All posts by z3u9t.icu

Since Marcelo Bielsa took charge at Leeds United, the Argentine has taken the club back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence and got them to a top-half finish in their first season back in the top flight.

One figure that has played a massive part in Leeds’ rise from the Championship to the Premier League is Luke Ayling, who has made a total of 200 appearances for the Yorkshire club across all competitions in which he has managed to score seven goals and provide 17 assists along the way.

Last season saw Ayling start all 38 of Leeds’ Premier League games as well as Stuart Dallas, showing how vital he is for Bielsa’s side.

Having now hit the age of 30 and with his current contract at Elland Road set to expire in the summer of 2023, there’s every chance that the club will be looking at who could be their potential long-term replacement for the long-serving Englishman.

With that in mind, it seems as though Bielsa could already have the perfect long-term heir for Ayling that could save Victor Orta millions in potential future transfer fees.

Since joining Leeds’ U23 side from Fulham’s U23 squad back in August last year, 20-year-old right-back Cody Drameh has made 33 appearances for Leeds’ youth side, scoring one goal and providing four assists along the way.

Drameh has also made two appearances for Leeds’ senior side, showing that Bielsa has enough confidence in him already to perform to a high standard in the first team alongside the senior players at Leeds.

This season has seen Drameh be involved in Leeds’ senior matchday squad on eight occasions in the league with one 19-minute cameo appearance in their 2-1 win away at Norwich City.

Labelled as a “revelation” in the past by Tom Hill and as a player that “loves defending” by Ben Parker, Drameh won Leeds’ U23s Player of the Year award last year, highlighting the quality he has.

Given how Ayling managed to rack up an average of 2.8 tackles per game in the league last season as well as winning 61% of the duels he was involved in, these are the sort of defensive numbers that Drameh will have to match if he wants to be recognised as Ayling’s long-term heir at Leeds.

However, with the praise he’s garnered since joining the Yorkshire club, it seems as though that Drameh is more than capable of doing that in the next few years given his apparent love for defending.

In other news: Exciting 4-word January transfer claim emerges that will have Leeds fans buzzing – opinion

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Everton defender Michael Ball believes Farhad Moshiri needs to take responsibility for where the Toffees are right now.

Despite bringing in some big signings last summer, most notably James Rodriguez, Everton once again failed to make that next step and qualify for Europe.

Since then, they have lost Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid and looked at various managers during their search for a successor.

Ultimately, it has all got a bit too messy for Ball, who has pointed the finger at the club owner.

“Moshiri, yes, he’s ploughed a lot of money into the football club,” the ex-Everton full-back said. “But I think he’s only got himself to blame, the money he has squandered on players that he wanted and managers he’s actually appointed.

“It hasn’t worked, so why not trust your technical director, your sporting director who you brought to the football club to improve us.”

Indeed, there has been a bit of disarray at Everton at times during Moshiri’s reign, especially now.

With that being said, the madness of late is largely due to Ancelotti’s shock exit, which Moshiri and most people probably did not see coming.

It sets the club up for an interesting season, a season where Ancelotti’s successor will be hoping to overtake the likes of Tottenham, Leicester City and West Ham, who all grabbed European spots ahead of Everton.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ross Barkley’s Chelsea career might not be over.

£96,000-a-week Barkley, who’s currently on loan at Aston Villa, has never been a regular at Stamford Bridge following his move from Everton, but hasn’t yet been given the opportunity to work under new manager Thomas Tuchel after Frank Lampard loaned him out.

His spell at Villa Park started in excellent fashion after the midfielder, who marked his debut by netting in the thumping win over Liverpool before scoring a late winner at Leicester two weeks later.

But a hamstring problem over Christmas has threatened to overshadow Barkley’s campaign – with the England man now currently out of Dean Smith’s side having been on the bench for Aston Villa’s previous eight Premier League matches.

Barkley looks likely to return to Stamford Bridge this summer, and Windass believes that a clean slate with Blues manager Tuchel could see him come into the German’s plans next season.

He told Football FanCast:

“It’s a new manager, he’s not been with Tuchel. You get a pre-season down you. The Chelsea manager will want his own players in. Ross Barkley is a talented young boy and he might be Tuchel’s cup of tea.

“I would be saying to myself – try and get into the team at Villa until the end of the season. Go back to Chelsea, get a good pre-season down me and prove to the manager that I am a good player and things can turn around very quickly.”

Celtic still have some important games left to play in the SPFL before the season draws to an end and the next summer transfer window opens for business.

However, it seems as though one potential deal has emerged as something the Bhoys could look to complete before their next campaign gets underway.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Bodo/Glimt star Ola Solbakken is a potential summer transfer target for the Hoops if they are unable to strike a permanent deal for current loan star Jota.

Since joining the Norwegian club back in the 2020 January transfer window, the 23-year-old has gone on to make 71 appearances for his side across all competitions.

In those appearances, the winger has managed to score 17 goals and provide 18 assists along the way.

This highlights just how much of an attacking threat he can be.

Postecoglou would love him

Throughout his career, the attacker has been deployed on the left and right wings, delivering goal contributions from both sides, showing just how versatile he is on the pitch.

In comparison to Solbakken, the Portuguese attacker has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists in 35 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions since his arrival from Benfica on loan last summer.

The Hoops will be very familiar with what sort of player Solbakken is, as he scored a goal and provided an assist during the two meetings between the clubs in the UEFA Europa Conference League earlier this season.

Currently valued at £1.8m according to Transfermarkt, the Norway international has been likened to former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben in terms of his attacking moves on the pitch. Moreover, he’s been likened to a certain Norwegian forward too with BT Sport describing one of his goals in Europe as having “serious Haaland vibes.”

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to suggest that Postecoglou would be delighted to have a player like the Norwegian in his squad that is capable of scoring and creating goals as well as playing in numerous positions.

Moving forward, while securing a permanent deal for Jota should undeniably be their first port of call for the summer, having Solbakken as a potential backup option is not a bad one to have given his attacking talents.

In other news: Sold for £2.5m, now worth £8.1m: 27 y/o could’ve been Celtic’s “player of the season”

Rangers’ 22-year-old midfielder Jamie Barjonas is looking set to seal a loan move away from the club.

Barjonas is yet to play even once in the Scottish Premiership for the Gers this season, and it seems as if he is set for a temporary move away from Ibrox.

Barjonas could to Ayr United move

The Athletic’s Rangers journalist, Jordan Campbell, has recently reported about Barjonas’ situation at Ibrox. He claims that the 22-year-old is now training with Ayr United and the expectation is that he will seal a loan move away from the Gers soon enough.

His contract at Rangers expires at the end of the season, but the journalist provided no further information about when the loan deal at Ayr United will expire.

The Leeds-born midfielder has been on the bench for the Gers multiple times in the Europa League this season. He’s also made it to the bench a couple of times in the Premiership (as per Transfermarkt).

Loan move could benefit Barjonas

The midfielder is a product of the Rangers youth academy, but he has spent multiple loan spells at clubs like Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers and even Bury (as per Transfermarkt). He has played only nine times for the Rangers first-team and his last appearance came in the 2017-18 season.

It is time for the Gers to part ways with him and in the summer, they should allow him to leave Ibrox permanently so he can find more consistent playing time.

In other news, Kevin Campbell has discussed the future of Alfredo Morelos – read more about it here.

Writing on Twitter, 7 Gold Sport reporter and Italian journalist Marcello Chirico has dropped a big claim involving Tottenham Hotspur, managing director Fabio Paratici and Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli.

The Lowdown: Locatelli shining for Azzurri…

The Sassuolo midfielder has been dazzling at Euro 2020 so far, carrying his club form on to the international stage and leaving little wonder why Champions League finalists Manchester City and Chelsea have been heavily linked.

Indeed, Azzurri boss Roberto Mancini kept Locatelli in the team for Switzerland after starting him during Italy’s opening win over Turkey – with the 23-year-old going on to repay that faith ten times over.

He bagged a sensational brace against the Swiss and put on a commanding display in the middle, earning an 8/10 match rating on WhoScored, completing 90% of his passes and scoring 100% of his attempts on goal.

The Latest: Paratici makes move…

Now, as per Chirico on social media, Tottenham director Paratici wants a slice of the action.

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

So much so, the 48-year-old transfer guru has ‘already contacted’ Sassuolo chairman and friend Giovanni Carnevali to try and bring him to north London.

“Beware of Paratici : for 2 years at Juventus tried to buy Locatelli (his passion), now he has already contacted his friend Carnevali to try to bring him to Spurs,” explained the verified reporter on Twitter.

“The player gives precedence to Juve , however, it must close quickly with Sassuolo.”

The Verdict: Big claim…

While Locatelli would prefer Juve, this arguably comes as a big development and highlights Paratici’s ambition in the transfer market this summer.

The midfield maestro is debatably one of the most promising ball-playing midfield men in world football and also robust in the challenge.

According to WhoScored, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (2.6) and Serge Aurier (2.9) in the Spurs squad averaged more tackles per 90 domestically last year than Locatelli (2.4) – while defender Joe Rodon (1.8) is the only Spurs man to beat him for most interceptions (1.5).

Sassuolo are believed to be demanding around £34 million for his signature this summer, and judging by his start to the Euros, his value could possibly soar even higher.

Spurs face a fight on their hands if they do wish to sign Locatelli, but it would be a truly brilliant coup.

In other news: ‘Here we go again’ – The Athletic journalist shares ‘another dramatic’ Spurs managerial twist…find out more here.

Jack Grealish is set to start England’s final group game in Euro 2020 against the Czech Republic, as reported by The Telegraph.

As England have struggled for attacking fluency at the tournament, many fans and journalists alike have called for the inclusion of the Aston Villa captain in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI, with the 25-year-old having to be content with a 27-minute substitute appearance against Scotland so far at the finals.

Enjoying a fabulous season in 2020/21, Grealish registered a mightily impressive 19 goal contributions from 27 outings, with seven goals and 12 assists [Transfermarkt]. He received due adulation as he was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season accolade at the beginning of June [avfc.co.uk].

After doing considerable damage to opposition backlines all year round, he now seems set to be gifted a golden opportunity on the international stage.

Upon hearing the news, no wonder so many jubilant Villa fans took to Twitter to revel in this development.

Aston Villa fans react

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here is how some supporters summarised their feelings upon hearing that Grealish is set to start for England tonight:

“Praise be”

Credit: @OP4C”about time”Credit: @catrinedwards18″Finallyyyyy”Credit: @LukeKing_”Tears in my eyes”Credit: @MazeSZN”God Bless Gareth Southgate x”Credit: @HarryBatters”SCENES”Credit: @lukefrxstIn other news, many Aston Villa fans react to transfer links with an Argentina international.

Former Newcastle United star Keith Gillespie has told The Transfer Tavern that he is surprised by the club’s poor form this season, insisting that he did not foresee their relegation battle this season.

Steve Bruce’s side drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend in a result that moved the club three points clear of Fulham, who lost to Aston Villa to remain in the bottom three on Sunday.

Newcastle actually began the season in decent form, beating West Ham United on the opening day, and winning five and drawing two of their first 11 games.

However, since their 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on December 12, Newcastle have won just twice, and they face a daunting run-in.

Bruce’s side play Burnley, West Ham United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and, most intriguingly of all, Fulham.

Gillespie is surprised to see Newcastle in the position they’re in, especially considering the signings in the summer of the likes of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, and Jamal Lewis.

He told TT: “I didn’t think they’d be scrapping for their lives. They brought in Jamal Lewis, things haven’t really worked out too well for him. Wilson’s been fantastic for them, where they would be without him? I dread to think.

“They brought in Fraser and you look at Fraser and Wilson, how well they worked together at Bournemouth. On the first day of the season you had Andy Carroll playing up front with Wilson, who was fantastic, but unfortunately with Andy Carroll you can’t keep him fit at times and 90 minutes is beyond him.”

Many Everton fans have been left to buzz as an update emerged on their new away kit for next season.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, supporters can now order the new away strip, which features a burnt orange belt cutting through the black jersey, with the Cazoo sponsor in the middle and the Toffees badge placed within the belt.

The kit has been made and designed by Hummel and has certainly got a lot of tails of Blues fans wagging to buy it.

It goes away from the traditional blue and white colours of the home shirt, but several EFC supporters seem to love the colour combinations and overall design, as they look forward to going into the next campaign with just one game left to go, away at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, in the 2020/21 term.

Everton fans on new away kit

These Everton fans buzzed as the new away kit was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘magnificent’:

“Wow, this is beautiful”

Credit: @N00rKi

“Absolutely love it #Everton #Hummel”

Credit: @NewMozDivision

“At last!”

Credit: @LeeCJ1982

“Beautiful”

Credit: @hughes_jagger

“This kit is magnificent and I won’t have anyone tell me otherwise.”Credit: @jamesiwanj”Oh my”Credit: @WilliamsLewyIn other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees fuming here!

Celtic have enjoyed a positive transfer deadline day so far with the Hoops concluding a deal for Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.

However, they are struggling to sign a much-needed central defender.

What’s the word?

Celtic came into transfer deadline day this morning hoping to conclude three new signings.

They have completed one of them in Giakoumakis but they are still planning to wrap up a deal for Benfica winger Jota.

On top of that, Celtic were looking at signing a central defender on loan. It emerged just after lunchtime that they had lodged interest in Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Sadly, it’s quickly become apparent that a deal will be incredibly difficult to do.

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph who posted the following update on Twitter:

“Celtic made an enquiry with Spurs today about a potential loan deal for defender Cameron Carter-Vickers. It’s understood that any deal would be difficult to do at this stage and is looking very unlikely. Spurs are also believed to prefer a permanent transfer.”

Fans upset

Despite possibly two offensive additions on the final day of the window, it is clearly a defender that Celtic need to recruit the most.

They have already signed two senior figures in Carl Starfelt and Josip Juranovic but you get the sense from supporters that they need more.

Those pleas are understandable too, especially when you consider their defensive record last term and their showings in the early week of the ongoing season.

In 2020/21, the Bhoys shipped 16 more goals than Rangers and also conceded an eye-watering 19 times in the Europa League group stages.

Celtic haven’t quite been as disastrous as that this term, but there have been some abject mistakes. Nir Bitton was sent off against Midtjylland in the Champions League and then Starfelt scored a terrible own goal in the away tie against AZ Alkmaar.

In the same game, Joe Hart was also distinctly average. He failed to clear a ball over the top which allowed their Dutch opposition to equalise.

With that in mind, the Hoops desperately needed to sign at least one more defender before the deadline. The fact they won’t sign Carter-Vickers, therefore, will come as a big disappointment for supporters.

AND in other news, Journo reveals who Celtic may sign after Jota & Giakoumakis, it’s shrewd work by Ange…