All posts by z3u9t.icu

Watford have been linked with a move for Genk striker Paul Onuachu recently and if he were to join Xisco Munoz’s side this summer, it could lead to Andre Gray’s exit from Vicarage Road.

According to The Athletic, the Nigerian striker is on Watford’s shortlist for the summer as they look to strengthen their attack, although he would cost around £20m after a superb season with the Belgian side.

Former Wimbledon striker John Fashanu certainly rates Onuachu highly and suggested that the giant striker is currently the best attacking option in Nigeria’s international side, saying:

“His record states he is the best Nigerian striker for now. Something else might happen tomorrow, but for now, he is certainly the best.”

The 27-year-old would contribute 33 goals and five assists in 38 league appearances last season, averaging a superb 7.61 rating from WhoScored for his performances, so he definitely looks to have an eye for goal, and Watford will undoubtedly need a clinical striker in their side if they are to avoid immediate relegation back to the Championship.

Despite their promotion last season, Joao Pedro was the Hornets’ top scorer of their striking options with nine goals, whilst veteran Troy Deeney got seven and Gray hit just five.

Therefore, it seems clear that Munoz will need at least one more striker in his side next season, as it would be unwise to rely on a 19-year-old Pedro and a 33-year-old Deeney as their main options, and Onuachu could be the ideal man, as at six-foot-seven, he would undoubtedly be more than just a goalscorer for the Hornets.

If he were to arrive, then it would likely spell the end for Gray, who has struggled in the Premier League in the past with Watford and looks unlikely to be a regular again next season after just five goals in 30 Championship appearances in the last campaign.

Middlesbrough have been linked with a move for the 30-year-old and in order to fund a move for Onuachu, he could well be one to depart Vicarage Road, but if that means that Giaretta can sign the free-scoring Genk man, then it could definitely prove to be a worthwhile decision.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Hughes: Giaretta should seal Watford swoop for gem who “offers a lot of solutions” 

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is reportedly seeking a reunion with Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara in January, with the 41-year-old apparently a “big fan” of the Finland international.

What’s the story?

The Rangers star was managed by Gerrard at Ibrox up until last month and the Englishman is reportedly keen to bring the 26-year-old down to England. This comes after Aston Villa were linked with a move for Rangers winger Ryan Kent.

Kamara, who has been capped by his native Finland 40 times, has apparently been on Villa’s radar for some time, with the possibility of a £6m bid being weighed up back in August before Gerrard’s arrival.

Despite being valued by Transfermarkt at £5.4m, it seems likely that Villa would have to pay well over that figure to secure the 26-year-old’s services, with the Daily Record reporting that the midfielder could cost £15m given that his contract at Ibrox doesn’t expire until 2025.

Furthermore, Kamara has stated in the past that “it would be a dream” to play in the English top-flight, suggesting that it wouldn’t prove a tricky task to lure him to the West Midlands, should Villa be happy to pay Rangers’ asking price.

Kamara would add needed depth

With Steven Gerrard preferring a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 setup, the Villans could do with extra numbers in the midfielder department as back-up.

It appears as though the 41-year-old has a preferred trio with Douglas Luiz, John McGinn and Marvelous Nakamba starting the last three Premier League games together. The more they play together, the harder it would be for someone to break into that partnership.

However, Villa seem light on reserves should one of those three pick up an injury or suspension, with Jacob Ramsey the only other player to have started in central midfield under the Englishman.

According to SofaScore, the 26-year-old has a 90% pass completion rate in the Scottish Premiership this term, averaging 1.4 key passes per game, showing the outstanding attributes he could add to Gerrard’s midfield.

Reports have suggested that Villa plan to invest this coming window and, although links with big-money superstars are exciting, Johan Lange will have to add depth to the squad and a move for a player such as Kamara, who has been previously dubbed “fantastic” by Gerrard would certainly provide more options.

Everton have another chance of trying to pick up some much-needed points in the Premier League this afternoon.

Frank Lampard’s side are back in action in front of their home fans as they welcome Manchester United to Goodison Park.

The Toffees’  previous league outing saw them throw away a 2-1 half-time lead in their 3-2 midweek defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor, leaving Sean Dyche’s side just a point behind Everton on the edge of the relegation zone.

Looking ahead to today’s showdown against the Red Devils, it seems as though the home team could be set to welcome back a key figure to their ranks.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his latest press conference on Friday, Lampard talked about the current fitness situation surrounding Everton’s club captain, revealing: “We’ve got Seamus Coleman – who on Wednesday night was feeling the effects of not being well and wasn’t fit to play – in consideration, so that’s a nice boost for the game tomorrow.”

With 22 league appearances under his belt in the current campaign, only Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane and Abdoulaye Doucoure have played more minutes than the Irishman, showing how important he is to the team.

From a defensive point of view, only Allan (104) has racked up a higher number of combined tackles and interceptions than Coleman (98).

Given how Everton didn’t have either of those on the pitch in midweek, this may go some way to explaining why they conceded three goals against a team which had only found the net 22 times all season before Wednesday’s clash.

Also, no other Everton player has completed more tackles in the attacking third (11) or defensive third (31) than the 33-year-old, showing how useful he is at both ends of the pitch.

Great news for Everton

Even though the Republic of Ireland international has been a part of Everton’s disappointing season, potentially having him back on the pitch to take on Ralf Rangnick’s side will still give Lampard and co a boost.

Having lost 10 of their past 12 league games, it’s safe to say that the Toffees could do with any fillip which may come their way.

Looking ahead to this clash, the fact that United have racked up a rather inconsistent run of results since January should give the Everton players some confidence that they can go out and grab a positive result this time around, particularly if the Toffees’ reliable skipper will be back in action.

In other news: Kenwright calamity: Everton had a nightmare over “unbelievable” 166-goal “superstar”

Tottenham Hotspur are edging ever closer to appointing their new manager…

What’s the word?

On Monday morning, the north London outfit announced that they had sacked Nuno Santo after just four months at the helm following a string of poor results on the pitch and fan backlash off it.

And it seems as if they have already found the Portuguese’s successor in Antonio Conte, formerly of Chelsea and Inter Milan.

The 52-year-old Italian has been in London finalising terms over a contract, which he is expected to sign at some point today until the summer of 2023, according to Sky Sport Italy journalist Matteo Moretto, who tweeted:

“Tomorrow, Antonio Conte will sign for a year and a half with Tottenham.”

This time, it’s happening

Spurs have been here before, so you could forgive the fanbase for being a little apprehensive over the links to Conte.

Nuno’s appointment at the end of June ended a lengthy and arduous process as the Lilywhites hierarchy searched for their next manager, having been dealt several blows to numerous candidates beforehand.

In that, the north London club held ‘advanced talks’ with the Italian but they collapsed over concerns from both parties, as per the Telegraph.

Conte wanted assurances over Harry Kane’s future and financial backing, whilst Spurs wanted their next manager to commit to the development of youth talent.

So to see that he has once again held encouraging discussions with Fabio Paratici and co is a positive, of course, but the situation earlier in the summer will still be lingering around N17.

However, this time, is does appear to be a little different as reports suggest he’s going to sign a contract at some point today, meaning an announcement can’t be too far behind.

That has to be encouraging as Spurs return to action on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they’ll be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Vitesse, a result that certainly continued towards Nuno’s fateful end.

In reaction to the news that Conte will be his likely successor, plenty of supporters flocked to social media to express their delight, as relayed by This is Futbol.

“Tears of joy” and “Can’t wait for this” were just two of the many reactions that highlighted the mounting excitement around the club.

Therefore, this latest update should leave them absolutely relieved and buzzing heading into the rest of the week.

AND in other news, 119 touches, 100% dribbles: £26m-rated Spurs beast was Nuno’s one shining light against United…

Nikola Vlasic, Lukasz Fabianski and Craig Dawson all struggled in West Ham’s 1-1 draw against Burnley.

It was a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show for the Hammers as David Moyes’ side suffered in their quest to put pressure on the Premier League top-four at the London Stadium following their European heroics in France against Lyon.

After an inauspicious start, the game was halted for a lengthy period so Ashley Westwood could receive treatment. When the contest got back underway, it was visiting striker Wout Weghorst who opened the scoring. Things could’ve been worse for the Irons before half-time as Maxwel Cornet missed from the penalty spot having been brought down by Lukasz Fabianski.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-4/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Despite an improved performance in the second half and a goal from Tomas Soucek, Moyes’ men were unable to seal three points and the Europa League now seems like the most realistic route to the UEFA Champions League next season.

According to SofaScore, there were three West Ham players in particular who were particularly below par on the afternoon.

Vlasic 6.6/10

Yet another appearance seemed to pass the Croatian by before being replaced shortly after the hour mark.

Overall, the 24-year-old lost possession on 10 occasions, failed to complete a single dribble, gave away two fouls and only had 36 touches whilst on the pitch, with only four of his teammates having fewer.

Fabianski 6/10

The guilty party for the penalty in the first half and booked for the incident, albeit the 36-year-old Pole was relieved to see the subsequent spot-kick fired wide.

Fabianski ended the match with a passing accuracy of 11/14 (79%), giving the ball away cheaply three times, and perhaps most surprisingly ended the contest without making a single save. 

Dawson 6.7/10

Far from his exploits in France on Thursday night, Dawson failed to have his usual impact on proceedings on this occasion.

The 31-year-old lost possession 10 times, gave away two fouls and was only accurate with 39/49 (80%) of his passes.

In other news: French source earmarks West Ham ace for summer move! Find out more here.

A number of Sheffield United supporters have been left stunned by Rhian Brewster’s harsh red card for England’s Under-21s on Monday.

The Blades are currently preparing for Saturday’s Championship clash at home to Stoke City, as they look to respond after their 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth last time around.

Another international break has halted the domestic season for the time being, but a number of United players have been in action for their respective nations.

Someone who has had an unfortunate time of things is Brewster, after the young striker was sent off in farcical fashion for England U21s in their 1-0 win away to Andorra, with a video of the incident shared by The Bladesman (@The_Bladesman) on Twitter.

The 21-year-old received a second booking for an innocuous foul, summing up his struggles since leaving Liverpool, which has seen him score just once in 38 Blades appearances.

Sheff Utd fans react to Brewster sending off

These United supporters took to Twitter to react to Brewster’s unlucky red card, struggling to believe how harsh the decision was.

“Man, he can’t catch a break at the minute. Shocking decision”

Credit: @JackBarrett1889

“What did he actually get sent off for?”

Credit: @CMcB_89

“Quite frankly, ridiculous!!”

Credit: @LemonsTom

“That’s a really, really poor decision to send off Rhian Brewster last night”

Credit: @HoltChris

“That’s a shocker!”

Credit: @AlanBiggs1

“The refereeing in the Euros made me think things were getting better but this decision is ridiculous. Not even a foul”

Credit: @Mick616161

Crystal Palace are interested in a move for Manchester United winger Amad Diallo, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The journalist claimed that the 19-year-old is expected to depart Old Trafford on loan during the current window. Palace and FC Basel are two clubs name-checked with an interest by Romano, with other sides in the Premier League and Bundesliga also keen.

Diallo, who can play anywhere across the front three, is valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt and has made eight senior appearances for United.

Patrick Vieira is yet to add to his wide or central attacking ranks this summer, with one goalkeeper, two defenders and three midfielders signed by the Frenchman thus far.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared Romano’s claim about Diallo via Twitter, and here is what these Eagles fans had to say in reply, with one describing the 19-year-old as ‘special’.

“Wow. I’d be down! Wasn’t expecting that”Credit: @redandbluesite”Palace need a winger. We cant get all the players we want in one window for season. This kid is special and gives us more time”Credit: @russellsbaker”Would have him”Credit: @danofthesouth_”I saw the United wanted to loan him out and immediately thought actually we could use him”Credit: @nikolimorgan”Don’t want borrowed players”Credit: @SteYouLater24″Ok”Credit: @cpfcharlie0

In other news: Many CPFC fans buzzing as club confirm Eze news. 

Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to talkSPORT (who cite the Daily Mail), the Red Devils are now one of several sides keeping close tabs on the highly-rated 21-year-old following a string of impressive displays.

The original report states that: “Manchester United have entered the race to sign highly sought-after Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic. Sportsmail understands that the Red Devils have been watching the £70million-rated striker, who has impressed in Italy this season.

“United have now joined multiple clubs in tracking Vlahovic with Tottenham, Newcastle, Juventus and AC Milan all monitoring him.”

Rangnick can become instant hit

With new manager Ralf Rangnick officially confirmed as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor at Old Trafford, the 63-year-old could become an instant hit by securing Vlahovic’s signature.

The Serbia international has gone from strength to strength since making the switch from boyhood club Partizan Belgrade to Florence back in 2018, firmly establishing himself as one of the most exciting and promising youngsters in European football.

Last season, the £45m-rated star bagged an eye-watering 21 goals in 40 appearances for La Viola as they languished in the bottom half of the Serie A table.

However, Vlahovic has been even more destructive this time around, notching a remarkable 13 goals in just 15 outings for Vincenzo Italiano’s charges, earning rave reviews from several impressed onlookers in the process.

The youngster’s outstanding exploits in Italy have seen him dubbed a “complete number nine” by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, while talent scout Jacek Kulig labelled him a “machine,” highlighting his truly top-class potential.

With Edinson Cavani out of contract in the summer and 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo lacking the mobility to become the pressing forward that Rangnick desires, a move for Vlahovic could be on the cards.

Whether football director John Murtough can see off the extensive competition for the 6 foot 2 forward’s signature remains to be seen, but the lure of Rangnick may tip the contest in United’s favour.

And, in other news…Forget AWB: Man Utd lightweight who lost 60% of his duels let Carrick down vs Chelsea

Crystal Palace could form a deadly duo after being linked with Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux (as relayed by SportWitness), the Eagles are one of three Premier League clubs interested in securing the 26-year-old’s signature, with Newcastle United and Everton also listed as potential suitors.

An enticing short-term loan move including an option to buy has been outlined as the most option given Pepe’s recent struggles, meaning Palace chairman Steve Parish may have to act quickly in order to secure his target’s signature.

Imagine him & Odsonne Edouard

The south London outfit have made a hugely encouraging start to life under new manager Patrick Vieira, but the Frenchman’s squad rebuild is far from complete.

Following Andros Townsend’s departure over the summer, Palace lack a natural option on the right-wing, with Jordan Ayew and Michael Olise both preferring to play through the middle.

Therefore, Vieira needs to acquire a player in the mould of Pepe over the next couple of transfer windows in order to continue his progression at Selhurst Park.

Despite failing to live up to the extremely high expectations that his club-record £72m price tag brought at Arsenal, the Ivory Coast international remains a talented player.

In 98 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, Pepe has found the back of the net on 25 occasions, laying on a further 18 assists for his teammates.

After bagging a brilliant brace via two outstanding free-kicks against Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League, former manager Unai Emery labelled his efforts “perfect”, highlighting just how dangerous he can be on his day.

And the prospect of Pepe linking up with one of Palace’s new, exciting attacking talents under Vieira’s tutelage is surely a mouth-watering prospect for everyone associated with the club.

Edouard has settled into life in the Premier League with ease following his switch from Celtic, notching up three goals in his first nine outings.

With the extra creativity and chance creation that Pepe would bring, that tally would surely increase exponentially in the second half of the season, should the Ivorian make the move across the capital.

And, in other news…Forget Gallagher: Palace monster who made 8 clearances was Vieira’s hero vs Burnley 

West Bromwich Albion are expecting a bid which could see Matheus Pereira leave The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Pedro Almeida, with the transfer journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that West Ham United are set to make an offer totalling €24m (£20.5m) for the Albion winger in the coming days.

In his tweet, Almeida said: “West Ham prepares an offer of around €20m + €2m bonus to present to West Brom [for] Matheus Pereira.”

It has also been reported that the 25-year-old is mulling over an approach from Al-Hilal, with the Saudi Arabian club having submitted an offer of €15m (£13m) to West Brom and proposing a tantalising salary to Pereira.

However, should West Ham indeed firm up their interest with a concrete bid of more than £20m for the Brazilian, it would appear highly likely that the Baggies accept the Irons’ offer ahead of Al-Hilal’s.

Ismael will be gutted

Although a scenario in which Pereira remains at The Hawthorns for the club’s upcoming Championship campaign always appeared unlikely, with the start of the new season now being just under a week away, perhaps Valerien Ismael had started to consider the possibility that he may be able to call upon the winger for the club’s opening game against Bournemouth next Friday.

However, with both West Ham and Al-Hilal now reported to be in talks over a deal for the 25-year-old, it very much seems as if the writing is on the wall regarding his exit, something which will undoubtedly leave the Frenchman gutted.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last season, the £13.5m-rated winger scored 11 goals, registered six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, taking two shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £39k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Albion’s best performer in the top flight.

As such, achieving promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking next year would appear to be a much more attainable feat with the services of the forward rather than without.

Having said that, the money that Pereira’s sale will bring into the club could lead to Ismael making a move for a number of his own targets in the summer transfer window. However, it would be optimistic to think that any player the Baggies could attract while in the Championship will be at the same level as the Brazilian.

In other news: Ismael handed major boost over £32.5k-p/w “diamond”, West Brom fans will be buzzing