All posts by z3u9t.icu

Ryan Christie’s time at Celtic ended when supporters presumably wish it hadn’t.

If you asked Hoops fans whether they wanted the Scottish attacker to leave Parkhead behind this summer, they’d have driven him to the nearest airport swiftly.

However, when he did finally take his leave in August, they would have been lusting after a contract extension.

That’s because Christie’s form in the early exchanges of the campaign had been superb.

He was front and central to Ange Postecoglou’s swashbuckling attacking play and he was now a player to rave about again.

The Scot scored a tremendous header against Jablonec in the Europa League and then picked up three wonderful assists in the 6-0 rout of Dundee.

His form on that day was mind-blowingly good, nutmegging defenders, Cruyff turning others and then sliding in incredibly well-disguised reverse balls.

It was a performance that was in stark contrast to last year. During Neil Lennon’s final tenure at Paradise, Christie was hopeless.

He was played out of position on the right-hand side and as a consequence, his attacking qualities waned.

The 26-year-old found the net on 13 fewer occasions than he had in 2019/20 which led to fan criticism.

Hounded for a nasty habit of long-range shots, he was described as a “laughing stock” by Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-celtic-news-duffy-mccarthy-brady-knockaert” title= “Read the latest Celtic news!”]

Based on that, it was hardly a surprise that the attacking midfielder decided to exit Glasgow.

It was time for a change and a fresh start elsewhere so with six months left on his contract, he followed Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard south of the border.

He joined Bournemouth for a cut-price fee and he is now beginning to shine in the second tier of English football.

Christie recorded his first assists since that win over Dundee on Saturday as he turned in a creative masterclass for his new club, Bournemouth.

The Cherries took on Luton, a team Olivier Ntcham found joy against last week, and they won 2-1.

Celtic’s former player was simply outstanding during the clash, supplying both of his team’s goals on the way to a match-winning performance.

Bizarrely, it came on the right wing, a position the Scotland international had flattered to deceive in last season.

Yet, this time around, he had a swagger to his play, creating plenty of chances and completing 93% of his passes.

He provided three crosses from wide areas and also triumphed in 75% of his defensive duels.

With Celtic enduring their worst start to a season for 23 years, they clearly miss him. Displays like this in England won’t help either.

AND in other news, Forget Brady: Celtic must swoop for £5.4m-rated machine who can “sprint like Mbappe”…

Dean Windass has urged Marcelo Bielsa to sign a striker to help Patrick Bamford with the workload before the window shuts at 11pm, following the deadline day addition of Dan James from Manchester United.

Bamford, who scored his first Premier League goal of the season to rescue a point at Burnley on Sunday, has started all of Leeds’ 41 league fixtures since their promotion back to the top-flight.

But should the former Chelsea youngster get injured, it would leave Rodrigo as Bielsa’s only senior striker – and he’s scored just seven times in 31 appearances across all competitions since making the big-money switch from Valencia last summer, three of which have come this season.

Leeds are winless from their opening three matches this term, collecting just two points from a possible nine available, but aren’t short of goals having scored four times.

However, after predicting a more difficult second season for Bamford, Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that another frontman is badly needed for the Elland Road outfit:

“I would like to see Leeds sign a big striker or a goalscorer, no disrespect to Bamford, but it’ll be a tough season for him if he’s up there on his own, because he works his socks off.”

Leeds United could sign an ideal Kalvin Phillips alternative in Spurs’ Harry Winks amid David Norris’ recent transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The Athletic’s Phil Hay had recently revealed that Marcelo Bielsa’s side rejected the opportunity to bring the England international to Elland Road on loan this season, but Norris believes that the midfielder would have been a success with the Whites.

The former Leeds midfield exclusively told Football FanCast: “I think so yeah, he’s a quality player and we’ve said before that Leeds need a little bit more back-up in that area and with what he’s done at Spurs I would have thought that would have been a good fit, a good move.”

Kalvin Phillips alternative

The £18m-rated ace has previously drawn rave reviews from his former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino about his style of play, with the Argentine even comparing him to a couple of Spanish icons.

The current Paris Saint-Germain coach said: “Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player. His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta, he’s like this type of player. He has this capacity but he needs to take my words in a very positive way — he needs a lot of work.”

While that Xavi comparison certainly seems far-fetched given how the Spurs midfielder’s career has stalled, Winks still hasn’t lost his calmness in possession and has averaged a superb career passing accuracy of 89.4% – better than any Leeds player who featured for more than 90 minutes last season aside from the rarely-used Jamie Shackleton.

Former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson has previously suggested that Winks could be a superb alternative to Phillips.

He said: “One player I would love to see at Leeds in the Kalvin Phillips role is Harry Winks. He’s not been given his opportunity at Spurs, I think he is a fantastic player. Not only can he do the Phillips role, he can play in midfield as well,

“Someone with Winks’ quality would really add something to that Leeds side. He is able to play more advanced but can do the Phillips role when he’s not available. I would love to see Winks at Elland Road next season.”

Dean Windass has also previously thrown his weight behind a potential Leeds move for Winks, saying that Bielsa’s coaching ability could be exactly what Winks needs.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think if Bielsa does stay and brings in his own players, they will be a top four or top six side, and Harry Winks could get into any of them teams. He’s Bielsa’s sort of player.”

If there’s an opportunity for the Whites go back in for him in January, then they should certainly do so.

Meanwhile, this Leeds ace has seen his market value decrease dramatically…

An update has emerged on Leeds target Matheus Cunha, regarding his thoughts on a move to Elland Road.

What’s the talk?

According to German outlet Berliner Kurier, via Tribal Football, Hertha Berlin midfielder Matheus Cunha has been ‘flirting’ with Leeds throughout the transfer window.

Leeds, Monaco, Napoli and Inter are all said to be interested in the Brazilian, who is expected to leave the Bundesliga club before the end of the month.

Bielsa will be delighted

This comes as a boost to Leeds as it seems to suggest that the midfielder is open to a move to Elland Road. If he is flirting with the Lillywhites ahead the likes of Monaco, Inter and Napoli then that could them a major boost should it come down to Leeds fighting those clubs for his signature. He seemingly prefers a move to Elland Road over France or Italy and this could give Leeds the edge over their rivals.

Marcelo Bielsa will, therefore, be delighted as this news could increase his side’s chances of being able to land the attacker. The Argentine coach will be over the moon as Cunha could be a terrific addition to Leeds’ squad and add another talented forward to the ranks, given his form for Hertha last term.

Former Hertha head coach Bruno Labbadia said that he has something special, as he has the quality to create magical moments. He said: “Matheus has something special. He can always produce something with a moment of individual brilliance.”

He backed that up with his performances in the Bundesliga last season. The 22-year-old provided seven goals and four assists in 25 starts for the German side, averaging a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.33.

This shows that he was able to consistently deliver high-end displays for Hertha, whilst also chipping in with goals and assists from the midfield position.

If he can translate that over to the Premier League, Bielsa would love to have him in his squad as he is reliable and can add an extra goal threat to his side, alongside the likes of Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford and Raphinha.

It will now be down to Victor Orta to ensure that he can get a deal over the line before the end of the window to take advantage of the maestro’s flirtations with the club.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Raphinha: Leeds must land “unplayable” beast to seal terrifying attack…

Following Rangers’ Champions League exit against Malmo earlier this month, it was perhaps always likely that some of the top performers in Steven Gerrard’s side would attract interest from elsewhere, with recent reports claiming that the Gers have rejected three bids for Ianis Hagi.

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers have rejected separate bids from Sevilla, Lazio and Galatasaray for the Romania international, who won the Light Blues’ Young Player of the Year award last season after a string of impressive performances for Gerrard’s side.

The 22-year-old only joined Rangers from Genk on a permanent deal worth £3m last summer following an impressive loan spell at Ibrox, yet he has regularly been linked with a move away this summer, even before the Gers’ defeat against Malmo which cost them a potential spot in the Champions League group stage.

The Scottish Sun included a report from Fanatik which details Galatasaray’s bid for the winger and claims that Rangers value Hagi at around £9.3m this summer.

Could Hagi leave?

Although Rangers fans may be keen to see Hagi stay at the club this summer, it has been widely reported that the Gers need to raise money through player sales in the near future, especially after missing out on the reported £40m bonus of reaching the Champions League group stage. That could leave fans worried that the 22-year-old could be dispensed with, especially if he keeps attracting transfer offers.

Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent are regarded as the most valuable players in Gerrard’s squad and have regularly been linked with moves to Porto and Leeds United respectively, but if both were to remain at Ibrox, then you would imagine that Hagi could be one of the likeliest candidates to leave.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Gerrard is a big fan of the Romanian, dubbing him an “outstanding talent” after he inspired Rangers to a comeback win against Braga in the 2019/20 campaign. However, if the youngster is keen on a move away from Ibrox, perhaps the Gers may be forced to sell him in order to balance the books this summer, which would surely frustrate the Rangers boss.

In other news… Rangers dealt transfer blow with “exceptionally good” beast, Gerrard must be gutted

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Lee Buchanan to the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Dane Murphy’s second bid for the Derby County left-back has been rejected by the Rams.

Nixon continues by stating that the offer was much improved on the initial proposal, however, it that it still fell some way short of an amount that would see Wayne Rooney’s side consider parting with the 20-year-old this summer.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Forest. New and improved bid for Lee Buchanan. Derby said no. Latest package definitely better but not yet enough.”

Murphy masterclass

While Murphy has not been Nottingham Forest’s CEO for a great deal of time whatsoever, if the American can manage to convince the club’s fiercest of rivals to part with one of their most promising talents ahead of next season, it would undeniably be something of a masterclass by the chief executive.

Indeed, the left-back demonstrated a significant amount of promise over his 35 Championship appearances for Derby last season, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 2.3 clearances and winning 6.1 duels per game.

The £2.25m-rated man also chipped in for his side going forwards, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.4 key passes per match.

These returns saw the man Rooney dubbed a “top player” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.67, something that would have undoubtedly been higher if the Rams had not lost a total of 24 league games last term.

Furthermore, with Forest currently lacking depth at left-back, not only would the addition of Buchanan be an incredibly exciting signing, it would also solve one of Chris Hughton’s major squad issues.

As such, it is easy to see why Murphy appears so keen to land the £390-per-week starlet this summer, although whether or not the CEO manages to convince Derby to sell remains to be seen.

In other news: Murphy must avoid unforgivable Forest transfer disaster over “unbelievable” dynamo

Liverpool are hopeful of seeing off interest in Jordan Henderson and tying him down to a new contract, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

Romano wrote in his Benchwarmers column that the Reds are facing an ‘issue’ with their skipper because ‘there is no agreement so far’ on a new deal. There are apparently ‘many clubs abroad’ who ‘appreciate’ the Englishman, but his current employers ‘still hope to convince him to renew’.

The Athletic has previously named Paris Saint-Germain and reigning La Liga champions Atletico Madrid as admirers of the 31-year-old midfielder, who has made almost 400 appearances for the Reds in ten years at the club.

Henderson is into the final two years of his existing contract at Anfield. He has led the club to their first-ever Premier League title and also lifted the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies.

He has also shown tremendous leadership off the pitch by contacting fellow Premier League captains to organise a fund in support of NHS key workers during the early months of the global pandemic last year.

However, Henderson’s injury record does make for concerning reading. In the last five seasons, the Englishman has been sidelined for a total of 53 matches.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed Romano’s update, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Liverpool fans unhappy with Jordan Henderson situation

“Funny he stood up to the Yanks over the Super League and now he’s been shifted on”

Credit: @boydothewise

“Come on both sides here – get it signed………..you know it makes sense.”

Credit: @Yardie742

“Come on, give Henderson a decent contract Liverpool FC owners!”

Credit: @leroypowellsnr

“Crazy that we’ll let our captain leave”

Credit: @tartanmarvel89

“Just crazy that this is even happening”

Credit: @Pramz

“Yes they need to, because we haven’t heard anything about our captain’s contract”

Credit: @shaquur31

In other news, many Reds fans flocked to this Romano update on a potential incoming.

According to a report by The Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici is quite an admirer of Sassuolo defender Mert Muldur, with the Italian hatching a summer transfer plan.

The Lowdown: Paratici job…

The 48-year-old has garnered a reputation for facilitating eye-grabbing transfer deals, which includes signing Cristiano Ronaldo for former club Juventus (The Daily Mail).

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy hailed Paratici as a ‘tough negotiator’ upon his official appointment by the club and it’s safe to say that his arrival has prompted many links to Serie A players.

Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Insigne and Leonardo Bonucci are just some names from the Italian top flight who have been linked with Spurs, with another now emerging.

The Latest: Paratici ready to pursue Muldur

As per The Daily Mail, Paratici is now personally ‘ready to pursue’ Turkey international Muldur. It is claimed that the Spurs chief is an admirer of the 22-year-old as he attracts interest from numerous Premier League clubs.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-4/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, Tottenham are among the clubs ‘plotting a move’ for the right-back alongside London rivals West Ham United.

Spurs have been linked with signing a new full-back, with Serge Aurier seeming likely to leave this summer.

The Verdict: Good move?

A relatively unknown quantity, Muldur got his chance on the big stage for Turkey at Euro 2020, where he managed two appearances under national team manager Şenol Güneş.

At club level, he started 18 Serie A games for Sassuolo last season whilst making the joint-third most tackles per match out of the entire squad (WhoScored).

The 1.88m (6 foot 2) powerhouse is valued at around £8.1m by Transfermarkt and much could depend on how much his club demand this summer.

A fee around this valuation could be fruitful, but if Sassuolo play hardball, we believe Paratici certainly shouldn’t waste time and must instead move on to targets.

In other news: Spurs frontrunners to sign ‘absolutely sensational’ player with Nuno set for final call, find out more here.

The Celtic Way journalist Anthony Haggerty believes that Liverpool defender Ben Davies would “thrive” at Celtic.

According to the Daily Mail, Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is keen on bringing the Reds centre-back to Glasgow this summer less than six months after he made the switch to Anfield on Deadline Day in January.

Davies was signed by Jurgen Klopp in a desperate attempt to solve some of Liverpool’s defensive problems after long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip.

However, whilst the 25-year-old was on the bench on several occasions, the ex-Preston defender could leave Merseyside without playing a single minute during his short stay with Liverpool.

Celtic and then manager Neil Lennon were close to bringing Davies to Paradise back in the January window, but were pipped by Klopp’s team right at the last.

But with Davies still out of favour at Liverpool, the Hoops are looking to bring him to Parkhead on loan for the season as they try to bolster their defensive department.

And Haggerty told Football FanCast that the defender would be a success in Scotland:

“A player like Ben Davies, having not played so much at Liverpool, could come up here and thrive and enjoy it. The adulation you get up here is incredible. I think someone like Ben Davies could fit the bill for Celtic.”

“The freight train has arrived!” screamed BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce as the ever willing and relentless Everton target Denzel Dumfries scored for the Netherlands last week.

Former Toffees striker Romelu Lukaku may have caught the eye at Euro 2020 with his goals and Raheem Sterling with his infectious attitude but no player has arguably won more hearts than Dumfries, a player who could be arriving at Goodison Park this summer.

The rampant Dutch full-back exited the tournament after his country lost to the Czech Republic a matter of days ago but he excelled in remarkable fashion, catching the eyes of the top brass at Everton.

He was lung-busting in his pursuit of the ball down the right-hand side, battering attacking players into the middle of Qatar 2022 and dominating defensive lines.

Dumfries will have many suitors after the European Championships and his PSV release clause of €15m (£13m) is sure to attract plenty as well.

One of the clubs reportedly chasing his signature are Everton, now under the watchful eyes of Rafa Benitez.

The Spaniard will find it difficult to win over a portion of the Goodison Park faithful who despise him due to his Liverpool allegiances.

Despicable signs of protests have been hung outside the 61-year-old’s house and he will have to go some distance to win them over.

One way he can do so is by acting shrewdly in the transfer market and signing the monstrous presence of Dumfries.

He is one of the most striking defenders in European football, combining immense physical robustness with defensive solidity and ruthless attacking.

The right-back scored twice during the competition and earned plenty of plaudits. Journalist James Benge called him “thrilling” while former Hull player, David Meyler, said Dumfries had been “unbelievable” in every game.

It’s hard to disagree with those assessments. The defender won three aerial duels and made 1.3 tackles per game for the Netherlands at Euro 2020.

For context, only one full-back in the entire tournament has been better aerially than the 25-year-old.

Dumfries also produced 1.5 shots per game, while he was fouled on 1.8 occasions per match, a remarkable tally for somebody playing in his position.

A quick look at his heat map (via SofaScore) from the competition tells you just how high up the pitch he plays with the vast majority of his touches and running coming in the final third.

Benitez will have plenty of targets in mind but he must ensure Dumfries tops the list.

With Seamus Coleman’s contract due to expire in a year’s time, the Toffees will need another right-back to slot in on that third of the pitch anyway.

AND in other news, Everton submit bid to sign 96-cap ace with “immense talent”, it’s Rafa’s first mistake…