All posts by z3u9t.icu

Crystal Palace will take on Brighton tonight at the Amex Stadium in their first Premier League fixture since New Year’s Day, when they lost to West Ham at Selhurst Park.

However, Eagles manager Patrick Vieira took to his pre-match press conference to deliver some bad news in the form of a double injury blow which will see James Tomkins and James McArthur unavailable for selection tonight, leaving Palace without five senior players for their trip to the south coast.

Vieira spoke specifically on Tomkins’ injury during his press conference and gave a rough idea of the timeframe of the defender’s absence, as he outlined: “It is an injury and we need to wait and see how he will improve. Not having him with us is losing an experienced player in the dressing room and on the field.

“We need to evaluate the injury week after week. Hopefully, it’ll be a couple of weeks, not months.”

As far as McArthur is concerned, Vieira revealed that the midfielder still has “a long way to go” in his recover despite there being rumours of an imminent comeback, after he had sustained a hamstring injury in November.

The 45-year-old will surely be gutted not to have five of his senior players available for tonight’s clash, with Cheikhou Kouyate, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha all away with their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations on top of the aforementioned injuries.

However, there is a silver lining for the Eagles as Vicente Guaita, who dislocated his finger in December and was sidelined in last weekend’s 2-1 FA Cup win at Millwall, is expected to return for the clash with the Seagulls.

Brighton are not an easy team to beat, picking up points in their last three games with a win and two draws, whereas Crystal Palace have lost two of their last three, only picking up one win in their nine away matches in the league. It’s a trend that Vieira will be keen to buck tonight, though he can perhaps take inspiration from the Eagles’ smash-and-grab victory on their last visit to this ground 11 months ago.

However, with McArthur being their second-best performer this season according to WhoScored and Tomkins having been a regular in the side prior to his injury setback, it is a huge blow for the Frenchman to be without the duo for tonight’s grudge match.

In other news: Vieira could sign this marksman as an alternative to Eddie Nketiah

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Burnley centre-backs Ben Mee and James Tarkowski…

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, the Magpies are willing to offer the dynamic duo £100k-per-week each, doubling their current wages at Turf Moor.

The report claims that both players are out of contract in the summer and could leave on frees, with Eddie Howe desperate to land both of them to strengthen his defence at St. James’ Park.

Fans would be buzzing

Newcastle fans would be buzzing as the pair have proven themselves to be an excellent partnership at Premier League level for Burnley. Howe could bring in a ready-made defensive unit to come in and improve the back line heading into next season by signing them both.

They have played 12349 minutes alongside each other across 151 matches, with Burnley averaging 1.34 points per game in that time. This averages out at roughly 50 points per 38-game season, whilst 29 points would have been enough to retain a place in the top-flight last season.

Mee is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, whilst Tarkowski is said to be worth £22.5m. This means that they are £27.9m-rated as a pair and the Magpies could be landing a gigantic bargain in terms of the initial fee by signing both on free transfers next summer. However, they would be splashing out £200k-per-week in wage, a startling amount of money.

This season, Tarkowski has averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.11 in the Premier League, with Mee averaging a solid score of 6.81 as both players continue to show that they are reliable performers in the top-flight for Burnley. Therefore, they could be excellent additions to the Toon squad, as they have a proven track record of playing well at this level.

They also, as aforementioned, have a pre-existing relationship on the pitch that could translate over to St. James’ Park instantly. With over 150 matches played alongside each other and an impressive points return, they know how to work well as a pair and could come in and be effective for Newcastle in the Premier League, which is why fans would love this deal.

It is now down to PIF and Howe to do as much as they can to tempt both of them into making the switch, providing the offer of £100k-per-week each is not enough on its own.

AND in other news, “Among leading NUFC targets”: David Ornstein drops transfer update that’ll excite fans…

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke (via GIVEMESPORT), West Ham signing Eden Hazard would be a ‘real signal of intent’ to the rest of the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Struggling in Madrid

Since joining Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2019 in a deal worth £103.5m, Hazard has not looked like the same player who tore up the Premier League in a Chelsea shirt a few years ago.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Belgian winger has failed to score in 13 appearances for Los Blancos this season. This follows his poor form since his arrival in the Spanish capital, where he has scored just five goals in 56 games during an injury-plagued stint at the Bernabeu.

When compared to his stats in a Chelsea shirt, where he scored 110 goals and produced 92 assists in 352 games, it is evident that Hazard is a shadow of the player he once was.

The Latest: Hazard linked with Hammers move

El Nacional previously reported that West Ham had made a €25m (£21.3m) offer for Hazard. This fee seems low at face level, but when combined with his reported £381,000 weekly wage, the finances soon add up.

O’Rourke believes that the Hammers’ prospective signing of Hazard would be a huge signal to the rest of the Premier League if it materialises.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “West Ham, they can offer him Premier League football, and could match his wages, you can never say never in football. It would be a real signal of intent if West Ham can convince Eden Hazard to move to the London Stadium.”

The Verdict: Return to London unlikely

Earning 116 caps for the Belgium national side, Hazard has not been short of praise. Back in 2018, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher compared the winger’s power to that of Diego Maradona and Pele, also claiming that he was ‘the best player in the Premier League’ at the time.

This was reinforced by former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, who said that the Belgian is ‘the best player I have ever played against in my five years playing in the Premier League’.

With these glowing testimonies, it is easy to see why the arrival of Hazard would send a huge message to the rest of the league. Challenging for Champions League qualification, West Ham could be the ideal destination for Hazard to revive his career.

If the Hammers manage to scrape together the money, this transfer could prove to be a shrewd move for both parties. However, his staggering weekly wage could prove to be too much for the Irons, and that may be the rock on which this intriguing rumour perishes.

In other news: West Ham eyeing ‘unbelievable’ ace for Moyes as contact is made with agent

A behind-the-scenes Rangers setback has emerged on the make-up of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s backroom team…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Jean-Paul van Gastel may not be able to link up with the 46-year-old at Ibrox until January due to his contract with Chinese cliub Guangzhou City.

The report claimed that the Dutchman has been lined up to join Van Bronckhorst’s coaching team, having worked as his assistant at Feyenoord, but they will need to iron out a deal with Guangzhou if they want him to arrive before the next transfer window.

Gutting blow

This news will surely be gutting for Rangers fans as it appears to be a sizeable blow to Van Bronckhorst’s short-term plans at Ibrox. The issue with him joining in the middle of a season whilst out of a job is that he has to piece together a backroom staff from scratch with certain people in work elsewhere, with Van Gastel still under contract in China.

Gastel and Van Bronckhorst worked hand-in-hand at Feyenoord and were hugely successful as a pair in the Netherlands. In four years, they won five trophies for the Rotterdam club and averaged 1.99 points per game across 176 matches – finishing third, first, fourth and third in the Eredivisie in that time.

In the 2016/17 campaign, they led the team to 84 points and the league title as they won 26 of their 34 matches and averaged 2.41 points per game. This provides an insight into how well they worked together at Feyenoord and the sort of influence they could have in Glasgow moving forward, which is why Van Gastel not arriving until January could be a big blow for both Van Bronckhorst and Rangers.

Therefore, Gers fans may not see the full potential of Van Bronckhorst’s staff until the second half of the season. They may need to wait until January for the 46-year-old’s right-hand man to come through the door for his management to be as effective as possible. Van Gastel already worked with him at Feyenoord and will know exactly what he wants from the players, which could make him a useful coach to have on the training ground to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them.

This is why Gers supporters may be gutted by this update on the 49-year-old coach. Hopefully Ross Wilson will be able to work out a deal with the Chinese club to bring him to Scotland sooner rather than later, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be possible.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can find his next Van Persie at Rangers in £33k-p/w gem who’s “like a jungle cat”…

Everton could seal a dream transfer after they were linked with a move for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic ahead of the upcoming January window.

What’s the story?

According to 90min, the Toffees are one of several Premier League clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 21-year-old’s services over the coming months as he edges towards the exit door.

Serie A giants Juventus were seemingly leading the charge for Vlahovic’s signature, but the player’s agents are believed to have reassured top-flight teams in England that no deal is in place with the Bianconeri.

The report stated: “90min understands Vlahovic is now the top striking target for at least one top-four side after scouts were left mightily impressed by his displays.”

It added that the Serbia international has rejected the offer of a new big-money contract from La Viola’s hierarchy, and with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2023, he is expected to be available for £70m over the coming months as they look to maximise their profits.

With Fiorentina still reeling from the relatively low fee they received from Juve for Federico Chiesa, it’s reported that they would prefer to sell Vlahovic to a club outside of Serie A. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton and Newcastle are all understood to be keeping close tabs on his situation.

Imagine him and Calvert-Lewin

Ever since he made the switch from boyhood club Partizan Belgrade to Florence back in 2018, Vlahovic has established himself as one of the most exciting and promising youngsters in European football.

Last season, he bagged an incredible 21 goals in 40 appearances for Fiorentina despite their struggles near the foot of the Serie A table. The imposing 6 foot 2 beast appears to have taken his game to new heights in the opening weeks of the current campaign, notching a remarkable 12 goals in just 14 outings for Vincenzo Italiano’s charges.

The youngster’s eye-catching exploits have seen him dubbed a “complete number nine” by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, while talent scout Jacek Kulig labelled him a “machine,” highlighting his truly top-class potential.

A front two of Vlahovic and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a mouth-watering prospect for everyone associated with Everton and a frightening one for any opposition defenders, with the Englishman netting 32 Premier League goals since the start of the 2019/20 season.

It remains to be seen whether the Blues can realistically afford the Serbian’s services. If they can, Everton’s director of football Marcel Brand must do whatever it takes to try and convince him to come to the blue half of Merseyside.

In other news… Forget Townsend: Everton beast who has won 58 duels has been Benitez’s overlooked star 

Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze is edging closer to a return to full fitness and cannot wait to feature in Patrick Vieira’s new-look side.

What’s the story?

That’s according to journalist Tom Barclay, who also claimed the admiration is mutual between the player and manager despite Eze failing to make an appearance under the Frenchman.

The 23-year-old creative talent is continuing to work his way back from a serious Achilles injury sustained at the end of last season, although he appears to be nearing his comeback to the first team setup.

Under Vieira, Palace have played some entertaining and exciting football in the opening weeks of the new campaign after four pragmatic years under predecessor Roy Hodgson, and Eze is eager to play his part.

Speaking about the attacking midfielder, Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: “He’s massively highly-rated, really well-liked, really infectious enthusiasm, loves Vieira.

“I don’t know if you saw that video talking about Vieira, seems to really, really buy into his methods and his style of play, and the way he goes about things.”

They could form a formidable duo

Last season, no Eagles player bettered or matched Eze’s tally of six Premier League assists and he also produced the most key passes and dribbles, with average totals of 1.3 and 1.9 per league game respectively, as per WhoScored.

The former Queens Park Rangers man was also Palace’s third-highest goalscorer, bagging four strikes in his 34 top-flight outings for the south London club.

Therefore, the arrival of a far more attack-minded manager at Selhurst Park could bring out even more productivity in the final third of the pitch from the 23-year-old when he eventually returns from injury.

Vieira’s arrival could see the ex-Nice manager and the £18m-rated Eze establish a formidable duo in south London, and the club’s supporters could be desperate for the attacking midfielder to join the ongoing revolution at Palace.

In other news… Signed for nothing, now worth £10.8m: Crystal Palace struck gold with £28k-p/w monster 

West Bromwich Albion have lodged a complaint to FIFA regarding an unpaid transfer fee.

What’s the latest?

In a recent report for the Express & Star, Joseph Masi revealed that West Brom are yet to receive the full transfer fee for the £2.5m sale of centre-back Ahmed Hegazi, who joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad Jeddah this summer.

Masi added that, despite it being unknown exactly how much of the fee remains outstanding, Al-Ittihad have disputed the figure, something which has led to the Baggies raising the issue with FIFA in order to find a resolution.

Finally, it is said that West Brom hope to receive an answer from the governing body this week, which could lead to Valerien Ismael receiving an injection of cash ahead of the January transfer window.

Fans will be buzzing

The situation surrounding Hegazi’s unpaid transfer fee is obviously far from ideal for West Brom, but should FIFA decree that Al-Ittihad owe them a significant fee for the defender, and this fee is paid ahead of the winter market, there would appear to be a rather significant silver lining for Ismael.

Indeed, with the 46-year-old recently stating that he is already working towards a number of deals in January, the potential of receiving a substantial amount of money prior to the transfer window’s opening would undoubtedly come as a major boost for the Frenchman, who would certainly welcome an injection of cash in order to rejuvenate his squad.

With West Brom already involved in what looks to be a fiercely-contested race for a top two finish this season, the possibility of having slightly more money to spend this winter could well make all the difference in the Championship standings come next May, while the potential of bringing in a fresh face or two is also sure to have The Hawthorns faithful buzzing.

In other news: Valerien Ismael must unleash “vocal” 18 y/o colossus, he could save West Brom millions

After cruising to a 5-1 victory over FC Porto in their latest Champions League fixture thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool are back in Premier League action today with a showdown against Manchester City at Anfield.

Ahead of the clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, the Reds were handed a double injury blow with Jurgen Klopp revealing that Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara will be unavailable through injury.

Taking this into account, let’s take a look at how we think Liverpool will set up against City – we expect Klopp to make two changes from the team that started in midweek.

How will Liverpool line up against City?

In goal, we expect Alisson Becker to continue despite managing to concede three goals in Liverpool’s previous league outing in their 3-3 draw against Brentford.

At right-back, with Alexander-Arnold out and Klopp listing Neco Williams, James Milner and Joe Gomez as potential replacements for the injured defender, we feel as though Klopp will stick with Milner, who played in the right-back position against Porto before being substituted in the second half, perhaps to rest him before the City game.

At left-back we expect Andy Robertson to start after impressing in midweek by earning himself an overall match rating of 7.9/10, the highest of any Liverpool defender on the day according to SofaScore.

For the two centre-back positions, we feel Klopp will stick Virgil van Dijk but drop Joel Matip to give £70k-per-week Ibrahima Konate the chance to prove himself against a top team after taking part in Liverpool’s 3-0 Carabao Cup match against Norwich City.

In midfield, we expect Liverpool to stick with the same trio that played against Porto with club captain Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Curtis Jones, who provided two assists in midweek and earned himself a higher match rating than any other Reds player on the day with 8.5/10 (as per SofaScore).

As for Liverpool’s attacking line, we think Klopp will stick with Mane and Salah after their success in midweek but replace Diogo Jota with Roberto Firmino to reward him for his goals against Porto.

Whether Klopp makes these changes or not, everyone who plays in the match will have to be at the top of their game if the Reds are going to beat the Manchester club, especially in an attacking sense given City have only conceded one goal so far this season.

In other news: Klopp must trust “remarkable” £140k-p/w LFC ace on Sunday, could be difference-maker – opinion

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira returns to north London for the very first time as manager as the Gunners welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium this evening.

And his Spanish counterpart in the home dugout, Mikel Arteta, has plenty of decisions to make heading into kickoff.

His side looked rather lacklustre and void of much creativity last time out when they drew 0-0 down on the south coast to Brighton and Hove Albion. It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as it extended their unbeaten run to five straight matches.

Arteta will want to continue that fine form here tonight but they will certainly need to improve in front of goal – the Seagulls registered a whopping 21 attempts compared to Arsenal’s eight, as per SofaScore.

The no.10 role is an interesting sticking point for the young head coach.

Martin Odegaard was deployed there at the Amex but he struggled to have much of an influence on the game whatsoever. And after a pretty shocking display, he was hauled off in the 63rd minute.

The Gunners playmaker recorded only 29 touches, which was fewer than even goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (43) and that’s the last thing you want from the main creative cog in your starting XI.

Elsewhere, he managed only 16 passes at a disappointing 76% accuracy rate and none of those passes were key chances, as per SofaScore.

Odegaard was also weak in possession, losing 60% of his midfield battles.

Instead, Arteta may want to opt for Emile Smith Rowe there, who recently excelled in the north London derby, scoring one goal and providing another.

As a result, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could move out wide, with Alexandre Lacazette taking a place up top, or there are more natural wingers in Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe too.

The £36m-rated Norway maestro was once described as a “phenomenon” by journalist Lars Sivertsen to The Athletic, but one goal and one assist across six appearances is far from that sort of standard right now.

Arteta must be bold and ruthless by axing Odegaard from his starting XI tonight.

AND in other news, Cost nothing, now worth £60m: Arteta has struck gold with Arsenal’s “difference maker”…

Celtic may have signed 12 new first-team players during the course of the summer but Ange Postecoglou’s squad is already depleted down to its barebones.

The Hoops have suffered a number of injury blows over the last few weeks with Kyogo Furuhashi now ruled out for over a month.

Giorgos Giakoumakis is also missing due to a lack of fitness and now Greg Taylor will have to undergo surgery on a shoulder problem.

Liel Abada will be absent from the game with Real Betis on Thursday evening due to religious reasons but Postecoglou has now been rocked with another big setback.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager admitted that Callum McGregor would miss the encounter in Spain, citing a “knock.”

It remains to be seen how long the skipper will be out for but in a game of this magnitude, he will be a massive miss for Celtic for a whole host of reasons.

First and foremost, Postecoglou is likely to be gutted because he loses his captain and the man who really sets the tone in the middle of the park.

Though, McGregor’s influence extends far beyond his leadership qualities.

He has experience at international level and has performed admirably in big games over the last few months.

The midfielder scored for Scotland against Croatia at the European Championships, found the net against Midtjylland in the Champions League qualifiers and also shone for his country in a remarkable win over Austria during the last international break.

McGregor has been nothing short of exceptional this season and his ability to disrupt the play would have been crucial against Betis.

The Spanish side may sit ninth in La Liga but they have enjoyed the third-highest average (61.5%) for possession in the league.

No player in Celtic’s midfield has managed more tackles – 1.4 per game – than McGregor this term which only exacerbates the blow at hand.

Postecoglou will be able to choose from Ismaila Soro and James McCarthy as his replacements but the latter is yet to start a game for Celtic since signing in the summer.

Consequently, he may not last the entire game in Seville this evening.

AND in other news, Desmond could land dream McKay successor at Celtic in “respected” 58 y/o CEO…