All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leeds United have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Ivan Toney to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by iNews, who claim that, despite the centre-forward being linked with a move to all of Leeds, Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United in recent weeks, Brentford are reluctant to part with the 26-year-old ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

However, the report does goes on to state that, should an offer of £40m be submitted for the former Peterborough United striker this summer, the Bees’ owner, Matthew Benham, could be tempted into cashing in on the Northampton-born hitman in the current transfer window.

“Underrated”

Considering just how impressive Toney was for Brentford last season, it is not difficult to why Victor Orta would be keen to bring the forward to Elland Road this summer, nor it is hard to understand why Thomas Frank is desperate to retain the services of the 26-year-old ahead of the new season.

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Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £31.5m-rated talent was in devastating form for the Bees, scoring 12 goals, registering five assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots, making 1.3 key passes and winning 8.6 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per game.

These returns saw the £21k-per-week striker who Rob Blanchette labelled “underrated” and Layth Yousif claimed “will play for England” average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.31, not only ranking him as Brentford’s second-best performer in the league but also as the 15th-best player in the top flight has a whole last time out.

As such, while £40m is undoubtedly an extremely large fee to pay for a striker with just one full Premier League campaign under his belt, considering the output Toney proved he can deliver in the league last season, the 26-year-old could well be worth this hefty fee for the Whites – as we would not bet against the target man going on to become an England international in 2022/23, as Yousif suggests.

AND in other news: Orta begins Leeds talks for “wonderkid” with an £85m clause, it’d be a massive coup

According to reliable journalist Ryan Taylor, Southampton are one of the clubs tracking Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic this summer.

The Lowdown: Sought-after talent

The Austrian has just under 12 months remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga outfit, meaning that a decision on his future needs to be made during this window.

As per The Athletic, the 25-year-old is one of the most sought-after talents in Europe after enjoying a hugely successful season with the German giants, and it looks like Ralph Hasenhuttl has identified him as a player who he’s keen to bring to the Premier League.

The Latest: Saints tracking Kalajdzic

Taking to Twitter, Taylor revealed that Southampton, alongside many other English clubs, are monitoring Kalajdzic’s transfer situation. He wrote:

“In addition to Manchester United; West Ham, Brighton, Southampton & Ajax are among the clubs tracking Sasa Kalajdzic. Stuttgart looking for £16m-£20m. There have been loose discussions with his agent Sascha Empacher but no concrete proposals at this stage.”

The Verdict: Broja’s successor

Now that Armando Broja has returned to parent club Chelsea following the conclusion of his loan spell at St. Mary’s, Hasenhuttl will be looking for a direct replacement, and Kalajdzic can add a totally different dimension up top.

Standing at a staggering 6 foot 7, the forward, who’s been likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Peter Crouch, would bring a major physical threat in the box, as well as clocking up goal contributions, having made eight in 15 league appearances for Stuttgart last season, via Transfermarkt.

Gaining his compatriot’s services would be a massive coup for the Austrian boss if the Saints managed to fend off their strong competitors and bring their target to the south coast ahead of the start of the new campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur remain locked in talks to sign Djed Spence this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who claims that the north London outfit have continued negotiating with Middlesbrough over the 21-year-old defender.

Although they are yet to have a bid accepted and as such, no deal has been completed in time for Spurs’ pre-season tour in South Korea.

It’s thought that the two clubs are discussing the ‘finer details’ of the deal and that the Lilywhites are hopeful of striking an agreement soon.

Antonio Conte is said to have made a new right wing-back a priority this transfer window, whilst Spence is expected to cost between £15m to £20m.

Conte will be delighted

The Italian head coach may not have his new right wing-back in place for their pre-season games against Team K League and Sevilla but he will be delighted to know that the club continue to push ahead with their plans to try and sign Spence.

After all, he has wanted a new player in the role ever since he walked through the door back in November.

During the January transfer window, The Times revealed that Conte wasn’t happy with his options as he targeted Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore prior to his move to Barcelona.

It was claimed that the former Inter Milan boss was unconvinced by Emerson Royal and his ability to influence the game in the final third. Meanwhile, Matt Doherty ended the campaign with a serious injury, so it remains to be seen if he can work his way back into the manager’s thoughts.

Spence was lauded as “swashbuckling” by Arsenal legend Ian Wright after the north London rivals were knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest, and Spurs will be hoping he can bring some of those attributes to N17.

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The England U21 international delivered six goal contributions across 42 starts for the Reds during his loan spell, which compared to Emerson (two) is a vast improvement, albeit coming from the division below.

Therefore, with the deal not dead and buried with sporting director Fabio Paratici continuing negotiations, Conte will be buzzing as Spence could well become their sixth signing of the summer window.

AND in other news, Transfer insider drops “surprise” Spurs claim…

Leeds United are closing in on signing Feyenoord winger Luis Sinisterra, according to Argentine journalist Cesar Luis Merlo.

The Lowdown: Sinisterra profiled

The 23-year-old is primarily a left winger but can play anywhere in attack and shares the same agency as seven Leeds players, including summer signing Brenden Aaronson and Charlie Creswell, who recently joined Millwall on loan.

Valued at a career-high £22.5 by Transfermarkt, the Colombia international has been with Feyenoord since 2018, making 113 appearances for the Rotterdam club.

He enjoyed a brilliant 2021/22 campaign, contributing to 49 appearances, and it looks as if a move to Elland Road is now on the cards.

The Latest: Leeds move for Sinisterra

Merlo took to Twitter on Monday lunchtime to provide an update on Sinisterra and Leeds.

He revealed that a move is ‘close’ following talks during the weekend, with a contract ‘arranged’ ahead of a record sale for Feyenoord between €25m and €30m (£21.5m-£25.8m).

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The Verdict: Exciting

Journalist Charlie Gordon has described Sinisterra as a ‘serious player’ and has ‘flair that Elland Road will love’, so it looks as if Orta could be on to a winner here.

He looks set to come in and replace Raphinha, who has been heavily linked with both Barcelona and Chelsea, and Leeds will be hoping that the 23-year-old can have the same impact as the Brazilian, who has posted 29 goal contributions in 67 games for the Whites.

The Colombian has just come off his best season in front of goal, so hopefully he’d be able to continue his fine form under Jesse Marsch, replacing the creativity and flair from Raphinha’s likely exit.

West Ham United supporters have been handed a ‘hopeful’ update on their club’s pursuit of former star and long-time target Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: Hammers get moving…

Sealing deals for both Nayef Aguerd and Alphonse Areola, manager David Moyes has now set his sights on a reunion with Lingard as he attempts to bring him back to London.

The 29-year-old dazzled on loan over a second-half-of-season temporary spell back in 2020/2021, racking up nine goals and four assists over 16 Premier League starts.

Given his soon-to-be free agent status, with Lingard’s deal at Man United expiring tomorrow, the east Londoners have apparently made him an offer to join West Ham.

The Latest: Evening Standard share Lingard news…

As per The Evening Standard, a ‘formal offer’ has indeed been put forward to the Englishman as West Ham seek to bring him back.

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They add that the Hammers and Moyes are ‘hopeful’ they can agreeing a move for Lingard after Moyes personally attempted his permanent signing on several occasions.

The Verdict: No brainer?

As West Ham look to upgrade their attacking areas, we believe Lingard on a Bosman deal would be incredibly shrewd.

Dependent on salary demands and other factors, the forward’s phenomenal 21/22 loan spell backs how he could be a real asset under Moyes.

After previous attempts to sign Lingard, former England international Paul Robinson branded him a would-be ‘huge’ signing for West Ham and we believe this point still stands despite his lack of game time.

If anything, it is even more relevant now that they could sign him for free.

Leeds United are interested in signing Sassuolo attacking midfielder Hamed Junior Traore, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Family affair

The brother of Manchester United wonder-kid Amad Diallo, Traore has been lighting up Serie A over the last three seasons and earned a £14.4million move from Empoli last summer (Transfermarkt).

Having continued to make great strides following the switch to Sassuolo, the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international could now be set to follow in his brother’s footsteps and head to the Premier League.

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Previously linked with a €30million (£25million) move to AC Milan, one reputable Italian source has now brought the Whites into the equation…

The latest: Leeds cited

As per Gazzetta dello Sport, transcribed by SW, Leeds are described as ‘the most determined at the moment’ to make a deal happen having established contacts.

It’s claimed that both the Elland Road club and Milan remain attentive to the three-cap ace and will have to ‘bring offers of €25million (£21million) upward’ in order to prompt Sassuolo into selling their attacker.

The report also states that ‘no one apart from Leeds has pushed the deal forward’ for the youngster praised for a ‘magnificent’ 2021/22 campaign by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The verdict: Pay up

At the mooted asking price, adding Traore to Jesse Marsch’s squad would be an exceptional piece of business, particularly when you consider the Ivorian’s age and apparent sky-high ceiling.

Generally playing as an inverted left winger onto a favoured right foot, the dynamic forward scored eight times and provided four assists in 31 appearances across all competitions last season and would be the ideal candidate to supplement the options already at Marsch’s disposal, especially with the future of Jack Harrison remaining in the balance amidst links with Newcastle and Tottenham.

Overall last season, Traore earned a 6.90 Sofascore rating whilst successfully completing 2.0 dribbles on average per Serie A outing – that’s more than renowned close control expert Raphinha, who only managed to succeed with 1.8 attempts per league game.

All told, given the levels of interest and the suggested price tag, Victor Orta and indeed Andrea Radrizzani should be pushing hard to make this deal a reality.

An update has emerged on Tottenham and their interest in signing Lisandro Martinez in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

90min reporter Sean Walsh has claimed that Spurs are in the race to land the defender alongside a host of Premier League outfits.

He Tweeted: “Arsenal are leading the chase for Lisandro Martinez, but they face significant competition from likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle. Erik ten Hag and Man Utd also admirers but further down their shortlist.”

Fabio Paratici is plotting a swoop for the Argentine gem and will reportedly need to shell out £25m to tempt Ajax into selling him.

Big Ben Davies upgrade

By securing a deal to sign Martinez, the Spurs chief can land Antonio Conte a big upgrade on Ben Davies at left centre-back.

The Wales international enjoyed a solid campaign with Tottenham as he started 28 times in the Premier League and helped them to secure Champions League football.

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He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.88 and won 54% of his duels as he established himself alongside Eric Dier and Christian Romero on the left-hand side of the back three.

In Martinez, however, Spurs can find themselves a superior player to improve their XI heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

Journalist Casey Evans previously claimed that the defender has a “bulldog-like” approach, much like Carlos Tevez, and his statistics suggest that it is an accurate comment.

In 2021/22, the brute won a whopping 69% of his individual duels and made 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game in the Eredivisie – showing that he is an aggressive defender who wins the majority of his 50/50’s.

These stats show that he is a physically dominant player, despite standing at 5 foot 9, who can outmuscle opposition players in battles at a much higher success rate than Davies.

Martinez has also shown that he has potential to deliver a higher standard of performance on a regular basis than the former Swansea man. Last season, the Argentina international averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.61 from centre-back as he produced quality displays week-in-week-out in the Netherlands.

At the age of 24, he also has the potential to improve and is a player Conte can work with on the training pitch to help him develop in the years to come. This means that he can be a big upgrade on Davies in the short-term, if he can adapt to the Premier League, whilst also being an investment for the future.

AND in other news, Conte can axe £80k-p/w “nightmare” as Spurs plot bid for £50m gem who “rarely misses”…

Celtic have signed a lot of players from abroad over recent years either on loan or permanent deals.

However, the Hoops have also taken players away from their fellow Scottish clubs such as Greg Taylor and Scott Bain among others.

Another fairly recent recruit that didn’t travel too far to get to Parkhead is David Turnbull.

Signed from Motherwell back in August 2020 in a deal worth £3.25m, 14 months after a previous move for the player collapsed, the midfielder has since made 77 appearances for the club across all competitions.

The 22-year-old has shown in those appearances why the Bhoys were so keen to add him to their ranks as he has found the net 19 times and delivered 16 assists.

This shows just how successful and beneficial it can be for the club to sign some of Scotland’s young talents and embed them into their side.

Now that the latest season has ended with Ange Postecoglou guiding his side to the SPFL title, it seems as though the Hoops have the chance to secure what could be their next version of Turnbull as a young starlet making a name for himself in the top division.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Celtic have been watching Aberdeen youngster Connor Barron throughout the season at club and international level.

As a product of Aberdeen’s youth system, the 19-year-old has made 15 senior appearances for the club, eight of which came during the final weeks of the season.

In those appearances, the teenager managed to make 15 interceptions, 15 successful tackles and 15 shots at goal in addition to delivering 59 crosses, highlighting how much of a capable midfield figure he is on and off the ball.

Back in February, Barry Robson said that Barron “has a heart the size of a lion’s,” as well as describing him as an “aggressive” player on the pitch who “reads the game well” and “will go into any challenge.”

Thus, if Celtic are looking to continue their track record of signing talented young players from their fellow top-flight compatriots this summer, then securing a deal for the Aberdeen prodigy should be at the top of their to-do list before the season kicks off again.

In other news: Celtic can replicate Starfelt masterclass as Ange eyes “versatile” £900k-rated brute

Wolves may have only finished 10th in the Premier League this season, but they managed to do so with a respectable defensive record.

Over 38 games, Bruno Lage’s side conceded 43 goals in total, which is fewer than the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham United and Leicester City, all of whom finished above them in the table.

One man who played a big part in Wolves’ impressive defence this season is Max Kilman.

Over 30 league matches, the Englishman won 33 tackles and made 52 blocks, 64 interceptions and 118 clearances.

To further highlight the defender’s talent and impact on the team, in the final six league games of the season that he missed through injury, Wolves did not keep one clean sheet, conceding 15 goals in the process.

Now that the season has ended and the summer transfer window is about to open, one man who has been linked with a move to Molineux and who could give Lage the chance to form a scary defensive duo alongside Kilman is Calvin Bassey.

Since joining Rangers two years ago, the defender has gone on to make 65 appearances for the Glasgow club across all competitions, chipping in with one goal and six assists.

In terms of his defensive capabilities, the 22-year-old made 20 interceptions and won 28 tackles in 29 Scottish Premiership games this season. Also, his performance in the Europa League final which saw Rangers lose on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt was described as “astonishing” by BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves.

This shows just how capable the defender is of playing on the big stage and stepping up for his team when it matters most.

Regarding a potential move to Wolves this summer, the fact that the defender has been deployed as a centre-back and as a left-back through the 2021/22 season could make him a useful squad option for Lage.

Taking into account Kilman’s clear significance to the team, as was unfortunately highlighted during the final weeks of the campaign, having him at the back alongside Bassey could be a scary prospect for opposing teams next season.

With a reported price tag of £25m, luring the Rangers star away from Ibrox and to the Premier League is definitely something that Lage and the Wolves hierarchy should consider as the summer transfer window approaches.

In other news: Lage can seal Moutinho 2.0 as Wolves eye £18m-rated wizard who turned down Man City

Celtic have a big test ahead of them this afternoon as they take on their Glasgow rivals, Rangers, in the first Old Firm Derby of the SPFL season.

The Hoops are heading into this match off the back of a blistering 9-0 league win over Dundee United at the weekend, followed by their 4-1 win over Ross County in the Scottish League Cup.

Looking ahead to today’s game at Celtic Park, it seems as though Ange Postecoglou’s side have been handed an injury boost that could impact their chance of securing a victory over their close rivals.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his latest press conference, Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that Tom Lawrence will not feature in today’s clash and will be out for a few weeks after picking up a knee injury.

Rangers signed the Welshman during the recent summer transfer window on a free deal from Derby County.

During his time with the Rams, Lawrence ended up scoring 37 goals and delivering 25 assists in 185 appearances across all competitions.

A big relief for Postecoglou

Since moving to Ibrox, the 28-year-old has made nine appearances for the club across the SPFL and Champions League qualifying games.

In those nine appearances, the former Derby star has found the net three times and delivered two assists, showing how much of an attacking and creative danger he is.

To further highlight his attacking talent, only Matt O’Riley (3.6) has a higher average for shots per game in the league this season than Lawrence (3.4) in the whole division.

With all of that in mind, it’s clear that Rangers will have to make do without one of their main attacking threats this afternoon, which will surely be a relief to Postecoglou and diminish the away side’s chances of securing a victory.

However, with the Ibrox club only conceding two more goals than Celtic in the league this season and having made more successful tackles (45 vs 38) and interceptions (30 vs 29) than Postecoglou’s side, the Hoops will still need to be on their best attacking form if they want to make sure they don’t drop any points and continue their winning run of form.