Category Uncategorized

Everton have reportedly made another approach to try and sign Wolves winger Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Revisiting an old deal?

Football Insider reported back in June that the Goodison Park outfit had registered their interest in Traore, and were ‘keeping tabs’ on his situation at Molineux.

Director of Football Kevin Thelwell is thought to be a ‘big admirer’ of the Spain international, believing that he could add a ‘new dimension’ to Frank Lampard’s attack with his speed.

£20m was the quoted fee to secure his signature, although it was thought that the Wanderers could accept less.

The Latest: Approach made

Football Insider are now reporting that the Merseyside club have made a new approach over the possibility of signing Traore, and are working on signing a pacy forward capable of playing out wide or through the middle in case Anthony Gordon goes to Chelsea.

Traore is now in the final year of his contract, so it is thought that Bruno Lage’s side may look to cash in on him now, rather than risking losing him on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The Verdict: Avoid

While a move for Traore may seem exciting on paper – after all he has been hailed as ‘devastating’ when at his best by pundit Andy Townsend – unfortunately he is just far too inconsistent.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-7/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The attacker has only managed a mere 12 goals and 18 assists in 157 games in total for Wolves over the last five seasons (Transfermarkt), not numbers to be proud of.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury, the Toffees need their other attacking players to be chipping in with goals and assists, and Traore has not shown consistently enough that he can provide that.

Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters has been identified as a summer target for Premier League rivals Chelsea, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Attracting interest

The 25-year-old still has three years remaining on his contract at the St. Mary’s Stadium, but recent reports have suggested that the Saints would be willing to let him leave this summer if they received an offer in the region of £40m.

The defender has been attracting interest from both Manchester United and Arsenal throughout the transfer window, but another name from the top-flight now appears to have emerged as a new potential suitor, and it comes in the form of the Blues.

The Latest: Chelsea plotting Walker-Peters move

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Chelsea have held talks inside the club regarding a potential move for Walker-Peters. He wrote:

“Chelsea are considering many options for right-back position, to be discussed after Cucurella. Kyle Walker-Peters, one of the options alongside Denzel Dumfries.

“Dumfries top of the list but Inter want to keep him, still no bid.

“Walker-Peters, discussed internally.”

The Verdict: Would be a huge loss

Walker-Peters has been an integral part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s starting XI since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur two years ago, and so it would be a huge loss if the south coast outfit were to lose him now.

The two-cap international, hailed for having an ‘immense’ spirit by sports journalist Josh Bunting, averaged 1.8 tackles and two successful dribbles per league game last season, via WhoScored, highlighting his ability to affect the game at both ends of the pitch.

There’s no doubt that Southampton will want to keep hold of Walker-Peters, hence why they’ve put the £40m price tag on his head, but if an offer in that proximity were to be presented, it might just be too good to turn down.

Southampton are set to miss out on signing striker Armando Broja from Chelsea again this summer, with West Ham United close to wrapping up a deal for the player.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist David Orstnein, Broja is moving closer to a move to the London Stadium this summer.

He said: “West Ham close to agreement with Chelsea for Armando Broja. Currently working towards permanent. Personal terms in place but contract length undetermined.”

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at St Mary’s Stadium and Southampton had hoped they would be able to his services again, but it’s looking increasingly likely he will move to the Hammers.

With European football on offer at the London Stadium, it always looked like the more attractive option, and it seems his time on the south coast over the last year hasn’t been enough for him to want to stay.

Supporters will be gutted

The news will leave Saints supporters gutted as he contributed a lot to their success last season, being directly involved in ten goals in 38 appearances in all competitions.

He also impressed in several other areas, showing his presence in the air, ranking in the top 11% for aerials won when compared to positional peers in the Premier League last season.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will have to look elsewhere for those goals now, and with time running out until the new campaign begins, they’re in a race to sign a new striker.

The club has recently been linked with a bargain move for Lyon forward Moussa Dembele who could be available for £10m and VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic. They are definitely searching, but it might be hard to find someone as proven in the Premier League as Broja.

Ultimately, he will be a huge miss for the Saints, but even if he stayed for one more season, given his talent he would have likely left eventually so maybe it’s best that the club isn’t relying on a loanee for too long.

AND in other news: Saints eyeing deal to sign “lanky” 36-goal machine, he can be Ralph’s own Ibrahimovic…

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension sporting director Fabio Paratici, are ‘at the window’ to sign Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing more moves?

Spurs manager Antonio Conte could yet see even more signings at the Premier League club after a flurry of transfer activity over the summer so far.

Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet (loan) and Djed Spence have all linked up with the Italian at Hotspur Way, but the Lilywhites apparently remain in the market for a creator.

Paratici could also still sign another right wing-back or central defender despite the arrivals of both Lenglet and Spence.

The Latest: Asensio targeted…

According to reports from Italy, it now appears that the north Londoners are eyeing a move for Asensio amid Real Madrid’s desperation to offload the 26-year-old.

Indeed, according to Calciomercato Web, Spurs and Paratici are ‘at the window’ to sign the Spaniard as they enter contention for his signature alongside Chelsea and AC Milan.

It is also believed that the Galacticos could offer a discount on his mooted €40m (£34m) asking price.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-3/” title=”Tottenham latest!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Advance?

The 26-year-old, who was once likened to superstar Lionel Messi by former Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano, had been taking the world by storm when he burst onto the scene.

Despite things going quiet since then, Asensio could still offer Spurs some real quality, with pundit Kevin Campbell explaining that the Spaniard has been an ‘excellent’ squad player for Los Blancos.

As we’ve seen with both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus, the £138,000-per-week attacker could be transformed under Conte at Tottenham, but it remains to be seen whether the north London club will push their reported interest further.

Reliable journalist Gerard Romero has revealed that Newcastle United made an ‘offer’ to Raphinha ‘in recent days’.

The Lowdown: Barcelona bound?

It has been reported that FC Barcelona will use a chunk of their new war chest funded by the sale of a portion of their TV rights to take Raphinha from under the noses of Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Leeds United winger has attracted a lot of interest this window, and looks certain to leave Elland Road.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘offer’

Taking to Twitter, Romero has revealed that Barcelona and Leeds are ‘about to close the deal’ for Raphinha, adding that the Magpies recently made an ‘offer’ that was ‘turned down’ by the Brazil international:

“Barca and Leeds, about to close the deal for Raphinha. Barca offers a figure around €60m.

“Barca and Raphinha have agreed a salary of €6m net per season.

“In recent days, the player turned down an offer from Newcastle.”

The Verdict: Blow

It certainly is a blow for the St. James’ Park outfit that they now look set to miss out on Raphinha after trying to hijack the swoop for his signature.

Hailed as ‘world-class’ by former Whites goalkeeper Paul Robinson, and dubbed a ‘nightmare’ for defenders by former Premier League right-back Alan Hutton, the 25-year-old has the ability to change a game, emphasised by his team-high four man-of-the-match awards for the Peacocks in the top flight last season.

Of players to make five or more appearances in the division, Raphinha ranked as LUFC’s highest-rated performer, finishing as their top scorer with 11 goals and making a further three assists (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, there is no doubt that he would have been a phenomenal signing for Eddie Howe’s team.

Rangers have now confirmed the sale of Ibrox flop Cedric Itten this week as he has been axed from the club after a disappointing season in Glasgow.

The Switzerland international returned from a loan spell in Germany during the January window and struggled to make an impact under Gio van Bronckhorst – with one goal in six league outings – in the final months of the campaign.

He has now been shipped back to his home country on a permanent deal and that leaves a space to be filled in the club’s attacking unit.

One player the club are reportedly interested in a deal for is FC Sochi centre-forward Mateo Cassierra as Ross Wilson attempts to bolster the squad.

He is reportedly available for a fee in the region of £8.5m and is set to leave the club due to their exclusion from European football next season.

Alfredo Morelos 2.0

By signing the striker this summer, Wilson can land the new Colombian hotshot at the top end of the pitch for the Light Blues.

Journalist Tomás da Cunha once dubbed him “complete” during his time in Portugal and his statistics in Russia back that up. 

In the 2021/22 campaign, Cassierra averaged an exceptional SofaScore rating of 7.29 across 22 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists. The striker created 1.4 chances per game for his teammates – with a pass completion rate of 84% – and completed 61% of his attempted dribbles as he showed that he can impress in a variety of ways in the number nine role.

He is a goalscorer, a dribbler, and a creator and the overall standard of his performances are superb. This backs up da Cunha’s comment and proves that he is a ‘complete’ striker, much like Rangers’ Morelos.

The Glasgow giants forward averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.32 in the Premiership in 2021/22. He managed 11 goals and seven assists in his 26 appearances and completed 80% of his passes in the division, whilst also completing 1.1 dribbles per game at a success rate of 53% in the Europa League.

These statistics suggest that the compatriots are similar strikers in the sense that they can score and assist goals, whilst also being reliable in possession and maintaining a high standard with their performances on a consistent basis.

Therefore, Wilson can land the new Morelos for Rangers by striking a deal for Cassierra in the coming months. Although, it remains to be seen whether or not they would be willing to stump up the £8.5m required to sign him from the Russian outfit.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Weston: Rangers can form deadly future duo in deal for highly-rated teen…

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch must unleash an out-and-out striker against Brighton and Hove Albion this afternoon in a desperate bid to keep the Yorkshire giants in the Premier League.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Whites in recent weeks as they now find themselves in the relegation zone with only two games left remaining this campaign.

Both the American and his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa have rued the absence of last season’s top goalscorer, Patrick Bamford, through a variety of injuries and it has certainly cost them dearly.

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

Only Raphinha has hit double figures for Leeds in 2021/22.

Six teams have scored fewer than the Whites’ 39 league goals and the Brazil international has accounted for 25.6% of that – and 33.3% when factoring in his assists, too.

One of the more underwhelming players this season has been Rodrigo and across the last 17 outings, he’s failed to start one match. On the contrary, he’s lasted the full 90 in only eight of those, as per Transfermarkt.

Across his last four games, in which he’s led the line, the £13.5m-rated Spaniard has failed to score or assist, adding to Leeds’ woes in the final third.

In terms of that attacking output, he ranks fourth for average number of shots per game (1.5) and that has only correlated into six goals across 29 appearances, via WhoScored.

Considering he was once the club’s record signing at £26m and is easily their highest-earning player on a reported £100k-per-week, it’s not great reading and if anything, he’s been holding them back.

Earlier this month, his poor form was highlighted by journalist Beren Cross, who claimed there were still plenty of question marks over his ability for the big time.

“He had that little spurt of goals and performances and uptick and then against Palace and City he was completely anonymous, which kind of sums up his entire tenure at least so far really,” he told LeedsLive.

“It hasn’t really got going for him I think injuries and COVID have played their part, especially in his first season, but ultimately, yes, there are still major questions about his impact on this team and his input and what he’s good at.”

As such, with Bamford still unable to start, Marsch must be bold with his team selection and opt for someone like Joe Gelhardt instead of the struggling Spanish flop.

It’s a decision that could seriously aid Leeds’ quest to remain a Premier League outfit.

AND in other news, Insider drops Leeds transfer claim ahead of summer window…

West Ham United will face an Arsenal side with forward Bukayo Saka in the Premier League this afternoon after the 20-year-old was declared fit by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.

What’s the latest?

As quoted by Football London, the Spaniard said: “Hopefully he [Saka] will be fine. He had some issues in the final part of the game but he’s recovered well and we expect him to be available.”

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

The Englishman had Arsenal fans worried last weekend when the winger was taken off the pitch in the north London outfit’s 3-1 win over Manchester United and was seen limping post-match.

However, it seems as though it was just a scare and David Moyes’ side will be facing a Gunners side with Saka in it.

Bad news for Moyes

The Hammers are very likely to make wholesale changes once again this afternoon after Moyes juggled around his squad last weekend in the narrow defeat to Chelsea with Europa League commitments the priority.

It was a solid display at Stamford Bridge with the Scotsman deploying a 3-4-2-1 formation in west London, with the Irons steely until the final minutes when Craig Dawson saw a straight red card and Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal in the final minute of normal time.

The 59-year-old will want to see the same sort of solidity today, particularly given the fact that it’s a home match.

After Arsenal, West Ham will look to sensationally overturn a 2-1 aggregate deficit against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany to reach the Europa League final.

However, a victory today would see the Irons climb up to sixth place and leapfrog Manchester United on goal difference.

That will be a tall task though against an Arsenal side looking to consolidate their place in the top four with a third consecutive league win.

Moreover, Saka’s presence will certainly prove a handful for the east London outfit, with the 20-year-old scoring 12 goals and registering five assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.

Two of those goals have come in the last two matches as well, albeit from the penalty spot.

Furthermore, the Englishman has been Arsenal’s best player this season, with an average match rating of 7.08/10. 

With the forward potent in front of goal, his availability today certainly isn’t good news for Moyes and co.

AND in other news: Moyes axes “stupid” £69k-p/w gem, “unplayable” star starts: West Ham Predicted XI

All the records and landmarks from the high-scoring match between St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Jamaica Tallawahs

Gaurav Sundararaman11-Sep-201922 The number of centuries Chris Gayle has hit in all T20s. The next highest is by Michael Klinger, who has eight centuries. This was also Gayle’s fourth hundred in CPL, the joint most alongside Dwayne Smith, who also has four hundreds in the league. Gayle now has 17 scores of 50 or higher in CPL. Incidentally, his first T20 hundred came on September 11, 2007, almost exactly 12 years before his latest century.ESPNcricinfo Ltd 156 Number of sixes Gayle has hit in CPL. No other player has hit 100 sixes. Evin Lewis is second on the list with 99 hits beyond the boundary. Gayle now has 954 sixes in all T20s, and looks likely to go past the 1000 sixes mark. 88 Runs scored by Gayle in boundaries. Joint third-highest in a CPL innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd37 Sixes hit by both teams – the joint highest for any T20 match. It equalled the tally of 37 sixes hit in an Afghanistan Premier League match between Balkh Legends and Kabul Zwanan. Coincidentally, Chris Gayle topped the sixes chart on both occasions, hitting 10 sixes. The previous mark for the most number of sixes in a CPL match was 34, when St Lucia Stars took on Trinbago Knight Riders last season. In this game, Tallawahs hit 21 sixes, which is the joint third highest for a T20 innings.Chris Gayle has nearly three times as many T20 tons as anyone else in cricket history•ESPNcricinfo Ltd 242 The target chased down by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. This is the second highest score successfully chased in T20 history. In fact, this is the highest successful chase in franchise cricket. The only target that was higher was the 245 chased down by Australia against New Zealand in Auckland, in February 2018. Incidentally, the chase was completed in 18.5 overs in both these games. The runs tally of 483 in this match is the fourth highest match aggregate in all T20s. The previous highest successful chase in CPL was by Jamaica Tallawahs against Trinbago Knight Riders in Port of Spain last season.ESPNcricinfo Ltd17 Balls taken by Evin Lewis for his fifty – the quickest in CPL. Previously, Sohail Tanvir had hit fifty off 18 balls in 2014.89 Runs scored by Patriots in the Powerplay, the second highest score at the end of the first six overs in a CPL match. The only time a higher score was achieved was also by Patriots, against Barbados Tridents in 2017, when Gayle and Lewis clattered 105 runs.

Current and former Pakistan players were among those who took to Twitter to congratulate Younis Khan on his achievement of 10,000 Test runs

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2017

Congratulations Younis Khan on your incredible 10K achievement. Hope you have an amazing farewell series, pile on the runs!

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 24, 2017

Congratulations to Younis Khan on 10k runs in test cricket and Fantastic player to join the club. Also first Pakistan player #proud

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) April 24, 2017

Congratulations to Younis Khan on his scoring 10000 runs in Test cricket – the first Pakistani to achieve this distinction.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 24, 2017

Congratulation to Younis khan,His family,@TheRealPCB & Younis bhai fans to achieve 10,000 runs in Test cricket, True Legend

— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) April 23, 2017

Younis khan is indeed a GREAT example of maximising his talent & achieving more & more with his determination & hard work,10,000 Test runs

— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) April 24, 2017

What an incredible achievement Younis khan. So proud of you & happy to be part of your special moment! #10000 Runs pic.twitter.com/MGNq0tXgoG

— Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) April 24, 2017

Congratulations Younis Khan on reaching 10,000 test runs, an amazing achievement considering Pakistan's challenges. Pure class in every way.

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) April 24, 2017

Congratulations to Younis Khan 10k test runs. Phenomenal achievement.

— David Warner (@davidwarner31) April 24, 2017

What a historic feat for Younis Khan and Pakistan! Truly honoured my friend. #YK10K #WIvPAK

— Mushtaq Ahmed (@Mushy_online) April 23, 2017

Younus Khan We r all very proud of U. Congrats to U,Ur Family & the entire Nation."10000" Test runs is a breathtaking achievement #LEGEND

— waqar younis (@waqyounis99) April 24, 2017

Younis is a superstar! He has been a great player, a lovely man and someone I always enjoyed playing against. I wish him the best. https://t.co/xAeZdxo6Tb

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) April 24, 2017

Congratulations to one of the nicest guys around, Younis Khan!!! 1st Pakistani to 10k runs. MA. Great player. Top person. pic.twitter.com/UGQNy6X1uL

— Moeen Ali (@MoeenAli) April 23, 2017

Congrats to Younis Khan for 10k test runs! Outstanding achievement! Thats a lot of warm ups by the way!

— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) April 24, 2017

Congratulations to younis bhai on reaching 10k runs milestone truely&richly deserved
Proud moment for us all & for whole nation #YounisKhan

— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23) April 24, 2017

Well done Younis Khan on 10,000 runs in Test Cricket. One of the unsung heroes of the game.

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 24, 2017

Massive congratulations to @PeshawarZalmi Mentor Younis Khan on reaching 10000 test runs… well done legend

— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) April 24, 2017

Congratulations to younis Bhai we are proud of u first Pakistani to achieve 10000 runs in test cricket a true legend and a role model

— Khurram Manzoor Khan (@_khurrammanzoor) April 23, 2017

Huge congrats to Younis Khan on becoming the 13th player and 1st Pakistan player to reach 10k test runs. Hell of a player and great bloke

— dawid malan (@dmalan29) April 23, 2017

Congratulation Younis Khan bhai for 10,000 runs in test cricket. Such a legend. #YK10K #WIvPak

— Mohammad Irfan (@M_IrfanOfficial) April 23, 2017

Congratulations to Younis Bahi, first Pakistani to achieve 10000 runs. Proud moment for all of us. #Cricket

— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) April 23, 2017

Congrats Younis Khan bhai on achieving this glorious landmark. Lots to learn from your hard work, grit, leadership & smile. #Legend #Yk10k pic.twitter.com/pxyogGHV6Q

— Mohammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) April 23, 2017