All posts by z3u9t.icu

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over a transfer claim involving Paris-Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

The Irons have been tipped to target new goalkeepers this summer as current number one Lukasz Fabianski nears the end of his career.

The Poland veteran recently put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension at the London Stadium, but at 36, West Ham may need to think about his potential successor, or at the very least provide sufficient backup for him.

As the club attempts to address these concerns, Foot Mercato have now come out with some welcome news for Hammers supporters.

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The French news outlet claimed that GSB are in the process of finalising a deal to sign Areola on a season-long loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. Indeed, West Ham are apparently ‘trying to close’ the operation, and a move could be completed within the next few days.

Amid this transfer claim, it is understandable that many Irons fans are excited given that David Moyes has not made a senior summer addition yet.

Check out a flavour of the fans’ best reactions below as West Ham Central, West Ham News & Views, West Ham Fan Zone and Zach Lowy shared this news on Twitter.

West Ham fans excited by Areola claim…

“Yes, this is exactly who I want as our number one, yes yes yes, I have wanted this for a long time please”

Credit: @TomQuirkeJourno

“No way”

Credit: @whuccierann

“would be huge”

Credit: @fnspectre_

“Happy with that…..”

Credit: @Jay8320

“He’ll be a huge addition for us, just hope we get this done quickly!”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“Please please please please”

Credit: @VurtIVS

“Brilliant signing if true. Thought he was very good at Fulham last season.”

Credit: @Jayoconnor8

“We would win the league OMD”

Credit: @whu_cal

In other news: West Ham lodge offer to sign ‘excellent’ 24-goal star, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been bemoaning the news that Florian Neuhaus could stay at Borussia Monchengladbach for another year.

The Reds could be set for a busy summer, with Ibrahima Konate already joining from RB Leipzig and other incomings now linked.

Not only that, but some players could head the other way, as Jurgen Klopp gets rids of individuals who are deemed surplus to requirements.

Liverpool have been mentioned in connection with a host of players already this summer, but Neuhaus has arguably been one of the most talked-about targets.

The 24-year-old is currently at Euro 2020 with Germany, but it has been hoped that a deal to bring him to Anfield could be agreed after the tournament.

According to Bild journalist Tobi Altschaffl on Twitter, however, Neuhaus will stay put at Monchengladbach ‘for at least another year’.

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Liverpool fans bemoan Neuhaus update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their frustration at the update, with one supporter simply calling it ‘bad news’.

“Another one bites the dust @LFC”

Credit: @dominion1017

“That’s another one gone”

Credit: @knoller2

“Liverpool messing around seriously…lol”

Credit: @Roi_Tola_

“What is going on? We aren’t far away from what Spurs are doing with their manager fiasco. He should have added, “he will join Bayern” after saying, “Neuhaus will stay for at least another year at Mönchengladbach.” Pathetic again from Liverpool”

Credit: @wearewinnin

“The Liverpool effect”

Credit: @_bradlfc

“If we’re getting someone else then siuuuuuuu but if we’re not then this is bad news”

Credit: @_JS98

“Man, tell me you’re joking”

Credit: @bayowaaaa

In other news, Liverpool’s interest in a prolific attacking player has emerged – find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Burnley midfielder Robbie Brady on a free transfer ahead of the summer window.

What’s the story?

According to The Mirror’s John Cross, the 29-year-old is wanted by several clubs, with his contract at Turf Moor set to expire over the coming months.

The report claims that Watford, Southampton and Scottish giants Celtic are set to rival the Eagles for Brady’s signature.

Parish must avoid

Palace have been left in a state of limbo following the departure of Roy Hodgson, who brought a sense of stability to the south London outfit during his four-year stint at the club.

Although the former England boss did a commendable job with the Eagles, recording finishes of 11th, 12th, 14th and 14th, he’s arguably left the first team squad in a rather poor state.

With 14 players coming to the end of their current deals at Selhurst Park, Wilfried Zaha continuously being linked with a move away from his boyhood club and serious injuries to youngsters Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson, the task facing Hodgson’s successor is a daunting one.

The Eagles had the oldest squad in the Premier League last season, and it’s a major issue which needs addressing in the transfer market over the summer by chairman Steve Parish.

Many of the Palace players set to become free agents are either in their 30s or fast approaching that landmark, and the arrivals of Eze (22) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (23) appeared to indicate that Parish was beginning to address that particular issue.

However, bringing in Brady would completely go against that philosophy. Although the Republic of Ireland international is a useful asset to have for a mid-table top-flight team, his injury issues and age (29) make him an inappropriate target for Palace at this moment in time.

In five seasons at Burnley, the versatile winger never made more than 19 league appearances in a single campaign for Sean Dyche’s men.

With left-back Patrick van Aanholt set to depart Palace and winger Andros Townsend potentially following suit, the arrival of Brady as their potential replacement would make little sense, and Parish must avoid the temptation to find a quick, short-term solution to Palace’s extensive issues.

In other news… Parish heading for huge transfer mistake over £7.2m-rated dynamo, Palace need him

Ange Postecoglou is barely through the door but Celtic have already dealt the Australian with a colossal blow as he gears up for his Parkhead arrival.

The Hoops are faced with a situation where a number of their players could leave and with the transfer window on the verge of opening, that reality is edging ever closer.

What’s the word?

Odsonne Edouard has been primed for a Celtic exit for a while now.

He’s been linked with a plethora of Premier League clubs with West Ham and Arsenal showing an interest in the Frenchman over the last six months.

However, it looks as though the striker is set for a reunion with Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City instead.

The Times reported this weekend that the Foxes had won the race to sign Edouard in a £15m deal this summer.

The deal is set to be sanctioned as soon as their new manager arrives.

Colossal blow

Edouard may have downed tools towards the end of his time with Celtic but there is no denying that this is a monumental blow to the club’s ambitions.

The Bhoys endured a trophyless campaign and if they want to earn parity with Rangers as soon as possible they will need a goalscorer as fierce as the 23-year-old in their squad.

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If there was one shining light from the 2020/21 campaign for Celtic then it would be Edouard. It has always been the Frenchman when it’s come to beating the goalkeeper and without him, you have to fear the worse.

He scored 22 goals last term, taking his tally in the famous green and white to 83 in 168 outings.

The attacker has been their top scorer in all three seasons he’s enjoyed at Paradise, taking their attack to a new level after the departure of Moussa Dembele.

£15m is a decent sum for a player whose contract expires in a year’s time and it should enable them to invest healthily in the transfer window.

That being said, it is never easy replacing someone who scores so many goals. Celtic will no doubt have contingency plans in place but as Albian Ajeti and Patryk Klimala will tell you, it’s hard to fit in.

Ajeti has only bagged six goals after arriving from West Ham for £5m while Klimala left Glasgow after just a year in Scotland.

The Celtic hierarchy will need to have a plan in place here. Losing Edouard is quite possibly the biggest blow supporters could receive this summer.

AND in other news, Celtic can replace Elyounoussi by signing 42-goal “speed demon”, he’s got “everything”…

Major transfer news has emerged about Portsmouth forward Ellis Harrison, regarding where he will be playing his football next season.

What’s the talk?

According to Portsmouth outlet The News, Harrison is closing in on a move to League One outfit Oxford United this week. Harrison favours a transfer to Oxford over other interested parties and is now on the verge of leaving Portsmouth for Karl Robinson’s side.

The report claims Portsmouth have been keen to sell Harrison this summer as Danny Cowley looks to reshape his squad ahead of next season. Harrison is said to be one of the highest-earners within the Pompey squad in League One, which is one of the reasons behind his prospective sale.

Back in 2020, at-the-time Pompey assistant manager Joe Gallen praised the “aggressive” forward for his selflessness on the pitch. He told The News:

“When Ellis is really on his game, for League One he is very hard to handle.”He’s a very aggressive player, he’s a very good foil for a goalscorer.”Some centre-forwards just want to score and that’s fine. When Ellis goes onto the football pitch, although he’s a centre-forward, he’s actually a real team player.” Fans will love it

Portsmouth fans will love this news as it means that the club are on the verge of getting rid of an underperforming player ahead of next season. Harrison has struggled to find his best form for Pompey since arriving from Ipswich in 2019, with just nine League One goals in two years. He managed four goals in 25 appearances in the season just gone, highlighting his lack of form in front of goals, and this is why fans should be happy to see him depart from Fratton Park in the coming days/weeks.

The £4.3k-per-week dud is the third-highest earner at Portsmouth and his performances have not reflected that for the club in League One. He ranked 13th in the squad for average WhoScored ratings in the 2020/21 campaign, playing 25 times across the season. This suggests that Portsmouth have been overpaying Harrison for his services and, therefore, shipping him on could be a smart move by the club from a financial standpoint, as well as from the footballing side.

This deal could be a shrewd piece of business from Portsmouth. It should allow Cowley to replace an underperforming member of his team with a new arrival, as the fee Oxford are set to pay for Harrison – which remains undisclosed – could potentially help Portsmouth land one of Cowley’s targets.

Now it is down to Portsmouth and Cowley to bring in an excellent player to replace Harrison and improve the squad to boost their chances of promotion.

AND in other news, Pompey handed major transfer boost with “strong” £3.4k-p/w ace, Cowley would love him…

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has been handed a huge boost ahead of Tuesday’s game against Leeds United, as Oriol Romeu could feature at St Mary’s this evening.

The Spanish midfielder had been expected to miss the rest of the season when he broke his ankle in the reverse fixture against Leeds at Elland Road in February, but he recently made his return to training and could feature against Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the teams’ penultimate Premier League fixture of the campaign.

Hasenhuttl confirmed in his pre-match conference that Romeu would be in the squad to face Leeds on Tuesday, although he hinted that the midfielder might well start on the bench.

Earlier in the season, Romeu and James Ward-Prowse established a formidable partnership in midfield and complimented each other brilliantly, which was a key factor in the Saints topping the Premier League table for the first time in their history in November.

Despite being absent for so long, the 29-year-old is still rated as one of Hasenhuttl’s top players in the Premier League this season, with his 6.97 average rating from WhoScored ranking him as the second-best performer so far this term.

It was no surprise that Southampton’s form between March and April was largely woeful, as Ibrahima Diallo has struggled to step up in the Spaniard’s absence, whilst Stuart Armstrong simply doesn’t offer the same defensive qualities as Romeu.

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No player in Southampton’s squad who has played at least five times this season has averaged more tackles per game than Romeu, which emphasises his industrious style of play in the middle and also allows for Ward-Prowse to push forward in midfield, safe in the knowledge that Romeu will be there to cover for him.

After signing a new deal in October last year, Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the midfielder, saying: “He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen. When you see him as a professional, how he reacts when he’s not first choice, it’s unbelievable.”

Whilst Leeds come into this game in fine form, Southampton have won two home games in the last week and will want to finish the season as strongly as possible, so the return of one of their top performers in midfield may well concern Leeds manager Bielsa ahead of the game at St Mary’s.

In other news… Semmens disaster: Southampton missed out on “outstanding” Premier League gem with 21 G/A

Everton have a wonderful chance of securing European football next season, with the Toffees standing an outside chance of reaching the top table.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have a game in hand and are just six points behind Chelsea in fourth place, so a Champions League place may await them if everything goes their way.

They will have to overcome a number of tough tests, though. Everton still have to face West Ham United and Manchester City, so it won’t be easy for them to gatecrash the top four.

That said, they did rise to the challenge of Arsenal last time out, winning 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium. They will be able to take plenty of confidence into their clash with Aston Villa on Saturday night but how will they line up?

Here’s the XI we’re predicting from Ancelotti tonight…

We’re tipping the Italian to make three changes to the side which defeated the Gunners just over a week ago.

Ancelotti sticks with the same formation but he takes Andre Gomes out of the firing line. He returned to the starting XI in north London after two games out but doesn’t start this time.

Gomes showed some nice touches against Mikel Arteta’s side but didn’t make a big enough impression in his 66 minutes on the pitch.

He produced two tackles but had fewer touches in the game than Jordan Pickford and failed to offer impetus alongside James Rodriguez, unable to play a single key pass. As such, Tom Davies comes back into the starting XI.

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The second change is out on the flanks, where Gylfi Sigurdsson misses out. The Iceland international struck the bar against Arsenal but his threat waned significantly as the game went on. Like Gomes, he had less of the ball than Pickford and didn’t provide a key pass.

For someone in his position, Sigurdsson should be doing a lot more to feed Dominic Calvert-Lewin. With the need for a bit more swagger and energy in attack, the £100,000-per-week Alex Iwobi comes back into the fray.

Abdoulaye Doucoure misses out through injury but Michael Keane is back in the side. He replaces Seamus Coleman, with Ben Godfrey moving to right-back.

AND in other news, Everton must swoop for “absolutely crazy” £27k-p/w maestro, he’s got “brutal dynamism”…

Pep Guardiola could be set to receive a huge boost at Man City in the coming weeks, with reports suggesting that Phil Foden is close to signing a new contract with the club.

According to Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman (via City Xtra on Twitter), the 20-year-old sensation is on the verge of signing a new deal at the Etihad, which will see him earn a six-figure-a-week salary.

The England international has been in superb form for the Citizens so far this season, contributing seven goals and five assists in 28 Premier League appearances, which has helped him average an impressive 7.07 rating from WhoScored.

In all competitions, the City academy graduate has managed 14 goals and eight assists this season, which is comfortably his best season to date, and also emphasises just how important he has been for Guardiola’s side so far this season.

According to Sportrac, Foden is currently the lowest earner in the Manchester City senior side, earning £12k per week, so this new contract definitely feels deserved for the youngster, and should also secure his long-term future at the Etihad, which will undoubtedly be a huge boost for Guardiola

After a superb display against PSG in midweek, which helped City reach their first-ever Champions League final, England teammate Declan Rice was full of praise for Foden on social media, dubbing him “very, very special”.

Whilst Foden’s current contract isn’t set to expire until the end of the 2024 season, City are clearly keen to tie him down for the significant future with a new bumper contract, which will surely see him spend the majority of his career with his boyhood club, unless City are presented with an extraordinary transfer offer.

Foden’s performances this season have certainly warranted a new contract, and City fans will be hoping that he can celebrate this news by helping them secure the Premier League title and the Champions League trophy in the coming weeks, to add to his already significant trophy collection with the Citizens.

And, in other news… Txiki should seal Man City swoop for “world-class” striker who left Pep speechless

Leeds United are reportedly locked in a battle with several other Premier League clubs to sign Sunderland midfielder Josh Hawkes this summer.

The Lowdown: Hawkes impresses for Sunderland

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the most exciting players in the Black Cats’ academy this season, scoring 14 goals in 21 appearances in total, as well as registering seven assists.

Sunderland Under-23s boss Elliott Dickman has hailed Hakwes as ‘excellent’ and a number of top clubs are now thought to be eyeing him up.

The Latest: Leeds keen on move

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are one of those who are interested in signing the attacking midfielder, with West Ham, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United also mentioned.

Hawkes’ current contract expires next summer, meaning this may be the last chance for Sunderland to receive a decent fee for his services.

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The Verdict: One for the future?

It is always exciting to see Leeds linked with talented young British players, with a nucleus of homegrown individuals important in any Premier League squad.

Hawkes could certainly be viewed as an exciting option for the future, with the youngster having the chance to excel under a special manager like Marcelo Bielsa.

It is unlikely that he would be a first-team regular to begin with, given his lack of experience, but signing him would be further proof that Bielsa is looking at the long-term picture and that Leeds are putting plans in face for long term success, rather than short-term quick wins.

In other news, ‘huge’ offers are expected to be made for one key Leeds player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Many Sunderland fans were far from happy with the performance of Lynden Gooch during their 2-1 defeat in League One on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Cats’ hopes of promotion to the Championship were dealt a significant blow as they succumbed to Charlton Athletic, who are currently chasing a play-off spot. Josh Scowen put through his own net for the opener, and Alex Gilbey added the second after the break.

Although Scowen was on hand to halve the deficit, it was not enough to earn Sunderland anything from the game. Even with a game in hand, they are five points behind second-placed Peterborough United (BBC), so their fate is no longer in their own hands.

The display of Gooch was particularly disappointing. He landed just 64% of his attempted passes and prevailed in only two of his five duels (SofaScore). Lee Johnson will need an improvement between now and the end of the campaign.

These Sunderland fans were angry with the American’s “frustrating” performance, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“Bring Jones on, Gooch hasn’t been good enough, such an utterly frustrating player.”

Credit: @TheSafcAnalyst

“O’Brien and Gooch are annoying the life out of me here”

Credit: @marrs_jordan

“Agreed, Gooch decision making poor, O’Brien just, poor full stop”

Credit: @cynicalkind

“if McFadzean and Gooch start in a Sunderland shirt again it’s a shambles”

Credit: @SAFCTylerr

“Just regressed with the club, I’d get rid of him in the summer if a fee is offered, he’s nowhere near good enough”

Credit: @RJPalliser10

“What has happened with Lynden Gooch? He was a promising player who made his first #SAFC appearance away at the Etihad in the @premierleague he now looks lost in @SkyBetLeagueOne”

Credit: @SAFCFANSVIEW

In other news, some Sunderland fans were also unhappy with this man’s display.