All posts by z3u9t.icu

Declan Rice has reportedly rejected two contract offers with West Ham, with both offers being below the weekly wage of Andriy Yarmolenko, according to ExWHUemployee. 

This update comes after The Telegraph’s Matt Law reported that the West Ham midfielder has turned down two contract offers from the club.

Rice was an important member of David Moyes’ squad in the 2020/21 season, with the 22-year-old making 32 league starts from his 38 appearances in the Premier League.

West Ham finished sixth in the top-flight standings last term, and will be keen to build on that strong campaign heading into the new season, which gets underway on Sunday 15th August against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

Rice has had interest from Chelsea in recent months, whilst Liverpool are also believed to be keen on landing his signature this summer, after this recent update on his future with West Ham.

The midfielder was labelled as ‘top drawer’ by Wolves’ all-time top goalscorer Steve Bull in an exclusive interview with Football Transfer Tavern.

Plenty of West Ham supporters took to social media after this update, with the majority being hugely frustrated.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter below….

“Wait so the “big bumper contract” that we’ve offered him is less than £100k a week. We’re run by clowns.”

Credit: @ninkjones02

“We’re an absolute joke of a club. Good luck to him deserves more and better than this club. Would love to see him and go on and win titles.”

Credit: @DannyP2795

“Insulting. Should be the best paid player at the club. We’ve shaved about £600k a week off the wage bill last few years.”

Credit: @irons85858585

“Get rid of Yarmalenko and Anderson that’s 200k per week saved and make Rice the highest earner. Simple solution. Get it done WHU.”

Credit: @Lord_Irons

“Disgrace, its as if they almost want to upset him so he asks for a move. He should be the highest paid player at the club no question about it If they value him at £100 million pay then pay him accordingly.”

Credit: @RichardGSBOUT

“Offer him what he wants.”

Credit: @consmith26

“Then good for him. Deserves to be our highest-paid player. Should be building a team round him.”

Credit: @GameRiotArmy

“Bit insulting that he has been offered lower than both of those players!”

Credit: @IanWebber78

“That’s fair enough imo. So pay him more.”

Credit: @____DeclanRice

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has suggested that Leeds United ‘like’ Ross Barkley ahead of the January window, Give Me Sport report.

The Lowdown: Barkley links

Barkley, described as ‘first class’ by former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, spent a brief time at Elland Road on loan back in 2013.

The attacking midfielder made just four Championship appearances for the Whites and has now been linked with a return to Yorkshire.

Leeds are short of midfield options at this moment in time and are thought to be monitoring the 28-year-old ahead of the New Year.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s claim

O’Rourke was talking to Give Me Sport in a story shared on Wednesday evening – 24 hours on from Leeds’ 7-0 defeat to Manchester City.

This is what he had to say, believing an attacking midfielder isn’t a priority for Marcelo Bielsa.

“They do like him [Barkley], but I don’t think it’s a major priority for Marcelo Bielsa to bring in another attacking midfielder.”

The Verdict: Avoid…

Leeds have Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts who can play just in behind the striker, however, their only out and out defensive midfielder, Kalvin Phillips, is sidelined for two months with a hamstring issue.

On that basis, a move for Barkley should be avoided, with the main aim to bring in a defensive-minded midfielder.

Hopefully, that is what happens over the coming weeks, as failing to add to their defensive and central ranks could prove costly with Leeds currently flirting with the bottom three after just three wins all season.

In other news: Second Leeds man injured vs City alongside Shackleton; issues reach breaking point. 

The Liverpool ownership FSG will be having nightmares about what could have been if the club had signed German star Mario Götze back in 2016.

Ahead of Klopp’s first full season in charge at Anfield, it wasn’t surprising to see him linked with players he’d worked with in the past. One of those was Götze.

The world cup winner was at Bayern Munich at the time and his spell there wasn’t going to plan having made only 14 appearances the season before.

The German giants wanted £30m for him but Liverpool were only willing to pay £15m – £20m which was well below what Bayern paid for him.

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Götze was keen to move away from the Allianz Arena at the time and eventually opted for a move back to former club Dortmund instead of reuniting with Klopp in the Premier League.

His best years were during his first spell Signal Iduna Park, where he’d been described as “special” by reporter Liam Twomey and was a key part of Klopp’s success there.

In his second spell at the club he made 103 appearances and was involved in 31 goals, before eventually moving to the Eredivisie where he now plays at PSV Eindhoven.

Overall his career hasn’t been bad by all means, he has won the Bundesliga five times and most famously the World Cup in 2014 where he scored the winner in the final for Germany.

His legacy will forever be remembered because of that. He was so young at the time and achieved everything every young boy dreams of, so why at 29-years of age are we not talking about him being one of the best midfielders in the world?

Well, he’s had his fair share of injuries and ultimately it seems as though he peaked at a young age. You can’t blame him for moving to serial winners Bayern at the time, but just how good could he be now if he had followed Klopp to Merseyside?

He seems to think he would have been better for it. In a recent interview cited by the Mail he revealed how he “should have joined Liverpool” and that manager Klopp had the biggest impact on his career.

Not many players have had the privilege of playing under both Klopp and Guardiola but Götze is one of them. Could he still potentially join Liverpool at some point in the future?

He’s been performing well since moving to PSV with 17 goals and the same number of assists in 71 appearances, however, he isn’t at the level required for a Liverpool player.

He won’t regret much in his career given everything he’s won, but in the back of his mind, he may always think about what could have been if he had made the bold decision to move to England.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool now set to sign “generational” ace, he’s more exciting than Carvalho

The January transfer window is set to be a frantic state of affairs for Newcastle with the Toon Army recently taken over by the Saudi Prince Investment Fund.

It’ll be an exciting time for Magpies supporters as they can finally look forward to a period of spending, rather than having to sit back and watch a number of uninspiring signings walk through the door as they did under Mike Ashley.

What’s the word?

One of the areas Newcastle should look to strengthen over the winter is in forward areas. They have already been touted with moves for players like Mauro Icardi and Dusan Vlahovic but it’s a Premier League based player who has now caught their eye.

According to French outlet, Jeunes Footeux, Nicolas Pepe has emerged on the radar of the northeast club.

The Arsenal winger is also fielding interest from Crystal Palace and Everton as the Gunners’ £72m record-signing potentially faces the exit door.

Imagine him & ASM

There is no denying that Pepe quite clearly possesses a quite incredible amount of ability. On his day, he has the ability to “ignite” games in the words of Toon legend Alan Shearer, but on other days, he’s “not bothered” to quote Newcastle’s famous number 9 again.

Criticism has impacted his time in north London considerably with the Ivorian even believed to have been left “hurting” according to Mikel Arteta after a barrage of comments from Shearer.

That said, despite his shoddy work ethic, he’s a player that Newcastle supporters could relish seeing in action, particularly alongside Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Frenchman is a bundle of energy in forward areas and has recorded 4.1 dribbles per game this term, the second-highest number in the entire English top-flight.

Coincidentally, that’s an area where Pepe thrives in too. Although his numbers aren’t quite so astronomical, he possesses the ability to beat most full-backs in Europe, recording 1.9 dribbles per match this term.

He is an inconsistent figure, something Saint-Maximin can relate to, but the thought of witnessing the two wing wizards dominating the flanks at St James’ Park is a thought worth salivating over.

Combine that with Eddie Howe’s desire for possession-based football and Pepe would surely feel right at home after his spell at Arsenal.

Although he has flattered to deceive in England, the Ivory Coast international has still found the net 25 times for the Gunners in just over two years. To put that into context, Callum Wilson has scored exactly the same number over a parrel period of time.

Push all of those combinations together and Newcastle could end up having quite the strike force if they can lure Pepe further north in January.

AND in other news, Howe could finally axe Joelinton if NUFC swoop for £31.5m-rated “phenomenon”…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones has been left ‘astounded’ by some transfer news he’s heard from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Major claim emerges…

Last week, some shock transfer news emerged involving Tottenham and a veteran, big name forward.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, as shared by The Sun, the Lilywhites became surprise contenders to sign former Man City star Carlos Tevez on a free transfer.

A trip to Hotspur Way to meet manager Antonio Conte was apparently in the pipeline following the Argentine’s visits to both Inter Milan and Juventus beforehand.

The Latest: Jones ‘astounded’…

Speaking to GMS, transfer reporter Jones has explained his bemusement after hearing the news, claiming the Spurs link comes as an ‘utterly bizarre’ one.

He explained: “It would be utterly bizarre. He’s 38 and he hasn’t been playing football this season. He is the complete opposite profile of player they’ve been actively looking for in terms of a new forward option. If Carlos Tevez signs for Tottenham, I would be absolutely astounded, I just don’t see it happening.”

The Verdict: Correct…

Signing the 38-year-old would certainly turn a few heads both in and out of the club.

Once one of the Premier League’s biggest forward stars, scoring 73 goals and assisting 35 others over nearly 150 outings for Man City, Tevez is quite clearly past the peak of his powers.

The South American has been without a club since leaving Boca Juniors last year and we believe he is certainly unlikely to find a new home at Spurs.

In other news: Tottenham official dispatched as Conte now eyes ’emerging superstar’ signing, find out more here.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side head into Saturday’s Premiership fixture off the back of securing their first away win of the season last time out, a result which the 56-year-old will undoubtedly be hoping that his Hoops side can repeat in their visit to Fir Park.

However, while Motherwell fell to a 2-0 defeat at Hearts in their last league outing, Graham Alexander’s side have been in rather impressive form so far this season, picking up 14 points from their opening eight games of the 2021/22 campaign, so a Celtic win is by no means guaranteed today.

With what promises to be a challenging fixture for the Bhoys, will Postecoglou make any changes to the team which started the 2-1 win at Aberdeen last time out?

Here’s how we think Celtic could line up against Motherwell, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Postecoglou revealing in his pre-match press conference that Celtic’s injury crisis is finally beginning to ease – Mikey Johnston is once again available for selection, while the trio of James Forrest, Christopher Jullien and Josip Juranovic are all progressing well in their respective recoveries – we predict that the Hoops manager will make two changes to his starting XI from the Aberdeen game.

The back five of Joe Hart, Adam Montgomery, Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Anthony Ralston should remain unchanged from that game, as despite the encouraging signs, Jullien and Juranovic are still a little bit off being match-fit.

In the middle of the park, Callum McGregor and David Turnbull make up the central midfield duo, while the £14k-per-week Nir Bitton is replaced with the attack-minded Tom Rogic, who starts in a more advanced midfield role. As per Sofascore, the Israeli was Celtic’s lowest-ranked performer in the win at Pittodrie, so he could face the axe today.

As mentioned above, 22-year-old Johnston is available for selection against Motherwell, with the winger coming straight back into the side for Jota, who is perhaps unfortunate to drop to the bench after his winner at Pittodrie.

Meanwhile, Liel Abada keeps his spot on the right wing, as does Kyogo Furuhashi up top, with Giorgos Giakoumakis still working his way up to full match fitness.

In other news: Celtic dealt major injury blow ahead of Motherwell clash, Ange will be gutted

Southampton have joined Tottenham in the race to sign West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: Forster to depart?

Ralph Hasenhuttl has Alex McCarthy, Fraser Forster and youngster Harry Lewis as options in goal on the south coast, although Forster, who has been on the books at St Mary’s since 2014, has less than 12 months remaining on his current deal.

Southampton are expecting to lose the 33-year-old at the end of the campaign, and it seems as if they already have a target in mind to bring in.

The Latest: Nixon’s claim

Alan Nixon of The Sun shared a story late on Saturday night claiming the Saints have joined Spurs and West Ham in the race for Johnstone’s services.

The West Brom goalkeeper, who shares the same agency as Che Adams, is also out of contract at the end of the season, but Southampton are willing to pay for the 28-year-old in a potential New Year deal instead of waiting until next summer.

The Verdict: Smart move?

Both McCarthy and Forster are over 30 years of age and earn a combined £120,000 per week, so bringing in Johnstone, who is on £32,500-a-week at The Hawthorns, could be a shrewd move.

He’s three years younger than McCarthy and five younger than Forster and also has Premier League and international experience.

The Saints are clearly admirers if they are willing to pay a fee for the Baggies star with so little time left to run on his contract, but it still may work out as a smart piece of business if they spend to bring him to St Mary’s.

In other news: Lots of Saints fans were excited over this piece of ‘great news’ in recent days

New Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira will be looking to kick off his tenure at the club with an opening day victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Former England boss Roy Hodgson departed the south London outfit following four relatively successful years with the Eagles, and Vieira has wasted no time in making his mark on the playing squad.

Several ageing campaigners have left Selhurst Park on free transfers, while multiple young and exciting acquisitions have taken their place.

It’s an exciting new era for the capital club, but one full of unknowns as they head into what could be a tricky transitional period.

Vieira will be unable to call upon long-term absentees Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson for the short trip from south to west London, and the Frenchman confirmed that Luka Milivojevic and Michael Olise will join the pair on the sidelines.

“Luka is not going to be with us against Chelsea. He’s been missing the last couple of days of training for personal reasons,” Vieira revealed in Friday’s press conference.

When asked about the fitness of summer signing Olise, the former Nice manager replied: “Michael is feeling better. In the next two weeks he will be starting to do some work on the field.”

However, one new arrival in line for his debut is centre-back Joachim Anderson, with Vieira confirming that the Denmark international will be part of the matchday squad.

“We’re going to do our last training this afternoon. He will be part of the squad, yes,” he concluded.

With that in mind, here’s how Football Fan Cast thinks Vieira will line up his side for the tricky trip to Stamford Bridge…

The ever-dependable Vicente Guaita will resume his residency between the sticks for Palace this afternoon, keeping former England international Jack Butland on the bench.

Ahead of the Spaniard, both Marc Guehi and Andersen are set to make their debuts following their arrivals from Chelsea and Lyon respectively. They’ll be flanked by 21-year-old academy graduate Tyrik Mitchell and the experienced Joel Ward at full-back.

In midfield, Jairo Riedewald will provide the base to Palace’s engine room in Milivojevic’s absence, while loanee Conor Gallagher is ineligible to feature against his parent club. That means Jeffrey Schlupp and Cheikhou Kouyate should feature from the off.

Talisman Wilfried Zaha remains at his boyhood club despite openly expressing his desire to seek pastures new and should be partnered by Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew in the front three.

That lineup will see Vieira make four changes from the last starting XI Hodgson selected against Liverpool on the closing day of 2020/21, highlighting the new chapter beginning in south London.

In other news… Imagine him and Gallagher: Parish must sanction Palace swoop for £10m monster 

Newcastle United are willing to offer Marcelo Brozovic ‘crazy money’ to lure him to Tyneside, according to The Athletic. 

The lowdown

The 28-year-old is thought to be earning £106,000 per week under his current deal at Inter Milan. For context, Newcastle’s highest-paid player at present is reportedly £86.5k-per-week frontman Joelinton.

Crucially, Brozovic’s contract is up at the end of the current season, so if Inter can’t agree fresh terms, they’ll either have to cash in during January or allow him to walk away for free next summer.

The Croatian showed his class with a strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage in September. SofaScore rated him as the Nerazzurri’s best player after he played 99 accurate passes (including seven out of nine long balls), won three out of his five ground duels and chipped in with four clearances and two tackles.

The latest

Newcastle appear to be desperate to sign Brozovic, with The Athletic’s report suggesting that a ‘crazy’ contract may be tabled.

However, that interest isn’t reciprocated by the player, who is especially hesitant to join the Magpies midway through the season given the looming spectre of a relegation battle.

The verdict

Herein lies the problem for Newcastle United. They may be one of the wealthiest clubs in the world now, but they could struggle to attract top talent for as long as they remain in the lower reaches of the Premier League.

Brozovic has started every single Serie A match for reigning champions Inter this season and helped the Nerazzurri to book their place in the Champions League round of 16. Why would he want to swap those circumstances for a relegation battle?

What’s more, if he does end up leaving in the summer, you’d imagine that this World Cup finalist and seasoned Champions League operator would be able to pick a club who have already established themselves in European competition.

In other news, Lee Ryder talks up Newcastle links with this Premier League ace

Another source has named Everton as a possible destination for Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet this summer. 

Spanish media outlet Sport claimed (via Sport Witness) that the Toffees are in the frame for the Frenchman’s signature.

The lowdown

Transfer journalist Ekrem Konur reported earlier in July that Everton and West Ham were ‘in talks’ over a loan deal for the defender.

Lenglet started 29 La Liga matches for Barcelona last season, averaging 1.8 successful aerial duels, two clearances, 1.1 tackles and one interception per match (via WhoScored).

Perhaps the 26-year-old’s biggest strength is his passing. In 2020/21, he completed 69.7 passes per game at an accuracy of 92.1%. For context, that beats every Everton player who started a Premier League game last season.

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has been asked about the criticism Lenglet has received and urged him not to take it ‘too personally’. The Dutchman insists that the Frenchman is a ‘very serious-minded player’ and an ‘excellent professional’.

The latest

Sport identified Everton and West Ham as prospective suitors but added that Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma are also in the frame [via Sport Witness].

Regarding the type of deal which would be struck, it’s said that ‘everything is open’. Lenglet could leave the Camp Nou permanently or just on loan.

The player’s preference is to stay put in Catalunya, but if he were to leave, he would favour the Premier League.

The verdict

Everton ought to avoid this deal. They are right to look for a top centre-back who could improve their defence, but despite his impressing passing metrics, Lenglet doesn’t fit that bill. Instead, he could probably benefit from playing alongside one.

The 26-year-old’s seasonal WhoScored rating of 6.59 for 2020/21 was inferior to Everton defenders Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate, so it’s difficult to feel that the Barcelona man would be an upgrade on what Rafael Benitez already has at Finch Farm.

The strategy of the Toffees recruiting players who have failed to convince at the biggest clubs can be hit and miss. For every assists king like Lucas Digne, there’s been an inconsistent Andre Gomes.

But why take the risk? Kalidou Koulibaly could be available for around £35m, and that looks a far more sensible solution, albeit a short-term one. Everton may have to sell players first, but that’s what may be needed if they are to bring in the targets who would genuinely strengthen their playing personnel.

In other news, these Everton fans fumed as a midfield target emerged.