All posts by z3u9t.icu

Rangers have been hit with another big injury blow as an update has emerged on Ibrox gem Alex Lowry…

What’s the latest?

Gers head coach Gio van Bronckhorst has revealed that the young midfielder is the latest player to come down with a knock, joining Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos on the sidelines.

All three players are due to watch on from the stands, or at home, as the club take on Braga in their Europa League quarter-final clash.

Rangers quoted the boss as saying: “We don’t have Hagi, Morelos and Lowry, who is also unavailable. We have to create a gameplan that will work for Thursday and that is our focus.”

Gutted

This update will surely leave the Ibrox faithful gutted as it means that they will not be able to see the academy graduate make his European bow.

FFC recently published an article explaining why he has a bright future in Glasgow and why van Bronckhorst should offer him more opportunities in the first team. The talented youngster has caught the eye at youth and senior level this term and has the potential to be a valuable player off the bench for the Dutch coach.

However, he will not be able to call upon the maestro tonight and it remains to be seen how serious the issue is, as the Gers boss did not specify what the problem is. This means that he could be out for a number of weeks or be back for the next match, with the former being a worrying prospect for supporters and the manager as it could stunt his development between now and the end of the campaign.

Lowry has played four first-team matches for the Glasgow giants this term, scoring one goal and assisting another across three Scottish Cup outings and one appearance in the Premiership. He also scored against Celtic for Rangers B recently, with Record Rangers Podcast noting that he ‘ran the show’ in midfield.

After that match, reporter Joshua Barrie claimed that “Regular first-team minutes have to come soon for” the talented midfielder and this illustrates the talent that the 18-year-old has.

He has already been on the bench in the Europa League and would surely have been involved in some capacity had he been available for the match tonight, even if he did not get a kick of the ball. This is a blow for the player as it sets him back in his progression into the first-team and it leaves van Bronckhorst with one less option to pick from, having already lost Morelos earlier this week – leaving fans gutted in the process.

AND in other news, Major blow: Gvb dealt fresh Rangers injury setback that’ll leave Ibrox faithful fuming…

Leeds United selling Illan Meslier would be ‘very silly’, former Whites goalkeeper Paul Robinson says. 

The lowdown

The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reported last week that Leeds are ‘braced for bids’ for Meslier during the summer transfer window.

As for interested parties, The Daily Star believe Manchester United are intense admirers of the Frenchman, while Mundo Deportivo claim that Barcelona could even make a move.

Leeds signed Meslier from FC Lorient for £5.85million in the summer of 2020 following a successful loan move.

He’s made 81 appearances for the club in total, conceding 128 goals and keeping 23 clean sheets.

The latest

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Robinson said he couldn’t ‘see the sense’ in sanctioning the move, which he believes would force Leeds into the market for a ‘top’ replacement.

“They’d have to find a top, number one goalkeeper so to sell Meslier for whatever they sell him for, they’d have to pay that to replace him,” he said.

“It would seem to be a very silly situation to let him go.

“In all honesty, I can’t see the sense in letting him go.”

The verdict

If Leeds were to sell Meslier, then they could be in for a considerable profit. Transfermarkt value him at £18million, more than three times what they paid in 2018.

He has struggled this season from a shot-stopping perspective, conceding 8.3 goals more than would be ‘expected’ (based on post-shot xG). That’s the worst record in the division by a considerable margin.

But he starred for the Whites in their first season back in the Premier League, winning their Young Player of the Year award, and so they know how good he can be when on form and full of confidence.

Indeed, fellow PL ‘keeper Aaron Ramsdale has named him as his toughest opponent, while Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has dubbed him ‘excellent’.

In other news, Adam Pope has shared details on Leeds transfer discussions.  

[ad_pod ]

Bayern Munich are lining up a summer bid for RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, according to the print edition of Sport Bild (via Bayern Strikes).

The speedy striker has scored 13 goals in all competitions thus far this season, per Transfermarkt, and Bayern are keen to reinforce their attack with the signing of the 22-year-old.

It is reported that the German side want to pay roughly €40million (£35m) to secure Werner’s signature and that has led to raised eyebrows among certain fanbases in England.

Indeed, Everton, who currently lack a pure centre-forward under manager Marco Silva, could certainly do with a striker of the pedigree of Werner.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The striker has 23 caps for Germany and nine goals, and Toffees fans, who saw the club spend £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson, have called on the club to get involved in the bidding and attempt to gazump the Bavarian giants to the striker.

According to West Ham United insiders Claret & Hugh, there is a general belief that Declan Rice will remain at the club for at least another year.

The Lowdown: Rice exit rumours

The 23-year-old has been at the centre of abundant transfer speculation emerging from all over the globe this season. According to The Telegraph, he rejected two new contract offers from the east London club last summer.

Following this year’s disappointing January transfer window, Eurosport reported that Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United were all interested in signing the midfielder in the summer.

Whilst it was widely accepted that it would take a £100m bid to secure the England international’s services, the Irons reportedly raised the asking price to a staggering £120m.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-4/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Claret & Hugh’s major update

Over the past week, West Ham have further increased Rice’s price tag, which is now reported to be a sensational £150m, and club insiders Claret & Hugh have now shared the latest news on the whole situation.

They have reported that there is a general belief that the Hammers vice-captain will remain in east London for another year at least.

By upping the asking price to £150m, West Ham will now offer Rice a new deal at the end of the season in order to keep him at the club for as long as possible.

The Verdict: Crucial to the Irons

At just 23 years of age, Rice has already amassed 183 appearances for the Hammers, putting himself in the frame to achieve club legend status.

Using statistical analysis, SofaScore have rated the midfielder as West Ham’s best player this season as he has averaged a brilliant 7.19 rating in the league, starting all but two top-flight matches.

This is further illustrated by his underlying stats. Over the past year, Rice has ranked in the 95th percentile for interceptions and the 94th percentile for pass completion rate and progressive carries (via FB Ref).

Therefore, with his importance to David Moyes’ side beyond doubt, getting the England midfielder to sign a new deal with the club would be a massive piece of business.

In other news: West Ham United: Irons have edge in Joe Worrall transfer race

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has dropped an injury update regarding Adam Forshaw.

The Lowdown: Forshaw sits out Watford win

Forshaw missed just his second Premier League game since the end of October on Saturday afternoon, watching on as the Whites picked up three crucial points against Watford.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-41/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-04-02T155252Z_391313781_UP1EI421841M9_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-SOU-REPORT.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The central midfielder did travel with the squad and was in deep conversation with Jesse Marsch as Leeds looked at the Vicarage Road pitch prior to kick-off.

However, the 30-year-old wasn’t included in the match-day squad for the 3-0 win and Hay has now shared why Forshaw was missing.

The Latest: Hay’s post

Hay took to Twitter on Sunday morning to explain Forshaw’s absence.

He admitted that the midfielder’s ‘injury was a calf strain’, however, Marsch is hopeful that Forshaw can return to training next week.

The Verdict: Never ending

Forshaw has now joined Patrick Bamford, Tyler Roberts, Junior Firpo and Jamie Shackleton on the sidelines, with Leeds’ injury woes showing no signs of slowing up in the final weeks of the season.

Hopefully, he’ll be able to make a swift return to training at Thorp Arch, and with Leeds not playing until April 25, that should work in his favour over a possible return to the squad for the trip to Crystal Palace.

Fingers crossed that is the case, as Marsch seems to have a new injury worry to deal with every week since replacing Marcelo Bielsa.

In other news: Offer ready: Orta now ‘very likely to sign’ star whose agent knows Radz as Leeds claim emerges. 

As if the transfer window hasn’t already been an exciting state of affairs for Aston Villa, it could yet end with even triumph and satisfaction for Steven Gerrard and the club’s supporters.

Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne have already arrived but a major name from within the game is now being closely linked to Villa.

What’s the word?

Reports emerged late on Tuesday evening that the Villans had tabled an offer to bring Suarez back to England and as a result of Gerrard, they were ahead of a number of Brazilian clubs in the race to secure his signature.

Now, the Villa boss and Johan Lange have been given further hope of concluding a deal by Spanish football expert, Alvaro Montero, who was speaking live on Sky Sports on Wednesday.

He claimed that Suarez was looking to leave his current employers, Atletico Madrid, and in a captivating four-word claim, suggested that Villa “could be an option” for the veteran striker.

The Uruguayan’s contract expires at the end of the season so there is a chance that the Midlands outfit could sign for free in the summer.

Fans surely buzzing

After the signings of Digne and Coutinho, fans will have rightfully been on cloud nine given their international experience and previous exploits in the game.

However, if you combine that with the potential for Suarez to arrive at Bodymoor Heath in the next six months, supporters will simply be ecstatic.

Of course, the forward is now 34 years of age now and is no spring chicken, but there is no escaping from the fact that he is still a wonderful goalscorer.

He has regularly beaten the goalkeeper throughout his career and at the top level no less, scoring 69 Premier League goals, while also racking up a phenomenal 195 strikes during his stay with Barcelona.

Furthermore, Suarez is an incredibly decorated player. This is someone who has won the Spanish top-flight on five occasions, an individual who has won Copa del Rey four times and has also taken home both the Champions League and Club World Cup.

That is quite the honours list and based on experience alone, he’d be a wonderful player to have in the dressing room.

On top of that, his superb ability to make something extraordinary happen out of nothing is almost second to none. He has terrorised English defences before and there is every chance he could do the same in the claret and blue of Villa.

A move still feels unlikely but what a coup he’d be if they could get a deal across the line. Coutinho was a landmark signing but this would surely blow that out of the water, consequently leaving supporters elated with their recruitment team.

AND in other news, Sky Sports journo drops exciting AVFC transfer update on live TV, fans surely buzzing…

Newcastle United have reportedly looked at Benfica striker Darwin Nunez ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Sky Sports reporter said: “Nunez is someone they’ve looked at, they’ve watched. I think a proven goalscorer on the European stage will be one of the main priorities, if not the priority in the summer.”

It was recently reported by The Athletic that Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain were the current frontrunners for Nunez’s signature. However, Newcastle could find themselves in the mix.

The Magpies will certainly seek to add at least one new striker to their ranks this summer with £25m January signing Chris Wood finding the back of the net just twice thus far whilst Callum Wilson is still sidelined but could return before the end of the season.

Moreover, with the upcoming transfer window being PIF’s first at the helm of Newcastle United, big names are expected to be linked with the Toon Army seemingly having bottomless pockets at their disposal.

Therefore, there’s little surprise that a forward of the Uruguayan’s calibre has been linked.

Supporters will be excited

With the summer window the first of the PIF dynasty, Newcastle supporters will be beside themselves regarding potential transfers with the possibilities seemingly endless, at least in the media.

Adding Nunez to his ranks would single-handedly revolutionise Howe’s side with the forward one of Europe’s current hottest properties and is valued at around £60m.

The Benfica hotshot has scored 31 goals in 37 matches across all competitions, including an impressive 25 strikes in 25 league games in the Portuguese top flight.

At just 22 years of age, Nunez has already scored in the Champions League against the likes of Barcelona, Ajax and Liverpool, alerting some of Europe’s juggernauts to the Uruguayan’s talent.

In fact, the striker netted twice against the Reds, in both legs of their recent quarter-final, with manager Jurgen Klopp purring over the Benfica man’s ability.

“Really good, really good. I knew before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with his tough battles with Ibrahima Konate,” the German said.

“He was physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish. Good, really good. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him.”

With a mouth-watering transfer kitty ready to spend, Newcastle will certainly be keen to add a top-level centre-forward to their roster and Nunez certainly meets the requirements.

AND in other news: Howe and PIF are now heading for their first big NUFC error, it would be a disaster

West Ham United are facing the prospect of being without Tomas Soucek once again for their trip to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

The Czech Republic international was missing from action for the Hammers’ 3-2 defeat against Leeds United last time out in the Premier League, and it appears that while he is back in training, there are big doubts over whether he will be able to take his place against Ralf Rangnick’s side later today.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against United, David Moyes said: “We’ve had the virus like all teams and we have injuries as well.

“Tomáš Souček came back from the virus, we’re not quite sure yet if he’s ready so we need to try and assess that. Hopefully we’re not too bad and we’ll go there and try to do the best we can.”

Big blow for West Ham

Make no mistake about it, being without Soucek against Man United would be a huge blow to West Ham’s chances of picking up points against a team who are directly battling them for a Champions League place.

The Hammers’ defeat to Leeds last week put a dent in their hopes of clinching that top-four spot, but they know that a famous victory at Old Trafford would not only boost their confidence heading into these final few months of the season, but also deliver a crushing blow to their direct rivals too.

Soucek and Declan Rice have been the mainstays of this West Ham midfield since the former’s arrival at the club a couple of years ago, and breaking up that partnership has had a knock-on effect of not only robbing the Hammers of a first-choice midfielder, but also the impact it has on Rice’s game too – the Englishman’s performance levels have slightly dipped of late.

The Czech midfielder has had a huge influence on the Irons this season, winning more headers per game (3.5) than any of his team-mates while also ranking in the top three for tackles (1.7) and interceptions (1.5) per match, as per WhoScored. Those figures make it clear just how much his presence is being missed in the middle of the park.

Being without Soucek once again would be a huge blow to West Ham today as they travel to Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, West Ham are pushing hard for this star…

Under the new ownership of Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak and his company Sport Republic, Southampton could see some new investments being made to their squad in the near future to improve Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

However, it seems as though the south coast club could have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one of their star players.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Fichajes, fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing James Ward-Prowse in the next summer transfer window.

As a product of Southampton’s youth system, Ward-Prowse has gone on to make a total of 344 senior appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 39 goals and providing 45 assists along the way, easily cementing himself as a crucial figure for the club and prove that Hasenhuttl would not be pleased to potentially see him go to another club.

Saints calamity

His latest appearance for Hasenhuttl’s side saw the Englishman score a brilliant free-kick in their 3-1 defeat against Wolves at the weekend and although they lost, it defined the captain’s importance to the squad.

Having scored 12 Premier League free-kicks in his career, Ward-Prowse’s previous efforts have been labelled as “unbelievable” by Darren Ambrose and thus, seeing him leave would be quite the disaster.

Interest in the midfielder isn’t new either, with the Saints turning down a bid of £25m for the 27-year-old last summer from Aston Villa last summer showing just how reluctant they were to let him go even before he signed a new contract.

This suggests that it would take a massive amount of money for any club to sign Ward-Prowse, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £100k-per-week according to Salary Sport, anytime soon but still be a worry for them if it were to happen.

With that in mind, this should ease any worries the Southampton supporters may have about the club captain’s future at St. Mary’s.

If Ward-Prowse did join another Premier League club in the future in the same way that the likes of Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings have done in recent years, this would surely be something that would leave Hasenhuttl enraged.

It’s safe to say this would not be a good start to the Solak ownership on the south coast.

In other news: Solak could land the next Broja at Southampton with swoop for £3.6m-rated beast – opinion

A major decision has been made that will affect Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst significantly in the Premiership next season.

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports have reported that VAR will be introduced in the league after the World Cup later this year, which means that it will be in use from December onwards.

41 of the 42 Scottish Professional Football League clubs, including Rangers, voted in favour of the equipment being brought in, although it will only be used in the Premiership and Championship sides will not benefit from it.

It will, however, be used for the Scottish Cup semi-finals and final for any side who makes it there to experience, with the system set to cost £1.2m-per-season.

Neil Doncaster, who is the chief executive of the SPFL, said this about the introduction:

“I believe this was the right decision and that VAR will help referees to ensure tight decisions are more often the right ones and will support a higher standard and more consistent level of decision-making.”

Gio van Bronckhorst will be relieved

The Gers head coach will surely be relieved by this call as it means that his team will not drop any points due to refereeing errors.

This should, in theory, mean that the vast majority of decisions are correct and in line with the laws of the game, in terms of the major calls in matches. Therefore, this is a huge boost as Rangers will not be cursing their luck with officiating and blaming problems out of their control for results.

Van Bronckhorst will be able to go away from each and every match knowing that the result, whether it is a win, draw or loss, is down to his team’s performance and not because of a refereeing error.

Back in January, the Gers held talks with the SFA over the standard of officiating of their clash with Aberdeen as they found eight separate issues with decisions in that particular match.

There was also uproar after a clash with Dundee United earlier this year as Rangers were denied a clear penalty and both Charlie Mulgrew and Ryan Jack escaped red cards.

These decisions can have a huge influence on matches and that is why van Bronckhorst will be buzzing that VAR is being brought in.

It will be a big boost to his side as they will not be stripped of calls that should be going their way, whilst they will need to be at their best to ensure that they are not punished for it at the other end.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…