All posts by n8rngtd.top

Ian Mearns has questioned the Premier League after Newcastle United released a statement with regards to their upcoming arbitration case.

The Lowdown: Arbitration statement

The St. James’ Park have recently released a statement on their official website asking for the arbitration process to be made public.

However, this can only occur if the top flight agree to it as well, otherwise the process will remain behind closed doors.

In what can be described as bullish terms, the North East club also claimed that they have ‘nothing to hide’ with regards to the process, and even suggested that the Premier League should have ‘no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight’, providing that they have acted ‘lawfully and properly’, and therefore should be wanting to make it public too.

The Latest: Mearns on statement

Speaking to The Chronicle, Mearns, who is the local MP for Gateshead, has claimed that public transparency would be ‘very welcome’ from the perspective of the top flight, unless ‘they have something to hide’.

He was also critical of Mike Ashley for being ‘absolutely hypocritical’ in the statement, as he is asking for more transparency and as such for the case to be made public, but he is ‘never particularly positive or communicative with fans’.

The Verdict: Make case public

If both parties are equally as confident of getting a positive result from the arbitration hearing, then there should be no reason at all not to make the case public.

The Tyneside club have already claimed that they have ‘nothing to hide’ in their statement, and so the top flight should be following suit if that is true for them as well.

Nonetheless, whether the process remains confidential or is opened to the public, the results of the forthcoming proceedings will give a much better picture of the direction of where the takeover is heading, and if it goes in the favour of the Magpies, then the process could well be accelerated, much to the joy of the Toon Army.

In other news, find out how Mehrdad Ghodoussi has reacted to the statement here!

Leeds United winger Raphinha won’t be a Liverpool player next season, Goal’s Neil Jones says. 

Any previous ‘suggestions’ that the Brazilian will make the move to Anfield are said to be wide of the mark.

Raphinha only joined Leeds last year in a £17million switch from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

How did Raphinha perform last season?

He enjoyed an impressive debut campaign, directly contributing to 15 goals (six goals, nine assists) in 26 starts.

His average of 2.1 chances created per 90 minutes was the seventh-best in the division.

Raphinha has said he isn’t ‘even thinking about leaving’ but admitted it was ‘difficult to define’ how he felt when he heard ‘speculation about giant teams like Liverpool and Manchester United’.

The Reds may be in the market for a new attacker this summer to boost their depth and to limit the damage of losing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to AFCON duty at the turn of the year.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed Jones’ claim, and here’s what supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans react as Raphinha hopes spurned

“Pain”

Credit: @Nehanc6

“Seems to be too expensive atm”

Credit: @ZKarimNBK

“I try not to get dragged into rumours but I truly believed we were gonna sign him and I’ll be heartbroken if we don’t”

Credit: @mb97__

“Still don’t understand why people thought leeds would sell tbh”

Credit: @y2_26

“Coz they want to keep Origi…”

Credit: @biGDhee08

“Ok. #Mbappe2021 then”

Credit: @Forlarin_10

In other news, fans were left raging by another transfer story. 

Leeds United have suffered a potential blow with the news that Crystal Palace are set to sign rumoured Whites target Michael Olise from Reading.

The Lowdown: Olise impresses for Reading

Olise caught the eye for the Royals last season, starting 37 of their 46 league games and appearing in 44 of them overall.

Not only that, but the 19-year-old registered 12 assists in the league, with only Norwich City’s Emiliano Buendia (16) recording a better tally.

Leeds have been linked with a summer move for Olise, but it looks as though they are set to miss out on the signing of the midfielder.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Palace set to sign youngster

According to a recruitment source at Football Insider, the Frenchman will join Palace instead, after the Eagles triggered his £8million release clause.

Olise is expected to become Patrick Vieira’s first signing since taking charge at Selhurst Park, with Leeds having to look other targets.

The report details that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were ‘closely trailing’ Olise and were even the favourites to sign him at one point.

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The Verdict: Was he a primary target?

While Olise is undoubtedly a talented young player, it does appear as though Leeds’ interest had cooled in recent times, so it shouldn’t be too much of a setback so long as they have other targets in mind.

It would have been no bad thing to snap up the midfielder given his impressive creative spark and potential, but Bielsa may believe a more established name is needed in the middle of the park as the Whites look to really push on and challenge higher up the table next season.

Leeds may have European aspirations next season and Olise is unlikely to have been a key starter for the Whites, given the heights they have reached recently, so perhaps a more experienced alternative will now be on the agenda.

In other news, Leeds could also miss out on the signing of another player. Find out who it is here.

Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean has revealed that he would love to play for Glasgow Rangers one day in the future.

The Lowdown: McLean/Gers link

The 29-year-old, who is a 19-cap Scotland international, is a boyhood Rangers supporter.

He has been linked with a move to the 55-time Scottish champions in recent months, but a move has so far failed to materialise.

The Latest: McLean interested in Ibrox move

Speaking to The Athletic (via The Eastern Daily Press), McLean revealed his desire to play for Rangers in the future. He said:

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t something I’d want to do. As a kid that’s what you want to do, play for your boyhood team.  

“Right now, I’m about to play in the Premier League again, so I’m not thinking about it! But for me and my family, it would be pretty special. I grew up a Rangers fan, used to go to the games with my dad and as a kid in Glasgow, you support Rangers or Celtic and you want to play for one of them. So, I was on the better side.”

The Verdict: One to watch

As McLean says, at the moment he must concentrate on the Canaries. After all, they are back in the Premier League and they will be desperate to improve on their previous campaign in the top flight – they were relegated back to the Championship a year ago at the first time of asking.

Given that Norwich manager Daniel Farke called him “irreplaceable” last year (pinkun.com), he could well have a big impact next term.

However, in the coming years, this could well be a potential deal to keep an eye upon. It would clearly mean something for him to play for the Gers given his support for the club, and when he feel he has done all he can with Norwich, there should be nothing stopping him from moving back to Scotland.

In other news, many Rangers fans were livid over this photo from London.

An update has emerged in Aston Villa’s pursuit of Chelsea full-back Tino Livramento.

What’s the talk?

According to Hampshire Live, Southampton could have the edge over their competition in the race to land Tino Livramento as they only have one senior right-back option. The Saints could tempt the Aston Villa target to join them with the prospect of senior football in the not-too-distant future.

The report names Aston Villa, Brighton, RB Leipzig and AC Milan among the clubs interested in signing the young right-back. His contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of next season and talks are said to have stalled over an extension, with a compensation expected to be around £500k.

Could strike gold

Johan Lange must act swiftly to secure a deal for Livramento this summer. If he can move quickly and snap up the youngster in the coming weeks then he could stave off interest from other sides, including Southampton, as they may be waiting for him to become a free agent next year. Instead of waiting 12 months, Villa can strike now and use the element of surprise to jump ahead of their rivals in the pursuit.

The claret and blue chief could strike gold for Dean Smith in doing so as Livramento is a talented young player with the potential to improve further. He was named on the bench for Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League at the start of May and was unused. The youngster also won Chelsea’s Academy Player of the Year award at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The 18-year-old, who has been dubbed as a “huge talent”, made 26 appearances for the club’s academy last term and provided three goals and 10 assists. This shows off his attacking flair from the back four and suggests that he could fit the mould Smith is looking for in his fullbacks.

Smith wants his fullbacks to bomb down the flank to create overloads and openings out wide. Matty Cash averaged 0.8 key passes per game in the Premier League, whilst Matt Targett managed one per game on the left flank. Livramento could come in and learn from the likes of Cash and Targett as their understudy, developing his game to suit what the ex-Brentford coach wants.

Therefore, he could be a shrewd addition to Villa’s squad in the short-term, as he could provide cover for Cash, and in the long-term. The dynamo could be someone Smith is able to take his time with on the training pitch and develop over the course of several years, rather than expecting him to come straight in and impress.

AND in other news, talkSPORT drop promising update on “phenomenal” Aston Villa star, fans surely buzzing…

David Moyes is risking a West Ham nightmare if emerging claims are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the Irons are yet to lodge a bid for the 58-year-old’s mooted top transfer target Tammy Abraham.

He claims that they are waiting for Chelsea to sign another striker before making their move, with the Blues believed to want in the region of £40m for his signature.

Their London rivals have been linked with some big-name signings, including Spurs’ Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Erling Haaland, in recent weeks.

Dithering Dave

This latest update doesn’t make much sense at all.

If Chelsea need funds to help sign a new striker, then it would make sense to sell Abraham first. Even then, the Hammers sitting around waiting does very little to help their squad going into a potential 50-plus game campaign.

The new season gets underway in less than a month and, as it stands, Moyes will be heading into kick-off against Newcastle United still with only one senior centre-forward, an injury-prone Michail Antonio.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more-2” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

He has only once started more than 24 league games in a season for the Irons since his arrival six years ago, so it would be a huge risk to rely upon him with the club also soon to be competing in the Europa League.

GSB failed to replace Sebastien Haller after his departure to Ajax during the January transfer window and Moyes would be foolish to sit back and wait for his reported number one target.

Abraham is clearly out of favour under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, having started only four matches in all competitions since the German replaced Frank Lampard at the start of the year.

Even still, the 23-year-old England international finished the campaign just one goal behind their top league goalscorer, Jorginho with seven, and the Italian – as we know very well – is their penalty taker.

Once lauded as a “goal machine” by his former academy teammate Kasey Palmer, Abraham has found the net 30 times across his entire Chelsea career, and given his experience in both the Premier League and across Europe, he would be a astute addition for Moyes this summer.

However, if the manager continues to dither and not even attempt to bid for the striker, then the Irons could be heading for an absolute nightmare by the time August 15 swings around.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops exciting West Ham transfer update…

Conor Hourihane would be a great signing for West Brom if he joined this summer, according to former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Hourihane linked with move

Valerien Ismael is looking to mastermind the Baggies’ return to the Premier League next season, following their relegation last time around.

One player the new manager has been linked with bringing in is Hourihane, who only played a bit-part role for Aston Villa last season before he was loaned out to Swansea.

The midfielder could leave Villa Park during the summer and a permanent drop down to the Championship could make perfect sense for him.

The Latest: Pundit talks up midfielder

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan waxed lyrical over the 26-time capped Republic of Ireland international, admitting plenty of clubs would benefit from having him in their team:

“He is a professional player and a professional person. Someone that’s got that fight and desire and the leadership qualities you want in any side.

“But also the quality to go along with it. He can determine the outcome of a match. We’ve seen that many, many times.

“He’s a great set-piece taker as well. He’s somebody who can drive the team forward. He looks like a bit of a talker and a leader out there on the field as well.

“If he’s not needed at Aston Villa and I’m a Championship club right now,I’m looking for somebody that could determine the result of a game.

“Somebody that players want to speak to in the changing room, a leader and an example for everybody else. I wouldn’t look any further than Hourihane.

“I think he has been exceptional at every club that he’s been at and shown that right attitude as well.”

The Verdict: Perfect summer addition

Hourihane may not arguably be good enough to make the grade in the Premier League, but he is a top-quality Championship player, as proven during 145 appearances in the competition.

He helped Villa earn promotion to the top flight back in 2018/19 and both his experience and quality in the middle of the park could be a great boost for West Brom.

Hourihane’s current contract expires next summer, so Dean Smith may believe now is the right time to let him go and if he does, West Brom should be at the front of the queue.

In other news, West Brom are believed to have approached one player regarding a summer move. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa are not keen on letting midfielder Douglas Luiz go this summer, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Manchester City did have an option to buy back their former player but did not take it up, leaving Villa seemingly in the clear.

However, Luiz has since been linked with a move to AS Roma, while ex-Napoli coach Gianni Di Marzio recently claimed on Radio Marte (via Area Napoli) that the 23-year-old would be a good signing for his old side and could be worth up to €80m (£68m) in the future.

He is not a player Villa want to lose, though, Hatfield has told FFC. On the Brazilian, the Villa journalist said:

“I don’t think Villa are really keen to see him go. He’s obviously improved, like many of the players have, following his signing at the club.

“They always had that buy-back clause from Manchester City hanging over his head, but that’s passed now, so they don’t need to worry about that. I think they probably see Luiz as a key player.”

Luiz appeared 33 times in the Premier League for Villa last season, so he was indeed an important player for Dean Smith.

The Brazil international also had the best passing accuracy out of Villa’s regular starters (minimum of 10 starts, via WhoScored), so the club not wanting to lose him is understandable.

Rangers kicked off their Scottish Premiership title defence in ideal fashion as they beat Livingston 3-0 at Ibrox on Saturday, with Steven Gerrard’s side comfortable despite missing the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Borna Barisic.

Ianis Hagi gave the Gers an early lead against David Martindale’s side as he fired home from Tavernier’s set-piece, before Scott Wright superbly found the corner with a volley to make the points safe.

Fellow substitute Kemar Roofe came off the bench to score a third late on, capitalising on some less than impressive defending by David Martindale’s side to pick up where he left off at the end of last season.

While he didn’t get on the scoresheet on Saturday, the game’s outstanding player was arguably Tavernier, as he played a huge part in the first two goals and was a constant threat going forward.

As per SofaScore, the former Wigan Athletic man earned a superb 8.8 match rating for his performance, which was comfortably the best of any player to feature for either side. Only Steven Davis (101) had more touches than Tavernier (98) at Ibrox, which emphasises just how involved he was in Rangers’ build-up play despite featuring at right-back.

He was also solid from a defensive perspective, as no Livingston player dribbled past him during the game. The visitors’ left-hand side, consisting of James Penrice and Adam Lewis, managed just six passes each during the game, which suggests that Tavernier clearly had the better of them.

Whilst the Rangers captain lost possession 31 times on the day, the most of any player on the pitch, this shows that he is willing to attempt the difficult passes and crosses. When they come off they often lead to a goal, evidenced by his superb goals and assists record during his time at Rangers thus far.

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After missing a portion of last season, which led to Nathan Patterson breaking into the first team, there were some who felt the Scottish youngster could challenge Tavernier for the starting spot during 2021/22. However, based on the 29-year-old’s performance today, there won’t be many occasions where Gerrard feels the need to drop his “incredible” captain – in the words of Kenny Dalglish – over the coming months.

In other news… Too slow, Wilson: Rangers miss out on “outstanding” winger loved by Gerrard

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes that Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane will want to play week in, week out and may have to move on from the club for that to happen.

Birmingham Live also reported that Hourihane is hopeful of a new deal at the club, but Aston Villa want to move Hourihane on in late August with manager Dean Smith keen to develop some of the youngsters amongst the Villa ranks.

The report also suggests that the Championship will likely be the destination for Hourihane, with The Athletic reporting that West Brom and Sheffield United are interested.

£30,000-a-week man Hourihane has entered the final year of his contract at Villa Park with Transfermarkt valuing the Republic of Ireland international at £3.15m.

Hourihane, who is comfortable playing as a central midfielder or further forward as an attacking midfielder, spent the majority of last season out on loan at Swansea City where he played 24 matches for the club and helped them reach the play-off final.

After a good season with Swansea where Hourihane featured regularly, Hatfield believes that he will want to continue playing regular football, telling Football FanCast: “I think for Hourihane it’s very much a position where he wants to play week in, week out.

“Obviously he was a vital player for Villa in getting promoted to the Premier League and that first season really good over a set piece too, but I’m not too sure whether Villa have pushed a little bit too far for him.

“He obviously wanted an opportunity to play with Swansea and got that and did well. I think probably for him and for Villa, it’s best if he was to find a club where he can play and potentially move on in a permanent deal.”