All posts by z3u9t.icu

A major boost has emerged for Sheffield Wednesday, one that could lead to the club keeping a sought-after dynamo this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to The Star, Sheffield Wednesday have held positive talks with young forward Charles Hagan and thsy are closing in on agreement to keep the academy starlet at the club. Hagan’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the month and Wednesday are working hard to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

The report claims that Hagan is highly-rated by Darren Moore and that he could have a chance to seal regular first-team minutes in League One if he remains at the club. He has also had interest from Premier League, Championship and League One clubs, with Brentford, Stoke and Charlton said to be monitoring his situation.

Hagan’s preference is to stay at Hillsborough and compete for his spot in the first-team as the 19-year-old eyes the next step in his development. This, however, is not the case with Osaze Urhoghide as the young defender has decided to reject the club’s efforts to keep him at the club and as such, he will leave at the end of June.

Moore will be buzzing

Moore will be buzzing with this update as it now appears likely that Hagan will be in his Sheffield Wednesday squad next season. Given all the doom and gloom surrounding the wage situation at the club, with the PFA stepping in to help, this is a much-needed boost for Wednesday and Moore. Hagan signing a new contract at Hillsborough is good news, the type that has come few and far between since relegation to League One was confirmed earlier this year.

Hagan putting pen to paper on an extended deal could also be a signal of intent to other academy products considering their futures at the club. Whilst Urhoghide has already opted against a new deal at Sheffield Wednesday, other players could look at Hagan and see him potentially progressing into becoming a regular first-team player and follow suit.

The £530-per-week attacker made his senior debut for Wednesday last season in the League Cup and the report above mentions that Moore rates him very highly. This suggests that next term could be a breakthrough year for Hagan if he plays his cards right.

If Moore gives him the chance then he will need to take it in League One and if he can make the grade, then the Wednesday boss will be all the more delighted that the 19-year-old has committed his future to the club.

AND in other news, SWFC dealt major blow with “instrumental” £800-p/w beast, Moore will be fuming…

Noel Whelan has given his reaction to the news that James Rodriguez may be able to play for Everton against Sheffield United on Sunday evening.

The Lowdown: Rodriguez may be fit

As per the Toffees’ official website, Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that the Colombian is set to be fit and available to play against the Blades this weekend.

The former Real Madrid star has missed the Merseyside club’s last three games in the Premier League, and so it will come as a welcome relief to have him back as they chase European qualification.

The Latest: Whelan gives Rodriguez reaction

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan – who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City in the past – highlighted just how important Rodriguez is to Everton and admitted that he did not think the 29-year-old would play again this season. He said:

“They’re a weaker side without him in.

“He’s the one that can open the door, it’s a brilliant news to have him back. He can be that go to man when you need something to happen. When he’s not in the side, they lose a little bit of creativity.

“That’s known, it’s seen. When he’s in the side, a lot goes through him. You’re looking for him all the time. Those cross-field passes, that eye, that something that other players don’t have in the side.

“That’s why Ancelotti brought him to Everton, for that little bit of brilliance that can change the momentum in a game. They need him fit, they need him back. I thought next season would be the next time we’d see him.”

The Verdict: Rodriguez comeback vital

The comeback of Rodriguez could well be vital if the Toffees are to achieve European qualification this year. In his recent absence, Everton have dropped five points in two meetings against Aston Villa.

The Colombia international has scored six goals and supplied a further nine assists in 25 matches over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt), offering a creative spark in midfield to help make chances for his attacking team-mates.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-updates-2/” title=”Everton updates! (2)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As Whelan has hinted, Rodriguez may be crucial in unlocking the door for Everton against a stubborn Blades team who lost narrowly to the Toffees back at Christmas.

In other news, find out what Aston Villa image has left these Everton fans fuming

Flocking to social media, plenty of Sky Blues supporters have applauded a gesture by Manchester City ahead of their first ever Champions League final in Porto on Saturday evening. 

Pep Guardiola’s men, in what is a huge week for the club, gear up to take on Chelsea with the aim of securing a first European Cup triumph for City and their supporters.

Having just celebrated a fifth Premier League crown and third under Guardiola, it is immediately back to business for the Citizens with the prospect of winning a historic treble.

Ahead of the final in Portugal, for many of the supporters who can’t attend, Manchester City’s official club account has now announced a big gesture.

Indeed, the Sky Blues have confirmed that the final will be screened at the academy stadium for up to 4,000 fans and tickets will be available for just £5 – with priority given to 2019/2020 season ticket holders.

As a result, plenty of City supporters flocked and applauded this move from the club – coming after Sheikh Mansour even offered to personally fund the official club trip to Porto.

Find all of their best verdicts on the official announcement down below.

Man City fans flock to official announcement

“Wow, this is a proper club, £5 for a ticket. actually respect the fans instead of charging silly money like £50+”

Credit: @MCFCHag

“YESSS”

Credit: @MCFC_Latino

“Yeahhhhh city..what a gesture!”

Credit: @KunAme10

“SIUUU”

Credit: @officialgilbert

“Massive club”

Credit: @KunHyder

“Great gesture from City”

Credit: @wendyfitz9

“Love this!!!”

Credit: @mschmidt_soccer

“This is how you do it”

Credit: @SkyHigh_Blu

In other news: Sky Blues excited by Harry Kane claim, find out more here.

According to an update courtesy of ExWHUemployee, via West Ham Fan Zone, Michail Antonio has an outside chance of being available for the Burnley game on Monday night and is ‘way ahead of schedule’ in his recovery. 

David Moyes, who is often cryptic in regards to injury updates, confirmed on Friday that the 31-year-old is back on the grass and refused to rule him out of contention for the trip to Turf Moor (football.london).

Backing up the manager’s statement, Ex says that the striker stands a chance of playing against Burnley after progressing in rehabilitation quicker than expected and way ahead of schedule.

Antonio suffered a hamstring injury during the victory at Wolves last month and has been sidelined ever since, with concerns then emerging that he could miss the rest of the season (The Guardian). With the 31-year-old being their only senior centre-forward and one of their leading scorers, his swift return will naturally be welcomed.

Flocking to the update from Ex, many Irons supporters were understandably delighted that the striker has a chance to feature on Monday, with one Hammers fan calling it ‘great news’.

Check out some of their verdicts from social media below.

West Ham fans erupt over Ex injury update

“Wow”

Credit: @TalkinWestHam

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“Hope he makes it. Would be big to see him terrorise Mee & Tarkowski. Even for 30-40 mins”

Credit: @westhamhour

“Great news we need him”

Credit: @happy_hammers

“We really need him to turn up when he’s back”

Credit: @Kai_WHU

“Literally reading this as blur song 2 comes on!!

Wooooo hooooo”

Credit: @daledwhu

“WHAT”

Credit: @whugabes

In other news: West Ham have made contact to sign this ‘unplayable’ star, find out more here.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Dean Smith’s comments regarding European qualification on social media.

Villa have enjoyed a solid season in the Premier League and have flirted with Europe on several occasions throughout the current campaign. Smith’s side currently sit in 11th place on 48 points ahead of the meeting with Manchester United this afternoon, but three points today could see them end the weekend in ninth.

It seems as if the Villa manager has his eye on bringing European football back to Villa Park, though, admitting that the club ‘need to start challenging’ for that coveted prize.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports ahead of the clash with Manchester United, Smith said:

“Qualifying for Europe is the aim for the football club. The vision of the owners is to develop players and grow the value and the brand of Aston Villa Football Club across the world. We need to start challenging.”

Villa fans react

@villareport shared those comments on social media on Twitter, which unsurprisingly received plenty of interaction from a number of Villa supporters.

Here’s what some had to say in reply, with one making reference to youngster Carney Chukwuemeka, who has recently been linked with a move away, and another labelling them as ‘exciting’.

“No way we let Chukwuemeka leave now”Credit: @MazeSZN”Exciting times again as a Villa fan isn’t it”Credit: @will_avfc”The club starting to show the ambition that’s been missing over the last 10-15 years”Credit: @TheVillaHome”Can’t wait for the transfer window to open and see how serious the owners are. Could be a very exciting/interesting transfer window for us “Credit: @PeteVillan1981″Next year is our year”Credit: @mylokieran”Need to taste those European night atmosphere’s like Ajax again”Credit: @HoItender

In other news: Villa leapfrog PL rival in race to sign defender; source claims he’s visited the club, find out more here.

Celtic have knocked back a loan offer from AEK Athens for goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas.

That’s according to reliable Greek reporter Giannis Chorianopoulos, who shared the news on Friday evening.

Barkas not interested in a return to Greece

Chorianopoulos claimed that AEK Athens, who sold Barkas to the Hoops for £4.5m last summer, contacted Celtic over a possible loan move.

Barkas isn’t keen on a return to his native country and, as a result, Celtic didn’t consider a temporary move away.

The 26-year-old, who is on £9k-per-week, has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, keeping nine clean sheets. He’s under contract until 2024.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Celtic have made a transfer U-turn regarding Barkas.

Reports from Chorianopoulos back in February suggested that the shot-stopper was ‘running out of time’ at Celtic and a loan move in the summer window was ‘possible’.

However, with Barkas looking likely to stay in Glasgow, he’ll be looking to establish himself as a regular between now and the end of the season ahead of Scott Bain and Conor Hazard.

Perhaps Eddie Howe, who looks set to become Neil Lennon’s long-term successor, likes what he sees in Barkas? Only time will tell.

In other news: £5.8k p/w Celtic ace close to Parkhead exit after Lennoxtown footage emerged, find out more here. 

Fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding the Hammers’ interest in a January move for Diego Costa.

According to a recent report by The Athletic, David Moyes stopped West Ham from making a move for the former Atletico Madrid centre-forward in the winter transfer window, as the 57-year-old felt that the Spain international would not have fit into the feeling of togetherness that is evident within his team.

Indeed, despite the fact that Moyes currently only has one out and out centre-forward in his first-team squad, the Hammers have been in remarkable form this season, with the east London side sitting in fourth place in the Premier League standings with just seven games left to play.

And, after West Ham Central relayed the report regarding Diego Costa on Twitter, fans of the Irons flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to blame the club’s owners for the interest in the 32-year-old, stating their belief that David Gold and David Sullivan have no idea what they are doing in the transfer market.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Diego Costa?

“It shows GSB have no plan in place and that this season is all down to Moyes. It’s worrying how clueless they are.”

@teamwhu

“This would have been a dreadful decision to sign him…”

@Conorfitz96

“Thank Moyes for that!”

@GlennL65

“Well done Dave. Another over the hill striker – who’d have ever have guessed? Maybe Jack suggested this one?”

@monty88wham

“Good call.”

@usawhu2

“No. We have a squad playing for each other. Costa would make it all about him. We have to stop buying journeymen on massive wages.”

@sosmywife

In other news: ‘Scenes’, ‘Finally’, ‘Yessssss’ – Loads of West Ham fans ecstatic as transfer news emerges – find out more here!

In recent comments made on Twitter, Phil Hay dropped an update on the future of Leeds United left-back, Ezgjan Alioski.

Since joining Leeds from FC Lugano in what was a £2.25 million deal back in the summer of 2017, Alioski has gone on to feature 162 times for the club, scoring 22 goals and providing 16 assists along the way.

However, so far this season, the £24,000-per-week 29-year-old has slightly underwhelmed over his 27 Premier League appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.55 – ranking him as the club’s 13th-best performer in the top flight.

Seemingly as a result of these below-par displays, it has been reported that Leeds will not be offering the defender a new deal at Elland Road, with Football Insider claiming that the North Macedonian has agreed pre-contract terms with Turkish side Galatasaray ahead of a move this summer.

In a recent post on Twitter, Hay confirmed that Alioski has “nothing agreed with Leeds” regarding a new contract, as well as suggesting that the “talk is very strong” in relation to the left-back’s reported move to Turkey.

Transfer Tavern Take

While Alioski has impressed during his time at Leeds, earning seasonal WhoScored match ratings of 6.86 in 2017/18, 6.97 in 2018/19 and 6.70 in 2019/20, it would appear, considering the significant drop in his average match rating so far this season, that Premier League football may be a level slightly beyond the capabilities of the left-back.

As such, perhaps it will be best for all involved if Alioski does indeed move on to greener pastures this summer, with a move to Galatasaray appearing the most likely destination for the defender.

In other news: Leeds United have been urged to sign this “highly sought-after” £31k-p/w star this summer – find out more here!

Rangers’ deal to sign Glen Kamara for just £50,000 in January 2019 has always been regarded as a bargain for the Ibrox outfit, but Steven Gerrard’s side could be set to make a significant profit on the Finnish international this summer.

Kamara joined for the minimal fee from Dundee in 2019 and has established himself as a key player in Gerrard’s squad in the two years since, going on to make 98 appearances for the Light Blues, in which he has contributed four goals and four assists.

His superb performances for Rangers have not gone unnoticed, however, with a host of Premier League clubs including Newcastle United, Everton, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United having all reportedly registered an interest last summer.

Although Gerrard will no doubt be keen to keep Kamara in his squad, a recent report from Football Insider has suggested that the Champions value him at £10m-plus following his impressive performances in both the Premiership and the Europa League this season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

If the Gers were able to receive that sort of fee for the 25-year-old this summer, then it would represent magnificent business from the club, and they could reinvest that into Gerrard’s squad ahead of the return to the Champions League next season.

Kamara made a huge impression after just a few months at Rangers, with teammate Scott Arfield full of praise for him in May 2019, saying:

“Glen for 50k is the biggest steal of the century. He’s come in and he’s took to life. In terms of coming from Dundee with no expectation on him but in terms of how he plays the expectation arises because he’s such a good footballer and he’s kept that going.”

Transfermarkt has also recognised Kamara’s impressive performances in his time at Ibrox as they now value the midfielder at £4.05m, which represents a significant increase from last summer, when he was valued by the website at just £1.08m.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

Kamara’s time at Rangers has clearly made him a much better player but, if Premier League sides come knocking again this summer, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see the Gers cash in on the former Arsenal youth.

In other news… Wilson must stand firm with in-demand Rangers wonderkid this summer

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are fuming with defender Julian Borner following his performance in the match against Reading.

The two sides are at opposite ends of the table and it was easy to see why, with Reading battling for promotion and the Owls in a relegation dogfight.

Borner didn’t help out new manager Darren Moore as he got sent off in the 29th minute (SofaScore), giving away a penalty completely unnecessarily. The Royals scored from the spot, as one fan called the defender’s blunder ‘absolutely shambolic’.

With the Owls already six points from safety before the game, it is understandable to see the fan base so frustrated. His performance before getting sent off was not good and the red card summed up his display. The centre-back lost both of the two ground duels he attempted, and lost possession four times (SofaScore).

It also means that the club will be without a defensive option through his suspension, and it will most likely not be just the fans who will be infuriated by the 30 year-old, but also the new manager as well.

Here is how Wednesday fans reacted:

“Borner off poor play from him. Yet again indiscipline from Wednesday #swfc”

Credit: @wobblywoz

“Borner is a shocking, shocking defender”

Credit: @Elliott51084

“Borner absolutely shambolic, first this mistake then the clear foul for the pen. Why god why do we have these players”

Credit: @EagleJagOwl

“Why did borner do that!!! Complete idiot!”

Credit: @OvO_2017

“Could you make any more mistakes in one play Borner? And tearing the shirt too? Ship him out!”

Credit: @ChurwellOwl

“Absolutely pitiful. Makes the mistake then compounds the mistake with that. They should stop his wages until he plays again”

Credit: @nigel_short

In other news, fans reacted to an update on this ace!