All posts by n8rngtd.top

Some Liverpool supporters are delighted after it emerged that Diogo Jota could play a part in the Reds’ crucial clash with Crystal Palace.

The Reds face an enormous game on Sunday afternoon as a hugely challenging Premier League season reaches its conclusion. Jurgen Klopp’s men welcome Palace to Anfield, knowing that a win should all but guarantee a place in the top four unless Leicester City thrash Tottenham.

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Liverpool have found a strong run of form just when they needed it, not losing in the league since early March and picking up crucial victories against West Brom and Burnley in the last week.

Jota was expected to miss out for the remainder of the season, but The Athletic now claim he could play a part in proceedings at Anfield today. If true, it would be a massive boost for Liverpool, potentially allowing the prolific Portuguese to come on in the second half should a goal be needed, or if one of the front three is underperforming.

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Liverpool fans react to Jota update

These Liverpool supporters were delighted with the “huge” news, taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts.

“Fastest recovery ever”

Credit: @RJensen71

“Having both on the bench is a huge plus”

Credit: @LFC_9ja

“In a massive fitness boost for Jurgen Klopp, Diogo Jota is in contention to play against Crystal Palace tomorrow”

Credit: @MattThielen

“Let’s get it boyyyyysssss”

Credit: @AidaHamsad

“Everybody watch out”

Credit: @charliemens01

“Fingers crossed he plays in place of Mane”

Credit: @kevowens64

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting positively to training ground photos that recently emerged. Read more here.

Several managers have been linked with the vacant job at Wolves and Jorge Mendes is seemingly spinning a number of plates and Sabri Lamouchi appears to be one of the contenders, but former Wolves striker Steve Bull claims there is no chance of that happening.

Lamouchi was previously the Nottingham Forest boss when they came within a whisker of finishing in the play-offs, before a run of three wins in their final 15 games saw their hopes destroyed and they ultimately missed out on goal difference.

There have been reports linking the Frenchman with a move to Molineux as Mendes has offered the current Al-Duhali manager’s services to Wolves’ hierarchy, as they hunt for a sufficient Nuno Espirito Santo replacement.

The former Forest manager only spent one season at the City Ground and having never managed higher than the Championship in England, Bull wants him nowhere near Wolves, as he exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Once you have managed in the Championship that is your limit. I’m not being funny to those managers but that is their level. So for him to take over at Wolves, it would be a massive job.

“So I don’t think that Lamouchi, who got the sack from Nottingham Forest will get the job, he’s got no chance at all.”

It appears that Bruno Lage is the man who could be set for the hot-seat and he must be prepared to try and fill some very large shoes as Nuno was a fan favourite at Wolves who everyone trusted.

Lage has only ever been a first-team manager in the top flight of a division once and that was at Benfica during the 2019/20 season which did see him amass an impressive 94% win percentage in the league.

Slavisa Jokanovic is set to make a call regarding Ismaila Coulibaly at Sheffield United this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Yorkshire Live, who revealed that the 20-year-old has qualified for a visa to play in England a lot sooner than expected.

After joining Sheffield United from Sarpsborg 08 FF on a five-year deal last September, the central midfielder was sent on a three-year loan deal to the Blades’ sister club Beerschot V.A. in order to work towards acquiring a visa.

However, after just one season in the Jupiler Pro League, the £2.7m-rated man is now eligible to play in England, with the Sheffield United hierarchy set to offer Jokanovic the chance to bring the Mali U20 international back to Bramall Lane this summer.

Jokanovic must act

Considering how impressive Coulibaly has been this season in Belgium, it would appear a very wise move for Jokanovic to take the club up on their offer and add the 20-year-old to his squad ahead of next season.

Over his 22 Jupiler Pro League appearances for Will Still’s side, the central midfielder scored five goals, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 0.4 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the youngster earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Beerschot’s fifth-best performer in the Belgian top-flight – something that is no mean feat considering Coulibaly’s age and inexperience in an unfamiliar league.

Indeed, it is reported that, as a result of his displays in Belgium, both AC Milan and Galatasaray are considering a move for the midfielder, suggesting that a few clubs in Europe believe that the 20-year-old could operate at a much higher level than he currently is with Beerschot.

As such, there should be no doubt in Jokanovic’s mind about bringing Coulibaly back to Sheffield this summer, as, if he doesn’t, and the player’s head is turned by the growing amount of interest in his services, it could easily be argued that the issue has the potential to be the first major mistake of the 52-year-old manager’s time in charge of the Blades.

In other news: Transfer news emerges over “outstanding” £38k-p/w gem that’ll make Sheff Utd fans buzz

Mauricio Pochettino has a “real desire” to return to Tottenham Hotspur this summer as an intriguing new claim has surfaced this week…

What’s the word?

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, the 49-year-old told Paris Saint-Germain that he wanted to leave Les Parc des Princes for a chance to manage Spurs once again last week.

It’s also thought that whilst the North London side have a “tough job” in prising him away from the Ligue 1 giants, there is a “real desire from Poch to complete his unfinished business.”

This would go against claims from Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, who suggested that the Argentine and PSG were pushing ahead with plans for the 2021/22 season, via the BBC.

The Times have also suggested that the French outfit have extended his deal through until 2023 but that is thought to be a move to ensure that they can capitalise on compensation amid interest from Spurs.

A boost for Levy?

Spurs have watched numerous managerial targets come and go in the seven weeks since Jose Mourinho was sacked.

The likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers were mooted as two first-choice candidates before the former opted for Bayern Munich, and the latter poured cold water on his chances of leaving Leicester City.

Last week, in a sensational twist, reports first emerged linking Pochettino with a shock return to North London, with both sides keen to make it happen, as per The Athletic.

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It’s believed Levy is looking for an attack-minded head coach who has a desire to develop the club’s young players, pretty much in a similar mould to Pochettino.

So there isn’t a better candidate out there than the man himself and if Gold’s claim is to be believed, then the Spurs chairman may have just received his biggest boost yet as it’s evident that the 49-year-old really does want to return home.

Pochettino won 54.6% of his matches in charge of the Lilywhites, leading them to regular European qualification, with three successive top-three finishes in the Premier League, as well as reaching the Champions League final in 2019.

That elusive trophy still evades Tottenham, having not lifted silverware since 2008, so it’s no wonder the fan-favourite feels he has unfinished business in North London.

He was very close to achieving something so special and is perhaps why Levy is said to have admitted that his sacking was his biggest mistake at the club, as per The Sun.

If Levy and Pochettino want to seal a breathtaking reunion, then the PSG boss may well have to force his exit from PSG but the fact that he is desperate to return will surely have the Spurs chairman brimming with delight.

AND in other news, How Levy can build Pochettino his dream Spurs squad in potential £170m spending spree…

Ange Postecoglou has agreed on personal terms with Celtic ahead of a proposed move, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou’s UEFA exemption

The Australian has been the man on Celtic’s radar ever since a move for Eddie Howe fell through.

The Hoops have had to apply for an exemption with UEFA to get the 55-year-old to Glasgow, as he does not hold the required UEFA Pro Licence to manage in Europe.

Celtic are reportedly confident of securing an exemption, with the process possibly taking several weeks.

The Latest: Personal terms agreed

The Scottish Sun shared the news late on Saturday night, revealing that Postecoglou has verbally agreed on personal terms at Parkhead. A six-figure compensation package with Yokohama F Marinos has already been agreed upon, so it seems as if it’s just a matter of time until he is officially announced.

The report claimed on Saturday night that it could be confirmed over the 72 hours, which would take that timeframe up until Tuesday evening. However, due to travel restrictions, Postecoglou may not arrive in the UK for another few weeks.

The Verdict: Mixed news for McKay?

The latest update could come as a mixed bag for new Celtic CEO Dominic McKay. It seems as if everything is now in place for a deal to go through, but the travel delay could be a nuisance.

Celtic are due to report back for pre-season on June 17, and even if Postecoglou manages to get over to Scotland quicker than anticipated, he’ll have to serve a 10-day quarantine.

It doesn’t look likely that he’ll be present for the Hoops’ first day back at training, but at least the club will be ending their 100-day wait for a new manager.

In other news: Hoops interested in ‘outstanding’ winger, find out more here. 

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped an exciting claim on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Matheus Pereira in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Having clinched the signing of Emi Buendia from Norwich, there may have been questions as to whether Dean Smith’s side would still go after West Brom play-maker Matheus Pereira amid recent reports linking him to the club.

And now, when asked whether the move for Buendia would end Villa’s interest in the Brazilian, he said: “No, not totally. Jack/Buendia/BT/AEG (Trez injured). There’s scope to add one more. It could be just down to price with that one. I really like him, though. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. It’s one that can be got.”

Fans surely buzzing

Signing Buendia has already gone a long way to easing the creative burden on Jack Grealish – after all, the Argentine delivered an incredible 17 assists in the Championship last season.

With the 24-year-old now on board at Villa Park, fans may have felt a move for Pereira would be off the table, but Preece’s claim makes for very exciting reading.

The thought of seeing Grealish, Buendia and Pereira all lining up behind Ollie Watkins, and supplying him with endless amounts of chances makes for a real mouth-watering prospect, especially given the Villa striker bagged 14 goals in the top-flight with just one of the trio alongside him.

Pereira’s natural left foot, and ability to play as a number ten and out wide, makes him a perfect fit for Smith’s side, and would give Bertrand Traore some real competition out wide, especially with Trezeguet out injured.

In games where Villa may expect to dominate, particularly at home, Smith could play that exciting three just behind Watkins and watch them wreak havoc.

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Villa fans must surely be absolutely buzzing at the prospect of the club making a move for Pereira this summer as he could help take their club to the next level.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped an exciting claim on Villa’s pursuit of James Ward-Prowse…

Marcus Bent is unsure whether Crystal Palace would have the money to be able to afford to buy West Brom attacker Matheus Pereira, who is a reported summer target.

The managerless Eagles have could lose up to 22 players at the end of the month with contracts expiring, meaning a major rebuild could be required to continue to keep the club in the Premier League.

And with wide players Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp both out of contract this summer, attacking reinforcements are going to be needed, especially with Palace looking to improve on the 41 goals they scored in the Premier League last season.

But with Palace set to be working on a tight budget once again, loan deals and free transfers are likely to be their best chance of signing players.

Having said that, Palace have shopped in the Championship in recent seasons, with Ebere Eze and Nathan Ferguson two of their more promising pieces of business, despite a serious knee injury preventing the latter from making a first-team appearance.

Pereira, who scored 12 goals in 34 appearances last term, is another second-tier player that is likely to be up for sale this summer following West Brom’s relegation, but the 25-year-old is available for £15m according to The Daily Star, via HITC, and Bent exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that could prove a barrier for Palace:

“He scored 12 goals last season, but he’s still young. Palace again with the budget, but I don’t know what kind of budget they’re going to have.

“But looking at the club and where they are, the amount of loan players they have, they’re not going to be challenging for top-10, so it’s all about players that have potential.”

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Paul Stewart insists the club showed their true colours by failing to appoint Antonio Conte as their new manager.

The Italian emerged as a target after leaving Inter Milan at the end of the 2020/21 season.

He actually won Serie A with Inter but left the club due to a dispute over their transfer plans.

Stewart is of the belief that the talks with Conte fell through because the club refused to give him the financial backing he required to rebuild and restructure Spurs’ squad.

Tottenham have yet to appoint a new manager, despite sacking Mourinho back in April, and Stewart does not think they have any plans to hand a transfer war chest to whomever replaces the Portuguese.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “It was absolutely typical Spurs in the fact that he’s gone in, told them obviously that he wants money to spend, and how much he wants, and it all fell through without a chance of it being resurrected. So obviously Spurs have gone down the not spending money route again.”

Spurs have been linked with a variety of new managers and there now appears to be interest in the former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

West Bromwich Albion are close to appointing Valerien Ismael as the new manager at The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a deal to bring the Barnsley boss to West Brom is all but done following developments that occurred during talks on Saturday.

The report goes on to state that Guochuan Lai and Ismael have agreed the terms of his contract with the club, while the Baggies will now approach the Tykes to discuss buying the 45-year-old out of his current deal, something that is believed will cost West Brom around £2m.

Fans will be buzzing

Having endured their club going through a rather arduous search to appoint Sam Allardyce’s successor, with moves for names such as Chris Wilder, David Wagner, Roy Hodgson, Frank Lampard and Michael Appleton all failing for a variety of reasons, the news that West Brom now appear close to landing their new manager is sure to have Albion fans buzzing.

And, considering the rather remarkable job Ismael did after taking over at Barnsley in October of last year – when the club’s CEO Dane Murphy claimed that the Frenchman was a “standout” candidate for the role – it would very much seem as if the 45-year-old is one of the better candidates Lai has targeted.

Indeed, despite the Tykes being predicted by FourFourTwo to finish the Championship season in a lowly 18th place before a ball was kicked, in addition to having not won a single game from their opening seven league fixtures of the 2020/21 season prior to Ismael’s arrival, the Frenchman went on to guide his side to a rather astonishing 23 wins, five draws and 11 losses over his 39 league games in charge of the club, securing a fifth-place finish for a much unfancied Barnsley side, before narrowly losing out in the play-off semi-finals to Swansea City.

Adding in the fact that the former VfL Wolfsburg manager arrived after the summer transfer window had closed, in addition to signing just three young players in the January transfer window, Barnsley’s astonishing form is very solid evidence that the 45-year-old is a fantastic coach who can get the best from a group of players.

As such, given a greater transfer budget to work with, as well as a side brimming with Premier League experience, should Lai indeed go on to land Ismael this summer, it would appear to bode extremely well for West Brom’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League next season – an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Get it done: Lai must sanction West Brom summer swoop for “outstanding” 32 G/A machine

The order of the day at the moment for new Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou appears to be improving their leaky backline.The Hoops have been linked with a number of central defenders, with talks believed to be underway on a few fresh faces.

What’s the word?

Celtic have entered talks to sign Brazilian centre-back Riccieli and have also made Cameron Carter-Vickers a target.

However, according to a report from The Scottish Sun, they are also in negotiations to sign Mario Vuskovic.

The 19-year-old currently plays for Hajduk Split in Croatia, where he’s become one of the most promising young defenders in the country.

The teenager is thought to be valued at around £5m as the Hoops step up their pursuit this summer.

The next Benkovic?

Brendan Rodgers only had Filip Benkovic for one season at Celtic but, when he wasn’t injured, the young Croat made a fabulous impact next to Kristoffer Ajer in their backline. Like the Norwegian, Benkovic is a ball-playing centre-half and a colossus in the air, someone used to bullying opponents in physical situations.

During his stay in Glasgow, he completed over 90% of his passes and won a mighty 4.3 aerial duels per game. He has since improved in that regard, prevailing in 5.1 aerial battles per match after moving to Bristol City on loan in the second tier of English football.

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Not only does Vuskovic hail from the same country as Benkovic; he possesses a similar range of statistics. Standing at 1.89m (6 foot 2), he’s not the tallest centre-half around, but that doesn’t seem to deter him from defensive duels.

Assessing the numbers, the teenager wins 63% of his aerial duels per game, which is nearly 10%Âmore than Stephen Welsh. Vuskovic also wins a fraction more defensive duels per match than both Shane Duffy and Nir Bitton did last term.

A classic modern-day defender, he is also eye-catching in possession and has an eye for goal, particularly from dead ball situations.

After being included in The Guardian’s Next-Gen list of 2018, reporter Aleksandar Holiga commented: “He’s not just dominant in challenges but also exceptional in build-up play. He often scores goals and can score from free kicks like a No 10.â€

It’s not often you see a defender curl in a free-kick like the one above but that only proves that, at £5m, he’d be a mere snip for the quality at his disposal.

Calm and composed with the ball at his feet, his modern day attributes would go a long way to replacing the influence of Benkovic and also Ajer if he finally departs Celtic.

AND in other news, Celtic eye swoop for “unstoppable” 20-goal gem, he’s an upgrade on Christie…