All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Ham appear to be in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer and it could spell the end for Roberto at the London Stadium.

What’s the word?

According to AS (via Sport Witness), Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Iago Herrerin desires a move to the Premier League with the Hammers mooted as a potential destination.

Whilst the Irons are yet to make their move with an official bid, the 32-year-old’s representatives are pushing for an exit.

The La Liga side could let him go for free and only ask for money through incentives related to appearances and percentage any future transfer.

Experienced at the top

Manuel Pellegrini bringing Roberto to east London has proven to be a costly disaster at a reported £30k-per-week and many supporters are desperate to see him exit this summer.

But clinching Herrerin on a free transfer would be a smart way to lower costs all-round – and he’d be a pretty decent backup to Lukasz Fabianski too.

The veteran shot-stopper has racked up over 100 appearances for Bilbao across La Liga, the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, meaning he’s played at a higher standard than the Hammers have in recent years, to some extent.

Back in February 2019, he put in a masterclass display to deny a lethal Barcelona attack which included Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho.

Herrerin picked up a 7.5 match rating after recording two saves, two punches and two clearances, per SofaScore. None of Messi’s four shots could faze the Bilbao glovesman.

If the reports are to be believed, then GSB should sanction this move. It’ll suit them down to the ground with them not having to splash out a penny in terms of a transfer fee.

AND in other news, West Ham should forget Shane Duffy and sign “unbeatable” colossus…

A huge revolution is underway at Barcelona over in Catalonia. Ronald Koeman is the new head coach and the Dutchman is adamant on completely revamping an ageing and struggling squad.

This means getting rid of the players that are unwanted and then bringing in fresh blood to rejuvenate the team. One such player that could indeed be on his way out is Nelson Semedo, the Portuguese right-back.

Now, according to the latest report from SPORT’s Albert Roge, Barcelona have already contacted Arsenal for the possible transfer of Hector Bellerin. They were in contact with Edu and have discussed a fee that could reach around €25m (£22.7m).

As of right now, nothing is sealed just yet but if the Catalans can first offload Semedo for a respectable sum, they would then be able to dip their toes into the market and potentially acquire Bellerin himself as a direct replacement.

The same source also confirms Barcelona could be looking into the Premier League to hopefully find a suitor for their right-back outcast. Currently, we don’t know who it might be but the Catalans were previously in contact with Manchester City on that specific matter.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have already contemplated selling their defender and there were previous reports suggesting that would be Mikel Arteta’s way of balancing the books amidst the new arrivals.

With his past heavily linked with Barcelona’s La Masia, it wouldn’t such a huge surprise to see Bellerin make a grand return to Spain in the immediate future.

Verdict

If Arsenal are truly adamant on balancing the books and believe Bellerin is indeed expendable, then they should be able to get a respectable sum from Barcelona for his signature.

However, the right-back position is not exactly blessed with quality depth so the Gunners have to ensure that they have alternatives and a plan B in place should this transfer really come into fruition.

Barcelona are exploring their options as they attempt to sign Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin this summer.

Sport Witness carries a report from Marca, claiming that the club are looking to sign a replacement for Nelson Semedo, who could move on in this transfer window.

What’s the word?

Barca are plotting the sale of Semedo in this transfer window and are already on the lookout for replacements.

Bellerin has emerged as a possible target as a result and the club are trying to structure a deal that will see him move to Camp Nou.

It has even been suggested that he could move on loan, with Barca taking on his wages for the entirety of the campaign.

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Ronald Koeman is said to have been in touch with Bellerin and if there is no agreement over a loan, there is a back-up plan.

That would see Barcelona attempt to buy Bellerin on a permanent deal, though they are insistent on including one of their players in any deal.

Arsenal’s transfer woe

This would be a terrible deal for Arsenal, who have seen a number of players depart for bigger clubs in recent years.

Think of the likes of Robin van Persie, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The flipside for them is that they received a big fee in every deal; sending Bellerin away on loan would be a nonsense of the highest order.

He remains an integral member of the squad who can perform at a remarkably high level despite a number of injury issues.

Last season, he even captained the club in their Europa League games against Standard Liege and Vitoria Guimaraes.

They can ill-afford to lose him on this kind of deal.

West Ham United are still yet to complete any summer transfer business, although they are trying if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, the Irons have submitted a ‘take-it or leave-it’ offer for Saint-Etienne centre-back Wesley Fofana with a deadline set for later today.

This is thought to be an initial £23m plus £10m in add-ons, although the amount upfront would be across six years, making it an outgoing of under £4m per summer window.

The Hammers do not want to get in a bidding war for the teenage sensation but they’d probably be lucky to even get a whiff of his name for that amount.

Diop 2.0 or better?

David Moyes’ men haven’t had too much success when it comes to recruiting from Ligue 1, particularly at centre-back as seen with Issa Diop.

Earlier this month, supporters slammed his display against Newcastle, calling him “awful” and “terrible” amongst other things as seen here.

Despite only being 19, Fofana has excelled on the big stage – last season he played 16 times, averaging 4.5 aerials won, 3.9 clearances, 2.8 interceptions, and 2.4 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

This not only suggests he’d be adept at adapting to the physicality of the Premier League but also that he’d be a massive upgrade to what Moyes already has.

In terms of top performers in the role, Angelo Ogbonna topped the charts for aerials won (3.8 per game) and tackles (1.2) with Fabian Balbuena taking interceptions (1.5) and Issa Diop for clearances (5.1), as per WhoScored.

Fofana is still very much raw, however, and will need the right coaching to reach the top. His former youth coach Anthony Loupy once said: “He is a nice boy, maybe sometimes a bit clumsy and naïve but guided by his ambition. He knows where he has come from and he will give 100 per cent for Saint-Etienne as long as he is there.”

Whilst current boss Claude Puel believes the teen has “huge potential” but needs to “become more consistent” to become truly great.

It’s an awful lot of money at £33m in total, though the Hammers could do with him – GSB just need to bid something better than the insulting offer they’ve dealt out here.

AND in other news, Irons could find their new Payet for just £16m…

Celtic have suffered another cruel blow ahead of this weekend’s top-of-the-table Old Firm clash at Parkhead.

Hoops centre-back Hatem Abd Elhamed has been ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19 and will now be forced to self-isolate for the next two weeks.

The Israeli defender reported feeling unwell after playing in their 2-1 defeat against the Czech Republic on Sunday afternoon, just three days after he played against Scotland in a Euro 2020 qualifier, in which they lost on penalties.

Both Bhoys midfielder Callum McGregor and Gers maestro Ryan Jack started for Steve Clarke’s Tartan Army too. They then went onto beat Slovakia 1-0 thanks to a resolute showing from Declan Gallagher on Sunday.

Elhamed joins fellow international teammate Nir Bitton in missing the crucial derby match, adding to Neil Lennon’s nightmare as star playmaker Ryan Christie is also out too.

Even though he hasn’t tested positive for the virus, he has to self-isolate due to his close contact with former Celtic star Stuart Armstrong.

It doesn’t end there though as there will be serious doubts over leading talisman Odsonne Edouard, who will return to training just one day before the match, putting his fitness and wellbeing into question.

That is a total of four first-team players that Lennon could be without as they face Rangers, who sit above them in the table on Saturday.

Elhamed and Bitton are two defensive options, meaning he could be forced into starting Christopher Jullien, which may be a gamble seeing as he’s only just returned from injury.

Likewise in the attack, it’ll have to be Albian Ajeti, who has also been on the treatment table recently, paired with a rarely-seen Leigh Griffiths or a winger like Moi Elyounoussi playing out of position once again.

This is far from ideal when the Hoops are playing chase in the title race already, such injuries and set-backs could well put their unbeaten start in jeopardy – all against their only true challenger too.

Lennon will be glad to see the back of this international break, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Celtic can’t repeat their Stuart Armstrong-like mistake with £10m STAR…

There’s a lot to be positive about at Elland Road at the moment.

Leeds United are flying high in the Premier League picking up seven points from their opening four games, but as always, there is room for improvement.

It may sound a bit strange to pinpoint Mateusz Klich as a player who needs to improve after netting two goals and grabbing an assist in his opening four games, but his defensive output needs to improve.

Leeds are the best team in the league when it comes to tackles per game, but Klich is letting the side down on that metric despite averaging a respectable two tackles per game.

Indeed, Klich is the third-most dribbled past player in the league, showing that he isn’t strong enough in the tackling department, whether that’s a timing problem or a technique issue.

Klich is dribbled past 2.8 times per game on average and only Aston Villa’s Trezeguet and West Ham’s Arthur Masuaku have worse numbers in terms of that metric.

Luckily, Klich’s shortcomings there have been more than made up for by Kalvin Phillips’ ridiculous work rate in the midfield, with the Yorkshire Pirlo averaging 4.3 tackles per game, the third-most of any player in the division.

However, if Phillips has an off-day or he is hampered by injury or suspension, Klich’s tendency to get bypassed in the middle of the park will become increasingly evident and cause problems for Bielsa’s team.

Luckily, Leeds have a manager touted as the best coach in the world, so it isn’t likely that the manager is blind to this issue. However, it’s something he needs to get the £3.15m-rated midfielder to work on in training in the near future or else United’s opponents will start exposing that shortcoming in the middle of the park.

Amid all the excitement surrounding Arsenal’s deadline-day signing of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid, some may have already looked at fellow summer arrival Gabriel as ‘yesterday’s news’.

After all, the Gunners had finally landed a truly world-class, dominant central midfielder in Partey, and naturally all eyes will have been on the Ghana international.

And whilst the former Atletico man has already taken to Premier League football like a duck to water, earning himself a man of the match award in the win over Manchester United, Gabriel has arguably outshone him in these first few weeks of the season.

The Brazilian arrived from French side Lille for just £27m, far cheaper than Partey, and who had attracted interest from Sunday’s opponents United as well.

But since technical director Edu stepped in to ensure that the Gunners got their man, he has produced the goods in every single game that he has played.

Speaking after Arsenal’s win over Sheffield United, Mikel Arteta couldn’t help but hail the £65k-a-week earning monster. He said: “I am very impressed because I have always said in this league one of the most difficult positions to play is centre-back. You get challenged, exposed many times and tested many times for 96 minutes.

“I saw on the first day he has a lot of personality, he has big courage to play. He’s very secure, very stable as well mentally throughout the game and I think he has the physical and technical attributes to adapt very well to the league. That’s why we signed him but credit to him because in this short space of time that’s a big thing.”

And on Sunday, he produced arguably his finest performance of the season at Old Trafford. As per Sofascore, his 7.5 match rating was only lower than that of Partey, as he made a team-high of five tackles, registered four clearances and won an impressive seven of his 11 total duels too.

That led to Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp to insist that he’s the “real deal”. Whilst Partey may be the headline grabber for now, it’s Gabriel who continues to prove why he might be the most important signing of the summer.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Tottenham Hotspur icon Gary Mabbutt has slammed Jose Mourinho’s decision to offload young right-back Kyle Walker-Peters during the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old came through the academy ranks, making his full senior debut back in 2017 against Newcastle United, where he was even awarded the Man of the Match award after an impressive maiden bow.

But after a total of 24 appearances and the £15m arrival of Matt Doherty in north London, the Englishman was deemed surplus to requirements by the Special One, and was sold permanently to the club at which he was on loan at the season prior – Southampton.

They paid just £12m, as per the BBC, with ex-skipper Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also going in the other direction.

Mabbutt believes it was a “strange” decision given just how much potential Walker-Peters has at his feet, he told FFC:

“I was a Kyle Walker-Peters fan. I thought when he was coming through the ranks, I felt he was a player who could stake a claim for that position. It didn’t really happen as I expected it was going to.

“There are a lot of things that managers will get to know that you’ll never know and the fans will never know.

“I thought it was strange that a player of his ability was leaving the club, but we were bringing other players in who it was clearly felt could do maybe a job they were needing perhaps more of in that position.

“But I think he’s got a great future ahead of him, and for Southampton fans, I think he’s a great acquisition for them.”

The 11-time England U21 international has since gone onto become a regular under Ralph Hasenhuttl, starting all six matches in the Premier League this season.

In 540 minutes of action, Walker-Peters has delivered one assist, which actually came against Spurs in gameweek two whilst he has also averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.8 dribbles and 1.5 interceptions per appearance, via WhoScored.

Doherty has been averaging fewer tackles (1.8), dribbles (0.8) and interceptions (1.3) than the Saints star, so perhaps Mabbutt is right to question the decision to sell him so soon.

AND in other news, Gary Mabbutt tips £50k-p/w monster for Spurs captaincy, not Kane…

Glasgow Rangers have had to deal with more than their fair share of injuries this season as Steven Gerrard’s side bid to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row. Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun have both been beset by injury problems in recent months whilst Nikola Katic remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament rupture – the latter has already missed more than three months of action with the Light Blues.

Gerrard was struck by another potential blow as Steven Davis appeared to be struggling with severe cramp during the final stages of the Euro 2020 play-off final but the Ibrox boss has been handed a huge boost ahead of the Europa League rematch with Benfica if recent reports are to be believed.

Rangers News have reported that the 35-year-old has survived unscathed after he was spotted in Northern Ireland training.

A huge injury boost for Rangers

Despite his age, Davis has arguably been one of Rangers’ best players in recent weeks. The Gers spoilt a strong performance against Benfica as they threw away a three-goal lead as the Portuguese giants staged a remarkable comeback in the second half before the international break. However, the Northern Irish international was the real standout in the thrilling 3-3 draw in Lisbon.

With Davis covering the defence, Gerrard could opt to start Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo just behind the front three. Or he may even decide to start the veteran just behind Alfredo Morelos so he can create chances and float swinging passes over the top once again. The Gers conceded two sloppy late goals so they must get their act together at the back with a stronger defensive plan before they face Benfica at Ibrox.

The Rangers manager will be relieved to see Davis back on his feet, as he recently praised the Northern Irishman for his “incredible” run of form. Speaking to Rangers TV, Gerrard said: “I watched the game and he continues with his own standards. He’s involved in a game that’s 5-1 and it’s obviously away from them but he continues to do the right things and that sums Steven up.

“On a daily basis he has incredible standards and that comes out in your performances. The way he represents himself and this club on and off the pitch is a credit to himself and his family.”

Wherever Gerrard decides to deploy him, the ever-reliable veteran should provide some much-needed stability at the back, as well as being a useful attacking asset. The Gers are currently top of the Group D table, tied with Benfica on seven points, so it’s important that they pick up as many points as possible if they are to secure the top-seeded position and with Benfica last losing 3-2 to Braga at home, they’ve got a good chance of getting the vital win.

AND in other news, Gerrard can solve Glasgow Rangers’ glaring weakness by promoting Leon King…

Wolves are going about their business in their usual fashion this season.

They haven’t really got out of second gear but find themselves seventh in the Premier League, just a point off the top four.

However, there has been something a bit different about their last few games.

On the chalkboard

Wolves and Nuno Santo have become infamous for one thing – using three central defenders.

In 166 of his 168 games in charge, he has utilised either a three-back or five back formation, one that’s predominantly seen Conor Coady in the middle as the lynchpin and sweeper.

It’s a tactic that the Portuguese has used since the very moment he walked through the door.

Though, in his last two games, he has started to move away from his tried and tested techniques. That’s because, for the first time as Wolves boss, he has decided to go with four in defence.

It’s worked a treat too, with a draw and a win over Southampton and Arsenal respectively to show for it.

Though, who could benefit from this systematic gamble the most?

Gibbs-White resurgence

The talented Wolves teenager has never quite had the rub of the green at Molineux. The attacking midfielder has started just six Premier League outings in two years and even after moving out on loan to Swansea, is finding life difficult.

Described as a “gem” by former Wolves man Jordan Graham, Gibbs-White is currently on the sidelines because of a fractured foot.

The 20-year-old is one of the finest talents to come through the Wolves academy but because of their formation, he’s not really had a look in. Due to playing with three centre-backs, Nuno has preferred two wing-backs and twin wingers playing close to the striker – usually Raul Jimenez.

However, after moving to a four back, it has opened up an area of the pitch previously unutilised by Wolves – the number 10 area.

Daniel Podence was encapsulating in that role against Arsenal, scoring a goal and performing four dribbles so there’s no reason Nuno shouldn’t go with a similar system again.

And if he does maintain this style of football then Gibbs-White surely has a better chance of securing first-team minutes.

Of course, this Wolves team is getting better all the time but with his preferred position now opening as a viable role at Molineux, the £5.4m-rated youngster could still yet thrive.

In other news, check out how Wolves can find their PERFECT heir to Jimenez…