All posts by h716a5.icu

It may be five years since Aston Villa sold Adama Traore to Middlesbrough, but there can surely be no questioning that the Midlands club got the wrong end of the bargain.

It was Roberto Di Matteo who was in charge at Villa Park when the decision was made to let Traore go, with Albert Adomah arriving in the opposition direction instead.

At the time, Di Matteo seemed to be thrilled with the club’s business, saying: “Albert is a player I’m really happy to have brought to the club and like others he knows what is required to win promotion from the Championship. He is an attacking player who creates goals and I’m confident he will be an impressive addition to the group.”

But since then, it’s Traore who’s really had the last laugh.

Now, a five-cap Spain international, the 25-year-old has firmly established himself as a Premier League star, and has kept that X-factor that really made him stand out as a youngster.

As per Whoscored, his average of 4.2 dribbles per game in the top-flight this season ranks him as the most prolific dribbler in the division, while he also ranks in the top six for earning the most fouls per match too (2.2).

Dubbed as “unplayable” by Jurgen Klopp following an impressive display against his Liverpool side, Traore also has a fan in Graeme Souness, with the Sky Sports pundit saying: “He is now not only a winger anymore, he keeps the ball, holds the ball and sets up goals, obviously. That makes it so difficult, each ball you lose is 100 per cent a counter-attack and half a goal.”

CIES now value him at a whopping £35m, and that’s a testament to just how much he has grown since leaving Villa Park, with the Spaniard now very much a key part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at Wolves – he’s now played well over 100 times for the Molineux based club.

Given how much he has progressed over the years since his departure, Villa must surely look back at Traore’s exit back in 2016 as one they got completely wrong.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa played a blinder in signing this star… 

Reports in Spain earlier this week claimed that West Ham United have eyes on a summer swoop for Raul de Tomas, but David Moyes may not deliver the shrewd signing he is after in the RCD Espanyol de Barcelona striker.

Moyes is understood to be plotting a move to strengthen the Irons’ offensive options in the off-season but hopes to acquire a lesser-known forward, with the intention of whoever he targets growing into an established figure.

West Ham currently have no proven striker depth behind Michail Antonio following Sebastien Haller’s £20m move to AFC Ajax in January, with Moyes opting against reinvesting the funds during the winter market.

De Tomas has emerged as a potential candidate to answer Moyes’ request, but the West Ham boss faces rival approaches from Leeds United and Leicester City as the two sides likewise seek to bring the 26-year-old to the Premier League.

Leeds are lining up a move for De Tomas as boss Marcelo Bielsa strives to add depth behind 14-goal top-scorer Patrick Bamford, amid doubt in Rodrigo Moreno’s long-term future at Elland Road.

Brendan Rodgers likewise has eyes on De Tomas as he wants to sign a new striker in the summer, with Jamie Vardy now 34 and soon entering the final two years of his £140,000-per-week contract at the King Power Stadium.

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De Tomas is keen to test himself outside of his native Spain again after the failure of his time with SL Benfica, where the Madrid-born frontman lasted just six-months and scored three goals in 17 games across all competitions.

Espanyol signed De Tomas in January 2020 and while he was unable to help prevent the RCDE Stadium natives from being relegated from La Liga, he has since proven to be far too good to be playing second-tier football.

De Tomas boasts 16 goals in 29 Segunda Division appearances this term and has provided two assists, only Sporting de Gijon’s Uros Djurdjevic (20) has scored more to date.

But Moyes moving to offer De Tomas his second chance at continental football with a spell at West Ham may not see the Scottish coach find the shrewd signing he is alleged to be after.

The Spanish report notes that the three Premier League sides interested in De Tomas are willing to make a ‘large investment’ to sign the former Spain U19 international, who Espanyol fought to retain following their relegation by demanding that Sevilla pay his full €60m (£51m) release clause.

Espanyol deemed De Tomas to be a cornerstone of their promotion efforts, which has proven to be true with the £13k-p/w speedster’s goals firing the Catalan outfit to the top of the Segunda table and with the division’s best goal difference.

The Periquitos will be expected to maintain their contest for an automatic return to La Liga once action resumes after the international break, which would surely see De Tomas’ value rise and move away from the potential of being a shrewd buy that Moyes hopes he could be.

AND in other news, West Ham have been tipped to sign a 12-goal striker who is “Moyes’ type”…

Dean Windass has exclusively told the Transfer Tavern that Harry Kane will be a Manchester City player next season.

Kane’s future at Spurs has come under serious threat in recent weeks following their embarrassing Europa League exit to Dinamo Zagreb last month coupled with their poor Premier League form.

The England captain could win his first piece of silverware in the Carabao Cup final this month, but with Tottenham currently three points adrift of the top four, the prospect of no Champions League football once again is becoming a genuine possibility for Kane.

Pep Guardiola revealed that City won’t be replacing the departing Sergio Aguero, but the rumours linking Kane with a move to the Etihad Stadium aren’t going away, although Erling Haaland appears the alternative for the champions elect, providing he stays with Tottenham.

But Windass told the Transfer Tavern that he can’t see Kane ending up anywhere else:

“If Kane wants to go to Man City and Man City want Harry Kane, he’ll be there in a breath. The only player on Pep’s lips is Harry Kane, in my opinion. I don’t think he’ll be at Tottenham next year. If Man City want him, then you’re going to pay £200m.

“If you get a proven striker like Harry Kane, you are going to end up winning Champions Leagues!”

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he’s “gutted” that Scott Brown isn’t going to receive a proper send off from the Celtic faithful.

Brown, one of the most successful players in the history of Scottish football, recently confirmed that he’ll be ending his stay in Paradise following more than 14 years of service after deciding against penning a new one-year deal.

The Celtic captain has opted to move north of Glasgow and join Aberdeen as a player-coach at the end of the campaign.

Brown, a no-nonsense midfielder, won 22 trophies at Celtic Park, including 10 Scottish Premiership titles following more than 600 games in the famous green and white, leaving him seventh on their all-time record appearance list.

But with fans not allowed in grounds until next season, Brown won’t get the chance to say goodbye to the Celtic faithful, meaning the next time he plays in front of a packed Celtic Park could be in the red of Aberdeen.

McAvennie told Football FanCast that he would have loved Brown to stay for another season:

“I’m disappointed. He’s the last of a dying breed, he doesn’t mind shouting at people and loves a tackle.

“I’m gutted, because the fans aren’t getting a chance to say goodbye to him. And it’ll be fun because he’ll come back to Celtic Park, the fans will go mad, Scott Brown they’ll all be singing, and he’ll go through someone in midfield and the mood will change, but that’s Scott.

“I would have loved him to stay.”

Liverpool have reportedly made the decision to sign Ozan Kabak on a permanent deal this summer, having impressed during his spell on loan from Schalke.

The 21-year-old arrived back in January, with Jurgen Klopp viewing him as someone who could ease the Reds’ injury crisis in defence.

Kabak took a little time to settle – understandably so – but he has grown in recent weeks, proving to be one of Liverpool’s most consistent performers, starting ten matches.

The Premier League champions have the option of signing the Turkey international permanently at the end of the season and it looks as though they will trigger that clause.

Liverpool set to sign Kabak on permanent deal

That’s according to 90min, who claim Liverpool have been so ‘impressed’ with Kabak’s form that they will snap him up in the next transfer window for an expected £18million.

It is also mentioned that Klopp has been ‘delighted’ with the youngster’s impact at Anfield, having made 11 appearances for the Reds to date.

Transfer Tavern take

Kabak has definitely done enough to prove that he is worth persevering with, playing with real confidence and quality in the last month or so, in particular.

The defender is enjoying an 89.1 percent pass completion rate in the league this season, showing he has excelled in Klopp’s ball-playing style. He is also averaging 1.8 tackles per match, suggesting that he has done well in the more gritty aspects of his game.

At 21, he still has years ahead of him, too, meaning he has the potential to become a more formidable player for Liverpool over a long period.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been urging the Reds to sign a player with an incredible goalscoring record. Find out who it is here.

According to a report by journalist Ciro Venerato, speaking to the Goal Show (via Area Napoli), Tottenham are among three clubs following former Premier League manager Maurizio Sarri as they eye potential successors for Jose Mourinho if he is sacked.

Sarri, who is currently without a club, most recently dismissed by Juventus just two weeks after their 2019/2020 Scudetto triumph (Goal), is reportedly on Tottenham’s managerial radar as Venerato drops an update.

Journalist drops Tottenham claim involving Sarri

The reporter, claiming Spurs ‘follow’ him, also says that while the Lilywhites are monitoring his situation, Sarri will more than likely favour Napoli above all others.

“I received a phone call from Figline Valdarno (where Maurizio Sarri lives) from friends of the former Juventus (manager) and I discovered interesting things,” said Venerato (the Goal Show via Area Napoli).

“Maurizio Sarri has not signed with any team, a month ago he said no to Olympique Marseille. Arsenal and Tottenham follow him, as well as Roma.

“Sarri has won a Europa League and a Scudetto with Chelsea and Juventus, but he feels more about Napoli than the other teams.

“The second thing is this: for Maurizio, Napoli has absolute priority. Laurentiis reveals himself, he would put Napoli in first place.”

Transfer Tavern take

As Venerato reveals that Spurs are following the 62-year-old, news that he would possibly prefer a job back at the San Paolo Stadium may come as a blow in any pursuit.

Chairman Daniel Levy is also said to be monitoring the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers, but we believe Sarri in particular could be a very credible dark horse.

Already possessing Premier League experience whilst having won silverware, Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has also showered the Italian with glowing recommendations.

Indeed, the Blues ace lauded Sarri as a ‘magnificent coach’ when describing their previous time together in an interview last year (Football Italia) – and he could come as a sure fire candidate if they decide to sack Mourinho.

Of course, as per this update, Napoli appear their biggest obstacle, but it’s good to know Levy isn’t putting all his eggs in the trendy young manager basket, where the likes of Nagelsmann and Rodgers currently lie in wait.

In other news: Spurs plotting move for this colossus, find out more here.

The upcoming departure of Ed Woodward from Manchester United was confirmed on Tuesday evening.

Having been at the club in some capacity since the arrival of the Glazer family at Old Trafford in 2005, he will leave the club having held the role as the Red Devils’ Executive Vice Chairman for the past nine years.

Whilst he will not officially be leaving the club until the end of 2021, the departure of Woodward is a huge moment for the club as they get rid of a figurehead who has continued to pour money down the drain since taking the reins.

Since 2013 and his first transfer window, Woodward has spent a huge £1.08 billion in the transfer market – some of those signings having little to no impact.

His debut arrival set the tone as the Red Devils failed to bring in any notable signings for new manager David Moyes before eventually splashing a considerable sum on Everton’s Marouane Fellaini.

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This trend has continued even to this day with expensive arrivals such as Angel Di Maria, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all exiting Old Trafford as quickly as they’d arrived following a poor spell with the Red Devils.

Even summer signing Donny van de Beek appears to be going the same way with the Dutchman having started just two Premier League games.

Whilst Woodward cannot be blamed for all of those aforementioned failures, the sheer fortune that the Red Devils have been forced to pour down the drain has drastically hampered the club in recent seasons.

With him gone, this could certainly give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer far more freedom in the transfer market.

Of course, the 49-year-old has done some positive work with Manchester United, especially on a commercial basis – the club’s commercial income rising £35.6m in just three months during his tenure.

However, that commercialisation is exactly where Woodward has fallen. His resignation comes following the backlash directed at the club for the proposal of the European Super League, United eventually withdrawing their participation.

His departure from Manchester United then will surely be a relief for supporters and for the manager, who will hopefully get more of a voice when it comes to transfers.

AND in more news, find out why Solskjaer will have been furious with the now collapsed prospect of the Super League…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes it would be the right decision for his old side to hand Matty Cash a new contract.

Cash only joined Villa in the last summer transfer window, but the former Nottingham Forest defender looks set to put pen to paper on fresh terms.

According to The Telegraph’s John Percy, the Midlands club are keen to discuss a new deal with Cash, clearly impressed with what they have seen from the 23-year-old right-back this season.

And it appears that Hendrie has also been pleased with Cash’s form, with the ex-Villa player calling for the Premier League outfit to get this new contract sorted.

On Cash, Hendrie told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I watched him at Forest and he was exactly the same, but I feel that he’s got better coming into this Villa side. He’s granted a new contract because people will be looking for someone of his calibre and the way and styles teams play these days… he likes to get forward and he’s got that aggressive manner in him.

“Get him signed up. You know, these are the players that we want to see signed and we want to build on, and he’s still got plenty of years ahead of him.”

As well as Cash, left-back Matt Targett could also be in line for a new contract. According to The Athletic (via Goal), the Villans have already opened talks with the former Southampton man over an improved deal.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to end a 13-year wait for silverware on Sunday afternoon as they prepare for battle with Manchester City at Wembley in the 2020/21 Carabao Cup final.

It’s been a turbulent week of mixed emotion in north London, that’s for sure. Jose Mourinho was sensationally axed after 17 months in charge of the Lilywhites, then the European Super League fiasco was brought to an abrupt end.

Newly-appointed interim head coach Ryan Mason, a former midfielder at Tottenham, steered the club to a massive three points against Southampton in the midst of all the adversity to put their top-four pursuit back on the right path.

It was finally an encouraging step in the right direction, especially given that he had less than 48 hours to prepare and instil his own mark on this struggling Spurs squad.

However, in the absence of Harry Kane through injury, the Londoners looked toothless in attack despite dominating possession against Southampton.

Again, there were further signs of positivity that Mason had quickly eradicated Mourinho’s passive tactics of sitting back as Spurs held 61% of the ball, which increased as high as 64% in the second half when chasing the game.

Both goals were a little fortuitous, too. Gareth Bale pounced on a loose ball following a defensive error before Heung-min Son slotted home a match-winning penalty in the game’s dying embers.

If you took away both goals, Spurs would have had only one shot on target for all of that possession. That’s not going to be good enough against a team like Manchester City.

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It leaves Mason with plenty to ponder, even more so with Kane’s involvement still in doubt. Perhaps it is time for a lifeline to be gifted to Dele Alli, who could feel rejuvenated since the exit of his tormentor, Mourinho.

Under the so-called ‘Special One’, the 25-year-old playmaker has been restricted to just 232 minutes of Premier League action all season. However, in short appearances in the Europa League, he has still contributed towards seven goals in total.

It was only in 2016/17 that Alli found the net 18 times from midfield (and had seven assists), earning a second Young PFA Player of the Year record and also gaining numerous plaudits. Former Spurs midfielder Darren Anderton compared him to Premier League greats Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard before going onto suggest that he was “a freak of a talent” and a “real joy to watch.”

When given regular game-time, Alli has always proven to be a huge threat in attack, managing above 0.9 key passes and 1.6 shots per game in every Premier League season since his debut, barring this tumultuous stint under Mourinho.

If Mason needs a game-changer in attack, with or without Kane, then he must turn to the £26m-rated dynamo.

An Alli remontada in a cup final to bring Levy his first trophy in over a decade – it couldn’t happen, could it?

AND in other news, Spurs could find their own Marcelo Bielsa in ‘demanding’ La Liga boss…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee has urged the Magpies to not offer Jacob Murphy a new contract, despite the winger only having one year left on his current deal.

Murphy has been deployed as a right wing-back in Newcastle’s last four games with the 24-year old impressing at both ends of the pitch, which has led to Steve Bruce claiming he wants the winger to be handed a new deal.

Since arriving from Norwich City in 2017, Murphy has struggled for consistency on the pitch which has seen him experience two loan spells since joining the Magpies, however he appears to be playing with much more confidence without the pressure of 52,000 fans on him.

Speaking on why Murphy doesn’t deserve a new contract and what Newcastle United have to be wary of going forward, Lee told FFC:

“I like Jacob Murphy, but we’ve got to be very careful because has he played well all season? I don’t think he has and you’ve got to be consistent to earn a new deal.

“He’s been excellent in the last few games but I think with the way Newcastle are dishing out long contracts at the minute, we surely need to see consistency from the players before we start giving them new deals.”

Murphy has proved himself to be one of Newcastle’s most willing runners with the ball as well as one of the most creative players on the ball, averaging 1.9 carries into the final third per game as well as creating 2.37 shots per game, with both stats putting him third at the club.

It has been reported that the £25,000-per-week winger is a target for both Rangers and Southampton, however news of a potential new deal on the table this summer may scupper any potential St. James’ Park exit.