All posts by z3u9t.icu

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t expect West Ham to have any problems keeping Tomas Soucek this summer.

Soucek only made his loan move permanent from Slavia Prague last summer, but is enjoying an outstanding campaign at the London Stadium, leading to former Tottenham man Jamie O’Hara hinting at a potential summer exit for the Czech Republic international.

The midfielder has been in outstanding goalscoring form for the Hammers this term, netting nine Premier League goals, including strikes against Manchester United, Everton and the third in the draw with Arsenal earlier this month.

Soucek continued his purple patch by netting a hat-trick in Czech Republic’s 6-2 victory over Estonia in their World Cup qualifier last Wednesday, taking his tally for the season to 13 for club and country.

Despite his outstanding goalscoring exploits, ex-Hammers striker McAvennie doesn’t see any reason why Soucek would consider a move away from east London this summer, although he believes his performances have warranted a new contract.

He told Football FanCast: “He’s bought into David Moyes. I think he needs a new contract. West Ham can pay the big bucks, but they’re not going to do it at the beginning.

“So Mr Sullivan paid him bottom drawer, not bottom drawer to us, bottom drawer is about 40 or 50 grand, but I think he’s worth more than that.

“But I don’t see a problem. People love London and West Ham are a decent club, I loved them. The fans love Soucek. If you give him the money he deserves, I don’t where he would go. Where he is going to go where you’re going to get a game all the time and be loved.

“He’s Lampard-like – a midfielder player that scores goes. He’s enjoying it, why would he want to move? He’ll get the wages, and be on par with everyone else and be happy.”

Many Everton fans have been left to laud some early team news ahead of their home game versus Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday evening.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference before the match against Roy Hodgson’s men, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Jean-Philippe Gbamin is ‘ready to play’ and ‘available’ to potentially make his return.

The central midfield player has astonishingly not been able to play for the Merseyside club since August 2019, and may make his return at Goodison Park after a frustrating spell out with various injury problems.

Gbamin would be able to give Ancelotti another option in the middle of the park and will almost be like a new signing, as the Toffees aim to push qualifying for European competition for the 2021/22 term.

Everton fans on Gbamin update

These Blues lauded the update on Gbamin after they heard it on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to say that they were ‘pumped’:

“Good stuff”

Credit: @sam_hodge_music

“I’m pumped to see this. I legit thought he’d never play again and retire after his contract ran out”

Credit: @BlakeEM_

“GBAMINNNNN VAMOOOOOOOS”

Credit: @JstinR7

“So happy for him”Credit: @markftbl”Absolutely made up for the lad, the last 18 months must have been hell for him. Hopefully he can get quarter of an hour under his belt tomorrow.”Credit: @1878Scotto”Yes hahah yes!!!!!”Credit: @samtrayterIn other news, find out which international star lauded by Kaka Everton are eyeing in a Cenk Tosun plus cash deal here!

Speaking exclusively to the Transfer Tavern, Steve Bull said that Jose Mourinho’s fallout with Dele Alli is the root to his ongoing problems at Tottenham.

Mourinho’s side missed the chance to climb into the top four on Sunday after dropping more points at Newcastle late on, to leave them sixth in the Premier League table.

Both Newcastle goals were down to more poor defending from Spurs, meaning Harry Kane’s quick-fire brace counted for little at St James’ Park.

And Mourinho, like so often this season, blamed his players for their failure to see the game out which further dented their hopes of bringing Champions League football back to north London next term.

It means that Tottenham have now conceded nine times in the final 10 minutes of Premier League games this campaign, and the Spurs boss took little responsibility for the result by saying it’s the “same coach, different players”.

But whilst Mourinho has had several off the field issues this season, Bull believes that his problems started when Alli, who reportedly earns £100,000-a-week, fell out of favour and was dropped back in September.

He told the Transfer Tavern:

“When you have got faith in the players, the players have got faith in you, but if you lose that faith you chuck your dummy out the pram.

“Mourinho hasn’t got on with the players since Dele Alli chucked his dummy out the pram. Once you get a bad apple in the camp you’ve had it sour.

“He’s got to have a reshuffle over the summer and see who he wants and who he doesn’t want, and see if he can get his spark back.”

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has suggested Glasgow Rangers could crush Jermain Defoe’s dream of a new contract at Ibrox.

Campbell discusses Defoe future

Defoe has already suggested he would like to stay at Rangers beyond the end of his current contract (via Glasgow Live), which is set to run out at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt).

However, speaking to Football Insider, Campbell has suggested the 55-time Scottish champions could decide against giving him a new deal. He said:

“I’m sure he’ll want to sign a new deal, it just depends on whether the club wants to.

“That’s the most important thing, if the club wants it to happen and the player wants it to happen then it will happen. 

“If the club don’t want it or the club don’t see it as a good decision then obviously he’ll struggle.”

One more year

Although Defoe has struggled with injuries throughout this season, he has still managed five goals in 15 games, taking his tally to 30 strikes in 67 matches since moving north of the border. He mentioned recently that he would like to play another season so that he can perform in front of supporters, and he has earned the right to do so.

The former England international is one of the few players in Steven Gerrard’s squad to possess previous Champions League experience, which should come in handy as the Gers aim to qualify for the group stages next term. A new deal should therefore be a no-brainer for Ross Wilson and co.

In other news, Rangers fans slammed this broadcaster’s comments.

According to a report by Fussball Transfers, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur have ‘knocked’ on the door for VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic in an enquiry – with the Lilywhites now officially joining the race for his signature. 

Kalajdzic, who stands at a towering 6 foot 6, appears to be on the radar of many clubs as his exploits in the Bundesliga attract attention.

Tottenham enquiry for Kalajdzic emerges

The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions for Stuttgart so far and is apparently valued at £15 million – very reasonable when taking into account his form and age (Eurosport).

This has prompted Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy to launch an enquiry or ‘knock’ at the door – but the Lilywhites may face real competition as the Austrian is in ‘high demand’.

However, the Bundesliga side aren’t prepared to surrender him to interested parties that easily – with Fussball Transfers (via Sport Witness) relaying they will need ‘convincing’ to part ways this summer.

Transfer Tavern take

Given his exploits over 2020/2021, alongside his plethora of plaudits from those in the media, Kalajdzic could be worth the effort.

He has been described as an ‘Ibrahimovic-machine’ as he continues to draw comparisons with some of world football’s most towering and deadly forwards.

Among those names, he has even been compared to Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland (The Daily Express) – and the mooted £15 million fee amid uncertain financial times comes as a real motivator and possible bargain.

In other news: Tottenham are still in the race for this 6 foot 2 ‘phenomenon’, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation to League One could be confirmed as early as tonight, depending on their own match and other results across the league.

The Owls welcome Blackburn Rovers to Hillsborough Stadium and will need to see a strong reaction having lost won just once in their last five outings.

If the south Yorkshiremen are defeated, and relegation rivals Derby County win at Preston North End, then their fate will be sealed way before the season’s end.

And whilst manager Darren Moore, assistant Jamie Smith and the rest of the Owls set-up haven’t given up hope of survival, it seems hugely unlikely, so they ought to make some decisions now with one eye on the future.

It’s rather plausible that they lose many of their high-earning key stars in the summer and with relegation all but confirmed, it would be wise to give a run out to several players who should certainly be around next term.

One of which should be Andre Green, the rarely-seen January arrival who signed an 18-month deal following his exit from Aston Villa.

[snack-amp-story url=https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-sheffield-wednesday-news-transfer-rumours-and-recent-gossip” title=”Read this week’s latest Sheffield Wednesday news, latest transfer rumours and more!]

Smith threw the gauntlet down to the 22-year-old winger after a decent cameo from the bench against Bristol City on Saturday – he’s a player that could prove to be an integral part of Moore’s plans next season.

“Andre has got a lot of potential and hopefully he will fulfil that with us,” revealed Smith to YorkshireLive. “Andre looked a threat when he came on and got in behind them a couple of times.”

If given a chance from the off, it would only be Green’s second start since joining the Owls, but he’s a very viable option in attack as he can play wide and through the middle, where he has drawn praise as a “real handful” by former Charlton teammate Lyle Taylor.

Earlier this month, the young attacker dropped a huge statement by impressing for the U23 squad and now he’s backed that up with an eye-catching impact at the weekend, he must be handed a start.

According to Green’s former Villa boss Tim Sherwood, he’s “got ridiculous pace and goes past people like Ronaldo used to” and is a player with “great ability”

That calibre of player cannot be rotting away on the bench when you’ve got to fight for every point and at the end of the day – Championship or League One – he’ll be here, unlike the many other out-of-contract wingers at Hillsborough.

AND in other news, Wasteful Owls star who lost possession 32x badly let Moore down on Saturday…

According to recent reports, Glasgow Rangers could miss out on the signing of Jonson Clarke-Harris this summer, as a Premier League side are lining up a move for the centre-forward.

The report by Football Insider claims that a recruitment source has revealed Sheffield United are targeting the Peterborough United centre-forward in the summer transfer window, as the relegated Premier League side look to add attacking reinforcements to their squad in a bid to return to the top flight on the first go.

Rangers have also been linked with a summer move for the 26-year-old – reportedly sending scouts to watch the striker in action for the League One side – with the club thought to be considering potential replacements for Alfredo Morelos, who could be set to leave Ibrox at the end of the season.

Transfer Tavern Take

Having only joined Peterborough from Bristol Rovers last summer, Clarke-Harris has certainly impressed in his short time at the club, scoring a quite remarkable 28 goals over his 42 League One appearances this season, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.30, which would rank him as the Gers’ sixth-best performer.

As such, should Rangers indeed miss out on landing the striker this summer, it would represent something of a blow for Steven Gerrard and his side, who, even if Morelos does not end up leaving the club this summer, will undoubtedly be looking to strengthen his squad ahead of their Champions League campaign next season.

In other news: ‘What did I just hear?’ – These Gers fans slam ‘dinosaur’ as ‘disgraceful’ Kamara claim emerges – find out more here!

A number of Liverpool supporters have been left deeply frustrated, following claims that Jadon Sancho could sign if Mohamed Salah leaves.

The Reds have endured a season to forget, failing to defend their Premier League title and now looking highly unlikely to finish in the top four.

One of Liverpool’s biggest issues has been their wastefulness in front of goal, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino under-performing to a huge extent – the Reds have scored just four goals from 13.78 expected goals (xG) at Anfield in 2021.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

Jurgen Klopp may feel he needs to bring in another attacker this summer, bringing freshness in the final third and putting pressure on their big-name stars.

According to Bild, Liverpool are potentially interested in signing Borussia Dortmund forward Sancho, with his performances catching Klopp’s eye.

It is claimed that he would likely only join of Salah moved on to pastures new, however – something that would of course be a major blow for the Reds.

Liverpool fans unhappy at transfer rumour

These Liverpool fans are not impressed by the update, taking to Twitter to show their frustration at the club seemingly at risk of cashing in on Salah.

“FSG started their plot to sell one of the best players in PL era”

Credit: @LuminousHelios

“They are really trying to force Salah out”

Credit: @Rsvpchuki

“SALAH SHOULD BE THE LAST ONE WE LET LEAVE US”

Credit: @radzjeewa7

“There is no “replacement” for Mo Salah. He is a one of a kind player”

Credit: @starwart1

“Please no”

Credit: @_MrChase

“Salah doesn’t want to leave but it seems we want to cash in. Disgusting club”

Credit: @Nirishred

In other news, some Liverpool fans have written off one Reds player, following a poor season. Find out who it is here.

Former Manchester City star Michael Ball has told The Transfer Tavern that Aston Villa star Jack Grealish would go up a level as a player if he moves to the Etihad Stadium.

Grealish has been in exceptional form for Villa this season, scoring six goals and registering 12 assists in 22 league games.

The 25-year-old has, unfortunately, been out with a shin injury since February, a run of games in which Villa have won just twice, against Leeds United and Fulham.

Grealish has been linked with City, as The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that Villa are already identifying potential replacements for the England international.

They are said to be considering a bid for Norwich City star Todd Cantwell, as they expect a £100m offer for Grealish from Pep Guardiola’s side.

Check out the latest Jack Grealish transfer news on the dedicated GMS Jack Grealish Transfer hub

Ball thinks that he would only get better if he did make the move to the Etihad Stadium and has backed him to do just that if an offer is tabled this summer.

Speaking exclusively to TT, he said: “I think so, I think it’d be a great move for Jack.

“Personally for Jack, he’d be coming to a team full of winners, full of players who’ve done it, under a manager who will demand a lot from Jack.

“Jack is a key, key player for Villa but Villa don’t have that pressure to win week in and week out.

“Yes, they’re going out to try and win football games but I don’t think Pep would demand a six out of 10 performance from any of his players. And you have the squad that could push Jack to the level that he wants to be at.”

West Brom edged one step closer to relegation despite Mbaye Diagne rescuing a point in the Black Country derby.

In truth, it was a game from which the Baggies needed a victory as they now sit ten points adrift of safety with only 12 left to play for, meaning they’ll need to win their four remaining matches to stand any chance of top-flight survival.

Given Albion have only won five times all season, it seems rather unlikely that they will be a Premier League outfit for much longer.

It was not the sort of performance you’d expect from a team fighting for their lives, and unfortunately for Sam Allardyce, several of his key men let him and the club down badly at The Hawthorns.

For instance, their “Rolls-Royce” loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles was graded as West Brom’s worst-performer on SofaScore with a 6.2 rating.

The Baggies were overrun in midfield and often second best to the ball, with the likes of Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker getting a full grip on proceedings, so part of the blame has to be attributed to the Arsenal loanee and his fellow midfielders for a weak showing.

Indeed, the 23-year-old gem struggled in his battles, losing nine of 11 duels (82%), whilst he was dribbled past on three occasions, thus making it quite easy for Wolves to dominate in the middle. By comparison, Dendoncker won 100% of his duels and Neves was given time and space to provide three key passes, as per SofaScore.

Maitland-Niles was also rather error-prone, committing three fouls – the most of any Albion player – and he churned up possession eight times, which was once every five times he touched the ball.

Wasteful.

He even had fewer total touches (41) than Sam Johnstone (49) between the sticks, and that’s not an encouraging sign for someone who is supposed to dictate the game.

There’s no denying that the Arsenal man has undoubted potential but it is games like this where he should be shining, especially if he is to convince Mikel Arteta that he has a future back in north London.

The £16.2m-rated star, who earns a reported £35,000 per week, was handed a scathing review by the Express & Star’s Joseph Masi in his post-game column, where he claimed the midfielder was ‘almost anonymous’ in the first half and ‘offered little going forward’.

It’s clear to see that Allardyce did not benefit from the quality of Maitland-Niles here and was badly let down despite being trusted to start in such a crucial role.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit opens up on 53 y/o to West Brom rumour…