All posts by z3u9t.icu

Wolverhampton Wanderers could well be without Leander Dendoncker come next season, with Italian Serie A side Lazio said to be interested.

With 35-year-old Lucas Leiva’s future up in the air amid his contract expiry in the summer, as well as the rumoured departure of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – who is thought to be a target for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – Lazio are on the lookout for a versatile midfielder capable of replacing the duo.

And, Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb have reported that they are hopeful of landing the 27-year-old Wolves midfielder for between €20-25m (£21-£17m).

With Wolves also facing a fight to keep hold of the £36m-rated Ruben Neves this summer, the further loss of Dendoncker could potentially leave a gaping hole in the Old Gold’s engine room.

As such, they will no doubt be on the lookout for a versatile and impactful central midfielder who can replace the man dubbed a “top talent” by Joe Edwards of the Express & Star.

In comes Wolves’ teenage sensation; Luke Cundle.

The £180k-rated gem earned rave reviews from first-team boss Bruno Lage over his Premier League masterclass against Spurs in mid-February, with the Portuguese manager saying: “Maybe Luke [Cundle] can be a key man because it allows us to play with four midfielders.

“He is just 19 and I am very happy with him. The most important thing is the confidence he gives to us. He was there against top players playing like he is in the playground.”

Cundle has played the majority of his football as a defensive midfielder for the U23s this season having featured 22 times for Jamie Collins’ side.

Though rather interestingly, he has featured as an attacking midfielder on 11 occasions this campaign, where he has earned comparisons to Phil Foden from the U23’s boss:

“We took a litle risk with the change of shape and the ‘false nine’ with no centre-forward. We played Luke [Cundle] up there, ‘Phil Foden-esque’, and I thought he played really well.”

This is why he would fit the bill in place of Leander Dendoncker, who can also play anywhere across the midfield, with the Belgian turning out as an attacking midfielder for Bruno Lage on two occasions this season.

Wolves may not need to spend to replace Leander Dendoncker.

AND in other news: Time to go: Lage must now boldly axe £36m-rated Wolves “magician” in mega deal…

Aston Villa would need pay Geoffrey Kondogbia more than €120,000 (£101,000) a week if they want to sign him this summer, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Villa keen on Kondogbia

Kondogbia has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent days, with Villa manager Steven Gerrard potentially seeing him as a primary summer transfer target.

It has been stated that Gerrard ‘appreciates’ him as a player, with the Frenchman proving to be a key part of Atletico Madrid’s midfield this season and the Villans boss even jetting off to watch him in action.

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Kondogbia has made 23 appearances in La Liga, as well as nine in the Champions League, averaging a respective 2.7 and 2.2 tackles per game.

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The Latest: Fresh update emerges

According to Mundo Deportivo [via Sport Witness], the midfielder is looking for a pay increase in order to trade Atletico for Villa this summer.

A ‘much higher wage’ than his current €120,000 (£101,000) per week is mooted in the report, with the Villans aiming to sell players in order to afford what would be a ‘very expensive transfer.’

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The Verdict: Could be hard to get done

While Kondogbia is clearly a top-class midfielder who would strengthen Villa’s midfield, paying him such extortionate wages could be a tricky situation.

Danny Ings (£120,000) is the only current player earning over £100,000 a week, so the France international would come straight in as one of the club’s highest earners.

Not only that, but he doesn’t seem overly convinced by a move to Villa Park, according to the report, so paying such big money for a potentially money-hungry player feels like a big risk.

In other news, Ashley Preece has dropped a key Villa transfer claim. Read more here.

Journalist Dean Jones has provided an update on the future of Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus amid reported interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the respected insider suggested that a transfer is not a certainty for the Brazilian this summer, despite the recent speculation linking him with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed last week that the Gunners are “exploring the possibility” of prising the 25-year-old from the Etihad Stadium in the upcoming transfer window, while football.london suggested that both the £45m-rated marksman and AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham are on the north Londoners’ striker shortlist.

However, Jones has now raised hopes that the former Palmeiras man may still be lining up for the reigning Premier League champions next term, as he revealed that the player may still have a “future” under Pep Guardiola.

He told GiveMeSport: “It’s true that dialogue is open, but nothing is going to progress quickly with Arsenal. There’s a feeling among people around the club that he has a future at the club – he’s only 25 and is often used in big games.”

Huge boost for Guardiola

The £91k-per-week star has at times become something of a forgotten figure amid all the star-studded attacking talent at Guardiola’s disposal, although the former Barcelona manager will surely be delighted that the striker could still be on City’s books next summer.

Doubts had been cast over the 54-cap international’s future owing to the persistent links between City and Borussia Dortmund’s prolific marksman Erling Haaland, although on recent evidence Jesus has shown he still has a part to play at the club, even if the towering Norwegian is signed this summer.

Almost as if he had been awoken by reports of a potential reunion with former City assistant Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, the 5 foot 9 hotshot has been in blistering form in recent games. He thumped in a brilliant four-goal haul in the 5-1 thrashing of Watford last weekend, following that up with another early strike in the thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid in midweek.

While his five goals across those two outings have stolen the headlines, team-mate Bernardo Silva insisted that the forward is much more than simply just a goalscorer, saying: “He is a great player and he deserves the best for the way he trains and plays for the team. With his talent, his attitude to helping the team is admirable. He is one of our most important players.”

Despite making just 17 Premier League starts this season, the Sao Paulo-born star has still chipped in with an impressive tally of seven goals and eight assists thus far, while his total record for the club now stands at 94 goals and 46 assists in 231 games in all competitions since his £27m arrival back in 2016.

A reported fee of around £35m could see him depart after six hugely successful years for the Cityzens, but Jesus – who has been dubbed a “superstar” by BT Sport pundit Steve McManaman – still appears to have a role to play at his current home, which would surely be music to Guardiola’s ears given how well the 25-year-old has been performing.

AND in other news, Man City now plot exciting move for £33.5m “monster”, Stones could be in trouble

Rangers will need to put a stop to their celebrations after securing a place in the Europa League final to concentrate on the Premiership once again.

The Gers have three Scottish top-flight matches left to play before the end of the campaign and are currently nine points behind their arch-rivals as it stands, making a late title charge seem near-on impossible.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men have two cup finals coming up this month but still need to see out the remainder of their domestic fixtures.

They face Dundee United at Ibrox today after beating RB Leipzig 3-1 in Europe on Thursday night, but one man who has played himself out of deserving a place in the line-up is left-back Borna Barisic, who is currently on a poor run of form.

Ex-Gers midfielder Derek Ferguson ripped into the Croatian international after the recent draw with Celtic in the Premiership. The full-back was beaten to the ball by Jota from a cross for the Hoops’ opening goal and the pundit was left far from impressed, saying:

“With Barisic, he got spooked. He has one look, two looks, he has three looks. He knows he’s there. Then there comes a time, you know he’s there. Is there a panic in him? Instead of thinking there’s the ball, I’ll go and meet it, he doesn’t react.”

Ferguson went on to say that Barisic “didn’t deliver” in the match and this was the case once again against RB Leipzig on Thursday. Whilst his team-mates put in stoic displays at the back, the Croatian struggled throughout the game and was unable to showcase the best of his abilities on the night.

The £18k-per-week lightweight failed to step up to the mark and has now put in worrying displays in two crucial matches in succession – against Celtic and Leipzig – and this should lead to him being axed from the starting XI today.

In the 1-1 draw with their Glasgow rivals, Barisic lost possession of the ball a whopping 26 times as he completed 67% of his attempted passes. He then gave the ball away on 14 occasions against the German outfit, whilst completing just 44% of his passes and losing four of his six individual battles.

These statistics, and the aforementioned quotes from Ferguson, suggest that the Croatian defender has been a liability at the back for Van Bronckhorst this month. Therefore, he must be brutally axed from the starting XI for this clash at Ibrox today as punishment for not delivering in those two big matches in the Premiership and Europa League.

AND in other news, Big setback as Rangers hit with huge injury blow which will leave GvB fuming…

Liverpool have ‘registered an interest’ in signing “complete” defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider sources, the AS Monaco player is thought to be one of Liverpool’s top targets over the next few months as they look to bring him to Anfield as a long term replacement for captain Jordan Henderson and veteran James Milner.

A recruitment source told the outlet that the Reds have registered an interest in the Frenchman fter learning that Monaco are prepared to sell the player. It’s likely it will take a fee of no less than £50m to secure his services.

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However they are not the only ones interested, Football Insider also revealed last month that the Reds’ rivals for the Premier League title Manchester City also want him.

Klopp needs him

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp needs to sign a top-class midfield player this summer as he can’t keep relying on Jordan Henderson and James Milner. They are not only ageing but also aren’t up to the level of teammates Thiago and Fabinho.

The Reds have been competing on all levels this season and find themselves in a third Champions League final in five years. If they are to keep competing amongst Europe’s elite then they need to make improvements to their midfield.

Signing Tchouameni would represent that upgrade. Although he might not possess the experience or leadership of Milner or Henderson, he is better technically.

He has made 33 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco this season and has been directly involved in four goals.

If you look at his defensive actions this season he has tackled a higher percentage of dribblers than both Liverpool players with 44.3% compared to Milner’s 41.2% and Henderson’s 30.2%.

He also has a higher pass completion percentage than both of them with 86.9% compared to Milner’s 81.8% and Henderson’s 83.2%.

Overall there is not much to separate the trio but the big difference is that he has much more room for improvement, and working under a manager as good as Klopp would allow him to reach his potential and be a key player at Anfield for years.

Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of midfielder but Tchouameni should very high on the list and would be considerably cheaper than some other options.

IN other news: Liverpool could finally replace Wijnaldum by signing £23.4m-rated “elite presser”…

Renowned Glasgow Rangers bloggers Four Lads Had a Dream were full of praise for the performance of Leon King in the Premiership on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Rangers youngsters prevail

Giovanni van Bronckhorst named a much-changed side yesterday ahead of the Europa League final in midweek, with some youngsters enjoying a deserved run-out.

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Many of them impressed, as Alex Lowry grabbed himself a goal and an assist, while Cole McKinnon also got on the scoresheet in the 3-1 win over Hearts.

The Latest: King hailed

Taking to Twitter, Four Lads Had a Dream hailed the performance of 18-year-old Leon King at the back for Rangers, with some praise for Lowry as well.

The bloggers gushed: “Alex Lowry obviously grabbing the headlines & quite rightly, special player.”

“But Leon King is absolutely top class. What a talent. Both threaten to be as good as any academy graduate. The future looks very bright indeed.”

The Verdict: Unsung hero

As Four Lads Had a Dream pointed out, Lowry is likely to grab all of the headlines with his goal and assist, but King was an unsung hero at the back for the Light Blues on Saturday.

The defender won two of his duels and also recorded two clearances, two tackles and one accurate long ball, posting an 88% overall pass success rate throughout the game (SofaScore).

That was his sixth senior appearance of the season despite his tender age, which suggests that King will continue to be called upon by Van Bronckhorst next term, should he be needed.

In other news, find out what Europa League final update has left these Gers podcasters fuming

Manchester City are ‘expected to pursue’ a deal for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, claims Daily Mail journalist Jack Gaughan.

The Lowdown: Fernandinho’s departure

After nine years at the Etihad, club captain Fernandinho is set to return to Brazil with a move back to Athletico Paranaense.

The 37-year-old said his goodbyes during Monday’s Premier League title parade after winning his 14th trophy with the Sky Blues.

The defensive midfielder amassed 383 appearances for City, scoring 26 goals and producing 33 assists during this time.

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The Latest: Phillips the perfect target

With Fernandinho’s departure, City have set their sights on signing a new central midfielder.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Leeds star Kalvin Phillips tops the list of potential replacements. The 26-year-old has been identified as having the ‘perfect profile’ for the position.

Daily Mail journalist Jack Gaughan also shared the news to Twitter, claiming: “Man City expected to pursue deal for Kalvin Phillips over the coming weeks”.

The Verdict: Great signing

With previous reports linking West Ham ace Declan Rice with a move to the Etihad, the news that City are interested in his England midfield-partner hardly comes as a surprise.

With Fernandinho’s departure, it is necessary for director of football Txiki Begiristain to dip into the transfer market and sort a replacement, given the Brazilian’s importance to Pep Guardiola’s side.

Therefore, if City can convince Leeds to sell their ‘powerful’ midfielder for the right price, this will be a great signing for the Cityzens and possibly a cheaper one than Rice.

In other news: Manchester City: Danny Mills makes Declan Rice transfer claim

Newcastle travel to face Burnley at Turf Moor in their final match of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign this afternoon.

The Magpies have enjoyed a stellar second half of the season, as they have gone from battling the Clarets to avoid relegation to now being safe and eyeing up a top-half finish.

Mike Jackson’s side head into the match just above the drop zone and need a win to secure survival, although they will achieve their target as long as they match Leeds’ result against Brentford.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have a top-ten finish to aim for as they sit two points off Brighton in 10th. This would be the icing on the cake for Eddie Howe’s first campaign in charge and set the standard heading into the summer.

Speaking of which, the upcoming transfer window may be a nervy one for fringe players at St James’ Park – and even some more regular starters – as PIF potentially invest more money into the squad.

Players will be wondering whether or not they have a future at the club, and one gem who could be in danger of being axed is Jacob Murphy.

The £35k-per-week dynamo has only started 13 matches this season and has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.68 in the Premier League. This shows that the overall standard of his displays has been underwhelming at best, and PIF will surely not want to have underperforming players wasting a place in the squad.

The 27-year-old has been unable to break into the team on a regular basis, and he may be a player that the club have in mind as someone they can upgrade upon in the coming months.

Howe must unleash Murphy

Murphy does have the potential to come good for Newcastle, though. Howe has previously hailed the winger, saying: “He’s a very good player. He’s physically excellent and I think you can see that from the first goal [against Brighton] he created and the pace he gives you on transitions.

“He’s reliable defensively and tactically very good. There’s a lot to like about him. I think there’s a lot to come as well – there is a lot more [talent] in there.”

The Toon head coach clearly believes that there is something to work with regarding Murphy, and that is why the 27-year-old must be unleashed against Burnley, having only appeared as a substitute in Newcastle’s last three matches.

It is his last-chance saloon to show the club that the £12m signing deserves to stay at St James’ Park and remain a part of the long-term project. He needs to produce a big performance against the Clarets and finally click in a Magpies shirt to put down a marker, given that he has struggled for minutes and form throughout the current campaign.

If he fails to do so, then it may be time for PIF to cut ties with him and replace him with another winger in the upcoming transfer window. It could a huge day at Turf Moor for the ex-Norwich man…

AND in other news, PIF eyeing NUFC swoop for “highly-rated” £30m phenomenon, he can be Howe’s “Benzema”…

Liverpool have maintained a long-term interest in Jude Bellingham, and a new update has emerged on their pursuit of the player following speculation that the Reds have made an approach this summer.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has given an insight on the 18-year-old’s immediate future and an update on Liverpool’s interest in his column for Caught Offside.

The transfer insider claimed in the report that the Borussia Dortmund star won’t be leaving the Bundesliga this year, although the Reds remain interested for the summer of 2023.

Romano added that, despite the interest Liverpool have shown, it will be an open race for the player to all interested parties, as there has been no official or definite move made by the Merseyside club as of yet.

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Supporters will be disappointed

Liverpool are in the market this summer to strengthen in the middle of the park, with a number of midfielders linked with a move to Anfield including Aurelien Tchouameni and Ibrahim Sangare, but supporters will surely be disappointed that Bellingham won’t join for at least another season.

The 18-year-old has been drawing attention to himself for a while now and did not disappoint for Borussia Dortmund this season, dominating the centre of the pitch and offering a solid presence in his team, impressing with both his defensive and attacking play.

As per SofaScore, the English youngster scored three goals and contributed eight assists, in addition to creating 10 big chances and recording 1.3 key passes, 1.6 tackles and 67.7 touches on average per game. He also won the majority of his duels (51%) and was successful with most of his dribbles (57%).

For a player who is so young, Bellingham already has an overwhelming amount of experience under his belt, with 134 senior club career appearances (61 in the Bundesliga, 16 in the Champions League). He was also part of the England squad which made it to a first major final in 55 years as they finished runners-up at Euro 2020, making three appearances at the tournament.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been full of praise for the youngster, telling SPORTbible; “He’s a great lad, a fantastic player and I’m sure he’ll go from strength to strength as he gets older and matures. When I watch him, he plays with such maturity even now. The sky is the limit for him really.”

Signing Bellingham would be a major coup for Jurgen Klopp if it were to happen, as the teenager will surely only develop even further while he is still at Dortmund, but Liverpool must not squander their opportunity to sign him and lose out to another club. That would really leave Kopites feeling very disappointed.

AND in other news: Liverpool plot £42.5m bid for “spectacular” gem with “no ceiling”, he’s Bellingham 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Nordi Mukiele to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sunday Mirror (29/5: page 76), who claim that Fabio Paratici is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the RB Leipzig full-back ahead of a potential move this summer.

Previous reports had claimed that, with one year remaining on his current deal at the Red Bull Arena, the Bundesliga side had initially planned to cash in on the 24-year-old ahead of 2022/23, with a figure in the region of €10m (£8.5m) believed to be enough to get a deal over the line.

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However, it is now believed that Domenico Tedesco is eager to tie the France international down to a new deal in Germany, although, with interest from Tottenham, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, the defender’s future appears very much up in the air at present.

The next Thuram

Considering just how talented a player Mukiele evidently is, in addition to the right-back looking to be available for an extremely reasonable asking price, it is easy to see why Conte and Paratici would be interested in a deal to bring the 24-year-old to north London this summer.

Indeed, according to FBref data, the £22.5m-rated talent ranks in the top 12% of full-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for interceptions per 90, as well as the top 3% for aerial duels won, the top 14% for clearances, the top 26% for pressures, the top 22% for progressive passes and the top 4% for touches in the opposition penalty area over the last 365 days.

Furthermore, FBref also rank the £40k-per-week defender – who is also more than comfortable operating at centre-back – in the top 22% for non-penalty goals per 90, the top 4% for non-penalty xG, the top 12% for shots, the top 21% for assists, the top 30% for xA and the top 11% for npxG+xA over the last 12 months.

These metrics see the right-back who has drawn comparisons to legendary French defender Lilian Thuram rank among some of the most prestigious full-backs currently playing the game, with FBref suggesting Mukiele’s most comparable peers are Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne and Tottenham’s own Sergio Reguilon.

As such, it is clear to see that the £8.5m signing of the “powerful” – in the words of Andrew Gibney – Frenchman would be something of a steal for Spurs, leading us to believe that Paratici must do everything he can to beat both United and PSG to a deal for the former Montpellier starlet this summer, as Mukiele could well prove to be Tottenham’s own Thuram under the management of Conte next season.

AND in other news: “Tottenham are..”: Fabrizio Romano drops big transfer update that supporters will love