All posts by h716a5.icu

Upon signing for Manchester United in 2016, there was hope that Eric Bailly could have been the defensive colossus for which the Red Devils were striving.

However, it has not panned out that way for the Ivorian at Old Trafford, with his transfer valuation now the lowest it has ever been since he arrived in Manchester.

Initially when he arrived at the club under Portuguese Jose Mourinho from Spanish outfit Villarreal, the then 22-year-old was rated at £18m by Transfermarkt.

As he established himself within the Red Devils setup with an impressive debut campaign, that rating shot up to its peak of £31.5m at the start of 2018.

However, a combination of poor form, injury woes and new signings have all seen Bailly fall down the pecking order at Old Trafford and consequently seen his valuation slide all the way down to its current level of £13.5m – an £18m decrease on its peak.

Since his first season at the club, the centre-back has not played more than 20 matches in all competitions during a single campaign – only taking to the pitch on 11 occasions during the 2019/20 season.

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The 36-cap international now seems highly unlikely to improve on those numbers, with the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof being Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-choice pairing, whilst the Norwegian is also reportedly keen to bring in a new centre-back during the transfer window.

This would, of course, be bad news for Bailly as he gets pushed even further down the pecking order despite Solskjaer recently praising his “immense” performances.

Considering that he is now meant to be entering his peak, the defender’s lack action on the pitch and his perennially falling transfer rating both suggest otherwise.

Once again, it is not the trajectory that Bailly would have envisaged when he swapped the Estadio de la Cerámica for Old Trafford in 2016.

AND in more news, take a look at which European hotshot could replace Edinson Cavani at Old Trafford…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been handed a worrying update over the fitness of forward Anthony Martial as attention turns back to club football this weekend.

The striker had previously sustained a knee injury in France’s second match of the international break, eventually being substituted in Les Blues’ 2-0 win against Kazakhstan on Sunday.

There was fleeting hope from manager Didier Deschamps that he would be fit enough to feature again versus Bosnia and Herzegovina with the 52-year-old suggesting that any serious problem had been “dismissed”.

Nevertheless, Martial was not included in his nation’s most recent squad, not even afforded a place on the bench, plunging his inclusion for the Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend into severe doubt.

Despite having not quite hit his best form this season, with just seven goals and eight assists in all competitions, the Frenchman is still key for Solskjaer.

Having played in 36 matches in all competitions this season, only Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have topped his total 15 direct goal contributions this season so he is likely to be a bigger miss than first considered.

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As a matter of fact, former Red Devils’ forward Robin van Persie has labelled him as a “world class” player so if he is missing, it is surely going to be a blow.

Martial’s absence also exacerbates an ever-worsening crisis for Manchester United in attack this season. He has only just returned from a problem of his own, whilst fellow forward Rashford has missed the entirety of the international break with an ankle problem.

Elsewhere, Edinson Cavani has only made one start in his last eight games in all competitions due to a persistent injury.

If all of the Red Devils’ attacking trio are unavailable, this leaves Solskjaer with just Mason Greenwood, who has scored just one Premier League goal all season, to occupy the loan striker role.

The Norwegian then will see the international absence of Martial, who earns £250k per week at Old Trafford, as an extremely worrying development.

AND in more news, a current Red Devils defender is proving his former manager wrong this season…

Writing for Sky Sports, journalist Kaveh Solhekol has shared that West Ham will still do ‘whatever it takes’ to sign Jesse Lingard this summer on a permanent deal, despite the worrying rumours of a possible price hike.

Lingard, who has been a revelation for the Irons since signing on loan with the club in January, has been at the centre of much speculation linking him with a permanent move to east London.

Sky journalist shares promising Jesse Lingard update

His latest dazzling display came away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday evening, with Lingard playing a major role as the Hammers cemented another victory in the quest to qualify for European football.

The 28-year-old scored a wonderful solo goal and was central in the build up to West Ham’s next two strikes on the night.

In the latest update on a permanent deal for Lingard, Sky journalist Solhekol has shared a promising update that West Ham United ‘will do whatever it takes’ to sign him this summer.

Transfer Tavern take

News that the Hammers are willing to go above and beyond to make this happen is certainly a promising update for supporters.

Reports have indicated that Man United could hike the price for Lingard due to his sensational run of form, but both Irons fans and GSB will be hoping he is still within their reach.

Pundit Ian Wright, speaking to Premier League productions recently (via C&H and HITC), labelled the attacker ‘devastating’ – leaving little wonder why West Ham are keen to tie him down in east London.

In other news: West Ham want this 6 foot 4 powerhouse, find out more here.

According to recent reports from Spain, West Ham United are interested in the possibility of signing Villarreal centre-forward Paco Alcacer this summer.

The report by Fichajes (via Sport Witness) claimed that David Moyes is closely monitoring Alcacer ahead of the summer transfer window, as the 57-year-old is keen to finally replace Sebastien Haller, who left to join Ajax in a £20.25m deal back in January.

It is then stated that Villarreal manager Unai Emery would not be best pleased to see the 27-year-old leave the club at the end of the season, with a €25m (£22m) figure being quoted as the sum the La Liga side would require to consider parting with the Spain international come the summer.

Transfer Tavern Take

As the report suggests, West Ham are in rather desperate need of attacking reinforcements in the upcoming window, as Moyes currently has only Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward in his first team squad.

With the 30-year-old suffering a number of hamstring injuries so far in his time at West Ham, and having picked up a potentially season-ending knock in the Hammers’ victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, Antonio is not exactly a reliable option for the Scot.

As such, it is hardly surprising that West Ham are being linked with centre-forwards this summer, but considering that Alcacer has only found the back of the net five times over his 20 La Liga appearances so far this term, perhaps it could be argued the Hammers may be able spend their money a little more wisely than on the £43,000-per-week forward – especially for the £22m fee quoted.

In other news: West Ham make approach for £12.6m-rated ace; GSB could get him for nothing this summer – find out more here!

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have hit out a social media post regarding on-loan midfielder Ross Barkley.

Birmingham Live shared Noel Whelan’s transfer comments to Football Insider on the attacking midfielder, with @AVFC_News asking fans if they would like to see a permanent deal materialise for the Chelsea ace.

Barkley’s Villa woes

Barkley has struggled at Villa Park despite a bright start in the Midlands, with Dean Smith last selecting the midfielder from the off in the Premier League back in February. The 27-year-old, who earns £100,000 per week, has made 19 appearances in total for Villa, scoring three times.

A permanent deal looks unlikely over the coming months, especially due to the January arrival of Morgan Sanson and the emergence of Jacob Ramsey.

Whelan is adamant that a big-money move to Villa won’t go through and thinks Barkley will head out on loan again next season. He told  Football Insider:

“I do not think a permanent deal is going to happen, absolutely not.

“That is probably already decided.

“He is not that important to Villa. If he was, he would be starting every single game.

“I think he will be going back to his parent club and they will be looking for another loan deal for Barkley.

“He just has not made the most of the opportunity that has been given to him while he’s been on loan at Villa.”

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to @AVFC_News when they asked about a permanent deal for Barkley off the back of Whelan’s comments, with many vehemently opposed to the idea:

“Are you for real?”

Credit: @The_Latin_Lions

“Not a chance!! After only 1 or 2 decent games from 30 odd. Earned how many millions for that?”

Credit: @Andysouthall01

“Absolutely not. No footballing brain and continually makes the same stupid mistakes”

Credit: @richlowther1

“No spend the money on Tammy”

Credit: @Chardrocknroll

“Lemme just learn all 7 thousand languages so I can say no in all of them”

Credit: @NCAVFC

“That’s a big no no”

Credit: @paulmidster

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to club’s interest in another Premier League midfielder, find out more here. 

Carlo Ancelotti cannot stand in Joshua King’s way of sealing a transfer to Galatasaray this summer, as the Turkish giants reportedly plot an eye-watering offer for the Everton striker.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Galatasaray are prepared to offer King a huge payday in hopes of enticing the Norwegian to the Super Lig.

King is currently set to leave Goodison Park at the end of the season with Everton expected to release the 29-year-old when his contract expires in June.

Ancelotti has not seen enough from the former Bournemouth forward to believe he is worth keeping on, despite the Toffees having the option to seal a longer-term deal.

King’s impending status as a free agent has now put Galatasaray chiefs on alert, as they look to add a star forward to Fatih Terim’s plans.

The 54-cap international has been deprived of a regular role on Merseyside since his last-gasp arrival on Deadline Day of the winter market, with Ancelotti awarding King all eight of his appearances from the bench.

Galatasaray would be expected to afford the £9m-rated attacker a more prominent role, with the Turk Telekom Stadium natives tipped to offer King a long-term contract with a lucrative salary in order to secure his signature.

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King has previously been linked with Cimbom’s Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce after they held discussions with his agent, while Celtic have been touted as a potential destination should they appoint Eddie Howe as their new manager.

Should Everton let King join Galatasaray?

Whether or not King is willing to join Galatasaray given his alleged prior connections with Fenerbahce remains to be seen, but Ancelotti cannot develop cold feet over letting the striker leave Everton this summer.

King has proven to be an absolute flop since his arrival at Goodison Park and will have cost the Toffees £3m by the time his contract expires, having paid Bournemouth £2m to take over the final 21 weeks of his £45,000-per-week deal.

Everton have seen no return for their investment thus far with King failing to score in any of his eight appearances, which total a mere 118 minutes, having yet taken a single shot or offer a key pass in royal blue, per WhoScored.

The only players to have featured as or more often under Ancelotti in the Premier League this term and to have also failed to register a single shot are goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Robin Olsen, with even left-back Niels Nkounkou attempting an effort during his sole 69-minute appearance.

King’s struggles have seen his spell at Goodison Park be described as “disappointing” by the Liverpool Echo’s Connor O’Neill, who notes Ancelotti has overlooked the former Manchester United trainee in recent games due to a shift in tactics.

Injury ruled King out of Everton’s draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday night but he is expected to be fit for Friday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur. And it will be telling to see how frequently he features over the final eight games of the top-flight campaign, or if an exit is what’s best for all.

AND in other news, an “outstanding” talent is keen to join Everton this summer, but there’s a hitch…

Patrick Bamford addressed the proposed European Super League following Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Monday night.

Bamford played the entirety of the match at Elland Road and was quickly quizzed on the new competition following the full-time whistle.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham signed up for the ESL over the weekend before all withdrawing their interest on Tuesday evening.

As reported by talk SPORT, Bamford, when asked about the tournament, said:

“We’ve just seen what pretty much everyone else has seen on Twitter.

“It’s amazing the amount of uproar that comes in to the game when somebody’s pockets are being hurt.

“It’s a shame it’s not like that when all the things that go wrong with things at the minute, racism and stuff like that.”

Reliable reporter David Ornstein has since shared a piece for The Athletic regarding the collapse of the ESL.

Ornstein revealed that a planned Wednesday meeting between all 20 Premier League captains is now cancelled before adding that Bamford, Jurgen Klopp and James Milner’s comments specifically ‘made the biggest difference’.

Transfer Tavern take

We feel that Bamford got every single word he said spot on. He was one of the first Premier League players to publicly give his thoughts on the ESL to the camera and it seems as if his passionate opinion helped the six English sides have second thoughts.

Owner Andrea Radrizzani quickly made his feelings known and director of football Victor Orta held up a ‘football is for the fans’ t-shirt prior to kick-off, and really, the Whites couldn’t have handled the situation any better from top to bottom.

With Ornstein now reporting that it was indeed thanks to the comments of the likes of Bamford and Milner that things were turned around so quickly, it seems the fans in Yorkshire have a lot to be proud of.

In other news: Phil Hay provides Leeds transfer update involving Kalvin Phillips, find out more here.  

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 333 appearances for Newcastle United, has praised Allan Saint-Maximin for the way he changed the game against Burnley and West Ham.

Since Saint-Maximin’s return to the side, Newcastle are unbeaten having picked up eight points in their last four games against Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley, West Ham and Liverpool respectively.

Saint-Maximin was influential during his first start since returning from injury as the Magpies earned a respectable 3-2 win against the Hammers, with the winger causing havoc as he completed all of his attempted dribbles.

Speaking on how good Saint-Maximin has been for Newcastle since returning from injury and how he’s been able to change things around, Lee told FFC:

“He was different class during the spell when he scored and created goals against Burnley, and just his pace and ability to go past players easily.

“He’s changed games for us massively and that’s what he’s there to do.”

The £38,462-per-week winger did hobble off during the win against West Ham, which would have been a worry for Steve Bruce, but the forward played all 90 minutes in the Magpies’ hard-fought draw at Anfield.

Newcastle face Arsenal next weekend, with all three points meaning Premier League safety would be all but secured for another season.

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts does not expect Danny Rose to have any way back into the first-team even with Jose Mourinho’s sacking, telling Football FanCast that the developments have “gone too far”.

Rose was not included in the Premier League squad at the start of the season and was not given a squad number.

This season, he has made a total of two appearances in the Premier League 2 for the U23s.

Reports claimed that he actually appeared at Spurs’ training ground on the day of Mourinho’s sacking, jumping out the back of a van and asking journalists why they had shown up to the Enfield complex.

Ryan Mason has been placed in charge of the team on an interim basis until the end of the season and it remains to be seen if an olive branch will be extended to the former England left-back.

Roberts, though, believes that such a development is unlikely after the way that he has conducted himself in recent years.

Indeed, he believes that the argument arose from the player’s desire to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires, despite being offered a number of routes out of the club, as laid bare in the Amazon Spurs documentary.

He told FFC: “I’m not sure about Danny Rose, I think that one’s gone too far. That wasn’t Mourinho, that was to do with the club, his contract’s up, he’s said he wants to leave when his contract’s up, on a free.

“I think that one’s gone too far.”

Everton have never been afraid of making a big-money signing. Head down their ten most expensive acquisitions and you’ll notice every single one of them cost over £24m.

You will also notice that they’ve wasted a fair bit of cash too. Moise Kean, Yannick Bolasie and Alex Iwobi all feature on that list, for instance.

It’s fair to say that Farhad Moshiri and Marcel Brands haven’t always got the transfer window spot on.

Their efforts with Carlo Ancelotti last summer were more promising though. James Rodriguez was the landmark addition but their defence has been sufficiently bolstered by the entrance of Ben Godfrey.

However, in classic Toffees fashion, it’s their attack they are aiming to strengthen in a few months time.

Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move to Goodison Park and if he did complete that switch, it would be a captivating addition.

After all, this is a man who has won the Champions League with Bayern Munich and has regularly put defenders in a spin across Europe.

Blessed with the ability to create something out of nothing, his long-range shooting and vision is truly captivating.

It would be another landmark addition for Everton but so would Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City forward is out of contract this summer and it’s thought that Everton are one of his suitors.

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A transfer to Merseyside may feel a bit wild to some but Everton’s board have shown big ambition in the recent past and just imagine the damage Aguero could do alongside Coutinho.

Dubbed “unique” by Pep Guardiola, Aguero possesses a ruthless finishing instinct which coupled with Coutinho’s creativity would be mouth-watering.

He is a joy to play with and if Kevin De Bruyne laps up his services, the creative muses at Everton would too.

Speaking a number of years ago, the Belgian superstar commented: “He’s obviously one of the best strikers I’ve played with. He’s a striker who’s there in front of the goal. When you don’t see him a lot in a game he can pop up and score three. His record speaks for itself. Everyone knows about Sergio.”

Aguero has found the net on 258 occasions for the Citizens down the years and is now their all-time record scorer. The 97-cap Argentine may have his injury problems but give him a sight of goal and the ball is likely to end up in the back of the net.

Combine that ruthless streak with a player of Coutinho’s ability and it could be curtains for Premier League defences. After all, when the Brazilian played for Liverpool, he racked up an impressive 45 assists in 201 outings.

James is currently the creative jewel at Goodison but the arrival of these two world-class players would give Everton a remarkable chance of finally breaking into the top four.

It’s enough to make those at Goodison drool with excitement.

AND in other news, Everton may find their new Lukaku by signing £45m beast who makes “spectacular plays”…