All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal could be set to identify an alternative to Declan Rice, having been pushed back in their pursuit with a new competitor having emerged…

What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Arsenal?

That's according to The Guardian, who suggest that the Gunners retain their interest in Southampton's young midfield general Romeo Lavia, alongside top-flight rivals Chelsea.

Having been relegated from the Premier League, his future on the south coast has been thrown into doubt. With Manchester City retaining their £40m buy-back clause, though it remains to be seen how much the Saints will actually charge should others come in.

However, the necessity for this pursuit comes following their rejected bid to sign their top target in Rice, to which David Ornstein recently revealed: "Man City now actively exploring own approach for 24yo".

Gunners chief Edu Gaspar and manager Mikel Arteta must either act quickly or move on to their other targets, and the 19-year-old presents an intriguing candidate.

Is Romeo Lavia as good as Declan Rice?

Coincidentally, although on paper the two are worlds apart in terms of quality, the youth and room for growth that the teenage sensation boasts makes him a similarly intelligent investment akin to the 24-year-old star.

After all, for what has been his first full season in senior football, Lavia has shone for a very poor outfit.

Recording a 6.80 average rating in the league, the Belgian maintained an 86% pass accuracy and a 68% dribble success rate, alongside 2.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game, via Sofascore. He was a calming presence in possession, and a tenacious tackler when trying to win it back, with journalist Benjy Nurick even branding him a "monster".

Whilst Rice showcases more of an all-around skillset, his experience at the top of the game is shoulders above his potential alternative. In good time, surrounded by the top squad that Arteta has created, his evolution would surely be fast-tracked.

The England international managed 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in the Premier League, yet added one key pass per game and six goal contributions into the mix, via Sofascore. He is clearly the better player now, but for the £100m-plus touted fee, the value could be debated.

With Pep Guardiola having entered the fold to secure his services, his title-winning and trophy-laden pedigree is often a pull impossible to resist. To move to the Etihad is to ensure a vast trophy haul, and Rice would surely be an important cog in their system too.

However, it falls to whether the West Ham United captain wants to join a side already at the top or forge a dynasty that could topple such perfection.

If he chooses the former, then Lavia still represents a fine alternative for the Gunners to target, given the evidence above.

Liverpool are preparing to make an offer to bring Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Franck Kessie?

The Ivory Coast international first arrived at Camp Nou from AC Milan last summer and has made a total of 43 appearances during his debut season, but despite his contract not expiring for another three years, he could already be set to depart.

The La Liga star only made seven league starts under Xavi during the previous term and was limited to largely substitute appearances having been brought off the bench on 21 occasions, as per WhoScored, so he’s significantly out of favour in the senior first-team.

The Blaugrana currently have ongoing issues with Financial Fair Play that need resolving so they are expected to cash in on some of their valuable assets during the upcoming window, and the 26-year-old appears to be one of the first on the chopping block.

Are Liverpool signing Kessie?

According to Spanish outlet Sport (via The Daily Mail), Liverpool are “set to make a bid” of £30m in an attempt to secure the services of Kessie this summer. Barcelona view the midfielder as “one of the possible options” that they could get rid of to help aid their money problems and the Reds are “willing” to table the specified amount above to bring him to Anfield to join Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool will know that Kessie hasn’t been given a fair chance to prove what he’s capable of this season, but having previously been dubbed a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Barcelona’s central midfielder could be a player worth taking a risk on.

The Champions League participant posted six goal contributions (three goals and the same number of assists) across all competitions last term and ranked in the 88th percentile for number of touches in the opposition’s penalty area by central midfielders, showing how he gets forward and impacts the game in the last third.

The Ouragahio native, however, is also strong in the defensive aspect of his game having won 60 per cent of his attempted tackles over the course of the previous campaign so isn’t afraid to get stuck in, commit to challenges and win back possession for his team.

Finally, Kessie would add wonderful versatility to Klopp’s squad having operated in five different positions since the start of his professional career, including four roles in the centre and even at centre-back, so he would be a great option for the manager to have at his disposal on Merseyside.

Celtic are on the lookout for a new head coach after Ange Postecoglou officially left the Scottish giants to join the Premier League on Tuesday.

The 57-year-old has put pen to paper on a deal with Tottenham Hotspur in England and this now pushes Peter and Mark Lawwell and Dermot Desmond into the market to bring a manager in to replace the Australian.

A number of bosses have already been linked with the vacancy and one man who is reportedly in the running for the job is ex-Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch.

The 49-year-old, who won two Austrian Bundesliga titles in two seasons with RB Salzburg earlier in his career, could revive a current Celtic outcast back to his former glory if the Hoops decide to appoint him heading into next term.

How did David Turnbull perform this season?

Parkhead attacking midfielder David Turnbull endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign as the Scotsman only started six games in the Scottish Premiership and zero times in the Champions League.

He made 27 appearances as a substitute in the two competitions combined but his lack of starts limited the impact that he was able to make in the final third. The gem ended the season with four goals and six assists in the league and in Europe combined, which shows that the ace was unable to make regular contributions in attack.

Turnbull is a number ten by trade and did not fit in with Postecoglou's 4-3-3 system, which required him to play as an eight or out wide, and thus could be revived by Marsch's preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up that would allow him to play in the hole behind a centre-forward.

The American's formation would provide the 23-year-old with two holding midfielders behind him to offer defensive protection and allow the ace to push forward to link up with the two wingers and striker to create and score goals at the top end of the pitch.

Celtic's Scotland international predominantly played as a number ten for Neil Lennon in the 2020/21 campaign, before Postecoglou's arrival, and enjoyed a terrific year in the Premiership, which the Australian later described as "outstanding".

The £16k-per-week magician averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.47 and contributed with nine goals and six assists in 30 starts. He also created 12 'big chances' for his teammates and made 2.9 key passes per match, which is more than any Celtic player averaged in the league this year.

Therefore, Marsch, whose style was described as "aggressive" by journalist Josh Bunting, could revive the Hoops wizard by making him the attacking midfielder in his 4-2-3-1 system, which could allow the ace to thrive and get back to regularly scoring and creating goals in the Premiership.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in making a move for Sporting CP sensation, Manuel Ugarte, albeit with the Lilywhites set to face stern competition for the midfielder's signature.

What's the latest on Ugarte to Tottenham?

According to journalist Rudy Galetti, the north London outfit are seemingly set to rival both Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the battle for the 22-year-old, with the Uruguayan international believed to have a €60m (£53m) release clause in his existing deal in Lisbon.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider stated: "Manuel #Ugarte update. #Chelsea had the first contacts with #SportingCP and continue to push for him; #PSG – still interested – have to solve the topic of the coach before;

#Tottenham in the race, but – to date – their internal situation is quite complicated."

That 'complicated' situation may well be that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is yet to name a permanent successor to Antonio Conte, despite having sacked the Italian at the end of March.

Who is Manuel Ugarte?

The promising midfielder has been a real standout figure for Ruben Amorim's side in recent times, with the 6-foot ace having been hailed as a "warrior" by talent scout Jacek Kulig amid his eye-catching form.

Lauded by journalist Raj Chohan as an "in-house" replacement for ex-teammate Joao Palhinha – who starred for Fulham this season after finishing top of the pile for tackles made – the emerging gem is evidently a truly monstrous midfield presence, offering the ability to provide an effective screen in front of the back four.

If Levy was to secure Ugarte's services ahead of next season, the Montevideo native could potentially represent something of an upgrade on current Spurs man, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, due to the younger man's superior ball-winning prowess.

That difference in quality between the pair is showcased by the fact that the Sporting star averaged a mammoth 3.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game in the Primeira Liga in 2022/23, with Hojbjerg, by contrast, only averaging 1.6 and 1.4 for those same two metrics, respectively, in that time.

It was also Ugarte who ranked first in the Champions League for average tackles made per game (4.8), while the former Famalicao ace also appears a more composed presence on the ball as he recorded an average pass accuracy rate of 92% in the Portuguese top-flight, in contrast to just 89% for Tottenham's Danish asset.

The latter man has also been criticised for his lack of impact at N17 of late, with talkSPORT pundit Perry Groves stating that the 27-year-old – and teammate Oliver Skipp – are "like a double appendix" as they "don't do anything in the centre of midfield".

Those struggles have contributed to Tottenham's overall woes this term – having missed out on European qualification – hence the need to land an upgrade such as Ugarte ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur could swoop for Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer, according to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

Antonio Conte is intent on strengthening his defence ahead of his first full season in charge at Tottenham. The Italian is particularly keen to recruit a left-sided centre-half for his back three, and while Bremer is right-footed, The Athletic reported that he’s still under ‘serious consideration’.

Torino offered Bremer a route into European football, signing him from Atletico Mineiro for £5.2m in 2018.

The 25-year-old, who has since made 110 appearances for the Serie A club, signed a new contract as recently as February. Howeverm it only runs until the summer of 2024, and his manager Ivan Juric has already confirmed that the defender will be leaving the Turin outfit this summer.

The latest

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Tottenham ‘have strongly entered the race’ to sign Bremer, along with newly-crowned Serie A champions AC Milan.

The report advises readers to ‘watch out’ for a ‘serious assault’ from Conte and Spurs’ managing director of football Fabio Paratici.

The north Londoners are ‘ready to invest’ as much as €50m (£42.6m) to get this prospective deal done.

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

The verdict

Spurs do have other options in mind. According to Jack Pitt-Brooke and Charlie Eccleshare, Conte is a big admirer of both Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.

However, they claimed that the Italian will cost around £50m, and the Croatian even more, so Bremer could be the cheapest candidate.

The Brazilian is an ‘incredibly aggressive’ defender, even ‘more so than [Cristian] Romero’, in the words of European football expert Alex Barker. He clearly defends on the front foot, ranking in the 98th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for pressures per 90 minutes.

On top of that, he records exceptionally high volumes of interceptions (98th perecentile), blocks (99th), clearances (96th) and successful aerial duels (99th), as per FBRef. He is also someone who backs himself to carry the ball, slotting into the 79th percentile for dribbles completed.

Bremer won the Serie A Defender of the Year award even though Torino finished 10th, and that’s a glowing reflection of his talents.

Indeed, journalist Maxi Angelo has billed him a ‘monster’, perhaps a fitting summary of how huge a presence the 25-year-old could be in Conte’s defence if he comes to north London.

In other news, a journalist has shared a transfer update on Ronnie Edwards.

According to The Times, there has been another Manchester City transfer update involving Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips as the Sky Blues press for Fernandinho’s heir.

The Lowdown: Champions again

Pep Guardiola’s men performed what many City supporters thought was impossible on Sunday, a near-carbon copy of Sergio Aguero’s 93:20 title-winning drama 10 years on.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-latest-developments-3/” title=”Man City latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Premier League champions emerged from the depths of despair to total euphoria, coming back from 2-0 down at home to Aston Villa on the final day with three goals in five minutes. An inspired Ilkay Gundogan grabbed the first and last goal of the stunning comeback as colossal defensive midfielder Rodri also got in on the act with a composed long-range equaliser for 2-2.

Following the Sky Blues’ title parade through Manchester’s grateful streets, attention now turns to the summer transfer market, with City making a good start and already sealing a deal for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.

However, as club legend and faithful servant Fernandinho departs after a near-decade long spell, sporting director Txiki Begiristain and Guardiola have allegedly set their sights on a replacement.

The Daily Mail’s Jack Gaughan claimed that City are ‘ready to pursue a deal’ for Leeds star Phillips, as another credible source in The Times now share their own update.

The Latest: Ballus makes Phillips claim…

Indeed, their journalist Pol Ballus has said that the Whites midfielder is indeed top of Guardiola’s list when it comes to Fernandinho’s replacement. The English champions are also ‘considering making a bid’ for Phillips and ‘will press ahead’ with their effort to sign an heir to City’s long-serving South American.

However, Leeds avoiding relegation could make matters complicated, as they’re now in a stronger position to keep hold of their pivotal midfield anchor.

Also, City aren’t alone in their interest, with arch-rivals Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal and Aston Villa all in the picture.

The Verdict: Standout candidate?

According to The Mirror, Phillips would cost Begiristain and City Football Group around £50m – a third of what fellow target Declan Rice would reportedly cost from West Ham (£150m). Another target in Monaco starlet Aurélien Tchouaméni is apparently rated at around £60m, so economically Phillips certainly seems like the best option.

In terms of quality, we believe that the 26-year-old’s reputation speaks for itself, with no shortage of plaudits for him in recent times.

Leeds defender Liam Cooper even called Phillips ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’ last year, whilst former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has raved over the ‘special player’ and top-flight ‘sensation’ (Football Insider).

If Guardiola wishes to add a world-class rotational partner for Rodri at a fairly reasonable cost, Leeds’ big name may well be the answer.

In other news: ‘Most attractive’ – Man City now the ‘dream’ destination for ‘complete’ and ‘dominant’ player, find out more here.

Manchester United are reportedly close to the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona in a move which will surely please incoming manager Erik ten Hag.

What’s the word?

According to a report from AS (via The Faithful MUFC), a deal is close for the transfer of the Dutchman from Camp Nou to Old Trafford.

The report stated that if United make an offer of €70m (£59.6m) then the La Liga side will allow the 25-year-old to leave.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-man-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more-nunez-ten-hag-nkunku-richarlison” title=”Read the latest Man United news!”]

Ten Hag would then reunite with his former Ajax protégé, and this news will surely excite the Old Trafford faithful.

Better than Paul Pogba

De Jong is currently valued at £63m by Transfermarkt and could well be the marquee signing that Ten Hag needs to make to instantly make an impression on United supporters who are desperate for success.

With the likelihood of Paul Pogba leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer, as Juventus seemingly offer the midfielder a deal to return to Italy, then the Red Devils urgently need another central midfielder.

In the 25-year-old, they would get an instant upgrade on the Frenchman. It’s clear that the Netherlands international offers more of a goalscoring threat from midfield, with four goals this season compared to Pogba’s solitary strike.

De Jong also has a higher pass completion rate than the 29-year-old (90.1% to 83.5%), generates more than double the amount of shot-creating actions (104 to 56) and has made significantly fewer fouls over the course of the season (37 to 56).

freshpress-quiz ]

These figures clearly prove that signing De Jong would be a shrewd move, and with Ten Hag knowing exactly what he would get from the Barcelona maestro from their mutual time at Ajax, then it’s a transfer that makes absolutely perfect sense.

With Barca manager Xavi dubbing the midfielder a “genius”, it could be a massive loss to the Spanish side in the long-term, but it would be a tremendous coup to kickstart the Ten Hag era at Old Trafford.

AND in other news, Man United plotting bid to sign “complete” £63m monster, he’d be their own De Bruyne

Everton may be able to welcome back defender Ben Godfrey against Brentford on Sunday. 

The lowdown

Everton host Thomas Frank’s side at 16.30 on Sunday in their penultimate home game of the season.

If Leeds United fail to beat Brighton in the 14.00 kick-off, then Everton know that a draw will effectively secure safety and a victory will guarantee it.

But if the Whites and Burnley, who play Tottenham Hotspur at 12.00, both win, then they could kick-off in the relegation zone.

Godfrey sustained an injury while warming up for last month’s Merseyside Derby against Liverpool and hasn’t featured since.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-5/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

Patrick Boyland, Everton correspondent for The Athletic, relayed an update on Godfrey’s fitness on Friday.

He’s said to be ‘close’ and ‘could be in the squad’ against the Bees.

Meanwhile, on-loan Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek ‘also has a chance’ of being involved after missing the last four games with thigh problems.

The verdict

This is an important, and unexpected boost, for Lampard and Everton.

The manager admitted after the initial injury that Godfrey may not be able to play again this season.

But he may be able to return with three games remaining to strengthen his side’s survival chances.

Godfrey has started every Premier League game for which he’s been available this season, the clearest indication of his importance.

Team-mate Andros Townsend believes that the £77,000-per-week Norwich City man is ‘the real deal’ and boasts ‘massive potential’, and that’s why he’s backed him to go ‘to the very top’.

At his best, he’s a high-level defensive option for Everton.

In other news, a wealthy club are set to make a bid for this EFC star.

Celtic currently boast the best attacking record in the Premiership, this season with 85 goals scored in 36 games.

One man who has contributed a lot to this impressive feat is Jota, who has scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 24 league appearances.

Despite the attacker only being on loan at Celtic, Ange Postecoglou has said that the club are looking to secure the Benfica youngster on a permanent deal this summer.

Should that happen, the Hoops would then have the chance to bring in another attacking star who could form a deadly duo with Jota.

Back in February, the Bhoys were linked with a move for Bristol City attacker Antoine Semenyo.

A product of the English Championship club’s youth system, the 22-year-old has made 98 senior appearances across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and delivering 20 assists along the way.

This season has seen the Englishman find the net eight times and provide 12 assists in 31 Championship appearances.

To further highlight his attacking prowess throughout this campaign, with 70 shots registered, no other player at his current club can match the number of shots on target per 90 minutes that Semenyo boasts (1.14).

In addition, the attacker has the highest average for shots (2.3) and dribbles per game (1.2) this season, along with the second highest average for key passes (1.1). This backs up why he was labelled a “dangerous” player by his former manager Phil Parkinson in the past.

As for Jota, with those same three metrics, he ranks in the top five for each at Celtic, which shows just how proficient the two players are in attack and why they could form a terrifying duo if they link up at Parkhead.

Having played in the centre-forward position for all of his appearances this season, the Bristol City star could well line up next to the Celtic loan figure, who normally plays on the wing.

Once the summer transfer window opens, if the Hoops can secure a permanent deal for Jota, adding a player like Semenyo to their ranks could be just what Postecoglou needs in order to keep his squad fresh and raring to go for next season.

However, given how important the Englishman has been for his boyhood club this season, they could well be reluctant to let him go, which may then lead to Celtic having to stump up a significant transfer fee for him.

With a suggested price tag of £15m, this is the sort of money that the Bhoys may have to shell out to secure his services.

In other news: Ange must now axe “appalling” & “pathetic” disaster duo, they’re bleeding Celtic dry

Allan’s mooted Everton exit should not come as a surprise, journalist Paul Brown has told GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Niccolo Ceccarini recently reported (via Sport Witness) that the Toffees could well put the Brazilian midfielder up for sale when the summer transfer window opens.

The 31-year-old is under ‘strong consideration’ at Lazio as they assess potential replacements for exit-bound Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Allan left another Serie A outfit in Napoli to join Everton in a £21.7m deal in September 2020, reuniting with Carlo Ancelotti on Merseyside. He has gone on to make 56 appearances for the club, including 25 Premier League starts this season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-5/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

Brown doesn’t believe that it would be wise for Everton to hand Allan a long-term contract extension, particularly if he demands a pay rise.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: “I’m not surprised he’s leaving and it would be foolish to stick him on a longer contract.

“He would probably want more in terms of a salary too, so it doesn’t surprise me that he will go.”

The verdict

To a degree, it would be a surprise to see Allan being sold, given the extent of his involvement in the top flight this season. With three starts in Everton’s last four matches, during which they have picked up seven points, he certainly isn’t out of favour under Frank Lampard.

Indeed, it was only this time last year that BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher was describing him as a ‘vital’ player for the club.

However, his contract is due to expire in just over 13 months’ time, so Everton may view this summer as their final opportunity to cash in on him. Come next January, Allan will be able to negotiate pre-contract terms with other clubs if he is still with the Toffees.

The Brazilian earns £70,000 per week at Goodison Park and, as Brown says, it may not be regarded as financially prudent to prolong that lucrative contract into his mid-30s.

In other news, Kevin Thelwell is keen on bringing this defender to Everton