All posts by z3u9t.icu

Fulham have been dealt a huge blow to their hopes of keeping Harrison Reed at Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that Leeds United are considering a move for the 26-year-old midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.

It is reported that, following Fulham’s relegation back to the Championship, Scott Parker’s side are facing a battle to keep some of their biggest stars this summer, with Reed thought to be one of the Cottagers’ more sought-after talents.

Parker will be gutted

Considering how impressive Reed has been since joining Fulham from Southampton back in 2019, in what was originally a season-long loan deal which Fulham turned into a £5.85m permanent move last summer, reports that the midfielder is attracting interest from a Premier League team like Leeds is sure to leave Parker gutted.

Indeed, in his first season in west London, the £9m-rated man played a big part in securing promotion with the Cottagers, providing one assist and creating one big chance over his 25 Championship appearances, as well as averaging 1.4 interceptions and 1.9 tackles and winning 4.5 duels per game.

These metrics saw Reed earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as Parker’s joint 16th-best performer in the division.

The £31,000-per-week former England under-20 international once again impressed over his 31 Premier League appearances for Fulham last season, registering two assists and creating two big chances, in addition to averaging of 1.6 interceptions and two tackles and winning four duels per match.

These returns saw the 26-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s 11th-best performer in the top flight.

As such, if Parker were to lose the services of the player Shane Long dubbed “immense”, it would undoubtedly hamper Fulham’s hopes of securing another immediate return to the Premier League next season – an outcome which would represent something of a disaster for the west London club.

In other news: Get him gone: Khan must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £67k-p/w Fulham flop this summer

Celtic interim boss John Kennedy has cleared up any confusion regarding a possible exit for Karamoko Dembele this summer.

The Lowdown: Dembele rumours

Dembele, 18, netted his first senior goal for the Hoops in a 4-0 win over St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.

The winger was linked with a summer exit back in January, with former Celtic man Mark Wilson adamant Dembele would move on at the end of the current campaign.

French sides Lille and Nantes were thought to be keen on the youngster’s services, and, at the time, it was believed his deal was set to expire at the end of the season.

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The Latest: Kennedy confirms length of contract

However, talking after the win over St Johnstone, as reported by The Scottish Sun, Kennedy cleared up Dembele’s contract situation, describing the teenager as ‘terrific’ in the process.

“There is a lot of speculation in terms of Karamoko being out of contract in the summer.

“I don’t know where that has come from because he has another year left.

“In terms of him, again a young player and every young player has a different pathway.

“Karamoko has been spoken about as the next superstar, but people develop physically at different rates.

“He is probably one who still has a bit of development, but is a terrific talent — we know that.

“It’s not a token gesture [his substitute appearance], he has done well in training recently.”

The Verdict: Gives Hoops vital time

With Dembele actually having another 12 months on his Celtic deal left to run, that may give the Hoops the time required to persuade him his long-term future lies in Glasgow.

He’s only made seven senior appearances for the club to date, and you’d expect he’d have to be guaranteed more game time for him to pen a new deal at Parkhead.

With sides in France recently keen and Kennedy admitting he has been spoken about as a ‘superstar’, the next 12 months for Celtic could prove crucial in regards to ensuring his future is with the Bhoys.

That said, a fresh faced new arrival in the dugout – one like Eddie Howe perhaps – could be just what he needs to really kickstart his career in Glasgow.

In other news: Celtic keen on versatile ace who could move to Parkhead for next to nothing, find out more here.

Danny Mills has slammed Glasgow Rangers’ lack of due diligence after they appeared to block Ianis Hagi from competing at the Olympics for Romania.

The Lowdown: Hagi will not play in Tokyo

It appeared Hagi would be selected to appear for his country in the football tournament at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer, but the Gers have refused to let him go (The Scottish Sun).

Romanian football legend Mircea Lucescu was livid at Rangers’ decision not to release him for the competition.

The Latest: Mills slams Gers lack of due diligence

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills does not appear to agree with the club’s decision. He said:

“[Lionel] Messi played in it, [Sergio] Aguero played in it.

“If you sign a talented under-23 player who’s possibly going to be in the Olympics, if the Olympics goes ahead, then you’ve got to be prepared for that.

“You can’t sign a player that plays for one of the African Cup of Nations teams and then go ‘I don’t want him to be away in January.’

“You can’t sign Son Heung-min who plays for South Korea in the Asia Cups and the military service and all the rest of it…

“Surely you have to do your due diligence and know that’s going to be a possibility. If you’re player’s good, he’s going to get called up.

“I get that they’re trying to persuade their players and say ‘Do you really need to go?’

“But it’s the opportunity to play in an Olympics. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Why would you not want to go and represent your country?”

The Verdict: Difficult decision

You can understand both sides of the argument here. From Hagi’s perspective, it is not hard to understand why he would want to travel to Japan. Representing your country at the Olympics is a huge opportunity, and it would be a hard one to pass up.

However, the tournament will coincide with Rangers’ Champions League third qualifying round. The Ibrox outfit will be desperate to make it to the group stages, and they clearly believe £5.4m-valued Hagi (Transfermarkt) has a role to play in that quest, and a FIFA directive means they have more authority to block players from taking part in Tokyo. Hagi will be hoping he is at least heavily involved at the start of next term for his club.

In other news, Rangers are planning a bid for this 21-year-old.

This season has been a difficult one for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nuno Santo.

They haven’t come anywhere close to reaching their goal of European football and injuries have plagued their campaign.

Raul Jimenez has been out since November while he recovers from a fractured skull while Jonny is currently undergoing rehab on a second ACL injury in the space of a year.

Pedro Neto could now also miss six months with a broken patella. Successful surgery has occurred but it’s a long way back for the magical Portuguese winger.

Unfortunately, Wolves are now sweating over two more injury blows ahead of their clash with West Brom.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference last week, Nuno commented: “We have many problems that, unfortunately, are happening to us.”

Nuno added: “The squad list will reflect the issues we have. To say who it is affected would be an advantage to our opponent.”

A quick look at the injury table tells you two of the blows are to Joao Moutinho and Nelson Semedo.

The Portuguese pair are facing late fitness tests and are currently only described as 50% ready to feature on Monday evening.

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Moutinho missed the 4-0 defeat to Burnley due to an ankle problem while Semedo is suffering from a minor knock.

The former has had a difficult few weeks with injury, returning from the last international break with a groin problem.

Yet more injury worries should have the Old Gold manager running scared. After all, they were still hammered by the Clarets last week despite having essentially a fully fit backline.

Semedo has been a liability from a defensive point of view this term but he’s still an experienced professional. Having to throw Ki-Jana Hoever into the firing line at such a difficult time would not be ideal.

Wolves could also do with the cool and collected qualities that Moutinho brings with him. After all, Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker were bullied in midfield at Molineux last time out.

With so many of their key players already missing, the last thing Nuno needs is two of his most reputable players absent from a Midlands derby.

The Old Gold will need to be ready for a battle tonight with the Baggies staring down the barrel of relegation.

AND in other news, Move over Semedo: Wolves must swoop for “exceptional” £5m gem with “enormous ability”…

When Jeremie Frimpong unexpectedly left Celtic for German shores back in January, it left the Hoops in the lurch.

The Bhoys suddenly needed to fill a vacant hole at full-back and they didn’t have much time in order to do it.

The player that Peter Lawwell and Celtic’s recruitment team decided upon was Jonjoe Kenny.

On paper, this was an adequate piece of business from the top brass at Parkhead. They’d found a temporary resolution to their problem at barely any cost.

The Toffees defender arrived on loan and after being nominated for Rookie of the Year when playing for Schalke in the Bundesliga, it looked like he’d do well.

Unfortunately, like Celtic’s season, it has been a period to forget. Kenny is eye-catching going forward but truth be told, his defending leaves plenty to be desired.

The £15k-per-week earner has endured a dismal few months at Paradise and with his stay in Glasgow coming to an end, John Kennedy must focus on other options, players who may actually be here next season.

After all, if Celtic decide to bring Kenny back next term, it would be a questionable decision.

When the big games have fallen upon the Hoops, Kenny has never been one to stand up and take responsibility.

In all three Old Firm derbies now, he’s been particularly inconsistent. In February, the defender’s lapse back pass led to a corner from which Alfredo Morelos scored.

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There are no prizes for guessing the man who was supposed to be marking the bullish Colombian from that set-piece; Kenny.

His worst performance in a Celtic shirt arguably followed in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

He and Diego Laxalt had what Paul John Dykes described on A Celtic State of Mind during the half time interval as a “nightmare.”

The Everton youngster struggled with Ryan Kent and was at fault for both goals. He failed to get close enough to Steven Davis for the opener and then accidentally diverted the ball into his own net for the second after failing to track the run of Kent.

Unfortunately, he was poor again the last time Celtic took to the field.

The 24-year-old didn’t provide much support to James Forrest down the right-hand side and was given a rough afternoon defensively.

Kenny lost possession 21 times and only completed 72% of his passes as his side slipped to a devastating 4-1 defeat at Ibrox.

Scott Brown may have been at fault for Morelos’ fierce strike in the first half, but Kenny never looked comfortable during his time on the pitch. His afternoon was made worse by the fact he committed two fouls and was dribbled past on three occasions.

It doesn’t feel as though Kenny has been at the races for a while now. Like Celtic’s season, his performances have only continued to dwindle.

The interim manager needs to factor in other options when the Bhoys face St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Swansea’s promotion hopes took another huge blow on Easter Monday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Preston North End.

Steve Cooper’s side looked set to end their run of three consecutive defeats until Matt Grimes turned Scott Sinclair’s shot into his own net in injury time.

The Swans are now 10 points behind second-placed Watford and could soon drop out of the playoffs unless they see a dramatic upturn in form.

One man who disappointed with his performance at the Liberty Stadium was Andre Ayew.

As per SofaScore, the Ghana international would earn a shocking 6.3 match rating for his display, which was the worst of any Swansea player who started the game.

During his time on the pitch, the £3.6m-rated forward would manage just 13 passes and 30 touches, which is fewer than the 19 touches and 38 passes contributed by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

For context, Ayew has averaged 26.8 passes per game in the Championship so far this season, which emphasises just how much he struggled to get into the game on Monday.

The 30-year-old also failed to contribute a single shot, cross or key pass during the 90 minutes, whilst none of his three dribble attempts were successful, which suggests that the Preston defenders well and truly had the better of him.

Ayew would also win just 5/14 of his duels during the game, resulting in a less than impressive 36% success rate, with his failure to trouble the Preston backline emphasised by the fact that they all earned above a 7/10 rating for their display.

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In a poor run of form for Swansea, where Ayew’s goals have often seen Cooper’s side pick up points late on, the last thing the manager needed was his top scorer to produce another shocking display and he will rightfully be fuming that his players have performed so poorly in recent fixtures.

And, in other news… Sold for £20m, 1 goal this season: Swansea sold PL flop at the perfect time

Manchester United could be set to complete a shock reunion this summer with interest in West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

According to The Sun, the Red Devils have been keeping tabs on the 28-year-old throughout the campaign and could be set to make a move should either Dean Henderson or David De Gea leave Old Trafford.

Whilst Johnstone has impressed in a poor Baggies’ side this season, United would be making a mistake in bringing him back to the club and should instead just keep both of their current keepers.

Rated at £5.4m, Johnstone has claimed just five clean sheets so far and conceded a huge 57 goals at a rate of two goals per game in the league.

The majority of those are of course not his fault, with the Baggies’ leaky defence instead shouldering the majority of the blame.

Nevertheless, he has not covered himself in glory. So far throughout the season, Johnstone has already made two errors leading to shots according to SofaScore.

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Meanwhile, Johnstone simply seems no better than Henderson, who is currently United’s first-choice keeper in the league.

He has saved just 68% of the shots he has faced, with the former Sheffield United loanee hugely improved at 82%. Even De Gea, who is enduring a difficult personal season compared to his usually high standards, is only marginally lower than Johnstone at a save percentage of 65%.

The one benefit however of Johnstone returning to Old Trafford would be the immense affordability of any potential deal.

At the current time, the Baggies goalkeeper has just one year remaining on his £32k per-week so it could be thought that a deal would not be the most expensive in the world. Considering he would be acting as just a back-up to either Henderson or De Gea, an affordable deal would certainly be welcome.

Nevertheless, it seems more logical for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to keep his current options at the club instead of swooping for Johnstone.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Victor Lindelof’s tricky afternoon against Tottenham Hotspur…

According to recent reports, Leeds United could land their reported summer transfer target, Lucas Vazquez, on a contract worth just £50,000-per-week.

The report by Spanish publication Sport (via Sport Witness) claims that Vazquez is demanding a salary of €3 million-per-year (£2.6 million-per-year, or £50k-per-week) after tax in his contract negotiations with Real Madrid, and that if Los Blancos do not offer him this amount, the winger has made it clear that he will be leaving upon the end of his current deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, which expires this summer.

This is where Leeds come in, with Victor Orta thought to be keeping a very close eye on the negotiations between Vazquez and Madrid, with the Whites director reported to be keen on landing the £13.5 million-rated 29-year-old on a free transfer in the summer transfer window.

Transfer Tavern Take

The fact that Madrid appear to be hesitant in offering Vazquez the wage the winger is demanding comes as slightly surprising news, as the Spain international has been one of Zinedine Zidane’s better players this season.

Over his 22 LaLiga appearances this term, the 29-year-old has scored two goals and provided four assists, as well as averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.17 – ranking him as Madrid’s fourth-best performer in the Spanish top flight.

As such, should Leeds go on to secure a deal for Vazquez this summer, it would appear as if Marcelo Bielsa will be welcoming the addition of a very fine player to his squad, as well as the potential move representing something of a bargain for Orta, who would reportedly have to pay the winger just £50,000-per-week after tax.

In other news: Leeds United have been urged to sign this “highly sought-after” £31k-p/w star this summer – find out more here!

Some Liverpool fans believe Joel Matip could leave the club this summer, following news of the Reds’ likely signing of Ibrahima Konate.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the Reds are closing in on a deal for the RB Leipzig centre-back this summer, with talks believed to be at an advanced stage.

It is a potentially exciting piece of business for Liverpool, with Konate a highly-rated young defender who has impressed for the Bundesliga side.

While the youngster’s increasingly likely arrival at Anfield is good news for many, it may not be too positive for Matip with regards to his future at the club.

The Cameroonian has become something of a cult hero for Liverpool, but despite his popularity, his constant fitness issues are now problematic.

Matip is out for the rest of the season, at a time when Jurgen Klopp desperately needed him to stay fit, and he cannot be trusted to be available on a regular basis.

The addition of Konate, and possible permanent signing of Ozan Kabak, could mean trouble for the 29-year-old, whose contract admittedly doesn’t expire until 2024.

Liverpool fans believe Matip could leave

A number of Liverpool supporters have taken to Twitter to provide their thoughts on Matip’s future following the news on Konate, with several thinking that the Cameroonian’s Anfield days could be nearing an end.

“Could see Matip go”

Credit: @FalseFMatt

“”I reckon it’s Konate for Matip and we still sign Kabak on a permanent”

Credit: @icy7_YNWA

“Selling Matip and having both Kabak and Konate is such a good long-term investment”

Credit: @ABxLFC

“We might actually sell Matip if this Konate deal is happening”

Credit: @LFCSai7

“Bye bye Davies, Matip. Kabak, VVD, Konate, Gomez next season then?”

Credit: @unimpedance

“Matip….. IT’S TIME TO GO”

Credit: @Cameronn8_

In other news, Liverpool have been tipped to complete a double swoop this summer – find out more here.

Leeds United prospect Cody Drameh has been nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for February, as revealed by the club’s official website.

The latest on Drameh

The 19-year-old right-back, signed from Fulham last year, played his part in a perfect month for Mark Jackson’s side, who sit top of the Division 2 table after keeping three clean sheets in four successive victories.

Manchester City’s Liam Delap and Manchester United’s Shola Shoretire – who have both had first team exposure at their respective clubs this season – are also among the award nominees.

This is great news for Leeds

Drameh could be making his way into the first team soon if he continues to perform in this way. However, whether the England under-20 international is ready to come into Marcelo Bielsa’s still remains a huge unknown.

The teenager has played 17 times in Premier League 2 this season and picked up two assists (Transfermarkt). His performances at that level have seen him receive rave reviews from numerous Leeds fans, while club commentator Thomas Hill described his most recent display as “outstanding”.

The future certainly seems bright for Drameh, who is doing his chances of a first team breakthrough no harm with his deserved shortlisting for the Player of the Month prize. Keep an eye on this one, Whites!

In other news, Noel Whelan has discussed this Leeds duo!