All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Southampton fans have been reacting after the club’s official Twitter channel posted a message of commiserations to Saints defender Jannik Vestergaard after England defeated Denmark 2-1 in the Euro 2020 semi-final.

The 28-year-old played the entire 120 minutes as his native country valiantly exited the major international tournament at the hands of the nation where he plays his club football.

The 6ft 6in defender has grown to be a key player for club and country in recent years. In 2020/21, he made 32 appearances for his current employers, scoring three goals in the process [Transfermarkt], while he started all but one of Denmark’s matches at Euro 2020 [WhoScored].

Now fresh from the Euros, speculation surrounding his future looks set to intensify following heavy links with Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks [Daily Mail].

In light of this tweet, many Southampton diehards took to Twitter to voice their derision at the club’s tweet, with Vestergaard likely to be the latest Saints player to abandon St Mary’s for a move to north London following the likes of Victor Wanyama and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Southampton FC fans react:

Replying to the Saints’ official Twitter channel, here is how some supporters reacted to the tweet about Vestergaard:

“don’t care, announce coming home”

Credit: @sfcharvey”Sell him”Credit: @Eliassfc2″Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”Credit: @Saint__Jonny”He’s not going to sign for you hun x”Credit: @thepublocal”don’t care, it’s coming home”Credit: @atterz_”Like Jannik is gonna be here next year”Credit: @pnearnIn other news, one Saints midfielder has been linked with a move to Serie A.

Wolves defender Romain Saiss is attracting interest from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes, according to a report from Foot Mercato.

Rennes, who finished sixth in their league, have identified the 31-year-old as a possible target. His contract expires at the end of the month, but the Molineux club have the option to extend it for a further year.

The Moroccan currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt.

Saiss heavily involved for Wolves in 2020/21

Predominantly a centre-back, Saiss has made 174 appearances for Wolves in total. Last season, the 31-year-old played 30 times in all competitions.

Saiss averaged 2.6 successful aerial duels, 1.3 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 4.1 clearances in the Premier League in 2020/21 (via WhoScored). However, that didn’t stop him from being a lightning rod for criticism from some quarters for a few less than spectacular performances.

Will Lage have a say on Saiss?

Wolves may gauge the opinion of incoming manager Bruno Lage before deciding what to do with Saiss. According to Tim Spiers, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic, the 45-year-old is to be officially appointed later this week, with his contract details currently being finalised.

Twitter news feed Talking Wolves relayed the report, and here’s what some supporters made of it, with a few not seeing overly dismayed at the thought of Saiss leaving.

Wolves fans respond to Saiss rumour

“Sell him!! Get a few million for him & put it towards an upgrade!!”

Credit: @SteveWiles20

“Start to get rid of the deadwood so we can keep the players like Neves”

Credit: @Ethanwwfc_

“Camavinga swap!”

Credit: @BrunoLages442

“The whole team is being sold…”

Credit: @pcaseiro

“Bye bye”

Credit: @FW90

“Please let this happen”

Credit: @stephenskippy

In other news, Wolves are said to be leading this transfer race. 

Rangers’ hopes of signing IF Elfsborg defender Joseph Okumu this summer look to be over as he is reportedly in Belgium finalising a deal with KAA Gent, which could well prove to be a huge loss for Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox outfit.

Rangers have been regularly linked with the Kenyan centre-back in recent months, with the Gers’ Old Firm rivals also credited with an interest in the young defender.

However, it seems as if Gent have won the race to sign him this summer, with Goal reporting that negotiations with the Belgian Pro League side are ongoing and if everything is agreed on he will sign a deal in the near future.

The Kenyan international has won a lot of admirers during his time playing in Sweden and could’ve been a great addition for the future in Gerrard’s side next season, had he opted to make the switch to Ibrox instead.

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Elfsborg’s sporting director Stefan Andreasson certainly rates Okumu highly, as he sang his praises earlier this year, saying:

“Okumu has been talked about a lot since he came to us.

“We understood that this was a very good player, then he showed maybe the whole of Sweden last year, and also Europe. It is clear that Okumu is one of the best.

“I have said it once before, that he is the best centre-back that has ever been in the Allsvenskan – you can say that sometimes.

“He is destined to have a career outside Scandinavia, which is positive. We must enjoy him as long as he’s here.”

Considering current Rangers centre-back Filip Helander once featured in the Swedish top-flight and was a key player for Gerrard’s side last season as they won the title, it is difficult to argue that Okumu wouldn’t have been a success had Rangers won the race for him this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

Therefore, Rangers fans should be gutted that their side has missed out on a player of Okumu’s obvious ability and potential, especially to a side that could only muster a seventh-placed finish in the Pro League last season.

And, in other news… Linked in 2020, zero goals since: Rangers dodged a bullet with “outstanding” flop

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been having their say regarding the club’s pursuit of Burnley manager Sean Dyche.

The Eagles’ hierarchy reportedly view Dyche as a suitable candidate to take over at Selhurst Park and recently asked the Clarets how much it would cost to lure the 49-year-old to south London.

A £3m compensation fee is required to bring Dyche to Palace, but according to the Daily Mail, the huge expense of a deal is one of the reasons it is now being held up.

They claimed that a move for Dyche could end up costing Palace around £7m per year in wages and salary. Dyche would also like a £3m bonus included in any move for keeping the club in the Premier League, as he does at Turf Moor, and it is believed the Eagles are now considering other options as a result.

Frank Lampard, Chris Wilder and Steve Cooper are all thought to be on the club’s shortlist.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news regarding Dyche on Twitter on Friday evening. Here is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply.

“He’s having a laugh if he’s asking for £135k a week”Credit: @StephenTCPFC”Wages and salary? Huh?”Credit: @TRJPCPFC”Move on. Ismael time”Credit: @Sumo08112″Yeah we’re not paying that”Credit: @bazbrown123″No thanks”Credit: @Kevbartleyy”No wonder he stays at Burnley, and why they have modest transfer budget.”Credit: @gidleymike

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to the club’s interest in international winger, find out more here. 

Writing on Twitter, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has shared a major managerial development now coming out of N17 involving Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Spurs and the Conte hunt…

The Italian emerged as a frontrunning candidate for the vacant Spurs job following difficulties in acquiring former favourite Mauricio Pochettino from Paris-Saint Germain.

Indeed, PSG made life difficult for Tottenham in pursuit of the Argentine and have been determined not to let him leave – resulting in the club starting to focus on Conte as an alternative.

Spurs have held extensive discussions with the 51-year-old over this last week.

The Latest: Gold shares major development…

Now, writing on Twitter, yet another twist has emerged in Spurs’ hunt for an heir to former boss Jose Mourinho – who they sacked in late April.

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Spurs have been without a manager for over six weeks now and the wait shows no sign of ending after this latest update.

Backing previous reports, Gold has shared that Spurs’ interest in bringing Conte to N17 has reached its conclusion.

Alas, Tottenham have now ‘pulled the plug’ on talks with the Premier League title-winning boss – despite there being plenty of promise early in negotiations.

“Word just now coming out of Spurs that they’ve completely pulled plug on talks with Conte,” explained the reporter on social media.

“Despite promising early discussions. Utter mess from Spurs really.

“Went in a completely different direction to what they were looking for initially with a very different type of manager and character and then weirdly shocked when they realised he didn’t fit their means or that profile they were looking for.

“Bizarre waste of a week or so.”

The Verdict: Big blow, but hardly surprising…

Losing out on a manager with Conte’s pedigree comes as a massive disappointment for Lilywhites supporters.

Indeed, he appeared to be a very credible option given his record with previous clubs – especially considering his impressive haul of eight major trophies across three different clubs (Transfermarkt).

He has also averaged an impressive 2.01 points per match across his managerial career.

However, given Spurs’ financial struggles and Conte’s demanding nature, this is hardly a shock.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy confirmed his checklist for the type of manager he wants in his annual end of season letter to supporters, with the ex-Chelsea gaffer arguably not fitting into any of the boxes.

It is also unlikely Levy would have been able to back Conte sufficiently in the transfer market this summer.

As Simon Jordan put it on talkSPORT, it would have been a ‘match made in hell’.

In other news: BBC pundit thrilled by ‘great news’ for Spurs, find out more here.

Former Norwich City star Jon Newsome doubts Alex Mowatt has the ability to step up and play for the Canaries next season, telling Football FanCast that the Barnsley captain may struggle in the Premier League.

Norwich are heading into the top-flight after winning the Championship title at a canter this term.

That means they will need to strengthen if they are to ensure they remain in the Premier League following their promotion.

The Pink Un subsequently put together a list of potential free agents that Norwich could target, with Mowatt on the list.

Despite captaining Barnsley into the play-offs – they are currently fifth and chasing an unlikely promotion themselves – his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

This season, the 26-year-old has scored eight goals and laid on seven assists in 44 games in the Championship, but Newsome thinks such a swoop would come with a huge element of risk for the Canaries.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “It’s a little bit of a gamble. The club’s going into the Premier League, the step up from the Championship to the Premier League is a massive step, you’ve got to realise that. That is a huge step.

“When they went up last time, they didn’t really do themselves justice, they didn’t have a great season. So, for me, do you take a gamble on a guy from Barnsley who’s had a good season for Barnsley but there’s still a question mark on whether he could play at that level?

“I’d be surprised if they paid big money for him and dropped him in there as their first-choice central midfield player. Maybe he can come in as a squad player but then as the player, do you want to go to a Premier League club and be a squad player or be first-choice at your Championship club?

“It’s all about playing football matches, isn’t it, so a bit of a strange one that, I’d be interested to see if there’s any more developments on that.”

A number of Liverpool fans have been bemoaning the choice of officials for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester United this weekend.

The Reds make the trip to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, in what represents a must-win clash for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

In truth, their top-four hopes are fading by the game, and failure to win against their bitter rivals will surely spell the end of their chances.

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Liverpool have been famously poor at Old Trafford under Klopp, not winning there under him in the league and getting knocked out of the FA Cup earlier this season.

A big performance is required after last weekend’s huge disappointment at home to Newcastle United, when missed chances and a late lapse cost the Reds dearly.

The officials have been confirmed for this weekend’s match, with Michael Oliver refereeing the contest and Paul Tierney on VAR duties.

Liverpool fans rue officials for Man United game

These Liverpool supporters are unimpressed with the selections, providing their thoughts on Twitter.

“We’ve lost loooool”

Credit: @K9Capalot

“Man U are definitely getting at least one penalty then”

Credit: @johnevans1977

“Well, if there was any hope that LFC gets anything from that game, that’s it gone. Personally, I know we’re losing that one, but those men will make sure of it”

Credit: @Farisalfarik

“May God help us”

Credit: @baba_sani_auwal

“We are so done”

Credit: @FplPopo

“Man United guaranteed a penalty and a clear Livepool goal will be disallowed by VAR”

Credit: @Liberatus_Mokoe

In other news, some Liverpool fans believe one player has peaked – find out who it is here.

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Tottenham Hotspur legend, Paul Stewart, has claimed that Spurs should’ve sold Harry Winks in January when Valencia were interested in the midfielder.

Winks has been with Spurs his whole career having made 170 appearances since making his debut in 2014 but there were reports that Valencia wanted to sign the 25-year old in January.

Former manager, Jose Mourinho, made it clear that he did not want Tottenham to sell Winks in January as he needed him in the squad to provide competition and depth to the midfield.

Speaking on why it would’ve been smart for Spurs to sell Winks in January and how he is not a fan of what Winks brings to the team, Stewart exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’d have taken the money for him in January, because I think it would have been good business.

“I’m a Tottenham fan but I have probably been one of Winks’ biggest critics.”

The £50,000 per week midfielder burst on the scene back in 2016 when he made 21 Premier League appearances and the midfielder earned his first England call up in 2017 but he was omitted from Gareth Southgate’s latest squad.

Spurs are on the hunt for a new manager which could allow Winks to prove himself and become a regular for Tottenham next season, as he’s only managed seven league starts this season.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has spoken of his disappointment after rumours emerged that Marcelo Bielsa is set to sign another one-year deal at Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Bielsa staying on

The Whites are enjoying a glorious period in their history, returning to the Premier League and establishing themselves as one of the most entertaining teams in the country.

That is largely down to Bielsa’s vast influence as manager, with the Argentinian transforming the club’s fortunes in recent years.

Recent claims (via David Anderson, The Mirror) suggest the 65-year-old will stay at Leeds for another year, but he won’t be committing his future beyond that for the time being.

The Latest: Robinson frustrated by news

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Robinson admits it is a frustrating situation, due to the same doubts surrounding Bielsa’s future returning next year:

“I’m really disappointed that it’s only one year. I’m disappointed it’s not two years.

“He usually signs one-year deals, we know that, but what it means is around Christmas or January every year we end up talking about Bielsa’s contract again.

“I’m disappointed it’s not two years. It’s obvious what he’s brought to the club, we’ve waxed lyrical about him all the time.

“When he does finally leave he can pick the corner of Elland Road he wants his statue on, he’s had that much of an impact.

“But it’s disappointing it’s only one year for me. It means we’re going to get to January no matter how well we’re doing next season and just talking about Bielsa’s future.”

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The Verdict: He has a point

In fairness, Robinson has a point, but in many ways, it is all a huge compliment to Bielsa, such is his enormous overall importance at Leeds.

Anyone of a Whites persuasion would like him to remain as manager for many years to come, bringing stability to proceedings and a bigger likelihood of future success.

Bielsa’s process has to be respected, however, and assuming he does extend his stay by a year, the hope is that the same happens next summer, too.

In other news, a huge European club are reportedly keen on signing one Leeds star this summer. Find out who it is here.

Carlo Ancelotti has revelaed an injury blow for Everton ahead of their game away at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Monday.

The Italian has confirmed that the former Barcelona ace is not available to play against Graham Potter’s men as he has sustained a ‘small problem’.

Everton could miss Gomes

Gomes is a solid player in the middle of the park for Everton and more often than not keeps things ticking over in the heart of the midfield.

The 27-year-old, currently earning £140,000 per week at the Toffees, averaged no fewer than 45 touches of the ball per game in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term, roughly one every two minutes, and is also able to move with the ball well, having averaged 1.3 successful dribbles a match (Sofascore).

Former Premier League striker Darren Bent even went as far as to describe Gomes as a ‘Rolls Royce’ on the ball when speaking in December of last year.

The Portugal ace also does his bit to help out the Merseysiders defensively, winning 3.9 of his duels per match and also averaging 1.3 tackles a game (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, the Blues will have try and find a way to win against the Seagulls without the stricken 27-year-old.

In other news, find out why Alex Iwobi was ‘shocked’ at what one Everton star did against Crystal Palace!