Tag Futebol

Celtic are back in action at home to Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, with the Old Firm giants still seeking a first win in this season’s group stage campaign.

The Hoops’ latest loss in the competition to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig has ensured that the Scottish champions can no longer qualify for the knockout stages, although Ange Postecoglou’s side will still have something to play for with a place in the next round of the Europa League still on the line.

Heading into a clash at Parkhead which could potentially prove decisive in the race to finish third – with the Glasgow side simply having to win to have any chance of avoiding finishing rock-bottom in Group F – there will no doubt be a number of selection decisions for the Bhoys boss to make, with their no doubt intense competition for places at present.

One man who may well find himself out of the side is summer signing Alexandro Bernabei, with the young Argentine having endured a difficult afternoon in the thrilling victory over Hearts at the weekend.

The 22-year-old had gone into that clash at Tynecastle off the back of an impressive run of form for the Scottish Premiership, having shaken off early off-field issues to provide “fierce competition” for usual starter Greg Taylor, in the words of The Athletic’s Owen Brown.

The former Lanus man – who was snapped up on a £3.75m deal in the recent window – had registered two assists in his last two league games heading into the weekend win over Robbie Neilson’s side, although was unable to continue that eye-catching as he produced a frustrating display on the day.

The diminutive full-back seemingly ‘lost his individual battle with Hearts winger Josh Ginnelly’ – in the words of The Scotsman’s Matthew Elder – having notably failed to prevent the opposition forward from teeing up Lawrence Shankland for the striker’s second of the match just after the break.

That moment epitomised the defender’s limp showing as the 5-foot-7 menace also lost possession 14 times from his 57 touches, while winning just two of his four ground duels, having failed to record a single tackle, interception or clearance.

As it proved the new arrival was subsequently hooked just after the hour mark in favour of the aforementioned Taylor, with his match rating of 6.0, as per SofaScore, having been the worst among his teammates.

To make matters worse for Bernabei, his replacement would go on to net the winning goal off the bench after sliding in at the back post to become the unlikely hero, with it looking likely that it will be the Scotsman who takes his place in the side tomorrow night.

If it is the former Argentina youth international who is ditched, the promising talent can seemingly have few complaints.

Everton are renowned for their disastrous transfer decisions, however, over the last few months it has looked as though the recruitment strategy has taken a turn for the best following a difficult relegation scrap for the Toffees last season and financial concerns plaguing the club.

Following the departure of Brazilian forward Richarlison who was last season’s top goal-scorer at Goodison Park, the future wasn’t looking bright for Frank Lampard’s side but after making eight new signings, Everton are in a fantastic position in the Premier League.

After eight league outings, the Toffees match their fierce local rivals, Liverpool, for points and are currently just four points off the top four after going unbeaten in their last six games picking up four draws and two wins, something supporters would never have dreamed of at the end of last season.

Indeed, Everton were linked with a lot of players over the summer after their struggle over the last campaign but there was one player, in particular, that they dodged a bullet on, former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard.

Everton were reportedly in contact with the out-of-contract player over the summer and were even reported to have submitted him an offer to join the squad on Merseyside. However, the 29-year-old decided to sign for Nottingham Forest instead which turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise for Lampard.

Lingard has not registered a single goal or assist for the Tricky Trees yet, in fact, the attacking ace hasn’t scored a goal in 381 days since he struck against his former loan club West Ham United for Man United in the Premier League last September.

At Nottingham Forest, the playmaker has been a flop in his first seven appearances, creating no big chances and becoming anonymous in his position on the pitch averaging just 30.9 touches per game.

He has also proven unsuccessful in 60% of his dribble attempts and lost 64% of his duels so far.

Everton already made the mistake once of giving an opportunity to a player who has been in the spotlight for their struggles at a top six club with Dele Alli joining the club in January from Tottenham Hotspur after Lampard gave him the chance to prove himself at Goodison Park.

However, it was very quickly obvious that Alli was not going to reignite his career with Everton making a loan move to Turkish side Besiktas this summer after playing just 367 minutes for the Toffees.

Indeed, Lingard who was comedically dubbed “Mr Instagram” by former Man United full-back Paul Parker could have had a similar fate as his spell at Forest so far demonstrates.

With that being said, there is no way Lampard will be losing any sleep over Lingard’s decision to move to the Midlands instead as the recruitment at Everton has been hugely impactful and the future is looking promising for the club.

West Brom’s midweek Championship clash against Birmingham City is set to go ahead ‘as things stand’, according to reliable journalist Joe Chapman.

The Lowdown: Coventry clash postponed

The sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday has seen the weekend Premier League and EFL fixtures postponed as a mark of respect.

West Brom were due to make the trip to Coventry City on Saturday afternoon but that game will now be rearranged later on in the season.

There is a chance that matches could continue to be cancelled up until the likely funeral date of Monday 19th September, although Baggies supporters may yet get to see their team in action before then.

The Latest: Birmingham game currently on

Taking to Twitter, Chapman has claimed that Wednesday’s visit of Birmingham to The Hawthorns is currently likely to go ahead as scheduled.

Fielding queries from a supporter of the Blues, the journalist replied:

“As things stand, I expect midweek games to go ahead.”

The Verdict: Makes sense to play

There have been differing opinions on whether or not the weekend games should have been postponed, with some instead seeing it as a perfect chance for fans to have shown their respects for Queen Elizabeth II at stadia up and down the country.

While there is arguably some sense in the decision not to play the matches, it feels right that the midweek action should now go ahead, with life getting back to normal.

Other sports will take place as originally intended this weekend, from cricket to rugby union, so there seems to be little reason why football can’t return in midweek and beyond.

Everton are ready to ‘step up the interest’ in Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook. 

The lowdown: Perennial loanee

Signed for £33m from Marseille back in 2016, the Belgium international has become a perennial loanee during his time at Chelsea, making just 77 appearances in six years at the west London club.

In that time, the 28-year-old has enjoyed spells at Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Besiktas and Crystal Palace, taking his overall senior club goal tally to 136 in the process.

Having been linked with Everton earlier in the window, a well-informed onlooker has now suggested that the Toffees could be ready to make their intentions known for Batshuayi…

The latest: Everton could step up Batshuayi interest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Crook – a transfer specialist for talkSPORT – has suggested that Everton are ‘trying to’ advance their interest in the 45-cap striker.

He said: “Batshuayi has been mentioned to me with Everton as well. So, I wonder if the fact it’s gone quiet at Wolves maybe means that Frank Lampard is trying to step up the interest there.”

The verdict: Fingers crossed

Signing a player with Batshuayi’s proven goalscoring ability would be a superb acquisition for Frank Lampard, especially in light of the pair’s ‘really close relationship’, having worked together at Stamford Bridge previously.

Linked elsewhere to Valencia hitman Maxi Gomez, it now seems inevitable that Kevin Thelwell and co will attempt to add a genuine centre-forward at Goodison Park before the transfer deadline passes.

Last season, the powerful Belgian scored 14 times and provided five assists in 33 Turkish Super Lig outings whilst on loan at Besiktas, proof of a sharp eye for goal which would be of huge benefit to the Toffees’ attacking options.

Holding an estimated market value of £9m and into the final 12 months of his deal in west London (Transfermarkt), signing Batshuayi should be a wholly attainable possibility for the Goodison Park hierarchy given the 28-year-old’s absence from Chelsea’s matchday squad for their opening three league games of the season.

Arsenal could still make their move for Cody Gakpo before the summer transfer window closes on September 1st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to transfer insider and journalist Dean Jones, who delivered an update on the Gunners’ hunt for a new winger to GIVEMESPORT earlier this week.

“[Moussa] Diaby is going to be a hard one. [Bayer] Leverkusen basically just don’t want to lose him at this point, they feel like they’re going to have a good season, so I don’t think that doors going to open,” he revealed.

“Cody Gakpo is still one to look out for if they look abroad for the signing.”

The north London giants have been mooted with interest in the PSV Eindhoven star for much of the summer by the Dutch press and it’s believed that the 23-year-old would cost north of €40m (£34m).

Bye-bye Pepe

The Netherlands international would be a fine addition to Mikel Arteta’s ranks, largely because he is capable of playing multiple different roles in the attack.

Primarily a left-winger, where he has already provided three goals and two assists already this campaign, Gakpo was also tasked with leading the line on a couple of occasions in 2021/22. Overall, he delivered a whopping 21 goals and 15 assists, even taking the armband in some matches, as per Transfermarkt.

Gakpo has even revealed his admiration for the Gunners as a club, having looked up to legendary striker Thierry Henry as a kid. He too started out life as a winger before transitioning into one of the Premier League’s deadliest marksmen under Arsene Wenger.

“Everybody wants to play one time in the Prem. I don’t favour one team but I like Arsenal a lot,” he once told The Sun. “I looked up to Henry when I was younger because he was a tall guy who played on the wing.”

Meanwhile, the Dutchman’s fine form over the past 12 months has seen plenty of praise land his way – talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him “phenomenal” and “special,” whilst Telegraaf reporter Wierd Duk dubbed him an “enormous talent” on Twitter.

Arsenal’s interest in a new attacker, such as Gakpo or Diaby, surely spells trouble for club-record signing Nicolas Pepe, who has been something of a flop since Unai Emery signed him for an eye-watering £72m from Lille back in 2019. Such has been his rapid decline that he’s even been linked with the exit door.

“Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe,” the ex-Gunners boss told reporters at the time. “Signing a top-class winger has been one of our key objectives in this transfer window and I’m delighted he’s joining. He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team.”

But we’ve seen anything but that from the Ivory Coast international. It’s been only the 27 goals and 21 assists across 112 appearances (one G/A every 137 minutes) and he was limited to only five Premier League starts last season.

One particularly drab display against Newcastle saw GOAL journalist Charles Watts lambast the 27-year-old: “Nicolas Pepe’s performance, his cameo when he came on last night, was an utter disaster.

“It could well be his final game in an Arsenal shirt at the weekend.”

Well, a move for Gakpo would all but confirm this fate for the shocking Emery flop. The Dutchman, on the above evidence, would be a considerable upgrade, given just how prolific and creative he has been for PSV in the past year.

For £34m, it would be worth every penny, so technical director Edu Gaspar must now seal his signature before deadline day on September 1st.

AND in other news, Arteta could unearth Arsenal’s next Martinelli in “versatile” teen with a “big future”…

Derek Rae has dropped an update on reported Glasgow Rangers transfer target Malik Tillman.

What’s the talk?

In a number of recent posts on Twitter, the ESPN journalist revealed that, following reports linking Rangers with a move for the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder this summer, they would be willing to loan the 20-year-old out ahead of the 2022/23 campaign – something that would appear to open the door for both Ross Wilson and Giovanni van Bronckhorst to launch an offensive for the USA international.

In his tweets, Rae said: “Have had so many questions about Rangers’ interest in Bayern’s Malik Tillman, who is now committed to the USMNT rather than Germany. Reporting on this interest has so far all come from colleagues in Scotland. Nothing new from Germany.

“What we can say is that Bayern don’t feel Tillman is someone who is going to challenge for regular first-team football at the moment & a loan has been a strong possibility for a while.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how exciting a prospect Tillman undoubtedly is, Rae’s update suggesting that Bayern would be willing to allow the forward to leave the Allianz Arena on a temporary basis this summer is sure to have left Van Bronckhorst and his Rangers transfer team buzzing.

Indeed, the £1.35m-rated prospect has highly impressed throughout the various age groups in Bayern’s youth setup, scoring 15 goals and providing 10 assists over 42 appearances for the U17s, bagging 17 goals and registering 11 assists over 36 outings for the U19s and netting seven goals and providing four assists over 24 fixtures for Bayern Munich II.

These returns have seen the £5k-per-week starlet fast-tracked into Julian Nagelsmann’s first-team squad, with the 20-year-old making seven appearances for the senior side in 2021/22 – scoring one goal in the process.

Furthermore, those in the know quite clearly expect big things from Tillman in the not too distant future, with the USMNT head coach, Gregg Berhalter, stating in an interview with The Athletic of the attacking midfielder – who scored three goals in four appearances for Germany’s U21s prior to making the switch to America – earlier this year:

“I think he’s an attacking midfielder in a 3-4-2-1, he could be a pocket winger in a 4-3-3, could be a centre mid in a 4-3-3, depending on if he can get his defensive work up to it. But he’s really talented between the lines, really natural with scoring goals, good and calm around the penalty box. Good technique, good with both feet, so a really interesting player.”

As such, it is clear to see that, should Wilson and Van Bronckhorst manage to get a deal over the line for the versatile forward this summer, Rangers will have a real talent on their hands heading into their 2022/23 campaign – something that is sure to be an incredibly exciting prospect for both the Ibrox faithful and the Dutch manager alike.

AND in other news: Rangers keen on “strong” £2.5k-p/w gem with a “high ceiling”, he’s a Jack upgrade

A big update has emerged on Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s pursuit of a new striker at Ibrox in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Rangers journalist Derek Clark has revealed that the Glasgow club will complete their second summer signing “soon” after the Gers added John Souttar to their ranks.

This comes after The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell recently confirmed that Ross Wilson has agreed a fee for a new number nine. He Tweeted:

“The deal for Antonio Colak is still on but there are things that need to happen before PAOK will sanction it. Fee agreed, personal terms sorted, player wants to join as Rangers have been very keen, but PAOK need a replacement.”

Supporters will be buzzing

The Gers supporters will be buzzing with Clark’s update for multiple reasons.

Firstly, they will be delighted to finally see a piece of incoming business. Souttar is the only new arrival so far and he agreed to join the club by signing a pre-contract in January – arriving earlier this month on a free transfer from fellow Premiership side Hearts.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men kick off their league campaign later this month and fans will surely want to see the bulk of the club’s signings over the line by then. Any players coming in after that point will be thrown in at the deep end and given little time to adjust to their new team before they are tasked with performing in crucial games.

That is why Colak coming in “soon” will leave supporters buzzing as he is now set to take part in pre-season – giving him the chance to get to know his new teammates and, hopefully, play in a few friendly matches.

The fans will also be pleased with this news because the Croatian striker has the potential to be an excellent signing for the club.

He spent the first-half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan to Malmo and caught the eye with 19 goals in 40 matches for the club. The gem also scored 51 goals in 90 games for HNK Rijeka and 30 goals in 59 games for FC Nuremberg’s second team earlier in his career.

These statistics show that he has the quality to find the back of the net on a regular basis if he finds form and that is why supporters will be buzzing to learn that he is close to signing for the Light Blues.

AND in other news, Gvb plotting Rangers swoop for £1.3k-p/w gem who “rarely misses”, imagine him & Kent…

Everton journalist Christopher Beesley believes reported target Oleksandr Zinchenko could be a good fit for the Blues.

The lowdown

Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reported at the weekend that Premier League champions Manchester City are ‘prepared’ to let Zinchenko leave.

That’s because they’re targeting Brighton’s Marc Cucurella, with an ‘official bid’ for the Spaniard thought to be in the works.

He’s on ‘the list as one of the main targets’ at Goodison Park this summer, though ‘other clubs [are] also keen’.

The latest

Beesley wrote on his Twitter account that, based on his displays for Manchester City, Zinchenko ‘could be ideal in a new role if he makes a summer transfer to Everton’.

In the attached story for The Liverpool Echo, he explains that the 25-year-old could thrive in the midfield ‘engine room’ at Goodison Park.

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

The verdict

Frank Lampard wants to bolster his central midfield ranks this summer but Zinchenko would appear a surprising choice.

That’s because, of his 28 appearances for City last season, 26 came as a left-back.

But the £22.5million-rated man showed on Ukraine duty recently that he’s more than equipped to play in the middle of the park.

Operating as the LCM in a 4-1-4-1 formation in the World Cup playoff semifinal against Scotland, Zinchenko earned SofaScore’s man of the match award.

He recorded one assist, having created two big chances, won eight of the 13 duels he contested and completed 59 of his 68 passes (87%) and two of his three dribbles.

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope called it a ‘superhuman’ display, and surely it only strengthened Lampard’s desire to bring him in.

In other news, Everton have made contact over another midfield option. 

West Ham have been regularly linked with a move for Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd in recent months and if the latest reports are to be believed, he is on the brink of joining David Moyes’ side.

What’s the word?

The Moroccan centre-back has been tipped for a €40m (£34m) move to the Hammers in recent weeks and journalist Dean Jones has now claimed that the deal is in its final stages.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s almost there. They’re just ironing out the final stages of that deal now, so I think it’ll probably be announced by the end of the month. It sounds like all the other pieces are in place, they just need to get the actual finances signed off.”

Moyes’ dream?

West Ham underwent a centre-back crisis last season, with Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma all suffering long-term injuries during the campaign, with Craig Dawson often left as the sole centre-back option in Moyes’ squad.

Therefore, it was always likely that the Scottish manager would move for a new, younger centre-back this summer, with Ogbonna perhaps never likely to fully recover from an anterior cruciate injury at the age of 34.

As impressive as Dawson was last season, he recently turned 32 and West Ham need to look to the future, so the signing of a 26-year-old Aguerd makes a lot of sense.

Last season saw the Rennes defender make 31 appearances in Ligue 1, contributing two goals and two assists, averaging a solid 6.88 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The 6 foot 2 defender has regularly popped up with goals during his time in France and will undoubtedly add a new attacking threat for West Ham from corners and free-kicks, with the Hammers having scored 14 goals from set-piece situations last season.

Moyes will certainly be able to rely on the 26-year-old to be defensively sound, with WhoScored suggesting that Aguerd had only made two errors leading to shots in his last 90 games of football for Rennes and Dijon.

Therefore, with the Hammers set to splash the cash on Aguerd this summer, Moyes will be delighted that he has a new, younger centre-back to rely on next season.

And, in other news… Moyes given green light for “unbelievable”  £25m West Ham signing, it’d be a huge coup…

Everton will host Crystal Palace in their penultimate Premier League game and last home game at Goodison Park tonight and after a promising injury update has emerged, Frank Lampard has been given a huge boost ahead of the game.

Ben Godfrey has been confirmed as fit and available for selection in the final clash of the season on Merseyside against Patrick Vieira’s men, despite concern that he would not be returning this season following a serious thigh injury that has left him out of the side for weeks.

The Toffees boss gave the green light on the defender’s return in his pre-match press conference yesterday (via Liverpool Echo):

“Ben Godfrey will be in the squad. It’s a testament to him how he’s strived to get fit.”

With that being said, Lampard must unleash Godfrey back into the team against Crystal Palace to get the job done and secure not only three points but the opportunity to complete their great escape from Premier League relegation, which would be a huge achievement ahead of the last day of the campaign.

According to SofaScore, in the 6-foot centre-back’s 23 appearances in the league this season he has won the majority of both his ground and aerial duels (56%), has been successful in 75% of dribbles, making 2 tackles and 4 interceptions on average per game, proving he is one of the more solid defenders for Everton this season.

In fact, the £68k-per-week ace who was hailed “immense” and a “revelation” by professional boxer Tony Bellew, has played his part in eight of the 16 games that Everton have picked up points in this season, so he can be a real influence in securing his ninth positive result against Palace tonight.

The Toffees will travel to the Emirates on Sunday for the final game of the season against Arsenal, so should really take their chances in securing their safety at home this evening to take the pressure off the last game and keep their battle with relegation in their hands instead of having to rely on other results to save them.

AND in other news: Everton plotting swoop for 18y/o “shining light”, he can be the next Calvert-Lewin