola has previously had problems with Raiola in regards to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Goal.com), but it seems that the agent is ready to forget the past and has revealed that he has no problem with the former Barcelona manager.

Raiola told Diario AS [via Sport Witness]: “Guardiola is a great coach. I don’t hate anyone, I don’t find him unpleasant. I don’t know him in person. I didn’t like what he did with Zlatan, but this is the past…”

These comments were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and they attracted plenty of attention from City supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Haaland news

“Haaland homecoming”

Credit: @fernando9432

“Yessirrrrrr you build those bridges”

Credit: @NotAruld

“Oh Haaland baby”

Credit: @oggy79

“Ohhhhhh MINO IS BUILDING BRIDGES!!!! Welcome big Haaaaaaaland”

Credit: @Reckers88Gaming

“Haaland is coming home”

Credit: @H_6009

“He says get Haaland baby”

Credit: @ThisIsDIR

In other news, some Man City fans were livid about this Raheem Sterling news.

Rangers have been linked with both Joseph Okumu and Danilho Doekhi recently, but who would be the better addition to Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox this summer?

Joseph Okumu

According to Football Insider, Rangers are considering a move for the Elfsborg centre-back, who has impressed in Sweden since joining in the summer of 2019.

The 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.08m by Transfermarkt, has gone on to make 38 appearances for the Allsvenskan side but has certainly earned himself a lot of plaudits during his brief time there, with Elfsborg sporting director Stefan Andreasson full of praise for him recently, saying:

“We understood that this was a very good player, then he showed maybe the whole of Sweden last year, and also Europe. It is clear that Okumu is one of the best.

“I have said it once before, that he is the best centre-back that has ever been in the Allsvenskan – you can say that sometimes.”

Therefore, it seems clear that Okumu could be a very good addition to Gerrard’s side this summer if they can win the race to sign him.

Danilho Doekhi

According to a report from the Netherlands, via Glasgow Live, Rangers are also keen on the Vitesse centre-back and are willing to offer him a contract.

The 22-year-old is also attracting interest from Fulham and Newcastle United, having played a key part in Vitesse’s impressive season in the Eredivise, making 30 appearances and averaging a solid 6.90 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The Netherlands U21 international is currently valued at £1.8m by Transfermarkt but it seems as if Vitesse will be forced to cash in on him this summer, so he could prove to be a bargain option for Ross Wilson.

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Doekhi’s manager Thomas Letsch was full of praise for him earlier in the season, saying:

“Danilho is extremely important. He is one of the best centre-backs in the league.

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game.”

Who would be better?

Although both could prove to be excellent options for Gerrard next season, Doekhi has more experience playing at a higher level and is younger than Okumu too, so, for us, he would be the better option for the Gers this summer.

The fact that he’s already played at a better level than Okumu, and has flourished at that level, should give Gerrard the confidence that he is better equipped to succeed if he does take the step up to join Rangers. We think the Ibrox boss would love to work with such a talented, promising young player.

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Therefore, Wilson should forget about signing Okumu for now and instead focus on bringing the in-demand Doekhi to Ibrox ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

And, in other news… Rangers dealt big blow amid huge claim on “top talent”, he could leave Ibrox

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who is a Wolves Hall of Famer, has claimed that Conor Coady’s newfound goal threat is down to Nuno Espirito Santo telling him to get forward more often.

Coady got his first goal for England on his debut for the Three Lions in a 3-0 win against Wales and since then he has also found the net for the first time in the Premier League.

The Wolves captain netted for the first time in the top flight when he made it 1-1 against Manchester City at the Etihad, but they did end up losing the game.

Speaking on where this newfound willingness to go forward has come through and what subtle tweak Nuno made to make it happen, Bull told FFC:

“I think Coady used to be one of these sweeper defenders because we’ve got Willy Boly, Romain Sais and Dendonker who go up for corners, so why does Coady need to?

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“He’s been more of a threat than the others to be fair, so I think it’s down to Nuno – he would’ve said to him ‘you’ve got the freedom to go forward’.

“We get the little defenders sitting back rather than the big one because you’d rather have your threat in front of goal instead of with their back to your own goal.”

The £16,500 per week defender has been a mainstay for Wolves since he joined from Huddersfield Town in 2015, and Nuno Espirito Santo has trusted him to lead the team from the back.

In the four matches Coady has played for England, Southgate has trusted him to play the full 90 minutes.

According to reports, West Ham United have been handed a huge boost to their chances of keeping Declan Rice at the London Stadium this summer despite numerous exit rumours.

The report by Football Insider claims that a Manchester United source has revealed the 22-year-old is not Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s priority target in midfield this summer, with the Norwegian thought to have “other targets” who are “ahead of Rice” on his shortlist.

Football Insider added that the Old Trafford recruitment team will “pursue other players” in the position before deciding whether or not to make a move for the West Ham star, who Gareth Southgate recently dubbed an “outstanding” player.

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering that Rice has continuously been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks, if Football Insider’s sources are to be believed, the news that the England international is not one of Solskjaer’s priorities this summer is likely to be fantastic to hear for David Moyes and West Ham.

Having said that, if the £62,000-per-week midfielder continues to improve at the remarkable rate he has done so far in his career, it is not a difficult scenario to imagine Manchester United, or indeed another elite club, reigniting their interest in the Irons stalwart in the not-too-distant future.

In other news: ‘Scenes’, ‘Finally’, ‘Yessssss’ – Loads of West Ham fans ecstatic as transfer news emerges – find out more here!

Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli was once one of the most valuable youngsters in world football.

In 2018, a study conducted by CIES Football Observatory concluded that the Englishman was the most valuable midfielder in the world, ahead of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.

Just a year earlier, former Spurs boss Martin Jol claimed Alli wasn’t too far off being a £100m player, as per football.london, and that was reflected by Transfermarkt at the turn of 2019, where they valued the attacking playmaker at a whopping £90m.

Value plummeting

Things are vastly different now.

CIES’ latest update (8th March 2021) sees the 24-year-old valued at just €30m (£26m), which emphasises just how drastic a downfall he has had in recent seasons.

By comparison, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is now the most valuable midfielder at an astonishing €151.1m (£130m), with Chelsea’s Kai Havertz closely following behind at €136m (£117m).

Alli has never been one to be overhyped, but his increased exposure at the elite level since a £5m move from MK Dons aged just 18 has levelled out the public’s expectations of him somewhat.

But what are some of the factors behind his seismic collapse?

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False dawn under Mourinho

After Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in November 2019, the arrival of Jose Mourinho handed Alli an opportunity to reinvent himself – to shake off that annoying tag of ‘Dele’s brother‘ often showing up rather than the player himself.

Indeed, this looked to be the case almost instantly, as a reinvigorated Alli delivered three goals and three assists in the first four matches under the ‘Special One’ but that would upturn in form turned out to be ever so short-lived.

Since then, Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries has come out, and there’s a clip of Mourinho calling Alli “lazy” but in more colourful language. As a result, the Pochettino favourite has only played 964 minutes in all competitions this season, of which 11 of 22 appearances have been starts, via Transfermarkt.

A move to Paris Saint-Germain, the new home of the Argentine boss, fell through in January and now he cuts an often isolated figure in the Spurs team or more so, on the Spurs bench.

Out of England reckoning

With a lack of game time and consistent performances, comes a consequence at international level – unless you’re called Jordan Pickford or Eric Dier.

Having racked up 37 caps for England, Alli was axed from Gareth Southgate’s squad for their Euro 2020 qualifiers and hasn’t actually been seen since their UEFA Nations League third-placed playoff win over Switzerland in July 2019.

It’ll come as a bitter blow to Alli that he won’t be involved in a major tournament this summer but given his age, he has every chance of salvaging his Three Lions career in time for the Qatar World Cup.

He could take a page out of Jesse Lingard’s book after the West Ham loanee earned his first call-up since the very same game.

Where now?

It wasn’t too long ago that Alli managed a whopping 31 direct goal contributions in one season (2017/18) and at just 24 years of age, he is still nowhere near his peak.

Around this time, he was being lauded as a “competitive animal” and a “freak of a talent” – also drawing lofty comparisons to the likes of Steven Gerrard and co.

Now the forgotten Spurs man has only contributed towards seven goals, which is still respectable considering the lack of minutes on the pitch.

Though he may well need to force an exit this summer and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy ought to cash in before his value sinks even further under Mourinho.

AND in other news, Spurs handed Sergio Reguilon transfer boost…

Tottenham Hotspur could be all change in the goalkeeper position this summer, if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are exploring alternative targets to Burnley’s Nick Pope in fear of being priced out of the England international, and one name that they are keen on is Lille shot-stopper Mike Maignan.

It’s thought that the Clarets will demand in excess of £30m for the 28-year-old, something that Daniel Levy may not be able to afford in the current financial climate.

Maignan will enter the final year of his contract at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy at the end of the season, so could be available for a cut-price deal.

Transfermarkt currently value the French international at £18m, whilst it remains to be seen how much the Ligue 1 joint-leaders would want for their first-choice goalkeeper.

Bye-bye Lloris?

The 25-year-old has started all 30 of Lille’s league matches this term, keeping 16 clean sheets in the process on their way to challenging Paris Saint-Germain for the title.

And it is the French champions that play an interesting role in this potential deal as the report also claims that Hugo Lloris’ future in north London remains uncertain as PSG are interested in signing him.

The 34-year-old veteran has somewhat regressed over the past 18 months or so, with more and more errors creeping into his game.

Premier League matches against Aston Villa and Brighton last season saw him fumble the ball for the opposition to score, whilst earlier this season, Lloris was dubbed “lettuce wrists” and a “weak link” of Jose Mourinho’s side as he let in five goals against Everton in the FA Cup.

Maignan is a decent replacement to make. He’s silenced some pretty big names this term, having stopped the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and one-time Spurs target Arek Milik from scoring.

It also presents an opportunity to move on from the past, and to start planning for the future. Goalkeepers do last a lot longer than most players these days, but at 34, Lloris is on the wrong side of that, whereas at 25, Maignan can become Spurs’ long-term option for the next five-to-six years, at least.

In addition to all that, two of Spurs’ current staff members – assistant Joao Sacramento and goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos – have worked with him before at Lille, and according to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), they believe he has ‘enormous potential.’

Similarly, ex-teammate Victor Oshimhen claimed he was “too strong” and that merely echoed the thoughts of manager Christophe Galtier, who has lauded him “decisive” this season.

No Ligue 1 side has conceded fewer goals than Lille (19) this term and by comparison, Mourinho’s side have leaked 11 more goals, often to individual mistakes at the back. Lloris is usually one main culprit, too.

Given the interest in Maignan, it could be the final nail in the coffin for Lloris’ future at Spurs.

AND in other news, Dele Alli in line for Spurs revival if “unbelievable” boss is appointed…

Many Wolves fans ripped into defender Nelson Semedo after their 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

The 27-year-old started at wing-back for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as his team were unable to break down the resolute Villans.

Semedo has been a regular for Wolves this season, starting all but one Premier League game, but bizarrely divides opinion among the fanbase. Despite this, few will argue about his showing at Villa Park.

Per Sofascore, the Portugal right-back lost 11 duels, gave the ball away 19 times, was dispossessed four times and made no interceptions. No Wolves player lost more duels while only one was more careless in possession.

While many fans made their feelings clear on social media – one dubbed the £27m signing a “big flop” in frustration at his performance – others offered their towards journalist Nathan Judah, who suggested that Semedo looked tired rather than playing poorly.

Wolves fans slate Semedo

“Until Semedo starts trying to take people on in dangerous areas and doesn’t always turn back in the final third he’s going to be a big flop at the price we paid”

Credit: @Danrose93

“I’ve always stuck up for the bloke but IMO worse Semedo performance today”

Credit: @mitchdavis_1

“2nd half has been like a different team but Semedo, Adama, Moutinho and Donk have been awful”

Credit: @drawlings27

“I might be wrong but the guy can’t control a ball or defend and cost £35m”

Credit: @8clay23

“This awful…again…no concentration and can’t pass to each other!”

Credit: @julescrow1

“No he doesn’t”

Credit: @DavidYa42784426

In other news, Wolves fans not impressed with transfer report concerning Molineux star.