All posts by z3u9t.icu

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell has made a claim on some ‘great news’ to come out of West Ham United recently.

The Lowdown: Big boost for Moyes…

As per reliable reporter Roshane Thomas of The Athletic, manager David Moyes has just been handed a major West Ham boost.

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Indeed, according to his information, defender and fan favourite Vladimir Coufal has put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at the London Stadium.

The 29-year-old, who had been in new deal talks for a good portion of the year according to Sky Sports, has apparently committed his future to West Ham as GSB tie down one of last season’s star players.

Speaking to FI, Campbell has now made a claim on this news out of Rush Green.

The Latest: Campbell makes claim…

The Sky pundit, commenting on this major development, believes there was ‘talk’ of Coufal leaving West Ham if the club couldn’t agree terms on a new deal – meaning this update comes as a ‘great news’.

“Coufal has been a revelation,” he explained.

“There was talk about him maybe leaving so it’s great news for the club to get him tied down. Any team worth their salt gets their best players on long-term contracts.

“I am pleased that West Ham have got him tied up.

“He is a very good right-back and a solid defender. There are not many better than him in the Premier League.”

The Verdict: Big…

Coufal finished 2020/2021 as West Ham’s joint-highest tackler per 90 in the Premier League and, arguably, one of the division’s supreme full-backs.

Both him and compatriot Tomas Soucek have flourished since signing for West Ham in the summer of 2020 and Irons supporters will certainly be overjoyed that the defender has now put pen to paper.

In other news: Newman gifted big boost in race to sign ‘outstanding’ star who is ‘very keen’ to join West Ham, find out more here.

Leicester City have suffered a big double selection setback ahead of their Europa League tie with Legia Warsaw after Jonny Evans and Kelechi Iheanacho were ruled out of contention.

What’s the word?

The Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers revealed that the pair haven’t travelled to Poland with the rest of the first-team squad, with Evans not well enough to make the journey.

“He hasn’t travelled. He wasn’t well enough to travel. We’ll see how he is for the weekend,” Rodgers said in Wednesday’s press conference.

“He’s a top defender, and when he plays, we are better. We were hoping he was going to be available, but obviously not. We’ll see how he is for the weekend.”

The Northern Irish tactician also disclosed how an issue with Iheanacho’s paperwork has prevented him from playing any part in their second Group C encounter.

Rodgers said: “We’ve had an issue with Kelechi. His documentation coming into the country wasn’t sufficient, so he wasn’t able to travel. He will be unavailable for the game.

“The paperwork didn’t allow him to enter the country. We’ll have to look at that when we’re back.”

Brendan Rodgers will be gutted

Rodgers will surely be gutted to be without both Iheanacho and Evans for this evening’s trip to Warsaw, with both stars playing key roles in the first-team setup.

Evans has only completed one 90 minute game so far this season due to a recurring foot injury, while Iheanacho has managed to bag two goals and provide two assists in all competitions despite making just one start all campaign.

Leicester will be hoping to have the duo back available when they take on Crystal Palace over the weekend as they attempt to end a three-game winless run in the Premier League.

And, in other news…Romano delivers Leicester transfer update that will surely leave Rodgers gutted 

Hugo Lloris will always be a legend of the club for former Tottenham Hotspur player Graham Roberts.

Lloris signed for Tottenham on transfer deadline day in 2012 along with Clint Dempsey and has gone on to make 375 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, keeping 128 clean sheets in the process.

Spurs, now under the leadership of Nuno Espirito Santo, have started the season in fine form, winning both their opening two matches of the Premier League season against Manchester City and Wolves, with Lloris keeping clean sheets in both fixtures.

Espirito Santo has brought in Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta this summer as competition to the Tottenham number one, with Gollini starting the club’s UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier against Pacos Ferreira.

Ex-Tottenham player Graham Roberts believes that Lloris is a legend of the club, telling Football FanCast: “For me, he’ll always be a legend because you know, he’s captain of the football club and played 300 games, well loads more but 300 Premier League games, so yeah, he’ll always be a legend.”

After a great start to the Premier League campaign with two wins and two clean sheets, Tottenham will be hoping that they can continue their good run of form and be competing for a place in the top four and for trophies this season.

A number of Rangers fans have been praising Scott Arfield following his comments after the Scottish League Cup exit at the hands of Hibernian.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst suffered a sobering afternoon on Sunday watching on as Light Blues manager, with his side sent packing from the competition.

The Scottish Premiership champions found themselves 3-0 down at Hampden Park before half-time and, despite Arfield pulling one goal back, missed the opportunity to set up a showdown against Celtic in the final.

It was a bitterly disappointing day for the Gers and it is now vital that the ship is steadied in the coming weeks, ensuring that a second successive league title is secured.

One player who has come away from the Hibs game with some credit is Arfield, with the club’s official Twitter channel sharing an interview with him assessing the defeat and Football Scotland writer Calum Woodger describing him as ‘one of few bright sparks for the Light Blues’.

The Canada international bluntly admitted that the “collective and individual standards” of the team were “not good enough” at Hampden Park and that the Gers had “no excuses” for what he felt was a deserved defeat.

Rangers fans praise Arfield comments

These Gers fans responded to the video to show their appreciation for the midfielder, claiming that he is someone who understands the values of the club.

“Only one of two players who showed up yesterday. Then they got subbed…”

Credit: @No_Bikers

“Even in defeat this man knows what it means”

Credit: @RobbieBaird98

“Always been a big fan of Scotty & this shows the type of guy he truly is. Well said sir!”

Credit: @joanneawright

“Fair play to Arfield, no point in trying to sugar coat it”

Credit: @dougie_rfc

“Well said, one of the only ones that deserves pass marks”

Credit: @_ReidFisher

“One guy who can be relied on”

Credit: @m6134n

In other news, some Rangers fans slaughtered one player’s performance against Hibernian. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United have entered talks to sign Kurt Zouma, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports claim that the 26-year-old centre-back would favour a move to the Hammers as he is settled in London. Chelsea have been mooted with using the France international in a player-plus-cash swap deal for Sevilla star Jules Kounde.

It’s believed the Irons would be prepared to pay around £20m to seal Zouma but that is below the Blues’ valuation, whilst he still has two years to run on his current £65k-per-week contract.

It remains to be seen how much Chelsea are looking for, with CIES Football Observatory currently rating him at €40m (£34m).

Fans will be buzzing

With David Moyes reportedly keen to bolster his defence with a high-quality centre-back, the link to Zouma should come as no surprise, even more so with the Hammers in need of replacing Fabian Balbuena’s place in the squad.

The Frenchman’s vast experience in the top-flight, having featured 165 times in the Premier League, makes him seem like a perfect candidate to add to Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson.

Zouma rated out as Chelsea’s second-best player during the 2020/21 season, earning a 7.07 grade on WhoScored.

He averaged a squad-high 3.6 aerial duels won and 3.8 clearances per game, whilst also managing a seasonal passing success rate of 90.9%, which suggests he’s not just a defensive animal but a player who is equally deft with the ball at his feet, which will suit Moyes’ out-from-the-back system to a tee.

Blues legend John Terry once described the 26-year-old as a “beast of a player” and it’s easy to see why on the above evidence.

Furthermore, much of the London Stadium faithful are very eager to see Moyes make a move for the Chelsea star this summer, with one fan claiming that he’s a “fantastic defender” on his day and another lauding it as a “steal”, amongst many more reactions.

The fact that Zouma would be open to a switch to East London will leave them absolutely buzzing. GSB must look to get this done.

AND in other news, Moyes given big West Ham transfer boost over £36m-rated “machine”, fans surely buzzing…

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace reporter Matt Woosnam doesn’t begrudge Wilfried Zaha for wanting to play at the very highest level, following a report from The Times last month stating he wants to leave.

Zaha has featured 393 times for Crystal Palace, scoring 68 goals and providing a further 72, during his two spells at Selhurst Park.

The forward did move to Manchester United in 2013/2014 but that move didn’t work out for Zaha, as he featured just four times for the Red Devils.

There has been interest from Arsenal in the past, with the Mirror reporting they could yet return with a new bid, while Goal are reporting that both Tottenham and Everton are keen on signing Zaha this summer.

With potential interest in Zaha, Woosnam told Football FanCast: “I don’t begrudge him at all for wanting to play at the very, very highest level.

“You can understand why Zaha is in that position where he wants to play in the Europa League or in the Champions League.”

Zaha has two years remaining on his current Palace contract and Palace chairman Steve Parish told the BBC earlier this year, that any transfer involving Zaha “has to be right for the football club.”

With new manager Patrick Vieira now at the helm, Palace have entered the transfer market already this summer, signing Marc Guehi from Chelsea and Michael Olise from Reading.

Queens Park Rangers have been handed a boost regarding the potential departure of Liam Kelly from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that Ipswich Town are considering a £350k move for the Dundee United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist, a deal which, if completed, could well see the Scottish Premiership side ramp up their interest in the QPR shot-stopper.

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon recently revealed in a post on Twitter that both Dundee and fellow Scottish top-flight side Motherwell are keen on the 25-year-old, with the duo believed to be considering a loan bid for the £360k-rated man.

Warburton will be buzzing

With Kelly having fallen down the pecking order at QPR over the course of the last two seasons, as well as the ‘keeper giving a rather revealing interview regarding his desire to leave west London this summer, the potential of Dundee firming up their interest in the former Scotland U21 international is sure to have left Mark Warburton buzzing.

Since joining QPR from Livingston in what was a £54k deal back in June of 2019, Kelly has so far gone on to make just 21 appearances for the club, conceding 35 goals and keeping three clean sheets along the way.

Last term, the £7k-per-week ‘keeper did not make an appearance for the Rs before being sent on loan to Motherwell for the latter half of the season, where he appeared to somewhat refind his level over 18 league appearances for Graham Alexander’s side, keeping six clean sheets and earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

As such, should QPR receive a formal bid from either Dundee or Motherwell for the player whom Alexander dubbed a “fantastic” shot-stopper in the coming weeks, it would appear highly advisable for Warburton to allow the 25-year-old to pack his bags, as things have not quite worked out for the Scot in west London.

Warburton would be buzzing to get a fee in for a player, potentially adding to his own transfer kitty, whilst getting the player’s wages off the books would be very beneficial too.

In other news: Imagine him & Chair: Bhatia must sanction QPR swoop for “tremendous” 21 y/o dynamo

Celtic’s lucrative sales of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer have been hailed as ‘incredibly good business’ by Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson. 

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Both Edouard and Ajer had entered the final year of their deals at Celtic Park, meaning that, when January rolled around, they would have been in a position to arrange a free transfer for the summer of 2022.

Celtic agreed to sell Ajer to new Premier League arrivals Brentford back in July, banking an initial £13.5million, a fee which could rise depending on how he performs (via Sky Sports).

Edouard had to wait until the end of the transfer window to seal his move to Crystal Palace, this time for a base figure of £14million. Again, that could eventually climb to £18.5million (also via Sky Sports), albeit with some of that profit going to PSG.

According to Transfermarkt, Edouard’s sale is the third-biggest in Celtic’s history, with Ajer slotting into fourth on the all-time list.

The latest

Robinson says Celtic have pulled off a ‘very difficult’ feat, overcoming what looked like a weak negotiating position, but the focus must now turn to how CEO Dominic McKay will use those funds.

“That is incredibly good business considering they both only had 12 months left on their contract,” he said.

“When players of that quality get down to that stage of their contract it is very difficult to keep them and in a lot of cases they will leave for free a year later.

“You just hope some of that money gets reinvested into the squad in the January window.”

The verdict

The extent to which this really good business also depends on how Celtic’s replacements fare.

Georgios Giakoumakis looks to be some coup, having netted a league-high 26 goals for a relegated VVV-Venlo side in the Eredivisie.

But can the same be said for £4.5million centre-back Carl Starfelt? Yes, it’s early days, but as Alan Hutton notes, he’s had ‘a difficult time’ so far.

While Robinson’s praise for McKay’s ‘incredibly good’ negotiating power is certainly correct, only time will tell how effective this summer’s rebuild has really been.

In other news, Alan Hutton offers his reaction to another outgoing.  

Rotherham must seal a deal to sign Cambridge United striker Paul Mullin this summer after Bristol Rovers pulled out of the race, their fans would love it.

What’s the talk?

Rovers have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Mullin on a free transfer. According to the Bristol Post, they have been forced to exit the running for his signature as they have been priced out of a deal for the Cambridge frontman.

The report claims that both Rotherham and Plymouth Argyle are still battling it out to sign Mullin as they attempt to bolster their attacking units ahead of next season.

Mullin signed a one-year contract with Cambridge last summer and now appears set to depart from the club at the end of the month. Despite helping Mark Bonner’s side seal promotion to League One, Mullin is yet to extend his deal at the club and this opens the door to Rotherham, and other interested parties, to make a move for the forward.

Earlier this season, Cambridge boss Mark Bonner heaped praise on the  “outstanding” Mullin for his start to the campaign, hailing his exceptional goal return. He told InYourArea:

“He’s had an outstanding start to the season.

“To be nominated in month one and then win it in month two is a real credit to him. He’s continued that momentum.

“He’ll be looking forward to and be desperate to get back on the pitch to try and continue his good form, and try and continue to help us develop and improve.

“He’ll be the first one to credit players around him for creating opportunities and everything else, but his goal return has been exceptional in the short period that we’ve played so far, and his overall contribution to the games have been excellent.”

Fans would love it

Rotherham fans should be delighted if the club managed to bring in Mullin on a free transfer. Paul Warne’s side struggled for goals in the Championship as they suffered relegation back to League One, with Michael Smith’s tally of 10 goals in 44 games the best any of his attackers provided at that level. Matt Crooks, six, and Freddie Ladapo, nine, were the only other Rotherham players who scored more than three goals in the league.

Mullin, meanwhile, plundered a sensational 32 goals for Cambridge in League Two to lead them to promotion in the 2020/21 campaign. The £800-per-week striker averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.00 in 45 starts for Cambridge as he was directly involved in an eye-catching 36 league goals. This suggests that he could bring the goalscoring touch Rotherham have been lacking to help to fire Warne’s team back to the second tier at the first time of asking.

At the age of 26, Mullin could also still have his best years ahead of him. The attacker is now entering what should be the peak of his career and Rotherham could snap up the goal machine in his prime to lead their line for the next three or four seasons if he is able to translate his form to a higher level.

Fans should love this deal as they could be getting a star striker who could improve their chances of promotion whilst paying nothing for his signature.

AND in other news, Rotherham receive big boost in bid to sign 21 y/o beast, he’d be great for Warne

Joe Gomez has been a key member of the Liverpool squad ever since signing for the Premier League club in the summer of 2015 from Charlton.

Following his arrival, the 24-year-old has gone on to represent England, as well as winning multiple titles for Liverpool, including a Champions League crown and Premier League title – and he still arguably hasn’t reached his peak years yet.

Gomez has made 139 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, and this is despite suffering major injuries which have ruled him out for significant periods of time – missing practically the whole of the 2015/16 season and undergoing ankle surgery twice.

In his 85 appearances in the Premier League, he has kept 32 clean sheets and has a 73% tackle success rate. Add to this the fact that he hasn’t made an error leading to a goal in these 85 matches and the stats show Liverpool have an extremely solid defender at their disposal.

This even led manager Jurgen Klopp to label him a “sensational footballer” during the side’s title-winning campaign in 2020.

His market value has soared in his seven years as a Liverpool player. The £3.5m signing now has a Transfermarkt value of a whopping £19.8m, showing just how impressive he has been for the team.

In March 2020, as Liverpool stood on the cusp of glory, his value sat at a staggering £37.8m while he was just 22. And, although it has slipped since then – largely due to injuries and Klopp rotating his squad – Gomez is still to enter his peak as a defender.

While Klopp is constantly trying to evolve his side, with his recent recruitment being excellent with attackers such as Luis Diaz and Diego Jota settling in extremely well, he won’t need to sign a centre-back for some time.

The £75k-per-week Gomez is at the perfect team in order to continue developing and you wouldn’t bet on him adding to his 11 England appearances in the near future too.

AND in other news: Klopp could unearth next Konate by unleashing “incredible” £450k-rated gem