All posts by z3u9t.icu

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have raved over a transfer update involving exciting young attacker Fabio Carvalho.

The talented teenager has continued to thrive at Craven Cottage since breaking into Fulham’s first team in 2020, clinching the EFL Young Player of the Month in August whilst continuing to show his potential.

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His current deal at Fulham expires at the end of the season, prompting clubs to take a serious interest in the England youth starlet, with West Ham apparently among his many suitors according to TEAMtalk. Indeed, they claimed that the Irons, and by extension owners GSB, have Carvalho in their sights as talks over an extension stall at his current club.

The Hammers are joined by Spurs, Liverpool and Southampton in being linked with the youngster, with that trio also believed to keeping tabs on the 19-year-old with a view to making a move.

West Ham fans rave…

Amid this development, plenty of West Ham fans have raved on Twitter, and it’s not hard to see why given Carvalho’s performances and high ceiling.

Check out some of their best reactions to the news that their club want him below, with one Hammers fan labelling the player a would-be ‘fantastic signing’.

“I’d take Fabio Carvalho. He’s the sort of signing we should be making, lots of potential but already proving he can score and perform at that level. Once the transfer window opens for us in about 10 days time … hopefully we make a move.” 

Credit: @RockyWhu

“Yes plz”

Credit: @IronsJoes

“Baller”

Credit: @jakewhu16

“please please please please”

Credit: @3ndtroducing

“This would be a fantastic signing.”

Credit: @WestHamUtdScout

“Wanted him years ago, would be perfect for Lanzini back up.”

Credit: @Icevain7

In other news: West Ham source: Newman makes move to sign ‘devastating’ forward after price plummets by £32m, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major blow in their appeal to FIFA regarding a compensation fee for Louie Barry.

What’s the latest?

According to Steve Madeley’s recent report for The Athletic, West Brom will not receive any compensation regarding the centre-forward’s move from the Baggies academy to Barcelona in the summer of 2019.

The journalist goes on to reveal that Albion had submitted a complaint to FIFA concerning the 18-year-old’s departure, claiming €130k (£110k) in “training compensation.”

However, it is then claimed that, despite West Brom’s insistence that they had offered Barry a scholarship agreement, FIFA rejected these claims, stating that the Championship side failed to make the striker a “binding offer” which therefore allowed him to leave the club on a free.

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how much potential Barry quite clearly possesses – with Barcelona dubbing him “one of the best young players in English football” upon his arrival in Spain – the fact that West Brom will not receive a penny for the centre-forward is sure to have left fans of the club fuming.

Indeed, with the former Baggies academy manager, Mark Harrison, as well as a number of other senior West Brom staff, moving to Aston Villa around the time of the club’s £900k signing of Barry from Barcelona just six months after the youngster left The Hawthorns, the England U18 international’s move to Villa Park left something of a sour taste for many at Albion.

This is because, should Barry have moved directly from West Brom to Villa, many at the club believe they would have received a similar amount to the £4m Albion were paid when Manchester City signed Morgan Rodgers in the same season.

However, West Brom are not completely blameless in the situation, as, should the club have been more concrete with their scholarship offer to the 18-year-old, they would have either kept Barry at the club or at least been entitled to a significant compensation fee – yet another reason for fans to be enraged with the way the saga has worked out.

In other news: Forget Grant: “Important” WBA gem who lost the ball 18x rewarded Ismael’s trust v Hull

Leeds United could have a future star in their youth ranks and his surname could well be familiar to some of the older members of the Elland Road faithful.

Sebastien Carole featured for the Whites in a two-year spell back in 2006 and 2008 before foraging a career in England’s non-league pyramid but his son, Keenan, is setting alight Thorp Arch at just 17.

Earlier in the year, footage of the teenager scoring a sublime solo goal had fans hugely excited over his potential and some were very eager to see him involved more often, and since then, he’s featured twice for the U23 squad.

Meanwhile, predominantly playing as a left-back or a left-winger, Carole has contributed towards nine goals across 33 appearances for the U18s, via Transfermarkt, so he’s certainly catching the eye.

His form for the Whites’ academy setup has caught the eye of a few in and around the game.

“One to watch and a star in the making at Leeds United – Keenan Carole – son of former Leeds attacker Seb Carole,” claimed journalist Pete O’Rourke to social media in November 2020.

Whilst BBC reporter Adam Pope highlighted his pace and acceleration as one encouraging attribute following a starring role from the bench against Tranmere U21s back in September.

“Lots of positives all over the park including the sub Keenan Carole injecting real pace down the left side,” he tweeted.

There are several exciting talents emerging at the Yorkshire giants, including Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Charlie Cresswell, so perhaps the 17-year-old gem could be the next to attract the eye of Marcelo Bielsa.

Given the struggles of Jack Harrison and Dan James this season, the Argentine manager could do little wrong in handing players like Carole an opportunity in the cups in 2022.

If he’s good enough, the young winger could save Andrea Radrizzani several millions in the transfer market. Of course, it’s still early days but the signs are hugely, hugely encouraging.

AND in other news, Bielsa must brutally axe “explosive” £16.2m-rated lightweight, he’s holding Leeds back…

Leeds United’s director of football Victor Orta can end the club’s ongoing nightmare over Kalvin Phillips by signing Derby County sensation Jason Knight.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are one of a number of teams interested in signing the 20-year-old, and now, according to ExWHUEmployee, West Ham have also entered the race.

It’s been suggested that the Hammers hold a strong interest in the midfielder, and that they will battle it out with the likes of Leeds, Newcastle and Everton among others.

The Kalvin Phillips nightmare

Since really breaking onto the scene during the 2016/2017 campaign – he made 33 appearances in the Championship that season – Phillips has become a cornerstone of this Leeds United midfield.

And while that has seen the Whites eventually get promoted to the Premier League and seen him earn great individual honours by getting recognised by England at international level, it has exposed a worrying issue at Elland Road: the lack of real cover for him.

Already this season Bielsa’s side have struggled without him, losing two and drawing one of the Premier League games that he has missed, while last year was even worse – they won just two of the nine top-flight matches he wasn’t involved in.

Not only do they miss his technical ability in the middle of the park, but also the kind of presence and leadership that he brings to the table too.

In the 20-year-old Knight, however, Orta could go a long way to addressing that void.

In fact, after making Knight captain just hours after he was appointed as the Rams’ permanent manager, Wayne Rooney has been very quick to shower the youngster with praise.

He said: “He’s very vocal, which is very rare for a young player these days. He gives everything in training – tackling, running. Very similar to the way I was at his age.

“He’s a manager’s dream. He gives everything. He’s the one, not just for the younger players in the dressing room but the older lads, who others can look at. He gives you energy, desire, runs non stop.

“I still want more from him quality-wise – in terms of crosses, shots, goals, assists – but in terms of what we are trying to build for this group of players he fully deserves it whether he’s 19 or whether he’s 30. To get the recognition and experience shows how highly we think of him.”

In his short career thus far, Knight has shown incredible versatility by playing all across midfield and in the wide areas, but has primarily played centrally.

With Rooney talking highly of his industry, leadership and tackling, the Derby starlet looks like he’s ready-made to fill in the shoes of Phillips not just for the long-term, but also in the short-term if the England ace is out injured.

Meanwhile, Beren Cross has delivered an update on Leeds’ pursuit of this man…

Some West Bromwich Albion fans were far from happy with the performance of Mbaye Diagne during their 0-0 draw with Newcastle United on Sunday.

It would be fair to say the match was far from an enthralling encounter. Neither side were able to put any real pressure on the opposing goal for long periods, and it was clear why these are two teams struggling at the wrong end of the table right now.

Diagne, who joined the Baggies on loan from Galatasaray during the January transfer window, was far from at his best in this match. He had four chances overall throughout the game and failed to convert a single one (SofaScore) – he must do better if Sam Allardyce’s side are to stay in the Premier League.

The West Brom fans were disappointed with his display – one even called it “next to useless” – and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the 29-year-old.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Diagne below

“Diagne is absolutely woeful aha”

Credit: @samandrews_1

“Diagne is a waste of money. What good is a striker who only gets into good position but can’t strike the ball into the goal? Zero.”

Credit: @LTR_ZH

“Diagne is awful how have we managed to find the striker version of Allan Nyom #wba”

Credit: @_Simonian

“He’s correct. Diagne is garbage”

Credit: @Jord012

“General musings…. Diagne is next to useless in front of goal. Can Pereira actually put a decent ball in? We have always lulled by an hour in. We aren’t direct enough. No guile in the final third.”

Credit: @RICHARD_NATH4N

“Diagne is a big donkey who can hold the ball up that’s it..missed a lot of chances in games”

Credit: @GeneralSharpe85

In other news, West Brom are eyeing this 23-goal forward.

A club insider, sharing news within the last 48 hours, has now broken one big twist in the ongoing saga of West Ham United star Declan Rice’s future.

The Lowdown: Rice eyeing exit?

Reports over the past few months have suggested, after a lack-lustre January window and falling away in the top-four race, that Rice is open to leaving West Ham this summer.

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Various sources have claimed that he could leave in 2022, starting with The Telegraph, who stated in February that the manager David Moyes and GSB ‘face a battle’ to keep the England star this summer.

Since then, journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport that Rice is ‘more open than ever’ to quitting Rush Green, with 90min reporter Scott Saunders going one step further and claiming he is ‘ready to leave this year’.

However, sharing a major twist, insider Claret & Hugh have now provided some good news for Irons supporters.

The Latest: C&H share Rice twist…

According to their sources, after ‘ongoing talks’ between the club, Rice and his agent/father, the 22-year-old has informed West Ham outright that he has no intention to hand in a transfer request and is focused on London Stadium life for the next 12 months ‘minimum’.

C&H go on to state that the Hammers have ‘zero concerns’ over his commitment as the summer window approaches.

However, there is a consensus that, if Rice can’t win anything in east London, he could look to move on next summer instead.

The Verdict: Big 2022/2023 ahead…

News of the England star’s commitment for next year at least comes as good news for West Ham, but going by this update, the 2022/23 season could be absolutely huge.

Much may well depend on GSB backing Moyes in the summer market and showing Rice that the club are indeed serious about building on their unprecedented success over the last two years.

It is believed that the Scotsman will have a £150m kitty at his disposal as West Ham potentially aim to make statements.

In other news: Blow for Moyes: Reliable journalist says ‘phenomenal’ West Ham player is now out for the season! Find out more here.

Crystal Palace’s progress has been stopped in its tracks by the embarrassing defeat to Liverpool at Selhurst Park earlier this month.

Jurgen Klopp’s side utterly dominated proceedings from start to finish, leaving the Eagles trailing in their way as they surged to the top of the table.

With Leicester City on the horizon, Roy Hodgson faces some tough decisions to avoid a repeat of the 3-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium towards the latter stages of last season.

Hodgson’s side have rarely been so badly humiliated but they were put the sword as the Reds ran riot over their helpless defence.

Vicente Guaita was called into action almost immediately from the get-go but the veteran goalkeeper was largely forced to sit and watch as Liverpool took an astonishing 14 attempts on goal, including eight shots on target, as per SofaScore. The final score finished 7-0 with the 33-year-old failing to register a single save or punch a single shot on target.

However, he can’t be solely to blame for their problems at the back, as Gary Cahill, Nathaniel Clyne and Cheikhou Kouyate were mostly at fault for the poor defensive performance. Clyne particularly caught the eye for all the wrong reasons as he was caught out of possession time and time again by Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, losing 100% of his duels overall.

There’s no denying the fact that Palace need to stop the rot from spreading even further, at least until new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson has recovered from his latest injury setback.

Hopefully cooler heads prevail and Hodgson hands Joel Ward his second consecutive start to face the Foxes, as they arguably need all the experience they can get to shut up shop and plug the gap in their leaky defence. The Eagles have conceded more goals than Burnley, Brighton and Premier League strugglers Sheffield United so far this season which makes for pretty grim reading.

Although he started against Aston Villa, Ward, 31, is an experienced campaigner who knows what it takes to stop the Foxes in their tracks. After all, he has won four and drawn one out of nine games in the top flight against the one-time Premier League champions, via Transfermarkt.

Standing at 6 ft 1 in, he’s certainly a force to be reckoned with, but has made just six starts across all competitions this season so far, and was left as an unused substitute on the bench as Palace were dispatched by Liverpool.

Valued at £2m via Transfermarkt, in six appearances in the Premier League so far, Ward is averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and a staggering 4.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

WhoScored lists some of his strengths as his ability to intercept the ball, win individual battles in the air, and his strong tackling, which shows that he is armed with the tools to deal with the likes of Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy, and is more than can be said for Clyne, who has done very little to justify his valuation. Transfermarkt value him at £3.6m.

Granted, Hodgson doesn’t exactly have the best of options, but it’s now up to the Palace boss to put his faith in Ward and unleash him on the right flank as he will have a tough task trying to contain the attacking duo who have scored 14 goals between them in the Premier League at the time of writing.

AND in other news, Steve Parish must look to cash in on Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins in January…

Sheffield Wednesday put difficult circumstance behind them to advance into the next round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls, who are staring down the barrel of a relegation battle in the Championship, were already managerless and now had to play without their caretaker boss Neil Thompson after he and his assistants tested positive for the virus.

In his absence, they saw off League Two side Exeter City with relative ease, winning 2-0 down in Devon.

Wednesday utility duo Adam Reach and Calum Paterson both got on the scoresheet, either side of half-time, though it was another versatile star who received the plaudits in Liam Shaw, who expertly deputised at centre-back.

The 19-year-old received the highest rating on SofaScore and was given the Man of the Match by YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson.

However, it was Owls skipper Barry Bannan who arguably stole the show on their travels. He enjoyed more touches (90) than any other player on the pitch and considerably more than any other visiting player.

The Scottish veteran is often the heartbeat of the team, the ticking metronome, and that proved to be true once again as he made 58 passes, eight of which were long balls and two of which were key chances, via SofaScore.

Howson was pleased with his outing too, dubbing him a ‘magician’ after providing the assist for their opener.

Indeed, this is something often attributed to the 31-year-old genius – following Wednesday’s encounter in Manchester City in this very competition last season, Pep Guardiola lauded Bannan, calling him “incredible” and “fantastic,” according to the Daily Record.

With the midfield orchestrator out of contract at the end of the season, whoever the next manager is will have to quickly act to secure the £24k-per-week monster down to a longer deal.

His form will undoubtedly be key to whether or not they beat the drop in the Championship.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit drops hint over vacant Sheffield Wednesday job

Former Celtic man Frank McAvennie believes Eddie Howe is back in the running for the vacant Hoops job.

The Lowdown: Howe edging closer to Hoops move?

It’s safe to say that Celtic fans have been on an emotional rollercoaster over the last six weeks when it comes to Howe taking over from Neil Lennon.

It seemed as if the 43-year-old was set to land the job at the beginning of April after verbally agreeing on a move to Parkhead.

He had second thoughts, though, and even reportedly spoke to Crystal Palace about possibly succeeding Roy Hodgson.

It seems as if a move to Scotland is now back on, with a story at the end of April suggesting he was finalising his Parkhead backroom staff.

The Latest: McAvennie’s Howe claim following club statement

Celtic actually released a statement five days ago regarding their search for a new boss, admitting they are ‘doing all they can’ to land the ‘best candidate’.

McAvennie, talking to Football Insider, was asked for his thoughts on the club’s recent statement. The 61-year-old, who remains closely connected to Celtic, appeared to drop an inside claim on Howe.

“You can’t read into that.

“Even if they have someone in mind they have to cover themselves. The whispers I’m hearing up here are that it’s Eddie Howe.

“Even if they have got Howe, they need to keep their options open. They are too big a club to not do that.

“They can’t be left in the lurch if something was to happen whether it be Howe or someone else.

“They have to keep their options open.”

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The Verdict: Howe to be announced at the end of the month?

In our opinion, it looks as if a matter of when and not if Howe will sign with Celtic.

He had been looking at three members of staff on the books of his previous employers, Bournemouth, and their involvement in the Championship playoffs may be a factor in a delay.

Should the Cherries progress to the playoff final at Wembley, that may keep those staff members busy on the south coast until the end of May.

Potentially, a semi-final exit for Bournemouth could work in the Hoops’ favour, as it may then give the club the chance to secure deals for Howe’s wanted staff members.

In other news: Celtic source admits John Kennedy is in the dark over Hoops future, find out more here. 

David Sullivan must finalise David Moyes’ new contract, with the boss’ control at West Ham United undeniable amid claims that Felipe Anderson is due to be sold this summer.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Hammers are ready to take a huge hit on the former club-record £36m signing in order to get Anderson’s vastly lucrative wage off the books.

It will come as the second sizable loss taken in 2021 after shifting Sebastien Haller in the winter market for £20m, a whopping £25m less than he cost when signed from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.

Anderson is expected to head through the London Stadium exit door for the final time this summer, as Moyes has made it clear that the Brazilian does not feature in his future plans.

Moyes does not believe the winger has the work ethic that he demands of his players and wants to rid West Ham of his services, as the ex-Manchester United boss continues to stamp his mark on the squad partly assembled by Manuel Pellegrini.

Anderson has hardly featured for FC Porto this season while on loan at the Liga NOS giants and knows there is no chance of a permanent move to the Estadio do Dragao.

But a potential hurdle in West Ham’s plans to shift the 27-year-old is that Anderson earns an alleged £100,000-per-week, and he still has a year remaining on the terms sanctioned by Pellegrini and the Irons’ former Director of Football Mario Husillos.

Interest may also be hard to come by too, with other clubs having seen Anderson start just five of his mere nine Porto appearances across all competitions to date, playing for a total of 383 minutes since joining Sergio Conceicao’s side.

A sign of Moyes’ control

Sullivan and the West Ham hierarchy being willing to take another sizable hit on the fees paid for players during Pellegrini and Husillos’ time at the club comes a sign of Moyes’ control at the London Stadium, where his power is seemingly undeniable.

West Ham could have forced Moyes to stick with Haller in January and Anderson next season so that the club could try and rebuild their respective market values, but instead, they seem willing to back the Scottish coach in his drive to start anew with his own signings.

It’s a costly way to g,  having already lost £25m on Haller and previous reports claiming Anderson is now worth only £17m, although it is part of the greater good that has the Irons challenging for Champions League qualification just a year after avoiding relegation.

Yet the Hammers’ backing of Moyes must not stop at selling the flops acquired by his predecessor, as the manager’s London Stadium future remains up in the air with his current contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Claims by TEAMtalk over the weekend suggested West Ham are set to push through a deal to tie Moyes down long-term as his demands are not an issue, yet rival interest is building with Celtic said to be in contact via intermediaries to discuss a move to the Premiership.

Moyes also has interest from other Premier League clubs and sides from the continent, but cannot be allowed to leave east London given the turnaround he has managed, plus the belief that senior club figures evidently have in him.

While Anderson could be set to go either way this summer, Sullivan must seal Moyes’ new deal to keep the anchor of West Ham’s recent success at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, David Moyes has confirmed his intent for West Ham to sign a £42k-p/w brute this summer…