All posts by n8rngtd.top

Tottenham Hotspur must reignite their interest in Luis Campos this summer…

What’s the word?

The former Lille sporting director has been targeted by a host of clubs across Europe, including some in the Premier League, according to Sky Sports.

Juventus, Manchester United and Arsenal appear to be keen, whilst the Portuguese talent spotter has long been linked with Spurs in the past.

There were suggestions that Jose Mourinho wanted him part of the coaching set-up when he was appointed in November 2019, having formed a trusted relationship over the years, with Campos being a scout during the same time at Real Madrid.

Forget any manager

It is also thought that Daniel Levy is considering bringing in a director of football – something they have not had since 2015 when Franco Baldini left the club – to accompany any new appointment (via The Athletic).

Currently, the north London club make all their decisions through only two people – Levy and technical performance director Steve Hitchen.

A move for a new presence would signal an significant change in direction, but ultimately it is one which is desperately needed at Spurs.

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Recruitment just has not been good enough, with several names from the Mauricio Pochettino era still at the club, and that has been a large part of their downfall. It was only in 2019 that Spurs made the Champions League final, but now they are desperately battling to secure a place in Europe’s secondary club competition.

Campos, who has been dubbed “the wizard of capital gains,” has a proven track record when it comes to sourcing the ‘next big thing’ as the emergence of the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Fabinho, Antony Martial, Bernado Silva and Nicolas Pepe have all been down to him.

Lille are now close to sensationally pipping Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title largely down to Campos, who has recruited superbly in recent years. Despite their turnaround in profits – making in excess of £500m under the 56-year-old’s control – Lille have remained hugely competitive.

Forget your Brendan Rodgers’, Scott Parkers and Graham Potters – an appointment in the director of football role like Campos could be everything Levy needs to revolutionise Spurs.

At the time of Campos’ original links to the Lilywhites, ever-reliable reporter Alasdair Gold waxed lyrical about him, writing for football.london:

“Campos would be perfect for Spurs and Daniel Levy with his ability to work to whatever budget set for him and find uncut gems for his clubs. I wouldn’t bet against him coming to Spurs in the future, particularly as he has always said he would follow Mourinho anywhere but he will be inundated with offers should he actually decided to leave Lille.”

He’s keen on trying his arm in the Premier League, too. The Portuguese once claimed: “The Premier League is considered one of the most competitive in the world. As a competitor, I would obviously like the challenge.”

Spurs’ playing squad needs a drastic overhaul and Campos’ record is far too mouth-watering to ignore, so pairing him up with the next manager could genuinely be game-changing in N17. Levy must look to hire Campos this summer, along with his next manager.

AND in other news, Get rid: Levy must axe “pathetic” £85k-p/w flop, he’s let Spurs down for many years…

After seeing him come off the bench to score twice against Burnley at the weekend, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be very keen to see how Rodrigo fares if given the chance to start this evening at Southampton.

The Spaniard was outstanding in his cameo at Turf Moor, scoring twice off the bench, and the summer signing will be hoping to be rewarded with his first start in the Premier League since returning from injury.

However, with the season now reaching its climax, and Leeds having nothing much left to play for, it’s surely time for Bielsa to consider unleashing some of the club’s standout under-23 players, who recently clinched the Premier League 2 Division 2 title.

Top of that list would no doubt have been Joe Gelhardt, but he missed the under-23s’ final two games with injury, despite Mark Jackson insisting that it wouldn’t be too long before he returned.

However, in Crysencio Summerville, Bielsa could unleash one of Leeds’ hottest young prospects, with the Dutchman having been in scintillating form for the youth teams this season.

Described as a “bag of tricks” by Chris Powell – his former coach when he was a teenager at Dutch side ADO Den Haag – he scored a hat-trick against Burnley on just his second start for the under-23s earlier this campaign.

He has since bagged an impressive six goals and provided a further six assists in just 12 Premier League 2 games, including netting in the final game of the season.

The 19-year-old is an exciting winger who can play on either flank, and while he might be diminutive in stature at just 5 foot 9, he more than makes up for it with his quick feet and agility.

Summerville himself said earlier this year: “I often hear that there are doubts because of my physical condition, but when you are on the field, you are not concerned with that. There are often big defenders in front of me, I have to be smart about that. I know I’m agile and try to play with my mind.”

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While Rodrigo is the man of the moment and should be looking forward to a start tonight against the Saints at St Mary’s, Summerville will also be desperate to get his opportunity to shine, and a relatively low-stakes game like this could be the ideal setting for him to get his senior Whites debut.

Meanwhile, a journalist has dropped a major Leeds United update…

Everton are reportedly the main contenders to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Kvaratskhelia catching the eye

Kvaratskhelia is certainly a player that is quickly catching the eye of many clubs around Europe – he was heavily linked with Leeds last month.

The Rubin Kazan winger is very good with the ball at his feet, so much so that his playing style has even been compared to Lionel Messi, which is certainly something that the Goodison Park faithful can be excited about.

The Latest: Everton main contenders

As per Soccer.ru, Kvaratskhelia does not want to move to Zenit St. Petersburg, and the Merseyside club are currently the main contenders to sign him, although Napoli and AC Milan could also join the race from previous interest.

Nonetheless, a top winger is something that Carlo Ancelotti will surely be looking at in the window, and Kvaratskhelia certainly fits the bill.

The Verdict: Everton must sign Kvaratskhelia

If the Toffees want to climb up the table in the Premier League for next season, then Kvaratskhelia, who is currently valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, could well be the difference in the hunt to qualify for European qualification if they fall short this campaign.

The Georgia international has scored four goals and made a further eight assists in 23 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), which is a good return for a wide player, and at just 20 years of age, he will only get better.

Nonetheless, Kvaratskhelia is a player that the Blues should not be passing up on, with several top sides in Europe clearly impressed by his quick feet and sky-high potential.

In other news, find out what European Super League update has got EFC fans talking here!

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been having their say regarding the club’s pursuit of Burnley manager Sean Dyche.

The Eagles’ hierarchy reportedly view Dyche as a suitable candidate to take over at Selhurst Park and recently asked the Clarets how much it would cost to lure the 49-year-old to south London.

A £3m compensation fee is required to bring Dyche to Palace, but according to the Daily Mail, the huge expense of a deal is one of the reasons it is now being held up.

They claimed that a move for Dyche could end up costing Palace around £7m per year in wages and salary. Dyche would also like a £3m bonus included in any move for keeping the club in the Premier League, as he does at Turf Moor, and it is believed the Eagles are now considering other options as a result.

Frank Lampard, Chris Wilder and Steve Cooper are all thought to be on the club’s shortlist.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news regarding Dyche on Twitter on Friday evening. Here is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply.

“He’s having a laugh if he’s asking for £135k a week”

Credit: @StephenTCPFC

“Wages and salary? Huh?”

Credit: @TRJPCPFC

“Move on. Ismael time”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“Yeah we’re not paying that”

Credit: @bazbrown123

“No thanks”

Credit: @Kevbartleyy

“No wonder he stays at Burnley, and why they have modest transfer budget.”

Credit: @gidleymike

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to the club’s interest in international winger, find out more here. 

Chris Hughton is open to the idea of allowing Lyle Taylor to leave Nottingham Forest this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that the Garibaldi could make the 31-year-old centre-forward available for loan in the upcoming transfer window.

It is reported that a number of Championship clubs, including the likes of Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley, are keeping a close eye on the situation of the £900k-rated Montserrat international ahead of a potential summer move.

Taylor must go

After signing for Sabri Lamouchi’s Forest side on a £5k-per-week three-year deal back in August of last year, Taylor did not enjoy the finest of debut seasons at The City Ground this term.

With Evangelos Marinakis sacking the manager who signed the striker just four games into the club’s 2020/21 campaign, before subsequently appointing Chris Hughton, it soon became clear that Taylor was not the 62-year-old’s first-choice centre-forward.

However, the 31-year-old still went on to make a total of 39 Championship appearances for Forest this year – although only 15 came as starts – over which the former Charlton Athletic hitman scored a mere four goals, registered no assists and created just one big chance for his teammates.

Taylor also hit the target an average of just 0.4 times per game, as well as missing eight big chances over the course of the season, with these metrics seeing the striker earn an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.64 – ranking him as Hughton’s joint-ninth worst performer in the second tier.

These lacklustre displays largely contributed to Nottingham Forest’s worst league finish since Mark Warburton was in charge of the club in the 2016/17 Championship season, with the Garibaldi scoring a mere 37 goals over their 45 league fixtures this season – with the only side scoring fewer than the Reds being Derby County, who hit the net just 36 times this term.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Hughton to move Taylor on this summer, be that on a loan or even a permanent deal, as the former Wimbledon forward – whom Neal Ardley previously dubbed an “outstanding” player – does not appear to be compatible whatsoever with the 62-year-old’s style of play at Forest.

In other news: Transfer update emerges on “hit and miss” 24 y/o dynamo that could divide Forest fans

Former Leeds United star David Norris expects the club to make a real effort to sign Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese this summer and believes the deal may happen.

De Paul has been linked with the Elland Road club since last summer, when Marcelo Bielsa’s team are said to have made a bid worth €35m (£30m).

Udinese held firm and rejected that offer and the playmaker went on to enjoy a superb season in Serie A.

The Argentina international made 36 appearances in the league, scoring nine goals and laying on 10 assists.

The link has not gone away, though, with many reports claiming Leeds could make another bid for De Paul this summer, with the player surely aware of the interest.

And Norris believes that the interest from Bielsa’s men may finally pay off following a year-long flirtation between the two parties, though he is wary of the club being beaten to the punch.

Indeed, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool have also been linked with an interest, so Leeds may have to move quickly if they are to secure De Paul’s signature.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Norris said: “Yeah I think so. That one’s not gone away for a year now. I fully expect that he knows Leeds are interested now.

“Leeds have shown an interest for a long time, so normally with that perseverance, I’d absolutely expect Leeds to try to get that one over the line. He fits their style of play, Leeds will have done due diligence on him and from what we’ve seen of him, and the way Leeds play, he would suit their style of play.

“He seems to want the move, Leeds want it, so I expect Leeds to really go after that one and just hope, potentially, they don’t get gazumped.”

An Italian football journalist has dropped a big Leeds United transfer update on Raphinha.

The Lowdown: Raphinha in demand

Raphinha is clearly a player that is going to attract a lot of attention in the summer window, given some of his dazzling displays at Elland Road in the 2020/21 season.

The Brazilian managed to score six goals and make a further nine assists in the Premier League for the Yorkshire club, the most assists out of any of his teammates, despite being limited to just 30 games in total (Whoscored).

He also ranked the highest among Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in terms of both key passes (2.1) and dribbles (1.9) a game (Whoscored), showing just how key of a player he was.

The Latest: Liverpool lead Raphinha race

As per Italian football journalist and transfer specialist Gianluigi Longari, it is Liverpool that are currently leading the race to sign Raphinha, but both Manchester United and Manchester City are closely following behind.

However, Longari warns that it is ‘not a simple deal’, as ultimately the Whites would like to keep him.

The Verdict: Leeds must keep Raphinha

Given that the Peacocks finished in a very impressive ninth-place in the top flight in their first season back in the division, they should be under little pressure to sell their star man.

Regarded as a ‘phenomenal’ player by LUFC legend Jermaine Beckford after his inspiring performance against Fulham earlier on in the year, Leeds must also resist selling him to a direct rival if possible.

Currently rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, if the Whites do wish to sell the winger, then they should be demanding a monster fee in order to let him go, given just how important he has proven to be to them.

In other news, find out what big transfer boost LUFC have been given here!

New Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will spend his 10-day quarantine assessing transfer targets for the Hoops, according to The Scottish Sun.   

The Lowdown: Postecoglou announced

The Hoops finally confirmed Postecoglou as their new manager, almost two weeks on from making him their main target after a breakdown in talks with Eddie Howe.

Postecoglou left Yokohama F. Marinos to sign a 12-month rolling contract with Celtic, with the club sharing the news on Thursday morning.

The Australian’s final game in charge of the Japanese side came on Wednesday, losing to fourth-tier side Honda FC in the domestic cup.

The Latest: Postecoglou’s quarantine plans

The Scottish Sun shared a story on the 55-year-old on Thursday evening.

They claimed Postecoglou will ‘spend much of his quarantine assessing potential transfer targets’ – an exciting nine-word claim on the new man in charge in Glasgow.

Postecoglou could well be set for a busy summer, especially with star men Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard making it clear they want to leave the club over the coming months.

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The Verdict: Spine key for Postecoglou

With the new Celtic boss looking at possible additions, plenty of areas to strengthen may well come to light.

Should Ajer leave however, that could leave Postecoglou with just one fit senior centre-back in Stephen Welsh due to Christoper Jullien’s injury.

If Edouard departs, you’d also expect a new prolific centre-forward would be required.

The void left by Scott Brown in the middle of midfield may also need to be filled, so the spine of the side is going to need some serious work if the Hoops are to seriously challenge rivals Rangers next season.

Flair players on the flanks are a luxury any manager would love to have, but the new Hoops boss must immediately focus his attention on building a proper core through the middle of the his XI.

In other news: Olivier Ntcham edges closer to Celtic exit, find out more here. 

Leeds United are eyeing a move for Croatia international Borna Barisic in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

With Gjanni Alioski’s long-term future not yet secure – the latest report has suggested the Whites are keen on tying him down to a new deal at the Premier League club – it’s no surprise that Bielsa’s side are keen on landing a new first-team left-back.

And now, according to Football Insider, Victor Orta is plotting a move for Barisic this summer as he looks to strengthen Bielsa’s options in that left-back position.

The report claims that “the Yorkshire giants have made a new senior left-sided defender a priority in the summer window”, and that “international broker Simon Conning has been mandated to sound out interest in Barisic”.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Hailed as “outstanding” by Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, the man with 56 career assists to his name appears to be the perfect attack-minded left-back that Bielsa would want at Elland Road.

Last season saw him deliver a whopping 14 assists in all competitions, providing a real threat down the left-hand side and coming up with some real telling contributions in the big games – in Rangers’ Europa League run, the Croatian scored three times and provided another three assists too.

The man who signed him for his former club, Osijek, Zoran Zekic, said: “We used to make a made a plan for every game and every game we made that plan 90 per cent around playing it to Borna Barisic. He is technically good, understands football, his timing is very good too and he has great crossing ability. He played maybe 45 games in the season and for 40 of them he was the best player.”

The fact that a left-back was a mahjor part of his team’s game-plan is a major statement on just how influential he can be, and is surely another big reason why Bielsa will be excited at the prospect of managing him at Elland Road.

In comparison, Alioski managed just two goals and three assists in the Premier League last season despite playing 36 games at both left-back and even further forward as a left-winger too – a measly return when compared to Barisic, and the kind of offensive football Bielsa’s side like to play.

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A swoop for Barisic would be an exciting one given his current attacking exploits, and it is one that should have Bielsa absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing a reunion with this Leeds United hero…

Aston Villa are interested in signing Argentina starlet Julian Alvarez this summer as Dean Smith plots to land his third new player of the transfer window.

What’s the story?

After sealing deals for Emi Buendia and Ashley Young, it seems that Villa are intent on continuing their fine start to the summer transfer window by making a move for Alvarez.

According to Italian publication Calciomercato, the 21-year-old’s agent Fernando Hidalgo will meet up with both Ajax and Villa over a potential move which would see Alvarez leave River Plate for Europe.

Dean Smith will be buzzing

A versatile forward who can play anywhere across the frontline, Alvarez is making waves in his native Argentina, so much so that he was named as part of his country’s Copa America squad for this summer.

He bagged four goals and set up another seven in just 20 appearances last season, including a couple of games where he registered a trio of assists against Godoy Cruz and Central Cordoba respectively.

Marcelo Gallardo, his manager at River Plate, has also waxed lyrical about the winger, saying that he is “a player that every coach would love to have.”

At his age, and coming with such a glowing comment of being a manager’s dream, Alvarez appears to be the kind of signing that Smith would surely love to have at Villa Park this summer.

The £13.5m-rated flier is capable of playing on either flank and through the middle, so he should go a long way to addressing Villa’s strength in depth in the forward areas.

With Trezeguet sidelined with a long-term injury, Alvarez would arrive as someone who could take the Egyptian’s place in the first team squad, while also offering some competition for Ollie Waktins up front.

It’s exactly why Smith will surely be buzzing that the youngster’s agent is due to meet with Villa representatives over a possible move.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith could land a superb deal with this Euro 2020 sensation…