All posts by z3u9t.icu

Nottingham Forest have confirmed the last-minute arrival of Djed Spence at the City Ground.

What’s the latest?

In a short statement posted on the Nottingham Forest website, the Reds confirmed the signing of the Middlesbrough right-back on a season-long loan deal, with the 21-year-old’s move to Forest being approved by the EFL following the passing of the transfer deadline at 11pm on Tuesday evening.

Indeed, it was reported that Dane Murphy’s side were scrambling to complete the defender’s deal late on Tuesday, with there believed to be a problem with the paperwork at Forest’s end, however, 18 hours after the transfer window closed, the Championship side finally confirmed the switch had been completed.

Hughton will be buzzing

The position of right-back had caused Chris Hughton something of a headache over the duration of the summer transfer window, with the 62-year-old manager first informing Carl Jenkinson that he was free to leave the club at the start of the summer, leaving the Reds with only Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel as a viable option in the position.

As a result, Hughton made a move for Arsenal youngster Jordi Osei-Tutu, who, after playing two fixtures for the club at left-back, suffered a hamstring injury, once again leaving the Reds boss with only Lawrence-Gabriel in the position.

So, on deadline day, right-back still appeared to be a position that required further reinforcements for the Garibaldi, who eventually finished the day signing two players capable of operating on the right-hand side of defence – Mohamed Drager and Djed Spence.

However, it is Spence’s signing that will likely have had the Nottingham Forest manager buzzing, as the versatile 21-year-old has proven during his time at Middlesbrough that he is a player who boasts a considerable amount of potential.

Indeed, over his 38 Championship appearances for Neil Warnock’s side last season, the £1.8m-rated defender made an average of 0.7 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 0.6 clearances and won 3.5 duels per game.

The man Jonathan Woodgate dubbed an “exceptional” player also impressed for his side going forwards, scoring one goal and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.3 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

As such, while these statistics are perhaps not the most breathtaking, the £4.4k-per-week right-back’s addition to Hughton’s options will nevertheless bring greater depth and experience to a position which it desperately lacked prior to his signing – something that will undoubtedly delight the 62-year-old and leave him buzzing.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as a post emerged showing Borna Barisic’s fantastic form for Croatia.

The left-back managed to bag himself the match’s highest rating (7.8) on Sofascore after an impressive international display for Croatia in their 3-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying home win over Slovenia on Tuesday night.

Barisic won no fewer than six of his duels in the game, and also managed to record one successful dribble, two clearances, four tackles, one key pass, one accurate cross and three accurate long balls, as well as achieving a 96% pass accuracy in the match (Sofascore).

It was certainly a performance he should be proud of, and the 28-year-old will now hope that he can carry his international form on at club level.

Rangers fans on Barisic news

These Light Blues buzzed as the ‘class’ news of Barisic’s rating was shared on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘excellent’:

“Class but expected, best LB in the world”

Credit: @robertmcnaught

“1 corner vs that lot and BOOOOOMMMM BornaBear is back”

Credit: @imacdougall8

“Class but expected”

Credit: @trickymcfingaz

“He’s back.”

Credit: @wmwscgbm87

“Borna is back”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“He was excellent last night. Although, with the emergence of Sosa & Gvardiol at LB, I think BB will find it harder n harder to keep his place. Croatia producing excellent talents in that area of pitch, right now.”

Credit: @Noceros84

In other news, find out which Premier League club tried to sign this ‘magnificent’ Ger here!

Liverpool supporters have bemoaned an injury update regarding Thiago, with the Spaniard set for a spell on the sidelines.

The 30-year-old arrived as a star signing last summer, coming in from Bayern Munich after a wonderful period of success at the Bundesliga club.

Thiago’s first season proved to be an injury-prone one, however, and he was unable to make a major impact, partly because of the Reds’ struggles as a team.

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He was arguably Liverpool’s best player in the final 10 matches in the Premier League, though, and he has made a strong start to 2021/22, too.

Unfortunately, the Spain international limped off against Crystal Palace with a calf injury last weekend and missed the Carabao Cup win over Norwich City.

Jurgen Klopp has now confirmed [via Paul Joyce on Twitter] that Thiago will be out until next month’s international break, ruling him out of the games against Brentford, Porto and Manchester City.

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Liverpool fans react to Thiago latest

These Liverpool fans bemoaned the news on Twitter.

“Injury crisis. The midfield edition 21/22 loading. Stay tuned”

Credit: @9squeeze

“The Spanish Naby Keita”

Credit: @DIA_LXVI

“Here we go AGAIN”

Credit: @nasir_l

“This what we all have been preventing, stupid owners”

Credit: @Eminez_1

“I’m convinced this guy is made out of glass”

Credit: @ravisc0_

“Yeah he’s not playing until 2022”

Credit: @exdes10

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy with one transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Speaking to Top Calcio 24, via Calciomercato.it, Italian journalist Andrea Longoni has shared more exit news out of Tottenham Hotspur – this time involving midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

The Lowdown: Spurs summer exodus…

Managing director Fabio Paratici has orchestrated plenty more outgoings from Tottenham than incomings so far, with the likes of Erik Lamela, Joe Hart, Juan Foyth, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga all leaving north London (Transfermarkt).

Spurs are in a sell-to-buy position and have been all transfer window, meaning the Lilywhites must offload surplus-to-requirements assets before making serious money offers for targets.

Sissoko had been one of the players tipped with a sale this summer and journalist Longoni has now brought some news.

The Latest: AC Milan enter Sissoko talks…

As per the reporter on Top Calcio 24 (via Calciomercato.it), European giants Milan have commenced talks with Spurs over taking Sissoko on a loan deal.

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“The talks have begun with Tottenham, Milan are aiming for Sissoko’s loan,” he explained.

Indeed, the Frenchman has now emerged as a target for Milan as they aim to bolster their own 2021/2022 Serie A hopes.

As reported by reliable sources before, Tottenham would be open to offers for Sissoko this summer, but it is unclear as to what their stance will be on a loan deal with no development on these discussions just yet.

The Verdict: Time to go…

Whether on loan or a permanent deal, it is arguably time for Spurs to try and offload the 31-year-old while they still can – especially given his age and the fact his contract expires in 2023.

The 71-cap international’s departure could free up crucial salary space for Tottenham targets if Paratici looks to bring in more additions before the window’s closure on August 31.

On a reported £80,000-per-week, Spurs will be looking to ideally instigate Sissoko’s exit as soon as possible as they continue a major summer overhaul.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Buzzing’, ‘Game changer’…Many Tottenham fans erupt as ‘beautiful’ news confirmed, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have reiterated that Harry Kane is not for sale this summer, with key figures behind the scenes confident he’ll remain with Spurs, according to The Athletic. 

The lowdown: Report outlines multi-million pound agreement

Spurs forward Harry Kane has previously voiced his intentions (Sky Sports) to leave the club earlier this summer, although a move anywhere is yet to materialise.

Part of that is largely down to Spurs of course wanting to keep him at the club, as well as Kane being away on international duty with England in the European Championships, so a move is unlikely to have been on his mind recently.

However, Manchester City have been keen admirers of striking a deal to sign Kane, with a fee in the region of £100million being quoted over a potential agreement.

The Sun had recently reported that Daniel Levy had accepted a £160million offer from Pep Guardiola’s side, although it doesn’t seem as though that’s the case just yet.

The latest: Senior Spurs figures confident Kane will stay

The Athletic are reporting on Saturday morning that Spurs have taken a ‘dim view’ of suggestions that an agreement to sell Kane had been reached.

That same report also claims that both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were taken by surprise on that claim from The Sun, with Spurs reiterating that Kane is not for sale this summer.

The Athletic have also revealed that key figures at Spurs are confident that he’ll stay with the London-based club moving forwards.

The verdict: There will be plenty more twists and turns

There are so many conflicting reports, it’s difficult to know which one to believe.

Kane has revealed his intentions for a new adventure away from Spurs this summer, but Nuno Espírito Santo’s side clearly still value his impact in north London over any sum Manchester City could plausibly stump up.

City are always going to be a tempting offer for any player however, both financially and for the position they’re at in the Premier League.

They’re a team who have really impressed under the management of Pep Guardiola, and Kane could be the missing piece in their jigsaw, as they target Champions League glory in the near future.

With that in mind, it’s hard to rule anything out at this stage, and while it seems unlikely Kane would do something as drastic as to try and force a move from his boyhood club, there will certainly be more twists and turns to come.

Stoke City are rumoured to be closing in on a deal to sign Manchester City youngster Liam Delap, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

Delap has been with Manchester City since 2019 and has gone on to make three appearances for the club’s first team over the years.

The forward has netted 30 goals in 27 appearances for the Manchester City under-23s team, and it appears as though those strong performances haven’t gone unnoticed.

Delap has emerged as a loan target for the likes of West Brom, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City in the past, which could have been a tempting proposition for Delap on a temporary basis, as he looks to further his development in senior football.

Football Insider have now reported that Stoke are close to reaching an agreement to sign Delap on loan for the 2020/21 season, with both parties believed to be in advanced talks over a potential deal.

Delap is a young talent who is clearly highly rated by Manchester City, with the forward already making three senior appearances for the club, whilst under the management of Pep Guardiola.

The youngster has been labelled as ‘powerful’ and ‘very impressive’ by Football Talent Scout in the past, and their glowing report of the forward should excite Stoke fans as their club look as though they’re set to sign the Premier League talent this summer.

The Potters certainly could benefit from adding a striker of his potential to their books, with Michael O’Neill not exactly being blessed with a forward with Delap’s eye for goal in recent seasons.

Delap will be keen to make a name for himself in senior football on a consistent basis moving forwards, and a move to the bet365 Stadium will give him the opportunity to do just that.

Stoke have been somewhat of a ‘sleeping giant’ in the Championship for far too long now, and they need a striker who can fire them up the second-tier standings this term to keep them in contention to make a timely promotion back into the Premier League.

Delap could be the answer to that problem as well, and if he can hit the ground running, then this could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business by the Potters and it’d be interesting to see how they’d fit the 18-year-old into their team.

Stoke are set to take on Reading in their opening match of the 2021/22 campaign this weekend, in what could potentially be a tough test up against Veljko Paunovic’s men, who narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the Championship last term. Stoke fans will be hopeful of Delap being in their squad for that game.

O’Neill must do all he can to make sure this is a deal that’s completed in the near future.

Ligue 1 expert Adam White insists that Leicester City will be desperate to keep hold of defender Wesley Fofana for the foreseeable future after his breakthrough at the club.

The £36m-rated French defender is currently on the sidelines after suffering a leg fracture in pre-season.

He is likely to be out until 2022 at the earliest, but he had developed into one of Brendan Rodgers’ first-choice stars at the King Power Stadium.

Indeed, Fofana has made 38 first-team appearances for the club and played 90 minutes in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at the end of last season, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory.

Fofana developed at Saint-Etienne but he has consistently been linked away from the club.

Manchester United were linked with an interest prior to his injury, although reports suggested that Leicester would demand a massive fee to let him go.

And White insists they will attempt to keep him for as long as humanly possible.

He said: “Yeah I think he definitely is someone that Leicester City are going to keep hold of. In France, he’s regarded very highly having come through at St Etienne.”

The puzzling case of Ryan Christie’s Celtic career has just grown even more stranger.

The Scot is one of the most enigmatic players in the Hoops squad and if anything proved that, it was his display on Tuesday night.

Christie grabbed the bull by the horns and on a night where they were missing James Forrest, he truly delivered in a wide position as they drew 1-1 with Midtjylland.

His form last season was nothing short of disastrous as he scored just seven goals compared to the 20 he racked up in 2019/20.

He took immense criticism from supporters and heading into this summer, it looked as though his time at Parkhead was done and dusted.

The attacking midfielder’s contract expires in January, fielding interest from both Crystal Palace and Sampdoria.

However, on this evidence, he’s still a valuable player for new Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.

Liel Abada scored their goal on debut, but after he was forced to be withdrawn in the first half following Nir Bitton’s red card, Christie was the real bright spark.

The 26-year-old was playing out of position again but still performed excellently on the left-hand flank.

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Christie was vibrant and a constant thorn in the Midtjylland defence. He completed four key passes which was more than anyone else on the pitch.

He also recorded a game-high four dribbles and was successful with 100% of his long duels.

The forward did hit the post from one of Abada’s tantalising deliveries but everything else he did was close to perfection as he stole the show at Paradise.

Alex McLeish described him as the “complete package” earlier this summer and on this evidence, it was easy to see why.

Christie wasn’t just capable in offensive areas but he did the dirty work well too. He won a whopping 11 defensive duels throughout the contest, the most of any player on the pitch.

It’s been a rare occurrence over the last 12 months where we can stand up and really applaud him but this was a display that deserved praise.

He might just be playing for a move but that won’t bother Celtic. The longer he produces performances like this, the better chance the Bhoys have of being in the Champions League group stages this term.

AND in other news, Celtic could find their new Christie by signing 44-goal gem with the “style of Robben”…

Aiden McGeady has signed a one-year contract extension at Sunderland, keeping him at the Stadium of Light for the 2021-22 season [Sunderland AFC Official].

Enjoying a sparkling 2020/21 campaign, the Irishman chipped in with an unbelievable 23 goal contributions from 36 encounters; six goals and 17 assists [Transfermarkt].

Spending a fourth consecutive season in Sky Bet League One, the Black Cats will be hoping to count on his quality and experience as they vie to rise up the pyramid once again.

The embodiment of consistency, across his time in the North East the former Celtic man has been a pivotal fixture; scoring 33 goals and laying on a further 30 for his teammates [Transfermarkt].

In light of this contractual news, no wonder loads of Sunderland diehards took to Twitter to revel in these latest developments.

Sunderland fans react:

Replying to the Sunderland AFC official Twitter account, here is what some ecstatic supporters had to say upon hearing the ‘fantastic news’:

“Absolutely delighted with this news now add some quality to help him”

Credit: @mackem49000″Get us out of this league u beautiful man”Credit: @joe_112233″The last dance”Credit: @CarlDorward”Fantastic news!!”Credit: @bobbyspout”Brilliant news”Credit: @GavinEvs”Good start, hopefully gets the ball rolling #safc”Credit: @ParkersafcIn other news, Sunderland are set to sign a highly-rated defender.

Rangers centre-back Nikola Katic has spoken about his potential return from injury and has suggested that he is ready to make his comeback, which is a huge boost for Steven Gerrard at Ibrox ahead of next season.

The Croatian defender suffered a horrible cruciate ligament injury in pre-season last year, which ruled him out for the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign, although Rangers were able to rally in his absence, winning the league title unbeaten.

Although you might not expect Gerrard to make too many changes to a defence that conceded just 13 goals in the top-flight last season ahead of the new campaign, Katic has emphasised his class for Rangers in the past and is clearly appreciated by the 41-year-old manager, so there is every possibility that he will be a regular next season if he can get back to his best.

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Katic spoke to Rangers TV recently and provided an update on when he hopes to return, saying:

“It has been such a long time out of the team and struggling with a really tough injury, but I am really happy that all of that is behind me now and I am ready to go with the team again.

“They were great, honestly, and I am very grateful for the staff, the medical, the team-mates, everyone was really good with me. They all knew that I was facing a really tough time but the club always tried to find the way to help me, to get me in a positive mind and connect me with my family.

“We all know it was really difficult last season. They always did their best to try and make me happy and I will always be grateful for that.

“In one side it was really difficult and painful to watch and not be part of that as much as you want to be.

“On the other side, I was truly happy for the team. I am already three years with them and I know how much effort they put in every day and how hard they work.

“I was really happy for them to achieve that and it was no more than they deserved.

“I am desperate, honestly, I am desperate [to get back playing]. I lost 12 months with my injury and now I am so desperate to play and so excited.

“Honestly, I am giving 24 hours per day to be as ready as possible to help the team and to prove to the manager, prove to the fans how ready I am.”

During his time at Ibrox, Katic has made 59 appearances, contributing six goals and three assists, and was labelled “a winner and a warrior” by Gerrard after scoring in an Old Firm derby win in 2019.

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If he can get himself fit in pre-season, then it would not be a surprise to see the 24-year-old centre-back challenge the likes of Connor Goldson and Filip Helander in Gerrard’s side next season, and it is undoubtedly a huge boost to potentially have him back fit in time for upcoming games in the Scottish Premiership and Champions League.

Gerrard will be buzzing to have him back fit and ready to play a full-part in pre-season training.

And, in other news… Rangers handed huge boost with “outstanding” Ibrox beast, Gerrard surely buzzing