All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur could be set to find out whether or not they will be welcoming back Christian Eriksen to north London this summer.

What’s the news?

Speaking on a recent edition of the Que Golazo Podcast, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had his say on the matter of Eriksen’s immediate future.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-much-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

The journalist said: “Christian Eriksen has three proposals on the table, one from Brentford, one from Tottenham and one from Manchester United. So he’s going to decide in the coming days.”

In 2013, Spurs signed the midfielder from Ajax in a deal worth £11.5m. In 304 appearances for the Lilywhites, the Denmark international scored 69 goals and delivered 90 assists before joining Inter Milan in January 2020.

Exciting news for Spurs fans

Last January’s transfer window saw the former Spurs star join Brentford on a six-month deal, where he went on to score one goal and provide four assists in 11 Premier League appearances.

To further highlight how useful he was for Thomas Frank’s side, he ended the campaign with a higher rate of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (5.08) than any other Bees player to make more than one appearance in the league. The Danish playmaker also delivered 30 crosses, won 10 tackles and made 10 interceptions during his time in west London.

Taking into account what he did for Tottenham, and for Brentford more recently, it’s safe to say that potentially seeing Eriksen make a return to the north London club would be a very exciting prospect for Spurs supporters.

With the Lilywhites reportedly being one of the options available to the 30-year-old in terms of where he’ll be playing next season, according to Romano, this suggests that the recruitment staff in N17 feel as though he would be a good fit in the squad once again.

Having already experienced what it’s like to play under Antonio Conte when the duo were at Inter togeether, it would be interesting to see how the midfielder would fare under the Italian’s management once again if he does choose to go back to Tottenham.

In other news: Sky Sports drop big behind-the-scenes transfer claim, it’s terrible news for Spurs

Wolves are the front-runners to sign Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino in the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Minamino on the move

The Japanese winger may have had to play second fiddle to the Reds’ main attackers for the bulk of last season, starting just once in the top flight, but he still ended up playing a big part in their impressive campaign.

Minamino scored 10 goals in all competitions, including three in the Premier League, and he was influential in Liverpool winning both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, netting seven times en route to those Wembley finals.

It looks as though the 27-year-old will be allowed to leave Anfield this summer, though, with his current contract expiring in 2024.

The Latest: Wolves in pole position for Minamino

According to Football Insider, Wolves are the favourites to acquire Minamino’s signature, with Bruno Lage keen on bringing him to Molineux and negotiations progressing over a potential transfer.

Liverpool are demanding £17m for the Japan international, who has been given the green light to leave Anfield if he wishes to depart, with the Old Gold believed to be willing to meet that figure and having held talks with the player’s representatives.

Fulham, Leeds United, Southampton and Monaco are also mentioned as potential suitors in the report.

[freshpress-quiz id=“398117″]

The Verdict: Could be a great signing

Minamino could be a great fit at Wolves, coming in and adding attacking thrust across several positions, such is his versatility. He is capable of playing as a central or attacking midfielder, false nine, striker or wide attacker.

The Liverpool man would bring much-needed guile and end product in the final third at Molineux – Jurgen Klopp has hailed him as a ‘complete’ player – with Lage’s side struggling for goals throughout last season, and £17m doesn’t sound like a bloated price tag for a player who has won 14 trophies during his career.

[freshpress-poll id=“399044″]

At 27, Minamino is also in the prime of his career, possessing an abundance of experience but possibly still having his best years ahead of him.

Given his prolific nature whenever he has featured for Liverpool in recent months, and Wolves’ struggles in front of goal, Lage should be able to offer him regular game-time at Molineux, which could help to push through a move.

In other news, a journalist has given a key Wolves transfer update. Read more here.

Celtic have been linked with a move for Lommel midfielder Vinicius Souza.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, the Hoops have joined the list of clubs pursuing the player this summer. The report claimed that Celtic have “scheduled discussions with the Brazilian’s representatives” over a potential move to Glasgow.

After starting his career with Flamengo, the 22-year-old – who is currently valued at £4.05m by Transfermarkt – joined his current club in October 2020.

The midfielder spent the recent campaign on loan with fellow Belgian side KV Mechelen, making 35 appearances across all competitions. In that time, the Brazilian scored two goals and provided one assist, showing that he can be a useful figure in front of goal on occasion.

Also, of his 13 shots at goal throughout the campaign, seven were on target, leaving him with the second-highest percentage for shots on target (53.8%) out of players that had more than one attempt at goal for the club.

However, it was his defensive output which stood out throughout the campaign, as he ended the season with more interceptions (64) and more tackles won (66) than any other player at Mechelen.

Postecoglou’s new warrior

This backs up why Souza was labelled as a “warrior” on Twitter by football scout Mikail Serin, who also described the player as a “complete contact game freak.”

Taking all this into account, it seems as though the 22-year-old is a very well-rounded midfielder despite still being quite young.

In terms of a potential move to Parkhead this summer, the fact that the Hoops recently said goodbye to Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton makes it easy to see why the club are set to hold talks over a move for the Brazilian midfielder.

If Ange Postecoglou wants to add a new midfield warrior to his squad as they prepare to not only defend their Premiership title but try to go as far as they can in Europe as well, securing a deal for Souza could be a very astute prospective move by the Hoops.

In other news: Ange can land the next Carter-Vickers as Celtic eye swoop for “aggressive” £6.3m-rated machine

Liverpool have been boosted in their efforts to sign Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma this summer, with the Dutchman keen on leaving his current club.

The Lowdown: Reds linked with Danjuma move

The Reds have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old in recent days, as Jurgen Klopp looks for a replacement for Sadio Mane.

Danjuma enjoyed a good season for Villarreal, scoring six times to help reach the Champions League semi-finals, not to mention chipping in with ten goals and three assists in La Liga.

It looks as though the winger could be moving on in the coming months, though, which could alert Liverpool.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-34/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Fresh rumour emerges

According to El Periodico Mediterraneo [via Sport Witness], Danjuma ‘wants to leave’ Villarreal this summer and has asked his agent to ‘find a way out’ – it even goes so far as to say he ‘will do everything possible to leave’.

He is keen on moving to the Premier League, which further aids Liverpool in their quest to sign him, and a €40m release clause means an offer of just £34m from Julian Ward would get it done.

[freshpress-quiz id=“398089″]

The Verdict: Good squad option

Danjuma may not be considered a world-class footballer at the moment, but he is someone who could be a great squad option for Klopp, especially if Mane leaves.

He has been hailed as an ‘exceptional’ player by Jonathan Woodgate in the past, while two goals in six caps for the Netherlands represents a promising start to his international career.

Danjuma would have to accept that he would be coming in as a squad player at Liverpool initially, rather than a guaranteed starter, but his pace, trickery and end product would make him a strong addition and potential superstar for the future.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly ready to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United appear to be are closing in on a deal to sign Ruben Neves, with the club ready to make a final push to get the move done.

What’s the word?

The Daily Mail have reported that Erik ten Hag is a big fan of the Portuguese midfielder, with the Red Devils keen to make one last big push to sign the 25-year-old.

Neves has been on United’s radar for the previous 12 months, with Wolves wanting a fee of around £50m in order to let one of their main assets leave Molineux.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-man-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more-nunez-ten-hag-nkunku-richarlison” title=”Read the latest Man United news!”]

He’s the next Paul Scholes

Incoming manager Ten Hag will need to organise a major rebuild of the United squad this summer, with the midfield being a key area to prioritise.

With the future of Paul Pogba still up in the air, Nemanja Matic leaving and other members of the side simply not good enough, Neves would be the ideal signing for the Red Devils.

Journalist Tim Spiers has dubbed the 25-year-old “sensational”, while former United player Paul Parker compared Neves to Paul Scholes, drawing similarities between the two in terms of how the Portugal international strikes the ball.

Only two players (both forwards) scored more league goals for Wolves this season, while only Raul Jimenez had a greater shots per game average than Neves’ 1.3 (as per WhoScored). Also, the 25-year-old made the third-most tackles and interceptions in Bruno Lage’s squad (as per FBRef), showing an industriousness to complement his impact going forward.

With Neves’ talents and ability to be an asset both going forward and defensively, the Scholes comparisons are spot-on. If United do sign the 25-year-old, they would get the player as he is heading into what will likely be his peak years, and £50m sounds like a bargain when the positives are examined more in-depth.

His versatility will be a major advantage for Ten Hag going forward, with Neves being adept at playing either in a defensive midfield position or slightly further forward. Four goals and two assists is also a solid return in a Wolves side which only netted 38 times in as many league matches.

These figures will surely improve if he makes the move to Old Trafford, with a better quality of player around him and having the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo on the end of his passes, so it could be a fruitful move for all parties if it does come off.

AND in other news, Bid incoming: Sky Sports journalist drops MUFC transfer update, Ten Hag will be thrilled

The Premier League is an exciting league, some would say the best league in the world. Each year many sports news channels are reporting new records being set as teams perform better, transfer records are broken, or the teams doing badly set another record (they probably didn’t want to). In the 2021/2022 season, a few records have already been broken – Paul Pogba became the first Premier League player in history to provide four assists in an opening week fixture. Pep Guardiola managed to get to the 500-point milestone in just 213 games, the quickest by any manager. And Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk sets the Premier League record for most home games unbeaten since his debut.

So what records could be broken in the coming 2022/2023 premier league season or the season after that? Below we look into some of the records currently set and whether they may be beaten in the coming seasons.

Most Premier League points in a season

Currently, Manchester City (much to Manchester United’s misery) sits on the throne for the most Premier League points in a single season. In 2017/2018, Manchester City managed to get an impressive tally of 100 points.

With the Premier League becoming more competitive each year, can this be beaten in the years to come? It’s going to be challenging, especially with even more talented players joining lower ranked clubs than they used to. This could be a record that is going to be in the record books for many years to come.

Most Premier League titles

Man United have won the most Premier League titles since it’s been called the Premier League. At the moment their record stands at 13 titles, with Chelsea and Manchester City currently at five and Arsenal have won 3 titles

This record is here to stay for a few more years at least. With 5 being the closest to Man United’s 13, we will be waiting for another 10 years or so until we start talking about this record being broken. Manchester City is performing incredibly well at the moment and with the transfers they are doing, are showing that they are here to stay. Maybe they will be the team to hold the record one day.

Fewest Premier League points in a season

You have to feel sorry for whoever holds this record but at the moment it is Derby County with 11 points in the 2007/2008 season. Sunderland is second with 15 points in 2005/2006 and Huddersfield is third with 16 points in 2018/19.

Will the record be broken in the seasons to come? We will have to wait and find out! 11 points are particularly low and would require a very disastrous season to be on less.

Most Premier League points in a season without winning the title

In the season where Man City made the record for most points in one season at 100, Liverpool came very close in second. In the 2018/19 season, Liverpool managed to achieve a total of 97 points, falling just 3 off City. This was agonisingly close and in many other seasons would have won Liverpool the title. The consolation prize is that they won the award for most Premier League points in a season without winning the title.

Could this point tally be beaten in the years to come? Liverpool and Manchester City are still very close and competing at the highest of levels. It’s possible but the teams around the two of them are strengthening each year making the competition even harder. Some would argue the Premier League is the hardest it has ever been.

Most consecutive Premier League wins

The record for most consecutive Premier League wins is currently a draw with both Manchester City (26 August 2017 – 27 December 2017) and Liverpool (27 October 2019 – 24 February 2020) both on 18.

Deep down both teams would love to beat this record. Both Liverpool and City are at a very similar level and competing for all the trophies at the moment. If they could win this record, it’s another thing they can boast about and take away from their rival. That said, with the overall standard of all the teams in the league improving, this record is only going to get harder as the years go by. Could the new transfers that Pep Guardiola wants help them reach new heights? They have already signed Erik Haaland who is bound to be a big success for City just like Jack Grealish currently is.

The Premier League is full of statistics which get broken each year. What statistics do you think will be broken in the years to come? Are there any which you particularly want to see broken? Have we missed some that you think should be added? Let us know in the comment box below.

Photo by Unsplash

West Ham looks set to make their first summer signing, and it’s one which will please David Moyes as he assembles his squad for for next season.

What’s the word?

Fabrizio Romano tweeted that the Hammers are planning to have ‘new direct contacts’ with Alphonse Areola’s agents, with an option-to-buy for £11m or to extend his loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain for another campaign. As it stands, the French goalkeeper is due to return to his parent club over the summer.

The journalist claimed: “West Ham are planning to have new direct contacts with Alphonse Areola’s agents to keep him at the club, negotiations are already underway. There’s a buy option worth £11m – or an option to extend loan deal from PSG for one more season.”

This would represent an excellent move either way for Moyes, as he will have one less incoming transfer to make during the summer.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more” title= “Read the latest West Ham news!”]

Moyes will be ecstatic

West Ham have had a wonderful season and Moyes has brought the feel-good factor back to the London Stadium for the first time in a long while. With a brilliant Europa League run being ended by Eintracht Frankfurt at the semi-final stage and continental qualification being secured for next season, they will want to continue building momentum.

Areola joined on loan from PSG at the beginning of the current campaign and has featured 18 times in all competitions this season, conceding 15 goals and keeping eight clean sheets.

The goalkeeper arrived with a big reputation, having been part of France’s World Cup-winning squad in 2018 and claiming league medals for both Real Madrid and PSG. He has played primarily in the Europa League as West Ham embarked on their memorable run to the last four. achieving second leg shutouts as both Sevilla and Lyon were put to the sword.

Compared to other positional peers in Europe’s big five leagues, Areola is ranked in the 95th percentile for save percentage (76.9%), the 99th percentile for goals against (0.73 per 90) and the 92nd percentile for clean sheet percentage (41.7%).

These figures clearly prove why Moyes will be buzzing if he can keep the Frenchman at West Ham, and the 29-year-old could be an integral player for them next season as well. Securing him for another year would represent an ideal first summer signing for the Irons.

AND in other news, GSB can sign West Ham’s own Van Dijk in “cerebral” £20m brute who’s the “real boss”

Aston Villa are interested in bringing Wolfburg’s 22-year-old centre-back Maxence Lacroix to Villa Park this summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Jeunes Footeux, who name Villa amongst the likes of West Ham and Newcastle United, as teams who are interested in signing the young Bundesliga starlet.

The Frenchman’s contract was due to expire in 2024, until Wolfsburg seized a one-year extension that includes a release clause of £34m – with this fee set to become active this summer.

Konsa upgrade

As a right-footed centre-back in a back-four, Lacroix is a perfect fit for Aston Villa. Though the acquisition of the starlet would cause upset for Ezri Konsa, who currently occupies the position of right centre-back for Gerrard’s side.

To be frank, even though Konsa has had another solid campaign in England’s top-flight, having started 81% of Villa’s games this season, Lacroix would present a statistical upgrade in this position.

Lacroix, who has been dubbed “exciting” by Statman Dave, registers around 2.16 tackles per 90, with an average of 4.15 interceptions and 7.32 pressures in the defensive third.

Meanwhile, Konsa’s metrics falter having registered 0.98 tackles per 90, with an average of 1.63 interceptions and 3.73 pressures in the defensive third.

It’s also the same case in possession, with Lacroix’s 68.23 touches and 40.29 touches in the defensive third much better than Konsa’s match average of 43.36 touches and 25.10 touches in the defensive third.

Combined with his average of 7.73 passes under pressure per 90, Lacroix’s presence in the Villa backline would bring stability in both phases of the game.

Aston Villa have struggled to break out of the middle third at times this season, which has also seen them lag behind in their attempts to dominate possession, having registered an average of 46.2% this season which makes them the 14th worst side at keeping the ball.

The addition of a centre-back who is entirely composed in possession would inject confidence into the squad, and allow them to build sustained attacks from the backline, with Lacroix’s average of 3.03 passes into the final third per 90 also handy in progressing the ball.

In other news: NSWE already set for their 1st big summer disaster at AVFC, supporters surely gutted