All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham fans have been weighing in on a report from Football Insider which claims that James Tarkowski would ‘jump at the chance’ to sign for the London-based club this summer. 

The Hammers went to great lengths to try and sign the Burnley centre-back in the 2020 summer window.

They tabled three bids for the Englishman, the last of which was £31million, but that still fell short of the Clarets’ asking price.

Now, however, Tarkowski only has just over a year remaining on his Burnley contract, placing the club under pressure.

They know that if he refuses to sign an extension, that he could walk away on a free transfer in 2022.

Tarkowski an option for West Ham once again

David Moyes’ side are said to have renewed their interest in signing Tarkowski, having identified a top centre-half as a priority.

Another potential option for the Irons is Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car, currently on Euro 2020 duty with Croatia.

Fan feed West Ham Central relayed the Tarkowski report, and here’s how supporters reacted.

Tarkowski to West Ham update receives cold response

“I’m sure he would jump at the chance. He didn’t want us when we had just finished 16th though, did he? A year older, I wouldn’t pay any more than £15m for him. Tempted to just let him rot at Burnley though, tbh.”

Credit: @Nathaniel_John

“Rather Caleta-Car personally for around £15m, leaves more money to put to better use for Jesse & a striker”

Credit: @rickwhufc

“He can jump as high as he wants, don’t want him, end of story”

Credit: @Johnath03607801

“We have moved on and can do better than him”

Credit: @vando1969

“I want Caleta Car”

Credit: @callumwhu123

“Oh, so now he wants us because we’ve done well.”

Credit: @westhamtransfer

In other news, West Ham have enquired about this Championship star. 

Paul Stewart has exclusively told Football FanCast that a move to Newcastle United could revitalise Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career.

A knee injury wrecked the first half of his season, but even since returning from that setback before Christmas, the England midfielder has just twice in the Premier League for Liverpool and was left out of the squad for the victories at Manchester United and West Brom.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed both Champions League and Premier League success since his move from Arsenal almost three years ago but has never been a guaranteed starter under Jurgen Klopp despite making 30 appearances during the Reds’ title winning campaign 12 months ago.

The 27-year-old still has more than two years remaining on his Anfield contract but is reportedly going to be available to sign for just £17m this summer, with German giants Borussia Dortmund interested in the midfielder.

But former Liverpool man Stewart believes that staying in the Premier League could get Oxlade Chamberlain’s career back on track following his recent injury struggles.

He told Football FanCast:

“Brighton, maybe Newcastle? I don’t want to be disrespectful to them clubs, but at that price they’re the type of players they can go in for.

“I think he’s got ability Oxlade, and he has been unlucky with injuries, but that Liverpool team, to try and get in there, I don’t think they will be looking at him as one of the players that can do that.

“So, one of those clubs could revitalise one of those careers – he’s playing week in, week out if he stays fit, people will be saying £17m is a steal.”

When Ross Barkley began to break through at Goodison Park over a decade ago, he was hailed as one of the very best talents to come through the Everton set-up.

It was easy to see why. Blessed with creativity, goals and quick feet, Barkley was everything that makes you excited about a young player.

Tim Cahill dubbed him a “special talent” back in 2011 before Martin Keown predicted the attacking midfielder to be one of the best players we’ve ever seen in this country.

It’s fair to say Barkley has never lived up to that tag. He provided the Toffees with 12 goals in all competitions during the 2015/16 campaign before eventually earning a move to Chelsea.

The 27-year-old is now at the peak of his powers but a number of injuries and a lack of game time at Stamford Bridge have halted his development.

An £11m loan spell followed at Aston Villa but after scoring just once during his time in the Midlands, it appears his career is falling away again.

That being said, a move back to Everton could revive his fortunes. The Toffees have been installed as favourites to re-sign the England international but Chelsea value him at £35m.

If they can bump the price tag down considerably he’d be a worthwhile addition. After all, he’s still fabulous when in possession of the ball.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, Marcus Bent failed to rule out a move:

“Ross Barkley, for me, when he came through, and still is, an absolute talent, the problem being is that he hasn’t stabilised a spot at any team,” he began.

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Bent continued: “If he were to go back to Everton, and I’ve spoken to Everton and they’re lacking that in midfield. He’s got skill on the ball, he’s like a Stevie G.

“He went to Chelsea at a young age and hasn’t done it, so going back to Everton, this is a chance to go home and get at a club that he knows well. The fans love him.”

From a creative point of view, Everton only really have Gylfi Sigurdsson and James Rodriguez capable of filling that spot of the traditional number 10. That said, both players have been favoured in wide positions at various times this season.

As such, Barkley would fill a void that’s currently missing in Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

They have tough tacklers in Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan but Barkley is brave in a different manner.

Speaking about Barkley during his time in Merseyside, Roberto Martinez said: “When we develop young players [in England], I don’t think we credit that sort of bravery. Sometimes you get confused that it is all about going strong in tackles and trying to win 50-50 balls. That bravery is part of the intensity of the whole game.”

Martinez added: “But the bravery that Ross has is that he will show for the ball from any angle, he’ll want it, he’ll try to be positive and make things happen for the team. When he gets in the box, when he controls the situation, that is the sign of an incredible footballer.”

In amassing two shots and 1.3 key passes per game during the course of his career, there is clearly a talented attacking player in there.

His best days were at Everton, so by moving back to Goodison we could see the best of Barkley once again. The Toffees should definitely consider a switch.

AND in other news, Everton eye swoop for “unpredictable” £34.5m wizard, he could be their new Deulofeu…

It’s no secret that once Celtic announce their new manager, they will have a huge job on their hands in order to repair the damage done at Parkhead.

The Bhoys will need to prepare a squad good enough to challenge their biggest rivals again which will be made all the more difficult by a potential mass exodus.

Scott Brown is set to leave for Aberdeen while Ryan Christie could fetch a seven-figure sum after being linked with the exit door.

There is also the threat that Odsonne Edouard departs. So regularly attracting the attention of the Premier League, it feels like now is the time he’ll finally walk away from Glasgow.

Unfortunately, Celtic could also lose Kristoffer Ajer this summer.

The Norwegian has caught the eye of Tottenham in recent years while AC Milan were also interested earlier this season.

Though, in the last few weeks, speculation has ramped up. Newcastle and Norwich are now both chasing the Norwegian with the Magpies sending scouts to watch him in the Old Firm derby last weekend.

Last summer, it looked as though the player would be worth around £15m but his value has rocketed now to around the £25m mark.

A fresh claim from Paddy Davitt of the Eastern Daily Press claims that because of this, Norwich could well be priced out of a move by Newcastle.

The good news here is that Celtic have seemingly found a potential buyer willing to pay such a considerable sum.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]

The worrying aspect, though, is that within just a matter of months at being a club, Dominic McKay could lose one of Celtic’s prized possessions.

Ajer has often been the glue holding the Hoops together this term and while everyone around him in the backline has faltered, he’s remained a constant form of solidity.

The centre-back sets a wonderful example for others, something John Harton picked up earlier in the campaign; “He’s grabbing the bull by the horns and he’s almost dragging the team through, even to these draws,” he began.

“He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title,” Hartson concluded.

To surrender such an influential player, therefore, will be a disaster and despite an iflux of cash, it will be tough to find another defender or Ajer’s quality.

Celtic have lost so many players to the Premier League in the last decade and it now looks set to bite them in the heels again.

It’s a horrible trend but even with a new figure in McKay at Paradise, it seemingly can’t be stopped. He will have every right to feel gutted if a move goes through.

The team on the pitch will almost certainly be weaker without Ajer and regardless of what goes on in terms of the bank account, supporters will judge McKay, and the new manager, based on what happens on the pitch.

AND in other news, Dominic McKay is already on the verge of his first major Celtic mistake…

Queens Park Rangers have been handed a massive boost to their hopes of keeping Ilias Chair at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Belgian outlet Voetbal 24, who claim that both Club Brugge and Anderlecht are now unlikely to make a move for the attacking midfielder in the upcoming transfer window, as they cannot afford QPR’s reported asking price of €15m (£13m).

However, it has also been reported that all three of Watford, Bologna and Genoa are keen on the 23-year-old, who is under contract with the Hoops until the summer of 2025.

Massive boost

While a significant amount of interest remains in Chair ahead of the summer transfer window, the fact that the two sides from the midfielder’s home country now look out of the race for his signature is a massive boost for Mark Warburton, and is likely to delight QPR fans.

Indeed, keeping the £3.6m-rated youngster in west London ahead of next season would appear crucial for Warburton’s hopes of mounting a promotion push, as the 23-year-old was one of the stars of QPR’s 2020/21 campaign.

Over his 45 Championship appearances last term, Chair bagged eight goals, provided four assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.6 key passes and taking 1.9 shots per game – culminating in a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.04 – ranking him as the club’s joint fourth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, it would very much seem as if the midfielder – whom Ryan Dilks dubbed a “quality” player – could play a huge role in helping the Rs improve on their eighth-place finish in the Championship as of next season, meaning that Warburton should be doing everything in his power to ensure that the 23-year-old is not tempted away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

In other news: Get it done: Bhatia must sanction QPR swoop for 23 G/A beast who’s “something special” – opinion

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed a major boost for Leeds United ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side visit the league leaders at the Etihad Stadium after beating Sheffield United 2-1 last weekend, and they have been given some welcome pre-match news going into the contest.

Hay confirmed that there were “no fresh injuries for Leeds” as Pep Guardiola’s men come to town, and that is no doubt a major boost to a team which has suffered from niggling injuries and issues over the past few weeks.

The likes of Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo, among others, have all had issues which have either forced them off early in a game or seen them miss out on the matchday squad completely.

For Bielsa, who has stuck to his tried-and-trusted players week in, week out, having key players miss out surely puts a major dent in his gameplan.

It’s a welcome relief, then, that the Argentine can head into arguably the Premier League’s most difficult game right now against City with a squad not completely decimated by injuries or doubts over their fitness.

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The Whites will have to be at the top of their game to stop the City juggernaut, with Pep Guardiola’s men in good spirits after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in their Champions League clash at the Etihad in midweek.

Hay’s pre-match injury boost just gives Leeds that little kick to try cause an upset against the league leaders.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must unleash this rarely-seen gem vs Man City…

As per Hampshire Live, Southampton are interested in signing defender Leo Hjelde.

Southampton eye Hjelde

Southampton are said to be interested in signing 17-year-old Hjelde, who currently plays for Ross County in Scotland, on loan from Celtic.

Ralph Hasenhuttl stated last week that the Saints will have to be clever in the transfer market and will therefore be looking to sign players for under £10m rather than for £20m or £30m. Hjelde, therefore, is a realistic target given his inexperience.

Van Dijk successor?

Hjelde is currently on loan at Ross County, where he has made nine appearances since making the move from the Bhoys in January (Transfermarkt). Ross County manager John Hughes recently told the BBC that the teenager is the next Virgil van Dijk – high praise indeed and comments that have only led to increased interest in the Norwegian.

Whether Hjelde is comparable to the £63m-valued Liverpool star (Transfermarkt) is up for debate, but it is clear the centre-back has plenty of ability, with Hughes hailing him as ‘absolutely fantastic’.

As Hasenhuttl and co look to play their cards right, Hjelde could be a realistic option for them in the transfer market. The Saints have a good working relationship with Celtic, with several players moving in both directions in recent seasons. They may be able to make use of that partnership to secure this signing.

In other news, Southampton fans slammed this man against West Brom.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to an apparent leaked photo of the Reds’ 2021/22 kit, with many not keen on it.

When it comes to kits, football supporters can often find themselves fascinated by them.

The sight of your team wearing a brand-new strip often brings fresh hope and optimism, as we dream of our heroes lifting silverware in their new attire.

Liverpool have had some glorious outfits down the years, from the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s right the way through to the present period.

[freshpress-quiz id=“313155″]

The Reds are coming towards the end of their first season in a Nike kit, having switched from New Balance last summer, with their new manufacturer not exactly bringing a huge amount of luck in 2020/21.

A photo shared by LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) on Twitter seemingly shows what Liverpool’s strip next season will look like, with both the home and away jerseys on show.

Liverpool fans react to leaked kit

It’s fair to say that the image hasn’t been met with resounding positivity, with these Reds supporters taking to Twitter to provide their honest thoughts on it.

“Dreadful”

Credit: @praneeth1012

“How are people who are paid legal tender by Nike worse at designing kits than people on Twitter who do it as a hobby?”

Credit: @NotoriousJOS

“That’s a hard pass for me this year. Didn’t even get to wear this season’s kit to the pub that much, so will stick with it.”

Credit: @BartGlilly

“OK let’s go back to NB”

Credit: @GharteyTimothy

“Terrible, hate Nike’s designs”

Credit: @ceklfc

“They’re boring. The stripes add no value. Would actually rather plain red and plain white”

Credit: @michaelbargache

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting positively to a fresh Reds transfer link. Read about it here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee expressed his concerns over the lack of natural goalscorers at his old club.

First-choice striker Callum Wilson has scored 10 Premier League goals this season; however, no other Newcastle player has been able to show that level of proficiency during the 29-year-old’s time on the sidelines.

The likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin have really struggled in front of goal overall, with the former managing to score just once in the current English top-flight campaign so far.

Unsurprisingly, it is a huge worry for Lee, who believes this predicament has left manager Steve Bruce and the club in big trouble.

Speaking exclusively with FFC, the ex-Newcastle star said:

“If you haven’t got someone who’s a natural goalscorer scoring goals, you’re in trouble, you’re in trouble. You look at all the teams down there and none of them have a natural goalscorer, none of them. They [the teams that go down] never do. Throughout the years, they never have a natural goalscorer.

“We actually have one, but he’s injured and it seems the whole of our team is based around him and how he plays. And we haven’t got a replacement and then we don’t have any players from midfield [who can score goals].”

Indeed, Newcastle’s lack of goals at the minute is a huge concern. Furthermore, Bruce will be delighted to have Wilson in training again and hoping his return from injury has not come too late.

Many fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Declan Rice reflected on the club’s recent victory over Leeds United.

Rice impressed in West Ham’s 2-0 Premier League win against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, with the 22-year-old winning six duels and making four clearances, two interceptions and three tackles over the course of the 90 minutes [SofaScore], earning a match rating of 7.2 for his efforts.

Following the victory, which saw West Ham climb to fifth place in the Premier League, the £49.5m-rated Rice took to Twitter, stating his belief that the Hammers’ win was “not the prettiest of performances” before calling for fans of the club to “keep enjoying the ride” this season.

In reaction, many fans of West Ham flocked to have their say on the matter, with a few heaping considerable praise on the England international for his “unbelievable” performance on Monday night.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to Declan Rice’s post on Twitter?

“Captain leading us to something special.”

@westhamtransfer

“Keep going captain, unreal again.”

@WestHam_Central

“The sign of a good team is winning when not playing well Declan Rice. 3 points in the bag and we mooooooove.”

@rhysj39

“Get in Declan! Quality performance tonight, it’s a pleasure to watch the player you are becoming. Never leave us please you’re already taking this club to new levels. Keep it up, man!”

@AdamAllchin

“Terrific fighting spirit & togetherness again, the desire to keep on improving & not being satisfied with just winning but playing better is the drive that will end with a high league position. Keep it up All of You. COYI.”

@richiewhite25

“Class player, will love to see you lead us in Europe.”

@ScoutSoucek

“Still getting the win as well as a clean sheet when we didn’t play that well shows how far we have come!! MY CAPTAIN. Keep going, European nights are pending.”

@MatthewFairle11

“Brilliant again skipper and keep on those pens!!”

@LeeBo

“Another game, another masterclass. Well played Dec!”

@WHUKasp

“Unbelievable once again.”

@rosswhu3

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!