All posts by n8rngtd.top

Newcastle United are very interested in signing 18-year-old Ivan Fresneda, according to Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Who is Fresneda?

Fresneda has been one of the breakout stars of Europe so far this season with the 18-year-old featuring nine times for La Liga outfit Real Valladolid.

The right-back started the first game in the Spanish top flight’s return following the World Cup break as they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid, with Fresneda playing the full 90 minutes against Vinicius Junior.

Valladolid are acutely aware of the interest in him and will happily cash in on their young prodigy who’s caught the eye of the Premier League side.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

Newcastle hold serious interest in the youngster who they see as a potential long-term replacement for Kieran Trippier who turns 33 next season.

Speaking on NUFC Matters, Jacobs revealed that the Magpies are unsurprisingly not the only side interested and that they have got a job on their hands to win the race.

He said: “I’m of the belief that this one is genuine in the sense that Newcastle are keen, but also quite frantic.

“That is because, as I understand it, there is a clause in the contract, that is market value, I believe based upon the potential it’s high, obviously for a player of this age, but something in the region of €30m would allow a very simple transfer.

“We have to be very careful here because there’s far more than one club in the race, so we have Newcastle who are very serious about Fresneda, and then there is definitely strong, strong interest from Borussia Dortmund, and also from Juventus as well.

“There is a strong belief within Newcastle, that you’re getting a teenager who is extremely mature – extraordinarily so, I’ve been told. And therefore, over the course of the next two or three seasons, he is a player that will take very quickly to elite-level football. There’s not many doubts about his maturity, about his composure, about his decision-making, about his first touch.”

The Verdict: One for the future

Newcastle’s current situation at right-back is far from a concerning one with Trippier nailing down the position, starting every game possible and captaining the side on 17 occasions in the league.

This in turn could give us an idea of what the Magpies’ transfer plans are with them seemingly happy to splash the cash on high potential youngsters they can mould into a potential title-winning side in a few years’ time.

It’s unclear where Fresneda will likely end up but with Trippier’s position in the side undroppable means if he’s after first-team chances then the North-East may not be the place to head.

West Ham United have lodged a formal bid for Lorient striker Terem Moffi, who has been excelling in Ligue 1 this season.

What’s the word?

Irons manager David Moyes will be gravely concerned by the detrimental plummet in his team’s fortunes in 2022/23, having clinched European qualification in the previous two campaigns, and is consequently looking to bolster the squad with signings who can make an instant impact to stave off the unthinkable threat of relegation.

The 23-year-old has been at the centre of intense speculation over his future having been in blistering form this season, with the Hammers’ Premier League rivals Aston Villa also expressing intrigue in clinching Moffi’s signature last month, as per French outlet Jeunes Footeux.

According to Sky Sports on Sunday evening, Moyes has submitted an official bid of £25m (£20m plus £5m in add-ons) to land a new talisman who can play a pivotal role in West Ham’s hopeful ascension up the table, back towards prominence and away from the uncomfortable relegation zone waters.

Payet 2.0

Over the past two seasons, West Ham have been an imperious force in the English top flight, establishing themselves as one of the most impressive teams in the division and indeed reaching the Europa League semi-finals last year, falling to eventual trophy winners Eintracht Frankfurt.

This season, however, form and fluidity has flown away like a bird freed from a cage, and Moyes is a man under pressure, potentially at risk of losing his place at the helm.

In order to combat the woes of sitting 18th with just 15 points from 19 league games, the prospective addition of Moffi could provide the cutting edge required to alleviate relegation concerns. Gianluca Scamacca was signed from Sassuolo for £35.5m last summer but has so far failed to make the desired impact, scoring only three goals from 16 league appearances.

In the “deadly” Moffi – as hailed by Jacques Talbot – West Ham would clinch a striker with an innate goalscoring knack, bringing pace and physicality in abundance.

This season alone, he has scored 12 goals from 18 appearances in Ligue 1 – more than Lionel Messi and second only to Kylian Mbappe – and has recorded an impressive average rating of 7.05 from Sofascore. He has averaged 1.9 shots per match and exhibited his ambidexterity by netting seven goals with his left foot and four with his right.

Averaging 0.5 key passes per game, and succeeding with 61% of his dribbles, Moffi is evidently a dynamic frontline presence who could sow the seeds for a fruitful future at the London Stadium.

His impact in east London, if he joins the Irons, could emulate the success of Dimitri Payet, who arrived at West Ham in a £10m deal in 2015.

The French playmaker went to make 60 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 15 goals and 23 assists. He was a force of true originality, captivating the Irons’ faithful and imperative in establishing a period of success for the club, recording a seventh-placed finish in his debut campaign, ending just four points behind Manchester City in fourth.

With both players two-footed, arriving from Ligue 1 and holding the offensive calibre to make a lingering impact on the side, Moffi can indeed draw upon inspiration from the ingenious 35-year-old, taking the reins and hopefully leading West Ham to better times.

If Moyes wishes to propel both his club’s future and secure his own at the London Stadium, it is imperative that a deal to sign the Nigerian sensation is cemented. West Ham are languishing in the bottom three, but Moffi’s prowess could have the talismanic effect necessary to lift the Hammers back towards Premier League prominence.

Former Scottish Premiership striker Frank McAvennie says that Kemar Roofe’s latest injury setback is a ‘big blow’ to Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Four weeks out

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their 1-0 win away at St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup fourth round on Saturday night, Michael Beale confirmed that Roofe would be out for the next ‘four weeks’, after coming off injured in their 2-1 win at home to Aberdeen in the Viaplay Cup semi-finals last Sunday.

The striker fell awkwardly moments after scoring the winner, and will now be out on the sidelines again after just coming back from a long-term knee injury.

The Latest: ‘Big blow’

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has claimed that Roofe getting injured again after just returning is ‘not a good sign’, and his latest setback is a ‘big blow’ for the Ibrox outfit:

“He will have been delighted coming back and scoring a goal.

“Then getting injured, it is not good for a footballer. When you are coming back from injury you look forward to getting on the pitch and playing.

“He has got back on the pitch playing and got injured again. It is not a good sign.

“Once you start getting injured, it means you are getting older and it is a hard thing to shift. He is a decent player and it will be a big blow to Rangers that is for sure.“

The Verdict: Time to sell?

Roofe’s current contract at Ibrox does not run out until 2024, but with the injury problems that he has been having, that stretch back to last season as well, it may be time for the club to pull the plug and try and sell him either this month or in the summer.

They brought in Antonio Colak last summer, and Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala can still understudy for him up front, meaning that selling Roofe could free up space in the squad to strengthen elsewhere.

Nonetheless, he is 30 years of age, and so will not have a higher sell-on value than he does right now.

Everton must compromise on their asking price for Anthony Gordon to make a deal happen, claims Luke Edwards.

The Lowdown: Gordon in demand

The Everton forward has been in high demand since his breakout campaign last year, where his performances helped keep the Goodison Park outfit in the Premier League, as he started 25 games in the top-flight, majority coming at the business end of the season.

This led Gordon to look destined for Chelsea in the summer, but the Toffees stood firm as he remained on Merseyside.

Talks regarding his exit are back again with Everton floundering in the drop zone, and the Daily Mail is reporting that he has missed training for a third consecutive day amid a potential switch to Newcastle United.

The Latest: Edwards’ comments

Speaking on the BBC’s Transfer Gossip Daily on Thursday morning, Edwards claimed that the only way a deal will go through is if a compromise on the price is met, with the Magpies believing Everton’s valuation is too high.

He said: “If the player wants to leave, which he certainly does – he’s not been at the training ground for two days; I think he may even have handed in a transfer request now – at some point, there’s going to have to be a compromise in those fees.

“Newcastle are not going to go that high, Everton may have to kind of wake up and smell the coffee a little bit and realise they’re not going to get that sort of fee for him.

“I would expect it to be closer to something like £35m, maybe rising to £40m or something like that.”

The Verdict: Interesting days ahead

With the 21-year-old’s public display of unhappiness on Merseyside, it begs the question of whether Everton will bow to his demands or stick to their guns on their £60m tag.

Despite Newcastle boasting the finances to pay £60m for a player considering their lavish spending in recent windows since their Saudi Arabian-backed takeover (as per Transfermarkt), the Toffees’ demands clearly don’t represent value for money for buyers.

With Gordon bagging just three goals and not registering an assist in the top flight this campaign, it could be argued that he’s far from an attractive figure to bring into a Champions League-chasing side for that fee.

It seems Everton are fixed on getting the full amount that was mooted last year, and with their current struggles and the limited amount of time left in the window, you wonder whether the Toffees should indeed cut their losses on an unhappy player given their situation.

YouTube presenter and Leeds United supporter Joe Wainman has been reacting to the club’s links to AS Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Bid in

The Whites have been busy so far this month and announced Weston McKennie, their third first-team signing of the January transfer window, on Monday.

There could still be more to come, though, with speculation emerging on Zaniolo, who is primarily an attacking midfielder but can play as a second striker or as a right winger. Journalist Daniele Longo has claimed that Leeds have now made a loan offer with an obligation to buy which includes ‘very easy-to-achieve terms’.

The Latest: Wainman reacts

Wainman, host of the JustJoe Football Show, took to Twitter on Monday evening to react to the rumours regarding Zaniolo.

He simply said ‘surely not’ when it was suggested that Leeds have a 10% chance of securing the Italy international’s services.

The Verdict: Harrison replacement?

It looks as if Jack Harrison could be on the way out of Elland Road on deadline day, with Leeds ready to listen to offers for the winger.

Therefore, Zaniolo could be viewed as a possible replacement, although it appears to be a risky move when you look at his injury history. The 23-year-old has already missed a whopping 91 games through injury for Roma, so there is no guarantee that he would remain fully fit in Yorkshire.

The Italian has also contributed to just one Serie A goal in 13 appearances during the current campaign, so it could be best for Leeds to stick with Harrison or look elsewhere for a potential replacement.

Writer for the Herald and Glasgow times, Christopher Jack believes that the club will get a deal ‘done’ for Gers transfer target Nicolas Raskin of Standard Liege. 

The Lowdown: Bid rejected

The Scottish Sun has reported that Michael Beale’s side has had a bid rejected from Liege for the Belgian midfielder and he would cost the Scottish Premiership £1.5 million for a deal to be agreed upon.

Raskin’s contract with the Jupiler Pro side runs out this year, meaning he could leave the club this summer as a free agent.

In Belgium’s top flight, the midfielder has scored one goal and produced four assists so far this season.

The Latest: Not dead in the water

Jack spoke on the Rangers Review’s YouTube channel about the potential transfer, and he claims that the deal would make sense for both clubs and believes a move to Ibrox will happen.

He stated (2:10), “He’s a player that Rangers are interested in, he’s a player that Rangers have now bid for and had a bid rejected for and that’s where we’re at, at present.

“I think a deal will get done, it seems to make sense for all parties for a deal to get done. Baskin wants to move, Rangers want to sign him.

“Liege are just looking to try and recoup as much as they can for a player who’s out of contract and ultimately worth nothing to them and in the summer.”

The Verdict: An injection of youth

We believe that Raskin would provide Rangers a boost in midfield, should the deal be completed by the end of the month.

In his homeland of Belgium, the midfielder received a rave review from the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg (via The Herald), where journalist Bob Faesen described him as ‘technically gifted’ and a ‘real leader’.

This would be a welcome addition to the Gers central-midfield, as aside from Nnamdi Ofoborh they’re lacking younger players in that, the remaining players in that position contains players aged 27 or older.

With Raskin being only 21-years-old, but playing like a player that’s vastly more experienced, this could be enticing for Beale.

The Glasgow side has often brought in players they know they can sell for a much heftier price than they paid in the past, the same could be the case here if they were to land Raskin in January.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to look at bringing in another central midfielder in the summer having brought in a defender and forward in January.

What’s the latest?

Spurs were able to bring in two new senior players for Antonio Conte’s squad over the January transfer market with Pedro Porro and Arnaut Danjuma landing in north London.

However, no midfielders were brought in through the door following the arrival of Yves Bissouma over the summer and Spurs keen to keep ahold of youngster Pape Matar Sarr.

But looking ahead to the summer, it has been suggested this could be an area where the Lilywhites look to add some further quality with reports suggesting centre-backs are the main priority for the summer.

Indeed, speaking on The Tottenham Way podcast, journalist Tom Allnutt has claimed this may be the case when discussing the club’s long-standing interest in the – now Leeds United – midfielder Weston McKennie:

(42:15) “Tottenham will probably look to try and get a central midfielder in the summer where they might spend a bit more, where they’re a bit more convinced, where they think they tick more boxes and probably, I think in the end, McKennie didn’t really fit the bill for a stopgap probably too expensive. Isn’t kind of the short-term fix like Danjuma for example.”

Room for improvement

There is seemingly a lack of creativity coming from the Tottenham midfield with their two starting options, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, their only source of creativity.

The pair have both been able to provide five goals each in the Premier League this season, and between them, they have six assists thus far.

However, in comparison to a player like Kevin De Bruyne, these types of numbers are fairly inadequate and could potentially be boosted by a more forward-thinking option.

The arrival of Bissouma is yet to pay off with the Mali midfielder struggling under Antonio Conte to establish himself in the starting XI.

Although Bissouma was hardly prolific during his time at Brighton & Hove Albion, he is yet to get his career at Spurs up and running in the 24 appearances made for the Lilywhites.

Given Conte’s main three midfielders are mainly defensive-minded players, perhaps adding a creative option over the summer would prove a big benefit for Spurs going forward.

Spurs saw their former player, Christian Eriksen, move to Manchester United last summer and he has shone during his time at Old Trafford.

The Dane has already picked up seven assists in the Premier League alone and has showcased what Spurs could have had if they pursued the 30-year-old further.

But perhaps this is the type of player Spurs should be looking to sign in the summer.

Emerson Royal was the best player on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur’s victory over Manchester City, journalist Alasdair Gold has claimed.

What’s the word?

Spurs produced a battling performance to beat Manchester City 1-0, and whilst there were a number of standout performances in a game which saw Harry Kane become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, but the Brazilian was the best of them all.

Royal has attracted a lot of criticism for his performances this season, but did his best to silence the doubters as he produced a masterclass, engaging Jack Grealish in some entertaining battles on the Spurs right-hand side.

In his player ratings for football.london, Gold rated Royal 10/10 for his display, and heavily sung his praises.

“Kept his place despite the arrival of Porro and he popped up everywhere in the first half, including on the left and through the centre of midfield on occasions.

“Put the ball on a plate for Kane only for the striker to miss the ball early in the second half. Made some great challenges in the second half in a running battle with Grealish, including one perfect one on the England man in the Spurs box.

“His best game in a Tottenham shirt and Grealish was constantly frustrated by his defending. Man of the match.”

Increased competition

Spurs completed the signing of wing-back Pedro Porro on deadline day from Sporting Lisbon, with the idea that the Spaniard would replace Royal, but the Brazilian may have been spurred on by the increased competition in his role.

The City match was deemed too soon for Porro to start, and he remained on the bench whilst Royal delivered an exceptional performance.

Royal won eight out of 12 ground duels, was fouled five times and made six clearances as per SofaScore, and will hope that this performance means he can keep his place ahead of Porro for now.

West Ham United’s prestigious academy has seemingly kicked into overdrive over the last few years, with their 3-0 win away to FCSB in the Europa Conference League in November standing as proof as David Moyes handed appearances to nine of the club’s youngsters.

This comes just a few years after Declan Rice, the crowning jewel of their youth academy in recent times, has made himself a mainstay for both club (222 games) and country (39 caps).

Arguably one of the most impressive players to have emerged from the academy was Rio Ferdinand, with the mountainous centre-back going on to be a stalwart for the Three Lions and win a plethora of football’s most prestigious trophies.

These are the players that the Irons’ youngsters will look to emulate in their rise through the ranks.

Who is the ideal Aguerd alternative at West Ham?

The Hammers could now set to produce their next iteration of the Manchester United legend in Jamal Baptiste, who was hailed by former Premier League marksman Carlton Cole as the “next Rio” and a “massive prospect”.

Standing at 6 feet in height, the 19-year-old has been earmarked for success for some time now. Boasting physicality and a comfort on the ball, it was devastating to see him endure a five-month absence from football with what Moyes described as “real problems”.

Now returning to academy football, there will be hope that the teenager can recapture the form which saw him lauded in some quarters.

Former West Ham academy manager Terry Westley sang his praises with this early claim: ‘One of the finest young prospects at the club without any doubt is 15-year-old Jamal Baptiste who believe me is going to be a monster player’.

How has Baptiste performed for the U23s?

Baptiste’s lengthy absence has unsurprisingly halted his impressive form, but if he can recapture that early promise, then surely he can expect a place in the first-team to beckon once again.

He already boasts two senior appearances and last season he shone in the Football League Trophy against senior opposition. His 6.97 average rating was underpinned by a mammoth average of 6.7 clearances per game (via Sofascore).

Comparing him with Nayef Aguerd, who has already struggled with injury since his summer move to the London Stadium and limped off against Chelsea this weekend as well, there is not a huge gulf in class.

So far this season, the Moroccan has managed four clearances and 2.2 tackles per game (via Sofascore), respectable returns albeit not as eye-catching as Baptiste’s. He is not the most dominant of centre-backs but uses his intelligence and positioning to snuff out danger, as he showed by expertly thwarting Callum Wilson last week.

The Irons need a similarly impressive stand-in for Aguerd in order to maintain their levels, and all the signs point towards Baptiste being that man. His return to academy action will be a welcome sight to those in and around the club who clearly think very highly of him.

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz is now back running on the training pitches after a lengthy absence through injury.

The Lowdown: Diaz a huge loss for Liverpool

The Colombian was an instant hit when he arrived from Porto last January, adding new life to the Reds’ season as they pushed to win an unprecedented quadruple.

Diaz came into this season as an undisputed key man, but unfortunately, he was limited to just seven Premier League starts before picking up a knee injury against Arsenal.

Thankfully, it now looks as though the 26-year-old’s return isn’t a million miles away, following a new update.

The Latest: Back on track

Taking to Twitter, Jones reacted to an image showing Diaz is now running outside again, albeit not taking part in full contact training:

“Another positive step for Luis Díaz in his recovery from injury.”

The Verdict: Massive boost for Reds

It may still be a while before Diaz officially returns to the pitch for Liverpool but this is undoubtedly a huge positive in their season, given his importance to the team.

[freshpress-quiz id=“419074″]

The 37-cap Colombia international’s pace and directness have been a major loss for Jurgen Klopp, with that left-sided position tough to fill without him around.

The manager has hailed Diaz as ‘exceptional’ in the past and he is someone who could be such a key player in the latter weeks of the season, should Liverpool be pushing for a top-four finish.

Moving forward, the £56,000-a-week star can become an even greater force, with his best years potentially coming up, and his absence has to be considered a big reason for the Reds’ struggles this season.