All posts by z3u9t.icu

The uncertain future of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is causing problems at The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Steve Madeley’s report for The Athletic, with the journalist claiming that the number of permutations regarding whether Johnstone stays or goes this summer is creating something of a headache for the Albion goalkeeping department.

Indeed, with it appearing unclear if Johnstone will still be in West Bromwich come September, the futures of David Button, Alex Palmer and Josh Griffiths are also up in the air, with the club not being able to plan exactly who will be their number one next season, or who they are be willing to loan out.

Madeley added that Valerien Ismael’s side are indeed keen to sanction the sale of the 28-year-old this summer, as they would like to secure a sizeable fee for a player whose contract is set to expire at the end of next season.

It is then reported that West Ham United are believed to have made an offer of around £6m for the England international, but despite initially setting an asking price of £20m for Johnstone at the start of the window, the Hammers’ bid was still well short of the £12m that it is now believed the Baggies would accept for the shot-stopper.

Fans surely worried

While it would be difficult to argue with West Brom sanctioning the £20m sale of a player with the ability of Johnstone – with it now appearing as if this asking price has quite significantly dropped and with the potential of it doing so even more – there is plenty of reason for West Brom fans to be worried about Madeley’s update on the situation of the goalkeeper.

Indeed, over his 37 Premier League appearances last season, the £7.2m-rated man kept six clean sheets, made an average of 4.5 saves per game and stopped a total of 166 shots over the course of the club’s campaign.

These metrics saw the man Sam Allardyce dubbed a “magnificent” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the Albion’s second-best performer in the top flight.

Considering just how impressive the 28-year-old was last time out, should the Baggies begin to get desperate as the transfer window nears its conclusion and start to consider the idea of sanctioning his departure for an amount around £10m, the argument could easily be made that it would actually be worthwhile holding onto the ‘keeper for the final year of his contract.

With Johnstone in the side, Albion’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League – and the windfall of cash this achievement would bring – appear significantly greater than what they would be without the England international between the sticks.

While losing the shot-stopper for nothing at the end of his contract would undoubtedly be a bitter pill to swallow for West Brom and their supporters, in the long run this outcome could well bring in a significantly greater amount of money than selling the £28k-per-week man for around £10m this summer.

In other news: Ismael could be heading for his biggest West Brom error to date over £1.35m-rated flop

Leeds United took the Premier League by storm last season but someone who has only managed to do that in flashes is Michy Batshuayi.

Despite his lack of game time, Marcelo Bielsa worked with him at Marseille so a reunion could work well – that’s according to former Leeds midfielder David Norris.

Batshuayi has always been a bit-part player since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2016 with the highlight of his Premier League career probably being the winning goal against West Brom which guaranteed them the Premier League title under Antonio Conte.

Bielsa will know that Patrick Bamford was likely close to burnout point last season after he featured in all Premier League games having started 37 of them so, a new striker has been tipped to arrive at Elland Road this summer in the form of Batshuayi.

If Batshuayi is to get his career back on track then playing under a manager that got the best out of him and ultimately earned him his big club move could work out, and Norris believes that it would be a smart signing as he spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s big, strong, powerful and can score goals but also, anyone coming in is going to have to fit in with the way they play and the dressing room because that seems really close, but I think he’d be a great signing for me.”

It would certainly not be a cheap transfer as Chelsea splashed out £35 million for the Belgian back in 2016 so Leeds could potentially explore the possibility of a loan deal with the option to buy.

Despite very limited game time, Batshuayi boasts a rather impressive record of 22 goals in 75 games for the Blues with a lot of those appearances coming off the bench, however, those sort of returns seem a lifetime ago as this season he’s managed just two goals in 18 games for Crystal Palace.

Speaking to the press (via football.london), Tottenham Hotspur interim boss Ryan Mason has confirmed that Japhet Tanganga is set to miss their clash with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium today.

The Lowdown: Tanganga taken off against Aston Villa

The 22-year-old was stretchered off in the closing stages of their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in midweek, with right-back and 2020 signing Matt Doherty taking his place.

Tottenham fans were waiting for an update on the promising, versatile defender after what looked like a serious knock, coming after he was seemingly one of the bright sparks on an evening to forget.

Indeed, he was one of the five highest-rated Spurs players on SofaScore during their encounter with Villa, winning four of his six ground duels and making five clearances over the 83 minutes he played.

The Latest: Mason confirms Tanganga injury blow

Speaking ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Leicester today, a hugely important showdown given that Spurs could still qualify for the Europa League if West Ham lose against Southampton, Mason has confirmed that Tanganga will indeed miss out.

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“Japhet and Ben are the only two at the moment,” explained the 29-year-old to football.london.

“Japhet sustained a naughty ankle injury I think to his ligament so he won’t feature at the weekend and hopefully it isn’t too long for him out.

“Ben resumed some light training today so there the only two at the moment who aren’t available for selection.”

The Verdict: Blow for Tottenham

Tanganga has occasionally deputised at right-back as an alternative option to the likes of Doherty and Serge Aurier, with the latter pair arguably not displaying great form consistently over the 2020/21 season.

It’s also another blow for the player personally after an injury-ridden season, with the youngster missing 19 games in total over a combined 104 days this term after various problems (Transfermarkt).

Whenever he does play, Tanganga usually impresses, as highlighted by former Spurs defender Michael Dawson’s glowing reference. Speaking to the Spurs Web YouTube Channel, he lauded the young defender as a ‘breath of fresh air’ and ‘fantastic’ when he broke on to the scene.

However, Tottenham are set to be without him this afternoon, which is not what Mason would have wanted ahead of a tough assignment which could decide their European fate for next season.

In other news: Levy approach made for this boss who is ‘perfect for Tottenham’, find out more here.

Turning Newcastle United into European football contenders is not worth the money it will cost in Mike Ashley’s eyes, football finance expert Kieran Maguire explained in an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern.

While Newcastle are miles behind the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, making a challenge for Champions League football very unlikely, there is understandably a feeling that the club at least have the potential to fight for a Europa League spot.

With a capacity of 52,000, Newcastle have one of the largest stadiums in the country and are an English outfit with a rich history.

Ashley, however, will not try to unlock that potential on the basis that qualifying for the Europa League or Europa Conference League is not worth the money that will have to be put in to get there. That is what Maguire believes is in the back of the Newcastle owner’s mind.

“In order for Newcastle to push on and to be challenging for the top half of the table, for Europa League and Europa Conference League places, he would have to spend significantly more money,” The Price of Football author told TT.

“I suspect he will take the view that the rewards of getting into Europe’s minor competitions simply aren’t worth it because we’ve got Leicester, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, possibly Wolves and West Ham.

“To get ahead of those involves spending an awful lot of money and that’s not Mike Ashley’s track record.”

Indeed, there is a lot of competition now to get into Europe. So if Newcastle want to join the party, then they have to improve their squad every summer, which you just cannot see happening under this current regime.

West Bromwich Albion are not considering hiring Tony Pulis as Sam Allardyce’s successor at The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Express & Star, who claim that, despite some suggestions to the contrary, the out of work 63-year-old is not on Guochuan Lai’s shortlist of managerial targets, nor is he being considered for the role of technical and sporting director.

The report goes on to state that the former Stoke City manager reciprocates these feelings, with it being said that he would not consider a return to the Championship side even if an offer did arrive.

Fans should be relieved

While Pulis does boast a history of achieving promotion to the Premier League, and subsequently ensuring a team’s survival in the top flight, the news that the 63-year-old is not in the running for the job should come as something of a relief for West Brom fans.

Firstly, following half a season of watching Sam Allardyce’s football, Pulis is stylistically and tactically similar to the 66-year-old, with the latter often receiving criticism for the direct, uncompromising and unimaginative football he installs in his teams.

So, should West Brom fans be hoping for the appointment of a manager who can get their side playing attacking, exciting and fast-paced football in the Championship, Pulis would not exactly fit this bill.

Secondly, as mentioned previously, while the Welshman’s achievements with Stoke should not be understated, his last promotion to the Premier League came with the Potters back in their 2007/08 campaign, and football has changed an awful lot since then.

Pulis did take Middlesbrough to the play-offs in 2017/18, with Boro losing 1-0 on aggregate to Aston Villa in the semi-finals, although the veteran coach was sacked just 12 months later, with his side missing out on a top-six finish in their following campaign.

A short spell with Sheffield Wednesday followed last season, where the 63-year-old lasted just 10 matches, with Dejphon Chansiri claiming that the performances of Pulis’ Wednesday side were not of the “level expected” upon his appointment, as well as revealing that there were “other issues” surrounding his departure.

As such, with Lai undoubtedly hoping to appoint a manager who is capable of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next season, it would certainly appear as if there are better options who would increase the club’s chances of going on to achieve this feat than Pulis.

Fans of West Brom should be relieved that they won’t be going back to watching ‘Pulis-ball’ anytime soon.

In other news: Lai could have just made his biggest West Brom mistake to date, fans are rightly livid

Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy, who has been linked with a move to Celtic, will leave the club at the end of the season.

McCarthy is out of contract in a matter of weeks, and it seems as if the 30-year-old will be just one of a number of players to walk out of Selhurst Park for nothing this summer.

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam wrote a piece mainly on Patrick van Aanholt’s pending Eagles exit on Monday.

In that story, Woosnam added that the club has 12 players with deals set to expire, with McCarthy, Mamadou Sakho, Wayne Hennessey and Connor Wickham set to join van Aanholt in leaving for nothing.

As mentioned, McCarthy has been linked with a move to Celtic Park, with Newcastle United also now in the race to sign the central midfielder.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news regarding McCarthy on Twitter on Thursday evening.

This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the Irishman as an ‘unsung hero’.

“Omg that means we’ll be down to only 8 CDMs”Credit: @machutuck”Unsung hero on several occasions”Credit: @cpfcboiling”Sad to think we spent legal tender on this man”Credit: @CPFCRonnie2″Can’t believe we spent money on this guy”Credit: @Sumo08112″Not really been a regular in the team, not sure what he offers.”Credit: @gary_sproul”i like james”Credit: @RRcpfc

In other news: Many CPFC fans react as Palace and Spurs eye foreign manager, find out more here. 

Having lost 14 matches in the Premier League, it hasn’t exactly been a very fruitful campaign for Crystal Palace.

What hasn’t helped is a lack of clarity over Roy Hodgson’s future with the club.

What’s the word?

Hodgson is out of contract at Selhurst Park in the summer but it’s not known whether he’ll actually be staying in London.

The 73-year-old may well choose to retire but he hasn’t given very many hints over his future.

Palace chairman Steve Parish has been pondering replacements just in case he does leave, with the likes of Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche both being monitored.

Though, if recent news is anything to go by, he might need to ramp up his search.

That’s because The Sun claim that even if Hodgson is offered a new contract, there is no longer a 100% guarantee that he’d sign it.

As a result, there is a chance he quits football altogether this summer.

A big dilemma

If the former England boss is intent on stepping down in a few months time, it will leave Parish with an almighty dilemma on his hands.

The question on his mind, and indeed everyone’s at Crystal Palace, will be a simple one; who is going to be the new manager?

A number of faces have been linked with the post but external factors could determine who they can lure to London.

Howe is being tracked by Celtic but recent reports indicate he’s now finalising a deal with the Glaswegian side.

Dyche is an option for the Eagles but it would take nearly £3m to prise him away from Turf Moor. That fee is without considering the backroom staff he’d want to bring with him too.

Another name that Parish may look to tempt to the club is ex Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

He was sacked by the Blues in January and is still waiting at home to find a new job.

If Palace are hoping to establish themselves more, Dyche seems a viable option. However, it’s hard to deny that Lampard wouldn’t be a more exciting fit.

He has a proven track record of developing youngsters at Derby and Chelsea, something that could prove game-changing for players like Ebere Eze, Tyrick Mitchell and Nathan Ferguson.

Parish clearly has a lot of thinking to do between now and the summer.

AND in other news, “Palace are looking to get him” – Exclusive: Pundit drops CPFC transfer hint on £60k-p/w PL star…

This season is one that Wolverhampton Wanderers will be keen to move on from quickly.

They didn’t spend wisely last summer and have been made to rue a number of injuries to some of their most exciting players.

All of that has culminated in what looks set to be a bottom half finish for Nuno Santo and his team.

On the chalkboard

Another big issue for Nuno has been the club’s defence. They have looked particularly ordinary this season and if anything summed that up, it would be a run of 13 games from November to January where they only kept a solitary clean sheet.

The Old Gold have struggled for shut outs again in recent times, being hammered 4-0 by Burnley at their own ground.

One of the main culprits for a long time has been Romain Saiss. The Moroccan has had a peculiar season where, because of injuries, he’s been asked to play at left-back.

He was particularly poor against Aston Villa back in March when he defied the laws of physics by missing a simple opportunity from a few yards out and disappointed from a defensive point of view.

Saiss registered a pass success rate of just 70% that evening and lost the ball on 15 occasions. He only managed to complete one tackle throughout the contest too.

Unfortunately, he was also a mess against Burnley over a week ago. As they were dispatched at Molineux, the defender was all over the shop. He was dispossessed for the fourth and final goal as he gifted the Clarets a chance to score.

The solution

The answer to their woes from a defensive point of view could be Jack Hendry, somebody linked to Wolves in the last few months.

The 25-year-old is a Celtic player but he’s enjoyed a very fruitful loan spell with Oostende in Belgium.

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He’s been named the best player in the Belgium top flight this season and has thrived in Alexander Blessin’s system. That happens to be in a three-back, making him absolutely perfect for Wolves and Nuno.

The Portuguese’s preferred formation at Molineux has been with three defenders so Hendry would surely fit seamlessly into the set up at the Midlands.

That said, he’d offer a lot more than just tactical knowledge and familiarity.

Standing at a colossal 6 foot 4, the Scottish defender is a giant at the back and is particularly dominant when it comes to winning aerial battles.

For instance, he has won three aerial duels per game this term, more than anyone in the entire Wolves squad.

Crucially he is more confident with the ball at his feet, an area of Saiss’ game that’s been getting him in a tangle this term.

His pass success rate stands at 80.7% while Hendry’s is an impressive 85.1% throughout the current season.

Described as a “useful weapon” by Blessin, he’d be a valuable addition to Wolves this summer. Nuno and Jeff Shi need to make sure they conclude a deal.

AND in other news, Wolves could finally replace Jota by luring £71m “outstanding talent” to Molineux…

Barcelona are thought to be considering a move for Crystal Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been sharing their thoughts at the links on social media.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Catalan giants are plotting a Bosman move for the Dutch defender.

Van Aanholt is just one of a number of Palace players who are out of contract at Selhurst Park this summer.

The 30-year-old has been with the Eagles since 2017 and has made over 130 appearances for the club. 22 of those came this season, but van Aanholt finished the season as second-choice behind youngster Tyrick Mitchell.

Barcelona have also been linked with Manchester City’s Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero on Bosman deals, and it seems as van Aanholt could join the pair in moving to the Nou Camp for nothing.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the transfer link on social media. This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the defender as ‘terrible’ in his final matches as an Eagles player.

“Sorry?”Credit: @BMCPFC”Good luck to him. I was always a fan but have to admit the last few games he played were terrible”Credit: @3dromLimited”Barca have no money to spend and this proves it.”Credit: @alffy1977″What have they been smoking hahahahaha”Credit: @CiaranCPFC”Messi coming the other way I’ve heard”Credit: @CPFCLouie”Hope so”Credit: @xmeganrichards”Gotta respect this guys agent”Credit: @s_cpfc

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to the latest on Wilfried Zaha, find out more here. 

Rangers’ unbeaten run in the Premiership continued on Sunday afternoon at Ibrox as Steven Gerrard’s side secured a 2-1 win against Hibernian.

Joe Aribo volleyed in the opener before Ryan Kent doubled the lead with an unstoppable strike and Gerrard’s side were able to hold on to their lead despite a late consolation from Kevin Nisbet.

Although it was a solid performance from Rangers on the whole, there is no doubt that some of their star performers weren’t playing at their usual standard, particularly in a poor second half from the Light Blues.

One man who disappointed in the win was Borna Barisic, with the Croatian international returning to the side after being rested in the 4-0 win against Cove Rangers last time out.

As per SofaScore, the 28-year-old would earn a 6.9/10 rating for his display, with only Alfredo Morelos (6.7) scoring lower of the Rangers players who started the game at Ibrox.

During the 90 minutes, Barisic would fail to contribute a single tackle and lost both of his duels, whilst he also picked up a yellow card.

For comparison, Nathan Patterson, who was playing on the opposite flank for Rangers, would contribute three tackles and would win all five of his duels during the game.

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The Croatian international is usually renowned for his ability going forward but at Ibrox on Sunday he would lose possession a remarkable 24 times, which was more than any other player on the pitch.

His passing was nowhere near its usual standard, with 32/42 of his passes finding a Rangers teammate, which resulted in a 76% pass accuracy rate – lower than the 81.6% he has averaged in the Premiership so far this season.

Barisic, who reportedly earns £15k per week at Rangers, would also fail to even attempt a dribble during the game, whilst his usually reliable crossing was much poorer than usual, as just three of his nine attempted crosses during the game was accurate.

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Therefore, it is definitely fair to suggest that Barisic was nowhere near his best in the win against Hibs and Gerrard will be relieved that his side were able to grind out the win despite the left-back’s below-par display.

And, in other news… Wilson must hand new Rangers deal to “immense” £25k-p/w “warrior” who Gerrard loves