All posts by n8rngtd.top

Many Liverpool fans were left stunned by reports regarding Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.

According to the Mirror, the 28-year-old is beyond the Reds’ reach as far as finances are concerned despite the Austrian centre-back due to be out of contract in the summer, news which some fans found ’embarrassing’.

Alaba is deemed to be too expensive for Liverpool due to his wages, while Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano are also out of reach.

The nine-time Bundesliga champion has scored 32 goals from 405 appearances for Bayern over the course of 10 seasons, which included a brief loan spell at Hoffenheim in 2011 (TransferMarkt).

With the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez out for the season due to knee injuries, supporters were livid with this update. With Joel Matip unable to stay fit, some supporters felt humiliated about the fact their side couldn’t afford a player of Alaba’s calibre.

Fans in shock by Alaba update

“That’s literally not possible. We are one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. I could understand if he wanted £1m a week but he is not out of reach at all.”

Credit: @ronakricky

“embarrassing if true.. getting him in a free, wages should not be a problem!”

Credit: @RyanKeyo

“Wow. Financially out of reach in signing or wages, I don’t get.”

Credit: @Alexand36742345

“Embarrassing owners how are we so poor when we are champions”

Credit: @jmwLFC2000

“This is where FSG let themselves down and invite scrutiny on themselves. We clearly aren’t poor but they make out like they are so they don’t have to spend money.”

Credit: @Braden_Simmonds

“FSG out”

Credit: @SeanMG_

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer provides viewpoint on potential Georginio Wojnaldum replacements.

Celtic reportedly have the cash on hand to make Mohamed Elyounoussi’s stay in Glasgow permanent. That’s according to Alex McLeish who claim that the Hoops are eyeing up a long-term deal for the Norwegian, who has made waves since his arrival at Celtic Park (via Football Insider).

Should Neil Lennon want to make Elyounoussi a certified Bhoy, the club will need to cough up £10million to prise him from Southampton’s grasp. This will make the 26-year-old Celtic’s record signing and it will be worth every penny.

Celtic must prioritise move for Elyounoussi

Celtic’s attack has been struggling this season after falling out of favour in the Premiership due to several shock losses. Their Europa League run will also be weighing heavily on the team morale, having banked just the solitary point so far.

Their star player so far has unarguably been the Southampton loanee. Elyounoussi has notched an impressive ten goals and four assists so far this season, leading Lennon’s line with the attacking confidence of a cult hero.

If the Hoops don’t make this deal happen, they will see the impact of the striker’s absence next season. Elyounoussi is currently contracted until next summer and Ralph Hasenhuttl has already made it known that there could be a spot in the Saints squad for him in 2021/22.

With Southampton looking to potentially integrate the man dubbed a “revelation” by Kris Commons, Celtic must do what they can to secure him to their club. Particularly if Odsonne Edouard opts to leave in search of pastures new, the Bhoys will be extremely short on attacking options. It will leave Lennon will just Leigh Griffiths to lead the line.

This is a deal that Hammond simply must sign off on if the Hoops are to continue their dominant streak.

In other news, Celtic made the correct decision by not signing Leeds’ Luke Ayling…

Liverpool have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Ousmane Dembele as Barcelona are reportedly willing to slash their asking price.

A report from Sport (via Rousing the Kop) has revealed the once £96.8million-valued winger could leave in January for a much lower fee. It seems the Catalonians are eager to offload Dembele, but have begrudgingly realised they will struggle to recoup the mammoth amount they paid for him in 2017.

Liverpool should move for Dembele

Despite reportedly only wanting the 23-year-old on loan, Liverpool should seriously consider tabling an offer for a permanent move. Sport claim Barca would be looking for bids in the region of £45million for Dembele, who has been limited to just 20 minutes of game time this season (via Transfermarkt).

Spending big money on a rotational player is clearly not out of the question for Liverpool, who recently signed Diogo Jota for £41million. Bringing in a player of Dembele’s calibre would be serious business for the Anfield outfit, who are looking to continue their run of success and add competition for star men Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

The Frenchman’s 2018/19 season was his best in terms of personal numbers, notching 14 goals and eight assists across all competitions for Barcelona. He pace and eye for creativity will give Liverpool a huge boost in their attack.

Dembele may be struggling for minutes at the moment, but his talent is widely regarded by many. Teammate Lionel Messi once tipped the winger to become “one of the best” and labelled him a “phenomenon” on the pitch (as per Marca, via FourFourTwo). With such strong words being said about him, it will be hard for Jurgen Klopp not to have the France international on his radar.

Dembele’s current contract runs out in 2022, meaning an even further discount could be applied come next summer. Once he enters the final 12 months of his deal, Barca may become anxious and do all that they can to tempt a club like Liverpool to strike a deal.

In other news, Liverpool and Jack Butland could help each other out of a rut…

Crystal Palace struggled to break down Brighton & Hove Albion in a dull draw in the A23 Derby at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Roy Hodgson’s side started strongly after Wilfried Zaha converted from the penalty box, but this turned out to be the home side’s only shot on target in the whole game.

The Eagles will have wanted to get back to winning ways, having lost 4-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before the international break, but they barely offered anything in attack, which will give Hodgson some cause for concern.

If you can’t beat them, join them – Michy Batshuayi made the most of a challenge from Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey, and Palace were awarded a penalty as a result, despite the fact that the replays showed there was hardly any contact at all.

It’s safe to say that Batshuayi is desperate to deliver this season, that’s for sure, as Hodgson has backed the returning Chelsea loanee to succeed at Selhurst Park but the 31-cap Belgium international barely touched the ball at all against Brighton, which is a part of the problem.

In fact, the 27-year-old only touched the ball 19 times in total, although he still lost possession 10 times, which suggests that his first touch isn’t all that great – hardly something that you would want in a striker, whilst he averaged just 50% of his passes, won two out of eight ground duels, and didn’t win a single aerial duel, via SofaScore. Shockingly, he failed to register a single shot all game, never mind a shot on target!

SofaScore graded him at 6.6, which is perhaps a little optimistic, all things considering. Similarly, Sky Sports gave him a rating of 6/10, although football.london offered a fairer assessment, claiming he made “a great run and finish early in the second half unfortunately ruled out for offside” which was a “big spark in an otherwise quiet appearance.”

Quite why Chelsea have kept him on their books we will probably never understand but nevertheless, Hodgson seems determined to get the best out of the erratic £10m-rated ace, but at what cost?

Zaha cut a frustrated figure in the first half, which is perhaps hardly surprising as he was largely starved of any service, while Palace looked less than threatening in attack and had to rely on a set-piece once again to open the scoring.

The Eagles are now in 12th place in the Premier League on seven points as a result and only six points away from the relegation zone. Batshuayi will need to start finding the back of the net not before too long – and not from an offside position!

AND in other news, Crystal Palace may live to regret missing out on Watford winger Ismaila Sarr…

Brighton allowed Leon Balogun to leave for Rangers on a free transfer this summer but they are hoping to sign a namesake in the current transfer window.

The Beautiful Game Podcast tweeted that the Seagulls are among several clubs interested in Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun, who is also wanted by the likes of Southampton, AC Milan, AZ Alkmaar, Roma and Eintracht Frankfurt.

As per Sky Sports, the 19-year-old has refused to sign a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, where his current deal expires next year, with the Gunners demanding at least £8m for the teenager.

Balogun has never played a senior game for Arsenal and does not want to sign a new deal in north London unless he can be given assurances of a pathway into the first team.

While his demands may seem like arrogance from a young player with plenty still to prove, his case is helped by a sensational scoring record at underage level for the Gunners. He has played 70 matches between their under-18 and under-23 sides and plundered a magnificent total of 50 goals.

He struck 25 times in 19 games in the Under-18 Premier League the season before last and readily adapted to the under-23 grade last term, hitting 10 goals in 15 matches in Premier League 2.

Balogun’s promise is apparent from a Daily Mail scout report which said that there are “shades of Thierry Henry” to his style of play, while Arsenal’s 2019/20 top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has taken to Twitter in the past to express his admiration for the teenager’s talents.

Brighton will have to fend off some very strong competition if they want to sign Balogun, with AZ Alkmaar competing in the Champions League and Milan, PSV and Roma all in the Europea League, while £8m seems a real gamble on a player with no experience of first team football.

However, Graham Potter is not slow to give youth its flings if he feels it is warranted. Aaron Connolly memorably scored twice in his first Premier League start last year and featured regularly throughout the season, while Tariq Lamptey – hailed as “outstanding” by the manager – carved out a place in the first team towards the end of 2019/20.

Balogun’s goal record at underage level and comparisons with Henry illustrates the enormity of his potential, while Potter could be the ideal manager to extract the best from him based on the successes of Connolly and Lamptey.

Brighton fans, how good a coup would Balogun be if the Seagulls can sign him? Have your say by commenting below!

Everton have multiple positions that need strengthening this summer and whilst the right-back spot isn’t going to be a priority, they should absolutely take a look at Alessandro Florenzi…

What’s the word?

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Toffees are eyeing a move for the versatile Roma star following his loan spell at Valencia but they face competition from fellow Italian side Atalanta.

It very much appears as if Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to dip into his old league to bolster the struggling Merseysiders.

Everton have reportedly rejected the chance to sign loanee Djibril Sidibe on a permanent €15m (£13.5m) deal this summer, so there could be a need for some competition alongside Seamus Coleman.

Forget Sidibe

And that’s exactly what Florenzi could provide at Goodison Park and not just that, his versatility would be a nice attribute to have as he’s able to play further up the pitch on the wings and even through the middle.

Across both Roma and Valencia this season, the 29-year-old averaged 1.3 clearances, 1.1 interceptions, 1 tackle and 2.9 long balls per game, via WhoScored.

Inter Milan legend Javier Zanetti once tipped the Italian to become his heir as one of the Serie A’s greatest full-backs, labelling him a “key player” for Roma whilst Dani Alves, another legend in the same position, described Florenzi as “a fantastic player” who has got “quality in abundance and a wonderful touch.”

He’d also bring international experience having been capped 35 times as well as knowledge in the European competitions after notching 42 appearances across the Champions and Europa League.

It remains to be seen how much Florenzi would cost the Toffees, but with him approaching 30 and being valued at just £14.4m by Transfermarkt, he could be quite the steal.

AND in other news, Everton must re-sign former academy grad this summer…

Northern Echo writer Scott Wilson has suggested that Sunderland’s supporters ‘no longer believe a word the club say’ as Stewart Donald’s reign at the club continues to drag on.

Life at Sunderland has been heavily documented over the last two to three years with Netflix series Sunderland ‘Til I Die following club matters on and off the pitch.

At the heart of the second series is current owner Donald, who took over from Ellis Short back in April 2018, and criticism directed at the businessman is ongoing.

Revealing that he wanted to sell the club after just 19 months in charge, Donald received much criticism from the club fans who called for him to leave and a recent interview earlier this year has confirmed his desire to move on.

With the season having come to an end for Sunderland on the pitch, the Black Cats failed to gain promotion from League One to the Championship at the second time of asking, mounting huge pressure on the shoulders of boss Phil Parkinson to turn things around in the 2020/2021 campaign.

With such a drop from the Premier League to League One having been at the forefront of the Netflix series, it has now been revealed by Wilson that the fans have lost trust in the club’s word.

“Put simply, Sunderland fans no longer believe a single word that is uttered by the current regime,” Wilson writers in his column for Northern Echo.

“The trust and loyalty that was bestowed so freely when Donald first replaced Ellis Short, promising openness, transparency and a frank two-way dialogue with the fanbase, has completely disappeared.

“In its place, frustration, bitterness and anger have festered to the point where the relationship between Sunderland’s boardroom management and the fans has broken down entirely.

“As a result, every move or utterance that emanates from Sunderland’s executive-level managers is treated with suspicion or open disdain.”

It is fair to say that you simply would not want to be a Sunderland fan at the moment or over the last few years.

The club have gone from Premier League football to quite frankly, nothing, and the fans can’t be blamed for losing patience in the owners and their broken promises and failure on and off the pitch.

What’s next? Surely it should be the end of Donald’s reign.

Do you think Stewart Donald will sell Sunderland this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…

Liverpool have been tipped to land a winger who absolutely tore them apart earlier in the season and it could hint that the club is preparing for life without Mo Salah.

What’s the word?

iNews claim that Watford sensation Ismaila Sarr could find himself at Anfield this summer as Jurgen Klopp eyes him as an understudy to his Senegalese compatriot Sadio Mane.

It comes less than a week after links first emerged mooting the 22-year-old with a switch to Merseyside.

The Hornets were relegated on the final day of the 2019/20 Premier League season and having cost the club £30m in the summer, Sarr could be one of several players on the chopping block not at least due to his impressive form for the Championship newcomers.

Salah successor

Sarr has often been likened to Mane which is no surprise given the pair’s nationality, position and playing style but the Watford man actually plays on the other flank to the Reds’ superstar.

He’d be an interesting heir to Mo Salah’s throne, especially with the 23-goal talisman constantly linked with La Liga giants Real Madrid.

And, of course, those at Anfield know Sarr all too well after he tore Klopp’s defence apart for their first defeat of the season back in February.

The enigmatic winger netted two goals and provided one assist as Watford romped to a 3-0 victory – he also recorded two successful dribbles, one key pass, won five duels and notched a whopping six shots, via SofaScore.

Sarr ran Andy Robertson rugged forcing the Scotsman to lose possession 22 times whilst he couldn’t manage a single tackle and won just one duel.

Mane waxed lyrical about his Senegal teammate ahead of his move to the Hornets whilst Sky Sports’ Gary Neville labelled Sarr “a big, big talent.”

“He’s rapid. I think defenders will struggle,” Mane told The Athletic.“Last time I was speaking to Robbo (Andy Robertson) I said, ‘Watford have a really good player. I will need to help you more otherwise Ismaila Sarr will kill you, because he is a good dribbler and very, very fast.”

It remains to be seen how much he might cost, but Klopp could do no wrong in adding Sarr to his attacking armoury.

AND in other news, Liverpool eyeing £55m raid for Steven Gerrard-like midfielder…

According to The Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder, the issue of piracy has “clearly” been the fact that has “caused tension” behind Newcastle’s proposed takeover.

What did he say?

One of the key reasons behind the Magpies’ takeover still not going through has been the problem brought by the beoutQ channel, and Ryder has revealed that the Premier League is now facing a major dilemma as to whether Saudi Arabia is given an “invitation to the top-flight”.

He said: “People close to the bidding side will still say that this could be approved at any time, but as I mentioned earlier there are fans who are starting to question the length of time. The Premier League are refusing to comment and Newcastle chiefs have said nothing on the record from the boardroom.

Can you name every one of the Magpies’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

“Having had legal issues with Saudi Arabia before, it appears the Premier League are now facing the dilemma of handing them an invitation to the top-flight. Assurances from those in the Middle East that they will stamp out piracy have been forthcoming. But it is clearly pirate channel beoutQ that has caused tension around this deal. Further reassurance from Saudi Intellectual Property Authority on Tuesday also arrived via another statement but again how much sway this has on the Premier League remains to be seen.”

More waiting

As Ryder points out, the consortium are trying to make it abundantly clear to the Premier League that the issue of piracy is something they are keen to “stamp out”.

The fact that this whole process has now dragged on for months suggests those responsible for deliberating over the plans are still yet to be wholly convinced.

Ryder further added that despite the delay, the message remains the same that they are still optimistic over the deal eventually going through, but that opposition from MPs and Hatice Cengiz, have ensured the Premier League have had to respond to those claims.

It’s very much a waiting game for now.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to challenge AC Milan in the hunt for Real Betis striker Loren Moron, according to Todo Fichajes. 

Although the Spanish outlet claims that negotiations with Milan are ‘well advanced’, Spurs are confident that they can hijack the talks.

Jose Mourinho is keen to bring in a back-up for Harry Kane who can also provide the England international with some healthy competition and the Portuguese has been keeping tabs on Moron as the transfer market approaches.

Tottenham are prepared to make an offer that they think will change the mind of Big Greens’ chairman Angel Haro.

Moron initially joined Betis B from Marbella FC as a free agent before breaking into their senior ranks in 2018 and it is fair to say he hasn’t looked back since. The 26-year-old has scored nine goals in 26 games in La Liga for Rubi’s side this season, supplying two assists and taking 1.6 shots per game via WhoScored.

The report added that Betis will demand €25m (which equates to £22m) for the Spaniard. Moreover, this is a substantial drop from their original asking price, after Diario AS previously suggested Betis were looking for €40m (£35.85m) for the forward earlier this year.

Kane has only just recovered from a hamstring injury and Moron is perhaps the support that Mourinho is seeking to reduce the burden on the Spurs talisman. Indeed, the centre-forward is unafraid of making tackles and he likes to play short passes, which could provide the Spurs head coach with the choice of playing him alongside the club captain or bringing him on from the bench.

However, it remains to be seen if Daniel Levy will splash the cash to sign the Spanish striker in the summer, in light of the economic uncertainty surrounding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, he is definitely one to watch as the Lilywhites have been repeatedly linked to him in recent months.

Tottenham fans, do you think the board should sign Loren Moron? Join the discussion in the comments section below!