All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers have significantly strengthened their squad throughout the summer, adding players such as Jack Butland and Cyriel Dessers, while freeing up some of the wage budget by releasing Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.

This business by Michael Beale could perhaps be the catalyst which launches a fresh era for Rangers as they look to get back to winning domestic trophies on a regular basis.

Give or take another couple of signings, the vast majority of Beale’s transfer business has been completed early, allowing him to get new players bedded in ahead of the challenges that await.

The onus will now be to ship players out of the Ibrox exit door. Scott Wright looks set to join Turkish side Pendikspor while Glen Kamara is attracting interest from Leeds United with a fee of £4m looking to be finalised for the transfer of the midfielder.

Another potential departure is that of Borna Barisic, as Premier League side Nottingham Forest are interested in luring him South of the border.

Former sporting director at the Gers, Ross Wilson, is looking to raid his former club and with the Croatian having just one year left on his deal, it could be the ideal chance to secure a decent fee for the player.

Ridvan Yilmaz could be set to take over as the first choice left back should he depart, having impressed at the back end of last season, yet Beale may have another player in mind in terms of long-term suitability for the role – Robbie Fraser.

Who is Robbie Fraser?

Yilmaz struggled largely during the majority of last season, missing 29 games through injury and starting only eight league matches.

He did show flashes of talent however, succeeding with 50% of his attempted dribbles, grabbing two assists and winning 62% of his ground duels, suggesting that he does enjoy pushing forward while remaining strong defensively.

He could go from strength to strength and if he hits his full potential, there will be big money offers from elsewhere for the Turkey international.

Robbie Fraser, the B team captain, certainly has what it takes to emerge from the academy and potentially stake a claim for first-team football as a long-term heir to Barisic.

There is no doubt the 20-year-old has the mentality to succeed, outlining his ambitions when signing a new contract in 2022, saying: “I feel like I’m getting closer to making that next step into the first team, hopefully. I felt that it was the right opportunity to push on.”

With seven assists and two goals across 40 games, the youngster has displayed the attacking qualities that have endeared Barisic to the Ibrox faithful, with the Croatian defender registering 57 goal involvements during his career in Scotland.

Like the 30-year-old, Fraser does enjoy taking the odd free-kick, scoring a “superb” effort in a match last year according to Jordan Campbell and this could also give Beale an added goal threat from set pieces.

Although yet to make his senior bow for the Light Blues, he did make the bench on three occasions last season, including for the tie against Ajax in the Champions League, showing that the club have plans for him going forward.

Celtic appear to be edging closer to a move for Gangwon FC forward Yang Hyun-jun, with the situation “gradually being resolved”.

Are Celtic signing Yang Hyun-jun?

The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers have acted swiftly in the transfer market following the Northern Irishman’s return as manager at Parkhead, with midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and winger Marco Tilio joining from Valerenga and Melbourne City receptively on five-year deals.

Rodgers reportedly has a £30m transfer kitty to play with this summer, and that figure may have been boosted, with star man Jota since signing for Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m.

As a result, Celtic appear to be on the hunt for another wide forward, with Yang a player they have been heavily linked with. Reports suggested that a £2.1m fee had been agreed between the two clubs, however, as we know, a move is yet to materialise.

Yang has been keen to make the move to Scotland and even previously admitted he would give up his salary to force through a deal with the Scottish Premiership champions.

"Celtic is a good offer, so I want to go. I have to do my best as a member of Gangwon. But I think the desire to go will still be there.

"I want to go to Celtic this summer. I hope Gangwon will allow me to transfer. If the transfer fee isn’t enough, I’ll even give my salary."

The Daily Record shared an update on Celtic and Yang in the last 48 hours, saying that a dream Hoops transfer for the forward is still on. They believe a £2.1m deal is still being floated and shared more comments from the player himself, who said that “situation is gradually being resolved”, with Gangwon re-evaluating Yang’s value following a meeting.

"The stagnant situation is gradually being resolved.

"The club have re-evaluated the value through CEO Kim Byung-ji during the one-on-one meeting. Still, there seems to be some progress. I think I hurt the fans too much. I want to make the fans smile and go to Celtic."

Who is Yang Hyun-jun?

Yang is valued at a career-high €700,000 by Transfermarkt and has made 71 senior appearances for his current employers, scoring nine times and registering five assists in all competitions.

The South Korea U23 international has previously been labelled as Gangwon's up-and-coming star who is unpredictable and eye-catching by K League United columnist Nathan Sartain, so could be a shrewd addition to come in and attempt to fill the void left by Jota.

Primarily a right-winger who can also play on the left or through the middle, the 21-year-old was hailed as “excellent” and a “level above” in the media following a pre-season performance against Tottenham last year.

By the looks of things, he could be the next attacking Asian player to move to Parkhead, following in the footsteps of the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Oh Hyeon-gyu, and it appears as if a deal in the region of £2.1m could be edging closer following the player’s recent comments.

Everton are one of the teams that currently in the running to land Allan Saint-Maximin on a deal this summer, according to a report from 90Min.

How many goals has Allan Saint-Maximin scored for Newcastle?

The 26-year-old has been with Newcastle for the last four seasons and has regularly produced the goods in front of goal for the Toon. He burst onto the scene back in 2019/20 and became an immediate first-team player, featuring on 26 occasions for them in the Premier League and bagging three goals with four assists.

He matched those totals a campaign later too, despite having less minutes on the field. With the club making gradual improvement, he then featured 35 times – his highest amount since his move to St James' Park – and rewarded Newcastle for their faith by hitting a double-digit amount of goal contributions for the first time (five goals and five assists).

In 2022/23 though, he struggled to maintain his place in the team and as the Toon fought for European football, Saint-Maximin's tally tailed off as well. He started just 12 league games and produced only one goal for the club, although he still managed five assists.

However, it led to his worst ever total in a Newcastle shirt and he could now be on the chopping block given Eddie Howe's penchant for playing either Alexander Isak or Joelinton in that left-wing role at St. James' Park.

Are Everton signing Allan Saint-Maximin?

It's led to suggestions that he could now be sold off this summer, with the Frenchman having fallen down the pecking order. According to a report from 90Min, there is certainly interest in his services and one of the clubs that is in the race to sign him is Everton.

The Toffees have "checked on" the situation of the winger and could therefore make a move if they think it is feasible to do so this summer window. However, they aren't the only club that seemingly want to try and sign him.

Crystal Palace also have an interest in keeping him in the top flight, whilst AC Milan could offer to take him to Italy. Most recently too, there is now an offer from Saudi Arabia on the table – so the player may have some decision making to do when it comes to selecting whether to stay with Newcastle or to head to a new team this window.

He clearly has talent in his locker when he gets on form too, with football journalist Josh Bunting stating that Saint-Maximin is "intelligent" and is "so good" at finding "pockets of space" while scout Jacek Kulig calls his dribbling "unstoppable".

It shows that the Frenchman is a winger who is not only excellent in one on one situation but also has the composure to pick a pass at the end of it. If Everton did seal a deal for the 26-year-old then, it would be a real boost to their forward line next season and certainly get the crowd off their feet at Goodison Park.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen to strike a summer deal to sign Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

Who is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

Harwood-Bellis is a centre-back who currently plays his football at the Etihad Stadium having graduated from his club’s academy to get promoted to the first-team back in 2021, but having only ever made eight senior appearances under Pep Guardiola, his future is up in the air.

Throughout his career, the England U21s international has been sent out on four development loans to build his experience and to help him receive more game time, the first being at Blackburn Rovers, the second Anderlecht, the third Stoke City and most recently last season he was at Burnley, helping them gain promotion to the Premier League.

The Sky Blues product will also be out of contract at the end of next season meaning that the ongoing window is likely to be his parent club’s final big opportunity to cash in should they not want to lose him for free, and following his impressive performances last season, he’s got a potential suitor waiting for him in Julen Lopetegui at Wolves.

Back in November 2022, reliable journalist Alan Nixon reported that the Old Gold were indeed keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old, and despite a deal failing to come to fruition back in January, it sounds like the Wolves hierarchy may be aiming to take a second bite of the cherry in the weeks ahead.

Are Wolves signing Harwood-Bellis?

According to TEAMtalk, Wolves hold a serious “interest” in Harwood-Bellis but are set to face stiff competition for his services with Brighton and Hove Albion, Everton and Fulham also wanting to reach an agreement for the defender.

Burnley are “battling” to try and re-sign the talented prospect following a successful loan spell with Vincent Kompany having already “asked” Man City to let him have his player back, but his former club are “yet to decide” whether they want to loan their product back out or even consider a permanent sale.

Where would Harwood-Bellis fit in at Wolves?

Wolves and Fosun have just sold Nathan Collins to Brentford for £23m so Lopetegui will need to enter the market to find a suitable successor at centre-back, and after being described as having the attitude of a “warrior” by journalist Josh Bunting, Harwood-Bellis could be the perfect candidate.

The 6 foot 2 colossus, who earns just £7k-per-week at the moment, impressed last season averaging 3.1 clearances, 2.8 aerial wins and 1.8 interceptions per second tier game, via WhoScored, so was a real rock at the heart of the backline for the Clartes. He also contributed in the final third with three goal contributions (two assists and one goal) to his name.

Harwood-Bellis, who will possess a winning mentality having not only achieved promotion with Burnley but also secured three trophies prior to that with Man City – albeit with fleeting appearances – also has the versatility to operate at right-back which is an extremely useful attribute for the boss to have available should any unexpected injuries occur.

Manchester United's ownership situation could impact their transfer plans, journalist David Ornstein has revealed.

What's the latest on Man United's ownership battle?

There is yet to be clarification on the outcome of the ownership bidding war between Sheikh Jassim Hamad Bin Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe for Man United, as the Glazer family are yet to decide the next steps in their running of the club.

Despite agreeing a deal for Mason Mount, Man United's budget could be limited this summer, and without clarity on their owners, they may not be able to pursue all of their targets.

Erik ten Hag would like a striker and a goalkeeper in addition to Mount, but he may have his hands tied.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Ornstein revealed that at the moment, United have a list of targets which they will pursue, but it is unclear what budget they will have until the ownership situation is sorted out:

"It's quite complicated because of the ownership situation at Man United about exactly what they're able to do. It was always quite clear that there would be budget for a Mason Mount level deal, but beyond that, not so certain," he stated.

"Of course, many people want to see the ownership situation clarified as quickly as possible and if there is to be a takeover, maybe more funds will be released. In terms of the operations on a day-to-day basis. John Murtough leading the recruitment set up, being regarded as business as usual, and so they are pursuing options in their priority positions, which are striker, and also goalkeeper, midfield was one of those.

"You don't know exactly how the chronology will go and it seems that Mason Mount has fallen first but they'll continue those pursuits."

Who could Man United target?

Given the financial fair play limitations they are currently facing, United may not be able to pursue both a big-money goalkeeper and forward.

There have been links with Andre Onana, with the future of David De Gea thrusted into uncertainty as a new contract has still not been agreed, whilst striking a deal for Harry Kane looks increasingly unlikely this summer.

Hojlund has been linked, but with a reported £86m asking price, the Atalanta forward may be out of reach for United.

If the ownership situation is not resolved soon, then United could fall further behind if they are unable to fully operate in the transfer market, and could miss out on their main targets to rival clubs.

It was a disappointing season for Liverpool last year, and part of the reason for that was the lack of goals in the team, something Luis Diaz needs to work on in particular, claims RedMenTV presenter Paul Machin.

Liverpool – What's the latest on Luis Diaz?

Liverpool's £55k-per-week winger had a season to forget last term, more so than a number of his teammates, due to a combination of poor goal-scoring form and serious time on the sideline due to injury.

The Barrancas-born star had a decent start to the campaign, playing in all the team's opening eight fixtures, scoring three goals and assisting another two, but it all came apart at the Emirates.

During the game against Arsenal, Diaz went down in the 42nd minute following a knee injury.

After needing surgery, he would miss the next 21 games, not featuring again until April 17th against Leeds United.

His last nine appearances in the season only returned a single goal. However, it is worth noting he didn't play a full 90 once in those games.

What does Paul Machin think about Luis Diaz's lack of goals?

Machin was quick to stress his and the fans' love of the ex-Porto star for his exciting, attacking style of play but emphasised that he needs to add more goals to his game to kick on from here,

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I adore him. I think Liverpool fans absolutely adore him. He's one of the most electrifying players that I've seen at Anfield. 'It's can he score enough goals?' That's a big part, and that's the thing.

"I think stylistically a lot of the bits and pieces that he does are unique to Liverpool's squad, they are quite Mane-esque. He takes men on, he drives past people, he opens up space for others, things that Jota doesn't have, but Diogo Jota scores, lots and lots of goals, and presses brilliantly and wants to be in the 18 yard box. I think that's something that needs to be trained into Diaz."

How good is Luis Diaz?

People might look at his lack of goals over the previous campaign and conclude that he just isn't that good. Those people could, however, be incorrect.

As Machin points out, there is much more to the Colombian than just his goal-scoring. According to WhoScored, in his 11 starts in the league last season, he averaged a respectable match rating of 6.97 and, in his three Champions League appearances, managed a seriously impressive average of 7.23.

The underlying numbers help to show just how good of a player he really is as well.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the tricky winger is in the top 6% for touches in the opposition box, the top 11% for progressive passes received and aerial duals won, the top 12% for pass completion and successful take-ons, and the top 16% for non-penalty goals, all per 90.

Diaz is clearly extremely talented, and his manager Jurgen Klopp certainly seems to agree, saying:

"He's so football smart, moving in the right areas, naturally defending from his position, goal threat, speed, cheeky. Very, very special player, I have to say."

With an injury-free run in the team next year, Diaz might rediscover his goal-scoring form again.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to have moved ahead in the race to sign Leicester City midfielder, James Maddison, with the playmaker looking set to leave his current home this summer.

What's the latest on Maddison to Tottenham?

That's according to journalist Scott Wilson, who revealed that the Lilywhites have nudged in front of Newcastle United in the battle to land the 26-year-old, with the England international said to favour a move to north London ahead of making the switch to St James' Park.

Writing on Twitter on Monday, the transfer insider stated: "Tottenham ahead of #NUFC in the battle to sign James Maddison – with the Leicester midfielder preferring a move to London to a switch to the North-East. Suspect things might move fairly quickly once tonight's England game is out of the way…"

In his attached piece for the Northern Echo, Wilson went on to add that Spurs are seemingly ready to offer a more 'lucrative' salary in order to tempt the Coventry-born gem into making a move, with the player set to cost in the region of £50m with only 12 months left on his current contract.

Would Maddison be a good signing for Tottenham?

Despite the overall disappointment of slipping to relegation at the King Power Stadium, Maddison did enjoy a standout 2022/23 campaign on an individual basis after chipping in with ten goals and nine assists in just 30 Premier League games, taking his total tally for the Foxes to 96 goal involvements in only 203 outings across all fronts.

While the highly-rated "baller" – as described by The Athletic's Carl Anka – is likely to operate in an attacking midfield role in Ange Postecoglou's preferred 4-3-3 formation at N17, the £110k-per-week man has also been utilised in a wide berth in recent times, scoring three goals and registering four assists in seven outings as a right winger last season, as per Transfermarkt.

The former Norwich City man's quality on the flanks is also illustrated by his statistical likeness to his compatriot, Bukayo Saka, as he boasts an 89.4% similarity to the Arsenal wizard – according to Opta's Player Radars – with that seemingly making the 21-year-old the closest match to the Leicester ace.

That comparison can be seen by the fact that the latter man ranks in the top 4% for goals, while Saka ranks in the top 3% in that regard, with the pair also alike due to their creative quality, as Maddison ranks in the top 6% for chances created, while the Gunners dynamo ranks in the top 12% for that same metric – as per Opta.

That likeness to Saka is particularly noteworthy amid the youngster's recent standout display for the Three Lions against North Macedonia on Monday evening, with the fleet-footed gem bagging a hat-trick in that thumping 7-0 win at Old Trafford.

Such a stellar performance followed what was a largely standout season for the 5 foot 10 speedster as he registered 14 goals and 11 assists in the top flight as part of Mikel Arteta's ultimately failed title challenge, having been lauded as "exceptional" by national team boss, Gareth Southgate.

For Postecoglou to be able to land his own version of Saka with the signing of Maddison could prove to be a particularly special piece of business, with the hope being that the three-cap menace can prove just as influential in north London as his international colleague.

Leeds United correspondent Graham Smyth has stated that the club are hoping to finalise a second summer signing ‘in the next few weeks’.

The Lowdown: Aaronson arrives

The Whites wasted no time in landing long-term target Brenden Aaronson after they secured their Premier League status on the final day.

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Aaronson was officially unveiled as a Leeds player on Thursday evening, penning a five-year deal at Elland Road.

A transfer is reportedly worth £25m for the attacking midfielder, who contributed to 12 goals in 25 games under Jesse Marsch at FC Salzburg.

The Latest: Orta in a hurry

Smyth shared a story for The Yorkshire Evening Post late on Wednesday evening regarding Leeds’ transfer plans.

He stated that Victor Orta is ‘working on a number of potential signings’ and the club are hoping to ‘tick off’ another signing ‘in the next few weeks’.

The Verdict: Who could it be?

A player who has been linked with a move to Yorkshire for a long time now is Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay, so he could well be the club’s second arrival.

The Whites are still working on a move for the 18-year-old after they were granted permission to talk to the defender at the end of April.

A right-back appears needed ahead of Marsch’s first full season in charge, especially with Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas both undergoing surgery recently and are out for the foreseeable future.

Barcelona’s Sergino Dest is another right-back of interest to Leeds chiefs, so a defensive arrival could well be next on the agenda.

In other news: ‘Wow…’ – Sky Sports man now reacts to big update on Kalvin Phillips’ Leeds United future. 

Manchester United will travel to South London this afternoon in their final game of the season against Crystal Palace, and a disappointing injury update has been revealed by Ralf Rangnick.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic, it has been revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo will miss out on the clash against Palace this afternoon due to a hip flexor issue.

As per the report, the injury is an ongoing issue for the player who had his season interrupted by hip flexor problems in both January and March.

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Ralf will be gutted

Although Man United are not in the ideal position of challenging for Champions League football on the final day, they still have the challenge to compete with West Ham United for the second Europa League spot in sixth on the final day of the season, so Rangnick will surely be gutted to lose the side’s top goal-scorer this afternoon.

Ronaldo hasn’t had the best season by his own standards, and if he stays at Old Trafford next season it will be his first season out of the Champions League in 20 years, with the player involved in the prestigious European competition every single season since 2002/2003.

Despite a disappointing season in Manchester, the five-time Champions League winner is the top scorer for the club this season by some stretch scoring 24 times, with Bruno Fernandes behind him scoring 14 less than his Portugal teammate.

Ronaldo has completely dominated the forward line for the Red Devils, and as a result, his output and talent will be sorely missed by the supporters and the team on the final day in their push for Europa League football.

Not only will his presence be missed on the pitch but new manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly set to be in attendance at Selhurst Park this afternoon, so it has been an opportunity squandered for the Dutch coach to get a real in-game idea of the shape and improvements needed to support the striker better ahead of next season.

Ultimately, no matter the outcome of today’s game against Patrick Vieira’s side it will be a season the club and the supporters want to forget after failing to compete for any trophies and qualify for a spot inside the top four and will look forward to the summer transfer window for Ten Hag to start his revolution at Manchester United.

AND in other news: Man United are now the “frontrunners” to sign £35m “great leader”, ten Hag needs him

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring John McGinn to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Antonio Conte has now added the Aston Villa central midfielder to his list of summer transfer targets, with the same publication reporting earlier this year that Steven Gerrard would demand a figure of around £40m in order to part with the 27-year-old.

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The report goes on to state that, despite Fabio Paratici having already brought the impressive Rodrigo Bentancur to north London in the January transfer window, with both Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele looking set to leave the club this summer, Conte has targeted the Scotland international as a replacement for either the England or France international.

Conte can axe Winks with McGinn

Considering just how impressive McGinn has been for Aston Villa in recent seasons, it is easy to see why Conte would be interested in a deal to bring the midfielder to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances this term, the £27m-rated talent has been in exceptional form for Gerrard’s side, scoring three goals, registering three assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.5 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

The £70k-per-week midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 28.4 passes, 3.4 long balls, 1.0 interceptions, 3.1 tackles, 0.8 clearances and winning 7.4 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Sam Morsy dubbed “unreal” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.30, not only ranking him as Villa’s best performer in the top flight but also as the joint 14th-best player in the league as a whole.

As such, considering just how little Winks has featured under Conte, it would indeed appear a wise move for Paratici to move the £91k-per-week midfielder who John Wenham dubbed “terrible” on this summer, before reinvesting the funds received from his sale into a move for the much more promising McGinn.

AND in other news: Conte could land the new Broja as Spurs eye “serious” 20-goal gem who’s “like a beast”