All posts by z3u9t.icu

Kevin Phillips has been reacting to comments from Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi regarding his Parkhead future, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Southampton links

The 26-year-old, who cost the Hoops £4.86m over the summer, has made a fine start to life in Glasgow, scoring eight goals in 11 games.

He has recently been linked with a move to Premier League side Southampton as a result, with the Saints setting their sights on the Japan international.

While away representing his country, Furuhashi has hinted in a TV interview with journalist Dan Orlowitz that he could be open to a move to England.

The Latest: Phillips reacts

Phillips, who regularly features on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if Furuhashi could follow in the footsteps of Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama by heading to St Mary’s from Celtic.

He suggested that it is ‘difficult’ for the Hoops, who will be ‘desperate’ to keep hold of the forward, saying:

“There is history there. A few Celtic players have made the move to Southampton.

“It is difficult for Celtic but players want to play in the Premier League. They know that. Unfortunately, when a Premier League club comes knocking it is hard for the player to turn down.

“From Celtic’s point of view, Furuhashi has done exceptionally well. I’m sure they are desperate to keep him. They will not want his head turned. It happens though. They will want him to at least see out the season.

“At this stage of the season, you don’t want one of your most influential players being coveted by a Premier League club. It is natural when you do as well as he has though. When you score goals regularly clubs come sniffing.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Not ideal

Celtic appear to have found a real gem in Furuhashi, so it’s not ideal for the Hoops that he is talking about a potential move to the Premier League as a result of links to Southampton, especially when he only came to Parkhead as recently as this summer.

Hopefully the rumours from Italy won’t gather pace ahead of the January window. However, if he continues to star in Glasgow, unfortunately it may only be a matter of time until Celtic receive multiple enquiries over a possible transfer for their impressive attacker.

In other news: Celtic fans could be in line for ‘disaster’ following Saturday’s events

Everton are reportedly still keen to secure a deal for wantaway Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek.

What’s the story?

The Toffees were strongly linked with a move for the 24-year-old over the summer, with the player himself confirming that contact had been made between the two parties, but a transfer never materialised.

Since then, Van de Beek’s struggles at Old Trafford have continued, and his playing time under current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has remained extremely limited.

And now, well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Dutch international wants to leave the Red Devils in January after becoming increasingly frustrated at his lack of action.

“In the summer, they had a chance to sell him with Everton keen on deadline day,” Romano told The United Stand (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO).

“Things can change, but as of now, he is planning to leave Manchester United in January. Van de Beek is a fantastic player and a top professional.

“It is true that Italian and Spanish clubs are interested, and it depends whether Man United can agree on the conditions with them. He could also move to the Premier League, with Everton one of the clubs interested.

“Donny wants to play, so if he is not playing in two-three months, he will leave, I am sure,” he concluded.

Everton fans will be buzzing

After securing a domestic double with boyhood club Ajax and playing a pivotal part in their run to the Champions League semi-finals, Van de Beek’s arrived on English soil with an enviable reputation.

However, things have not worked out for him at United. The technically gifted maestro has started just four Premier League games since arriving for £40m in September 2020 and has received just six minutes of league action this term.

His peripheral role in Solskjaer’s first-team squad has led to speculation regarding a potential imminent exit, while Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands has now come out and confirmed the Toffees previous interest in the player.

When asked about Van de Beek in a recent interview with NOS (as relayed by the Manchester Evening News) he said: “We had him on our list.

“At the beginning of the transfer window, we inquired at United, then it was impossible. At the end of the window, I received a call from Guido Albers, his agent, that he might be rented out after all. But at the last minute, it was cancelled. Stopped again.”

But reliable reporter Romano claims the Goodison Park outfit remain keen to secure Van de Beek’s signature, and that will surely leave a large section of the club’s supporters buzzing.

He scored 41 goals and provided a further 34 assists in 175 appearances for Ajax before his current woes at United, illustrating that if he can get back to his best form, Van de Beek would be a valuable asset to Rafael Benitez’s setup on Merseyside.

After losing James Rodriguez too, it only adds to the appeal of signing the Dutchman. Everton fans would surely love to see a player of his calibre at Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Report reveals exciting Everton transfer update, fans should be buzzing 

West Bromwich Albion have completed a deal to bring Jordan Hugill to The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the West Brom website, the Baggies confirmed the signing of the Norwich City centre-forward on a season-long loan deal, with Valerien Ismael giving a lengthy explanation for the addition of the 29-year-old.

The Frenchman said: “Jordan has the player profile we have been looking for and is the type of striker we needed. I think with his experience, his mentality and his work ethic, he will suit us perfectly.

“Jordan will allow us to be more adaptable as a team. We will have some games that are different and we will need more physicality in the box, making life difficult for the opponent’s centre-backs.

“His skill and his experience will help him to score a lot of goals for us. He is able to score from open play and set pieces. I think we saw already in our first few games that we have had a lot of crosses into the box and it is important we have a striker in the area who is able to win those headers.”

Fans should be concerned

While it is undeniable that Hugill is indeed a player with a wealth of experience in the Championship, having made 207 appearances in the competition, as well as the fact that the 6ft centre-forward will add something of an extra dimension to the Albion attack, whether or not the 29-year-old is the proven goalscorer the Baggies have been searching for is very much up for debate.

Indeed, over his aforementioned 207 Championship appearances, playing for clubs such as Norwich City, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers and Middlesbrough, the £1.8m-rated man has scored just 46 goals, as well as providing his teammates with a mere seven assists.

So, having scored roughly one goal every four games in the second tier of English football, while typically playing for mid to upper-table Championship teams, the former West Ham United striker has not exactly proven that he is a prolific marksman, nor does he often participate in the creation of goals.

As such, while the £36k-per-week forward may well go on to enjoy a successful campaign in what looks to be a very impressive West Brom side, Hugill could also quite easily repeat his Norwich City form last season – when the 29-year-old scored just four goals over 31 league games.

As such, fans should be slightly concerned that Hugill is the striker the club have waited so long to bring in this summer, as his signing would very much appear to be something of a gamble by Ismael.

In other news: Key West Brom figure drops update on “magnificent” £28k-p/w gem, it’d be a major boost

Taking to Twitter, Italian reporter Niccolo Ceccarini has leaked a possible transfer boost for Tottenham Hotspur as he drops a big update regarding Dejan Kulusevski.

The Lowdown: Conte eyeing move…

Over the last fortnight, links have emerged to the Sweden international amid his continued lack of chances under new boss Massimiliano Allegri in Turin.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The 21-year-old has only started a handful of Serie A matches this season with the majority of his minutes coming off the bench, and this has lead to unrest over his future.

Tuttosport believe (via Sport Witness) that Tottenham are ‘in first place’ for his signing with serious competition expected, but Fabio Paratici and co will need to significantly invest given that Juventus value Kulusevski at around €40m (£33.9m).

The Latest: Spurs gifted Kulusevski transfer boost…

In an update, reporter Ceccarini has made a big claim on Twitter in what comes as a possible boost for Tottenham.

He said that Juventus are now ‘ready to sell’ the player ‘as early as January’, mainly to bolster their own transfer kitty as they prepare a swoop for Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic.

The Verdict: Priority target?

While Kulusevski isn’t a priority target for Spurs, he should at the very least come as an outside contender for Paratici and Conte’s shopping list ahead of Janaury, especially considering that they both apparently believe he’s a ‘gem’.

The attacker himself also allegedly wants a ‘change of scenery’, potentially handing Spurs another boost in their pursuit of the player.

Lauded as ‘explosive’ by former Sweden striker Marcus Allback and hailed as a ‘great talent’ by none other than former Juventus team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, the 21-year-old certainly has bags of potential.

The only red herring to this possible move may be his lofty asking price after Tottenham announced an £80.2m pre-tax loss for the most recent financial year.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting transfer claim with ‘biggest offer’ on the table, find out more here.

Fulham have been dealt a blow in their bid to secure Aboubakar Kamara an exit from Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Peter Rutzler, with The Athletic journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that talks regarding the 26-year-old’s proposed £4m switch to Aris Salonica have collapsed.

In his tweet, Rutzler said: “It’s understood that talks regarding a £4m transfer for Fulham’s Aboubakar Kamara to Greek Super League side Aris Salonica have broken down.”

Silva will be fuming

Considering just how poor Kamara has been for Fulham in recent seasons, reports that a deal which would have seen the striker seal an exit from Craven Cottage this summer – particularly for a fee of £4m – has fallen through is sure to have left Silva frustrated.

Indeed, over his 11 Premier League appearances for Fulham last term, the £1.8m-rated man scored no goals, registered no assists and missed one big chance, averaging just 0.2 shots on target per game.

These returns saw the man Claudio Ranieri dubbed “disrespectful” when he dislodged regular penalty taker Aleksandar Mitrovic to hit a spot kick in 2018, only to duly miss, earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.36, ranking him as the Cottagers’ fifth-worst performer in the top flight.

Seemingly as a result of these disappointing displays, in addition to his considerable £21k-per-week wages, Scott Parker subsequently sent the Mauritania international out on loan to Dijon for the second half of the campaign.

As such, it would very much appear as if Kamara’s time at Fulham is all but up, and with Aris having offered an extremely generous figure for the striker, this move would have been a fantastic outcome for Marco Silva and the west London club.

However, with his proposed switch to Greece now appearing dead in the water, Tony Khan and Fulham’s transfer team will now have to get to work on finding the 26-year-old a new club.

In other news: Khan could have finally replaced Fulham legend with “outstanding” £19k-p/w beast

The London Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser has confirmed that West Ham United have no intention of selling Declan Rice this summer, although he believes that a deal for him could be done at a price of around £80m.

Rice has been linked with a potential exit from the club this summer and the focus on his future has been sharpened by the fact that he has rejected two contract offers, per a separate Standard article.

Rice has been linked with various clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester United, but there has yet to be a bid tabled for the England international, who thrived at Euro 2020 as the Three Lions reached the final.

Rice also captained the club at times last season, when Mark Noble was on the bench, and the club, per Rosser, do not want to lose him this summer.

However, he believes that a deal could be done at a steep price, making the claim that a bid of around £80m would likely force the Irons to the negotiating table.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: “Declan’s a difficult one. Moyes doesn’t want to lose him.

“West Ham are insisting that he’s not for sale but that’s all well and good until someone dangles £75m, £80m under your nose and really tests that resolve.”

Some Everton fans have been left to rage as some comments emerged from James Rodriguez on his future.

When asked if he was going back to Real Madrid, the Colombia international said on his Instagram live story (via The Toffee Blues): “I don’t know. I don’t think so. If I stay another year there (Everton), that’s fine.”

Some members of the Goodison Park faithful were not happy with the tone of his comments, as they believed that he does not seem too enthusiastic about staying at the Merseyside club, and did not completely rule out a move back to the Bernabeu to reunite with Carlo Ancelotti.

Rodriguez has become an increasingly frustrating figure among some Toffees supporters, given that he missed numerous matches for them because of injury in the 2020/21 term, which ended up proving costly as they missed out on European qualification for next season.

Thus, it is not too much of a surprise to see a few Blues’ blood boil when they heard the comments.

Everton fans on Rodriguez comments

These EFC fans raged as the comments were shared on Twitter:

“Just go now, don’t waste our time when you don’t quite care”

Credit: @Leaffan27

“Off you go”

Credit: @johnocallagha11

““That’s fine”? Get him out.”

Credit: @tayotv_

“Love the enthusiasm about being “there” is “fine”. Get in the bin.”

Credit: @giornojoevanna

“Don’t keep us hanging big lad. Off yer pop”

Credit: @SteToffee

“Lol, he sounds pumped!”

Credit: @MPLS_Toffee

In other news, find out what manager update has left Toffees fuming here!

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes it will take a serious bid for Aston Villa to consider selling Douglas Luiz before the deadline.

Birmingham Live reported that AS Roma head coach Jose Mourinho remains interested in Luiz ahead of the 11pm cut-off on Tuesday and that Luiz was a name mentioned not long after Mourinho took charge of the club.

The 23-year-old, defensive midfielder has made 78 appearances for Aston Villa during his time with the club, including playing Villa’s last two Premier League matches against Newcastle United and Brentford.

Luiz is now an Olympic Gold Medallist, as he was part of the Brazil team which went undefeated through the Olympics this summer and defeated Spain in the final 2-1 after extra-time.

Whilst there is interest in his signature from Roma, Hatfield believes it will take a serious bid for Villa to consider selling him, telling Transfer Tavern: “I don’t know how keen Villa would be to let him go now. Obviously if there was an offer which was too good to refuse then they’d probably consider it and have to wave goodbye to Luiz. 

“I think Villa will have been impressed by the way that Luiz has come back from action in South America and at the Olympics and he actually put in a really good performance on his return as well against Newcastle, I was pretty impressed by him.

“So, I’d be surprised if they’re willing to let him leave before the transfer window closes, but you know money talks, so if Roma come in with a serious bid and Villa think they can reinvest that cash in another area or in another player then maybe it’s one they consider.”

Villa have had a brilliant summer, strengthening their squad with real quality. With the new signings and getting four points from a possible nine so far in the Premier League, Villa will be hoping to improve on last season’s eleventh placed Premier League finish.

Leeds United youngster Alfie McCalmont may feel ‘devastated’ about an update regarding his future, according to ex-Whites striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: McCalmont’s future up in the air

The 21-year-old has still only made two first-team appearances for Leeds, spending last season on loan at Oldham Athletic.

According to Peterborough United’s director of football, Barry Fry, McCalmont has been offered to the Championship club as part of a deal to bring an unnamed player the other way.

They have turned down the move, however, meaning the youngster’s future remains very much up in the air.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Whelan feels sorry for youngster

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan admitted it is a tough position for McCalmont to find himself in, saying he may need to move elsewhere, in order to kick on in his career:

“I think as a player, if I was out Alfie, I’d feel devastated. He’s done very well when he’s been out on loan this season. That will be very disheartening to the player.

“But depending on whether they’ve had talks and saying they’re going to need a different type of player and he will be used very sparsely, then on a player’s point of view again, you’ve got to feel that you need to kickstart your career.

“Sometimes it’s not at the respective club where you’ve been at for a number of years and come through the academy. Sometimes you have to break away and start your own future in football. Maybe it needs to be away from a very big club like Leeds.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-4/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Time for a fresh challenge?

The fact that Marcelo Bielsa was seemingly willing to let McCalmont leave suggests he has no future at the club, assuming it would have been a permanent exit.

Leeds have made giant strides in recent years and it may simply be that they have reached a level where the Northern Irishman cannot cut the mustard.

It is a reminder of the brutal nature of top-level football and a move away from Elland Road for McCalmont could be beneficial for all parties.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for a player who impressed in the Premier League last season. Find out who it is here.

A worrying Tottenham Hotspur injury update has emerged on midfielder Oliver Skipp…

What’s the latest?

Antonio Conte has revealed that the England U21 international is not closing in on a return as he is having issues with his recovery.

He has been out of action since January and it remains to be seen when he will be able to represent the club on the pitch again.

Charlie Eccleshare tweeted: “Conte on Skipp injury: ‘Skipp is having a bit of trouble with his injury – in this moment he’s not available. I know his frustration, but this new contract shows we trust him a lot and he will be very important for the present and future.'”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

The head coach also spoke about the youngster’s new contract at the club, saying: “I’m very happy for Skippy because we are taking about a good player, young player. A player from the academy and you know very well the importance to this club of developing players from the academy. A fantastic guy.”

Supporters will be fuming

The supporters will be fuming with this injury update as it suggests that Skipp will not be back out on the pitch any time soon for Spurs.

They will be keen to see him in the starting XI as he is ‘one of their own’ and has shown glimpses of Premier League quality in his career so far.

The gem was handed his chance in the first team this term after a sublime season on loan with Norwich in the second tier. In 45 league appearances, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.02 as he made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game and helped them to win the title.

He was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for his efforts and carried that form over into the start of this season with Spurs as he started 14 Premier League matches before his injury and averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.81.

Skipp is a midfielder who mixes energy and defensive ballast with control and poise in possession and looks classy in a deep-lying role in the middle of the park. He has completed an impressive 90% of his attempted passes in the top-flight and fans will surely be keen to have his reassuring presence gracing the team again as quickly as possible.

This is why they will be fuming with this update from Conte as it is a huge blow for Spurs and Skipp and they will be hoping that he is able to overcome his issues sooner rather than later.

AND in other news: Conte can now axe “truly hilarious” £42k-p/w flop as Spurs eye £33m “difference maker”