All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of Rangers supporters have been reacting to Ianis Hagi’s social media post after his much-needed return to first-team action.

Steven Gerrard’s side haven’t had things all their own way this season, with plenty of good results achieved but also a few more clouds than last term’s resounding success, particularly in Europe.

The Gers clinched a 2-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish League Cup in midweek, however, with Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos scoring the goals.

It was Hagi who helped change the game, coming on at half-time and producing an influential performance, having been missing through illness in recent weeks.

The Romanian took to Twitter on Thursday to reveal his happiness at being back in the fold and he is sure to be a key player for Gerrard in the coming weeks and months.

Rangers fans react to Hagi post

These Rangers fans reacted to Hagi’s update on Twitter, with supporters ‘delighted’ by his return.

“My boy back balling man, what a feeling”

Credit: @PipoSilvia

“Well played Ianis. You made the difference”

Credit: @Roderic49819096

“The man”

Credit: @AndrewGrimshaw_

“King”

Credit: @JAndersonRFC

“Fantastic display last night . Got to be in that starting 11 from now on”

Credit: @kilcoyne_brian

“Delighted that you are back”

Credit: @AlanC_44

“Superb Ianis just shows how integral you are too the team , keep it going young man”

Credit: @Aldolees1872

“Hagi you will always be my favourite player”

Credit: @WeirThom

In other news, Rangers have suffered a potential big injury setback. Read more here.

Manchester United will be able to call upon the services of new signing Cristiano Ronaldo when they take on Newcastle United next weekend.

The Red Devils will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten start to the new campaign when Steve Bruce’s charges visit Old Trafford next Saturday, and Ronaldo’s availability should certainly aid them in their mission to do just that.

What’s the word?

After picking up a yellow card for removing his shirt while celebrating his record-breaking winner in Portugal’s 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in midweek, the 36-year-old is suspended for his nation’s encounter with Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

As a result, Portugal head coach Fernando Santos released the player on Thursday in order to help him accelerate his move to United, freeing him up to return to England earlier than initially expected.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side applied for an “elite sport exemption” on Ronaldo’s behalf but the government rejected it, according to The Times, so he will have to isolate for five days and return a negative virus test before being allowed out of quarantine.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was greeted by former team-mate turned technical director Darren Fletcher at Manchester Airport on Friday, allowing him plenty of time to train with his new team-mates before their next fixture.

Solskjaer will be absolutely delighted

News that Ronaldo should be available to face Newcastle for his second Old Trafford debut will leave Solskjaer feeling absolutely delighted.

Despite United picking up seven points from a possible nine in the opening weeks of the new Premier League season, the addition of a legendary striker who has scored 674 clubs goals in 895 appearances will always be welcomed.

Solskjaer’s biggest decision may be who partners Ronaldo in attack. Mason Greenwood has done a fabulous job leading the line so far, scoring three goals in as many top-flight games, so he’s likely to keep his place in the starting XI.

That could see Jadon Sancho sacrificed after his underwhelming performance against Wolves last time out, although he’ll be hoping to bounce back with a positive display next time out.

In other news… Man Utd eyeing “exceptional” £22.5m-rated beast, he’s an upgrade on McTominay & Fred 

Adam Pope has delivered his verdict on Leeds United starlet Jamie Shackleton, and has tipped him to have a “big impact” this season in the Premier League.

What’s the story?

The 21-year-old has made a couple of appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the top-flight, but the only game that he has started came in the Carabao Cup second round clash against Crewe when he played the full 90 minutes.

Now, in response to a fan’s tweet about this season being a break-out one for Shackleton, Pope delivered his take on the young midfielder.

He said: “Thing is he’s made 60 plus appearances so he’s never been far away from it under Marcelo. If he has better luck with injuries he could continue to have a big impact.”

Up to Bielsa now

Yet to make a start in the Premier League this season, Shackleton’s chances of doing so were boosted earlier in the summer when Leeds opted against signing a new central midfielder, or at least failing to do so.

The 21-year-old is one of the players who should benefit hugely from that decision, and while he’s yet to really make his mark on the first-team just yet, it’s not because his manager doesn’t rate him.

In fact, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Southampton in the Premier League last season, Bielsa said: “I believe in Shackleton as an important alternative for Leeds United. He’s in a similar process to that of Pascal (Struijk).

“The only thing is that Pascal has a continuity that Shackleton hasn’t been able to have. I consider him a player that I can trust and I’m satisfied with what he has brought to the team. Apart from that, he is a very serious player, very applied and very conscious of what is needed to play at this level.”

And, speaking after his cameo in the 5-0 win over West Brom earlier last year, the Leeds boss said of the 21-year-old: “Good organisation, energetic, he’s quick, he can surprise opponents, plays in a position which has many varieties as a box-to-box midfielder.”

But as always, actions speak louder than words, and while Bielsa may publicly voice his approval of Shackleton, the only real way he can show that is by giving him the opportunities to start in the Premier League.

With no new central midfielder arriving at Elland Road over the summer, the Leeds boss now has the perfect chance to finally unleash Shackleton.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United transfer target is now set for contract talks…

Chelsea will be without new signing Romelu Lukaku against Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, according to The Athletic.

And, as to be expected, the forward’s expected Stamford Bridge absence has had a lot of Palace fans talking on social media.

The Blues announced the arrival of the Belgium superstar on Thursday evening in a deal worth £97.5m.

He returns to Chelsea after leaving for Everton back in 2014 and has signed a five-year deal with the Champions League winners.

Patrick Vieira will take charge of Palace for the first time competitively against Thomas Tuchel’s side, who look set to be without Lukaku.

David Ornstein suggested that Lukaku’s second Chelsea debut could come against Arsenal on August 22 but he is not available for the opener against Palace.

Palace fans react

The news of Lukaku’s absence against the Eagles caught the attention of these Palace fans on social media. This is what some had to say in reply…

“Thank you god”Credit: @CpfcDan_”Romelu Lukaku won’t be available for Chelsea against Palace this weekend, which is nice.”Credit: @HLTCO”Nice relief, still a tough job”Credit: @andy_lobo”Cheers”Credit: @DSBme2020″Good.”Credit: @joe_cpfc_01″He was scared of being shown up by the king”Credit: @Adam_Palace

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Oh boy’ – Lots of Palace fans go wild as ‘massive’ news is confirmed. 

Former Leeds United player David Norris believes captain Liam Cooper brings more than just his qualities on the pitch to the club.

Manager Marcelo Bielsa got the Yorkshire outfit playing some really good football last season, with Leeds finishing the season strongly, winning four of their last five Premier League matches.

Liam Cooper was instrumental for Leeds last season featuring in 26 games in all competitions, with David Norris believing the captain brings more than just his qualities on the pitch.

He told Football FanCast: “I think with him, he’ll bring more than just what he can do on the pitch. He’s the captain, he’ll be great around the club, he’ll be great in the changing room bringing the lads together. So I think it comes down to more than just his out and out right ability on the pitch.”

Cooper obviously did help bring everyone together and create a good camaraderie around the dressing room, as Leeds enjoyed a brilliant first season back in the Premier League.

The Elland Road outfit finished ninth, just eight points off the final Champions League spot, which was occupied by Chelsea and scored 62 goals in the process.

After a good campaign last season, Leeds will be hoping to push on this upcoming season and their preparations got off to the best possible start as young Leeds team, ran out 3-2 victors against Guiseley on Tuesday night, before a stronger team drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers the following evening.

Birmingham City are interested in a deal to bring Brandon Baiye to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Mike McGrath, with The Telegraph journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that the Blues have submitted an enquiry regarding the availability of the Clermont Foot defensive midfielder ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

McGrath goes on to claim that 2. Bundesliga side Hamburg have also registered their interest in the 20-year-old with the Ligue 1 side, however, it is not said whether Clermont would be willing to discuss a deal – be that temporary or permanent – for the Belgium U21 international this summer.

In his tweet, McGrath said: “Birmingham have enquired over Belgium Under-21 midfielder Brandon Baiye, 20, at Clermont. Bundesliga2 club Hamburg have also shown interest.”

Fans will be buzzing

Having already secured a number of impressive loan and permanent signings in the summer transfer window, with the likes of Jordan Graham, Chuks Aneke and Ryan Woods joining on free transfers and Dion Sanderson, Juan Familia-Castillo and Tahith Chong arriving on temporary deals, the news that Lee Bowyer does not appear to be finished with his summer transfer business just yet is sure to have Birmingham fans buzzing.

Indeed, despite his tender age, the £315k-rated man impressed over his 28 2. Liga appearances while on loan at SC Austria Lustenau last season, scoring four goals and registering three assists for the Austrian side.

As such, despite predominantly being a defensively-minded player, it is obvious from his returns that the midfielder also possesses a keen eye for goal, as well as being useful from a creative perspective.

Furthermore, with defensive midfield being an area of the pitch in which Lee Bowyer lacks a bit of depth, the addition of Baiye ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign would appear to solve this particular problem for the 44-year-old in the short term, as well as the Belgian seeming to boast a considerable amount of potential for the future.

So, while Baiye may be something of an unknown quantity to many Blues fans, considering how well things have gone for Bowyer at St. Andrew’s thus far, it would seem wise for the club’s fanbase to once again place their trust in the 44-year-old’s judgement regarding the Clermont starlet.

In other news: BCFC confirm transfer development on “superb” £135k-rated beast, Bowyer surely buzzing

Speaking on live TV (via Football Daily), Sky Sports have now dropped a Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma.

The Lowdown: Spurs in centre-back chase…

It has been reported that Spurs are looking into signing another defender this summer even after completing a deal for 2020/2021 Serie A MVP award-winning defender Cristian Romero.

Claims emerged earlier this week of their renewed interest and contacts for Takehiro Tomiyasu, with managing director Fabio Paratici eager to land another defensive option for Nuno Espirito Santo.

They have also been in talks to sign Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic (Sky Sports), with Sky now bringing news as Spurs eye another West Ham United target.

The Latest: Sky drop live TV claim involving Zouma and Spurs…

As per the broadcast giant, via Football Daily’s post, Tottenham are now interested in signing Zouma this summer as they bring a transfer update out of N17.

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

“Tottenham are interested in signing Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma,” Sky explained.

“He’s one of a number of defenders the club are looking at.”

The Frenchman now joins a growing list of Spurs transfer targets for the central defensive area as Paratici eyes yet more reinforcements to protect goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

The Verdict: Great option, but unlikely…

Lauded as a ‘beast of a player’ by Premier League legend John Terry (Instagram Live via Tribuna), Zouma arguably has the ability to succeed at Tottenham.

Standing at a lofty 6 foot 3, the 26-year-old averaged a higher pass accuracy (90.9%) than any Spurs player in the English top flight last year – highlighting his real composure passing out from the back (WhoScored).

However, Chelsea and Tottenham’s unwillingness to do business is well documented so it is difficult to see this transfer coming off as a result.

In other news: 66-cap ace pushed closer to leaving Tottenham, Nuno leaves him out of ECL squad…find out more here.

West Ham United are lining up a move to bring Ike Ugbo to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Belgian publication Het Belang van Limburg (via Sport Witness), who claimed that West Ham and Fulham have joined the race to sign the Chelsea centre-forward in the summer transfer window, with Genk, Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven also believed to be keen on the 22-year-old.

Fabrizio Romano had reported earlier this week that Genk were leading the race to sign the former England under-20 international this summer, and with the latest update claiming that Ugbo would prefer regular playing time over a contract on a large amount of money, it seems as if the Belgian club could still be in pole position for the transfer.

Either way, HBVL report that it would cost between €3m (£2.5m) and €5m (£4.3m) plus a percentage of the fee received for his future sale in order to get a deal over the line for the striker this summer, something which should be easily affordable for a Europa League club such as the Hammers.

Fans surely buzzing

While convincing Ugbo of a switch to West Ham may be a tricky task this summer, to hear that David Moyes is targeting such a young and exciting player to finally fill the gap in his attacking options left by Sebastien Haller’s January sale is sure to have fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 32 Jupiler Pro League appearances while on loan at Cercle Brugge last season, the £38,000-per-week forward scored a remarkable 16 goals, along with taking 1.8 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £4.05m-rated man earn an impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.79, ranking him as the club’s eighth-best performer in the Belgian top flight.

The man the Belgian media dubbed a “decisive” player also returned decent numbers over 28 appearances in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie during a loan spell at Roda JC back in 2019/20, bagging 13 goals and registering three assists in the second tier of Dutch football.

As such, while the 22-year-old does not have much experience at the top level of the English game, it would nevertheless seem that Ugbo knows how to find the back of the net in whichever team, league or country he happens to be playing his football, obviously a very attractive trait to have as a centre-forward.

If West Ham were to get a deal over the line for the Chelsea youngster ahead of next season, we would not bet against him going on to once again return decent numbers at the London Stadium; and with the forward available for a fee of less than £5m, he would certainly appear a risk worth taking for GSB this summer.

In other news: Moyes dealt major blow in talks with £10m goal machine, West Ham fans will be gutted

After a prolonged managerial search, it appears that Daniel Levy is finally set to land his man with Nuno Espirito Santo expected to be appointed sometime this week, but former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey doesn’t believe he is good enough.

Nuno left his previous position at Molineux through mutual consent and after being linked with the Everton and Crystal Palace jobs, his agent Jorge Mendes appears to have landed him potentially the biggest of his managerial career.

It would be safe to say that Nuno was certainly not Tottenham’s first choice managerial appointment to finally replace his fellow countryman Jose Mourinho, but after rejections and breakdowns in talks, Levy could be set to hire his second successive Portuguese manager.

It is set to be a huge rebuild job at Tottenham over the next 12 months at least and when asked if Nuno would be the right man for the job, Howey was not too confident in the Portuguese’s ability as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Without being disrespectful, no I don’t think so. Nuno did really well at Wolves but the rumours you hear are that he’s very difficult to work with.”

It is a massive call from Levy who is under a huge amount of pressure after he sacked fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino for Mourinho, who failed to deliver a trophy, as well as his role in the European Super League which angered fans up and down the country.

Nuno enjoyed two very successful seasons in the Premier League with Wolves as he finished seventh in both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, but last year saw his side become very stale and an apparent lack of ideas on the pitch.

Ex-Everton forward Joshua King would be a “massive signing” for Crystal Palace, claims the club’s former player Marcus Bent.

King is a free agent after leaving Goodison Park last month and has been touted with a move to Selhurst Park in the past.

The Sunday Mirror (via The Boot Room) reported last year that Palace were interested in signing King, though nothing happened in the end, with the 29-year-old remaining at Bournemouth before eventually joining Everton.

Another opportunity has presented itself, however, following his Everton exit. And Bent believes if Palace end up getting a deal done this time round, it could be massive.

“A player that has talent,” the ex-Palace forward said in an exclusive interview with TT. “Is Palace the right move for him from Everton? I think it would be a massive signing for Crystal Palace.

“Would it be the move he wants? I’m not sure, but it’d literally get him playing and get his confidence up. He’d be playing with a team that’s fired up, new manager [Patrick] Vieira coming in, still in the Premier League.”

King made very little impact at Everton, failing to score a single goal. However, his record with Bournemouth in the Premier League is far from terrible.

The Norway international managed to score 48 goals in 161 appearances so, on a free transfer, perhaps he is a player Vieira should be looking at.