All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will eventually sign a new deal at the club as his rolling contract continues, according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Still no new deal for Postecoglou

The 56-year-old has proven to be a magnificent appointment at Parkhead, coming in last summer and making an immediate impression.

Celtic won both the Premiership and Scottish League Cup under his tutelage in 2021/22, sealing a return to the Champions League in the process.

Frustratingly, Postecoglou is yet to sign a new deal after only agreeing a one-year contract when he joined the Hoops, with his rolling deal similar to past managers.

The Latest: Joseph makes Postecoglou claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph claimed that the Australian would remain as manager, with an extension imminent.

The journalist stated:

“Celtic do this with new managers all the time; they have done since the start of the century.

“[Martin] O’Neill was on a rolling contract, [Gordon] Strachan, [Neil] Lennon, [Tony] Mowbray, Lennon again and Brendan Rodgers as well was on a rolling contract, and then they usually sign if their first year has been successful or Celtic see it going somewhere. That’s when they end up tying them down on a longer term contract.

“And I think that’s what’s going to happen here. There’s been no change there with Celtic’s approach, and it’s just a case of when, rather than if, I think.”

The Verdict: Longer contract would be perfect

In an ideal world, Postecoglou would agree a long-term contract which sees him stay at Celtic for four or five years, but that doesn’t appear to be the way the club want to run things.

As it is, the Hoops will have to settle for these short-term agreements moving forward, which is certainly preferable to their brilliant manager moving elsewhere instead.

The hope is that this is only the beginning for Postecoglou and Celtic, with many more trophies still to come, as well as some memorable European nights.

In other news, Celtic are set to make a key addition to their backroom team. Read more here

Former BBC pundit Noel Whelan has hailed some Glasgow Rangers transfer news that he has now heard from Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Archer interest

As per talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, the Gers are among a number of clubs who hold an ‘interest’ in signing Cameron Archer this summer.

Middlesbrough and Watford are also thought to be interested in signing the Aston Villa striker on loan for next season.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan has now given his reaction to the news, claiming that it would be an ‘exciting’ move for both Archer and the Light Blues.

The 47-year-old said: “That could be a real step up for him. He could be playing in the Champions League and fighting for a league title as well. That’s the kind of stage he will want to be playing on.

“He’s a really bright talent as well, and someone I think Rangers would get a real benefit out of.

“He’s got pace, power, goalscoring ability – I think it would be a really beneficial move for a young player. It’s an exciting move.”

The Verdict: Get it done

There seems no doubt that Archer will have plenty of interest from other teams to take him on loan next term, so Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side need to get this deal done as soon as they can.

He has recently been hailed as ‘unstoppable‘ and ‘different gravy‘ by renowned Villa YouTuber Ty Bracey after scoring with his first touch for England under-21s in a win against Albania, which is high praise indeed for the 20-year-old.

Archer also managed 11 first-team goals combined for Villa and on loan at Preston North End last term, and given that the Premier League outfit are now managed by former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, this is one which the Teddy Bears could get over the line given the 42-year-old’s connections with both clubs.

In other news, find out which Gers attacker could now leave this summer here

Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed Newcastle United’s ‘interest’ in signing Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Breakthrough season

The 22-year-old has enjoyed somewhat of a breakthrough season for Benfica, scoring no fewer than 34 goals and supplying a further four assists in 41 matches across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Hailed as an “absolute beast” by Liverpool podcaster Hari Sethi after an impressive display in the Champions League against the eventual finalists and Premier League runners-up, the striker has shown that he looks more than capable of making the step up to the English top flight.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘interest’ in Nunez

Taking to Twitter, Talbot has revealed that while Nunez’s preferred destination would be Manchester United, there is also ‘interest’ in him from St James’ Park, and indeed a number of other clubs in the Premier League.

The journalist stated: “Been asked about him a lot recently. Was indicated to me his favoured place was Man United. But can see Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle, West Ham, and even Chelsea depending on Lukaku, all with an interest (though to what extent varies).”

The Verdict: Statement

For Newcastle to beat all of those clubs, who can all offer him European football next season, to sign Nunez would certainly be a statement of intent from PIF.

His goal record speaks for itself, and the Uruguay international is capable of spearheading Eddie Howe’s attack and firing them up the table.

Indeed, he is still only 22 years of age, so it is scary to think how good he could be in just a few years’ time.

In other news, find out which ‘superb’ colossus Dan Ashworth is now eyeing here!

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Djed Spence.

What’s the latest?

In a recent article for Caught Offside, the Italian journalist revealed that Antonio Conte’s side are currently the frontrunners in the race to sign the 21-year-old right-back, with an offer of £16m reported to be enough for Middlesbrough to sanction the sale of the England U21 international this summer.

The transfer insider goes on to state that Bayern Munich attempted to open talks regarding a move for the defender prior to their signing of Noussair Mazraoui, while Nottingham Forest are also said to be pursuing a permanent deal for the former Fulham starlet after securing promotion to the Premier League.

In his article, Romano wrote: “Spurs frontrunners for Championship wonderkid…Djed Spence has already received many important approaches from clubs for next season since March.

“Behind the scenes, Bayern Munich tried to start a negotiation before retiring from the race as the Noussair Mazraoui (initially close to joining Barcelona) opportunity opened up.

“Now, Spurs are still in contact for Spence and consider him a possibility for their right-wing, but Fabio Paratici is always able to have three or four targets in the same position; Nottingham Forest are already trying to find an agreement with Middlesbrough to have Spence in the Premier League. Surprises are not excluded.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

“Unbelievable”

Considering the sheer amount of potential Spence quite clearly possesses, Romano’s claim that Fabio Paratici is currently leading the race to sign the right-back is sure to leave the Tottenham Hotspur faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 42 Championship appearances for Steve Cooper’s side this season, the £4.4k-per-week talent was in breathtaking form, bagging two goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.0 key passes, taking 0.6 shots and completing 1.8 dribbles per fixture.

The £7.2m-rated full-back who Romano dubbed a “wonderkid” also highly impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.4 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per game.

These metrics saw the 21-year-old average a rather sensational WhoScored match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Forest’s sixth-best player in the division.

As such, with the signing of a new right wing-back reported to be one of Antonio Conte’s priority targets in the summer transfer window, the news that Tottenham are in pole position to land Spence is certainly an incredibly exciting prospect, as the England youth international would quite clearly be an “unbelievable” – in the words of Ian Wright – signing for Paratici to get over the line.

AND in other news: Paratici given green light for “unbelievable” £40m Spurs signing, he’s Conte’s “dream”

West Bromwich Albion recently secured their first incoming deal of the summer transfer window as the club announced that they had signed John Swift on a three-year contract from Reading as a free agent.

Given how Baggies boss Steve Bruce previously spoke about the possibility of there being a significant overhaul at the club during the summer, it’s safe to say that they may have got the ball rolling with Swift’s arrival.

However, one man who could well go on to have a big future at The Hawthorns and who, in a similar vein to Swift, wouldn’t cost the club a penny in transfer fees is Jovan Malcolm.

Bruce can save millions with Malcolm

A product of the club’s youth system, the 19-year-old has made a combined 54 appearances for West Brom’s under-18 and under-23 sides. In that time, the centre-forward has scored 23 goals and delivered four assists along the way.

The teenager has also had two loan spells away from the Midlands club with Solihull Moors and Accrington Stanley.

Labelled a “powerful centre-forward [who] loves scoring goals and can adapt to play anywhere across the frontline” according to Albion youth coach Peter Gilbert, Malcolm has yet to make a senior appearance for the Baggies.

Taking into account how West Brom found scoring goals rather difficult at times during their recent Championship campaign, having an attacking talent like the Baggies prodigy in and around the first team could be hugely beneficial for them.

Also, with Swift racking up 11 goals and 13 assists in 38 league games this season for Reading, having him playing behind or next to Malcolm could be just what the youngster needs in order to flourish in the first team if Bruce gives him the chance to play.

This could then give the team some much-needed dynamism and creativity in their midfield and attack, which may then put them in a good shape to get close to winning promotion back to the Premier League.

If Malcolm can work hard and impress Bruce in pre-season, there’s every chance that he’ll then be given his senior West Brom debut at some point in the campaign and potentially go on to become a regular figure in the team, saving the club millions in the process.

In other news: Bruce can secure the next Gallagher as WBA eye £3m dynamo who is a “constant threat”

Celtic have rarely been shy when it comes to dipping into the transfer market and splashing the cash to bring new players to the club.

Last summer’s transfer window was a prime example of this as the Hoops spent a total of just over £20m according to Transfermarkt.

Now that Ange Postecoglou’s side have secured the Premiership title, their focus can now switch towards the upcoming summer transfer window and whatever business they feel is needed before the 2022/23 campaign kicks off.

Looking ahead to this period, it seems as though a behind-the-scenes clue has emerged out of Lennoxtown which should have lots of Celtic fans buzzing.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones touched upon Celtic’s financial situation for the upcoming summer transfer window.

He said: “They have to prioritise those two deals (Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers) but, from what I’m told, they will get additional backing too.

“I think that the success in terms of recruitment so far under Ange has convinced the club that this isn’t a gamble. He doesn’t bring in players that he’s not convinced will fit into what he’s doing.”

Celtic fans will love it

With Jota and Carter-Vickers set to see their loan spells with the Hoops come to an end in the next few days, it seems almost certain that those two will be the immediate focus in terms of potentially signing permanent deals, as Jones mentioned.

Taking into account how the duo made a combined 52 Premiership appearances this season, it’s safe to suggest that the club would be keen to keep hold of them for the foreseeable future.

Looking beyond those two, to hear that Postecoglou will then get extra financing backing from the Celtic owners to once again dive into the transfer market and sign whatever players he sees fit should definitely be music to the ears of many Hoops fans.

Considering how the likes of Carl Starfelt, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis all made big contributions to Celtic’s title victory after joining the club in summer, either in terms of their goals scored or appearances made, this should fill a lot of Bhoys supporters with confidence that the club’s scouting and recruitment staff can have another successful summer transfer window.

In other needs: Ange can finally axe “unbelievable” £4.5m Celtic flop by signing 20 G/A “piledriver”

Manchester City are interested in signing Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni this summer. He is a promising young talent and could make a perfect partner to Ruben Dias in the long term.

A recent report from FCInterNews (via Manchester Evening News) revealed that City have spoken to the representatives of the player after being impressed by his displays for the Serie A outfit this season.

However, they aren’t the only club interested and face a battle against local rivals Manchester United and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Bastoni moved to Inter from Atalanta back in 2017 for £28m in what was a huge fee for a relatively unproven player at the time. He stayed in Bergamo for another season as part of the deal before spending a further campaign out on loan at Parma.

He has made 30 appearances in the Serie A this term and has played a key part in Inter’s push for the Scudetto, proving himself to be a reliable player at the top level despite only being 23-years-old.

It’s a very similar story to Dias who moved to The Etihad Stadium in 2020 from Benfica for £65m. Nobody could have predicted just how good he was at the time, but he helped the Citizens reclaim their Premier League crown and was rewarded by being named the league’s player of the season.

City could repeat this success by signing Bastoni, if you compare the statistics of both players he already excels in some areas.

Dubbed “special” by Squawka reporter Muhammad Butt, he has tackled a higher percentage of dribblers this season at 58% compared to 44% for Dias. The Italian is also impressive in the air having won 63% of his aerial duels which beats Dias’ 60%.

It makes sense for Guardiola to sign a player like Bastoni, and at such a young age he could form a partnership with Dias that would help guarantee City stay successful even after the Spanish manager leaves.

Further lure towards the player is unearthed when you see that he was described as a “phenomenon” by Serie A expert Conor Clancy in an interview with Football FanCast. On that evidence, he is clearly blessed with mesmeric talent but rated at £54m, he won’t come cheap.

A key characteristic needed to be a successful defender in a Guardiola side is composure on the ball, and with 272 touches in the defensive penalty area this campaign Bastoni has also shown he is comfortable with the ball at his feet.

It will take a big fee to persuade Inter to sell, but the chance to play in the Premier League and under one of the world’s best managers is surely something the player wouldn’t turn down.

IN other news: Huge blow: Big behind the scenes Man City claim emerges, it’s bad news for supporters…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Marc Cucurella to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Spanish journalist Albert Roge, who revealed in a post on Twitter that, following an impressive campaign with Brighton & Hove Albion, Antonio Conte has now added the 23-year-old to his list of transfer targets.

A further report by the Daily Express claimed that the 52-year-old Tottenham manager is keen to add more quality to his first-team squad this summer, and has identified the left-back as an ideal candidate ahead of Spurs’ 2022/23 campaign.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

However, Roge goes on to state that both Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested in a move for the Spain international, for whom the Seagulls are expected to demand a figure of around £30m to part with this summer.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Pep Guardiola’s City want to sign Cucurella this summer. We add that the former Barca player is also wanted by Chelsea and Tottenham. His great season at Brighton has not gone unnoticed. The price will be around £30m.”

Conte can axe Reguilon with Cucurella

Considering just how impressive Cucurella has been for Brighton this season, in addition to the fact that Sergio Reguilon has been heavily linked with a move away from Spurs this summer, it is easy to see why Conte would be keen on a deal to bring the 23-year-old to north London at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 34 Premier League appearances this term, the £18m-rated left-back – who has also been deployed on the left-wing and at centre-back – has been in sensational form for Graham Potter’s side, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.2 key passes, taking 0.5 shots and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

The £23k-per-week defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping his side keep eight clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 44.9 passes, 0.9 interceptions, 2.7 tackles, 1.8 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Potter dubbed both “important” and “infectious” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as the Seagulls’ third-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, considering his age, undoubtedly ability and positional versatility, should the £43m Reguilon – who Tom Young dubbed “pathetic” – indeed move onto pastures new this summer, it would appear an extremely wise move for Conte to replace the 25-year-old with the Brighton starlet.

Indeed, not only would he be a cheaper option than the £68k-per-week Reguilon, but considering their respective match ratings this season, Cucurella would also appear to be a much more promising prospect for Conte and his Tottenham Hotspur side.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Alasdair Gold drops early Spurs team news hint, supporters will be buzzing

Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium.

Two goals from Raheem Sterling as well as an dazzling display from captain Kevin De Bruyne stood out, but it was the impressive performance from defender Aymeric Laporte that stole the show, with the Spain international even getting in on the action and scoring a goal himself.

The result sees The Citizens move even closer to a fourth Premier League title in five years, and their resilient defensive performance certainly allowed their forward line to roam free and dominate an in-form Newcastle side.

What makes it even more extraordinary is the fact that they were without two key defenders for the clash. Both Kyle Walker and John Stones were absent from the squad after suffering injuries during City’s recent Champions League semi-final 6-5 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid.

A key highlight of Laporte’s performance was his one on one defending, with the 27-year-old winning 100% of his duels, all of which were in the air.

He also achieved a pass accuracy percentage of 96% proving that he can be just as reliable on the ground. After that performance, it’s hard to see why Guardiola should drop him even when John Stones returns to fitness. He has featured 29 times in the Premier League this season which is up significantly from the 16 games he appeared in last season.

Up until now, Pep has seemed to have preferred the partnership of Ruben Dias and Stones, but Laporte was his hero today and leaves him with a dilemma.

Given the number of competitions that City are always involved in there is enough game time for everyone, but if he thinks he’s good enough to start and he’s left on the bench then he may eventually seek more game time elsewhere.

Laporte’s overall SofaScore rating for the match was 7.5 which was the highest of all the defenders and beaten by only Sterling, De Bruyne and Rodri. He produced when given the opportunity and has shown that he is capable of fighting for the two available spots.

He may not grab the headlines tomorrow, but we think he was the best player on the pitch.

IN other news: “Manchester City will sign…”: Romano drops big transfer claim, Pep will be buzzing…

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have ‘a future captain’ on their hands in the form of centre-back Cristian Romero, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.

The Lowdown: Romero off to a great start at Spurs

The 24-year-old first joined the Premier League giants from Atalanta last summer and has since gone on to make 29 appearances for the Lilywhites, most recently in Spurs’ 3-1 victory against Leicester City last weekend.

The Argentine has delivered some impressive performances of late in the top flight, and the former Spurs goalkeeper believes that Romero would make a perfect candidate to replace Hugo Lloris as club captain when the veteran Frenchman departs.

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

The Latest: Romero could be future Spurs captain

When asked if he thought the defender had the potential to be a future skipper in the capital, Robinson told Football Insider:

“Romero looks like he has a lot of leadership which is great to see at such a young age. His performances on the pitch and relationship with his teammates show that. I don’t know to what extent language is a barrier but he looks a future captain to me.

“They will not take the captaincy off of Hugo, there is no call for that but whenever he choses to leave there will be a decision to make.

“If Romero is still at the club I can see him stepping up. I’m not talking about anytime in the immediate future but perhaps in a few years time.”

The Verdict: Beast at the back

The £29k-per-week Argentine has been an absolute rock at the heart of the Spurs defence since slotting into the starting XI, averaging three clearances, 2.9 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per league game this season, via WhoScored.

Romero has been hailed as “outstanding” by BBC columnist Jonathan Woodgate and still has plenty of his prime years ahead of him, quite possibly growing into an even better player in the years to come.

Antonio Conte will need all of his defensive experience available to him should he want Tottenham to secure a top-four finish at the end of the season, and the 6 foot 1 colossus could help him do just that with only four games left to go.

In terms of leading by example, Romero is doing that with his performances, so perhaps Robinson is right in name-checking him as Lloris’ possible successor for the armband at Spurs.

In other news… Spurs have officially opened negotiations for one of their ‘fantastic’ transfer targets