All posts by z3u9t.icu

[ad_pod ]Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in frustrated fashion after Wilfried Zaha received a charge from the Football Association for improper conduct, following his dismissal against Southampton on Wednesday night (as per the BBC).The Ivory Coast international received just a yellow card initially after a spat with James Ward-Prowse, before being given his marching orders just seconds later after sarcastically clapping referee Andre Marriner’s decision.Zaha opened the scoring on the night, before Ward-Prowse incidentally equalised late in the second half. The 26-year-old’s dismissal appeared to be a build up of frustration of a number of fouls against him that weren’t given, having been upended four times on the night (via Whoscored) – that figure is merely the amount that were awarded by Marriner.Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…Following the charge, the former Manchester United winger now has until 6pm on February 5 to respond, and Palace fans are understandably angry if their reactions on Twitter is anything to go by…

Everton are reportedly still working to add more signings before the end of January as the Toffees look to steer clear of any relegation fears as soon as possible.

What’s the story?

According to Everton insider Alan Myers, the Merseyside club are still looking to get deals over the line before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Replying to an Everton fan on Twitter who asked: “Evening Al, are the club working on incoming / outgoing transfers currently that you may be aware of?”, Myers stated: “I believe they are.”

The Toffees have already completed the captures of Nathan Patterson from Rangers and Vitaliy Myolenko from Dynamo Kiev this month and are seemingly looking to make more signings.

Moreover, former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is set to take charge at Goodison Park after the dismissal of Rafael Benitez almost two weeks ago, and the 43-year-old will be keen to make an instant impression.

Everton fans will be purring

Currently 16th in the Premier League, Everton are in a precarious position, one which they will be desperate to resolve as soon as possible.

Although they’re four points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand on 18th-placed Newcastle, there is still plenty of the season to be played, and adding quality to the squad could help to ensure that the Toffees steer clear of any trouble in terms of losing their top-flight status.

The standard of performances so far this term has been well below what the Goodison Park faithful would expect, with the Toffees currently stuck on a run of one win in their last 14 league games, a streak which has to be terminated soon.

It is still unclear as to where the Everton hierarchy will look to strengthen in the final days of the transfer window or who they will target, particularly with Lampard probably coming through the door and quite likely to have suggested targets of his own.

However, with just two days remaining before the window closes, the Premier League strugglers will need to act swiftly. Myers’ four-word update at least suggests that the Goodison Park hierarchy are not sitting idly by in the closing days of the January transfer window, which will offer some excitement to their fan base.

Meanwhile, Patrick Boyland has dropped another Everton transfer update…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for Jesse Lingard in 2022…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam, who delivered an intriguing update on the situation live on air on Thursday morning.

“This will get Tottenham fans excited, they’ve been screaming for a creative midfielder, someone to replace Christian Eriksen, someone who can score goals, set up goals, and be really dynamic in that front three.

“And Tottenham fans will like this one, because potentially, Jesse Lingard is on their radar,” he said.

“Tottenham are keen to sign Lingard and they have approached his representatives over the course of this window, potentially with a view to a move in January, possibly, maybe more likely, the summer.

“There has been dialogue opened between Jesse Lingard’s representatives and Tottenham.”

Exciting news?

Indeed, it does appear as if many around north London would love to see Spurs make a move for the Manchester United outcast, and it’s easy to see why.

In reactions sourced by This Is Futbol, several members of the Lilywhites faithful expressed their delight in previous links to the England international.

“Get it done Don Fabio,” claimed one, whilst another said: “yes, a midfielder who scored goals”. A further fan even pointed out that he fits the homegrown quota.

Meanwhile, 73% of over 340 supporters polled by Football FanCast were fully behind the arrival of Lingard.

Lingard has struggled for minutes at Old Trafford this season, being restricted to 272 minutes in all competitions but it was only last season that he proved his credentials during a loan stint at London rivals West Ham United.

He delivered nine goals and five assists across 16 appearances to fire the Irons into the Europa League. This included a goal in their win over Spurs in the Premier League, too.

Those at the London Stadium were desperate to keep him following the spell, with assistant manager Stuart Pearce lauding him as a “special lad” to talkSPORT during the summer.

A career average of 1.4 key passes per 90, including a high of 1.9 during the 2016/17 league campaign, does indeed suggest that Lingard could be the man to fulfil that Eriksen role in N17.

Therefore, McAdam is right – there is plenty to be excited about if you’re a Lilywhites supporter. As evident above, many would love to see him join, either this month or in the summer.

AND in other news, Worse than Ndombele: Conte must axe shocking £70k-p/w Spurs flop, he’s stolen a living…

Celtic look set to be frustrated in their reported transfer pursuit of Dundee United midfielder Jeando Fuchs, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Celtic know all about Fuchs

The 24-year-old told Foot Mercato earlier this month that the Hoops had shown an interest in him amid an impressive campaign with the Tangerines. He has also attracted interest from elsewhere in the Premiership, and such has been his impact that his manager Tam Courts has dubbed him a “top player”.

Indeed, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will be quite aware of the midfielder’s abilities. When Dundee United visited Parkhead in September, Fuchs gave a starring display for the away side in a 1-1 draw. He won four tackles and seven duels that afternoon along with completing 31 of his 37 passes, while SofaScore ranked just four Hoops players with a higher rating on the day.

The Latest: Dundee United not entertaining any bids for Fuchs

A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Dundee United are primed to reject any January offers for Fuchs.

The report stated that, despite the Cameroon international being out of contract next summer and the club unable to agree a new deal with him so far, they view him as being a crucial player in their hopes of securing a top-half Premiership finish this season.

The Verdict: Celtic will get over it

While Dundee United’s stern resistance to any transfer interest in Fuchs may come as a disappointment to Celtic, they ought not to wallow in self-pity for too long.

The 24-year-old is adept at breaking up play – his averages of 2.3 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game are better than any Hoops midfielder so far this season – but whether that would be enough to parachute him straight into Postecoglou’s first team is doubtful.

His overall WhoScored seasonal rating of 6.66 would put him a lowly 18th in Celtic’s squad, while there is already an abundance of midfield room options at Parkhead. Therefore, Fuchs falls into the category of ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘must-have’ for Celtic, who can quickly put this development behind them in the pursuit of more attainable transfer targets.

In other news: Celtic set sights on move for ‘quality’ Scot who has the same agent as David Turnbull

We are now over two weeks into the transfer window and rather unsurprisingly, it has been a chaotic one for Newcastle United.

The reasons are clear; they are desperate for players to ensure Premier League survival and they are now famously known as the richest football club on earth.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have bolstered their squad with two marquee additions in recent weeks with Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood arriving.

However, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done, namely in bringing a centre-back to St James’ Park.

The club have failed in their efforts for Sven Botman while a deal is seemingly on the table for Diego Carlos.

It’s thought another striker is wanted by the club’s new Saudi owners and Newcastle’s recruitment team but a name who definitely won’t be joining has been revealed by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

He issued the following update on Twitter: “Rumours linking Mario Balotelli with a move to Newcastle in January are wide of the mark. ‘Fake news’ – comment from sources.”

Fans will be delighted

Although the Toon Army will be desperately craving new acquisitions between now and January 31st, the idea of Balotelli penning terms is unlikely to have been welcomed well by the club’s fanbase.

Of course, he is a hugely experienced character and is also someone who would add plenty of humour and character to the dressing room.

However, with Howe’s men engulfed in a severe relegation battle, winning just one game all term, the last thing you’d want to do is sign someone as controversial as Balotelli.

After all, the Italian is not a regular goalscorer anymore and he’s also now aged 31, past the peak of his powers.

The former Manchester City forward currently plays his football in Turkey for Adana Demirspor where he has found the net on eight occasions this term.

That isn’t a bad tally at all, but the fiery striker has failed not once but twice in English football, enduring a controversy-hit spell at City and then bagging just four strikes in 28 outings for Liverpool.

Right now, Howe needs a player capable of hitting the ground running, either boasting successful Premier League experience or being a player with elite potential – like Sevilla centre-back, Carlos.

As a consequence, Newcastle are right to swerve a move for the ex-Italy international this month and as a result of doing so, the St James’ faithful should be rather delighted with the decision making of Nick Hammond and co.

AND in other news, “I’m told”: Craig Hope issues major NUFC transfer claim that’ll get fans excited…

While Celtic’s impressive 3-2 Europa League win on Thursday ultimately did not change anything in the Group G standings, there were nevertheless a number of takeaways from the game which will have delighted Ange Postecoglou.

Indeed, after handing Celtic debuts to both Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw, as well as awarding valuable first-team minutes to youngsters Liam Scales, Adam Montgomery and Ewan Henderson, the Bhoys’ triumph over Real Betis highlighted just how exciting the club’s future appears to be.

However, not only do the five aforementioned players all undoubtedly possess the ability to one day play a starring role in the Hoops first-team, many already look as if they could make all the difference to Postecoglou’s current Celtic side – perhaps none more so than 21-year-old Henderson.

Postecoglou must unleash Henderson

Indeed, despite only featuring for 19 minutes against the La Liga side in midweek, the attacking midfielder who Stevie Crawford claimed is always in “total control” certainly made his mark on the night. He scored with his first touch of the ball, completed 100% of his passes and made one interception, with these returns seeing the Scotland under-21 international earn a SofaScore match rating of 6.8.

Rather understandably, the youngster’s performance drew a considerable amount of praise, with former Celtic striker John Hartson stating of the 21-year-old’s display: “Henderson’s goal was the story of the night for me. He’s Celtic’s own, he’s come through the academy with Mikey Johnston.

“To get his first goal for Celtic is a very special moment for him and his family. Ange made an awful lot of changes tonight and Celtic have won the game. Henderson gets in there, [it’s a] really good goal with the desire to get in front of the defender. A wonderful night for him personally.”

Meanwhile, the midfield maestro’s older brother Liam also took the time to compliment the academy graduate’s display, stating in a post on Twitter: “Mentality incredible. Extremely, extremely proud.”

With the Bhoys boss not exactly being blessed with a wealth of options in attacking midfield, and the fixtures coming thick and fast as we enter the Christmas period, it would seem advisable for the 56-year-old to once again unleash the £225k-rated youngster against Motherwell this afternoon.

Indeed, with another performance like the one against Betis, Henderson could well end up saving Postecoglou millions of pounds in the January transfer window by dissuading the manager from spending a chunk of the club’s budget on a new midfield arrival.

In other news: “No estimated return date”: Devlin drops big Celtic injury update, Ange will be fuming

If West Ham United sign a striker this January, then there’s a “strong chance” it’ll be Adam Hlozek…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ExWHUemployee, who delivered an exciting claim ahead of the winter transfer window to his ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast this week.

“Daniel Kretinsky is a 40% shareholder at Sparta Prague. They’ve got a forward called Hlozek and he’s highly rated,” he said.

“There is a strong chance the striker signing could be him.”

A desperate need

This ties in well with recent developments around the London Stadium after Kretinsky’s investment was officially confirmed by the club on Wednesday.

The 46-year-old Czech supremo, who is co-owner of Sparta Prague, purchased a minority stake of 27% in the Irons – a move that sees him have more of a say than David Gold, though David Sullivan remains the majority shareholder.

Late last month, claims from the Telegraph suggested that Kretinsky was going to propose a partnership between the east Londoners and the Czech outfit as a potential player development line, having already signed three players in Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek and Alex Kral in recent times.

Adding a striker to David Moyes’ squad could be the missing piece of the puzzle this season as the Scotsman only has Michail Antonio, 31, available at his disposal and his injury woes since arriving at the Hammers are no secret.

The West Ham boss needs strength in depth, particularly up front, as he has the club competing on all fronts this campaign – they sit third in the Premier League, have advanced into the Europa League knockout stages and have the Carabao and FA Cup to still to play for, too.

If Antonio faces time out, he could seriously scupper the Irons’ progress, as their in-form top goalscorer is so crucial to their fortunes.

Hlozek is an intriguing and exciting young striker who could support the veteran talisman and this new relationship will certainly help smooth any dealings in January.

The 19-year-old has scored four goals and provided eight assists in 20 appearances this season, building on last season’s tally of 15 goals and nine assists, where he averaged a direct contribution every 75.9 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.

Pavel Paska, who is the agent of both Hlozek and Soucek, believes his client is an “extraordinary talent” who “has everything an attacker needs” – and going by that record, its hard to disagree, so Moyes would be getting a very fine future star on his hands.

Ex’s suggestion that there’s a strong chance that he could sign should be a major source of encouragement for many around the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold reveals exciting behind-the-scenes Antonio Conte claim…

Signing Cameron Carter-Vickers permanently will be a priority for Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou in the coming months, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Influential Hoops figure

The 24-year-old has been magnificent for the Hoops this season, having joined on loan from Tottenham during last year’s summer transfer window.

Carter-Vickers has been a rock at the heart of Celtic’s defence, starting 28 Scottish Premiership matches, averaging 4.2 clearances per game and even scoring four goals, unsurprisingly ranking as one of the squad’s five best players.

There is interest in the American from numerous clubs in England ahead of the summer, however, as Postecoglou tries to tie him down to a permanent move.

The Latest: Journalist positive about move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed that Celtic will be working hard on signing Carter-Vickers, suggesting the manager is personally a big fan:

“I’m sure Celtic will be hoping to tie this deal up as soon as possible. They’ll want it done before Premier League clubs could maybe come in and offer more money for Carter-Vickers.

“I think it will be one of Postecoglou’s top priorities to get this deal done.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-2/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Get it done

This is one of those transfers that feels like a complete no-brainer, with Carter-Vickers fitting in seamlessly at Parkhead and Spurs surely willing to let him leave – they have loaned him out to seven different clubs during his career.

The biggest threat is that interest from Premier League clubs turns the defender’s head, but he feels settled at Celtic and he is on the cusp of winning a double in his first year there, with reports from The Daily Record saying his camp are happy in Glasgow.

It would be a big blow to miss out on acquiring Carter-Vickers’ signature permanently now – he has been described as ‘immense’ by Chris Sutton – but all signs are pointing towards this one being done.

In other news, a pundit has discussed potential interest in one Celtic hero. Read more here.

Manchester United have been highly speculated to be fully involved in the January transfer window due to the arrival of interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, and after the side lost last night at home to Wolves, a fresh claim on Paul Pogba’s future at the club could be a consolation for fans.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports Journalist, Ben Ransom, has spoken this morning, giving some much-needed answers to questions on Pogba’s immediate future at Manchester United, giving his perspective on the situation and whether Manchester United could hold onto the midfielder until the end of the season.

Speaking on Sky Sports this morning, Ransom shared a twist to the tale, revealing that he is unlikely to leave over the winter. He said:

“Pogba I’m sure, Mino Raiola I’m sure will be plotting his future, but at the moment it’s too early for Ralf Rangnick to say what’s going to happen this month.

“Given the fact that we’re not expecting Pogba to rejoin full training for another couple of weeks – another couple of weeks for him to be match fit – you’d suggest that points to something being resolved in the summer instead.”

Fans will be buzzing

Pogba has had a rollercoaster of a time during his time at Old Trafford after making an epic return back in 2016 signing for a world record-breaking fee at the time of £89m.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman has had a total of 219 appearances, with an impressive 38 goals and 49 assists on his tally for the Manchester giants, winning two league cups and one Europa League with the club. Thus, fans will surely be delighted that any chance of him leaving this winter has been evaporated.

That said, the £290k-per-week star is still free to discuss pre-contract agreements with other clubs as his current deal ends in the summer, with a number of sides rumoured to be interested in signing the midfielder, including Real Madrid and PSG.

Pogba bagged seven assists in thirteen appearances for United before he was side-lined over a month ago due to injury and given their poor performances since, fans will surely be desperate for his creativity to be injected back into the team under Rangnick, who plays a 4-2-2-2 pressing formation built for creative play.

One fan tweeted after the Wolves game;

“How many more embarrassing performances do we need to have until you lot learn that we don’t know how to play footy without Pogba.”

Consequently, the news that his future will remain at Old Trafford for another few months will surely leave a host of supporters elated.

In other news: Manchester United must swoop for Julian Alvarez

Newcastle United are reportedly setting their sights on signing Leon King in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Emerging talent

At just 17 years of age, King is one of the emerging talents in Scottish football, having already made his senior debut for Glasgow Rangers.

The club’s coaches regard him as a ‘huge talent’ and are ‘convinced’ that he can establish himself in the first team at Ibrox in the coming years (Football Insider).

However, he is out of contract in the summer, so that presents a good opportunity for the St James’ Park outfit to sign him.

The Latest: Newcastle set sights on King

As per Football Insider, both Newcastle and Manchester United have now ‘set their sights’ on the Gers sensation ahead of the January transfer window.

Sources from Ibrox have revealed that there is ‘fresh doubt’ over the teenager’s future, and he could even be sold for a compensation fee of around £250,000.

The Tyneside club are ‘interested’ in opening talks with King over a pre-contract agreement in January ahead of a potential summer move.

The Verdict: One for the future

King is a player for the future, so it would be a smart idea for the Magpies to sign him now before he develops further and attracts interest from other clubs.

The defender clearly has a lot of promise, as he has also played for the Scotland national team at youth level.

The Newcastle Academy could then use and develop him, or he could be sent out on loan to get further experience playing men’s football, but it is clear that there are multiple possibilities with this potential signing.

In other news, NUFC are willing to pay big money for this rising star