All posts by z3u9t.icu

Liverpool won’t use funds from the potential sale of Neco Williams to sign another right-back, according to journalist Paul Gorst. 

It was reported in June that the likes of Southampton, Leeds United, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers were interested in Williams.

The Reds are apparently open to selling the 20-year-old if their £10million valuation is met.

Williams himself is keen to secure ‘regular first-team football’, having been limited to just three Premier League starts last season as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s understudy.

How would Liverpool use the Neco Williams money?

According to Gorst, though, that £10million wouldn’t be reinvested in a direct replacement.

That’s because Liverpool are confident Joe Gomez and 17-year-old academy prospect Conor Bradley provide sufficient depth.

In theory, the money could instead be put towards a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who departed Anfield at the end of his contract.

It could also be used to sign another forward with a mid-season Africa Cup of Nations calling for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

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

Liverpool warned as right-back plan emerges

“They said that last year and look what happened”

Credit: @LeeLeema123

“Sounds a bit like last season when Lovren went and we had cover with Fab at CB”

Credit: @LFC8FAN

“Just like how koumetio offered brilliant depth at cb last season”

Credit: @1mran0402

“We never learn from the mistake”

Credit: @samuelthangte22

“Enough cover for Trent? We deserve nothing”

Credit: @VxskoPx

“Gomez at RB is horrendous, cheap clowns can’t ever just have a backup”

Credit: @egan_96

In other news, fans react as the Reds reportedly look to repeat their 2020 transfer trick.

Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon believes that Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney could end up signing for Manchester City in the future and if Lennon is right, the Scottish full-back could be a superb addition to Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad.

What’s the word?

Writing for The Times, Lennon sang Tierney’s praises and tipped him for a move north this summer, saying:

“When I had him at Celtic, Kieran was really confused about what to do in terms of leaving because the club meant so much to him.

“Ambition and finances meant he made the right call for his career. For me, he’s Arsenal’s best player.

“I could see him going to Manchester City, he’s got all the tools to play for them.

“He’s maybe not got the all-rounded left foot that Andy [Robertson] has, that natural whip, but he’s got everything else and he sees things. He’s so athletic and powerful.”

Would he be a good signing?

Since signing for Arsenal from Celtic in the summer of 2019, Tierney has gone on to make 62 appearances for the Gunners, contributing three goals and nine assists.

During his time with the Scottish Premiership side, he was a superb attacking threat, managing eight goals and 37 assists in 170 appearances for the Bhoys in all competitions.

This emphasises that he can be a left-back in the mould of Benjamin Mendy, although, hopefully, without the injury issues of the Frenchman, and he would offer a more direct, natural threat than Oleksandr Zinchenko or Joao Cancelo down the left-hand side for City next season.

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Although he has only been with Mikel Arteta’s side for a short while, their failure to qualify for Europe could perhaps see him want to leave the Emirates and if City could ever find a buyer for Mendy, then Scotland international would be a strong replacement, as Lennon suggests.

He also regularly plays as a centre-back for Scotland which would open up more possibilities for Guardiola next season in City’s side, so he certainly seems like the sort of player the Spanish manager would love to have in his squad.

Legendary left-back Ashley Cole was full of praise for Tierney last season, saying:

“When he’s in the team, they are a different team, he’s willing to defend, he’s that kind of leader and warrior they need in this team.”

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Therefore, after Lennon’s claim, City sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider a summer move for the £28.8m-rated Tierney this summer.

And, in other news… Forget Rodri: Pep may already have his Fernandinho heir at City in “incredible” beast

If Celtic are to compete with the best again they need to dig deep and overhaul their squad during the upcoming summer transfer window.

It’s all change for the Hoops’ hierarchy but there should be plenty of new faces in terms of the playing staff at Parkhead too.

On the chalkboard

One player who will never play for Celtic again is Diego Laxalt.

The Uruguayan arrived on loan from AC Milan last summer in a deal that looked attractive on paper.

It’s not often you sign someone from an elite club in Europe with plenty of international experience to their name. However, he left Glasgow amid strong criticism for his performances.

Laxalt didn’t play in the final five league matches of the season and after the way he was torn apart in the Scottish Cup against Rangers, you can understand why.

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Described as a “horror show” by ACSOM presenter Paul John Dykes, he was run ragged by Joe Aribo down Celtic’s left-hand side.

As a result of his poor end to the season, Celtic performed a U-turn on the player and will not welcome him back next term.

Brilliant Bakker

Last summer Celtic were interested in signing PSG left-back Mitchel Bakker on loan.

They registered a bid for the defender in September but that was swiftly knocked back by Paris officials.

A month later they ended up welcoming Laxalt through the door in a deal that never really amounted to much.

With the Uruguay international returning to Milan, they now have an opportunity to go back and get Bakker.

PSG may have rejected a bid last summer but he now looks as though he’ll be available to sign.

French outlet MaxiFoot suggests this week that he won’t be considered next season and will be free to leave.

Bakker is valued at €30m (£26m) but if a loan deal can be arranged, it would be a superb move for the Celtic hierarchy to complete.

For starters, he’d be a pretty hefty upgrade on Laxalt offensively and defensively.

The Dutchman is far more disciplined in defence and despite making 1.4 tackles per game, 0.3 fewer than Laxalt, he commits fewer fouls (0.6 vs 1.9).

The Uruguayan’s stay at Celtic was littered with errors so bringing in a player who is more competent in the challenge is certainly a good sign.

Described as a “tenacious tackler” by scout Jacek Kulig, the defender is also “extremely dominant in the air.”

However, Bakker’s qualities extend beyond the defensive side of the game.

Writing about the youngster, Kulig added: “[He is a] modern defender, who combines strength with good technique and passing.”

That’s evident in the fact he’s completed over 90% of his passes this season. That’s considerably more than Laxalt who managed 77.1%.

In committing fewer fouls and completing more of his passes, Bakker looks calmer and composed than Laxalt ever was at Paradise. That would make the signing a triumph.

AND in other news, Forget Soro: Celtic already have their Scott Brown heir in 6 ft 6 “man mountain”…

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for the Reds to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, following an update on his future.

Gini Wijnaldum has left Anfield after a superb five-year spell, meaning midfield reinforcements could be required this summer.

The Dutchman was a consistent performer for Liverpool, both in term of quality and fitness, so replacing him is not going to be an easy task for Jurgen Klopp.

One player who has been linked with a move to the Reds is Tielemans, with the Belgium international one of Leicester’s outstanding performers in 2020/21, including scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final.

According to Eurosport, the 24-year-old has delayed discussions over a new Foxes deal until after he finishes Euro 2020 duties with Belgium, with doubt creeping in about his future.

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Liverpool fans call for Tielemans signing

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter (via LFC Transfer Room) calling for the Reds to snap up Thielemans in light of his contract news, seeing him as an ideal Wijnaldum replacement.

“Tielemans would be a great next step in Klopp’s midfield revolution”

Credit: @MattThielen

“Imagine a Fabinho – Thiago – Tielemans trio”

Credit: @Thukela_P

“Could be a massive signing”

Credit: @07_lrd

“If these reports are true, he is desperate to come. Get him before anyone else does”

Credit: @JAMESFF9

“Would love it he’s a cracking player”

Credit: @Tim171093

“Replace him with Keita, Raphinha with Shaqiri”

Credit: @edem_DemsLfc

In other news, some Liverpool fans are keen for the Reds to sign a La Liga star this summer. Find out who it is here.

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts insists that the club have to fix their defence this summer, potentially needing to sign three players to do so.

Spurs have appointed Fabio Paratici as their managing director of football, and he will be a key part of the club’s summer, as he looks to identify new players and also move them on.

Roberts believes that the club need to make fixing the club’s defence a priority as they look to compete at the top end of the league once again.

He says that left-back Sergio Reguilon has the ability to become an excellent player, but believes two new centre-backs are required, along with a right-back.

And he has made the claim that Paratici may have to pay as much as £150m to do so.

It is a major job for Paratici to do, and it remains to be seen if three defensive players will be recruited this summer.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, the former Spurs skipper said: “We need a back four. The left-back’s decent, he gives silly goals away, alright, we understand that, he was a bit nervous, but I’m sure he can become really, really good.

“But you need a right-back, you need a centre-half and you need a centre-half. That’s £100 million, or £120 million, £150 million; if you want two decent centre-halves, they’re going to cost you £40 or £45m, that’s £90m.”

Celtic fear that Crystal Palace could scupper their plans to land Eddie Howe as their new permanent manager, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Howe agreed on Parkhead move

Reports last week suggested that the 43-year-old agreed to become Neil Lennon’s successor.

One of the reasons regarding an official announcement being delayed is thought to be down to Bournemouth’s involvement in the Championship playoffs.

Howe wants to bring some members of the Cherries’ coaching staff with him to Scotland, but promotion to the Premier League for Bournemouth over the next 10 days could make that difficult.

And it seems as if the Hoops are fearing the worst when it comes to the Englishman possibly moving elsewhere.

The Latest: Celtic’s fear following Lampard development

Frank Lampard pulled out of the race to take over from Roy Hodgson on Thursday.

A Celtic source has now informed Football Insider that the managerial twist at Selhurst Park has prompted fresh fears at Parkhead that the Eagles could now make their move for Howe.

Howe spoke to Palace last month, and it seems as if the development on Lampard has got the Hoops worried.

The Verdict: Saturday key?

Even though reports have suggested Howe will be the next permanent boss in Glasgow, as we know with the Ben Davies transfer saga in January, anything can happen until a deal is officially signed.

In an ideal world, Brentford would turn around a one-goal deficit against Bournemouth on Saturday, which may then give the Hoops the chance to tie up deals for Howe’s backroom staff.

However, should the Cherries book their spot at Wembley for May 29, that could give Celtic another week where they may sweat over Howe moving elsewhere.

In other news: Celtic transfer U-turn emerges, find out more here. 

West Ham United are facing serious competition for Abdallah Sima ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

Premier League rivals Manchester United are the latest team to be linked to the impressive teenager, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that the Red Devils are ‘monitoring’ his progress.

Arsenal have also been mooted with interest, whilst Sima is thought to be the Hammers’ top striker target this summer, according to Claret & Hugh.

Transfermarkt currently value the 19-year-old at just shy of £10m, but Prague chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik claimed to iSport last month that he would only sell Sima for a fee in the region of €25m (£22m).

GSB must act

Even though The Irons are firmly in the running for a European berth this season, interest from United is rather worrying as, despite their lack of silverware success in recent seasons, they are still a hard team to turn down given their illustrious history and the club’s stature in the game.

West Ham’s owners, GSB, cannot afford to sit back and watch another team come in for their mooted top transfer target, so they must now act to secure David Moyes a new striker.

It may only be the teen’s first full season in senior football but he’s proven that he has enormous potential, having bagged 19 goals in all competitions this term, via Transfermarkt.

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Primarily playing as a right-winger, the Prague sensation can also play through the middle and has drawn lofty comparisons to that of Thierry Henry, who started his career in the same role before being transformed into one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever strikers by Arsene Wenger.

The 6 foot 2 attacker has earned many a glowing endorsement over the last six months or so.

Former Bayern Munich and Rangers star Brian Laudrup, who too played in a similar position, told the Daily Mail (via GlasgowLive): “Sima, in particular, is a wonderful player. He is only 19 years of age, but is very good in the air and can take players on. He’s quick and is scoring for fun in the Czech league.”

Whilst Chelsea advisor, and ex-goalkeeper, Petr Cech believes “there aren’t many players like this in Europe.” And that should have David Gold and David Sullivan eager to act upon their interest as soon as possible.

We know too well about the success stories of Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, so there should be absolutely no worries over sanctioning a move for a young striker lighting up a division like the Czech top-flight.

If GSB rest on their laurels, then they would well be made to pay with two of their European-chasing rivals in contention for Sima too. They must look to pay that £22m sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, GSB could land Moyes another Haller in “unbelievable 25-goal beast…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Derby County manager Paul Jewell believes the whole Super League situation was nonsense and if Jurgen Klopp had left Liverpool his options would’ve been limited.

Liverpool were one of the six English clubs that signed up to be part of the newly proposed European Super League, however, those plans came tumbling down within 48 hours due to fan unrest and uproar.

All of the Premier League clubs eventually withdrew from the competition, with Chelsea and Manchester City leading the way.

Speaking on how nobody wanted the idea to go ahead and how Klopp’s potential suitors would’ve been limited if he did leave Liverpool, Jewell told FFC:

“The problems would’ve been if the Super League went ahead, Klopp could probably only go to PSG or Bayern Munich. So, yeah, it’s been a bit of a nonsensical situation.

“People were pulling out left, right and centre, like rats leaving a sinking ship and I’ve still not heard anyone say something good about the Super League.”

In 2019, Klopp made it clear he would not and could never support the idea of a European Super League, which made the decision for Liverpool to join the league even more bizarre.

Klopp has been linked with the German national team job since Joachim Low announced that he would be leaving the role after this summer’s European Championships.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to CaughtOffside, the Reds are interested in acquiring the 22-year-old’s signature over the summer after impressing in the last couple of campaigns.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League giants Manchester United are keen on Chukwueze, who has a £69 million release clause in his contract.

Bye-Bye Shaqiri

Jurgen Klopp’s charges recovered admirably to finish third in the top-flight table after a string of season-ending injuries to several key players decimated their title defence.

However, the German manager is expected to shake up his first-team squad over the coming months as the Anfield outfit shape up for another assault on the Premier League summit.

Many fringe players have been linked with a move away from Merseyside in recent weeks, with the likes of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri likely to make way for some fresh faces.

Much was expected of Shaqiri after his £13m move from Stoke City back in 2018, but injury issues have kept the former Bayern Munich and Inter ace sidelined for much of his Liverpool career.

Many of Liverpool’s problems throughout 2020/21 were caused by the absence of central defender Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, yet a huge drop-off in form from both Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino was equally to blame for their struggles.

The usually deadly duo scored a combined 20 league goals in the recently concluded campaign, a significant drop off from the 27 they recorded in 2019/20 and the 34 the pair managed in 2018/19.

While Mohamed Salah has continued to put the ball in the back of the net with alarming regularity, his two strike partners have suffered a steady decline.

Without sufficient strength in depth, Klopp was rarely able to change personnel throughout the season in order to try and find a solution to Liverpool’s attacking conundrum but signing a player once lauded by Samuel Eto’o may just solve that particular problem.

“He is an incredible player who is growing in leaps and bounds,” said Eto’o, adding that improving his end product is Chukwueze’s next challenge.

“He is a quality player, and he needs to score more goals, but he has the quality and ability to be more than just a goal-scoring forward. Once he gets all of that he will be top.”

While the £18m-rated (as per Transfermarkt) forward’s goals and assists return may not be overly impressive – bagging just 17 goals and laying on a further 17 assists in 119 appearances for the Yellow Submarine – he’s clearly got bags of talent and potential.

Signing Chukwueze as Shaqiri’s replacement may be the perfect start to Klopp’s rebuild as he looks to restore Liverpool to their scintillating best.

And, in other news…Liverpool tipped as club who could move for £650k-p/w liability, Edwards must avoid 

Three names have supposedly been leading the race to become the new manager of Celtic and take the Bhoys forward.

The first manager Dermot Desmond viewed as Neil Lennon’s successor was Roy Keane. That, however, has become less likely as the weeks go by.

The other two coaches in the pipeline are Eddie Howe and Lucien Favre.

What’s the word?

Howe is currently the favourite for the job, but if Celtic aren’t able to convince him to move to Glasgow, then Favre is thought to be the hierarchy’s second choice.

It was revealed a few weeks ago that the former Borussia Dortmund boss was interested in the job but it’s only this week that Celtic have actually registered their own appeal. However, they have now been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Favre to Scotland.

According to France Football [via Get Football News France], Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal are very much interested in hiring the 63-year-old.

It is thought that they would be able to offer him wages of €6m to €8m (£5.1m to £6.9m) per year.

Gutting news

Setback after setback – that’s what Celtic are currently having to deal with in their pursuit for a new manager. This news, however, could mean the Hoops have to go back to the drawing board.

After all, the chances of Howe arriving in Glasgow are looking slimmer as the days go by. The 43-year-old has been in advanced talks but several stumbling blocks have emerged.

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Firstly, Howe doesn’t want to return to management until the summer, while there are issues at play with Celtic’s bid to find a new director of football.

A deal to bring Fergal Harkin to Paradise was reportedly 90% done but Howe wants Richard Hughes, his former companion at Bournemouth, to join him instead. The trouble is that Hughes isn’t particularly keen on the move to Scotland.

With Favre the alternative should a move for Howe fall through, Al-Hilal’s sudden interest may well provoke panic in the Hoops boardroom.

Desmond needs to act quickly and decisively in their hunt for Lennon’s successor. At the moment, he is being left with gut-wrenching blows every day.

AND in other news, Sold for £2m, now worth £25.2m: Celtic will rue terrible call on “superb” £50k-p/w gem…