All posts by n8rngtd.top

Arsenal could find themselves a serious upgrade on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, the Gunners are in “pole position” to sign Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez before this month’s transfer deadline after the Telegraph first revealed their interest last month.

Speaking on ‘The Football Terrace’, he said:

“My initial thought – like most people – was why would Lautaro Martinez, who’s just won Serie A with Inter Milan and is one of the best young forwards in the game, go and join Arsenal right now?

“So I’ve asked that question and basically he wants to come to the Premier League, first of all. And he sees Arsenal, if that’s the club, to be a place where he can grow.

“At the moment, the reason Arsenal are in pole position for him is because they basically have a free run at him. There hasn’t been any other contact with other clubs.”

Aubameyang upgrade

If Edu Gaspar and the Emirates hierarchy can seal a move for the £72m-rated talisman, then what a signing he could be.

Martinez spearheaded Inter to their first Serie A title in over a decade, thanks to his 19 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. He averaged a direct goal contribution every 108 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.

One could question Mikel Arteta’s interest in a new striker but Alexandre Lacazette has been linked with an exit in recent months, whilst it’s no secret that the form of Aubameyang has been a major cause for concern.

Only a few weeks ago, much of the Gunners faithful were pondering whether the 32-year-old club captain had lost his goalscoring touch after a lacklustre display during pre-season.

It may not be a competitive encounter but the Gabon international only scored two goals in his final nine appearances last season, with his average number of shots per game decreased by 0.6 from a year earlier, when he found the net 12 more times in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-arsenal-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title= “Read the latest Arsenal news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Arteta himself even acknowledged Aubameyang’s disappointing form back in April as he told reporters:

“It’s not been where it’s been in recent years and it’s a factor that is contributed by a lot of things that the team has to do on the pitch. It’s not just his thing.

“But obviously we need Aubameyang in a different form in the next games to give us our best chance to finish where we want to finish the season, that’s clear.”

As a result, Arsenal must look to seal a move for Martinez, not just because of his impressive goal returns in 2020/21.

Argentina teammate and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has given the 23-year-old a rather glowing endorsement in the past – speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said:

“He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that. He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

The 28-cap goal machine could certainly help bolster the Gunners’ fortunes in front of goal as Arteta’s squad scored the fewest goals of any side that finished inside the top nine.

Whilst it remains to be seen how much Inter would want for a player of Martinez’s calibre, their financial problems could aid any bid for him this summer, so Edu must now do all they can to secure him.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Partey: Arsenal could sign their next Gilberto in “complete” £30m beast…

Noel Whelan has claimed that Ollie Watkins could play in a wide role after Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Danny Ings.

The Lowdown: Ings signs

Villa confirmed the signing of Ings from Southampton last week, meaning that with the additions of Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey as well, it may be more difficult to fit Watkins into the team as a striker.

It certainly is a good problem for Dean Smith to have following the departure of Jack Grealish to Manchester City – he has plenty of options to choose from even without the former skipper.

The Latest: New role?

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, former Leeds United and Coventry City striker turned pundit, has claimed that Watkins could play in a wider role in order to accommodate Ings into the side:

“I think we’ve seen Ollie Watkins play in wider areas for Brentford.

“Just because he’s playing out wide, doesn’t mean he can’t go and score goals. That’s brilliant news for Aston Villa, you have to say.

“He’ll still be expected to get in the box from wide areas. I did it at Coventry and was top scorer from that kind of role, so it can be done.

“He’s got that pace that can hurt teams from wide areas, getting in behind them and causing problems.

“He and Ings will be looking to form a partnership as quickly as possible, and what a partnership that will be. He’s an amazing player.”

The Verdict: Capable

Watkins is certainly more than capable of playing out wide, as he has done throughout his club career so far (Transfermarkt).

It also means that AVFC can play with Ings up top as well, thus giving them an extra goal threat going into the new 2021/22 season.

With Buendia and Bailey now options too for Smith, it presents such a mouth-watering prospect that all four could play together in one team, which would surely give Villa the edge over other sides in the top flight with their added attacking threat.

In other news, find out which international Villa are now in talks to sign here!

West Brom manager Valerien Ismael has hinted that striker Kenneth Zohore could stay at the club beyond this summer, having impressed of late.

The Lowdown: Zohore sent out on loan

The Baggies were relegated from the Premier League last season, but one player who played no part in their struggles was Zohore.

The 27-year-old spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Millwall, but he didn’t impress overall, scoring just twice in 17 Championship appearances.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Striker could stay put

Zohore has arguably been expected to leave West Brom this summer, but speaking to Birmingham Live, Ismael has suggested that the attacker may be given another chance to prove his worth:

“Ken I have to say, over the last two weeks, has raised his intensity for sure.

“At the beginning we had some concerns about whether he can play at that intensity and buy in, but the last two weeks and the game against Birmingham show that we are on the right way with him.

“Strikers of that type you will need in the Championship, he can help us. He can score goals. He has the quality and he is part of the process.

“It’s up to him now to put the performances in on the pitch. My job, with the staff, is to make sure that he has the clarity in his head to know exactly what he has to do. I hope he can confirm what we have seen over the last two weeks.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-12/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: New signing still needed

If Zohore does end up staying with the Baggies, it is vital that another striker is brought in, regardless of the Dane’s future.

They have been linked with moves for the likes of Daryl Dike and Andre Gray, and the former in particular would represent an upgrade on current options having shone on loan for Ismael at Barnsley.

Zohore has shown that he is not good enough to lead the line regularly for a Championship side, and while Karlan Grant is also ahead of him in the pecking order, more depth is required.

In other news, West Brom are reportedly in talks to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Many Newcastle United fans have been left fuming as Callum Wilson missed a superb chance to score away at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

The striker was put through on goal one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a bad mistake by Tyrone Mings, but ending up shanking his shot and missed the target completely in what was a big chance to take the lead at Villa Park.

It was a chance that a player of his calibre should really be scoring, and would have given Steve Bruce’s team a welcome lead within the first five minutes of the game.

Wilson, who earns £77,000-per-week at St. James’ Park, is already off the mark for the new 2021/22 Premier League season after netting in the 4-2 home loss to West Ham United last weekend, and so should not let this miss faze him going into the second half of the match.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-updates-5/” title=”Newcastle updates! (5)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Newcastle fans on Wilson miss

These Magpies supporters fumed on Twitter after Wilson missed his chance:

“Wilson has to score that. Terrible miss #nufc #AVLNEW”

Credit: @lewy7

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Wilson miss like that  That was a shocker though. Should be 1-0 up. #NUFC”

Credit: @jameskenning

“Shocking miss from Wilson. Has to score. #nufc”

Credit: @Edit_Kev

“Shocking miss that. I’d of bet my house on Wilson burying that like. #NUFC”

Credit: @ToonBarmy59

“Really bad miss by Wilson! Should be 1-0! #nufc”

Credit: @ToonArmyFlorida

“Horrible miss from Wilson. Onside too. #nufc”

Credit: @Mattys123

In other news, find out who has backed NUFC’s approach for this Premier League ace here!

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn’t the right man to bring back success to Old Trafford.

The legendary United frontman, who recently signed a new long-term contract at the club, is approaching the three-year mark since he replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout.

However, whilst Solskjaer has made the Red Devils top-four regulars once again and led them to a second-place finish last season, he’s been unable to end their four-year wait for silverware since Mourinho’s side lifted the Europa League.

Solskjaer has suffered defeats in three domestic semi-finals and lost at the same stage of the Europa League in 2020 before falling short in the final back in May.

The arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Rafael Varane will boost United’s chances of a first Premier League title for nine seasons, but they dropped two points at Southampton on Sunday and already trail title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.

When asked about United’s title chances, Jemson told The Transfer Tavern:

“Have they got the squad to win the Premier League? They may have. Have they got the manager to win the Premier League? No, I don’t think so.

“Is he the right man to take Manchester United forward? I don’t think so. All this hype about Ole’s at the wheel and all this. They finished second in the Premier League. If they don’t win a trophy this year, it’s a failure.”

Wolves are looking to make more signings before the transfer window closes next week, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

It has been a pretty quiet window for Wolves so far, with the arrival of goalkeeper Jose Sa to replace Rui Patricio and permanent signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri probably their main pieces of business.

Most of the transfer talk at Wolves this summer has been dominated by current players Ruben Neves and Adama Traore, who both continue to be linked with moves away from Molineux.

According to Fabrizio Romano (via The Here We Go Podcast), Neves is one name on a list of midfielders Manchester United are looking at. Meanwhile, The Telegraph are reporting that Tottenham are hoping to sign Traore on a loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer.

And Hatfield has spoken to FFC about that potential loan deal and Wolves’ overall plans for the rest of the month.

“The deal with a loan with a view, I don’t think it would work for Wolves,” the Express & Star reporter said. “They’d be losing a very good player, or one of their best players, for essentially a very small fee right now.

“It would give them very little money to play with in terms of this window when they are looking to make signings before this window closes.”

It is shaping up to be an exciting deadline day at Wolves, with it certainly looking like they could get some last-minute deals done.

VVV-Venlo striker Georgios Giakoumakis will undergo his Celtic medical in Paris on Sunday, according to journalist Johnny Georgopoulos.

The Lowdown: Fee agreed

The Hoops have been linked with a move for the 26-year-old for almost two weeks now.

Ange Postecoglou personally called the striker over a deal and an initial fee of €2.5m has been agreed on between the two clubs.

Giakoumakis, on just €750-a-week (£642) with Venlo, could well become Dominic McKay’s 10th summer signing in his first window as CEO, and it seems as if a move has taken a further step forward ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

The Latest: Sunday medical

According to Georgopoulos, Giakoumakis will undergo his medical in France on Sunday.

The journalist revealed that he has accepted Celtic’s offer and that it would now be a ‘big surprise’ if he didn’t make the move to Glasgow.

The Verdict: Edouard to depart?

With Giakoumakis now likely to join Celtic, that could mean that Odsonne Edouard will get the Parkhead exit he has wanted since April.

The Hoops have Crystal Palace, Bordeaux and Rubin Kazan all interested in a late auction for the Frenchman, and it seems as if a deal could be on the cards with the 23-year-old into the final 12 months of his contract.

The pending arrival of Giakoumakis may well give Edouard the green light to move away, so it looks set to be an interesting last few days of the window.

In other news: Pundit tips ‘composed’ ace to re-join Celtic in late activity.

Graham Roberts has been impressed with Steven Bergwijn’s start to the Premier League season at Tottenham, after the club failed with a late window move for Wolves’ Adama Traore, as per David Ornstein of The Athletic.

The Dutchman made just three league starts from February onwards having fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho, although he did get a decent amount of game-time once Ryan Mason became interim head coach.

In Bergwijn’s penultimate game of the season, he notched his first goal in his 34th appearance against Aston Villa, but it was an underwhelming first full campaign in English football for the winger.

Bergwijn’s performances led to reports that he could make an instant return to Holland with Ajax, but he’s since knuckled down and is firmly part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans following a full pre-season.

And with Harry Kane not available to start the opening-day win over Manchester City, Bergwijn was the beneficiary and took his opportunity by producing an impressive display, which included the assist for Heung Min Son’s winner.

He continued his form in the win at Wolves and started again against Watford, and whilst Tottenham had been heavily linked with a potential replacement in Adama Traore prior to the window slamming shut on Tuesday, Roberts exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’s playing well at the moment; he’s doing really well.”

West Ham United are among the teams eyeing a move for Jed Wallace this January…

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Irons are watching the 27-year-old’s situation ahead of a potential move, with his Millwall contract set to expire at the end of the current season.

It’s thought that an offer to stay at the Den is currently on the table but nothing has been agreed so far, meaning interest has ramped up in recent weeks.

The Hammers face competition from Premier League rivals Burnley, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Brentford, as well as Championship giants West Brom and Scottish duo Rangers and Celtic, who are able to agree on a pre-contract agreement at the turn of the year.

Sources have told FLW that the chances of Wallace signing an extension appear slim at this stage.

Another Bowen?

West Ham have had plenty of success when dipping their toes into the lower leagues of English football, with notable cases being Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen.

In Wallace, they could certainly repeat their trick with the latter, who signed from Hull City after a few fruitful seasons in the second tier.

After ten goals and seven assists during the 2020/21 campaign and ten goals and 12 assists in 2019/20, the £6.3m-rated dynamo has continued his fine form into the current season, scoring three times and providing two assists in six appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

Lions boss Gary Rowett knows exactly how important he has been for his side throughout the past few seasons. After a win over Bristol City in 2019, he described Wallace as “instrumental in everything we achieve at the moment,” whilst he was dubbed a “game-changer” after his performance against Blackpool just last month.

Throughout the course of his career, Wallace has proven to be very consistent, which bodes well for his chances of making the big step-up into the Premier League – as per WhoScored, he’s averaged 1.9 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.5 dribbles every game since 2015/16.

Meanwhile, he’s provided a total of 39 goals and 40 assists across 228 appearances, averaging a direct contribution once every 239 minutes, per Transfermarkt.

Considering the success of Bowen, the Irons should certainly take a punt on the 27-year-old attacker in 2022, whether that be in January or on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Wallace could be the next great success story of Moyes’ impressive recruitment.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops major claim on £60k-p/w West Ham star, fans will be ecstatic…

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has delivered a late update on the status of Argentina duo Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia before his side’s Premier League clash against Everton later on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

The pair opted to quarantine in Croatia in order to keep training, and having missed the last game against Chelsea last week, look set to be involved in some capacity against the Toffees today.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Villa boss said: “We are expecting them to join us tomorrow (Saturday) morning and I’ll assess it then and decide if they’ll be involved or not. We have got their numbers of what they have been doing each day. That gets sent straight to the performance department and passed onto the coaches.

“They are in a good place physically which is what we need to know. I’ll assess that in the morning and wait until tomorrow.”

Fans will be buzzing

Make no mistake about it, missing both Martinez and Buendia last week in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea was a major blow to Villa, and their absences proved too much to cope with at Stamford Bridge.

Having them back for today’s clash against would be a huge boost to Villa’s chances of picking up all three points, while here on FFC, we’ve already called on Smith to start Martinez.

Whether Smith opts to start Buendia – an outfield player with no match practice for these past ten days – is another question, but even if he doesn’t make the starting line-up, having the former Norwich City star on the bench could be a game-changer in the closing stages of the game.

After the disappointment of last week, Villa fans will surely be buzzing at Smith’s latest update on both Martinez and Buendia.

Meanwhile, Villa could have their new John Carew in this starlet…