All posts by z3u9t.icu

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United have been sending scouts to watch transfer target Diogo Costa.

The Lowdown: Goalkeeper is an area Man United could improve

Given how David de Gea’s kicking ability has been criticised over the last few seasons, it would make sense for the Red Devils to try to recruit a new shot-stopper this summer, especially with the Spaniard’s contractual situation.

The Spaniard is only under contract until this summer, so if no new extension can be agreed upon, it may be wise for De Gea’s replacement to be recruited this year.

Man United appear to be very active in the goalkeeper market at the moment, with David Raya and Portugal No 1 Costa being scouted ahead of potential big-money moves in the summer.

The Latest: Costa could be De Gea’s replacement

Costa has impressed this season between the sticks for Porto, keeping 11 league clean sheets, which should please Man United scouts, who have been to watch him play, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking about the shot-stopper on The United Stand YouTube channel, he said: “So for Costa, we have rumours, because it’s true that Manchester United have sent their scouts to follow the player many times. It was also before the World Cup, so it was like September, October, November.

“They know the player very well, they are tracking him, as [are] many other clubs – not just Manchester United. He has a release clause for more than €70m into his new contract with Porto, so it’s not an easy deal at all, but for sure, Man United are following the player.”

The Verdict: Not an easy deal for Man United to land

The fact that Romano has revealed Costa’s release clause is over £60m shows how highly rated he is by Porto, while given it seems the Red Devils are also keen on improving other areas of the squad such as the striker position, paying so much for a shot-stooper may not the wisest of moves.

Especially when De Gea – who is the club’s highest earner – still has a deal to run for next season, having him on the bench to a £61m goalkeeper perhaps wouldn’t make financial sense for the Red Devils, no matter who the owners are.

Costa would arrive as largely inexperienced with just 100 first-team appearances under his belt, although he is his country’s No 1 shot-stopper – something De Gea hasn’t been for a long time – although any deal must make financial sense.

Italian football expert Gabriel Marcotti has given a mixed review on midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who has been linked to Liverpool as his contract at Juventus runs down.

What's going on with Liverpool and Rabiot?

The France international is out of contract in Turin at the end of the season and has been linked with a move to Anfield, who are in the market for a central midfielder.

Rabiot was an impressive performer at the World Cup as his side reached the finals, but has earned mixed reviews throughout his 162 appearances for the Old Lady.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Marcotti claimed that despite improving this season, Rabiot has been underwhelming at Juventus for the majority of his time there and runs the risk of being a potential one-season wonder.

He said: "Rabiot was, I think, one of my least favourite players for a number of years, just because you look at his ability, the whole package and everything, and you think, wow, he should be really good.

"Instead, I think at Juve mostly, he's been really poor – until this season, when all of a sudden, and I think it coincided with an uptick with the French national team as well, he's shown a ton of personality, he's shown a ton of responsibility.

"He's been, I think, one of Juve's standouts this season. What you have to weigh up [for] anybody signing Rabiot is, is this kind of a one-season wonder for him where all the bits come together, or has he turned the corner?"

Could Rabiot be useful for Liverpool?

Given that Liverpool could see a number of soon-to-be out-of-contract midfielders leave this summer including James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, being able to sign an international midfielder for free could be a shrewd way to pad Jurgen Klopp's squad without breaking the bank.

His wages of £149k per week could provide a stumbling block in negotitations, but given that Liverpool may well look to rebuild their midfield given the number of potential departures in that area, signing a player who can step into the team immediately could allow them to focus on other transfer targets.

Rabiot was described as "world-class" by former Juventus star David Trezeguet, and with nine goals and four assists this term, he is having his best season in Italy.

By next season, Liverpool would be signing a 28-year-old in his best form on a free transfer if they look beyond reservations about his previous form, and if they can get the best out of him, he could prove to be an excellent bargain.

Fulham could be set to lose Aleksandar Mitrovic in the summer transfer window, with several of the Premier League's top clubs eyeing moves for the striker, according to a report from the Daily Star.

Will Aleksandar Mitrovic leave Fulham?

Mitrovic has been linked with a move away from Craven Cottage for a little while now, with reports from Spain (via CaughtOffside) recently claiming Chelsea are considering a summer transfer swoop, should they miss out on Victor Osimhen.

Speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast back in January, journalist Graeme Bailey claimed the striker is "going to get a lot of attention" in the upcoming transfer window, adding that Fulham are "desperate to keep him" despite the level of interest.

If the Serbian does choose to seek pastures new this summer, the Cottagers could look at bringing in AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud as a replacement, if he is unable to agree terms with the Serie A club.

As per a report from the Daily Star, the £80k-per-week earner is a target for a plethora of Premier League clubs in the summer transfer window, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all considering swoops, as a result of his excellent campaign up to this point. There is also interest in the 28-year-old from abroad, as Barcelona are also named as potential suitors, so there is likely to be no shortage of interest in his signature.

However, the report also claims that Man United may no longer be interested in the 80-time Serbia international, as a result of his FA charge for violent conduct in the 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this month.

Would losing Mitrovic be a big blow for Fulham?

The "brilliant" marksman has proven himself as an absolutely vital player for the Cottagers over several years, most notably scoring a remarkable 43 goals in 44 Championship games en-route to promotion from the second tier last season.

During the current campaign, the forward has also managed to prove himself in the top flight, already hitting double figures for goals in the Premier League, having scored 11 in 21 outings. In all competitions, the former Newcastle United man has recorded more than double the amount of goals produced by any other player in the squad, so losing him could be hugely detrimental in Fulham's bid to rebuild themselves as a Premier League club.

Marco Silva's side may get an early taste of what life will be like without Mitrovic in the coming weeks, with reports claiming that he could receive a ten-game ban for pushing Chris Kavanagh, during which time the manager will be given the chance to assess his back-up options.

Arne Slot remains an option to replace Antonio Conte in the vacant Tottenham Hotspur dugout…

Spurs manager latest – could Arne Slot be appointed?

According to the Daily Star, the Feyenoord boss is on a shortlist of candidates as chairman Daniel Levy continues to search for a successor to the departed Italian, who left the club during the international break.

It's thought that the 44-year-old is a 'strong contender' as his side are closing in on the Eredivisie title ahead of Ajax, with ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino set to reject a sensational return to Hotspur Way and Julian Nagelsmann taking time out before his next role, having been sacked by Bayern Munich recently.

The Lilywhites are in crisis off the pitch – Conte is gone and sporting director Fabio Paratici is on a leave of absence as he appeals his worldwide FIFA suspension.

Slot's Spurs would be exciting

If supporters wanted the complete opposite of what they've been bestowed with under the likes of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte in recent seasons, then Slot is just that.

His De Stadionclub outfit have been one of the most exciting teams in Europe since his took the helm in 2021/22, leading them to the Europa Conference League final in his first campaign, only being beaten by the Special One's AS Roma side.

Boasting a 63.3% win rate in charge of the Feyenoord, Slot has been described as an attack-minded "maniac" by Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan.

“The best thing about Arne Slot is that he is probably the best attacking coach I have seen in the last 35-40 years at Feyenoord," he told talkSPORT before later adding: "He is very similar to Pep Guardiola, his ideas are very similar, he is a massive fan of Pep and he plays the same time.

"He goes ultra-attacking, he is almost like a maniac. Not on the touchline but it is fantastic to see how he has turned an average side into a wonderful attacking machine."

In essence, Levy could well find Tottenham their very own version of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, given this rave review and the numbers do back it up.

As per FBref, only Ajax have outranked Slot's side for total progressive passes, total passes into the penalty area and total touches of the ball, suggesting that they not only dominate possession but are also constantly trying to attack the opposition.

A stark contrast to Spurs under Conte, who rank seventh in the Premier League for total progressive passes and total passes into the penalty area, as well as fifth for total touches of the ball, so whilst a tad more dominant than some teams, they clearly weren't making the most of their possession.

What makes the 44-year-old an even more intriguing prospect is the fact that he still sets up his team to be "difficult to beat" – as described in his own words last season – and that is something that we rarely saw under the plethora of dogmatic, defensive-heavy managers that have come and gone since the sacking of Pochettino.

Therefore, the Spurs hierarchy – whoever is making the decisions right now – must look to seal this "exciting" manager – as also hailed by van der Kraan – because it's clear that the club needs a fresh, more progressive outlook on the pitch and few options are better than Slot.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed there is no reason to panic over West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta after he was spotted with an oxygen mask.

What's the latest on Lucas Paqueta and West Ham?

It was an important win for the Hammers on the weekend as they picked up all three points which lifts them out of the relegation zone and up into 14th.

Indeed, going into that game against Southampton, there was talk that manager David Moyes would be sacked if he couldn't guide his team to victory at the London Stadium.

As it happened, a single goal scored in the first half by Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd was enough to decide the Premier League encounter.

Fans would have certainly been relieved to pick up the vital three points but may have jumped to some fearful conclusions after Brazilian international Paqueta posted a picture of himself on instagram after the match.

Indeed, as seen here, the midfielder shared a selfie online as he looked a little worse for wear while using an oxygen mask.

While speaking about the concerns on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex was able to reveal what the full story was.

He explained (7:53): "Now people were starting to worry last night because on Instagram, he posted a picture of himself with an oxygen right face mask on and lying down on a bed.

"And people worried that he'd obviously sustained an injury but this is a common recovery method when you've played an exhausting game. And you've got to play another one soon."

How many tackles did Paqueta make against Southampton?

Paqueta played 88 minutes against the Saints on Sunday and really did work hard as he attempted a mammoth 26 duels, winning 15 of them (the most of any player on the team). What's more, he made 10 tackles in the game, the most in a Premier League game by a West Ham player since Mohamed Diame against QPR in 2012 (via Opta).

Seeing as the £150k-p/w star may well be in line to start again on Wednesday night at the Hammers host Newcastle United, it's not hard to see why he's been doing all he can to aid his recovery.

And after this tireless performance against Southampton, fans will no doubt be delighted to learn that the Brazilian looks to be as fit and healthy as could be expected.

With just 11 games left to save themselves from relegation, it looks as though Paqueta will be key to their plight.

Leeds United return to Premier League action tonight, as they play host to a Liverpool side searching for their first win since early March.

Jurgen Klopp's men threatened to return to form after they had demolished Manchester United at Anfield, yet since then they have gone five games without a win in all competitions, which also included crashing out of the Champions League alongside a loss to relegation-threatened Bournemouth.

Javi Gracia will be aware of this dip in form and will hope that his outfit can be the latest to pile on the misery for the European-chasing Reds.

However, they too have faced something of an inquest following their collapse against Crystal Palace in their last game. Despite taking the lead, four second-half goals condemned the Whites to a heavy defeat in front of a frustrated Elland Road crowd. Under floodlights against a top side tonight, they will seek to rectify that with wholesale changes.

Few performed well during that miserable encounter, which could give justification for a host of alterations for this fixture. Perhaps the Spaniard might opt to apply further pressure onto the struggling defence of the visitors by employing a tactical switch, in order to overload their back line.

Either way, something drastic has to change from their last performance.

How could Leeds United line up against Liverpool?

4-4-2 – Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Cooper, Firpo; Sinisterra, McKennie, Roca, Gnonto; Bamford, Rodrigo.

Gracia could make a whopping four changes from the team that collapsed against the Eagles, with a change in formation likely to be key in any success they might enjoy.

Whilst he might have struggled of late, given only one of his last five Sofascore ratings have surpassed a 6.7, Illan Meslier represents the only real option to continue in goal.

He will sit behind a back four altered in order to deal with the tricky threat that Liverpool pose, with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo awkward customers to quell. As such, Rasmus Kristensen will earn a recall after Luke Ayling's recent disasterclass, and club captain Liam Cooper will replace the similarly disappointing Pascal Struijk. Robin Koch and Junior Firpo will retain their spots, as Max Wober remains unlikely to return.

A flat four across the midfield may well see Jack Harrison as the only casualty, allowing Luis Sinisterra another chance to prove his worth after returning to fitness. Wilfried Gnonto must earn a recall too, with these electric wingers expected to terrorise the likes of Andy Robertson and particularly Trent Alexander-Arnold.

That leaves Marc Roca to partner Weston McKennie in the engine room.

The final change will be to drop Brenden Aaronson for another natural striker to partner Patrick Bamford. Having started on the bench, there is no better option than to start their top scorer Rodrigo from the off.

The Spaniard has been "unstoppable" this season in the eyes of journalist Firzie Idris and will be key in causing the visitors' back four further problems.

Manchester United have seemingly made their first move to bring Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund to Old Trafford this summer.

What’s the latest news on Man United and Hojlund?

The Red Devils and Erik ten Hag appear to be on the hunt for a new marquee striker over the coming months as well as bolstering their midfield ranks.

A number of forwards have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, including Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.

Hojlund is another attacker on the radar in Manchester, with current owners the Glazers confident of remaining in charge by securing some outside investment. One of their first summer moves could well be for Hojlund, who has admitted is a "huge Manchester United fan".

Sport Witness relayed an update from Danish outlet BT regarding Hojlund, where the Red Devils were named. They stated that United and Real Madrid and showing a concrete interest in the striker and have made it known in the form of a letter.

The report adds that Atalanta will be aware of the letter and say that Hojlund should have a new agent over the coming weeks and will consider his next move then.

Would Hojlund be a smart signing by Man United?

Hojlund, who journalist Sacha Pisani has labelled as “scary quick”, is 20 years of age and appears to be a star in the making after scoring five goals in his first four Denmark appearances.

The Denmark international was called a “beast” at the beginning of the season by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, while there have also been comparisons to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. Valued at a career-high €35m by Transfermarkt, the left-footed forward is under contract until 2027 with Atalanta and has contributed to 20 goals in 36 appearances.

However, this is Hojlund’s first season in a big European league, so you could argue that he could be more of a risk compared to alternative targets such as Kane or Osimhen.

The Spurs star has guaranteed goals in the Premier League over the last nine seasons, whereas Osimhen has been impressing in both France and Italy during the last four campaigns.

It is good to see that the Red Devils have a number of attacking targets, and it’ll be interesting to see who arrives at Old Trafford to take over from Anthony Martial and loanee Wout Weghorst, with the former also potentially on the way out.

Leeds United's academy have produced an incredibly consistent amount of top talent over the years; however, it seemed like that kicked into overdrive during their darkest years as a club.

When finances were so bleak that any asset had to be sold at a cut price, the Whites would produce talents like James Milner, Fabian Delph and Aaron Lennon, all of whom were poached by bigger clubs preying on their misfortunes.

The same was expected when Danny Rose departed Yorkshire as a 17-year-old prodigy, having yet to play a first-team game under Dennis Wise. Although his tenure within the dugout was short, the manager likely had little say in seeing the left-back leave for Tottenham Hotspur. Whilst his future was bright, Leeds needed top players now rather than in five years' time, such was their predicament.

It was a necessary evil to offload the teenage sensation, and whilst they may live to rue the sale, all they could do at the time was shrug their shoulders and move on.

And yet, nearly 16 years on from the move, the 32-year-old finds himself unemployed, forced to talk about football from the sidelines when he would likely much rather still be playing the sport instead.

What happened to Danny Rose?

Featuring 214 times in total for the Lilywhites, this hardly represents a fine return from someone who spent so long at the club. However, it was thought that he truly would be destined for the stars when the defender volleyed home from all of 30 yards against bitter rivals Arsenal on his Premier League debut.

Despite this, especially given his more prominent spells within the team, it never really felt like the full-back was particularly excellent in any one facet of the game for sustained periods. His defensive work was solid if unspectacular; a return of just ten goals and 29 assists across over 200 appearances is indicative of his average offensive exploits.

Even as recently as 2019, Roy Keane lambasted the defender as "shocking" and "abysmal" after a performance for his country, showcasing just how quickly he fell from grace.

It seemed that the Englishman truly met his end in north London under Jose Mourinho, in what is now a lightning rod moment for ridicule. He told the legendary Portuguese coach: “I was very excited when you came as manager, but if you don’t want me to play, I’d rather you just tell me now, and I’ll stay at home, and I’ll train at home."

This then led to a conversation with CEO Daniel Levy, where he famously asked if AC Milan had come in for him despite the only suitors being Newcastle United.

As the beginning of the end of a once-promising career stagnated, he would struggle on Tyneside before moving to Watford, only to be banished from there as well, with his contract eventually terminated.

The 32-year-old even recently questioned "How am I unemployed?" after watching the Magpies maul his old club just last week, suggesting that the defender is not retired, simply unwanted. The displays in the final years of his career serve to answer his query.

Leeds should have played witness to a fine career for Rose away from their club, yet poor decisions perhaps thwarted what could have been a very special player.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be targeting Xabi Alonso as their next potential manager and Jamie Redknapp has hailed the 42-year-old amid the reports.

Are Spurs eyeing Xabi Alonso as their next manager?

The north London club's season is currently petering out on a whimper at the moment following a stretch of four league games without a single victory.

Indeed, their last four games in the Premier League have only provided Spurs with one win as their defence has seen 14 goals conceded in those matches.

Amid their struggles in the Premier League, a managerial merry-go-round has been going on in the background with Ryan Mason having been handed the responsibility following the departure of both Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini.

But it seems as if Daniel Levy is still targeting a different permanent manager ahead of the summer with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann being linked with the club.

The search appears to have expanded to other young up-and-coming managers with the Bayer Leverkusen boss, Alonso, also believed to be on their radar.

Indeed, Dutch reports suggest the former Liverpool midfielder is, in fact, the leading candidate for the job in north London amid links to Feyenoord's Arne Slot.

And speaking to the media, Sky Sports pundit Redknapp has hailed the Spaniard and suggested he could be an excellent fit for the Lilywhites:

"Since he's gone there transformation in that team has been astronomical. So he obviously knows what he's doing and such a classy guy, classy player.

"See, I'm not surprised one bit that Tottenham are in for him but there'll be a lot of other clubs as well."

Would Alonso be a good fit for Spurs?

The 42-year-old has now been at the helm of the Bundesliga side for 31 games across all competitions in which he has overseen 17 victories (via Transfermarkt).

There have certainly been some frustrating defeats along the way including to the likes of Augsburg in the German top flight.

However, Leverkusen have now put together a run of 14 games across all competitions without defeat – including 10 wins.

Alonso has been described as an "exciting" prospect by journalist Manuel Veth and his 4-3-3 formation has produced a return of 65 goals from his 31 games at the helm.

But there will be major question marks asked over his side's ability to defend having also conceded 40 times in those games.

And that is something which is certainly an issue in north London with Tottenham holding the sixth-worst defensive record in the Premier League – despite sitting up in sixth spot.

Alonso's playing career can leave no questions, but given Leverkusen look set to lose out on Champions League football under Spaniard to the likes of Union Berlin and potentially Freiburg, he may need to do more to earn the Spurs job.

Tottenham also look set to miss out on the Champions League spots this season, but could Alonso be the man to change that for next season?

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma could be back in time before the Europa Conference League final amid fears of a broken ankle.

What's the latest West Ham injury news?

The French centre-back picked up a worrying injury in the Hammers' recent 4-3 loss in the Premier League away at Crystal Palace, leading to fears that he could be out for the season.

In the immediate aftermath, manager David Moyes outlined his fears, telling the Evening Standard: “It looks as if he’s gone over on his ankle. His ankle’s swollen up at the moment, we’ll get him checked up tomorrow with a scan.”

While Ex then reported that "there are growing fears that this could be a season-ender." However, subsequent scans have shown that it's not quite as bad as first feared.

Indeed, now giving a new update on The West Ham Way podcast, the club insider revealed that some even feel as though Zouma could be back to play against Leeds United – which is the Iron's second last league game of the season.

He said (0:42): “The first fear was that he could have potentially broken his ankle. But thankfully, as the swelling started to go down a little bit, and they started to assess it a bit more, they realised it was strained ligament damage.

"Now, the hope is with him, he's a fast healer – in the sense that he recovers much quicker than other players – that there's still an outside hope that he might be able to come back within the next few weeks.

“Now, obviously, the last official game if we get to the final is June the sixth I think, or June the seventh for the conference final. So you'd like to think, if we got to that, he'd be available.

"There is even talk they could be back for the game after Brentford. So what would that be? Leeds at home, I think.

"But there is a chance obviously he could miss the rest of the season. So there's still not a definitive answer on it. But it looks better today than it did initially after the injury."

When is the Europa Conference League final?

Having been trusted to play in 28 league games this term, Moyes will no doubt be desperate to have Zouma back for the final two league games of the campaign – with relegation still a possibility.

However, there may be an added incentive to get the £125k-p/w defender back as soon as possible as West Ham could be playing in a European final on July 7.

Indeed, if Moyes' men can win their Europa Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar in the coming weeks, then they'll have a shot at winning major silverware to complete their season.

And so, it's certainly good news that Zouma is still in with a shot a returning before the potential final – especially when it had initially looked as though his season was done.