All posts by n8rngtd.top

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has delivered a major update on Aston Villa defender Matt Targett.

What’s the story?

The left-back has been an absolute revelation for Dean Smith’s side this season, even earning suggestions over a potential call-up to the England squad.

Evans has now revealed that Villa are in talks with the 25-year-old over a new contract at the club, and that they “are committed to rewarding their best players with enhanced terms and security for the future as they look to build again for next season.”

He added: “Villa may decide to strengthen the full-back areas this summer, as both Neil Taylor and Ahmed Elmohamady are out of contract in June. Right-back Matty Cash has been impressive in his debut season, though, and talks over a new deal for him are also likely to follow in the months ahead.”

Dean Smith surely buzzing

The £35,000-a-week earner has been a bit of an unsung hero for Villa since his arrival in the Midlands, something echoed by Alan Hutton as he told Football Insider: “I think he just quietly goes about his business and you’re right, because of the other players within that squad, he probably doesn’t get the praise that he’s due this season.

“He’s definitely went under the radar but I think the proper football fans and people will see exactly what he does for the team, much like Matty Cash on the opposite side.”

After his name was being mentioned as someone who Gareth Southgate should be calling up to the England senior squad, Smith was quick to praise Villa’s Mr Reliable, saying: “Matt’s having a fantastic season – his consistency has been great. He’s getting better all of the time. He’s been one of our stand-out players this season.”

It’s exactly why news of a potential contract extension for the left-back will no doubt be music to the ears of the Villa manager.

Meanwhile, Villa boss Dean Smith should unleash this academy starlet…

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has suffered another blow ahead of the transfer window as fresh news emerges from Bodymoor Heath.

What’s the story?

Reports earlier this week had suggested that recruitment chief Rob Mackenzie was set to make the move to Bristol City, and now Villa are heading for further upheaval among the transfer committee.

Football Insider claimed that the Premier League club are planning to sack two members of their recruitment team, with long-term scouts Mick Brown and Alan Wood set to be offloaded amid a “major revamp behind the scenes”.

The report added that “Villa’s expected decision to part with senior duo Brown and Wood is a surprise given their experience and the esteem in which they are held in the industry”.

Dean Smith will be fuming

After hearing the news that Mackenzie was set to make his departure from Villa Park, and now facing up to the prospect of seeing two of his club’s most respected scouts also being let go, Smith must be fuming.

The Midlands club have just three Premier League games remaining before the end of the Premier League season, and yet here they are making some major changes to their core backroom staff right before the start of the transfer window.

More than anything, it’s the timing of these decisions which raises the most questions. Could Villa have not been more proactive and made these changes and decisions a few weeks or even months ago, knowing that this was the route they were going to embark upon going forward?

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Instead, they’ve left it all very late, and they face starting the transfer window with things up in the air. Like most if not all managers up and down the country, Smith will surely want his club’s business to get done early so that he can work with new players during pre-season and get them up and running ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League season.

Instead, Villa have suffered a setback with the culling of their recruitment team, and the pressure is very much on the remaining parties involved in the transfer process to get their act together and vindicate the decision from the club’s hierarchy.

Meanwhile, this Villa player was shocking against Everton…

A number of Aston Villa supporters have hit out at Ross Barkley on social media for his first half display against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Smith named the same side which beat Everton 2-1 last time out, with Jack Grealish unavailable for the 12th game in succession.

However, it was Barkley’s performance which had a number of Villa fans talking online, and not for the right reasons.

The 27-year-old was making his 17th Premier League start of the season and 26th appearance in all competitions during the current campaign. His display in the opening stages didn’t exactly impress some fans, though, with many venting their frustrations on Twitter.

The attacking midfielder was lining up in front of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn at Villa Park but failed to really get involved, leaving many Villa fans frustrated as he wasted a 14th-minute cross, a moment indicative of his display.

Villa fans react to Barkley’s performance

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say about the England international, with one describing his display as ‘poor’.

“Traore and Barkley really doing us no favours”

Credit: @_C45EY_

“Barkley is a waste of a man on the pitch”

Credit: @MJDodge84

“Dross Barkley strikes again”

Credit: @b0ngs12

“Traore and Barkley are so so poor”

Credit: @UTV_LC

“Can we send Barkley back now?”

Credit: @kandemanUK 

“If Barkley had just some footballing IQ”

Credit: @josh_priv3

In other news: Villa make contact for in-demand defender; report shares brilliant reason for weekend absence, find out more here. 

Southampton fans were livid with the performance of Takumi Minamino during their 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Friday night.

The Saints picked up a point against Champions League chasers Leicester despite being down to 10 men for much of the match when Jannik Vestergaard was sent off early on. James Ward-Prowse even gave the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit the lead from the penalty spot before Jonny Evans equalised in the second half.

However, despite the positive result, the fans were far from happy with the performance of £10.8m-valued Japan international Minamino (Transfermarkt). He completed a poor 58% of his attempted passes, while he won just three out of 11 duels (SofaScore). Liverpool have spoken to Ralph Hasenhuttl and co about Minamino’s lack of playing time (Hampshire Live), but they can hardly complain based on this performance.

The Southampton fans were far from happy with the former Red Bull Salzburg forward, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on his display.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Minamino below

“can he send Minamino off and do us a favour?? He might be our worst loan signing ever and we had Taider!”

Credit: @SaintStu19

“Minamino isn’t actually that good is he, would prefer to see Moussa play tbh”

Credit: @jamiepang

“Minamino offering nothing at present”

Credit: @jase1962

“Minamino clearly has talent going forward but his off the ball work rate is shocking. It’s no surprise that Klopp sent him out on loan”

Credit: @miserygutscoop

“Well no because Minamino and Redmond did absolutely nothing and didn’t have any effect on the result.”

Credit: @sfc_kristian

“Minamino 7?? He was awful!!”

Credit: @PhilWiseman1979

In other news, Southampton fans are gutted at this Hasenhuttl reveal.

West Ham United have their sights set on a new striker this summer, if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, The Irons are among several Premier League teams keeping a close eye on Young Boys forward Jean-Pierre Nsame ahead of the transfer window.

It’s claimed that the Cameroon international has emerged as a potential target for the East Londoners, though they’re likely to face competition from Newcastle United and Southampton, as well as Celtic.

Whilst no fee is mentioned in the report, Transfermarkt currently value the 27-year-old at just over £6m, with his contract due to expire in 2023.

The ‘Haller’ worry

The Hammers have been here before – a striker scoring for fun in Europe, so they must approach with caution.

Nsame has proven to be one of the most consistent goalscorers on the continent, bagging 78 goals in 120 appearances since joining the Belgian top-flight, also featuring in the Champions and Europa League, too.

That’s one goal every 1.5 matches, whilst this season alone, he has found the net 25 times in all competitions, including a pair of strikes against AS Roma, as per Transfermarkt.

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Back in 2020, the 6 foot 2 powerhouse was lauded for his ability by Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane, who told kick442:

“Jean-Pierre Nsame has had an extraordinary season. He has really progress especially in terms of taking responsibility in the team. He is very physical, with an unbelievable ability in front of goal,” claimed the 42-year-old. “He is very present in the penalty area and all the balls that come, he puts them in the back of the net, thanks to his technic and strength.”

He also went onto suggest he was “hard-working” and “not egotistical,” which only bolsters claims to sign him this summer.

However, the blunder over Sebastien Haller must be considered with any talisman overseas.

Having cost £45m in 2019, the French-born Ivory Coast international moved to Ajax in January for less than half that price (£20.2m), via Sky Sports.

After a lucrative season for Frankfurt, bagging 20 goals in all competitions, everyone at the London Stadium had every reason to be excited for his arrival but in return, he struggle to adapt to the English top-flight.

The Irons saw him score only 14 goals in 53 appearances – once every 3.7 matches – and his time will always be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Belgium’s elite division is still some way off the standard in the Premier League, and we’ve seen players like Wesley and Mbwana Samatta come over and struggle.

GSB must approach any deal here with caution, otherwise, Moyes will be left in another sticky situation.

AND in other news, Hammers dealt hammer blow amid ExWHUemployee injury update, Moyes will be gutted…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee feels his old club will be sold on the quiet in the near future.

In recent years, Mike Ashley’s attempts to sell the Premier League outfit have often been played out in the media, including last summer when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund tried to strike a takeover deal.

Ultimately, a lot of noise has been made in the past with nothing to follow. Bearing that in mind, Lee is now expecting the opposite, optimistic any potential takeover of Newcastle will be similar to that of Manchester City’s in regards to how business is conducted.

Discussing the future of Newcastle in an exclusive interview with FFC, Lee said:

“I think Newcastle will be sold on the quiet, and I hope it is. I hope we have somebody who comes in, right, then all of a sudden they’re on the verge of buying it rather than all this furore that goes on in the papers and Twitter and, you know, they’re going to buy this, they’re going to spend this money. When the guys went in at Leicester, Man City, there wasn’t a big furore about them going in at the time. They just said they bought the club.”

It remains to be seen what happens with Newcastle going forward but, with nothing to suggest that Ashley’s stance on selling the club has changed, getting relegated this season would be a disaster. Naturally, as a Premier League outfit, the Magpies are a more precious commodity, so avoiding the drop could prove significant in more ways than one.

Tottenham Hotspur are a potential destination for Premier League talisman Sergio Aguero this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Telegraph’s transfer guru Mike McGrath, who has claimed that the out-of-contract Man City star is eager to remain in England to prove himself away from the runaway league leaders.

And he’s even said to be willing to forgo Champions League football.

Both Spurs and local rivals Chelsea appear to be in the running to claim the 32-year-old forward.

Finally get Redknapp’s man?

Aguero, who has bagged 257 goals in the Premier League, made only his sixth start of the campaign at the weekend and has been heavily out-of-favour under Pep Guardiola following injury troubles.

It was announced at the end of March that the long-serving City poacher would leave the Etihad at the expiration of his current £230k-per-week contract, having originally joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

He could’ve joined Spurs back then, too as then-manager Harry Redknapp pursued his signature. It’s always been a case of ‘what might’ve been’ for the north Londoners but now they could finally get their hands on him and right their wrongs.

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In January 2011, Redknapp failed with a €45m (£38m) bid for the emerging Argentine sensation despite meeting his release clause, then within six months he was a City player and the rest was history.

Evidently, Spurs missed out on one of the greatest Premier League strikers, if not all-round players, of all-time as he has constantly delivered goals on the biggest stage, also leading the Citizens to four top-flight titles and one FA Cup.

“Aguero has conquered England. His numbers speak for themselves,” lauded Guardiola to ESPN (via Sports Illustrated). “Aguero is an extraordinary person, and we still have a month and a half to win more things and help him to score goals.”

It remains to be seen how that would’ve impacted Harry Kane’s rapid growth over the years but you can’t help but feel many were deprived of a mouthwatering partnership.

That’s something Levy can make amends for now.

Only three players have scored more goals in the Premier League than Aguero – all legends in their own right in Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.

New Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel recently dubbed him “world-class” whilst talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy claimed he was an “icon” in the Premier League and that he has been “unbelievable.”

Still valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, securing Aguero on a free transfer to play alongside or behind Kane would certainly be a masterstroke move from Daniel Levy.

He clearly has a lot to give and with that added chip on his shoulder, the 97-time Argentina international could continue to smash top-flight records and help steer Spurs back on track with their own aims and ambitions.

AND in other news, Spurs could land bargain defensive solution in “complete” 6 foot 4 monster…

Sheffield Wednesday defender Tom Lees is attracting interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who claimed in a recent post on Twitter that Huddersfield Town are considering a move for the 30-year-old in the upcoming transfer window, with the £1.98m-rated centre-back set to become a free agent upon the expiry of his contract at Hillsborough.

Nixon said: “Huddersfield: Big interest in Tom Lees. Sheff Wed defender and soon to be a free agent.”

Moore will be gutted

While Sheffield Wednesday endured something of a season to forget in the Championship, with the Owls finishing the season rock bottom of the second tier, statistically speaking, Lees was one of Darren Moore’s better players.

Over his 38 Championship appearances, the defender helped his side to keep nine clean sheets, as well as averaging 1.8 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 5.4 clearances per game. He also scored one goal and provided one assist, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.88 – ranking him as the Owls’ third-best performer in the division.

As such, potentially losing a player as solid as the £22,000-per-week Lees is likely to come as a hammer blow for the 47-year-old Sheffield Wednesday manager as he attempts to build a side capable of bouncing straight back to the Championship next season.

However, Lees does not look likely to be the only departure from Hillsborough this summer, with a number of Wednesday’s first team regulars, including the likes of Adam Reach, Barry Bannan, Joey Pelupessy and Osaze Urhoghide among many others, on contracts which expire in a matter of weeks.

It would very much appear as if Moore has a lot of work to do in the upcoming transfer window just to put a team out for the club’s league opener next season, let alone one which is capable of mounting a promotion charge.

In other news: Dom Howson drops huge Sheffield Wednesday transfer claim which will surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Leicester City have reportedly made an offer to sign Florian Thauvin, according to Estadio Deportivo.

The report claimed that the East Midlands club offered him a four-year deal and a salary of €3.5m (£3m) per season, but Thauvin has not yet made a decision over his future at Marseille.

Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma and Napoli are also closely following any further developments with the player, but it has not been ruled out that he may leave in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Leicester should sign Thauvin

Brendan Rodgers’ team could do with a player like Thauvin in their ranks in order to boost the numbers in their squad for the 2021/22 season.

The 28-year-old has a lot of pedigree in the beautiful game, having won the World Cup with France back in 2018. He has been enjoying a good campaign so far, with no fewer than eight goals and a further nine assists in 37 games across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Football legend Paolo Maldini described him as a ‘high level’ player back in November of last year, which is noteworthy praise given the Italian’s glittering CV.

Currently rated at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, the French winger is certainly a player who the Foxes should be looking at signing come the end of the season.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ ace Leicester are eyeing!

Roy Keane is thought to be back in the running to take over at Celtic, with the stalling move for Eddie Howe causing a U-turn in the Bhoys boardroom.

That’s according to a ‘behind the scenes’ report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that the Irishman has growing support from within the boardroom and is becoming more prominent in the thoughts of the hierarchy.

Keane feared he had been overlooked by Celtic despite talks with the club, but it seems as if he is now back in the frame.

The report suggests that the Hoops hierarchy feel they need a new manager with a strong personality to rebuild a broken team and compete with Rangers, while the faltering move for Howe has also led to a rethink.

Transfer Tavern take

To us, appointing Keane as Celtic’s new manager would be a huge risk. The 49-year-old has been out of the managerial game for over ten years – with his experience in the dugout since then coming as assistant to both Martin O’Neill and Paul Lambert with Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest respectively.

Howe is another man in the Celtic picture along with Keane, and to us, the Englishman would be a better option, as he proved with Bournemouth that he can rebuild a side, taking them from League Two to the Premier League in the space of six seasons.

Howe also has over 350 games more as a manager than Keane and has been out of work for less than a year, so not only is he the fresher and more current manager, he is also actually more experienced as well.

In other news: Premier League club mandate agents to work on signing Celtic star, find out more here.