Category Uncategorized

Celtic may struggle to keep hold of Ronan Ferns in the summer transfer window, with Brighton having already tabled an offer according to Football Insider.

What is the latest on Ronan Ferns leaving Celtic?

The Scottish Premiership side have once more strolled to the top of the league this campaign and after a victory over Hearts, have confirmed their status as title winners. It means that boss Ange Postecoglou has now claimed four pieces of silverware in two years at the club, with two first-place finishes and two Scottish League Cup glories.

The manager will be hoping to keep the good times rolling at Parkhead beyond this campaign and that will involve both retaining his best players and adding to the squad this summer. However, he could be set for a battle to keep hold of one of the club's promising young talents in Ronan Ferns this transfer window.

According to Football Insider, there are several Premier League clubs all weighing up potential bids for the defender and Brighton are heading the queue currently. The Seagulls are looking to strengthen themselves, with the club potentially looking at competing in Europe in the next campaign and no doubt wanting to ensure they have a steady stream of talent coming through.

That has involved them now working to seal a deal for Ferns, with the club reportedly working "behind the scenes" to get a deal sorted as soon as they can.

They've already been credited with previous interest in the player but this has now stepped up a gear. The club have now placed an offer on the table – believed to be six-figures – and are hopeful that a deal can be done to bring the 16-year-old to the AMEX Stadium before the Scottish Premiership side can get him to commit to them. They even have a contract ready for the player to sign, should Celtic agree to his sale.

Should Celtic allow Ronan Ferns to leave?

Having yet to make a full debut for Celtic and considering his age – and the fact he has yet to actually sign a professional contract with them – it is hard to judge just how big of a blow it would be to lose Ferns this summer.

However, the signs are that he has the potential to be a solid defender in the future, so Celtic should try and keep him on at the club if they can. Ferns has already been capped by his country at Under-16 level, playing eight times so far. He's also bagged a goal despite his position. That suggests he is a talent, with only the best young players usually given the chance to play on the international stage.

Celtic then would do well to hold onto a player that could potentially emerge as a superb option at the back in the future. If they do let him go, they would need to ensure it is a suitable deal that befits his value.

Chelsea slumped to an embarrassing, yet equally unsurprising defeat at the hands of title-chasing Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

A totally unacceptable and abject first-half display saw the Blues fall three goals behind in just 34 minutes to pile further misery upon Frank Lampard.

The caretaker manager has lost all six games in charge since his return to the Stamford Bridge helm and has been unable to reverse the fortunes of this broken club.

Todd Boehly’s excessive scattergun recruitment has largely been pinpointed as one of the principal reasons for the side’s monumental downfall, but the signing of the elite Raheem Sterling was intended to showcase his intentions.

At the time, then-manager Thomas Tuchel was elated with the deal and lavished praise upon the transfer.

He said: "It was the number one priority, and we are very excited and super happy. It's a perfect fit.”

However, Sterling has failed to recapture the form that catapulted him into international stardom and has massively underperformed for his new club. This was painfully apparent in his weak and uninspiring display against the Gunners.

How did Raheem Sterling play against Arsenal?

The forward bagged 226 goal contributions in 339 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City, winning four Premier League titles in the process.

He rightly arrived in west London with a prestigious and esteemed reputation but has been unable to make any meaningful impact.

In last night’s encounter, he failed to register any shots, successful dribbles, accurate crosses or key passes in a dismal showing, which resulted in his substitution after 71 minutes.

One Blues writer labelled the former Liverpool player as “absolutely embarrassing”, which is completely warranted on the basis of his current form.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the night was his lack of effort. Indeed, for one Arsenal goal he had a handle on Martin Odegaard before letting him roam free completely unaware into the box.

There were plenty on show at the Emirates who were 'embarrassing', most notably Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang, much to the satisfaction of Arsenal fans, as he completed just nine touches before being dragged off at half-time.

That said, Sterling wasn't much better and could quite easily have been withdrawn at the interval himself.

The 82-cap international now hasn’t scored since New Year's Day and despite his immense trickery and skill, he has only mustered 1.3 dribbles per game, just the sixth-highest in a vastly underperforming team, as per WhoScored.

No one has been consistent for Chelsea this season, but as one of the players with the most pedigree, he has been shameful at times and has delivered way below expectations.

The attacker looks like a shadow of the player that hugged the touchline at Manchester City and relentlessly tortured defenders with his unplayable pace and dynamism. He cuts a dejected, frustrated, and disconnected figure at a club that is crying out for stability.

Nevertheless, the £71m-rated man needs to roll back the years quickly and find his previously devastating goal-scoring touch.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United are not speaking to Harry Kane yet over a summer transfer amid takeover uncertainty.

What's the latest on Harry Kane and Man Utd?

It's quite possible that the Red Devils could have new owners in the very near future. Indeed, a number of different parties have made their interest public.

The likes of Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus have placed bids, while Elliott Management wants a minority stake.

However, it remains unclear if the Glazers will actually sell. This means Erik ten Hag and co don't quite know who will be writing the cheques this summer to pay for any major transfers.

Consequently, while the club's football staff may be keen on landing Kane from Tottenham Hotspur, they don't yet know how much they can bid.

When speaking on The United Stand, Romano explained his full understanding of the latest situation on the Spurs star.

He said (6:30): “At the moment, first of all, there are no negotiations. So Harry Kane is not speaking to United yet. It's very early, so we have to see what's going to happen at the end of the season. But at the moment there are no direct conversations yet.

"And at the moment everything is about the internal discussion because again Man United have to make clear how much they can spend on the striker. That is going to be absolutely crucial.

"So who is going to be the owners? The Glazers, any other group? How much they want to spend on the striker?”

How much will Harry Kane cost?

According to a January report from The Daily Star, it could cost in the region of £300m for Man United or anyone else to land Kane this summer.

Their report explains that a weekly-wage demand could now be close to £400k, while Spurs would also want a transfer fee of about £120m to sell the 29-year-old.

The Glazers might not be willing to spend all that on one player this summer but somebody like Sheikh Jassim could be open to it if he can complete a takeover.

After all, he is part of Qatar's ruling royal family, – who reportedly have a collective net worth estimated to be around £275bn – so a move for Kane could well be affordable.

For the time being, though, with the takeover still up in the air, United may not be able to make any concrete move for the Englishman for some time yet.

Chelsea are targeting a surprise move for Fulham manager Marco Silva, according to reports.

What's the latest manager news at Chelsea?

On Sunday, Todd Boehly gave Graham Potter his marching orders following an underwhelming season of form and results, meaning that the owner now has to enter the market to find the 47-year-old's long-term successor.

The Blues reportedly made an approach for Mauricio Pochettino during an earlier period of uncertainty, while they were claimed to be admirers of Zinedine Zidane and Roberto De Zerbi. Elsewhere, they have most recently made contact with Bayern Munich’s former boss, Julian Nagelsmann.

Portuguese Silva is currently in charge at Fulham, with his contract at Craven Cottage not set to expire until next summer, but with his team in the top half of the table and one place higher than the Blues, he has caught the eye of the hierarchy.

According to The Mirror, Silva has “emerged” as a surprising candidate and is “in contention” to take over in the dugout at Chelsea. The SW6 boss has “admirers” on the board and is seen as a possible “left-field appointment”. Nagelsmann is, at this stage, the club’s number one target whilst Pochettino is also “under consideration”, but the 45-year-old is now additionally on their radar.

Would Silva be the right fit for Chelsea?

Olympiacos midfielder Pajtim Kasami was previously full of praise for Silva, who he worked under during his time in the Greek Super League, stating: “He devotes a lot of time to the details. He is very intelligent tactically. He is like a genius.” However, he may not be an ideal candidate for Chelsea.

The Cottagers boss may have picked up four trophies throughout his career and transformed the Whites into a top-performing side this season, but collectively, he has never been able to properly establish himself in the Premier League. Over the course of his spells at Hull City, Watford, Everton and Fulham, he has lost 55 of his 123 games in charge, winning 43, drawing 25 and averaging just 1.25 points per match – form which isn’t good or consistent enough to be given the responsibility of managing a club like the Blues (Transfermarkt).

With all due respect, Silva hasn’t yet been in charge of a club the calibre and size of Chelsea, just like Potter hadn’t when he made the step up from Brighton, so this would be a move that would be too much of a risk to take, with the owner better off targeting a more experienced and successful replacement to succeed the former boss.

Erik ten Hag managed to lure some serious talent to Manchester United last summer, with the likes of Antony, Casemiro, and Christian Eriksen all joining the revolution at Old Trafford.

It marks a change from the signings his predecessor made, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managing to secure deals for players who couldn’t quite cut it at United (Daniel James) or who were massively overpriced (Harry Maguire) yet it was a move for Donny van de Beek that has represented the worst value for money.

The Dutchman was signed for a fee of around £39m and with the 23-year-old enjoying a sparkling beginning to his career at Ajax, the outlay seemed like it could one day turn into a bargain for the club.

It hasn’t quite turned out like that, with van de Beek struggling to live up to the lofty expectations in Manchester while struggling for game time which has seen his value plummet in the process.

How much is Donny van de Beek worth now?

The £120k-per-week midfielder has played just 60 times during his spell at United, while his tally of two goals and two assists paints a picture of how poorly he has played in that time, failing to add the spark the club required when they signed him.

When Ten Hag took over last summer, the 25-year-old must have thought his appointment could rejuvenate him, especially considering the fact they worked together for two years at Ajax, yet he has featured just ten times in all competitions this term.

The midfielder has started just two matches in the Premier League this season, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.49/10 across his seven appearances in total. He has failed to score or register an assist, averaged just 11.1 touches, and completed only 6.6 passes per game, hardly the quality that Ten Hag is demanding from his players.

Journalist Steven Railston was particularly vocal in his criticism of the player back in November following a loss to Aston Villa, saying:

“#mufc never recovered after conceding two early goals and they were second-best all over the pitch. A really disappointing performance. Donny van de Beek was anonymous again and he shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting XI. Bruno Fernandes couldn’t return quick enough.”

Having signed for £39m, the player is now worth just €20.5m (£18m) according to Football Transfers and this represents a decrease of 54%, with the likelihood that United won’t even recoup half of the fee they splashed out on the Dutchman should he leave in the summer.

It has been a woefully misjudged transfer and his performances on the pitch have failed to live up to expectations, hopefully, Ten Hag will be able to move him on sooner rather than later, at a significant cost to the club.

Everton podcaster Ryan Williams labelled Conor Coady ‘terrible’ after he was ‘exposed’ in their 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Back down to earth

Everton sank back down to earth after last weekend’s 1-0 win at home to Leeds United, as they lost at Goodison Park thanks to an Ollie Watkins penalty and an Emi Buendia strike.

The result puts them back in the relegation zone, with a tricky trip to league leaders Arsenal to come next on Wednesday night.

The Latest: Coady ‘terrible’

Taking to Twitter, Williams was critical of Coady’s performance in particular, claiming that he was ‘terrible’ after the second goal was conceded, which left him ‘exposed’:

“The problem is that the backline is going to get exposed now as Emery is backing up and stretching them out. And there it is. Wow, Coady is just terrible.”

The Verdict: Must do better

Coady will know that he and the rest of the defence needs to do better if they are going to avoid relegation come the end of the season.

The Englishman lost out on three of his duels, and failed to make a single interception, while he was also dribbled past twice and lost possession a total of five times (SofaScore).

Coady has had much better performances this season, so much so that the Toffees reportedly want to sign him on a permanent deal after his loan spell at Wolves ends.

However, he will have to perform better than he did against Villa if the Blues are going to keep clean sheets from now until the end of the campaign.

The Merseyside derby on Monday is likely to come ‘too soon’ for Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to return from injury, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Van Dijk injured

After being forced off at half-time in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat away at Brentford at the beginning of January, Jurgen Klopp confirmed Van Dijk would be out for at least ‘a few weeks’.

The centre-back has recently taken to Instagram to share an update on his progress, posting stats of a fitness session he was involved in, after what transpired to be a hamstring injury ended up being worse than first feared.

The Latest: Dinnery’s update

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Dinnery claimed that next week’s Merseyside derby against Everton will be too early for the Dutchman to make a return.

The injury expert said: “I would suggest that the Merseyside derby on Monday is probably going to come a little bit too soon for him.

“I think, realistically, Jurgen Klopp would want more time on the training pitches for him, so it could be the game after that where he makes his return.”

The Verdict: Disappointing news

Hailed as ‘outrageous’ by Jonathan Woodgate (via The Mirror), it is no secret how important the 31-year-old is for Klopp’s side, ranked by Sofascore as their best-performing centre-back in the Premier League this season, averaging a 7.01 match rating.

In the absence of the 6 foot 5 titan, the Reds have looked shaky defensively, going two goals down inside 12 minutes against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, with Joel Matip being rated as the worst player on the pitch.

While Liverpool should not need Van Dijk to beat Everton, given the disparity between the teams in the league table, Klopp will still be disappointed that one of his best players is not back to full fitness yet, and the hope will be that he can return for the tough trip to Newcastle United a week on Saturday.

Leeds United have been drawn into a lengthy transfer saga with regard to Azzedine Ounahi, as the Moroccan has been a reported target of Victor Orta’s for some time now.

The 22-year-old had starred for his national team at the World Cup, thus drawing widespread praise and interest, and yet despite having been reported in the driving seat on numerous occasions they continue to stumble in finalising it.

Jesse Marsch cannot seem to get that midfielder over the line to complete his January dealings, and another saga seems to be sparking up that could set them up for more disappointment.

Having enquired to AS Roma last week about the availability of wantaway attacker Nicolo Zaniolo, they are said to be battling with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur to now secure a deal for the 23-year-old who is valued at around €40m (£35m).

The addition of the maverick Italian would be a welcome one at Elland Road, especially pairing him with the red-hot form of Rodrigo, who has shouldered plenty of the offensive burden this campaign for the Whites.

The Spaniard already boasts ten goals in the Premier League this season, having finally hit a rich vein of goalscoring form after being questioned upon first joining the club.

To combine this with the Zaniolo of last season, who scored eight and assisted nine times across all competitions, could be the catalyst for sparking a sensational surge up the table.

However, what is most exciting about their potential link-up is the tactical flexibility they would bring given their similar roles.

Should Marsch deploy the Roma midfielder just behind his 31-year-old marksman, the two could interchange in an effort to bamboozle centre-backs and keep opposition defences alert.

Rodrigo’s ability to do this is highlighted in the fact that, when compared to other forwards across Europe, he ranks in the top 10% for passes attempted. Meanwhile, Zaniolo ranks in the top 4% for total shots when compared with attacking midfielders.

Their stats are as interchangeable as their roles could be. His ability to provide for the finisher must not be understated, as he truly is the “lethal playmaker” that journalist Zach Lowy dubbed him.

Whilst it may be a very costly move, given their business so far, attaining a player of such quality would be a sensational coup for the club.

Celtic breezed into the last 16 of the Scottish Cup following what was a ruthless, 5-0 demolition of second-tier outfit Morton on Saturday afternoon, with Ange Postecoglou’s side continuing to look rather imperious on all three domestic fronts.

A vital figure in that latest triumph – and in the Old Firm outfit’s rampant form in general – was summer signing, Aaron Mooy, with the experienced Aussie having again made his mark in the centre of the park.

The classy midfielder bagged a brace in that brutal thumping at Parkhead, with journalist John McGinley stating that the 32-year-old was simply “enjoying himself” as the creative hub in the side.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion man has good reason to be ‘enjoying himself’ at present having secured a regular role in the side since the World Cup, having previously been “unbelievable” for his country in Qatar, as per pundit Mark Schwarzer.

The 57-cap maestro now has four goals and five assists in 29 games in all competitions this season, notably providing four goal involvements in his last five Scottish Premiership outings.

Now a “key contributor” to the team – according to his manager – it does appear that Mooy will be a mainstay of the side moving forward, having been truly “outstanding” of late, as per Postecoglou.

The title-winning coach could potentially be able to form a commanding midfield partnership if he is to pair the one-time Huddersfield Town man with reported target, Aissa Laidouni, with the Tunisian international having been linked with a move to Glasgow prior to the start of the window.

The towering 26-year-old – who could reportedly cost in the region of €4m (£3.5m) – is facing an uncertain future at current side Ferencvaros, with just six months remaining on his existing deal with the Hungarian outfit.

That could well allow the Hoops the chance to pounce this month, with the France-born menace having proven his credentials after also enjoying a “tremendous” World Cup, as per journalist Sam Tighe.

Although Tunisia were not able to make it out of the group stage, the African nation did still pick up four points from their three outings, with Laidouni averaging one tackle and 1.3 interceptions per game, while also winning a solid 75% of his aerial duels.

The 6-foot machine particularly impressed as a result of his energetic and relentless presence at the base of the midfield, having covered “every blade of grass” for his nation in Qatar, according to journalist Lorenzo Kohler.

Also praised for being “absolutely everywhere” by Tighe, Laidouni could seemingly be the perfect foil for the more measured Mooy in Postecoglou’s side, with the current Bhoys ace a figure who “controls the tempo” of the team – in the words of club legend Stiliyan Petrov – rather than being somewhere who steams into tackles and intimidates the opposition.

With the Ferencvaros ace able to take on that later role at Celtic Park, it could well allow Mooy the freedom to continue to make an impact creatively for the Scottish champions, as such leading to the formation of a simply tremendous partnership in midfield.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is an ‘admirer’ of Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds looking for attackers

The Whites will hopefully make inroads in the transfer market this month, with their attacking options looking slightly sparse heading into the remainder of the season.

Hwang is a player who has been linked with a move to Leeds in the past and put himself in the spotlight as he scored at the 2022 World Cup for South Korea – a crucial goal that sent his country into the knockout stages.

Now, a fresh update has emerged that hints towards the Whites signing the 26-year-old imminently.

The Latest: Hwang on the list

Writing for The Athletic, Hay claimed that Marsch is ‘an admirer’ of Hwang, with the pair working alongside one another during their time at RB Leipzig.

The attacker isn’t out of contract at Molineux until 2026, however, so it may not be easy for Marsch to get their man.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-13/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Proven PL quality

Hwang could be an intriguing option for Leeds, with the South Korean far from prolific but someone who can play across the front line and provide a strong work ethic.

Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright has said that the Wolves man has ‘got everything’ as a player, and his relationship with Marsch could bode well.

There is an argument to say that Leeds could do with more of a goal threat, though, so if Hwang was to join the Whites, his tally of six goals in 49 games for Wanderers would need to be improved upon.