All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester United will be desperate to build on their solid debut campaign under Erik ten Hag and as Champions League football is set to grace the Old Trafford pitch once again following a hiatus last term, the Dutchman will be keen to strengthen.

Not only that, but he will also be looking at moving some of the deadwood out of United that has dragged them down, with Harry Maguire being a player who must be banished from the Red Devils.

Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a move for the player last month and despite claims that he wants to remain at the club and fight for his place, the Dutchman looks certain to improve his defensive options.

Maguire started just 16 games last season, with only half of those coming in the Premier League and his current earnings of £190k-per-week were not rewarded with regular game time – hence why he should be moved on.

United have shown interest in Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard according to Football Transfers and he could be the perfect replacement for the club's struggling skipper.

Could Benjamin Pavard sign for Manchester United?

The Bundesliga giants are reportedly allowing the Frenchman to leave should they receive offers of around €30m (£26m) this summer and Ten Hag could see this as a deal which represents excellent value.

The World Cup winner has tended to play more as a right-back during his career, but last season for Bayern, he featured heavily at centre-back and this adaptability could be a big plus in terms of Ten Hag launching a potential move.

Pavard could give United an unlikely goal threat, as he ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.18) and top 3% for shot-creating actions per 90 (1.58) however, it is his ability to bring the ball out of defence that could entice the United boss into signing him.

The 27-year-old ranks in the top 1% for progressive passes per 90 (7.59) and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90 (1.31) across the big five leagues in Europe among those in his position, suggesting that he’d be a perfect fit for Ten Hag’s tactical system which relies heavily on defenders playing out from the back.

In contrast, Maguire makes only 3.09 progressive passes per 90 and 0.95 progressive carries per 90 across Europe's big five leagues, and these are much lower totals than the Bayern star, thus rendering his role as obsolete should he arrive.

The former Stuttgart defender was lauded as being a “real talent” by former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger and for a paltry £26m, Ten Hag might not make a better signing in terms of value for money all summer.

Manchester United finished third in the Premier League in 22/23 and secured qualification for the Champions League group stages next season.

However, Erik ten Hag may not be content with only competing for a place in Europe and could look to make additions to his squad with the aim of gunning for the title.

Football Insider recently reported that the club want to add a 'marquee' number nine to their squad. This makes sense when you consider that they ranked eighth in the division for goals scored in 2022/23.

Marcus Rashford, who was deployed out wide or through the middle, was the only United player to hit double figures (17) for goals and this suggests that the club failed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, who departed Old Trafford in November of last year.

The Portuguese legend plundered 18 league goals, which made him the side's top goalscorer, in 21/22 and ten Hag is currently lacking a prolific number nine who can be a reliable scorer alongside Rashford in the final third.

Who could replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United?

United's head coach could finally find the dream heir to Ronaldo's throne in the number nine position by securing a deal to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer.

He is a reported transfer target for the Premier League giants and is thought to be available for a fee in the region of €90m (£77m), just 18 months on from his £66m switch to the Italian side from domestic rivals Fiorentina.

The 23-year-old marksman endured a difficult campaign in front of goal during the 2022/23 campaign as the Serbian international scored ten times in 27 Serie A outings, although the exciting forward managed to marginally outperform his xG of 9.73.

Whilst that return was still more than any United player outside of Rashford produced last term, Vlahovic did not live up to the standards he set for himself in the previous two campaigns.

The former Fiorentina hotshot racked up 24 goals in 36 league matches in 2021/22 after an equally impressive 21 strikes in 37 Serie A games the season before that.

These returns are particularly outstanding when you factor in that no Manchester United player has scored more than 18 league goals in a season since Robin van Persie struck 26 times in 2012/13.

Vlahovic, who was once hailed as "incredibly prolific" by scout Jacek Kulig, has the potential to be a goalscoring machine for the Red Devils, despite a dip in form over the last year, in the same way that Ronaldo was before his move to Saudi Arabia.

Ten Hag is clearly in the market for a marquee no.9 and Vlahovic's returns in two of the last three seasons indicate that he would be exactly what the manager is looking for.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has made good use of his links to Manchester City over the past year, having brought in Arijanet Muric, CJ Egan-Riley and Taylor Harwood-Bellis to help with last season's successful promotion-winning campaign.

With Harwood-Bellis returning to the Etihad Stadium, the Clarets may well opt to use their City connection to bolster another position in the back line.

Transfer expert Sacha Tavolieri claims Burnley have reached out to City regarding a loan move for Sergio Gomez, but the Spanish left-back is stalling over a decision as he wants to try to win over boss Pep Guardiola first.

It is a loan move that makes sense for all three parties, though, with the 22-year-old likely to play regular Premier League football, while Burnley get a talented defender to help boost their survival hopes.

Is Sergio Gomez a good option for Burnley?

City signed Gomez for £11m from Anderlecht, where he spent time playing under Kompany, but he was restricted to only ten starts in all competitions in 2022-23 – just two of those in the Premier League.

Gomez showed he is capable of playing in a number of positions, as most players can under Guardiola, which is something the Spain U21 international prides himself on.

"I consider myself versatile. I'm available for whatever the coach asks," he told Spanish radio station Partidazo de COPE. "At City, they ask me to play full-back and with [Spain U21 boss] Luis de la Fuente, I'd always played right wing, and he likes me to play there."

It is at left-back Gomez is most comfortable – he started six games there last season, as per WhoScored – and from his limited time on the field, there are strong comparisons to be made with one of the finest around in that position.

Indeed, FBref's comparison model lists Liverpool's Andy Robertson as the player most like Gomez in terms of their statistical profiles. For example, Gomez averaged 0.25 assists per 90 minutes last season, compared to 0.28 for Robertson, with neither player scoring themselves.

The pair attempted 81.3 and 78.9 passes per 90 minutes respectively, averaged 91.8 and 86.5 touches, while they won the same amount of aerial duels per 90 (0.77).

Gomez has a long way to go to show he can be a match for Robertson, and a move to Burnley under Kompany is his first real step towards doing that.

With a relatively low salary of £50k-a-week, according to Capology, Gomez could also prove to be an upgrade on current left-back Ian Maatsen.

But as someone described as "a full-back, playmaker, king of assists and winger" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Kompany would not just be strengthening one position, but two or three with one deal.

Leeds United may be without a manager, but it seems the 49ers are just as keen on bolstering the playing squad as they are the Elland Road dugout.

The new owners will be keen to stamp their mark on the club, having acquired it in near-ruin after Andrea Radrizzani's checkered tenure. It will take a monumental task to return this giant establishment back to the top, and the hope will be it does not take another 16 years to do so.

Through investing shrewdly this summer, there will arguably be no better time to utilise the Premier League parachute payments to bounce straight back into the big time.

In doing so, they could also offload plenty of their ageing deadwood, who have arguably plagued the club for far too long. Few encapsulate this type of player more so than Luke Ayling.

Fortunately for his adversaries, last month the Whites were noted as one interested party for Fenerbahce full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel, whose arrival could bring an end to the 31-year-old's seven-year stay in Yorkshire.

Is Bright Osayi-Samuel better than Luke Ayling?

Having already spent a portion of his career in the Championship, immediately the Nigeria international would boast the pedigree needed to thrive at this level despite being just 25 years old.

His final year before moving to Turkey outlined the offensive qualities that could see him become an influential figure on the pitch too, as he posted five goal contributions and maintained one key pass per game in that division, via Sofascore.

Although struggling last term in the Super Lig, he retains a bright future ahead, but a career in desperate need of re-ignition. He could prove a match made in heaven for the Whites, who are a club that also needs revitalising.

At the very least Osayi-Samuels is certain to improve their current right-back spot, which has been occupied by a man who has consistently struggled at the Premier League level.

Ayling's 6.60 average rating most recently in that division was almost mimicked the campaign prior, suggesting two straight years of mediocrity and rash decisions that even led pundit Jamie Carragher to brand him an "idiot".

For comparison, Mark Warburton instead sought to praise Osayi-Samuel during his last stint in England, claiming:

"I thought he was very, very good. If you remember Bristol City away earlier in the season he gave the full-back a torrid time. He's been very good in spells in games but today he was consistent from the first whistle to the 75th minute. I'm not sure many teams have that blistering pace. As long as he knows how to use it and that's the key for him learning the game.

"Today he was outstanding and deserved the applause."

The 49ers may be stalling over the all-important managerial decision, but in this particular role a switch should be a no-brainer. Ayling has been a wonderful servant to the Yorkshire club, but his age is clearly catching up with him and he must be ditched.

He poses little comparison with the £15k-per-week stalwart, who is yet to even reach his prime.

Chelsea could still launch a move for Aymeric Laporte this summer, with transfer reporter Rudy Galetti stating that the defender remains on the Blues' wanted list.

Is Aymeric Laporte leaving Man City?

The Man City defender did feature for his club during their historic 2022/23 season but not as frequently as he probably would have liked. With the Premier League outfit going on to win the league, FA Cup and Champions League, the centre-back only got onto the field in the top flight on 12 occasions with eleven starts. It's the lowest amount of games he has had yet over the course of his City career.

He still impressed when he was trusted on the field though, ranking in the 99th percentile for attempted passes (86.43 per 90) and progressive carries (2.59 per 90) amongst players in his position in the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues. It shows that his ability hasn't waned and he is still a very capable, ball-playing and offensively driven centre-back.

It appears that a stay in England is a real possibility for Laporte now too. That's because reliable journalist Rudy Galletti has revealed that Chelsea are still keeping tabs on the defender and that despite Bayern Munich also holding an interest, he is still very much a wanted man by those at Stamford Bridge.

No official bid or offer has yet been made for the Spaniard though and he adds that the situation is "evolving" in terms of the interest around the player.

What is Laporte's transfer value?

No potential fee has been mentioned in the report but CIES Football Observatory suggest that Laporte's value could be around the 40 million Euro (or £34m) mark. It means that a deal wouldn't break the bank for the Blues and would mean they have another body in their backline.

He could be worth the fee too considering his experience in the game. Not only has he won Premier League titles and a Champions League with Man City, but has been good enough to earn time with Spain too, after changing citizienship from playing for France's youth sides.

To add to his 281 club appearances in the league over the course of his career, the national side have also given him 21 caps in total. It shows the defender's abilities in that he is trusted on the big stage – and a player like him, labelled "incredible" by Pep Guardiola, could really boost the defence at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham Hotspur may elect to loan out striker Troy Parrott this summer to give him some more first-team experience to develop, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Troy Parrott?

As per Transfermarkt, Parrott spent the 2022/23 campaign out on loan at Preston North End and endured a difficult time of things at Deepdale, where he never really got going, registering just four goals in 34 appearances across all competitions.

Despite this, Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has recalled the 21-year-old for their crunch Euro 2024 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece and has backed the £12k-a-week ace to get back to his best, stating in an interview quoted by The Irish Sun: “Troy hasn’t backed that up this year. He had a hamstring injury during the middle of the season and it was bad. I had a long conversation with Troy in Bristol [at a national team training camp] — and his next move is important for him. “He knew in the last camp because I left him out of the last game, he wasn’t at the level he had been. He’s honest and he’ll say, ‘I’m missing chances I should be scoring, I wanted to be better and further on than I am now."

According to Football London, there are question marks over whether Parrott will have a long-term future at Tottenham and young striker Jamie Donley is believed to be ahead of him in the pecking order in N17.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Parrott is likely to exit Spurs on a loan basis once again this summer while he believes that boss Ange Postecoglou may give an opportunity to youngster Dane Scarlett to stake a claim for first-team action.

Jones told FFC: "There has to be a consideration to loan these players out. I think Parrott probably will go out on loan, but I think there'll be more temptation to give Scarlett a chance."

Will Tottenham Hotspur give Troy Parrott a chance under Ange Postecoglou?

Right now, it looks doubtful; however, Postecoglou does have a knack of reviving players' fortunes when coming into a particular club that many punters may not expect to have a prayer of becoming first-team regulars.

One of his most recent examples of this was at Celtic, where he gave forgotten right-back Anthony Ralston, who was previously completely out of the picture at the Scottish giants, a chance to stake his claim for senior involvement, eventually culminating in the 23-year-old becoming an important contributor for Celtic and also earning international recognition with Scotland.

Of course, this isn't related to Tottenham in any way, shape or form, though it is an indication of the type of manager Postecoglou is and how he can turn around the fortunes of fringe stars.

His main priority will be trying to keep hold of star man Harry Kane, who has been linked with Real Madrid and Manchester United; nevertheless, he will need an understudy or two to help deputise in attack when needed.

Whether Parrott, who was hailed as a "leader" on loan at Preston last season, can be that man remains to be seen, though he will need to take his chance in pre-season to have any opportunity to feature under the Australian boss in 2023/24.

An update has emerged on Burnley and their plans to bolster their midfield options in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Fabian Ruiz to Burnley?

According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Clarets boss Vincent Kompany has Paris Saint-Germain star Fabian Ruiz at the top of his shortlist as the Belgian is prioritising a deal for him.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 giants are prepared to sanction a departure for the Spaniard if they receive an acceptable offer, although it is unclear how much they would want for his services.

However, it is stated that the player is not willing to let go of his current contract terms with PSG as the ace is earning €5m-per-year (£4.29m), which works out at roughly £82.6k-per-week.

How has Fabian Ruiz performed this season?

The 27-year-old powerhouse has enjoyed a strong campaign in the top-flight with the champions and his performances in France suggest that he would be a big upgrade on current Burnley star Josh Cullen.

Ruiz has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.07 across 27 appearances in Ligue 1 and made three tackles and interceptions per game to go along with a pass success rate of 92% and five direct goal involvements (three goals and two assists).

The former Napoli gem, who was once dubbed as an "artist" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a midfielder who combines defensive reliability with quality passing and contributions in the final third.

Cullen is similar in style and the Irishman averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.0 across 43 outings in the Championship for the Clarets in 2022/23.

The 27-year-old made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per match and completed 88% of his passes to go with his five goal involvements (one goal and four assists), which suggests that Ruiz is more efficient with passing ability and, marginally, makes more defensive interventions per game to help his team to cut out opposition attacks.

Their respective statistics indicate that the PSG battler is an upgrade on Cullen as the former Napoli star has performed at a higher level week-in-week-out, on the ball and defensively, whilst in a major European league instead of a second-tier division, which means that the gem has proven himself at the top level, unlike the Clarets talent.

Ruiz has also averaged more progressive carries and successful take-ons combined per 90 (2.49) over the last 365 days than the Burnley midfielder (1.64) and this suggests that the Spaniard would be able to drive the team up the pitch more frequently than the ex-Anderlecht man to get the side into good positions in the final third.

Therefore, Kompany could improve his team by swooping to sign Ruiz this summer as his statistics show that he could cede possession less frequently and make more of an impact on and off the ball in matches in the Premier League next term.

Burnley romped their way to the Championship title with 101 points to secure promotion to the Premier League and Vincent Kompany must now navigate the summer transfer window to improve his squad.

Back in April, it was reported that the Clarets were interested in a deal to sign Ryan Kent on a free transfer from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.

Since then, the Gers have confirmed that the former Liverpool attacker will be leaving upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the month, which means that Burnley will be able to snap him up for nothing if they can beat other clubs to his signature.

The £18k-per-week magician has also been linked with Udinese, Bologna, and Fenerbahce and this suggests that Kompany will need to convince the forward to turn down other offers.

How did Ryan Kent perform this season?

He enjoyed a strong campaign in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers and showcased his creative flair, which could make him Burnley's new Dwight McNeil.

Kent scored three goals and assisted ten in 29 appearances in the top flight for the Light Blues and produced 2.2 key passes per match for his teammates, which led to nine 'big chances' in total.

This came after the 26-year-old magician scored three times and assisted an eye-catching 19 goals in 46 outings in all competitions for the club in the 2021/22 season.

Journalist Andrew Dickson once claimed that the ace is "completely unplayable" when he is at his best and the aforementioned statistics illustrate that as the maestro has proven that he has the quality to provide chances and assists on a regular basis from out wide.

This makes him a potential match-winner for his side as the wizard has the ability to carve open opposition defences to create openings for his fellow attackers.

Therefore, Kent could be Burnley's new McNeil as the academy graduate had similar qualities during his time at Turf Moor. Prior to joining Everton last summer, the England U21 international was an excellent creator for the Clarets. He created 23 'big chances' in his last three Premier League seasons combined and made at least 1.3 key passes per game.

The 23-year-old assisted 17 goals in 147 outings for the Clarets and only scored seven times. This shows that, like Kent, McNeil is a creative threat who does not offer much in the way of goals from a wide position, which is why Kompany could find the next version of the Toffees star by swooping for the soon-to-be ex-Rangers dynamo.

Aston Villa head into today’s match against Crystal Palace with a chance to finish in the top half of the Premier League table, something which looked unlikely when Steven Gerrard joined from Rangers in mid-November.

The 41-year-old has endured a turbulent campaign so far, but the chance of a top-half finish would be an excellent base to build upon for next season as Gerrard aims to take Villa into Europe.

What’s the news?

However, there is some worrying news from a Villa perspective ahead of today’s match, and it concerns striker Ollie Watkins.

Gerrard stated after the midweek defeat to Liverpool that “there might be a small injury to Ollie and we will have to analyse that”.

Although no more information was given, it could mean that the striker will miss the last three matches of the Premier League campaign. This will be a big worry to Gerrard, who might need to make a few tactical tweaks this afternoon.

Gerrard will be gutted

Watkins has scored 10 times this season whilst having 2.39 shots on target per 90 minutes. That tally might not seem like much over the course of the season, but he is currently Villa’s highest scorer, with Danny Ings second on seven goals.

This shows the importance of the 26-year-old and may spark fears that the Villans could struggle for goals against Palace, although new permanent signing Philippe Coutinho could well stand up and power the team to victory.

Its clear that Gerrard needs further firepower if he wishes to take the next step with Villa, with a move for Lille’s Jonathan David being touted during the summer transfer window as part of a potential overhaul of the Midlanders’ attacking options.

It looks like an exciting time to be a Villa supporter if that move comes off, but the possible absence of Watkins for the rest of the current campaign could be a big setback in the short-term which will leave Gerrard gutted.

AND in other news, Lange plotting Villa swoop for “fearless” 87-goal monster, he’s even better than Watkins

Liverpool travel to Wembley to take on Chelsea this afternoon in their second cup final clash against the Blues this year, and there have been some fitness doubts in the Londoners’ squad which will be a huge boost for Jurgen Klopp.

What’s the latest?

Thomas Tuchel took to his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon to cast doubt on N’Golo Kante’s availability for the final today.

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The Chelsea manager told the press about the Frenchman (via Chelsea’s official website): “He’s also trying and tried yesterday in team training and did more or less everything, hopefully now without a reaction,”

“It was a reduced training session because of the travel and fatigue so it was not a high-intensity training session but we will also try today with him.”

The midfielder is racing to recover from an injury he sustained in the Blues’ draw against Manchester United a couple of weeks ago and has missed three games so far.

Klopp will be relieved

If Kante isn’t in the line-up, it will be a huge boost for Liverpool when attempting to win the midfield battles this afternoon. Klopp will surely be relieved to see the Chelsea colossus missing, especially with Fabinho unavailable for selection after sustaining a hamstring strain earlier this week.

James Pearce revealed on Thursday morning that Jordan Henderson would reprise his role in the centre of the pitch to cover for the injured Brazilian, tweeting: “Jordan Henderson set to play the holding role in Saturday’s FA Cup final.”

Although not the starting midfield that the Liverpool manager may have envisioned playing in the final, Klopp still has solid options like the club captain to cover in the midfield three. With Henderson’s experience and leadership, there is no reason why he can’t inspire the Reds to victory against Chelsea this afternoon.

The Blues have been going through a period of inconsistent form in the Premier League lately, with only two wins from their last six games, whereas Liverpool continue their long unbeaten run in the top flight as they chase for the title.

However, with the two sides meeting three times over the season so far in all competitions, neither has managed to get a winning result inside 90 minutes, so it will be interesting to see if this match goes all the way to penalties like it did in the Carabao Cup final.

AND in other news: Liverpool eye summer move for £144m-rated “golden boy”, he’s even better than Haaland