All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United fans are far from happy after it was revealed the Hammers made an offer of just £6m for goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The Hammers are continuing their preparations for the new campaign after a wonderful last term – they managed a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, meaning they will be playing in the Europa League this coming term. However, despite now needing to compete on four fronts, the Irons are yet to make a splash in the transfer market.

A goalkeeper is believed to be on the cards, and West Ham have been linked with a move for Johnstone, who was relegated to the Championship last season with West Brom. According to Sky Sports, the Hammers made an offer of just £6m for Johnstone, which was clearly not enough for the Baggies.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Johnstone news below

“HAHAHA ARE WE LIVING IN 2005 OR SOMETHING”

Credit: @JoshVernege

“Embarrassing”

Credit: @19Robert94

“Disgraceful”

Credit: @IanCulleyMorga2

“We tried FC”

Credit: @xHappyHammerx

“That’s Sullivan for you !!!!!”

Credit: @paulway6

“Yup that’s the GSB way”

Credit: @c_spicer

In other news, West Ham fans were livid at this Euro 2020 decision.

Manchester City fans are far from happy with Pep Guardiola following comments from Ilkay Gundogan which appeared to criticise the Spaniard.

While the Citizens will have been happy to win the Premier League and the League Cup last term, they will have been particularly disappointed to lose the Champions League final to Chelsea in Porto.

For that match, Guardiola made a questionable tactical decision, deciding to start the game without Fernandinho or Rodri for almost the first time during the season (The Daily Mail).

£36m-valued Gundogan (Transfermarkt) was selected in a more defensive midfield position despite generally being a more attacking player. He spoke to German journalist Christian Falk about the move, and it is fair to say that he was not too happy with the choice from Guardiola.

The comments were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and attracted plenty of attention from the City supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what Gundogan said.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Gundogan comments below

“Says it all really..”

Credit: @bigmacwills

“No wonder he wants out”

Credit: @kafimcfc

“Pep should have learned from the experiments with Lyon, Chelsea in the FA Cup and Premier League, stop experimenting in important games, play the best side, play the players in their rightful positions, it’s not about you and your genius ideas but about winning the match.”

Credit: @fidbee

“So all this squad overhaul may be Pep trying to bring newcomers who would be fooled for his experimental tactics. The existing players are tired of it.”

Credit: @jpcancelo27

“I knew it. Players looked confused on the pitch. Doubt then knew what the hell they were doing. Guess we now know why half the squad are looking for the exits.”

Credit: @_TrueInBlue

“He didn’t overthink in quarters and semi’s we won, he chose a new plan for the finals and we lost  still hurts not because we lost but we literally gave it away.”

Credit: @furqan00055

In other news, Man City fans want to sign this Champions League-winning midfielder.

Leeds United are intensifying their efforts to sign Hertha BSC star Matheus Cunha this summer.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season now over, Marcelo Bielsa’s side can now firmly turn their attentions towards the summer transfer window, and it appears the club are already kick-starting things in terms of their recruitment.

According to German publication Kicker (via Sport Witness), the Whites are “intensifying contact” with Cunha over signing him, despite the news that Hertha actually extended his deal during the season, making it much harder for any interested clubs.

The report adds that “Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa had already made contact with Cunha in the January transfer market, and now they are ‘intensifying’ their ‘courtship‘.”

Forget Rodrigo

While last summer’ signing Rodrigo appeared to find his feet in the final few weeks of the Premier League campaign – he netted four times and provided an assist in his last four games – it’s no surprise that Leeds are looking to sign Cunha.

The 21-year-old Brazilian is equally as versatile as Rodrigo, and this season has proved that he can be a really devastating attacking force, bagging eight goals and setting up another eight in all competitions.

Dubbed as “something special” by former Hertha head coach Bruno Labbadia, the club’s one-time sporting director Michael Preetz has also raved about him, saying: “Matheus is a young player with enormous potential, who has already shown his impressive skills.”

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Able to play as a number 10, off the left or even down the middle on his own, Cunha has shown the kind of versatility which marks him out as a player Bielsa would surely love, and one that could easily provide genuine competition for Rodrigo.

Dubbed as a “genius” by Hertha coach, Pal Dardai, the £27m-rated forward could come to Elland Road to battle Rodrigo, or even surpass him and establish himself as a key first-team player for Leeds straight away.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have confirmed some really exciting changes…

Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted as their U18 side won the league and qualified for the UEFA Youth League in the process.

This past campaign has been a magnificent one for Steven Gerrard and his first-team squad. They won the Premiership title, their first major trophy in 10 years, by a huge 25 points, and they even went the whole league season unbeaten (BBC). In fact, they lost just three times in all competitions, one of which was on penalties (Sky Sports).

However, it isn’t just the senior side who have had a good campaign. On Saturday, the club’s U18 team also won the league title thanks to a 3-1 win over St. Mirren. It also means they have qualified for the UEFA Youth League for the third successive campaign.

The news was shared on Twitter by the Rangers Youth Academy’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Well done young Bears. Kick on for the first team now”

Credit: @blueblood1872

“Well done lads WATP”

Credit: @lusks29

“Brilliant”

Credit: @NOTELINYI

“excellent”

Credit: @john_drybey

“Well done lads”

Credit: @jimmy_brem

“yyyyyaaaasssss, Mon the Gers!!! WATP”

Credit: @speedy430

In other news, Rangers want to sign this striker.

Former Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has told the club what to do this summer, regarding a move for Tottenham’s Harry Winks.

What’s the talk?

Former Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has claimed that Tottenham’s Harry Winks could be a good addition to Dean Smith’s squad this summer. Football Insider have claimed that Winks is available and Spurs would be willing to sell him for £30m, with McLeish backing Newcastle and Villa to look at him.

He said: “Newcastle United, would they not fancy him?

“Aston Villa too. I don’t know if Aston Villa have got enough midfielders. He’s certainly bright enough to play for some of these teams.”

In 2019, former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino hailed the “amazing” midfielder for his improvement in front of goal in the first team. He told Tottenham’s official website:

“He deserves the praise because the whole action is amazing.

“He recovered the ball like a full-back, we started to build from the back and then he arrived for the cross from GK, which was fantastic – we have to praise him too.

“It’s amazing, amazing, because we were talking in the last few weeks that he had to score and to have more presence in the opposition’s box because he has the quality to do it. I’m so happy.”

Smith needs him

NSWE could strike gold for Aston Villa with a swoop for Winks this summer. Villa lack depth in the central midfield department and Dean Smith needs a player like Winks to come in and fill that hole in the squad.

John McGinn and Douglas Luiz were Smith’s preferred partnership in midfield, with the pair starting 37 and 32 Premier League games respectively. Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson were Smith’s only other options for those roles and neither of them started ten or more Premier League matches.

This suggests that Winks could come in and apply much-needed pressure on McGinn and Luiz. The Tottenham man could arrive and compete for a place in the starting XI instead of coming in to make up the numbers, as Nakamba and Sanson seemingly did in the 2020/21 campaign with their lack of involvement in the league.

Winks would then help McGinn and Luiz improve by pushing them to work harder to keep their place in the side, creating healthy competition in central midfield within Smith’s squad.

The £30m midfielder is a proven player at Premier League level. He has played over 100 games for Tottenham in the league, with over 150 games in all competitions for the London-based club, and has been capped ten times by England at international level.

He is also at a great age to develop, at 25, and Smith could help coach him into becoming a key player for the club – utilising his experience and potential to turn him into Villa’s midfield metronome for years to come. This is why NSWE could strike gold for Villa with the Englishman this summer.

AND in other news, NSWE could land Aston Villa’s next Paul Merson in “extraordinary” £20k-p/w dynamo…

Former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he was not surprised by Lee Bowyer’s decision to take over Birmingham City mid-season.

Bowyer was appointed manager back in March following Aitor Karanka’s exit from St. Andrew’s and has done an excellent job.

The 44-year-old, who left Charlton Athletic to join Birmingham, found Blues just three points above the relegation zone but was still able to guide his new side to Championship survival.

Given the predicament that the Midlands club were in, it was a job that some managers perhaps would not have wanted to walk into. But given Charlton’s own problems, Hendrie was not shocked when he heard Bowyer’s name being linked with the Birmingham role.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the Birmingham manager, Hendrie said:

“I spoke to Bowyer a couple times since he came down. Obviously spoke to him mid-season when he was at Charlton and he was disappointed he sort of missed out on players at Charlton, and he felt they were in a false position.

“There’s obviously salary caps and stuff like that and he found it a difficult job at Charlton. I felt he was chasing something that possibly wasn’t there, hence why I was not surprised as soon as the Birmingham job came up, that his name was straight amongst it.”

In the end, it was quite a comfortable finish for Birmingham, who built a nine-point gap between them and the relegation zone, showing how good of a job Bowyer has done at St. Andrew’s.

Borussia Dortmund are extremely interested in landing Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard this summer.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a recruitment source that the Bundesliga big guns ‘are lining up a big money move’, seven words which could be music to the ears of new Hoops chief Dominic McKay.

The report suggests that Dortmund are in the market for a new forward due to major doubts over the future of Erling Haaland.

West Ham are thought to be in pole position for Edouard at this moment in time, but it seems as if Dortmund want to win the race for the 23-year-old’s signature – they would of course have plenty of cash to burn if Haaland is sold.

Transfer Tavern take

To us, this is perfect news for the Hoops. Edouard will have just 12 months remaining on his Celtic contract in the summer and a recent report suggested that the French forward could depart for just £8m over the coming months.

However, with Dortmund now ‘lining up a big money move’, that could play into Celtic’s favour, especially if he is seen as a replacement for Haaland, which could drive the price up.

Their interest could well start a bidding war between multiple interested parties, which, in the end, could see the Hoops receiving an impressive fee for a player who will have just one year left on his deal come this summer.

This would be a massive boost as it would allow McKay, along with whoever is appointed in the new Director of Football role, a head start in their rebuild with some extra funds to invest.

In other news: Celtic source shares major managerial update as boardroom U-turn emerges, find out more here. 

Southampton have been linked with a move for AC Milan winger Jens Petter Hauge recently and he could prove to be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Italian football journalist Nicolo Schira, both Southampton and Udinese have shown an interest in signing the Norway international ahead of next season.

Whether it would be a loan deal or a permanent deal for Hauge is unclear but after his superb form in 2020, it seems clear from the replies to the tweet from Schira that plenty of Milan fans rate him highly and would be disappointed to see him go.

Would he be a good signing?

Since making the move to Milan from FK Bodø/Glimt in October 2020, the 21-year-old has gone on to make 24 appearances for the Italian side, in which he has contributed five goals and one assist.

There was, unsurprisingly, a huge amount of excitement from Milan fans when he hit three goals and one assist in just five Europa League appearances during the last campaign but he has not been able to have as much impact in Serie A this season for Stefano Pioli’s side.

In 18 appearances in Italy’s top-flight, the youngster has two goals and no assists to his name, although 15 of those appearances have come from the bench, which suggests that he may have been underused at the San Siro.

Although Southampton already have a number of wingers on their books, both Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo have struggled for goals and assists, so adding someone such as Hauge, who has impressed when given opportunities, could prove to be a smart piece of business by the Saints.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

The 21-year-old showed last season in Norway that he can be extremely dangerous in the final third, with 14 goals and 10 assists to his name in just 18 appearances, and whilst the Premier League would obviously be a step up for the 21-year-old, it did not take him long to make an impact at Milan.

Hauge’s impressive performances for club and country have won over Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland, who was full of praise for him late last year, saying:

“Hauge is doing well and we are very good friends, he is a great talent. He has to continue to work hard and play like that, he has a great career ahead of him.”

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Therefore, Southampton could perhaps take advantage of the fact that he isn’t getting much game time at Milan this season and bring him in this summer, as he could prove to be a really exciting signing, regardless of whether he joins on loan or permanently.

And, in other news… Semmens disaster: Southampton missed out “brilliant” PL gem perfect for Hasenhuttl

West Ham United currently have just Michail Antonio as a recognised striker and Rob Lee, who was given the chance by the late Glenn Roeder to play for his boyhood club, has exclusively told Football FanCast that Adam Armstrong is good enough to play for the Hammers.

Armstrong enjoyed a scintillating season in front of goal for Blackburn as he netted 28 goals in the Championship, only pipped to the Golden Boot award by fellow ex-Newcastle United striker, Ivan Toney.

Blackburn’s manager, Tony Mowbray, has claimed that he hopes Premier League clubs come in for his star striker, and both West Ham and Newcastle have been credited with an interest in the 24-year old.

Armstrong was loaned out to clubs such as Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Coventry during his time on Tyneside and was eventually sold in 2018, and Lee spoke exclusively to FFC about how the striker is good enough to play for the Hammers:

He said: “He’s good enough for West Ham, I’ve watched him a lot because he played with my son at Barnsley and I watched him when he was at Newcastle. I said when Newcastle sold him that they should never have let him go and I stand by that.

“I think he’s good enough to at least get a shot in the Premier League because he’s a natural finisher, he’s quick and strong. If you’ve got those attributes then you’ve got a chance of being able to score in the Premier League.”

The 24-year old was never given a real chance at Newcastle as he was handed just 17 appearances in the league before Rafa Benitez decided he was not good enough and should be sold.

David Moyes decided not to replace club-record signing, Sebastien Haller, in January as he joined Ajax and the lack of goals in recent weeks has been a downfall for the Hammers.

Steven Gerrard looks to have been handed a boost at Ibrox this week after it was confirmed that Rangers captain James Tavernier has made his return to training after a lengthy injury absence.

The right-back has been out injured since Rangers’ 4-3 win against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League in February, and although Gerrard was able to steer his side to title success in the absence of the 29-year-old, his goals and assists have been a big miss.

Fortunately, assistant manager Gary McAllister has confirmed that Tavernier has now made his return to training, although it sounds as if he is doing solo training on the grass with physios rather than with the rest of the first team.

The former Wigan Athletic man has been in outstanding form ever since making the move to Ibrox in 2015 but has been sensational so far this season, contributing 11 goals and nine assists in 29 league appearances. That has seen him average a superb 7.76 WhoScored match rating, which comfortably ranks him as Rangers’ best performer in the Scottish top flight.

Tavernier couldn’t have timed his return much better after it was revealed that Nathan Patterson will be suspended for Rangers’ next four fixtures as a result of him breaking lockdown restrictions earlier in the year.

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This leaves Gerrard without a natural right-back in his squad at the moment, and after some disastrous performances from Leon Balogun in that position in recent games, the manager will surely be delighted that Tavernier is close to a return to action.

If the English defender can pick up where he left off before his injury, there seems no reason why Rangers can’t finish the league season unbeaten, whilst they will also be eyeing success in the Scottish Cup.

Gerrard is certainly a big fan of his captain and was full of praise for him earlier in the season, saying: “I think Tav is someone who, when he goes through the gears, is unstoppable, and we have seen that, or flashes of that so far this season.”

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Therefore, it is undoubtedly a huge boost for Gerrard that his best performer this season is edging closer to a return to first team action, as it seems clear that Rangers are a much better outfit when he is in the side.

In other news… Gerrard handed huge boost with “world-class” beast who was vital to number 55