All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United winger Raphinha won’t be a Liverpool player next season, Goal’s Neil Jones says. 

Any previous ‘suggestions’ that the Brazilian will make the move to Anfield are said to be wide of the mark.

Raphinha only joined Leeds last year in a £17million switch from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

How did Raphinha perform last season?

He enjoyed an impressive debut campaign, directly contributing to 15 goals (six goals, nine assists) in 26 starts.

His average of 2.1 chances created per 90 minutes was the seventh-best in the division.

Raphinha has said he isn’t ‘even thinking about leaving’ but admitted it was ‘difficult to define’ how he felt when he heard ‘speculation about giant teams like Liverpool and Manchester United’.

The Reds may be in the market for a new attacker this summer to boost their depth and to limit the damage of losing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to AFCON duty at the turn of the year.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed Jones’ claim, and here’s what supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans react as Raphinha hopes spurned

“Pain”

Credit: @Nehanc6

“Seems to be too expensive atm”

Credit: @ZKarimNBK

“I try not to get dragged into rumours but I truly believed we were gonna sign him and I’ll be heartbroken if we don’t”

Credit: @mb97__

“Still don’t understand why people thought leeds would sell tbh”

Credit: @y2_26

“Coz they want to keep Origi…”

Credit: @biGDhee08

“Ok. #Mbappe2021 then”

Credit: @Forlarin_10

In other news, fans were left raging by another transfer story. 

Tottenham Hotspur cannot train ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, putting the game in serious doubt…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ever-reliable football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who revealed late on Wednesday evening that the club had further positive cases at Hotspur Way, resulting in a complete shutdown of the training ground.

It means Antonio Conte’s already-depleted squad cannot face Stade Rennes in their final Europa Conference League group game this evening and now, it appears as if postponing Sunday’s encounter at the Amex Stadium will be a mere formality at this stage.

Big blow

Spurs have been hit by a flurry of positive cases in recent days and the number keeps increasing as each day passes by.

The Italian head coach revealed in his pre-game press conference that eight players and five members of staff were absent and that another player had tested positive by the end of training, as relayed by football.london.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

“I think this is a serious problem, and it’s a pity because during the press conference I’d like to talk about football and the next game and not about Covid,” he told reporters.

“But the situation is serious. Every day we are having positives. Today one player and one member of staff. I think the worst is we don’t know and we continue to have contact with people that the day before weren’t negative. For sure this is not a good situation. We have a training session to prepare for the game against Rennes, but it’s very difficult.”

Not only do the north London outfit have the Burnley postponement to fit in but they will now have to slot a rearranged encounter with Rennes in before December 31st, which may be tricky with the Ligue 1 outfit due on winter break by Christmas day, and then there is likely to be another game to manoeuvre with this weekend’s clash against the Seagulls likely to be called off in due course.

This deals Conte another blow as his tenure in N17 has been ever so stop-start since taking over a month ago, having also had to contend with numerous injuries and the international break, too.

It also means that Spurs will have a substantial backlog of fixtures heading into 2022 and that could harm their chances of breaking into the top six, let alone the top four, and that’s got to be troubling news for the Lilywhites faithful, who will now not get to witness their team in the near future.

AND in other news, Spurs may have just signed their next Danny Rose…

Southampton have joined a clutch of Premier League teams in the race to sign FC Koln defender Timo Hubers this summer.

The Lowdown: Hubers’ career so far

In 2015, the 25-year-old left the Hannover 96 under-19s to join FC Koln II, before returning to Hannover the following year. The 6 foot 2 defender played five seasons for Die Roten before rejoining Koln, but this time for the latter’s first team.

Hubers has made 15 appearances in the Bundesliga this season and has left a great impression on Steffen Baumgart’s defence. As a result, WhoScored have ranked him as Koln’s best player this season, having averaged a 7.13 rating.

However, at the end of the season, Hubers will enter into the final 12 months of his current contract.

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The Latest: Saints interested in Hubers

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle, Leeds and Crystal Palace are all understood to be closely tracking the 25-year-old centre-back, whilst West Ham, Southampton and Championship promotion favourites Fulham are also monitoring his situation.

It is said that the Hammers and the Saints are likely to prioritise bringing in a centre-back during the summer transfer window, with Hubers set to command a £6m fee.

The Verdict: Good for rotation…or maybe more

The central defenders currently at Ralph Hasenhuttl’s disposal are Mohammed Salisu, Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens and Lyanco. Furthermore, the Saints also have Dynel Simeu, who joined from Chelsea last summer, and his loan deal with Carlisle United is set to expire at the end of May.

However, with Lyanco and Stephens only featuring sporadically this season and with another loan deal potentially in the offing for Simeu, Southampton may well be looking to reshuffle their options at the back in search of more first-team quality.

Therefore, the addition of Hubers could provide Hasenhuttl with a stronger option for rotation – or possibly an immediate first-team starter, with the 25-year-old reportedly tailor-made for the Saints manager’s preference for playing the ball out from the back.

In other news: Dan Sheldon has criticised one Saints player during the 1-1 draw at Leeds

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester United supporters have erupted over a pre-Liverpool blow involving star midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already under pressure after watching his side drop a plethora of Premier League points over this last month.

The Norwegian has overseen losses to both Aston Villa and Leicester City whilst also dropping points in a home draw to Everton, coming as United aim to win their first Premier League title in nearly 10 years (manutd.com).

Ahead of a highly anticipated clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford today, many Red Devils fans have fumed as some team news emerges before they take on Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Indeed, as confirmed by Solskjaer, star man Fernandes is now a doubt for one of the biggest clashes of their season.

The Portuguese playmaker has four goals and two assists in just eight Premier League starts this season, marking himself out as a really key player.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder United supporters are worried he might not feature today.

Find all of their verdicts on the news down below.

Man United fans erupt over Fernandes blow…

“advantage liverpool”

Credit: @Ansh710839

“We are finished”

Credit: @martemmanuel_14

“Great.”

Credit: @Xire01

“OH GOD….we all know it will be Lingard at the 10 on Sunday!”

Credit: @OilDoug

“no bruno omg”

Credit: @rashy10_

“NOT BRUNO”

Credit: @MAX_DBN

“As if it couldn’t get any worse”

Credit: @Unit01773131

In other news: ‘Worse than Fred’, ‘Just sell’…Man United fans hammer ‘very weak’ player who ‘needs shipping out’, find out more here.

Everton gained a vital three points in their fight to avoid relegation by beating Manchester United 1-0 at home in the Premier League at lunchtime.

Anthony Gordon grabbed the only goal of the game with a deflected effort in the first half, as some of the players really huffed and puffed to get the result that they needed.

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As such, some Toffees struggled at times individually, as The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the hosts on the day – could any of these players be worried about their places in the XI going forward?

Allan

Given a 6.8 overall rating, Allan ranked as the Goodison Park faithful’s third-worst player.

The Brazilian lost out on five of his duels, and failed to record any clearances, interceptions or key passes, losing possession 13 times.

Allan was also dribbled past three times, the most out of any Blues player on the pitch.

Alex Iwobi

This one feels mightily harsh given the energy and commitment that he showed in the match, but Iwobi was only given a 6.7 rating.

Playing as a makeshift central midfielder, the Nigeria international lost four duels, was dribbled past once, and also failed to record a single shot on goal, accurate cross or long ball, giving it away 15 times in total.

Iwobi’s day is perhaps the quintessential evidence that the statistics don’t always back up what we see on the pitch.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Calvert-Lewin ranked as the worst performer for the Merseyside club after being given a 6.6 rating.

The striker lost a mammoth 12 duels, and never managed a shot on goal or key pass, as he was also dribbled past once and lost possession 14 times.

With no goal since the opening month of the season, the England international is surely running out of time to show Frank Lampard he is the man to lead the line long-term.

In other news, find out whose display Adam Jones hailed here!

Tottenham Hotspur’s injury problems just seem to keep mounting up…

What’s the latest?

Lilywhites defender Ben Davies is the latest name to be stuck on the treatment table after he was a surprise absentee for their UEFA Europa Conference League clash with Slovenian champions NS Mura on Thursday night.

It was a game that he would’ve undoubtedly featured in, having played the full 90 minutes in all of their three previous outings in Europe this campaign.

Nuno Santo has since revealed the reason behind his absence, via the club’s official website.

“Ben has a problem with inflammation on his appendix. He is being taken care of, had scans, but he was in pain. We wish that he recovers soon and can join us,” he said.

A surprise and cruel blow to the player and the squad.

Davies won’t be facing Aston Villa this afternoon, along with wing duo Steven Bergwijn and Ryan Sessegnon, who are also out through injury.

One after the other

The Portuguese head coach has had to contend with an array of issues since he joined the club.

Summer signing Cristian Romero arrived with a problem that he picked up during Copa America duty, Harry Kane wasn’t up to speed with his fitness, Eric Dier, Lucas Moura and Oliver Skipp have picked up knocks over the last few weeks.

It seems never-ending for Nuno right now.

On the face of it, not having Davies available in the Premier League isn’t too much of a big blow but if Sergio Reguilon gets injured – after being forced to play in midweek in the Welshman’s absence – then the Spurs boss is left in a tricky predicament.

Even more so with Sessegnon, the third-choice in the role, also ruled out.

It means that someone would have to play out of position to cover, should the Spaniard pick up any problems.

Davies can also be utilised at centre-back and after being capped 67 times by Wales, he is one of the more experienced members of this squad, so his presence on and off the pitch may well be very important at times.

Given their recent poor form in the top-flight, having lost three successive heavy defeats including the north London derby, Nuno will be fuming that these injuries problems are continuing to escalate in north London.

It’s reported that the Portuguese is under intense pressure to turn things around and further injury woes will not help his cause whatsoever.

AND in other news, Nuno could save Levy millions by unleashing Spurs’ “bright” 20 y/o prodigy this season…

West Brom are interested in signing Watford forward Andre Gray this summer, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

The lowdown

Gray has been with the Hornets since 2017, having arrived at Vicarage Road from Burnley.

The forward has found regular game time hard to come by in recent seasons though, making 30 appearances for Xisco Munoz’s side in the 2020/21 season.

Gray has one year remaining on his current deal with Watford, although it remains to be seen as to whether he’ll see out that contract with the Hornets, who are preparing for life back in the Premier League and may not seem him as up to the required standard.

The latest

The Baggies have reportedly registered their interest in signing Gray this summer, with Football Insider’s Hawthorns source claiming that Watford have given the ‘green light’ for the former Burnley striker to depart before the summer transfer window closes.

That report claims that West Brom are keen on either a loan or permanent deal to sign the 30-year-old.

The verdict

Gray could be worth a punt for West Brom this summer, as they look to find a striker who can fire them back into the Premier League this term.

Valerien Ismael already has some strong options available to him in Karlan Grant and Kenneth Zohore, but additional strength in depth could be ideal for the newly-appointed West Brom boss.

Gray has shown that he can score goals in the Championship in the past as well, having played for both Burnley and Brentford at that level, netting 25 goals in 44 appearances as the Clarets won promotion into the Premier League in the 2015/16 season.

Gray had previously been linked with a move to Leeds United, and in an interview with Football Insider discussing those links, pundit and former goalscorer Darren Bent felt as though Gray is a ‘perfect signing’ in the second tier with ‘proven pedigree’ at that level.

Manchester United will reportedly consider the appointment of Spain manager Luis Enrique after the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over the weekend.

What’s the story?

According to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, the Red Devils have identified a lengthy list of potential successors to Solskjaer, but the 51-year-old is the favourite candidate choice of Cristiano Ronaldo.

He tweeted: “Cristiano Ronaldo is keen for Luis Enrique to become the new #mufc manager, I’m told. The Spain boss likely to be considered for the role along with out-of-work Zinedine Zidane and Erik Ten Hag, the #ajax manager. Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers are long shots currently.”

Man Utd fans will be ecstatic

News that Enrique is set to be considered for the Old Trafford hot seat will leave large sections of the club’s supporters feeling elated, given his reputation and previous achievements in the game.

During a three-year spell in charge of Barcelona between 2014 and 2017, the Spaniard recorded a remarkable points per game total of 2.41.

As a result, Enrique guided the Catalan giants to one Champions League crown, two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, one FIFA Club World Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.

And his style of play would also satisfy the fanbase’s thirst for entertaining and attacking football.

At both Barca and Spain, Enrique has successfully implemented a possession-based side that demonstrates an understanding of positional play, attacks relatively directory and vertically and presses from the front.

His favoured 4-3-3 would also take little time for the United players to adapt to, and therefore, he could be an ideal candidate to come in and rescue the Red Devils’ campaign.

However, whether he would be keen to take on such a challenge remains to be seen. Enrique has just led his national team to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and it’s likely that he would want to remain in charge for the tournament next winter.

It remains to be seen if United chiefs attempt to prize Enrique away from La Roja, yet his appointment is one that would surely be popular amongst the player and fans alike.

And, in other news…”New name” emerges in Man United manager hunt, he’s an ideal Rodgers alternative

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Renato Sanches to Molineux this January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French publication Le10Sport, who claim that both Arsenal and AC Milan have now entered the race for the 24-year-old ahead of the winter transfer market, with the Serie A side even believed to have submitted an offer for the LOSC Lille midfielder.

Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported that Wolves had overtaken Liverpool regarding a deal for the Portugal international, who the Ligue 1 side are thought to be open to parting with in January, as long as an acceptable offer is lodged.

Shi will be fuming

Considering the fact that Wolves were extremely close to signing Renato Sanches this summer, coupled with just how impressive the 24-year-old has been for Lille in recent seasons, the news that both AC Milan and Arsenal are now in the race for the midfielder is sure to have left Jeff Shi fuming.

Indeed, over his six Ligue 1 appearances so far this term, the £27m-rated man has registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.5 key passes per game – the most of any Lille player.

Furthermore, the £51k-per-week midfielder has also made an average of 30.8 passes, 0.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and has won a whopping 5.7 duels per fixture, with these returns seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 7.26 – ranking him as Lille’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

Indeed, the former Premier League centre-forward Kevin Campbell quite clearly believes that Renato Sanches would make an excellent addition to the Wolves midfield, stating: “The young man deserves a huge amount of credit for the way he has bounced back. It is incredible.

“He has had to reinvent himself a bit but he is a fantastic player. He is strong, powerful and is a great ball carrier. I think would add a different dynamic to that… midfield. Someone who can power past people. Players bounce off him when he is in the midfield.”

As such, it is clear for all to see that the 24-year-old would be an excellent signing for Shi to get over the line this winter, although, with both Arsenal and Milan now interested, a move for the midfielder looks to have become all the more difficult.

In other news: Shi must ruthlessly axe Wolves’ £43k-p/w “near miss”, he’s becoming a real liability

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could unearth his club’s new Sol Campbell in Eintracht Frankfurt powerhouse Evan N’Dicka.

What’s the story?

According to German publication SportBild (via Sport Witness), the Gunners are interested in signing the Frenchman this summer, with the defender’s advisors said to be looking for a potential move to England for their client.

The report added that the Bundesliga club would be looking for a fee in the region of €30m (£25m) to part ways with the centre-back.

Arsenal’s new Campbell

Campbell was part of the famous Arsenal side which went a whole season unbeaten en route to winning the Premier League in 2003/04, and it’s fair to say that the Gunners haven’t really had anyone since then match up to that level of quality and status.

There have been a number of pretenders to the throne, but in the 21-year-old N’Dicka, they could very well find the ideal man to do so.

A profile by Arsenal.com said of Campbell: “On the field, the east Londoner’s strength was his athleticism. His bludgeoning power and fearsome frame worked in tandem with fast-moving feet.

“And there was, strangely for a man of his build, serenity in the way he carried himself, too. He was never willing to throw in the towel and often appeared visibly hurt in defeat – characteristics that endeared him to his new fans.”

N’Dicka is in that similar mould of being extremely quick for a centre-back, but also having the physical power to deal with more rugged strikers too.

The 6 foot 4 beast is not only dominant in the air, winning 2.1 aerial duels per game last season in the Bundesliga, but is equally comfortable playing out from the back, averaging an 84.8% passing accuracy.

The centre-back has impressed his former manager Adi Hutter, who said: “I honestly have to say that I was surprised by his development. Evan has developed phenomenally. He’s very attentive in the analysis of his own game. He’s very modest and always takes a lot on board.”

Former Eintracht Frankfurt star Alexander Schur believes that N’Dicka “shows no nerves” and “plays with great authority” – a real indication of the kind of leadership he possesses, much like Campbell in his prime in the Highbury days.

The £25m-rated powerhouse could add some real quality to Arteta’s options at the back, and provide a real throwback to when Campbell was at the club.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could sign their new Patrick Vieira in this powerhouse…