All posts by n8rngtd.top

Derek Clark has dropped an update on reported Glasgow Rangers transfer target Cameron Congreve.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the journalist revealed that, despite a number of reports claiming that Ross Wilson had made contact with Swansea City regarding a loan deal for the 18-year-old prior to the midfielder signing a new deal with the Championship side, these reports were wide of the mark.

In his tweet, Clark said: “Regarding earlier reports that Rangers wanted to loan Cameron Congreve. I’m told this is nonsense, there has been no contact with Swansea.”

Van Bronckhorst will be gutted

Considering the sheer amount of potential Congreve undoubtedly possesses, Clark’s claim that Wilson did not pursue a move to bring the teenager to Ibrox this summer is sure to have left Giovanni van Bronckhorst gutted.

Indeed, the versatile right-midfielder burst onto the Swansea scene over five Championship appearances – only two of which came as starts – last season, with the 18-year-old creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.8 shots, making 0.4 key passes and completing 0.4 dribbles per game.

The £140-per-week talent also highly impressed over his five outings for Wales U18s last term, scoring four goals for Rob Edwards’ side – including two in 45 minutes in an eye-catching 4-2 victory over Croatia U18s.

Furthermore, Russell Martin is also clearly a huge fan of the youngster, stating of Congreve following his inclusion in Swansea’s matchday squads against Fulham and Coventry City last season:

“Cameron has been outstanding in training. He’s a fantastic young man in terms of his character and the way he applies himself every day. He’s got a great attitude. There’s no pressure on him at all, but if he carries on doing what he’s doing he’ll be involved a lot more.

“I felt like he deserved to be in the squad [to face Coventry City] with the way he’d trained. Saturday was a great taster for him to see it and be around it. I’ve told him that the hard work really starts now because nothing has been achieved yet.

“He’s a really grounded lad and I have no doubt that he can grow with us, I just don’t want any expectation on him early on because it’s really hard for young players who support clubs – that always brings a bit of added pressure.”

As such, it is clear to see that Congreve would have made for an incredibly exciting addition to Van Bronckhorst’s options at Ibrox next season, leading us to believe that not pursuing a move for the 18-year-old this summer could be a decision that Wilson very easily comes to rue in the not too distant future.

AND in other news: “What we can say is..”: ESPN journo drops Rangers transfer update, GvB will be buzzing

Leeds United have already made six signings this summer and they aren’t finished yet…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones, the Yorkshire outfit are battling it out with Serie A giants AC Milan for the signature of Club Brugge sensation Charles De Ketelaere and want a further three additions.

It’s thought that manager Jesse Marsch would like another midfielder, a new left-back and an experienced goalkeeper alongside Illan Meslier, with former Watford and West Brom shot-stopper Ben Foster believed to be a target.

These arrivals would take Leeds’ total to nine or ten new players at Elland Road, having already brought in RB Salzburg duo Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca from Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams, Darko Gyabi from Manchester City and most recently, the €25m (£21m) acquisition of Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord.

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Marsch madness

Talk about change. Leeds’ plans this summer have been a totally fresh approach to that witnessed under Marsch’s predecessor, Marcelo Bielsa, who would rarely add to the squad during the transfer window.

It’s evident that those around west Yorkshire are keen to avoid a repeat of last season, a tumultuous campaign that saw the Whites seal their Premier League safety on the final day, with a 2-1 win over Brentford.

Kalvin Phillips has since departed to champions Manchester City, whilst Raphinha is expected to follow him out of the exit door. The loss of the pair certainly makes the current squad weaker but Victor Orta and co have clearly taken great steps to fill their voids.

De Ketelaere would be quite the coup indeed, having earned comparisons to Kevin De Bruyne already in his short career to date. Last season, he delivered 18 goals and ten assists across 49 appearances, despite playing in as many as seven different roles, as per Transfermarkt.

Foster, meanwhile, would add some much-needed experience and a reliable alternative to Meslier.

Whilst left-back has been a difficult problem for Leeds in recent times as Junior Firpo has not stepped up as well as they would have liked following his switch from Barcelona last summer.

All in all, supporters around Elland Road will surely be buzzing by this latest update from the Mail. It should be a far more entertaining season than last year, given all these signings, so that should raise excitement at Leeds.

AND in other news, Marsch could seal a huge Firpo upgrade with Leeds offer for £3.6m-rated dynamo…

Manchester United are accelerating their attempts to sign Antony from Ajax, with the latest reports suggesting that Erik ten Hag’s side have now submitted a bid for the Brazilian.

What’s the word?

United have been regularly linked with the winger for some weeks now, and it has now been claimed by Goal correspondent James Robson that the Red Devils have submitted a £51m bid to the Dutch champions.

However, he also suggests that this is still £20m short of Ajax’s €80m (£68m) asking price, and the Eredivisie side are certainly under no pressure to sell, having already received significant fees for Bundesliga-bound duo Ryan Gravenberch and Sebastien Haller this summer.

The 22-year-old is contracted at the Johan Cruyff Arena until 2025, so it seems as if United will have to meet Ajax’s asking price if they want to bring him to Old Trafford this summer.

Ten Hag’s dream?

Antony was a key player for Ajax last season as they won the title, making 23 appearances in the Dutch top-flight, contributing eight goals and four assists, averaging a superb 7.47 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The new United boss spoke about the importance of having someone like the Brazilian in a team when he was out with injury, saying:

“I am also happy to have players with [this] temperament. You also need them.”

“We all miss him. Without Antony it is all a bit less fast and dynamic on the right, which also makes it more difficult for the team. Then the spaces become a lot smaller.”

If ten Hag wants to play in a similar style at United he will need players that he can trust to implement the fast, passing style of play that was so effective at Ajax, so it is no surprise that the Red Devils are being so heavily linked with Antony.

When he initially arrived at Ajax, veteran Dutch scout Piet de Visser was full of praise for the young winger, saying:

“Antony, that will be a winner! I have had him high for years. I saw him playing for the first time at age 16, in Brazil Under-17. Wonderful technical football player.”

The 22-year-old certainly proved to be a success at Ajax and if he were to produce similar performances under ten Hag at United, he would surely be worth the asking price given his obvious potential, so the Dutch manager will be hoping and dreaming that he can agree a deal with his old side to bring Antony to Old Trafford this summer.

And, in other news… Ten Hag plotting MUFC bid for £34m gem who’s “one of the best”, imagine him & Eriksen…

After losing Gabriel Jesus to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Manchester City could be about to lose a second forward to yet another London outfit.

What’s the word?

That is according to an update from super-journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that Raheem Sterling is keen on a move to Chelsea, with Tuchel’s side preparing a new bid for the England international.

Taking to his personal Twitter page to issue the update, Romano said: “Positive feelings around Raheem Sterling deal also tonight. Chelsea have a new bid ready, Man City are prepared to let him go as it was part of the plan – and Raheem is keen on Chelsea move. Personal terms, already discussed. Second bid is coming. More to follow soon.”

Indeed, Romano then Tweeted on Tuesday: “Chelsea will also send new bid to Manchester City for Raheem Sterling – Tuchel wants two wingers.”

Guardiola will be gutted

Despite the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, the loss of Jesus and potentially now Sterling will prove impactful.

In losing such a duo, Guardiola is not only losing experience in his attacking line, but losing two players who hit a combined 34 Premier League goals last season via their respective attacking contributions, with Jesus scoring eight and assisting eight, and Sterling bagging 13 and assisting five times.

At 27-years-old, Sterling is approaching the prime years of his career and already sits as City’s second-highest goalscorer in their history with 131 scored for the club, 129 goals behind Sergio Aguero.

His development under Man City’s Spanish tactician has been exponential and he’s been a regular in a side that have also shown terrific development over the last seven seasons, with Sterling making 30 or more appearances in each campaign he’s played for the Cityzens.

His fitness is yet another underrated component in what, on the whole, is a technical player who often goes under the radar in terms of his natural ability.

The England international’s pace cannot be matched up top and with both player and club said to be keen, Guardiola now faces a very real situation in which his dynamic winger could be turning out in a deeper shade of blue for a big rival, an eventuality that would leave him gutted.

On a personal level, this does not seem like a prosperous opportunity for Sterling and after selling Jesus to Arsenal, it’s less than ideal from a Manchester City and Guardiola perspective.

In other news: Txiki now in advanced talks to seal behind-the-scenes MCFC deal, Pep will be buzzing 

Tom Barclay has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Djed Spence.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Sun journalist revealed that, despite talks between Middlesbrough and Tottenham having been ongoing for a number of weeks regarding a deal for the right-back, the two clubs are still no closer to reaching an agreement over a fee for the 21-year-old.

Barclay added that the Championship club are looking for a figure in the region of £15m plus add-ons in order to part with the defender this summer, while Daniel Levy is hoping to land the England under-21 international for a considerably lower fee.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Tottenham and Middlesbrough still a way apart in negotiations for Djed Spence. Boro after around £15m plus add-ons, Spurs currently looking to pay a fair bit lower than that.”

Supporters will be fuming

Considering just how exciting a prospect Spence undoubtedly is, Barclay’s update that Spurs are still yet to reach an agreement with Middlesbrough concerning a deal for the 21-year-old is sure to have left the Tottenham faithful fuming.

Indeed, over his 42 Championship outings while on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, the £7.2m-rated full-back was in breathtaking form. He bagged two goals, registered five assists and created six big chances for his team-mates, in addition to making one key pass, taking 0.6 shots and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

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The £4.4k-per-week talent also impressed in defensive metrics, making 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.4 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per match.

These returns saw the player who Danny Green dubbed “unreal” average an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.05, ranking him as the Garibaldi’s sixth-best player in the Championship last term as he played a pivotal role in Forest’s promotion to the Premier League.

As such, considering his clear ability, his potential for future growth and his status as an England youth international, it would very much appear as if Spence is a talent who is well worth his £15m asking price.

We believe that, in order to get the right-back into Hotspur Way in time for pre-season, Levy simply must cough up the going rate for the 21-year-old.

AND in other news – “In the next days..”: Spanish journalist drops Spurs transfer update, Conte surely buzzing

Manchester City ended their latest Premier League season with more goals scored than any other side in the division.

With 38 games played, the Citizens found the net 99 times, five more times than Liverpool managed to in second place.

One figure in Pep Guardiola’s squad that contributed a fair amount to City’s latest title-winning campaign in an attacking sense is Riyad Mahrez.

With 28 league appearances to his name, the winger scored 11 goals and provided five assists, leaving only Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling with more goal contributions.

The end of the campaign saw the Algerian pick up his third Premier League title as a City player since joining from Leicester City back in 2018 for a fee of £60m.

Now that the 31-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract in the coming weeks, one figure the club have been linked with recently that could be his ideal long-term replacement is Rafael Leao.

The AC Milan winger, who has the City winger included on a list of similar players to him according to FBref, also showed during his latest domestic season how integral he was to his side’s title-winning campaign.

In 34 Serie A appearances, the Portuguese winger, who has been labelled as a “diamond” by Paolo Maldini, found the net 11 times and delivered ten assists.

To further highlight his impressive attacking talent, the 23-year-old ended the campaign with more shots at goal (97), shot-creating actions (105) and successful dribbles (95) than any other Milan player, as well as racking up the joint-highest number of crosses (69) in the squad.

Described as “world-class” by Matteo Bonetti, it’s easy to see why Leao reportedly has a rather hefty release clause in his contract worth €150m (£127.5m).

As well as potentially become their next version of Mahrez, City may have a more pressing need to sign the Milan star given how Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling have been linked with moves away from the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Thus, if the Manchester club and Guardiola see an opportunity to make a swoop for the youngster, they should do all they can to negotiate what would be seen as a suitable deal for all parties.

In other news: Man City eyeing swoop for “unbelievable” £31.5m-rated “animal”, Pep would love him

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has reacted to reports claiming that Leeds United are interested in signing Napoli striker Dries Mertens this summer. 

The lowdown: Leeds interested in Mertens

This comes after the Whites were linked with an audacious attempt to bring the 35-year-old to Elland Road, according to a report from Belgian outlet Voetbal Flitsen.

It has been claimed that Leeds, Crystal Palace and mega-rich Newcastle United are all keen on bringing Mertens to the Premier League.

The veteran is the Serie A club’s record goalscorer with 148 in 397 appearances, and the thought of the experienced Belgian arriving in Yorkshire would certainly excite one intrigued onlooker…

The latest: O’Rourke on Mertens

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has suggested that bringing the 104-cap Belgium international to Leeds would be a significant move from the club.

He said: “If they could get somebody like him in, it’d be a massive statement signing from Leeds United. I think it’ll be a hard deal to do, but the opportunity to play in the Premier League is something that maybe appeals to Mertens at this stage of his career.”

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The verdict: No-brainer

Mertens is perhaps no longer at the peak of his one-time incredible powers, but given his capabilities of playing as a centre-forward or in the trequartista role, signing him as a soon-to-be free transfer would be a superb piece of business from Victor Orta.

Despite his advancing years, the Belgian was hailed by journalist Josh Bunting for a ‘world class’ strike in a stunning 8.50-rated display against Lazio in November (Sofascore), with two goals, two successful dribbles and a 100% passing accuracy on the night.

Mertens scored 13 times and provided two assists from 37 appearances across all competitions in 2021/22, proof of a continued ability to thrive at the elite level, which would be a huge boost to Jesse Marsch’s ranks as the American seeks quality cover for Patrick Bamford after an injury-hit campaign for the 28-year-old.

In other news: Leeds now won’t sign ‘superb’ midfielder despite Phil Hay revealing talks

Wolves are edging closer towards signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer, with a new report claiming that an agreement has been reached and that he wants to join Bruno Lage’s side.

The Lowdown: Palhinha linked with Wolves

There has been no shortage of speculation in recent days and weeks linking the Portugal international with a move to Molineux.

The 26-year-old appears to have been earmarked as the perfect replacement for Ruben Neves, who has been strongly linked with a move away from the Black Country.

It now looks as though Wolves are closer to getting their man, following a new update.

The Latest: Palhinha closer to Wolves move

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Wolves have an ‘agreement in principle’ to sign Palhinha, with a fee of approximately €20m (£17.1m) expected to be agreed, with the possibility of bonuses on top of that figure.

It is stated that the transfer won’t happen until Neves departs, but the Sporting player has told his manager Ruben Amorim that he wants the move to happen.

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The Verdict: Get it done

To miss out on Palhinha now would be a big blow for Wolves, especially with Palhinha seemingly so keen on coming to Molineux, so it is vital that they get this deal over the line in the coming weeks.

Replacing Neves is going to be a difficult task, considering the influence he has enjoyed at Wolves. The 25-year-old was the highest-ranked midfielder in Lage’s squad last season as per WhoScored, while only centre-forward Raul Jimenez posted a greater shots-per-game average than his 1.3.

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However Palhinha is similarly metronomic in the middle of the park, keeping the ball ticking over (he had an 87.8% pass completion rate in the Primeira Liga last term) while offering a strong off-the-ball presence. He averaged three tackles per game in the league in 2021/22, which was more than any other Sporting player (or Wolves, for that matter).

Therefore, he seems the ideal candidate to pick up where Neves seems set to leave off.

In other news, Wolves are reportedly in pole position to sign one player. Find out who it is here

Dutch transfer journalist Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf has shared a big Tottenham Hotspur exit update involving want-away winger Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: Bergwijn eyes exit…

The Netherlands international openly admitted that he intends to leave Spurs this summer as manager Antonio Conte cannot give him a sufficient amount of game time.

Despite weighing in with crucial contributions at big points over 2021/2022, including his last minute brace to clinch a 3-2 victory away to Leicester City, Bergwijn has found it hard to fight his way past the in-form Dejan Kulusevski in Tottenham’s pecking order.

As such, Eredivisie giants Ajax have been plotting to bring him back across the English channel with Verweij now sharing an update on the situation.

The Latest: Personal terms a ‘formality’…

The reporter, taking to Twitter, claims a five-year contract for Bergwijn at Ajax is a ‘formality’ – going on to state in his piece that the 24-year-old has an ‘outline agreement’ on personal terms to leave Tottenham.

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However, it is also believed that the Amsterdam outfit have been indecisive in terms of an offer to Spurs and will have to shake off emerging competition from the Premier League (De Telegraaf).

The Verdict: Time to go?

Lauded as a ‘big-game monster’ in recent seasons by members of the media (John Cross, Daily Mirror), as evident by his heroics at the King Power Stadium, his quality at times is perhaps deserving of more regular chances.

Depending on the fee Spurs can obtain from Ajax or any other interested party, we believe it is best to amicably part company before the start of 2022/2023.

Allowing the player more regular minutes at a high level team while Spurs bank a decent fee to reinvest into other positions feels like a win-win.

In other news: ‘Better and better’ – Tottenham could make announcement ‘in the coming days’, says insider…find out more here.

Rangers ended their 2021/22 campaign on a high as the Glasgow giants won the Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win at Hampden.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men were left disappointed in both the Premiership and the Europa League as they finished runners-up in both competitions and were able to head into the summer with a trophy by lifting the SFA Cup.

It was a tense match against Hearts as incoming Gers centre-back John Souttar kept the Light Blues at bay throughout regular time.

The game then went to extra time and burst into life as Ryan Jack scored a sensational goal from the edge of the box, before Scott Wright made it 2-0.

Jack, who turns 31 next season, was restricted to nine games in the Premiership as he struggled with injuries throughout the campaign and Rangers may start to think about life after the Scotland international.

Dream Jack heir

Van Bronckhorst can find the dream heir to the 30-year-old in a deal to sign Aberdeen central midfielder Lewis Ferguson this summer.

Former Gers striker Kenny Miller recently claimed that the gem is someone the club should be looking to sign. He said: “In terms of players Rangers could go for in Scotland after (John) Souttar – (Ellis) Simms and (Lewis) Ferguson would potentially be the two for me because they’re at a really good age.”

The Dons man, who was dubbed a “real leader” by former Premiership player Mark Wilson, was valued at £10m by his manager Jim Goodwin earlier this year, whilst calling him a “big influence”, and his statistics in the top-flight make it easy to see why. 

These impressive stats in the Premiership illustrate the quality he would be able to bring to Rangers if they sign him this summer.

The Gers signed Jack from Aberdeen in 2017 and they can now secure his heir in a deal to sign another central midfielder from the Dons.

In the 2020/21 campaign, the Light Blues gem averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.14 as he won 56% of his duels in the division. This shows that both players are capable of delivering consistently impressive displays in the middle of the park and can hold their own in physical contests.

However, Ferguson can replace Jack and add something different to the position – a goalscoring threat. His 11 strikes in the top-flight dwarf the Rangers man’s goal tally in the last five league seasons combined.

This means that he can be an upgrade on the Scotland international and be the long-term replacement for him, with plenty of years left for the Aberdeen man to give at the age of 22.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Weston: Rangers can form deadly future duo in deal for highly-rated teen…