All posts by h716a5.icu

Sheffield Wednesday trio Reece James, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and David Stockdale are all ‘back in contention’ to face Portsmouth this weekend.

The Lowdown: Big test for Wednesday

The Owls are on an incredible run of form at the moment, not suffering a defeat in League One since their 2-1 loss away to Plymouth Argyle back in early October.

Darren Moore’s side now sit top of the table by three points with a game in hand, as they edge towards what would be a much-needed return to the Championship.

On Saturday afternoon, Wednesday make the trip to Portsmouth for a potentially tough game but they have been boosted by some injury news leading up to the match.

The Latest: Owls given triple injury boost

Taking to Twitter, The Star‘s reliable journalist Joe Crann confirmed that James, Dele-Bashiru and Stockdale are all pushing to play a part this weekend after injury absences:

“Reece James, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and David Stockdale are all expected back in contention for the trip to Portsmouth, Marvin Johnson serves the last game of his suspension.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/efl-news/” title=”EFL news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Extra boost for Moore

Everything is going so smoothly for the Owls at present and the return of James, Dele-Bashiru and Stockdale just feels like an added bonus for Moore.

The former has been a reliable centre-back for Wednesday this season, averaging 2.1 tackles per game in the league, and his comeback will make rotation far easier in that area.

Meanwhile, Dele-Bashiru started the campaign on fire, scoring twice in the 3-3 draw with Pompey on the opening weekend, which could tempt Moore to give him minutes against the same opponent this weekend.

As for Stockdale, he will likely have to accept playing second fiddle to Cameron Dawson between the sticks for the rest of the season, considering the Owls’ current first-choice goalkeeper has kept seven clean sheets in his last nine league outings.

West Ham will be looking to build on their morale-boosting win over Nottingham Forest when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup this evening.

David Moyes is said to have needed a positive result against the Reds to save his job and his side responded in emphatic fashion, with four second-half goals lifting the Hammers outside of the relegation zone.

It means the Irons can travel to Old Trafford in a confident mood, although there will be far less expectation of a result against Erik ten Hag’s in-form side.

How should West Ham line up against Manchester United?

While the focus for West Ham should be on their ongoing fight against relegation, a victory at Old Trafford would put the Hammers in a great position to reach Wembley, so Moyes should select a strong team, while also giving opportunities to returning players.

Here is how Football FanCast expects West Ham to line up against United, with four changes from the side that started against Forest.

(4-2-3-1) Areola, Johnson, Aguerd, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Benrahma, Cornet, Scamacca.

After fracturing an eye socket and a cheekbone against Forest, Lukasz Fabianski certainly won’t be starting at Old Trafford, so Alphonse Areola comes in as his replacement in between the sticks.

Vladimir Coufal would also pick up a heel injury against Steve Cooper’s side which will probably rule him out this evening, so Ben Johnson switches over to right-back, with Aaron Cresswell taking his place at left-back.

Nayef Aguerd and Angelo Ogbonna continue their centre-back partnership after steering the Hammers to a clean sheet last time out, although Kurt Zouma could soon be back in contention.

There is one change in midfield as the “exceptional” Lucas Paqueta – in the words of FourFourTwo’s Mark White – drops out, with Said Benrahma replacing him as an attacking midfielder after notching two assists at the weekend, while Maxwel Cornet makes his eagerly anticipated return from injury on the left wing.

Jarrod Bowen continues on the right, while two-goal hero Danny Ings is sadly cup-tied for the trip to Old Trafford, so Hammers fans will be hoping that Gianluca Scamacca can put his poor run behind him, as he starts in his place.

Aston Villa are thought to be plotting a move for Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Dubravka profiled

The 34-year-old has made 128 appearances in the Premier League. The Slovakian was out on loan to Manchester United earlier this season and played in a 4-2 Carabao Cup win over Unai Emery’s Villa side in November.

He has since been recalled by the Magpies and made his first Premier League appearance of the season after Nick Pope was sent off against Liverpool last weekend.

The Latest: Villa linked with Dubravka

Football Insider shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding Dubravka, claiming that Villa and Brentford are laying the groundwork ahead of potential moves for the veteran.

Those two clubs are thought to be plotting a transfer, with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez linked with an exit from the Midlands this summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-news-6/” title=”Aston Villa latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Squad player?

Dubbed a leader by The Chronicle’s Mick Quinn, Dubravka could prove to be a shrewd second-choice shot-stopper due to his experience, although making him first-choice to replace Martinez would be a gamble by NSWE and Villa.

He has played just over 300 minutes of football during the current campaign and recently turned 34, appearing to enter the stage of becoming second fiddle at St James’ Park.

Villa have Martinez, Robin Olsen and Jed Steer on their books, but if two of those three were to leave this summer, then perhaps Dubravka could arrive alongside a younger ‘keeper, providing plenty of experience and knowledge of the English top flight.

Sunderland would be one of the main beneficiaries if the EFL were to scrap Saturday’s 3pm blackout, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

The Lowdown: EFL’s AGM

According to a report by iNews, the Saturday 3pm blackout was set to be at the top of the agenda for the EFL’s recent AGM.

It is reported that clubs will be consulted about how to expand streaming services in conjunction with the abolition of the long-standing Saturday afternoon blackout. This would provide the clubs outside of the Premier League with the opportunity to create a sizeable new source of income.

The Latest: Maguire’s claim

Maguire believes that scrapping the blackout could be extremely lucrative for Sunderland given their huge support (average attendance just under 31,000 last season), which is comparable to many teams in the Premier League.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed: “For a club such as Sunderland that has a huge following and sells out every away match, this could be beneficial.

“Those fans who want to go to matches will continue to do so, while this is perfect for the remaining elements of the fanbase would be able to buy some form of iFollow pass.

“Significant elements of that money go to the club itself and therefore I think they would be financial beneficiaries. It would certainly be better for a big club like Sunderland than it would be for a smaller side who don’t sell out.

“I think the EFL deserve some credit for the way they have distributed money through the iFollow scheme to date.”

The Verdict: Could be huge

According to Football Insider, Sunderland earned an impressive £5.4m in broadcast income for the 2020/21 season, the latest on record. Following the Black Cats’ promotion to the Championship, this figure is expected to soar.

Therefore, if the EFL do end up abolishing the blackout, Sunderland could indeed be in for a big financial boost going by Maguire’s comments, which could help them once again compete for promotion, this time to the Premier League.

In other news: Tom Coleman reveals ‘interest’ in this Sunderland ace

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in Evan Ndicka heading into the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies are looking at the Frankfurt defender as a possible alternative to Sven Botman, with Dan Ashworth plotting a bid for the gem if they fail to land the Lille enforcer.

The report claims that the Frenchman, who is valued at £20m, would come in as competition for Dan Burn on the left side of the centre-back partnership.

Huge Burn upgrade

If Ashworth can get a deal for the machine over the line then he will be signing a huge upgrade on the ex-Brighton man for Eddie Howe to work with.

Ndicka is coming off the back of an excellent season in the Bundesliga and would arrive as a quality player with the potential to get better in the future.

Former Frankfurt player Alexander Schur claimedthe Frenchman “shows no nerves” and his former boss Adi Hutter once heaped praise on him, saying: “I honestly have to say that I was surprised by his development. Evan has developed phenomenally. He’s very attentive in the analysis of his own game. He’s very modest and always takes a lot on board.”

In the German top-flight, he averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.12. He also won 6.2 duels and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game for Frankfurt as he showcased his defensive quality week-in-week-out with strong performances.

Burn, meanwhile, averaged a score of 6.98 in the Premier League. The giant centre-back won 5.0 duels and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, suggesting that Ndicka performs to a higher standard on a regular basis and is more active in his defensive actions.

The Frankfurt man also provides a threat in possession. He ended the league campaign with four goals and four assists, whilst completing 84% of his passes, as he made himself a force in the opposition’s box as well as his own.

Whereas, Burn managed one goal and one assist, completing 80% of his passes, for Brighton and Newcastle combined.

At the age of 22, he is also eight years younger than the Englishman and this means that he has more scope for development moving forwards. He is in the early stages of his career, rather than heading towards the end of it, and this means that he is a player Howe can work with over the course of a number of years – helping him to fulfil his potential.

In conclusion, Ndicka can offer Newcastle more than Burn defensively, in the final third, and in the future and that is why he would be a huge upgrade on the 30-year-old.

AND in other players, Ashworth “looking” at Newcastle deal for “clever” £75m gem, he can be Howe’s own Salah…

Liverpool are set for a busy summer with the futures of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah’s future uncertain but replacements are potentially being lined up.

What’s the word?

Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma has been fielding interest from Liverpool for a while now but now reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the news.

The Italian journalist was speaking on his Here We Go podcast on Monday (via Liverpool Echo), and said: “He did really great with Villarreal, he has a release clause in his contract it’s around €45m (£38m), maybe a bit more, and so could be an opportunity in the market.

“Liverpool have been following him since January, let’s see if they will jump into it.”

The new Benzema

When Liverpool took on Real Madrid in the Champions League final a few weeks ago there would have been dread about facing Karim Benzema.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

The Frenchman didn’t score on the night as Madrid took home the crown but the concerns were hardly surprising considering the centre-forward bagged 44 goals in 46 matches this term.

That goal tally is rather obscene and considering Danjuma scored 16 times in comparison, it looks hard to make any sort of comparison on the surface.

Of course, the Netherlands international is capable of finding the net but not nearly as much regularity as the Madrid star.

That said, the 25-year-old is similar in many ways. Indeed, FB Ref’s ‘similar’ players model lists the duo as like-minded footballers and a delve into the stats shows you why.

Danjuma had 1.52 shots on target per 90 minutes compared to Benzema’s 1.63. Furthermore, they both fire their attempts at goal from a similar distance, with the former registering an average yardage of 14.7 compared to the latter’s 15.5 yards.

When it comes to progressive carries in possession, there isn’t much between them either, that’s despite Danjuma’s pace and tricky nature. The Dutchman makes an average of 5.79 per 90 in comparison to the former Lyon forward’s 6.32.

It’s rather evident that Benzema is the more clinical in front of goal but their style of play when it comes to both shooting and carries shows there is plenty to like, especially with the ex-Bournemouth man dubbed a “nightmare” by Kevin Phillips.

Danjuma is still very much finding himself as a footballer and despite not being the finished article would be a superb addition to Liverpool’s ranks.

AND in other news, Liverpool now in talks to sign “magic” £68.3m “weapon”, he’s Luis Diaz 2.0…

Newcastle United transfer target Hugo Ekitike has been told that he is allowed to leave French side Reims, reports reliable journalist Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: Winter target

The 19-year-old was the subject of a big transfer saga involving the Magpies in January after the Premier League side lodged a huge bid for the Frenchman.

The U20 France international chose to stall on the move, leaving Eddie Howe with the arrival of Chris Wood from Burnley as the side’s main striking option.

Wood scored just twice and was immediately usurped once Callum Wilson returned from injury, so it would be no surprise to see another striker come in this summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-6/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Allowed to leave

Reliable journalist Lee Ryder took to Twitter to share the latest update on Ekitike, where he claimed: “Newcastle’s winter target told he can leave”.

In the adjoining article, Chronicle Live report that Reims club president Jean-Pierre Caillot has admitted defeat that the striker will leave the Ligue 1 outfit this summer.

Speaking in an interview, Caillot said: “The amount should be more than €20million (£17m). Afterwards, you have to know how to be reasonable.”

According to Chronicle Live, it is presumed that ‘afterwards’ means the potential add-ons, and there is talk of a 25% sell on fee.

Discussing a potential move to Newcastle, he asserted: “It’s typically the kind of environment where he could continue to grow and move on.”

The Verdict: ‘Huge’ potential

Reims’ reserves coach Franck Chalençon told Eurosport France that Ekitike is a player with “huge potential”, as “in front of the goal, his ratio is excellent” (via Eurosport).

When compared with positional peers across Europe, the 19-year-old ranks in the 93rd percentile for non-penalty goals, illustrating his natural finishing ability in the final third (via FB Ref).

Therefore, if Newcastle go all in for the Frenchman again this summer, this could be a fantastic signing for Howe.

In other news: Newcastle United: Journalist shares Eddie Howe’s transfer priorities

Alasdair Gold has dropped a claim on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Weston McKennie.

What’s the talk?

In a recent Q&A on football.london, the journalist revealed that Fabio Paratici has already held talks with the Juventus midfielder’s representatives regarding a move for the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window, with further reports suggesting the Serie A side would demand a figure in the region of €40m (£34m) in order to part with the USA international.

In response to a question concerning Tottenham’s interest in the former Schalke starlet, Gold said: “Weston McKennie is someone Paratici is a big fan of and I reported back in January that he held talks that month with the player’s representatives about a potential summer move.

“I wouldn’t bet against him following up on that this summer but much depends on how willing Juventus are to let him go after a season in which he was a regular starter before suffering a metatarsal fracture in February which all but ended his campaign until the final match.”

Kulusevski 2.0

Considering McKennie’s extremely impressive positional versatility, undoubted ability and potential for future growth – not to mention his previous relationship with Paratici – it is not difficult to understand why the Tottenham sporting director would be interested in a deal to bring the 23-year-old to north London this summer.

Indeed, with the signing of a forward-thinking central midfielder reported to be one of Antonio Conte’s priority targets ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, the £60m-rated American appears to be something of a perfect fit for the 52-year-old’s requirements.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

According to FBref data, the £53k-per-week talent ranks in the top 14% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 5% for non-penalty xG.

Furthermore, he is in the top 14% for shots, the top 15% for npxG+xA, the top 2% for touches in the opposition penalty area and the top 2% for progressive passes received over the last 365 days.

On top of that, the 23-year-old ranks in the top 4% of attacking midfielders for interceptions per 90, in addition to the top 1% for clearances, the top 10% for blocks, the top 8% for aerials won, the top 16% for tackles and the top 40% for pressures over the last 12 months.

The 31-time capped international’s ability to operate from defensive, central, attacking and right midfield would also come as a huge bonus to Conte, with David Wagner previously commenting on the American’s impressive positional ability, stating back in 2020:

“In the No.6 or No.8 position he has the mentality, a real working mentality that you need. And he’s brave on the ball as well. He can be one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.”

As such, should McKennie indeed be available for a figure of just £34m this summer, it would seem highly advisable for Paratici to sanction a swoop for the Juventus playmaker, as the 23-year-old could very easily go on become Spurs’ next Dejan Kulusevski success story at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news: Fabrizio Romano drops “serious” Spurs transfer update, supporters will be buzzing

Everton suffered a heavy 5-1 loss away at Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League, but they will not care too much after securing their survival.

Still, Frank Lampard would have expected a better performance from his players, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to now analyse who their three worst performers were on the day:

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-5/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Dele Alli

Admittedly joint with second in terms of overall rating (6.0), Alli ranks in third here as he did not play the whole game.

Still, the former Tottenham Hotspur ace lost out on five of his duels in total, and also failed to record a single shot on goal, interception, tackle, cross or long ball, losing the ball nine times.

Jarrad Branthwaite

Also given a 6.0 rating, Branthwaite ranks in second having played the full match.

The youngster conceded five goals as a central defender, and also lost three duels, while he recorded no interceptions and lost possession eight times.

Alex Iwobi

Unfortunately for Iwobi, it was not a happy return to the Emirates Stadium as he ranked as the Toffees’ worst player with a 5.6 rating.

The Nigeria international gave away the penalty for the Gunners’ first goal, while he also lost four duels, and recorded no shots on goal, interceptions, crosses or accurate long balls, losing it 11 times in total.

In other news, find out which ‘unbelievable’ colossus could now leave the Blues here!

Manchester City have seen numerous important players leave in recent years such as Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany among others who have all been crucial to the club’s previous domestic dominance.

Now that their latest Premier League season is almost over and the club have the chance to add another league title to their cabinet, the next summer transfer window is also close to opening.

While it has been confirmed that Fernandinho will be waving goodbye to the club after nine years of service, an update has emerged regarding the future of another important figure in the squad which will surely have Pep Guardiola buzzing.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from ESPN, the Citizens are “expecting” midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to remain at the club this summer after it was recently reported that he had been told by the club’s hierarchy that he could leave.

The report also said that “sources close to the club insist the midfielder has not expressed a desire to leave and the expectation is that the 31-year-old will stay until at least the end of his deal in 2023.”

Good news for Pep

Since joining the Manchester club back in the 2016 summer transfer window, the midfielder has gone on to make 252 appearances across all competitions.

In those appearances, the former Borussia Dortmund star has scored 47 goals, provided 33 assists and helped his side win several trophies in the process.

To further highlight the German’s importance to City, out of the 11 Premier League games that he hasn’t appeared in this season, Guardiola’s side have dropped points in six of them.

This shows that the Citizens are arguably a better side with him in the team rather than out of it.

With that in mind and the fact that City will already have to be on the lookout to bring a new midfielder in to replace Fernandinho this summer, having Gundogan stay in the squad for another season will be a big weight off the club’s shoulders

With the midfielder’s current contract at the Etihad Stadium set to expire in the summer of 2023, it’ll now be up to the club to decide when they discuss what the future could hold for the long-serving German.

In other news: Man City eyeing swoop for “immense” £60m “destroyer”, he’s better than Fernandinho