All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic have reached a ‘general agreement’ with Kawasaki Frontale for Reo Hatate, according to Japanese outlet Hochi.

The Lowdown: Hatate profiled

Hatate has recently just helped Kawasaki Frontale win a second consecutive J1 League title, making 38 appearances in 2020/21.

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He turned out in a number of positions, mainly in midfield and at left-back, with Celtic reportedly seeing Hatate as a midfield addition, with his current contract set to expire at the end of January.

The 24-year-old is on €38,000-a-year (around £625-a-week) with his current employers, but it seems as if a move to Glasgow to join countryman Kyogo Furuhashi is on the cards.

The Latest: Agreement reached

Japanese outlet Hochi posted on Twitter on Sunday evening, shortly after Celtic’s 1-0 win over Motherwell, claiming Hatate is set to ‘move’ to Scotland.

A ‘general agreement’ has been reached between the two clubs, so it seems as if the Hoops will pay a small fee to the J1 League side for Hatate’s services.

The Verdict: More good news

The Hoops have also agreed on a fee with Gamba Osaka for midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, so Celtic are now closing in on two January signings already.

That can only be good news, especially with the number of injuries Ange Postecoglou has had to deal with in recent weeks, while the fact everything is in place so soon shows impressive planning from a club who have often been lacking in the boardroom in recent years.

Postecoglou will know just what Hatate and Ideguchi will bring to Scotland following his time as a manager in Japan, and the quicker Celtic can complete their January business, the better, with Japanese forward Daizen Maeda another on the club’s winter window wishlist.

In other news: Devlin claims ‘special’ Celtic ace may have broken bone amid ‘conflicting’ info. 

Farhad Moshiri is an ambitious man. He wouldn’t have brought Carlo Ancelotti to Everton if that wasn’t the case.

A highly decorated manager, the Italian had the lofty goal of taking Everton into the Champions League.

Despite his honours list, this would have been one of his biggest achievements yet. Not since the era of David Moyes have the Toffees qualified for Europe’s top table, but their wait for a place in the group stages goes way beyond that.

Sadly for everyone associated with Goodison Park, Ancelotti will not have the opportunity to finish what he started.

He departed for Real Madrid and left Everton behind in mid-table obscurity. It’s a worrying trend for the Toffees who despite spending plentiful sums on transfer fees, can’t break into the top six.

Not since the 2013/14 campaign when Roberto Martinez was at the helm have they fended off some of the biggest clubs in the country.

Therefore, they need to bring in a manager who knows how to finish above expectations. Rafa Benitez and David Moyes have both been linked but speaking to Sky Sports this week, former Lille director Luis Campos spoke of Christophe Galtier’s qualifications.

The 54-year-old beat the might of PSG to the Ligue 1 crown and has now been touted to take over at Everton.

Campos commented: “Christophe has all the qualities to coach in England, technically he is very astute and is extremely detailed in his planning when preparing a team.”

It’s simple to see why he’d be such a good fit at Everton. He knows how to build players for the future and act shrewdly in the transfer market to achieve his goals.

When he first took over, the club finished 17th in the French top-flight, meaning a fourth consecutive year outside of the top four.

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However, he led a phenomenal revival. Lille ended 2018/19 in second, finished fourth in 2019/20 and then won the league this term.

To defeat a team as wealthy as PSG deserves enormous credit, especially when you consider the way he developed players.

Arsenal stars Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel rose to prominence under Galtier while Renato Sanches got his career back on track with Les Dogues in 2020/21.

Lille have had a tendency to lose their best players throughout the years; think Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho but after Pepe and Gabriel departed, Galtier replaced them astutely.

Jonathan David has been a revelation under the Frenchman, scoring 13 times since penning terms last summer.

Though, systematically he’d also suit Everton perfectly. Campos added: “He likes a 4-4-2 system, which would fit with the Premier League and he is a fantastic motivator in the dressing room.

“He likes to build a side with quality and youth, he is someone that can develop a team ethic, and he is also a fantastic human being.”

One of the most impressive aspects of Lille’s title win was their defensive organisation.

Everton’s backline was shoddy at times under Ancelotti with Mason Holgate guilty of making several mistakes towards the end of the campaign. They shipped 48 strikes this term, the third-worst record in the top half of the table.

Lille, on the other hand, had the best record of any side in Ligue 1.

They conceded only 23 goals thanks to the experience of Jose Fonte and the youth of Sven Botman, a defender who made for a wonderful Gabriel replacement.

Galtier is improving as a coach all the time and has now proven himself capable of beating the oil-rich clubs that dominate modern football. Moshiri and Kenwright should be all over him.

AND in other news, Kenwright begins talks with “exceptional” 58 y/o boss, he’s Everton’s best candidate…

Some Liverpool fans have laughed off suggestions that Liverpool will look to sign Barcelona youngster Pedri.

Jurgen Klopp will likely be looking to bring in new signings in the summer transfer window in order to add a freshness to his squad.

At times this season, Liverpool have looked jaded both physically and mentally, highlighting the need for new faces to arrive in the coming months.

The Reds’ attack has been particularly lifeless at times in 2020/21, with Mohamed Salah being relied upon too much and Diogo Jota a huge miss through injury.

While Liverpool’s midfield is well-stocked and the least of Klopp’s worries, that hasn’t stopped them being linked with an exciting player in that part of the pitch.

According to The Mirror, Barcelona are looking to fend off interest from the Reds in Pedri, with the 18-year-old a hugely talented prospect. The midfielder has a £70m release clause in his current contract, but the La Liga giants want to increase that to a whopping £350m in a new deal.

Liverpool fans mock Pedri claims

A number of Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to give their thoughts on Pedri moving to Anfield, with few believing that such a move will happen.

“£70million, but why?? Who is he?? That’s a joke for sure”

Credit: @M_Shamsi80

“This is way too risky, £70million on a 18-year-old. Yes he has bags of talent but he still needs to grow in this Barca team”

Credit: @LFC_Iankzz

“He’s very good but he won’t leave Barca”

Credit: @LewYNWA

“Lol”

Credit: @jaziz1989

“No thanks”

Credit: @jxckcxrdus

“We are too skint”

Credit: @lfcjohnnie

In other news, some Liverpool fans are ecstatic about one transfer rumour – read more here.

There has been mounting speculation on the future of Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Matt Clarke at West Bromwich Albion, and there has now been an update on the situation.

What’s the latest?

According to West Brom reporter Steve Madeley (via The Athletic), the 25-year-old centre-back “would be keen” to stay at The Hawthorns this summer.

Madeley wrote:

“Clarke would be keen on a permanent move to The Hawthorns and there are reasons for which a deal would appeal to West Brom as it is likely that any deal would include a low up-front fee and would be weighted towards performance-related add-ons and sell-on clauses.”

Bruce will be buzzing

There is no doubt that Steve Bruce would be buzzing at the idea of the defender wanting to stay at the club after his comments about Clarke in an interview a few weeks ago.

Bruce told Express and Star:

“He has been, arguably, since I’ve walked through the door – he’s been our best player so I’m really, really, happy for him.

“All those conversations – it’s all about the future. What is going to happen in the future is the big thing and we’ll have those talks.”

The Baggies centre-back has featured 32 times in the Championship this season, with his effectiveness and influence in the backline a clear indicator as to why Bruce holds him in such high regard.

Clarke has made 1.9 interceptions, 3.2 clearances and 1.5 tackles on average per game, kept ten clean sheets, won the majority of his duels combined (63%) and has been successful in the majority of his dribbles (63%), proving to be a consistent force for West Brom throughout the season.

West Brom have now squandered their chances of picking up a playoff spot in the Championship this season, but will now need to focus on rebuilding and reflecting on the issues that have presented themselves this season to improve and hit the ground running to earn a place back in the Premier League next season.

Permanently signing Clarke could be a great step in their pursuit to return to top-flight football as he has proven he has what it takes to offer reliability and good fitness in the Championship for them, something many players in the team have struggled with throughout the current campaign.

AND in other news: In talks: WBA must brutally axe “powerful” £720k-rated gem after “important” update

Steve Bruce will be desperate for good news as Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson ramps up his return from a hamstring injury.

That’s according to Chronicle Live, who note that the forward has been able to do some light jogging sessions in a bid to get back as soon as possible.

The Magpies are yet to win a Premier League game without Wilson leading the line since his £20m arrival from AFC Bournemouth last summer, and have seen their lead over the clubs in the relegation zone be completely eliminated in recent weeks.

Newcastle held a 10-point advantage over Fulham when Wilson suffered a deep hamstring tear at home to Southampton last month, but now sit just a point above Scott Parker’s 18th-placed Cottagers – albeit with a game in hand over the west London side.

Wilson has been doing triple sessions in a bid to return as soon as possible after vowing to do ‘everything’ in his power to help the Toon avoid the drop, having been ruled out for six to eight weeks in a “devastating” blow for Bruce.

The £46,000-per-week frontman has also been working with Jonny King, a friend and physio from his time at Bournemouth, who helped Wilson during his recovery from minor knee surgery last year and a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in 2017.

Newcastle are conscious of not rushing the striker back too quickly and aggravating his issue given the nature of the injury and his explosive pace, but will hope to see Wilson return and add to his goals, with the Magpies having scored just twice in the four matches that the forward has sat out to date.

United were particularly toothless in attack last time out against West Brom, with Bruce’s side unable to beat Sam Johnstone despite five of his side’s nine shots being on target.

Only 37% of Newcastle’s shots found the target at home to Wolves, despite directing six of 10 on target at Manchester United after a sloppy 40% of their attempts required saving at Chelsea.

Bruce will surely be desperate for more good news on Wilson’s road to recovery as Newcastle near Aston Villa’s visit to St. James’ Park. As, while the summer signing will not be expected to feature on Friday, the upcoming international break will certainly prove useful in aiding his return.

United only play Villa and have a trip to fellow strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion before a short break in fixtures, after which Wilson will have reached the eight-week period that he was initially ruled out for.

That mark also comes with a home clash with Tottenham Hotspur in a tough run for the Toon with further games against relegation-rivals Burnley and European hopefuls West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and title-elect Manchester City.

Newcastle will not be expected to take many points from that run without their 10-goal top-scorer on the pitch, with Wilson’s haul helping to beat the Irons, Burnley and Everton (twice) already this season while helping claim draws with Spurs and Fulham.

Dwight Gayle and Joelinton are each yet to score while carrying the strain in Wilson’s recent absence, too, making a quick but safe return for Wilson increasingly important for Bruce. If he can get his main man back after the international break, that could be huge for the Newcastle boss and his club’s hopes of staying in the top flight.

AND in other news, Newcastle eye summer swoop for £16k-p/w maestro once lauded for being “the most gifted” player…

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier is set to leave the club and reunite with Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain in a €20m (£17.2m) move, according to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti.

The lowdown

Spurs signed Aurier from the French capital in 2017 for a fee in the region of £23million.

He penned a five-year deal on arrival, meaning he’s about to enter the last 12 months of his contract.

Aurier has made more than 100 appearances during his stint at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Last season, he played 27 times, scoring twice and adding three assists. Two of those goal contributions came in the 6-1 rout of Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has marvelled at the Ivorian, describing him as ‘so good and so fast’.

The latest

Galetti reports that Aurier ‘will be’ returning to PSG and working under Pochettino once again.

That’s after the French runners-up tabled an offer of €20million for his services.

Intriguingly, he adds that PSG’s proposed move for Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi now becomes ‘more complicated’.

Spurs’ rivals Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in Hakimi and may be encouraged to make a move knowing that a potential other suitor have eyes on another target.

The verdict

Aurier has lacked consistency in his performances at Spurs, and fans must always have been slightly concerned when he set foot on the pitch.

Still, €20million would be a very good return for a player close to the end of his deal, and they could put it towards a new name.

Matt Doherty, an alternative option, didn’t do enough in his first season at the club to suggest he merits a first-choice role, so Spurs still need to address this problem position.

In other news, Daniel Levy has dropped an intriguing transfer message. 

Speaking in an official club interview, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has dropped a summer transfer message.

The Lowdown: Spurs and the summer…

A very intriguing window lies in store for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, especially with the confirmed arrival of new club managing director Fabio Paratici.

The Italian has been tasked with overseeing Spurs’ transfer activity and has been put in charge of the club’s ‘sporting operations’ (tottenhamhotspur.com) – although some believe Levy won’t relinquish too much power.

Meanwhile, we could also see many faces head out of the exit door at Tottenham with the club needing to adopt a sell-to-buy policy.

The Latest: Levy drops Spurs transfer hint…

Levy, speaking in an official club interview, has now hinted that Spurs will be making moves this summer.

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Indeed, the 59-year-old has made a vow to Lilywhites supporters that there will indeed be investment made in the playing squad.

“We will spend,” he explained to the club’s official website.

“But we’re a self-sustaining club, we have to be sensible, sometimes fans think we ought to be spending but there have been circumstances where, actually, the coach doesn’t want us to spend on a particular player.

“All I will say is, we will make investment in the squad.”

The Verdict: Interesting times ahead…

Whether or not Levy follows through on his message remains to be seen, but this certainly has the potential to be an interesting summer for Spurs supporters.

Already, Tottenham have been heavily linked with swoops for both Borussia Monchengladbach star Marcus Thuram and VfB Stuttgart winger Nicolas Gonzalez.

Alasdair Gold has also told Spurs fans to expect a big summer of change in regards to outgoings as Spurs aim to bolster their transfer kitty.

In two months time, we could see a very different Lilywhites squad compared to now.

In other news: Paratici has already tried to sign this ‘phenomenal’ star for Spurs this summer, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 267 Premier League appearances for Newcastle United, believes Mike Ashley should reconsider his valuation of the club because of how much needs improving.

Ashley has owned Newcastle since 2007 when he bought a majority share of the club from the previous owner Freddy Shepherd, and the Sports Direct tycoon was greeted with mountains of debt which he failed to notice through not doing much due diligence before purchasing the club.

It started off positively under Ashley as he watched matches from the stands with fans and brought back Kevin Keegan as manager, however after two relegations and the potential for a third this season, the mood on Tyneside has turned far more toxic towards the owner.

Speaking on why Ashley’s valuation of the club should be reconsidered because of what other clubs have compared to Newcastle, Lee told FFC:

“Is somebody prepared to pay the money that he’s asking for considering what they will be getting in return?

“You look around the grounds in the Premier League and there are a lot better ones around than St James’ Park, and we’ve probably got one of the worst training grounds in the league.

“You look at the players we’ve got and you probably couldn’t sell many of them for a lot of money. So what exactly are you getting? You’ll get the name Newcastle United, but what else are you getting for £330 million?”

Mike Ashley has decided to stick by Steve Bruce despite many expecting him to be sacked after the 3-0 defeat against Brighton.

If Newcastle were to be relegated for a third time under Ashley, it would certainly knock a large sum off the valuation of the club.

Brendan Rodgers remains one of Tottenham Hotspur’s top managerial targets, according to reports…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from 90min, who suggested that the 48-year-old is still in the running to take over from Jose Mourinho despite his reluctance to leave Leicester City.

Daniel Levy will not appoint Spurs’ next manager until the summer, with the club’s former midfielder Ryan Mason in caretaker charge until then, and the chairman is believed to be infatuated by the Foxes chief.

It is also claimed that he would be prepared to make Rodgers the second-highest paid manager in the Premier League behind Man City’s Pep Guardiola, who is thought to be on around £15m per year.

Pay whatever it takes

As targets keep coming and going, Levy could have his work cut out to find a viable and attractive manager to fill the vacant role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Julian Nagelsmann and Erik ten Hag have quickly been ruled out of the running, and even though he seems committed to Leicester, there cannot be many better candidates out there than Rodgers.

Speaking about the interest in his services last month, the former Celtic and Liverpool boss praised Spurs as a club, claiming: “Tottenham is a great club, one of the biggest clubs in Britain but for me, I’m just in a really, really happy place in my life.”

Of course, he’s not going to come straight out and claim he’d be keen on swapping the King Power Stadium for north London, especially as the Foxes are battling for a top four finish, and that will be the centre of his focus.

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You can never strictly rule it out, though. Levy has to throw the chequebook at him and do all he can to convince him to sign on the dotted line. If he wants Spurs back competing in Europe, particularly in the Champions League, then he must turn to Rodgers.

The 48-year-old has completely transformed Leicester on and off the pitch. It is looking like back-to-back seasons qualifying for Europe and he’s done that despite losing his best players every summer.

Stars such as Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez were all replaced adequately and it’s like the Foxes have never missed out on their presence. This sort of recruitment is desperately needed at Spurs, with the club in dire need of a rebuild.

Another one of his key abilities is to develop players, and there isn’t a better example than Kelechi Iheanacho, who until this campaign very much looked like he wouldn’t hit the potential with which he was once touted at Manchester City.

The 24-year-old has scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions this term, via Transfermarkt, leading to Dean Windass lauding Rodgers’ influence as “unbelievable” in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

With players like Dele Alli, Joe Rodon, Dane Scarlett and many more at Spurs, Rodgers would be very well placed to continue such a trend.

Furthermore, Mourinho has previously waxed lyrical about his former Chelsea coach, suggesting he is “creative” and a “very good coach.”

Only Sir Alex Ferguson has a better win percentage of any British manager to take charge of 50 or more games since 2000 in the Premier League, leading to Gary Neville lauding the 48-year-old “one of the outstanding managers in the league”.

It’s no wonder that Rodgers, who has won 54% of his games in charge of the Foxes, would be a dream candidate for Levy and Spurs. It could cost them an extraordinary amount of money to land him but, if it’s the price they have to pay to get a top contender, so be it.

Rodgers is absolutely perfect for Spurs; it’s as simple as that.

AND in other news, 45 y/o who left “a lasting impression on Spurs would bring shades of Pochettino to North London…

Middlesbrough have reportedly opened talks with Sheffield United winger Oliver Burke over a summer move to the club.

The Lowdown: Burke struggles at Blades

The Scotland international has struggled to make an impression at Bramall Lane, scoring and assisting just once apiece in the Premier League last season.

The Blades are thought to be willing to listen to offers for Burke this summer and he may not be without suitors.

The Latest: Middlesbrough move for winger

According to Football Insider’s Boro source, ‘discussions are underway’ between Middlesbrough and United over a move to the fellow Championship club.

Nottingham Forest, West Brom, Celtic and RB Leipzig are also thought to be interested in signing the 24-year-old, who has won 13 caps for his country.

The Verdict: Time to move on

Burke is a talented attacking player but he has been a disappointing signing for the Blades, so it makes sense for him to move on this summer.

The Scot still has two years remaining on his current deal, meaning United could receive a hefty fee for his services, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £5.4million.

Admittedly, selling Burke to another Championship team could help strengthen a rival, but Slavisa Jokanovic doesn’t appear to see a future for him at Bramall Lane, so there is little point keeping hold of a depreciating asset.

In other news, another Sheffield United player is set for an exit this summer. Find out who it is here.