All posts by n8rngtd.top

Nottingham Forest’s 2021/22 campaign got off to a frustrating start at the Ricoh Arena as they were beaten 2-1 by Coventry City on Sunday afternoon.

Chris Hughton named a number of younger players in his starting XI, with Brennan Johnson being among them. The winger caught the eye with some strong performances out on loan with League One side Lincoln City last season and will have been hoping to pick up where he left off.

He certainly did that yesterday, as a lung-busting run saw him beat the Coventry full-back before providing an inch-perfect cross for Lyle Taylor, who had the simplest of tasks to fire home from close-range and give Forest the lead.

Johnson had a WhoScored rating of 6.9 from the clash against the Sky Blues, the highest of anyone among the visitors’ line-up, and he clearly had Coventry spooked as he won five fouls during the match. Both Hughton and the City Ground faithful will be hoping that he can build on that strong performance in their season opener.

Plenty of Nottingham Forest supporters were quick to take to social media to issue their thoughts on the youngster’s most recent showing for the Reds, and it’s safe to say that the majority were impressed with what they saw from the 20-year-old, who one fan hailed as a “special boy”.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter below….

Nottingham Forest fans hail Brennan Johnson

“Special mention to Brennan Johnson. Forest, get that man on a new contract, he’s simply taking us to the Prem.”

Credit: @foxynffc

“Brennan Johnson really is a special boy, we have to make the most of him before he inevitably gets snapped up by a Prem club.”

Credit: @_JoshNffc

“Brennan Johnson has matured so much as a player. Take a bow son, gonna cause teams problems this season.”

Credit: @R1CHJB

“Brennan Johnson is the best player in the league x.”

Credit: @NathanDillon04

“Brennan Johnson is our only good player and we’ll sell him.”

Credit: @Pricey1865

“Sell Johnson and we are actually relegated.”

Credit: @CobbyNFFC

“Sounds mental to say this but we can’t afford to lose 20 Yr old Brennan Johnson. Looks a real talent.”

Credit: @Nesto25

In other news, Nigel Jemson has thrown down a challenge to one Forest ace.

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham are interested in signing Patrick Bamford from Leeds United this summer as an alternative to Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye a striker

Harry Kane’s desire to leave Spurs this summer (Sky Sports) means that the north Londoners must look to bring in a new centre-forward.

They had been heavily linked with a move for Fiorentina marksman Vlahovic (Gianluca di Marzio), but it seems that they may now have their eyes on another striker much closer to home.

The Latest: Spurs want Bamford

As per The Telegraph, Spurs are interested in making a move for Bamford.

Interestingly, they don’t see the 27-year-old Leeds striker as an alternative to Kane, but rather as someone who can play a supporting role behind the England captain.

The Verdict: Potential

Bamford has really come into his own across the past two years. He netted 16 goals in the Championship during the 2019/20 season as Leeds earned promotion to the Premier League; and even though his ability was questioned prior to last term, he found the back of the net 17 times as the Whites finished in the top half (Transfermarkt).

He even earned high praise from Liverpool’s Premier League-winning manager Jurgen Klopp, who called him “exceptional” (talkSPORT), and there is no doubt that Bamford is a fine striker who still has potential to improve under the right circumstances.

It remains to be seen whether Spurs could convince Leeds to part ways with the £19.8m-valued marksman (Transfermarkt), but his Premier League pedigree makes him an attractive proposition.

In other news, Spurs are also interested in this exciting winger.

It may have been a quiet summer for Liverpool so far in terms of incomings, but behind the scenes, they’ve been busy tying down their prized assets to new, long-term contracts.

What’s the story?

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Alisson Becker have all committed their futures to the Anfield outfit, while club captain Jordan Henderson is expected to follow suit.

And now, arguably the club’s most important player, Mohamed Salah, of all could be set to put pen to paper on fresh terms, ending speculation over what’s in store for the Eygpt international over the next few years.

According to The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce, the Reds have entered into talks with the 29-year-old over a new deal, with his current one set to expire in 2023.

Pearce’s report reads: “The Athletic understands negotiations are already underway over a new contract that would be the most expensive in club history.

“Salah’s current one, worth around £200,000 per week, runs until the end of next season, and the hope is he will commit his future for a further two years. By July 2025, he will be 33 years old.”

Liverpool fans will be buzzing

Since returning to English shores four years ago, Salah’s incredible consistency has seen him score a quite outrageous 126 goals in 204 goals for the Anfield outfit.

The Egyptian ace has also racked up 49 assists for Liverpool, showcasing his ability to be both the provider and finisher and has fired Jurgen Klopp’s charges to a Premier League title and Champions League crown during his time at the club.

Pearce’s latest report will reassure Liverpool fans that their star forward is here to stay and leave them buzzing with excitement.

The well-known and respected journalist claims that senior club sources have described the ongoing discussions so far as “productive”, and that there’s certainly no concern that a compromise has yet to be reached.

If Salah does sign a new contract then it would surely go down as Liverpool’s best piece of business in the current window, ensuring Klopp has the services of one of the sports top performances to call upon for the foreseeable future.

Fans will be absolutely buzzing with Pearce’s latest news.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano drops fresh Liverpool claim that’ll leave fans very worried 

Southampton are reportedly interested in Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall as Ralph Hasenhuttl continues his search for a Jannik Vestergaard heir at St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach, Southampton are considering a move for the 24-year-old this summer, along with Burnley, Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Norwich City.

The Championship club are said to value the powerful centre-back at between £10m and £12m as he is contracted at the City Ground until 2024. That suggests he could be an affordable option for the Saints before the window shuts, as they have plenty of money in the bank following the departures of Danny Ings and Vestergaard.

Would Worrall be a good signing?

Despite being relatively young, Worrall has plenty of experience in the Championship having amassed 137 appearances for Forest in his career thus far, whilst he also spent a year on loan with Rangers, which gave him the opportunity to feature in the Europa League.

During his time at Ibrox, Gerrard was a big fan of the defender and sang his praises in 2019, saying: “I thought Joe Worrall was outstanding. What a big goal to keep his team in the cup.

“It was a Man of the Match performance, and he will be a captain of whatever team he plays for. He is a leader and he stepped up today.”

You could certainly argue that Southampton are missing a leader at the back when you look at the way they collapsed in the second half against Everton last weekend, so Worrall could help to organise the Saints’ shaky defence this season should he arrive at St Mary’s.

Although he doesn’t have any experience in the Premier League, his performances in the Championship in the last two seasons have been very solid; and at just 24, he has plenty of time to improve and adapt to the demands of top-flight football.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, he seems to fit the bill perfectly for Southampton in terms of what they need and the money they can offer, so Saints fans must surely be delighted to hear that he is on the shortlist of names to potentially join the club before the transfer window shuts.

In other news… Southampton can sign their next Lovren in “physically very strong” beast

Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have seemingly made cash offers for Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, according to Tuttosport, cited by MondoBiancoNero.com.

The Lowdown: Palace after a midfielder

Patrick Vieira has had a tough start to life as Palace boss and is yet to see his side score in three competitive games.

The Eagles board want to bring in two forwards and a midfielder before the deadline, with links to Watford’s Will Hughes gathering pace over the weekend.

However, it now seems as if Palace, along with Villa, could be in for McKennie, hailed as ‘intelligent’ last year by Fabio Paratici, now of Spurs.

The Latest: Wednesday report

According to Tuttosport, cited by MondoBiancoNero.com, Juventus would prefer cash for McKennie, with Tottenham and Paratici looking at swap deals.

The report then claims that cash is an ‘element offered by less famous clubs such as Crystal Palace and Aston Villa’, possibly hinting that the two clubs have actually launched bids for the USA international, although that has not been confirmed by any English sources.

The Verdict: Biggest signing of the summer?

Fabrizio Romano has suggested it would take an “important bid” of more than €25/30m for the 5 foot 8 midfielder, so Palace may need to make the midfielder their most expensive signing of the summer – surpassing the £21m move for Marc Guehi earlier in the window.

It could be worth it though, especially with McKennie at the peak of his powers with a career-high £22.5m Transfermarkt valuation.

He can also play as a central, defensive or right-midfielder, so would bring plenty of versatility to Vieira’s midfield options, adding depth and quality while killing multiple birds with one stone.

However, it seems as if Palace may have to outbid Villa, which could be an issue, especially as Dean Smith’s side have already spent £95m this summer.

In other news: ‘Dougie’s first L’, ‘No thanks’ – Many CPFC fans flock to ’embarrassing’ transfer news. 

Aston Villa centre-back Dominic Revan sealed a deadline day loan move to League Two side Northampton Town.

And a number of Villa supporters have been reacting to the confirmation on social media.

The 20-year-old, who’s only senior appearance for Villa came in the FA Cup against Liverpool last season, has joined The Cobblers on a temporary basis until January.

Fellow Villa youngster Mungo Bridge also departed Bodymoor Heath on loan in the final hours of the window, taking the number of Under-23’s leaving the club on loan to gain first-team experience to 11.

Revan spent the second half of the 2020/21 campaign with National League side Weymouth, so will be making a step up in quality as he looks to continue his development.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news of Revan’s exit on their official Twitter page on deadline day. This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with one describing a move as ‘solid’.

“Soooo good, good luck dom!”

Credit: @KingLandranger3

“Another one! Dom Revan is another Villa youngster to ply his trade in League 2, this time with Northampton. Great move for him to step up from his non-league stint last season. Add him to the list!”

Credit: @AVFCLOAN

“Solid move for him”

Credit: @VillaVisionBen

“I’m gonna be rooting for half of the teams in the EFL at this rate”

Credit: @rad_nauseam

“Great move for him!”

Credit: @hafizstar

“Loan fc”

Credit: @ajbyrne_avfc

In other news: ‘A sad day’ – Lots of AVFC fans react to another late exit.

Nuno Mendes has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in recent months but the Citizens failed to act when he became available on deadline day.

After a superb season with Sporting Lisbon, in which Mendes was a regular in their title-winning side aged just 19, it was perhaps always likely that the teenage defender would attract interest from across Europe.

Pep Guardiola’s side were one of the clubs said to be interested in signing him but reportedly baulked at Sporting Lisbon’s asking price earlier this summer.

However, the Portugal international became available on deadline day, with Fabrizio Romano suggesting on Twitter that his agent had touted him to both PSG and Manchester City in the hope of securing a deal, with the Liga NOS champions looking for just €40m (£34.3m) in order to secure a deal for the wonderkid.

In a matter of hours, it was confirmed that PSG had taken up that option to sign him, with the Ligue 1 outfit negotiating a loan deal with an option to buy for €40m, the kind of deal that City could have explored.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

Whilst Guardiola has unbelievable depth in his squad, one area which is arguably looking quite weak is left-back, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo the main options in that position despite neither being a natural there.

City look set to be without Benjamin Mendy for the foreseeable future after the recent news regarding him, so the Premier League champions should perhaps have been looking to add a left-back to their squad before Tuesday’s deadline.

In Mendes, they would’ve signed an outstanding young talent who could have easily nailed down a starting spot at City for the next 10 years if he were able to realise his potential in Guardiola’s side.

Last season saw the 19-year-old make 29 appearances in the Portuguese top flight, contributing one goal and one assist and averaging an impressive 7.25 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, you feel that Txiki Begiristain really missed a trick by not signing the £36m-rated Mendes for City this summer, especially if he establishes himself as a world-class left-back in the future with PSG.

In other news… Guardiola handed a huge boost with this Man City star

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over a transfer claim involving Jed Wallace as manager David Moyes set his sights on trying to sign the forward in January.

Despite signing Croatia international Nikola Vlasic from CSKA Moscow on summer deadline day, links to more attackers have seemingly not gone away.

West Ham are also said to be contemplating a return for summer target Jesse Lingard in 2022 as behind-the-scenes talks continue with his entourage (Football Insider).

As well as the Manchester United ace, the Irons continue to be linked with other attackers, with news now emerging which involves Wallace from their arch-rivals Millwall.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-2/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Championship hot shot, who has scored 71 career goals, is apparently a wanted man at West Ham, with Moyes already vying to sign him in the winter window, according to Football League World.

In response to this transfer claim, many West Ham fans have erupted with their takes on social media – and it’s safe to say there are a few who would love to cherry-pick him from their South Bermondsey rivals.

Check out some of their best verdicts, in response to Twitter account West Ham Central, below.

West Ham fans erupt as Moyes vies to sign Wallace…

“I’m surprised he is still at Millwall”

Credit: @StuartDillon1

“Great player”

Credit: @BredHellyer1

“Make it happen just to wind them up”

Credit: @stephenlott

“bring him in already”

Credit: @whubenbagged

“I’ll be honest, I’d have him at West Ham just to see the whole of Bermondsey fuming”

Credit: @MitchellWHU

“Don’t care, get him in and make Millwall fans cry”

Credit: @callumwhu123

In other news: ‘Had a shocker’, ‘Offered nothing’…These West Ham fans blast ‘poor’ ace who lost the ball 16 times v Southampton, find out more here.

An update has emerged on Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, regarding Manchester City’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Fichajes, Manchester City are lining up a swoop for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips at the end of the season as a potential Fernandinho replacement.

The report claims that Pep Guardiola has asked the club to secure a deal for the England international, who is said to be valued at around £25.6m (€30m).

Fans would love it

Txiki Begiristain must work hard to reach an agreement with Leeds to sign Phillips next summer as he would be a solid addition to Guardiola’s midfield options. The Spanish head coach directly recommending the player also suggests that he has faith that Phillips would be able to come in and make the step up from Leeds, which should give supporters the belief that it would be a shrewd piece of business.

City fans would love it if this deal went through as Phillips has seemingly been identified by Guardiola and he could be an excellent addition to the squad. He has proven himself for Leeds in the Premier League and for England at the international level, recently winning BT England Player of the Year for his efforts for his country.

Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy hailed the 25-year-old as unbelievable and backed him to play in an advanced midfield position. He told TalkSport, via FanBanter:

“To play one season in the Premier League and then build up your international experience while you’re doing that… it’s hard enough adapting just to play in the Premier League.

“I was probably two years at Liverpool before I started even becoming used to and started playing regularly and actually thinking I’m worthy. He’s gone into the Premier League comfortable and confident, he’s just adjusted so easily.

“He’s just taken it all in his stride: unbelievable. Temperament, fitness, quality.

“And I actually think although Leeds play him in that holding role, I like him a bit further ahead with the insurance with someone behind him.”

This highlights the quality the £36m-rated beast has, as he has been able to adapt to playing regular international football for England alongside delivering excellent performances for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

He played seven games at the European Championships and averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.82, making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Therefore, City fans would be delighted with his arrival. He has shown that he can compete in the Premier League and at a major international tournament, suggesting that he has the potential to make the step up to City.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodri: Man City can seal perfect midfield by signing Pep’s £80m target…

Liverpool have been handed a major boost regarding the fitness of Takumi Minamino ahead of their upcoming Champions League fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by This Is Anfield, the Liverpool winger was back in first-team training with Jurgen Klopp’s side following his recovery from a minor fitness complaint – which caused the 26-year-old to withdraw from international duty with Japan early and ruled him out of the club’s victory over Leeds United on Sunday.

Klopp will be buzzing

While Minamino is by no means a guaranteed starter in the Liverpool side, having featured from the off just 12 times in his career at Anfield to date, the return of the forward ahead of the Reds’ tantalising fixture against Milan will undoubtedly have Klopp buzzing.

Indeed, while the trio of Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah appear the most likely options to start for Liverpool on Wednesday evening, Minamino’s presence on the bench will provide the German manager with a different route when making substitutions in the latter stages of the fixture, in comparison to the victory at Leeds.

In the game at Elland Road, the 54-year-old had no other choice but to introduce Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Jota in the closing stages of the match, playing the midfielder in the middle of a front three.

And, while this did not cause any problems with his side 2-0 up against 10 men, should the Reds be pushing for a late goal against the Serie A side on Wednesday, the option of adding Minamino to their attack would certainly appear to be a much-preferred move than once again bringing Oxlade-Chamberlain on.

With Divock Origi seemingly out of the picture, it’s a major boost for Klopp to have a natural attacking player available to him from the bench this evening.

In other news: Signed for £8m, now worth £58.8m: Edwards struck gold for Liverpool with £50k-p/w gem