All posts by h716a5.icu

Aston Villa have endured a tumultuous past decade or so, consisting of Championship football, Premier League football, and all the trials and tribulations that straddling that line can bring.

As such, the club have experienced both great loss and euphoric highs, arguably none more so than seeing their academy graduate Jack Grealish lead the club back to the big time.

Not only that, but the 27-year-old would only go from strength to strength, establishing himself as one of the top division's most creative threats from the left wing.

His final season at Villa Park saw him score six and assist 12, unsurprisingly drawing suitors. However, few would have expected a British transfer record to be smashed to pry him away. Manchester City, however, willingly paid the £100m asking price.

It shocked fans and likely staff alike, but it was an offer that could not be refused. It injected precious funds to reinvest in the squad as a whole and ultimately has kept the club afloat since.

Therefore, it could be argued that the meagre sale of Idrissa Gana Gueye was far more of a gut punch, considering the profit Everton would eventually earn because of the Villans' inability to stay in the league.

How much did Idrissa Gueye cost Everton?

Having featured heavily for the Midlands side, the Senegalese midfielder was incapable of stopping their miserable relegation which activated his release clause. The Toffees were willing suitors, and he would join for just £7.1m, leaving Roberto Di Matteo with no choice.

He has since gone on to star, leave for huge money, and even make a comeback for a cut price.

The 33-year-old has now made 132 appearances for the Merseyside club, with the apex of his career at Goodison Park arguably coming in his debut year.

He would maintain a 7.25 average rating whilst upholding a mammoth 4.1 tackles, 2.5 interceptions and 0.8 key passes per 90 (via Sofascore).

Gueye was everywhere, and he could do everything. This was form that would hardly relent too, eventually encouraging French champions Paris Saint-Germain to spend a mouth-watering £30m for his services. Thomas Tuchel then quickly became enamoured with the current £80k-per-week maestro too, branding him a "machine".

Not only had Villa lost his exploits on the pitch, but an enormous sum of money too. It is for this reason that his exit was far worse than Grealish's, as the English wide man did not leave unceremoniously.

The Cityzens star would exit in triumphant fashion, forcing a huge fee to be paid that allowed him to reach the pinnacle of world football. Meanwhile, Gueye was only joining a club of similar stature to theirs for next to nothing. It was embarrassing, frustrating, and a microcosm of their failures of the time.

Fortunately, there is now a new dawn under Unai Emery, who promises to once again bring them back to where they belong. They can continue to do so due to the money gained from that 2021 sale, not from the measly fee gained in 2016.

Liverpool are one of a number of top clubs eyeing up a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Wirtz a huge talent

The 19-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the most exciting young players in the Bundesliga in recent years, already becoming an important figure at Leverkusen.

Wirtz has made 91 appearances for his current club, despite his tenders years, with an impressive tally of 21 goals and 28 assists coming his way in the process, outlining his end product.

This season, the German has scored twice in the Europa League and assisted four times in the league, as his reputation continues to be enhanced all the time.

Wirtz’s performance appear to have caught the eye of some of Europe’s top clubs, which is where Liverpool come into play, as Jurgen Klopp eyes up significant midfield reinforcements this summer.

The Latest: Liverpool in the mix

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Romano claimed that the Reds are monitoring Wirtz’s current situation, even though Leverkusen are extremely hesitant to sell him at this point in his career:

“Florian Wirtz, attracting lot of interest as one of the best talents in the world – but Bayer Leverkusen remain convinced he will stay at least until 2024

“Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool keep following the situation — the race is 100% open.”

The Verdict: Could be a special signing

The thought of Wirtz in a Liverpool shirt is a mouthwatering one, considering his reputation as arguably one of the standout midfielders of his generation, perhaps alongside fellow Reds target Jude Bellingham.

Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has even compared the teenager to Lionel Messi, in terms of his use of the ball, which is about the highest compliment possible in football.

Predominantly an attacking midfield who can move wide at times, Wirtz already has four caps to his name for Germany and is someone who could added much-needed guile and youth in the middle of the park at Anfield.

Too often, Liverpool’s midfield can look one-dimensional, with no current central player scoring more than once in the Premier League this season, so he would add a spark in that area.

Whether or not he can be prized away from Leverkusen remains to be seen, though – his current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2027 – but if the funds are there and a big offer can be tabled, the Reds would be acquiring the services of an exceptional talent.

Manchester United recorded a 1-0 victory over Real Betis in their Europa League last 16 tie, giving them a 5-1 aggregate win over the La Liga side and Erik ten Hag will be pleased at the professionalism shown by his side.

The 4-1 win a week ago was basically enough to ensure United a passage to the quarter-final stage and keep their slim dream alive of winning four trophies this term.

There were a few solid performances, with youngster Facundo Pellistri looking impressive as he played the full 90 minutes. He succeeded with three of his four dribble attempts, took 53 touches and even hit the woodwork, coming close to scoring his first goal for the club.

The tournament perhaps gives Ten Hag the opportunity to rotate his squad, especially with the Old Trafford side playing twice a week, while giving chances to young talents such as Pellistri to see if they can handle the pressure of the European stage.

An FA Cup quarter-final tie against Fulham awaits them on Sunday afternoon and with an ideal chance to progress into the last four, the Dutchman will need to make some changes, and dropping Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the bench must be one such change.

Will Aaron Wan-Bissaka start against Fulham?

The £50m right back didn’t have the best game against Betis last night, winning just one duel all match while receiving a rating of 6.8/10, the joint second-lowest score out of the United side.

The Englishman completed just 22 passes in 75 minutes, lost possession nine times whilst going forward, he failed to even complete one successful dribble attempt or cross during his time on the pitch.

His form in the Premier League this term hasn’t been great and he ranks tenth in the squad for clearances per game (1.8), fifth for tackles (1.9) and seventh for successful dribble attempts (0.6) and it’s clear that during the summer, Ten Hag must seek an improvement in the right back area.

Broadcast journalist Tamuka Charakupa criticised the defender during the draw with Southampton last week, saying: “Wan Bissaka always loses the ball, to be precise, in dangerous positions everytime.”

And perhaps Diogo Dalot should be given the starting berth against Fulham on the weekend.

In his 15-minute cameo, Dalot won two duels, one more than Wan-Bissaka, while also making one more tackle and with the games coming thick and fast, Ten Hag will surely have to ditch the Englishman.

Liverpool have had a troubling season so far and Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to find ways to ensure his team can qualify for Champions League football next season.

The Reds are currently sixth in the Premier League table and have been knocked out of the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League over the last few months meaning it has become impossible for the club to pick up another trophy this season as they are 26 points adrift from league leaders Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur are currently seven points clear in the top-four race, however, Liverpool do have two games in hand on the north Londoners, so there is still an opportunity to snatch that final spot in the prestigious European competition they were only knocked out of earlier this week.

With 12 fixtures to go, Klopp must now do everything he can to get the Merseysiders back on track with a desperate need for consistency as opportunities to close the gap to their rivals for top four start to dwindle.

Fortunately, the imminent return of Luis Diaz could be the key to unlocking a lethal attacking threat at Anfield.

Will Luis Diaz return after the international break?

The Colombian winger has rarely been seen this season after suffering a knee injury that he sustained back in October that has seen him miss out on 29 fixtures so far this season.

Diaz was expected to return in December but after joining the mid-season tour in Dubai further aggravated his injury and suffered a setback in his recovery which was a huge blow for the team, however, Klopp has finally given a positive update on the player's imminent return.

The Liverpool boss revealed in his press conference on March 10th: "Luis I hope (can starting full training) during next week."

Over his 12 appearances this season, Diaz has scored four goals and registered three assists before his absence and had quickly become a fan favourite upon joining in January last year.

The winger made an instant impact on Liverpool's attacking prowess and played key a role in the club's pursuit of multiple trophies.

The £55k-per-week dynamo – hailed "exceptional" by Klopp – ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, assists, pass completion, successful take-ons, touches, progressive passes received and aerial duels won, proving that he is a huge creative and attacking influence on the pitch.

Cody Gakpo was signed in the winter transfer window to bolster the forward line following the injury to Diaz and the departure of Sadio Mane, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi in the summer.

However, when comparing Gakpo's output over his short time at Anfield with Diaz's contributions ahead of his long-term injury issue, it is clear that the 26-year-old offers much more.

Despite playing one less league game than his Dutch teammate, Diaz has outperformed Gakpo in touches (394 v 259), shot accuracy (53.85% v 46.15%), assists (2 v 0), pass accuracy (80.97% v 70.45%) and take-ons completed (17 v 6), as per Squawka Comparison Matrix.

With that being said, the return of Diaz could be explosive for Liverpool's forward line with his presence potentially leading to the formation of a budding partnership with the equally energetic Darwin Nunez. That's certainly a duo who could cause chaos for opponents over the business end of the season.

Newcastle United are reportedly still watching AS Roma central defender Roger Ibanez ahead of a potential move this summer.

The Lowdown: Ibanez profiled

Ibanez has played in every single minute that he has been available in the Serie A so far this season, and has made 34 appearances in total over all competitions, scoring three goals from centre-back (Transfermarkt).

Journalist Josh Bunting has previously hailed him as a ‘danger in the opposition box’, as he ranks in the 80th percentile for non-penalty goals and 74th for non-penalty xG per game of all centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (FBRef).

The Latest: Newcastle still watching Ibanez

As per Italian news outlet Forza Roma, Newcastle, as well as fellow Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, are ‘still watching’ Ibanez, after failing to sign him in 2022.

Roma are thought to be looking for at least €50m (£44m) to sell him this summer, and there is reportedly an €80m (£70m) release clause in his current contract.

The Verdict: Sign him up!

Ibanez would offer Eddie Howe another solid option in the heart of the defence for next season, and would give an extra goal threat from the back, with their current centre-half options not getting more than one goal each over all competitions so far this term.

Aside from his attacking threat, the six-foot-one colossus is also shrewd defensively, ranking in the 93rd percentile for interceptions as well as in the 84th for tackles per match, while he is also very comfortable on the ball, placing in the 82nd for successful take-ons, and 77th for pass completion rate (FBRef).

As a Brazilian, Ibanez should be able to settle in fairly quickly at St. James’ Park with the likes of Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes already at the club, while the 24-year-old also incidentally shares the same agent as the latter, which could help push a deal through next summer.

Nonetheless, if the Magpies want to compete in Europe as well as the Premier League in the next campaign, they will need to build a stronger squad, and Ibanez would be the perfect competitor for the likes of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar.

Still, they will have to weigh up whether paying as much as £44m will be worth it, with Ibanez still at a good age at 24, and with plenty of potential to improve in the North East, should he make the move.

Southampton have been through the trenches over the past year, slipping slowly but surely from their once steady position in the Premier League and not facing a desperate fight to avoid relegation, with the business end of the campaign looking ominous indeed.

Indeed, the outfit languish at the nadir of their current stay in the top-flight, 19th in the division after 25 matches, albeit with two victories from the past three matches.

Current boss Ruben Selles is the third to take to the Southampton dugout this season alone, with Nathan Jones receiving the boot after losing seven of his eight Premier League matches in charge.

That spell, of course, came after long-term and respected boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was dismissed from his duties following a discernible downward trend and boiling temperatures between the Austrian and the owners, Sport Republic – who assumed control one year ago.

With the turbulence that Saints is beset with threatening to spiral the club from their position among the top outfits in the country, a rueful gaze will undoubtedly be cast back to recent misfortunes, with one failed deal on the transfer front exuding a potent sense of pathos.

Did Southampton nearly sign Gakpo?

Cody Gakpo was of interest to Southampton last summer, with The Telegraph reporting that the outfit had two summer bids rejected for the phenom, the second totalling roughly £21.5m.

It’s fair to say Gakpo is having something of a prolific season for club and country.

The 23-year-old has scored four goals from 12 outings for Liverpool, with a remarkable return of 13 strikes and 17 assists for PSV Eindhoven in the first half of the term, preceding his £35m-£45m transfer to Anfield.

He has started to emerge as a fierce offensive force, with Times journalist Hamzah Khalique-Loonat even lauding him as “tall, fleet-footed and dangerous.”

As per FBref, Gakpo ranks among the best 9% of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for goals and the top 7% for assists per 90, illustrating a sharpness to his cutting edge that has been unforeseen in Southampton for some time, and it could have even saved Hasenhuttl’s job.

With St. Mary’s Stadium falling quickly into the lower third of the Premier League, Hasenhuttl’s reign seemed to be drawing to an inevitable close, especially given the relationship between the manager and owners was wearing thin after a short time together.

Given the dynamic capabilities of Gakpo, and the impact he could have made on the collective efforts of the team’s attack, it is a miserable thought for Southampton fans when mulling over what could have been.

Considering Gakpo’s performances in the Netherlands and his emphatic introduction to the global stage with his country at the World Cup, the powers that be at Saints must be veritably kicking themselves for blundering so badly.

And with the machine now starting to churn at Liverpool, the south coast is offered a poignant reminder of what could have been.

football.london reporter Aaron Catterson-Reid was left hailing the performance of Oleksandr Zinchenko as Arsenal beat Everton 4-0 on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Comfortable victory

It was a comfortable win for Arsenal in the end as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli grabbed two quick-fire goals before half-time, before Martin Odegaard added a third and Martinelli his second and Arsenal’s fourth in the second half.

The win puts them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, having now played the same number of games as second-placed Manchester City.

The Latest: Zinchenko hailed

Taking to Twitter, Catterson-Reid was blown away by Zinchenko’s performance in particular, calling him an ‘Arsene-Wenger’ type of midfielder, and the ‘metronome’ of the team:

“Alex Zinchenko. What a player. Metronome of the team, creates openings and he’s just so delicate with the way he passes the ball. Reminds me so much of an Arsene-Wenger type of midfielder.”

The Verdict: Unsung hero

The forward players will grab all the headlines after scoring the goals, but Zinchenko was an unsung hero and the catalyst for getting the Gunners into gear.

The Ukraine international set the tone by playing a precise ball through to Saka for the opener, as the hosts struggled to break Everton down for the first 40 minutes of the game.

Aside from his assist, Zinchenko recorded three key passes and two successful dribbles, more than any other Gunners player, and his mammoth 110 touches was only matched by William Saliba, who played the whole game in contrast (SofaScore).

His two interceptions were only matched by Gabriel, while he also made one clearance, one tackle and four accurate long balls in a truly outstanding performance.

Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor has taken aim at current centre-back Calum Chambers.

The Lowdown: Lack of game time

Chambers made the move to Villa Park from Arsenal last year but has made just 19 appearances for the club in all competitions.

The 28-year-old has turned out eight times during the current campaign, starting just two Premier League fixtures, the last of which came in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.

He returned to the bench last weekend in the loss to former side Arsenal, with Villa now losing their last three in the top flight and conceding 11 goals.

The Latest: Agbonlahor’s comments

Talking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor didn’t hold back when it came to assessing Chambers, labelling him as slow, sluggish, a squad player for a club at the bottom of the league and claiming Villa need better.

“He’s 100% not a Premier League defender, for me.

“I’ve watched him at Arsenal, Fulham, and now he’s at Villa – he’s not good enough.

“He’s slow, sluggish, not physical enough – he doesn’t have the attributes of a centre-back.

“He is a squad player for a club at the bottom of the league, at best.

“For him to play against Man City – I knew it was game over when I saw that team sheet. Aston Villa need better backup than Calum Chambers.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-news-6/” title=”Aston Villa latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Has a point…

It’s safe to say that Agbonlahor doesn’t think Chambers is good enough, and when you look at the current campaign statistics, he has a point. The centre-back has been the club’s worst-rated player this season, averaging a poor 5.93/10 match rating, as per WhoScored.

He ranks low in the Villa squad for tackles made per 90 but high when it comes to fouls committed. Chambers averages just 23 passes attempted per game, compared to Tyrone Mings’ 48 and Ezri Konsa’s 46, and with Diego Carlos on the comeback trail from injury, moving Chambers on in the summer could be a wise move.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United transfer target Goncalo Ramos has a €120m (£106m) release clause as interest heats up.

What’s the latest on the Goncalo Ramos and the Man Utd links?

It seems as though the Red Devils will target a new striker when the summer transfer market opens. Indeed, the club have even been urged to bring in the likes of Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen by club legend Rio Ferdinand.

Those two certainly are some big names, with established reputations but if the club want to sign some a little younger, they may well prefer to chase 21-year-old Benfica star Ramos.

His name was mentioned by Romano recently when talking on his YouTube channel but the journalist warned that he might not come cheap due to the release clause in his contract.

He explained: “They are following Goncalo Ramos from Benfica. Many clubs appreciate this player. He did well, especially with the hat-trick in the World Cup with Portugal – and Paris Saint-Germain, for example, are really appreciating the player; he is one of the players they’re following. They also wanted the player last summer.

“But Man United have sent their scouts also for Goncalo Ramos, he’s a player they are tracking. Of course, Osimhen, Goncalo Ramos, they want a new central striker in the summer and they are keeping an eye on many players.

“For Ramos, they sent their scouts to Portuguese league games to monitor the player. And also it’s important to mention that there is a release clause into the contract of Goncalo Ramos with Benfica, it’s €120m, so it’s one to watch for sure.”

What does the Ramos release clause mean for Man Utd?

As Romano mentions, Ramos announced himself to the football world this winter when he scored three goals against Switzerland as Portugal progressed past the last-16 stage of the World Cup.

Ironically, he came into the starting XI to replace Cristiano Ronaldo for that game, and if he was to join Man Utd this summer he would also be viewed as a long-term replacement for his international teammate, after the 37-year-old left the Premier League club shortly before the 2022 World Cup.

Beyond his exploits with Portugal, though, he has also impressed with Benfica this season, scoring 19 goals and claiming eight assists in 31 games across all competitions.

He’s certainly a top talent, but it remains to be seen if the Red Devils feel his worth such a high price tag.

Conor McGilligan believes the possibility of Leeds United being relegated will put Rafael Benitez off the managerial role.

The Lowdown: A permanent manager is needed

After back-to-back solid performances against Manchester United which resulted in one point being picked up, some Leeds fans and people on the board may have seen Michael Skubala as a fine option moving forward until the end of the season.

However, they failed to get anything from their relegation six-pointer away to Everton yesterday and what’s even more damning is that they didn’t lay a glove on the Toffees registering zero shots on target.

Therefore, it appears clear the new coach bounce has already evaded Skubala and a new permanent manager with experience being a first team manager has to be put in place before the Southampton game this weekend.

The Latest: Benitez being linked

Benitez was a pundit on Sky Sports yesterday and insisted that he’s happy in England and wants a return to Premier League management, which is what could well see Leeds miss out on the Spaniard given their perilous position as McGilligan discussed on his YouTube channel.

He said: (17:38) “Obviously he’s worked at [Real] Madrid, he’s worked at Chelsea but I don’t think Rafa would come. He wants to stay in the Premier League, he wants a project. Are Leeds going to stay in the Premier League? Is he really going to take over a team that is where we are?

“I don’t think he’s ever taken control of a team that is in the position that Leeds are in.”

The Verdict: Leeds must go all out for Benitez

It’s safe to say that a permanent manager that can get a grip on this rather talented Leeds squad and ensure they maintain their top-flight status in any way possible is very much required as soon as possible.

Even if Leeds were to go down under the stewardship of someone such as Benitez then they can still look forward to a season in the Championship as he does have experience of getting promoted at the first time of asking as he won the title with Newcastle United back in 2017.

While Benitez certainly wouldn’t guarantee survival – he did relegate Newcastle – but with 173 Premier League wins under his belt he would be far more experienced at handling the pressure of the top flight than Skubala so Victor Orta should be working tirelessly to convince his fellow countrymen to join the Whites.