All posts by h79snht.top

Rangers have been dealt a major transfer blow over Ibrox academy striker Rory Wilson…

What’s the talk?

According to Rangers sources speaking to Football Insider, the attacker has told the club that he wants to depart from Glasgow in the summer and continue his career elsewhere.

The report claimed that unnamed Premier League ‘big guns’ are interested in signing him, with the player rejecting a fresh contract offer from Rangers recently. English teams are unable to give him a professional contract until next year but can take him on a scholarship deal with the option to become a pro when the time comes.

Gilmour repeat

Ross Wilson is now in grave danger of repeating the club’s big Billy Gilmour disaster with his 16-year-old namesake.

The Scotland midfielder left Ibrox as a teen to join Chelsea in England and he has come on leaps and bounds since moving south of the border.

Transfermarkt currently value Gilmour at a whopping £10.8m almost five years on from his move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2017. He was valued at £2.7m in 2020 and Transfermarkt cites his move to Chelsea as being worth £1.53m – well short of what he is worth now.

The 20-year-old has been capped 11 times by Scotland’s first team and is currently on loan at Norwich in the Premier League. This shows that he is making great strides as a player, but Rangers will not benefit from it as they lost him at under-17 level.

Rory Wilson now looks set to be the next big talent to fall through their grasp. He has found the back of the net a sensational 47 times at youth level for club and country this season, suggesting that the 16-year-old predator has immense potential, having scored at a phenomenal rate throughout the campaign.

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Rangers have already been burned by Gilmour’s progression since leaving the club, and having it happen a second time with Wilson would be a huge disaster. It would mean that the Glasgow giants potentially miss out on another huge payday in the future, as they will not be able to sell the forward at a point when his value is similar to Gilmour’s £10.8m.

The recent club-record sale of Nathan Patterson highlights the benefit of keeping top talent and bringing them through into the first team before selling them further down the line. This is why Ross Wilson must now do everything in his power to change the teenager’s mind and get him to remain at Ibrox, potentially bolstering Gio van Bronckhorst’s team in the years to come.

AND in other news, Rangers played a masterclass over Ibrox “dafty” whose value plummeted 50% in one year…

Being heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur back in the summer of 2018, Daniel Levy ultimately failed to pull his finger out for then-Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish.

Indeed, despite it being reported that the 26-year-old had identified Spurs as his preferred destination, as well as Villa demanding a fee in the region of just £40m in order to part with the England international, the Tottenham chairman did not manage to get a deal over the line for the versatile forward – with Grealish remaining a Villa player.

However, just three years later, Levy’s indecision concerning the Birmingham-born sensation was made to look extremely foolish, with Manchester City coughing up £100m in order to prise the attacking midfielder away from Aston Villa – breaking the British transfer record in doing so.

And, considering the form the £72m-rated forward had been in for the Midlands club in the season prior to his move, it is not difficult to understand why Pep Guardiola believed the 26-year-old would be worth his hefty price tag.

Indeed, over his 26 Premier League appearances in 2020/21, the £250k-per-week star scored six goals, provided ten assists and created 14 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making a quite remarkable 3.2 key passes – the joint-most in the division, alongside Kevin De Bruyne – per game.

These returns saw the player who Aston Villa podcaster Steve Froggat dubbed a “world-class superstar” earn a breathtaking seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.54, not only ranking him as Villa’s best performer in the league but also as the fourth-best player in the top flight as a whole.

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As such, while hindsight is a wonderful thing, considering the world-beater Grealish has turned into since Tottenham’s failed attempts to sign the forward back in 2018, Levy’s inability to get a deal over the line for the playmaker has undoubtedly proven to be something of a nightmare for Spurs – as not only have the north London side missed out one of the most exciting players in world football but also a colossal payday.

AND in other news: David Ornstein drops huge behind the scenes Spurs claim, Conte will be buzzing

While Tottenham have enjoyed a resurgence under Antonio Conte and a number of players have found their form, one man who has been left on the outside looking in, is Steven Bergwijn.

Signed for £27m from Dutch giants PSV back in January 2020, the winger was quick to express his satisfaction at sealing a move to the Lilywhites, saying: “I think it is an amazing move, an amazing club.

“When I was a young boy I looked up to the coach, of course Mourinho, and now I play for him. You have to believe in yourself and I know what I can bring to this club and this team – I am good with the ball and I can score. They play good football and that is what I like, to play here is a dream for me. It is an honour.”

And, he got his Spurs career off to the perfect start by netting in the victory over Manchester City at home, and fans of the north London club would’ve been forgiven if they had thought they had pulled off an absolute masterstroke in signing him.

Instead, things have not quite hit the heights of his debut, with some fleeting moments here and there – his role in the thrilling comeback victory over Leicester being one – not doing enough to justify his price tag from a couple of years ago.

Indeed, according to CIES, his value has now dropped to £13.5m, exactly half of what Spurs actually paid for him.

With just seven goals and ten assists in 76 games across all competitions for the north Londoners, Bergwijn has struggled to really adjust to life in English football, and his game-time under Conte has become increasingly limited.

The last 11 games in the Premier League have seen him start and play the full 90 minutes just once, while his previous seven outings have amounted to just 51 minutes of football, with Conte restricting him to meaningless cameos.

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Given the kind of fee Daniel Levy shelled out to sign Bergwijn at the time, seeing the Dutchman completely fall off the radar at Spurs and almost become an outcast will surely have left the Spurs supremo tearing his hair out.

AND in other news: Left in 2019, now worth £50m: Levy suffered shocking Spurs howler over “insane” star

West Ham United host Wolverhampton Wanderers this afternoon with both sides in the hunt for European football come the end of the season.

The Hammers are in sixth but can be leapfrogged by Wolves who are just two points behind in eighth.

It’s a game of major importance for both sides, with the hosts particularly shaky of late. But who will David Moyes entrust from the off?

Here is how Football FanCast thinks West Ham will line up.

In goal there are no changes as number one stopper Fabianski keeps his place but there is a change at the back.

At right-back in comes 22-year-old Ben Johnson for his first Premier League start since New Year’s Day.

The Englishman played the second half in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle United after Ryan Fredericks had picked up a yellow card and had a genuine possibility of being sent off. However, the youngster’s appearance against the Magpies was his first in the league since the trip to Crystal Palace on 1 January.

With first-choice right-back Vladimir Coufal set to be on the sidelines after groin surgery, Johnson, who was labelled as “fabulous” by his manager in October, will be keen to return to the side on a regular basis, having started eight consecutive league games between October and December.

The defensive midfield duo of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek is a given whilst Pablo Fornals and the red-hot Jarrod Bowen start on the flanks, either side of Manuel Lanzini, who replaces Said Benrahma.

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This week, Moyes confirmed that Lanzini was back in training this week and is in contention to start, having missed the Newcastle match.

Up front is, of course, Michail Antonio, who is the Hammers’ only senior striker. The Jamaica international will be looking to break his recent duck, having not scored since the trip to Palace almost two months ago.

In other news: £1m per appearance: £42k-per-week West Ham dud has been rinsing Moyes for 110 weeks

Leeds United have failed to sign a new midfielder for fast-approaching on four-and-a-half years, though that is likely to change in the summer amid interest in Brenden Aaronson.

The last time someone was signed in the role was Adam Forshaw, joining from then-Championship rivals Middlesbrough in January 2018 – since then, the 30-year-old has dealt with a string of injuries, Samu Saiz left the club and Pablo Hernandez has also moved on.

You could argue that the Whites have overachieved in recent times, not only gaining promotion to the Premier League but also maintaining that lucrative position for nearly a third season.

But perhaps an answer could lie from within, in the form of academy dynamo Stuart McKinstry, who is just as capable of playing in central midfield as he is out wide.

The 19-year-old Scotsman bagged for the U23 squad on Monday night in their 4-0 rout of Crystal Palace, making it two goals and four assists from his 12 starts in the Premier League 2 Division 1 this season.

Only Sam Greenwood has been more creative, as per FBRef.

McKinstry, who has been likened to Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets by his academy peers, has been dubbed the ‘next big thing’ to come out of Thorp Arch by ever-reliable journalist Phil Hay of The Athletic.

Those comparisons highlight just how talented he is in multiple ways, to have the flair and dynamism of Messi and the powerful on-ball presence of Busquests. Leeds could have a real star in the making and potentially one fit to replace the legendary Hernandez at Elland Road.

“He’s a very confident ball carrier, he’s physically strong, good upper body strength, excellent feet, good at beating his man and creative. In his head, he probably feels he can play in other positions up front as well,” claimed Hay.

Meanwhile, McKinstry’s former Motherwell academy director Steven Hammell believes that he “will do wonderful things and become a household name in the next three or four years”, as he revealed to the Lanarkshire Live Sport Podcast, where he also dubbed him a “fabulous young player”.

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As one of the academy’s biggest creators, first-team boss Jesse Marsch could do little wrong in handing the teenage sensation more minutes on top of his two senior appearances going forward.

Leeds could finally replace Hernandez and, at the same time, save millions of pounds in the transfer market, should the American turn to the young Scot in the near future.

AND in other news, Leeds United in “pole position” for new signing…

Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumaks proved to be the hero at Parkhead on Sunday afternoon, with his hat-trick earning Ange Postecoglou’s side a 3-2 win against Dundee. 

The Hoops looked as if they wouldn’t capitalise on Rangers dropping points earlier in the day, however, Giakoumakis’ header with minutes remaining ensured Celtic would stretch their lead at the top of the Premiership to three points.

However, despite another three points, not everyone impressed at Celtic Park. Here at The Transfer Tavern, we’ve used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse Celtic’s three worst outfield performers to have played at least 45 minutes. In total, these players lost the ball a whopping 43 times, were second best in nine of their aerial and ground duels and also missed two big chances.

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Daizen Maeda – 6.3/10

Maeda returned to the wing but struggled to make an impact at Parkhead, with Postecoglou bringing the January signing off with 23 minutes remaining.

He lost the ball on nine occasions, missed two big chances and was second-best in two duels. Maeda also failed to complete a cross and didn’t make a defensive contribution all afternoon.

Josip Juranovic – 6.3/10

Juranovic switched over to left-back with Anthony Ralston coming back into the starting XI but didn’t have the best of afternoons.

The 26-year-old lost the ball 14 times, lost four of his seven duels and completed just one cross. The full-back also made just one tackle and was dribbled past on two occasions.

Matt O’Riley – 6.8/10

O’Riley has been a revelation since joining in January, however, the midfielder had an off day by his standards and was brought off with the scores level.

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He lost the ball 20 times, lost three ground duels and didn’t make an interception all afternoon. O’Riley also failed to register a shot or complete a dribble and was unsuccessful with all of his six crosses.

In other news: Celtic source – Ange gives green light to out-of-window exit for ‘arrogant’ ace after talks. 

Manchester United’s academy has produced some exceptional players in recent years. This could date back as long as the Busby Babes, but looking at the last few seasons, there are several huge names who have graduated from the esteemed Carrington academy.

Marcus Rashford is perhaps the biggest, with the Wythenshawe-born sensation making 426 appearances and scoring 138 times for his boyhood club. More recently, Kobbie Mainoo broke into the first team, and whilst life is tough for him at the moment under Ruben Amorim, he is held in very high regard by the Old Trafford faithful.

Another Carrington graduate who has shone in the last 12 months is Scott McTominay.

McTominay's incredible last 12 months

Scotland international McTominay has shone during his season and a half at Napoli so far. He moved from Old Trafford, where he had been his whole life, for a fee of just £25.7m. That would prove to be a bargain for the Serie A outfit.

The 29-year-old has made 59 appearances for the Naples club, showing his threat in the final third and how hard-working he is off the ball. He’s found the back of the net 18 times and assisted nine in that time.

Twice in just a few short months, he has helped lead the club to silverware. McTominay was a key member of the Scudetto-winning side, scoring a remarkable overhead kick in the game which sealed the title. This week, he added to that by helping Napoli lift the Italian Super Cup.

He has been greatly rewarded for his form in a Napoli shirt, in the form of personal accolades. McTominay won the Serie A player of the year last season and finished in 18th place in the Ballon d’Or.

It was a sensational year for the ex-United star, who may wish they still had him at their disposal today. Well, they may have the new version of the Scot coming through the academy again.

Man United's new McTominay

There has been an influx of academy involvement in Amorim’s first team over the last few games. Tyler Fredricson and Bendito Mantato were unused substitutes against Aston, and Shea Lacey made his debut.

The winger was not the only academy debut at Villa Park. Jack Fletcher, son of United legend Darren, was brought off the bench, playing 17 minutes and becoming the 255th graduate of the esteemed Carrington.

Aside from his first-team bow last weekend, Fletcher has made a strong impression for the academy this season. He’s made 13 appearances across all competitions, scoring and assisting three goals apiece.

Fletcher stats per competition in 25/26

Competition

Games

Goals & assists

Premier League 2

7

3

EFL Trophy

2

1

Premier League Int. Cup U21

2

1

National League Cup

2

1

Stats from Transfermarkt

United are looking for their new McTominay, and in the 18-year-old midfielder, they may have someone who can eventually fill his boots.

There are certainly similarities between the pair, not least because they are eligible to play for Scotland. The Napoli star, of course, does, and Fletcher could in the future, although he does represent England U19s at the moment.

Subscribe for deeper newsletter coverage of United’s academy Gain in-depth coverage of Manchester United’s academy – subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis, player profiles, and scouting insights that follow Carrington’s rising talents, their development paths, and potential first-team impact. Subscribe Subscribe for deeper newsletter coverage of United’s academy Gain in-depth coverage of Manchester United’s academy – subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis, player profiles, and scouting insights that follow Carrington’s rising talents, their development paths, and potential first-team impact.

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However, there are more similarities than just that. McTominay, of course, has proved to be a real handful in the opposition box, especially in a Napoli shirt, and that is something that Fletcher excels at, too.

The new United first-teamer was described as a “goal threat” by Red Devils academy-centred page Academy Scoop over on X. He already has 11 goals for the club’s academy, showing he certainly has that same threat in the final third that McTominay possesses.

Losing McTominay was certainly a blow for United, but it must be a good feeling for United fans to see him achieving so much in Naples. They will now be hoping that, in Fletcher, they have someone who can be like the second coming of their academy graduate.

The fact that he has made his debut is positive, and it seems like the future is bright for another member of the Fletcher family.

Related Man Utd have their own Wharton & Anderson hybrid in £79m-rated "maestro"

This in-house Man Utd ace can solve their midfield issues.

Posts 2 ByJoe Nuttall

After highly impressing in the various age groups of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, hopes for the future of Troy Parrott amongst those in the know in north London were extremely high.

It is not difficult to understand why this was the case. Over his 15 appearances for Spurs’ under-18s, the centre-forward bagged an incredibly impressive 17 goals, also hitting nine in nine for Tottenham’s under-19 side in European action and five in 14 for the under-23s.

This form led to comparisons with current Spurs striker Harry Kane, with it being reported last year that Tottenham’s backroom staff were trying to convince Daniely Levy not to block the Irishman’s pathway to first-team football due to their faith in his ability.

However, whether or not the £3.24m-rated youngster does indeed have the same level of potential as the England captain is very much up for debate. Over two loan spells at Milwall and Ipswich Town respectively, the 20-year-old hardly took either club by storm, failing to score in 14 outings for the Lions and bagging just twice in 18 fixtures with the Tractor Boys.

Things have improved for the forward somewhat this season, with the £7k-per-week hitman beginning to find his feet over 34 League One appearances at MK Dons. He has scored five goals, registered five assists and created four big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 2.2 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

On Tuesday night, he also had the pleasure of scoring a dramatic late goal in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 friendly win over Lithuania, with the youngster’s 97th-minute rocket giving his team victory.

The Spurs academy graduate has not only improved his reputation on the pitch at Stadium MK, but also off it, with Republic of Ireland assistant manager Keith Andrews stating of Parrott’s work ethic: “Troy has been flying in training. There has been a real noticeable difference, I would say, in Troy between this and the last camp. You sometimes forget how young Troy is.

“I have a really good relationship with him. Up until a certain point in Troy’s career, he was just on that upward trajectory. And then there were a couple of loan moves but they are invaluable experiences.

“Even at MK Dons during that spell when he was a little bit out of the team he pressed the reset button and just started to work hard. He has got his reward for that from his club manager and what we have seen this week. He has been really, really sharp. We have a lot of belief in him.”

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As such, while the 20-year-old – who MK Dons midfielder Scott Twine claimed “runs over every blade on the pitch” and dubbed a “class” talent – undoubtedly has a long way to go if he is to emulate Tottenham’s £90m-rated Kane at some point in the future, there would appear to be similarities between the duo’s progression in north London.

Indeed, with the 28-year-old having similarly struggled on a number of lower-league loan spells in his youth, before exploding into the 243-goal Spurs sensation that he is today, there is still hope for Parrott at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It could just be a matter of Antonio Conte giving him a chance in the team.

AND in other news: Daniel Levy had a Spurs nightmare on £204.2m “alien” who has “magic in his boots”

Reliable journalist Mike McGrath has claimed that Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is in line for two major injury boosts, with news on the ‘horizon’.  

The Lowdown: Bamford and Phillips’ absence

Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips were two of Leeds’ best performers in the club’s first season back in the Premier League, with the former scoring 17 times and the latter making himself an England regular.

However, this season, the pair haven’t been able to impress, with Bamford making just five starts and Phillips missing since December along with captain Liam Cooper.

As a result, Leeds have struggled in 2021/22 and find themselves just two points clear of the relegation zone with 12 games remaining.

The Latest: McGrath’s comments

McGrath shared a Leeds column on The Telegraph on Monday morning and touched on the club’s injury situation.

He stated that Marsch could ‘have players returning from injury on the horizon’, name-checking both Bamford and Phillips.

The Verdict: Big news

Whatever ‘on the horizon’ means specifically, you’d expect that this weekend may come too soon for both Phillips and Bamford, but Phil Hay has recently revealed they aren’t far off.

So, with back-to-back home games against Aston Villa and Norwich City following the trip to Leicester City, it would be big for Marsch to have the pair back in any capacity when those matches roll around.

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Those Elland Road fixtures could go a long way in regards to Leeds ensuring their Premier League safety, so having two influential players possibly back is brilliant news.

In other news: ‘The 49ers want…’ – Report drops huge claim as Leeds exodus now set to continue after Bielsa. 

Pundit Alex McLeish has been reacting to an update on Celtic loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Ange’s comments; Maguire’s reveal

The Hoops have an option to make the defender’s move permanent in the summer, with Ange Postecoglou admitting he is hopeful that qualifying for the Champions League would help Carter-Vickers and Jota pen long-term deals in Glasgow.

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Financial expert Kieran Maguire, who contributes for Sky Sports, revealed that Champions League qualification would pocket the club £20m at the worst, whereas progressing to the knock-out stages could double those figures.

Carter-Vickers has been a regular for the Hoops this season and is now attracting interest from multiple Premier League clubs ahead of the summer window.

The Latest: McLeish’s comments

McLeish was talking to Football Insider about Champions League football but admitted even group stage qualification might not be enough to persuade the centre-back to stay.

“It’s straight into the Champions League for the (Premiership) winner this year. It is absolutely like winning the lottery for countries that don’t have great revenue streams.

“Celtic are a massive club and they can generate money in other ways.

“You would think that Carter-Vickers would attract attention due to the vast improvement that he has made in the team.

“At first it was very difficult. It looked like as if he was just a trialist in the first few games.

“But he has become a very solid performer for them.

“I don’t know if Celtic will go to the kind of levels Spurs will expect to receive.”

The Verdict: Down to the player…

You’d like to think that the USA international would be open to committing his future to Celtic, as he has made more appearances for the Hoops (36) than any other club in his career.

This is his seventh loan spell away from Tottenham and he may finally feel at home in Scotland, but ultimately, he’ll be the one to have a major say in his next move, regardless of Celtic’s option to buy clause.

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Winning the Premiership and going straight into the Champions League may only boost Celtic’s chances of signing the player on a permanent deal, so it could be a crucial few months ahead.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man hits out at Celtic player after penning Parkhead deal worth whopping £2.9m.