All posts by z3u9t.icu

Speaking to FootballFanCast, Barry Fry, Director of Football at Peterborough United, has dropped a revelation surrounding Brentford striker Ivan Toney – with the 76-year-old claiming he offered West Ham United joint-chairman David Sullivan a chance to sign him. 

Toney, who enjoyed a sparkling 2020/2021 Championship campaign with the Bees, bagged a brilliant 33 goals and 10 assists in 47 starts (WhoScored).

His goalscoring form has prompted recent interest from the Hammers as they search for an alternative to striker Michail Antonio going forward, who has suffered with a plethora of injury problems.

Lifting the lid on him, Fry has claimed to FFC that he offered West Ham co-owner Sullivan the chance to snap up Toney while the forward was at Peterborough.

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“I spoke to David Sullivan before I sold him to Brentford, because I thought Ivan Toney would be ideal for West Ham,” the DOF explained.

“But David didn’t agree and thought I wanted too much money and didn’t think he would have the impact in the Championship.”

Flocking to this revelation, many West Ham fans have been left livid, and you can understand why given his enormous contribution to Brentford’s promotion-winning campaign.

Find a flavour of their best verdicts from social media down below.

West Ham fans livid after Toney revelation

“Embarrassing”

Credit: @JoshVernege

“further proof our owners are clowns”

Credit: @danw_1986

“Oh my lord.

Remember when we all laughed at that Sky Sports News interview when Barry Fry answered on live TV and said that it was David Sullivan after one of his players?

Well look what happened…”

Credit: @AranNicol1994

“A missed opportunity”

Credit: @bonzoRay

“Why are we ‘trying to sign’ him if we believed he wouldn’t impact the championship in the first place. The geezer is clueless”

Credit: @waller_whu

“Get him away from EVERYTHING!!”

Credit: @bird_david

“David Sullivan ace scout”

Credit: @GB_Hammer

“Know all Sullivan. #GSBOUT”

Credit: @TembyWayne

In other news: ExWHUemployee’s ‘refreshing’ claim has these Hammers fans talking, find out more here.

West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh have shared a promising transfer update out of Rush Green involving Leeds United and Premier League star Raphinha.

The Lowdown: Hammers make move…

Hammers boss David Moyes, according to reports, was heavily interested in signing the Brazilian playmaker over winter.

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West Ham apparently made a move for Raphinha in January but to no avail with the South American coming as yet another marquee target GSB couldn’t bring in for the club.

Their bad luck in the last transfer window has even lead to doubts surrounding head of recruitment Rob Newman, according to Claret & Hugh again, with the Irons chief now facing a pivotal summer window.

As Newman aims to take his next set of opportunities to land key targets, C&H have shared an update on Raphinha and West Ham’s interest.

The Latest: Newman could launch ‘cut-price’ move…

According to their information, West Ham, and by extension their transfer chief Newman, are keeping a ‘close eye’ on Leeds’ situation in case they’re relegated.

The club insider goes on to say that the Whites’ drop down to the Championship could allow West Ham to ‘launch cut-price moves’ for Raphinha and another target in Kalvin Phillips.

C&H add that ‘deals will surely be there to be done’ if Jesse Marsch’s side go down.

The Verdict: Promising update…

Signing a player of Raphinha’s calibre for a bargain fee would be pretty special, especially given his serious links to La Liga giants and footballing heavyweights Barcelona.

The 25-year-old has been a revelation at Elland Road and one of their most pivotal figures, with ex-top flight goalkeeper and pundit Paddy Kenny claiming he has been ‘unbelievable’.

Raphinha’s sensational numbers back his obvious quality with the Whites superstar averaging more shots at goal, key passes and successful take-ons per 90 than anyone in Marsch’s squad this season (WhoScored).

If Leeds do indeed drop a division, we believe West Ham shouldn’t hesitate in making a bargain move for the attacker.

In other news: As of now: ExWHUemployee shares West Ham player update after agreement reached…find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Jose Mourinho’s days in the Premier League could be over.

Clearly not pleased with how this season has gone, Daniel Levy made the shock call to remove Mourinho from his position as Tottenham manager just days before the Carabao Cup final.

It leaves the Portuguese coach needing to find a new job but, having already managed Chelsea twice, Manchester United and Spurs, his options in England look limited.

Bearing that in mind, unless he is willing to take over at a mid-table club, Hendrie thinks Mourinho could be done in the Premier League.

On the 58-year-old, the ex-Villa player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I think Jose’s days in the Prem are certainly… well, I mean, he’s been at most of the top clubs in the Premier League and I think this time, he’s done himself no favours. Things haven’t quite worked out for him; let’s face it.

“He had a decent squad of players at Tottenham and there’s been a lot that’s gone on. I think there’s been stuff that went on at Manchester United beforehand, so I think his Premier League days [are over] unless he takes a punt at going to a mid-table club.”

As for Tottenham, they are being linked with another former Chelsea boss. According to various outlets, including Football Italia, the north London club are interested in Maurizio Sarri and have already contacted his representative Fali Ramadani.

The Italian spent just one season at Stamford Bridge, leading the Blues to the 2018/19 Europa League trophy, before departing for Juventus.

Crystal Palace still want to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this month, according to journalist Tom Barclay, who was talking to GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Ramsey links

Palace are yet to bolster their squad this month but could be set for a busy final few days of the January window going off recent reports. According to Italian news outlet TuttoJuve, the Eagles are getting ‘closer and closer’ to signing Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Patrick Vieira is attempting to ‘convince’ the Welshman over a move to Selhurst Park, with the 31-year-old set to leave Turin before the end of the month. However, it’s not only Ramsey who Vieira wants at Selhurst Park before Monday’s deadline, with Nketiah also on the radar.

The Latest: Barclay’s claim

Barclay was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Palace and the 22-year-old Gunners forward. He revealed that the Eagles are still interested in the £45,000-a-week striker and would like to bring him to the club ‘now’.

Barclay stated: “They are interested. They tried to sign him in the summer and they would like to have him and they’d like to sign him now if possible.

“He’s obviously out of contract at the end of the season. I was told it was a difficult deal to do, Arteta’s gone on record saying he wants him to stay, he’d like him to sign a new contract apparently.”

The Verdict: Unlikely?

Reports prior to the New Year suggested that Palace would cut short Jean-Philippe Mateta’s loan spell to make way for a new striker As we know, that hasn’t happened, and with just days remaining in the transfer window, it seems as if a move for Nketiah won’t materialise.

That’s because Mikel Arteta has previously ruled out a January exit for the striker, so perhaps Palace should be looking at a summer swoop, when Nketiah could be a free agent.

A cut-price move could still be a shrewd one, though, as the forward is only 22 years of age and has 75 appearances for the Gunners under his belt, scoring once every 102 minutes in the current campaign.

In other news: ‘We’re big time’ – Many Palace fans erupt as ‘class’ transfer news emerges

Celtic stalwart Scott Brown has dropped an enticing transfer revelation involving Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Brown a servant to British football

Brown has certainly been a great servant to British football, with well over 600 games played for both the Hoops and Hibernian combined, as well as earning 55 caps for the senior Scotland national team (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, it is interesting to wonder whether his footballing career could have panned out differently as he makes the move to Aberdeen in the summer.

The Latest: Brown could have joined Newcastle

Speaking to Sky Sports (via The Chronicle), Brown revealed that he could have signed for the St James’ Park club back in the 2009/10 season, when he also had interest from Tottenham Hotspur. He explained:

“Then Neil [Lennon] was the manager at the time and I had the opportunity to go to Newcastle.

“I was going to be out of contract but Lenny said: ‘I want to keep you as captain, I want to build the team around you and I feel we can push on’.”

The Verdict: Brown could have been a good signing

Given that Newcastle found themselves relegated from the Premier League in 2008/09, and were also relegated again seven years later (Transfermarkt), Brown could have been a good signing given the know-how and experience he would have possessed at the time, which could have had a big impact at St James’ Park.

The midfielder has gone on to win multiple trophies at Parkhead, and his winning mentality could well have been a valuable asset to have in the dressing room on Tyneside.

It is not just off of the pitch that he could have made a real impact, as he has continued to perform strongly despite being 35 years of age now, as his teammate Callum McGregor highlighted back in October of last year by describing him as an ‘immense’ player.

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Nonetheless, it would have no doubt been interesting to see how Brown would have fared for the Magpies had he made the move back in 2009.

In other news, find out whose display against Manchester City has been criticised by Liam Kennedy.

Bruno Lage heads into the ongoing transfer market knowing he has a tricky first summer on his hands.

Wolves haven’t been afraid to splash the cash since earning promotion to the Premier League but this would be one of the leanest windows they’ve had in recent memory.

On the chalkboard

With the Old Gold facing a summer of limited spending, Lage will have to be shrewd in the window.

Unsurprisingly, Wolves are once again targeting the arrivals of players who they can build for the future and potentially sell for a greater fee.

They’ve reportedly made a bid for Brazilian starlet Kaio Jorge but it’s one of Portugal’s brightest young talents that we want to focus on.

The entrance of a new manager won’t change the transfer policy at Molineux as they target 20-year-old forward Goncalo Ramos at Benfica.

Ramos was coming through the ranks of Benfica B when Lage was in charge of the Portuguese giants but after a breakthrough season in Liga NOS, he’s caught the eye of Wolves.

The club’s current manager, Jorge Jesus, doesn’t want to sell him according to A Bola but a high enough offer may change his mind.

Capable of playing as a centre forward or as a second striker, he could become Lage’s new Joao Felix at Wolves.

Felix was recently described as an “imposter” by Roy Keane for his performances at the ongoing European Championships but it was Lage who made him the star he is today.

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The 21-year-old scored 17 times under the stewardship of the new Wolves boss, a record that’s strikingly similar to Ramos’ tally last term.

He began the campaign with Benfica B, finding the net on 11 occasions in 12 outings.

Ramos would eventually end the campaign with 15 goals after making the grade at senior level. The 20-year-old was afforded four chances to play in Portugal’s top tier, outings that provided two strikes.

It was a stellar term for the young attacker who was described as “fantastic” in a glowing appraisal from talent scout Jacek Kulig on Twiter.

Like Felix, Ramos is capable of playing just behind the striker and is a tricky individual to deal with.

His dribbling could do with some improvement with a success rate of 42% in that regard but he still amasses 1.87 take-ons per game in his career.

This would be a truly exciting signing. Ramos’ finishing is ruthless and his movement is particularly clever. He could very quickly become the new manager’s next Felix.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Silva: Lage can form menacing Wolves duo by signing “lethal” 15-goal gem…

Writing for football.london, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has made a claim involving Nuno Espirito Santo and promising young defender Joe Rodon.

The Lowdown: Big season ahead…

As Nuno prepares for his first full season at the Tottenham helm after signing a two-year deal, the Portuguese has the mountainous task of restoring pride in the club after a summer of shambles.

Tottenham took over two months to appoint a new boss, holding successive managerial talks with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso (BBC).

Now the Lilywhites can finally focus on how they approach next season, with Gold revealing who Nuno may select more far more often over 2021/2022.

The Latest: Gold drops Rodon claim…

Writing for football.london, Gold has claimed that the new Tottenham manager could turn to Rodon next season as more of a mainstay in the team.

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Indeed, the Portuguese is now ‘expected’ to make ‘much more use’ of the Welshman, especially after an impressive Euro 2020 campaign for his country.

It is believed that the 23-year-old impressed plenty of people behind the scenes at Spurs during his debut season after he had to make the most of very limited game time.

Rodon could also return for pre-season training slightly earlier than expected in order to get a head start on pre-season training under Nuno.

The Verdict: Good news…

The starlet certainly impressed at points over 2020/2021 and he arguably displayed better form at times than the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez.

Wales Online reporter Ian Mitchelmore has waxed lyrical over the ‘special player’ for his performances at international level and there is no reason he can’t replicate it for Spurs.

In what could be a major summer revamp for Tottenham at the back, it appears Rodon could have a larger role to play next season.

In other news: ‘I’d be excited, Spurs fans’…Stan Collymore thrilled by major news out of N17, find out more here.

Giovani Lo Celso was snubbed from Tottenham Hotspur’s starting XI once again at the weekend.

It would have been hardly a surprise considering that the Argentina midfielder only returned to this country a day before the trip to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United, but fellow countryman Cristian Romero started, as did Brazil international Emerson Royal.

All three had been on national team duties during the break and played as recently as Thursday and into the early hours of Friday, but it is rather telling that Nuno Santo trusted the latter two to start but not the attacking maestro.

Lo Celso has started just one of his four Premier League appearances, and in that game against Chelsea, he struggled to last much past the hour mark, whilst he did not even come off the bench on Sunday, thus highlighting his struggles under Nuno thus far.

His chances of earning a regular spot in the top-flight appear to be getting slimmer and slimmer, particularly after Tanguy Ndombele’s fine performance up in the northeast.

As explained by The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, the French midfielder ‘thrived’ in the 3-1 victory and earned the joint-highest rating in his post-game column.

‘Scored a sumptuous strike to drag Spurs back into the game and looked like a proper No.10. Full of nice touches, flicks and skills, including in the build-up to Son’s goal, and was livelier than usual out of possession,’ the reporter wrote.

This spells trouble for Lo Celso as he will now find it even harder to break into the side. That’s a worry for a £55m signing, one who has seen his value plummet since arriving from Real Betis in summer 2019.

Transfermarkt now value him at £19.8m, a shocking 64% decrease in the space of just two-and-a-half seasons. He’s just 25, so that fee should be ever-increasing as he heads towards the peak years of his career.

It’s even more disappointing when you consider the kind of praise he has received during his time in north London.

Harry Winks described him to The Guardian as a “technically gifted player” who is “not afraid to get stuck in”, whilst his former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho dubbed him “phenomenal.”

One figure who must be fuming with the situation is chairman Daniel Levy, as the signing is a mark of his credentials. Usually known as a tough negotiator, the Spurs supremo splashed out a joint club-record fee on a player who has failed to impress much at all in N17.

Indeed, the Argentina international has only contributed eight goals and five assists across 73 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Levy has endured a nightmare so far with the signing of Lo Celso – the only positive is that the Argentine still has plenty of time to turn around his Spurs career, but whether or not he can very much remains to be seen.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting Spurs transfer claim ahead of January…

Italian football expert Conor Clancy thinks that West Ham target Nikola Milenkovic would be affordable this summer. 

The Fiorentina defender has less than one year left on his current contract which expires June 30 next year, and the Serie A outfit could look to cash in on him this summer rather than risk losing him for free then.

West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that the club are in talks over a deal for the 23-year-old, however the Hammers face competition for the defender. The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare reported that Tottenham Hotspur also have an interest in Milenkovic and he believes a fee of around €15m could be enough to conclude a deal.

On the fee for Milenkovic, Clancy told Transfer Tavern: “I think he’d be affordable from an English perspective because Italian clubs tend to sell when English clubs come knocking. What an Italian club sees as a good fee and what an English club see as an affordable fee are usually quite similar.”

Milenkovic can also operate as a right-back and grabbed himself three goals in Serie A last season, and with the reported interest in him, West Ham are going to have to move swiftly if they are to capture the signature of the defender this summer.

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield has rubbished claims that Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey could be heading to Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Ruben Neves heading in the opposite direction.

According to Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, the two clubs are in discussions over a potential swap deal just hours before the transfer window slams shut.

Juventus put former Arsenal midfielder Ramsey up for sale before the window even opened as injuries and a loss of form have resulted in him making just 66 appearances for the Italian giants.

The Wales international’s wages of £400,000-per-week have resulted in Juventus being willing to sell Ramsey for as little as £10million, according to TuttoJuve.

Neves, 24, has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal during the transfer window but Wolves do not appear keen on letting the Portugal international leave Molineux.

Hatfield is not expecting Ramsey and Neves to trade clubs with the deadline getting closer.

He told Football FanCast: “Swap deals, in general, don’t happen too often because there are so many moving parts.

“You’ve got both clubs having to want either player, both players wanting moves to those clubs and then the wages and playing time have got to add up. It’s so hard to get a swap deal done nowadays.

“It wouldn’t shock me if you see Neves still at Wolves. Ramsey’s wages are a hard one to overcome.”