All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton are in an extremely vulnerable position right now in the Premier League as they battle relegation this season, but if Frank Lampard can keep them up there is the potential to add quality to improve the squad this summer by replacing some faces who haven’t been performing.

One of the biggest problems the Toffees have faced is a lack of goals, with the side conceding 20 more than they’ve scored, with only 32 goals so far, and if they were to stay up in the Premier League this is an area that will need desperately addressing.

Furthermore, both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have been touted with moves away from the club, with Calvert-Lewin strongly linked to joining Arsenal this summer and his Brazilian strike partner linked to a move to Manchester United.

Although losing both players would be disappointing for fans, it may actually be a blessing in disguise now that an approach has reportedly been made by Everton for Barcelona forward Memphis Depay.

Depay has scored ten times in 30 appearances at the club, but since his Achilles tendon injury has struggled to get game time for the La Liga giants featuring for less than 20 minutes per game over his last five appearances.

The 28-year-old who was hailed “one of the best” by Riqui Puig, had a much more prolific output at his former club Lyon, where he netted 76 times and contributed 55 assists in 178 appearances, with a goal involvement every 1.3 games, which is an attacking threat Everton desperately need to add to their team.

The report from the Spanish news outlet claims that the centre-forward’s future at Barcelona is looking doubtful and the club could put him onto the transfer market this summer, giving Everton the opportunity to swoop in and potentially cash in on their current attackers that are not delivering the output needed to maintain safety in the top-flight.

With that being said, Lampard has a huge task ahead of him to secure Premier League football next term and to even approach a player of Depay’s calibre at this point would seem a pointless venture with their chances of relegation growing. However, if he can keep the side up it is a potential transfer that the club should seriously consider.

In other news: Alan Myers drops four word Everton update that’ll leave supporters relieved

Crystal Palace have the opportunity to finish in the top half this season, currently just two points behind Leicester City and Aston Villa, but with Patrick Vieira planning for his final push in the remaining Premier League fixtures to secure a top finish, he may have been delivered a huge setback.

What’s the word?

As reported by Daily Mail, Wilfried Zaha had to sit out of the international friendly against England last night after suffering a grade two hamstring injury in training with the Ivory Coast.

The Crystal Palace forward is now very unlikely to be available for selection in Monday’s clash at Selhurst Park against Arsenal, as he reportedly was given an X-ray that has revealed the extent of an injury causing problems.

The Ivory Coast manager, Patrice Beaumelle, revealed further that “if it gets worse it is maybe six weeks or two months out.”

If it is that bad, it may mean that Zaha doesn’t play again this term.

Vieira will be gutted

With only nine Premier League fixtures remaining for the Eagles, the French manager will surely be gutted to have potentially lost one of his most reliable and experienced attacking threats in the team.

The 29-year-old has scored ten goals in all competitions for Palace already this season, with some of his strikes making an important impact on points won for the side. For example, there was a crucial second half goal scored against Norwich that pulled back a point, and a penalty scored against Wolves to seal a comfortable victory recently away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Palace also have a hugely important clash in the FA Cup coming up at Wembley against Chelsea in just over three weeks, and losing the attacker for the monumental clash that has taken Palace to their first FA Cup semi-final since 2016, could be a disaster for Vieira.

There will surely more clarity on the seriousness of the injury when Zaha returns to his club and is further assessed later this week, and the Eagles boss will likely call upon his other attacking players to complete the difficult challenge against the Gunners at Selhurst Park this weekend, no matter the outcome.

In other news: Vieira set for huge howler as CPFC plot bid for “terrible” £91k-p/w dud who’s “so bad”

Celtic have decided to terminate Leigh Griffiths’ contract at Parkhead, according to The Daily Record’s Scott McDermott.

The Lowdown: Griffiths in 2021/22

Labelled ‘tremendous’ by Alex McLeish, the striker signed a one-year extension back in July following Ange Postecoglou’s appointment as manager.

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

However, the 31-year-old didn’t make an appearance under the Aussie and was loaned out to Dundee before the summer deadline slammed shut. The Scottish forward has since scored twice in 14 games, with his last goal coming on Boxing Day against Aberdeen.

The Latest: McDermott’s claim

The Daily Record’s McDermott shared a story late on Saturday evening regarding Griffiths., claiming that Celtic have triggered a clause in the one-year deal the striker signed last summer, which allows the Hoops to terminate his contract.

Griffiths will stay at Dens Park for now and could feature against Livingston on Tuesday night, but he could now be left without a club at the end of the month.

The Verdict: Correct call

Postecoglou appears to be thinking of the long-term project just as much as the short-term, so cutting ties with Griffiths seems to be the right decision. Ever since the 31-year-old moved to Dundee on loan, it felt as if his Celtic career was over, and terminating his contract is confirmation of that.

Griffiths has scored 123 goals in green and white in 262 appearances, winning 14 major honours, but now is the time to cut ties for good, with the likes of Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny hopefully the future when it comes to firepower up front after their January arrivals.

In other news: ‘Ideal’ – BBC pundit thinks Celtic may accept bid almost double previous offer for ‘excellent’ ace

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has claimed that he doesn’t think “there are any doubts” over the Eagles looking to extend the contract of Wilfried Zaha.

What’s the story?

Speaking to the South London Press, Parish said: “We love Wilfried to bits, but that is a situation that we will discuss with him and his people. We will try and find the right answer for everybody at the right time.”

The Eagles star has enjoyed his best season in front of goal this term with 12 to his name, but the 29-year-old’s current deal is set to expire next summer.

Supporters will be ecstatic

With the Ivorian being a vital cog in the Palace set up for the best part of a decade, supporters will be delighted at the prospect of the club offering him a new contract.

Of course, from Parish’s perspective, attempting to extend the stay of one of the club’s best-ever players is a no brainer. Ultimately, it will come down to whether or not the 29-year-old will want to stay at Selhurst Park.

Zaha has attempted to force transfers away before, with the winger handing in a transfer request back in 2019 in an attempt to join Arsenal, having signed a five-year deal the year before.

However, the Ivory Coast international has since remained in the Palace setup and has seen manager Patrick Vieira enjoy the best of the winger in the Frenchman’s first season in charge at Selhurst Park.

This could well be a contributing factor to attempting to convince the forward to extend his stay.

Since graduating from the Crystal Palace youth set-up in 2010, Zaha has gone on to make 424 appearances for the south Londoners, with a brief spell at Manchester United ultimately proving unsuccessful before a return to Selhurst Park.

In that period, the winger has scored 80 goals for Palace alongside registering 73 assists, making him the Eagles’ 12th highest all-time goalscorer.

Besides the efforts of Zaha and Conor Gallagher, who is expected to return to Chelsea this summer, goals from other sources have been limited with the likes of Odsonne Edouard (six), Jean-Philippe Mateta (six), Christian Benteke (four) and Jordan Ayew (two) all scoring no more than half of the 29-year-old’s current tally for the campaign.

Therefore, the prospect of the Palace star signing a new deal will have supporters ecstatic.

AND in other news: CPFC plotting bid for “incredible” £9m-rated talent, he’s “extraordinary at his age”

Aston Villa have seemingly joined Leeds United in the race to sign Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Kamara profiled

Kamara is 22 years of age and is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also line out at centre-back. A France under-21 international, he has already made 145 appearances for his current employers and has even captained the club this season.

His contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign, though, and it seems as if Steven Gerrard could make a move, with Villa looking for midfield reinforcements following Marvelous Nakamba’s injury.

The Latest: Romano’s update

Romano took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon, confirming Villa’s links to Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

However, he shared comments from Bianconeri manager Massimiliano Allegri, who claimed that the Italian giants won’t sanction any move for the Uruguayan this month.

Romano then added that Kamara is also on Johan Lange’s list when it comes to a new midfielder, tweeting: “Aston Villa are interested in Rodrigo Bentancur, confirmed as Tom Collomosse reported today. Juventus have not received any official bid yet – while Allegri today said they ‘won’t do any move in January’. Been told there’s also Boubacar Kamara in Aston Villa list.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Kamara is valued at £22.5m, but due to his contract situation, you’d expect that Villa could land the versatile midfielder for a lot less than that in the final days of the January transfer window.

Should a move for Bentancur fail to materialise, Kamara could be an excellent alternative as he already has plenty of experience under his belt and is still in the early stages of his career. Also, he could improve Villa’s ball distribution, with his 90.7% passing success rate this season better than anyone to have started under Gerrard in the Premier League.

It seems as if the Uruguayan is Villa’s top midfield target, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next eight days.

In other news: ‘Crazy to sell’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to update as Newcastle swoop for Gerrard regular

Liverpool are set to reignite their interest in Sporting Braga defender David Carmo according to a report from Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown: A series of unfortunate events

The Reds were heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old back in January 2021 when Jurgen Klopp’s squad was plagued by defensive injuries, with Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez all long-term absentees at the time.

Liverpool instead completed a double deadline day swoop for Ben Davies from Preston North End and Ozan Kabak on a loan deal from FC Schalke to join Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams as the only recognised centre-backs at Anfield.

Soon after missing out on a move to Merseyside, Carmo suffered a broken leg in the Taca de Portugal semi-final against FC Porto in an incident with now Kop favourite Luis Diaz.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-30/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Having made a successful return to action, an interest could once again be arising from the Anfield club…

The latest: Contact made

As per O Jogo, translated by SW, Liverpool didn’t ‘erase the name’ of the Portuguese youth international following their initial interest.

It’s claimed that scouts from the club continue to ‘follow closely’ Carmo’s development and have already made contact following a ‘recommendation’ from Klopp. New sporting director Julian Ward could make the powerful defender an early transfer target ahead of the summer window.

The report also states that the 6 foot 5 powerhouse, who has been likened to Van Dijk no less, is ‘very likely’ to leave Braga should a €40million (£33.7million) release clause be met.

The verdict: Positional overkill?

After the arrival and subsequent instant impact of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig, Klopp currently boasts four high quality central defensive options in the Liverpool squad.

Albeit both Matip and Van Dijk are over 30, neither are showing signs of an early demise and look set to play a huge role over the coming years.

However, should Gomez become restless with his own spot in the pecking order and seek pastures new, the Reds would need a replacement and that is where Carmo may come in.

Possessing strong aerial, tackling and passing ability (WhoScored), the talented seven-cap Portugal Under 20 starlet appears ready-made to enhance Klopp’s defensive department and at the mooted release clause would represent supreme value for money.

In other news, Dominic King confirms Liverpool transfer interest. Read more here.

Claude Puel made a handful of shrewd signings during the 2018 summer transfer window and one of those players, Ricardo Pereira, is rapidly beginning to establish himself as one of the bargains of the Premier League season. 

Leicester secured the signing of Pereira from FC Porto last summer in a deal which cost them £19.8 million. Puel wasted no time in integrating him into the squad and he was immediately thrown into the first-team, providing an assist for James Maddison on only his second outing of the season.

Embracing one of the most fundamental characteristics of a modern day full-back, Pereira’s attacking prowess immediately caught the eye; his defensive quality, on the other hand, was less clear cut.

With the ball at his feet Pereira looked composed, confident and a constant threat in the final-third, regardless of whether he was dribbling towards the byline or lining up a whipped cross into the danger zone.

But perhaps the truest indicator of Pereira’s suitability for the demands of the Premier League arrived on Merseyside on Wednesday evening, where he was exceptional against Liverpool.

His reputation amongst the Foxes faithful was already beginning to snowball after he powered home an emphatic winning goal against Manchester City on Boxing Day, but the maturity of his performance against the league-leaders was a genuine indicator into the extent of his development this season.

Pereira was, typically, always available as an outlet moving forward, striving to support Leicester on the breakaway down the right flank, but his ability to contribute defensively to a stellar effort from the back-four would have delighted the supporters.

His attacking quality has always been obvious but, as is so often the case for full-backs in this day and age, his defensive attributes evoked cause for concern.

But, after undergoing a transition period at the King Power Stadium and adapting to the speed of a new style of football, Pereira has established himself as a reliable defensive asset.

While Manchester City are far from your average benchmark for transfer fees, that Pereira only cost £19.8 million – £30.2 million less than City paid for Walker, £32.2 million less than they paid for Benjamin Mendy and £6.7 million less than they paid for Danilo – justifies his status as one of the bargains of the season.

Leicester fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Aston Villa were involved in one of the biggest transfer deals the Premier League has ever seen last summer when they sold Jack Grealish to Manchester City for a fee of £100m.

Now that the next summer window is on the horizon, it seems as though the Villans and Steven Gerrard could be set to cash in on another player that has been a part of the club for a fairly significant period of time.

What’s the news?

According to Football Insider’s sources, Norwich City are eyeing up a summer transfer move for striker Keinan Davis.

The report also claims that Gerrard is expected to give the green light to allow the striker to leave Villa Park this summer, with a reported transfer fee of £4m being touted for Davis’ signature.

Great news for Gerrard

Having joined Villa’s U18 side back in 2015, the centre-forward has gone on to make 122 appearances for their U23 and senior teams combined.

In those appearances, the striker found the back of the net 16 times and delivered 16 assists along the way.

Back in the previous January transfer window, the Englishman joined Championship club, Nottingham Forest, on loan until the end of the season.

Since joining the Reds, the 24-year-old has scored five goals and provided three assists in 19 appearances across the Championship and FA Cup.

To highlight how impressive the Villa man has been on loan, he is currently listed as Forest’s highest-rated player by WhoScored with a rating of 7.27.

He is also listed in the top five out of Forest’s players for the average of shots, key passes and dribbles per game he’s made in the second division.

Unfortunately, the attacker will have to spend the rest of the season on the sidelines after picking up a campaign-ending injury.

Having been described as being “a very difficult player to play against” by Lee Bowyer, Davis has shown that he has what it takes to play in the Championship and be an effective striker.

However, with only one goal in 34 Premier League appearances to his name for Villa, it’s safe to say that he hasn’t been able to cut it at that level.

With Norwich now looking likely to get relegated, it’s easy to see why they would want a player like the Villa loanee, who Dean Smith knows about, in their ranks for next season.

If Villa pick up a suitable transfer fee for the striker that they can then put towards adding some top-quality players to their squad, this would surely be great news for Gerrard.

In other news: Lange must seal £10m AVFC deal for “unplayable” £45k-p/w talent, Gerrard will love him

Rangers have received a boost with the news that Borna Barisic is happy at the club, as per Football Scotland. 

The lowdown

The Gers have already lost one full-back this month, with Everton snapping up Nathan Patterson.

Barisic has also attracted Premier League interest, this time from Watford, who tabled a £2m bid last month which was promptly dismissed by the Scottish champions.

The Croatian’s £18,000-per-week contract, signed in January 2020, still has two-and-a-half years to run.

The latest

Football Scotland reporters Mark McDougall and Euan Robertson wrote that Barisic is ‘enjoying life in Glasgow’, and it would apparently take a bid of £5m for Rangers to even consider letting him go.

The report added that the Light Blues are in ‘a strong negotiating position’ after the club-record sale of Patterson last week.

The verdict

Keeping Barisic would be a big boost for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers, and it would also illustrate the benefits of parting with Patterson.

The Croatian is a trusted lieutenant, selected for 12 Premiership games and all six of the Gers’ Europa League group stage matches this season.

He has also been the team’s third strongest performer according to SofaScore metrics, with an average rating of 7.3/10. Indeed, in the Light Blues’ squad, only James Tavernier (3.4) has created more chances per 90 minutes than Barisic.

His former manager Steven Gerrard hailed him as a “top player” back in 2019, praise which is merited judging by the above statistics, so to hear that the 29-year-old is quite happy to remain at Ibrox despite Watford’s interest should come as a real fillip to everyone associated with Rangers.

In other news, many Rangers fans flocked to this double exit claim

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly long held an interest in Konrad Laimer and they could make their move in this summer’s transfer window.

That’s according to German outlet Sport Bild, who claim that the 24-year-old’s form for RB Leipzig this season has alerted teams in the Premier League, in which Spurs are named as one keen party.

The Austria international has actually been considered by Lilywhites scouts for several years, ever since his involvement in the Bundesliga outfit’s two-legged demolition of the north Londoners in the Champions League in 2020.

Ahead of Laimer entering the final 12 months of his current contract, Spurs could finally strike on their long-time target.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

It’s no surprise to see manager Antonio Conte interested in the £23.4m-rated powerhouse as his playing style has earned quite the praise indeed, even drawing comparisons to the Italian’s former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

The 52-year-old led the Blues to a Premier League and FA Cup triumph during his time at Stamford Bridge and the Frenchman was a key signing in that run. Conte could do with a similar player over in N17 now.

‘You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player who harries the opposition quite as intensively as Laimer, who is also a dab hand at shielding the ball, recycling possession and facilitating counter-attacks. ‘Dirty Work’ could be his middle name,’ wrote Bundesliga.com.

Indeed, the 24-year-old – who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard – has earned similar acclaim from others around him.

His former boss Adi Hutter lauded him as “incredibly aggressive on the ball”, whilst former West Ham forward and international compatriot Marko Arnautovic believes he can cover a “crazy” amount of ground and that he has a “huge future”.

At the weekend, Laimer dropped two goals and one assist on Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund to take his total for the season to nine direct goal contributions, so evidently he can add more in the final third than Kante.

That doesn’t take away from his defensive attributes whatsoever, having averaged 4.78 tackles and interceptions per 90 across five seasons at Leipzig, on top of 31.6 pressures per game, only emphasising his impressive and industrious work rate in the engine room, as per FBRef.

Compared to his positional peers across Europe over the last year, the Austrian machine ranks inside the top 1% for pressures and 4% for non-penalty xG+A (expected goals and assists) too.

In the year that Chelsea won the league title with Kante in midfield in 2017, he averaged 3.6 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, so you can instantly see the similarities between the two players.

In Laimer, who is also dubbed an “elite presser”, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land Conte his next Kante-like monster.

AND in other news, Spurs handed big transfer boost in pursuit of Premier League enforcer…