All posts by z3u9t.icu

Fabrizio Romano has dropped a gutting transfer blow for Leeds United on rumoured target Rodrigo De Paul.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were very much interested in bringing the Argentina international to Elland Road, while The Athletic’s Phil Hay recently claimed that the midfielder actually wants to come to the Premier League to join up with the Whites.

In fact, reports from Football Insider even suggested that Leeds were “laying down the groundwork” for a big-money move for De Paul this summer, and that he was one of their “top targets” for the transfer window.

But now, via his official Twitter account, Romano revealed: “Rodrigo de Paul is set to join Atlético Madrid, confirmed. €35m final fee. After opening talks two weeks ago, Atléti now closing on final details to complete the agremeent. Contract until June 2026 to be signed soon.”

Bielsa will be gutted

The news that De Paul is now close to join Atletico Madrid will be a hammer blow to Bielsa, who pursued him last summer and looked as though he wanted him again this time around too.

The Argentine midfielder enjoyed a superb campaign in Serie A last season, scoring nine goals and providing a further 11 assists in all competitions, and Bielsa would surely have loved to have had the box-to-box dynamo at Elland Road – the Leeds boss’ highest-scoring central midfielder was Mateusz Klich with four.

Meanwhile, Udinese coach Luca Gotti, said: “Rodrigo is not the only one we have here who has a bright future but he can play for all the top clubs. Any team in the world. I mean, he starts for Lionel Messi’s Argentina. I’ve been able to watch this metamorphosis from up close, the shift in mentality that turns a good player into a top player, a champion.

“He’s become a leader and is the first person to demand more of himself. Rodrigo is able to pass that work ethic on to his team-mates.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

The £26m-rated star would have been a perfect fit at Leeds given his superb “mentality” and “work ethic” off the pitch, and the fact that he does the business on it too.

Bielsa will be absolutely devastated to miss out on the midfielder after such a long-running pursuit.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could reunite with this former star at Elland Road…

Newcastle have a long history with the number nine shirt, and Dean Windass believes that Dutch striker Wout Weghorst could be the latest to join a list of famous names this summer.

Weghorst is currently starring for the Netherlands at the European Championships but has made his name by scoring goal after goal for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.

The 25 he managed in all competitions last term took his tally to 63 goals in just three seasons following his move from AZ Alkmaar in 2018.

Weghorst has continued his form on the international stage, marking his competitive debut for Holland by netting in their 3-2 victory over Ukraine in their European Championships opener earlier this month.

And 12 months after Newcastle failed in their attempts to bring the 28-year-old goal machine to St James’ Park, Windass has urged Steve Bruce to try his luck once again.

Newcastle still have the likes of Andy Carroll, record signing Joelington and Dwight Gayle on their books, but those three scored just eight times combined last season.

And if the Magpies want to avoid another relegation scrap in 2021-2022, then another goalscorer to help the workload on Callum Wilson could be key.

Windass told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s a big lad. Steve likes a big number nine; he always has done. I just think that Steve needs a big, fit number nine, Joelinton has struggled with the price-tag.

“Anyone who fills the number nine shirt is up against it with Alan. But he is a threat and Steve likes that, that’s his type of player. Every manager in the world will be looking for players, and Steve will be very interested.”

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to fix their defensive issues in this transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano in The Guardian, Spurs have ramped up talks with Nuno Espirito Santo over their vacant manager’s role and will then target Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde ahead of the new campaign.

The 22-year-old is currently at Euro 2020 with France and is expected to be sold for less than his €80m (£68m) release clause.

Newly-appointed sporting director Fabio Paratici is said to admire the former Wolves boss, who was not previously under consideration by the north London club, and he now seems like the frontrunner for the job.

The perfect solution?

Whoever is appointed, whether that is the Portuguese coach or someone else, they will be walking into quite the mess in N17. Spurs recorded their lowest finish in the Premier League in over a decade and missed out on yet another trophy following defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

There’s also the future of star striker Harry Kane to consider as he expressed his desire to leave the club this summer.

One of the biggest issues Spurs faced throughout the tumultuous 2020/21 campaign was at the back, where a combination of individual mistakes and a lack of cohesion led to them having one of the worst defensive records in the top eight.

It was so bad that Jose Mourinho used more than 16 different combinations at the back, whilst the players at his disposal were regularly lambasted.

For example, the pairing of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier was deemed one of the worst in the Premier League by former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, whilst Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher dubbed Serge Aurier the “biggest liability” in the English top-flight.

Truth be told, Spurs never replaced the presence of Jan Vertonghen, who left for Benfica following the expiry of his contract llast year, and Joe Rodon’s arrival was surely with the future in mind.

Kounde may only be 22 but he has quickly emerged as a defensive star – that much is already known as he made Didier Deschamps’ Euro 2020 squad over some big names such as Dayot Upamecano.

His form and ability has led to some high praise indeed – speaking to Football Transfer Tavern, La Liga expert Euan McTear said: “He’s still so young, he’s got energy, great positioning too. All the centre-backs, not just in Spain I think, but if you look around Europe, he’s got to be one of the highest prospects.

“To be playing for France who have countless centre-backs, if he’s able to get himself into that group, then, yeah, he’s pretty special.”

Indeed, he ended the campaign as Sevilla’s highest-rated player (7.01) and recorded an average of three aerial duels won, 1.2 interceptions and a 90.1% passing accuracy per league outing, via WhoScored.

The 5 foot 10 beast, who is valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, is evidently a cool, calm and intelligent ball-playing defender, and that could be exactly what’s needed in the heart of Spurs’ defence.

Once Nuno gets through the door, he could well solve one of their biggest problems in a heartbeat by signing the Sevilla star.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold reveals fresh twist in Nuno Santo pursuit…

Rafa Benitez is the newly-appointed Everton manager and has already been promised money to spend in the transfer market.

The Toffees look set to splash the cash on improving their defence, with a mega £55m bid lined up to sign Ben White.

On the chalkboard

White isn’t the only impressive defender on Everton’s radar, with Juventus centre-back Merih Demiral also taking their fancy.

The 23-year-old disappointed as Turkey exited the group stages at Euro 2020 but Benitez and Marcel Brands could still lure some of the best talent from the tournament to Goodison Park this summer.

Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries continues to be linked with a move to Merseyside, and a deal could be done more easily now Bayern Munich have reportedly pulled out of the race.

Dubbed a “freight train” during the competition by the BBC commentary team, he’d be a wonderful acquisition on the right-hand side of defence. He possesses pace and power in abundance and scored two goals during the European Championships.

However, if Benitez is looking for someone more astute defensively and with a bit more experience, he should look no further than Kieran Trippier.

The full-back won La Liga with Atletico Madrid last season and was the subject of interest from the Toffees a few months ago.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

Signed for £20m, his football has come on leaps and bounds since departing Tottenham. He has played at left-back for England at the Euros but also on his favoured right-hand side, and Everton could do with a player in that position with Seamus Coleman’s contract expiring in a year’s time.

Trippier would more than fit the bill. He leapfrogged Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England pecking order heading into the tournament and has started more often than Reece James.

Describing a previous outing for the Three Lions where the 30-year-old  impressed against Belgium, Gareth Southgate commented: “Trippier was like a soldier out there, unbelievable defensive performance.”

The defender put in a similar performance on the big stage against Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 this week. He provided two key passes, produced eight crosses and won 66% of his defensive duels in a battling performance.

Very rarely did Germany get any change from the 30-year-old as flying wing-back Robin Gosens barely advanced beyond the halfway line, failing to play a single key pass or complete a dribble.

Trippier has proven to be a particularly reliable performer for England and the defensive organisational skills he will have gained from playing under Diego Simeone have evidently made him a better player.

Benitez should definitely consider bringing him back to English football this summer.

AND in other news, Reliable journalist delivers exciting Everton transfer update, fans should be buzzing…

Many Southampton fans were delighted as the club revealed their new third kit for the upcoming 2021/22 campaign.

The Saints are preparing for the new season after a 2020/21 CAMPAIGN which saw them reach an FA Cup semi-final but also finish a lowly 15th place in the Premier League. Ralph Hasenhuttl will be hoping that the Saints can improve on their performances and finish higher up the table next May.

Of course, a new season means that a new set of kits have been released, and now Southampton have revealed the club’s third kit for 2021/22. The design from Hummel features silhouettes of the club’s two most recent stadia, St Mary’s and The Dell, while it also includes red/orange lettering on a predominantly black shirt.

The kit was shared on the club’s official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from Saints supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the new third kit

“Oh wow, this is a thing of beauty.”

Credit: @ToddRichardsSFC

“Insanely good, get me one now”

Credit: @jessie_morris

“Absolutely top draw! Can’t wait to get one.”

Credit: @Local_Zero

“I am absolutely dellighted with that”

Credit: @NickThompson20

“That is the hottest Saints shirt I have ever set eyes on”

Credit: @RhysTheSaint

“Magnificent. Love how they have put the Dell and St Mary’s in the fabric”

Credit: @SFC_Debs

In other news, this Southampton target discusses his future.

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has revealed what new signing Junior Firpo is up to behind the scenes at Thorp Arch following his move from Barcelona.

What’s the story?

Writing initially on Twitter, Cross revealed: “No murderball for Firpo yet. As with many new faces at Thorp Arch, Bielsa has him grafting on his own for now. Firpo admits Leeds training is different to anything, anywhere. #lufc”

And then, in a piece for Leeds Live, he added: “Murderball has not been on the immediate menu for Junor Firpo at Leeds United as Marcelo Bielsa keeps the former Barcelona man on his own. Firpo was straight up to Thorp Arch to begin his training on Tuesday, but has, for the first few days at least, been training alone under Bielsa’s instructions.”

Firpo himself said meanwhile: “They told me, they told me, but now I can’t do it because the first days, Marcelo wants me to train alone to introduce the work because the style of training here is really different from Barcelona and from other teams.”

Fans will love it

News that Bielsa is putting Firpo through his paces on his own to kick off his Leeds career is an understandable first step for the Spaniard to make before he really begins to get involved with the intense sessions that the Argentine has come renowned for.

As the left-back himself says, the style of training is different to anything he is likely to have experienced before, so Bielsa having him just dip his toes into the water in terms of his methods and practices is a sure-fire way to help him get up to speed.

With the Premier League campaign getting under away in just over a month, the Leeds boss will need his summer arrival to hit the ground running, especially with last season’s usual left-back Gjanni Alioski having departed for good from Elland Road.

Both Bielsa and the club’s supporters will be desperate for Firpo to be ready for that first game of the new season against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and getting him settled into life at Elland Road as quickly as possible will be key to that.

It’s exactly why Leeds fans will love Cross’ latest update on their new signing.

Meanwhile, Alan Nixon has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

An update has emerged on Joe Willock, regarding Newcastle’s attempts to sign him. 

What’s the talk?

According to The Times, Newcastle are in talks with Arsenal over a season-long loan deal for central midfielder Joe Willock.

The report claims Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is yet to decide on Willock’s future, with the Toon Army hoping that the Spaniard will allow him to return to Tyneside for a second spell. Conversations are ongoing between the two parties and a conclusion could be reached in the coming weeks.

Bruce will be buzzing

Steve Bruce will be buzzing with this news as it shows a sign of intent from Mike Ashley to seriously pursue another deal for Willock. The midfielder flourished at St. James’ Park last season following his move to the club on loan in the January window and Bruce would love to have him in his squad again due to the impact he had on the side.

Willock broke a Premier League record whilst at the club, becoming the youngest player to score in seven successive matches in the competition at the age of 21. He ended the campaign on eight goals in 14 appearances for Newcastle, 11 starts, and averaged a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.13. None of his teammates managed a higher rating, with Allan Saint-Maximin’s 7.12 the only other score of 7.00 or above within Bruce’s squad.

After a debut goal against Southampton, Bruce hailed the youngster as a “terrific” athlete and said that he is the modern-day midfield player.

He said:

“It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”

This shows how highly the £20k-per-week gem is rated by Bruce and why the ex-Villa boss would be delighted to see him walk through the door this summer.

Willock’s goals from midfield could provide a key boost to Newcastle’s chances success next season, as he has the ability to win games with his late runs into the box to finish off moves. Seven of his eight goals for the club resulted in a positive result for Newcastle, showing that his strikes made a significant impact.

Ashley must ensure that these talks with Arsenal result in Willock returning to the club. Another season on loan at St. James’ could allow him to further develop his game and show that he can be consistent over the course of an entire campaign, which could be the selling point to Arsenal in terms of negotiations.

AND in other news, Get it done: NUFC could land bargain £4m deal for “powerhouse”, Bruce would love it…

Steve Howey was surprised that Andy Carroll hasn’t been offered fresh terms by Newcastle and felt he was unused by Steve Bruce last season.

The Magpies boss confirmed the 32-year-old is now looking for a new club following the expiration of his contract last month, which comes after there appeared a possibility that he would extend his second stay at St James’ Park.

However, Bruce ended those claims by calling Carroll’s Newcastle exit “amicable”.

He re-joined from West Ham two years ago, but scored just once in 43 appearances in all competitions and was hardly used by Bruce during his second campaign back in the north East.

Carroll started just four Premier League matches and made a handful of brief late substitute outings during the final four months of the season.

Those cameos were added up to just 20 minutes from February onwards, and Howey expressed his frustration over Carroll’s treatment.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I’m surprised because I felt as though he was available a lot more than I thought he would be and wasn’t used. I’m not sure what the lad can do if he’s given very few minutes on the park. I’d have used him a bit more.”

Jorge Mendes has offered AC Milan forward Rafael Leao to Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

Leao made 30 Serie A appearances last season – 22 of which were starts – and was directly involved in 12 goals (six goals, six assists). The 22-year-old was reasonably clinical, outperforming his xG tally of 5.64.

Former Milan striker Rolando Bianchi has marvelled at Leao’s capacity to produce the ‘spectacular’ along with his ‘great speed’ and touch.

Predominantly a centre-forward, the Portuguese has also been used in a left attacking midfield berth at San Siro.

The latest

While AC Milan consider Leao a valuable asset, they would be open to parting with him if ‘a good offer’ arrives. The Serie A club will apparently listen to bids in the region of €30m (£25.7m).

Mendes, who represents new Wolves manager Bruno Lage, has ‘proposed’ Leao to ‘several’ English clubs, ‘most of all Wolverhampton’. However, ‘nothing concrete’ has developed as yet.

The player, for his part, is keen to stay at Milan and fight for his place, looking to distance himself from the speculation. [Calciomercato]

The verdict

Wolves have a dilemma on their hands in this part of the pitch. Lage has shown a preference for a 4-4-2 system during his career and, if he employs that at Molineux, he will need to find a partner for Raul Jimenez.

Rafa Mir and Patrick Cutrone are both back from loan spells but the former is attracting interest from Atletico Madrid and the latter is wanted by Sampdoria.

Should both of those leave, Lage will have to choose between backing Fabio Silva – who only scored four goals in 31 league appearances last season – or recruiting another striker like Leao to offer a greater immediate goal threat. The latter option could risk impeding the teenage Silva’s development.

In other news, many Wolves fans were buzzing at this update on a midfield target.

Serie A expert Conor Clancy says Leeds United could pull off the signing of the summer if they clinch the arrival of Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez.

Nandez has been high on Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa’s wishlist since the transfer window opened and Corriere dello Sport, via HITC, reported earlier this month that the two clubs were close to agreeing a £31million deal for Nandez.

However, the odds of Nandez heading to Elland Road has been dealt a blow by Italian giants Inter Milan entering the race for the 25-year-old, according to Centotrentuno, via LeedsLive.

Nandez, who featured for Uruguay at this summer’s Copa America, made 34 appearances as Cagliari finished four points clear of the Serie A relegation zone last season.

Forza Italian Football editor Clancy expects Leeds to be beaten in the race for Nandez’s signature, but he feels the Yorkshire side would be a force if they seal the deal.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “If Leeds could get him, that would be one of the signings of the summer in the Premier League.

“But I do see it as increasingly unlikely that the deal will be done now.”