All posts by n8rngtd.top

Michael O’Neill has what it takes to manage Celtic but will see through his Stoke City project instead, according to Kevin Campbell.

Campbell, whose son Tyrese plays under O’Neill at the bet365 stadium, gave his verdict in an interview with Football Insider.

“It’s no surprise to see him linked,” he said. “He’s been an excellent manager at Stoke. But I can’t see him leaving Stoke, just because he’s only just started the rebuild there.

“Would he be interested? I’m sure he’d be interested in it but I think he’s got a project at Stoke to complete so I think he’ll stick to that.”

Celtic’s manager search underway

Celtic, whose run of nine consecutive Scottish titles was officially halted by Rangers on Sunday, are poised to appoint a new manager in the summer after Neil Lennon resigned last month.

John Kennedy has taken temporary charge for the time being.

Transfer Tavern verdict

O’Neill boasts a solid CV. He managed to keep Stoke in the English Championship last season and now he has them sitting comfortably in 10th place.

He also memorably took Northern Ireland to the European Championships in 2016 and made it to the last 16, where they were beaten by Wales.

However, as Campbell says, he seems committed to his current task. If Stoke can maintain their place in the top half of the English second tier, there is no reason why O’Neill won’t be eyeing a play-off push come next season.

It looks as if the timing simply isn’t right, as tempting as the Parkhead position may be.

In other news, pundit gives verdict on Champions League-winning manager linked with the Hoops.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who spent one season with West Ham United, admits he can’t see Declan Rice staying with the Hammers in the long term unless they continue to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.

With Mark Noble not starting many games this season, it has been Rice captaining the side, something Lee says is an unbelievable achievement for someone who is just 22 years of age.

West Ham are currently challenging for the top four, however, Lee can’t seee that being a regular occurrence at the London Stadium, which is one of the reasons why Rice will search for pastures new in the coming years.

Rice has become one of the first names on the team sheet for David Moyes as well as forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s side, however, the dream of Hammers fans seeing their midfielder emulate Noble’s one-club mentality may be smashed, according to Lee.

The former Hammers midfielder fears Rice won’t be around for the long term future with an inevitability of him being prised away by a bigger club, in financial terms and in terms of winning trophies.

“Unfortunately, for my hometown team, no.” Lee told FFC when asked if he sees Rice becoming a one-club player like Noble.

He added: “West Ham have done brilliantly, but to keep that going, you have to spend money, a lot of money to keep up with the likes of Man City, Man United and Chelsea.

“He’s probably the best player at doing what he does, sitting in the midfield for a young guy, he’s probably the best I’ve seen for a long time at doing what he does. For him to be captain at such a young age is a great achievement for him.

“So, I think eventually he’ll be prised away.”

Rice has improved season-on-season and was regularly touted with a move to Chelsea when Frank Lampard was manager and one club players seem a rarity nowadays.

The England international has proved his worth at West Ham and may only be a matter of time before he gets a move away from the London Stadium.

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has told Football FanCast that there is only one thing standing in Manchester City’s way in the Champions League: Bayern Munich.

Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side remain in with a real chance of doing the quadruple this season, currently lying 14 points clear at the summit of the Premier League, in the final of the Carabao Cup, the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and in a good position in Europe’s prestigious club cup competition.

In the latter, they are well set to progress to the quarter-finals, having beaten Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 in the first leg in Germany ahead of the second leg on Tuesday.

And Windass, who enjoyed a storied playing career with the likes of Hull City, Bradford City, and Aberdeen, insists that Bayern are the only possible team who can stop their old manager from tasting European glory again with City.

Bayern, of course, are the reigning champions in the competition, and beat Lazio 4-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Windass said: “The only way they won’t win the Champions League, the only way they won’t get to the final of the Champions League, is if they play Bayern.

“If Bayern Munich and Man City get to the final and avoid each other, that is the only way that City won’t win it. Or if they draw them in the next round!”

Windass believes that City are nailed on to win the Premier League and has been in disbelief at the fact they have been on this run whilst not always playing an out-and-out number nine.

He added: “Will they win the Premier League? Obviously.

“They can win at any time. They can step up at any time. We’ve been talking about number nines, they haven’t even got one!  Just embarrassing, isn’t it?

“You know, you watch them and I was listening to Tim Sherwood, he was watching the game against Gladbach and it’s like, when do we want to win the game? We’ll decide when we want to win the game.

“That is how good they are.”

With the squad fighting on four fronts, Windass is in no doubt that Guardiola will prioritise the Champions League, which remains the only competition City are yet to win under his management.

He said: “It’s just about getting the right squad and the right team to play in the Champions League.”

Steve Howey has backed Karl Darlow to leave Newcastle United after again losing his place in the team.

Howey backs Darlow to leave

Darlow has spent most of the season as Steve Bruce’s number one in the injury absence of Martin Dubravka, having made 25 appearances in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

However, speaking to Football FanCast, Howey has suggested the 30-year-old should leave Tyneside in search of more regular football. He said:

“For me personally, I would leave because I don’t think he could have done any more.

“That’s the problem with goalkeepers you’ve got to have two very good keepers, but it’s keeping them happy. 

“I think Steve Harper, apart from the last little bit of his career, was second string all the time. Which is fine, but as a professional, personally, I wanted to play all the time. 

“Darlow’s had a taste of first-team football and done very well. He’ll be thinking, I don’t want to sit on the bench again, I want to play.”

Perhaps for the best

Darlow has not embarrassed himself this term, and has shown that he has what it takes to be a Premier League goalkeeper, making 85 saves in the top flight. Such has been his level of his performances that Sky Sports pundit Matt Murray called him “absolutely awesome” back in January (via Shields Gazette). However, before this campaign, Dubravka had played in every single one of the last 88 top-tier matches, with Darlow’s last Premier League appearance coming during the 2017/18 season.

With Dubravka is once again fit, he has retaken his place as the Magpies’ number one goalkeeper, which has seen Darlow return to his role as a backup option. As Howey says, now that the former Nottingham Forest shot-stopper has had a taste of first-team football, he will likely want more of it.

Unless the Slovakian gets injured again or loses form, the only way that will likely happen for Darlow is if he leaves St James’ Park.

In other news, Newcastle face competition to sign this Europa League ace.

Reported West Ham United summer target, Sasa Kalajdzic, has opened up on his future at Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.

So far this season, Kalajdzic has been in extremely fine form over his 25 league appearances for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.99 – ranking him as the club’s fifth-best performer in the German top flight.

As a result of his impressive displays, it has been reported that GSB are keen on bringing the £6.3 million-rated centre-forward to east London in the summer transfer window, however, in recent comments made to Kicker, as cited by Fussball Transfers (via Sport Witness), the 23-year-old appeared to suggest he is more than happy at Stuttgart.

He said: “I am happy to be with VfB because I like to play at VfB and know that I am valued. I am in Stuttgart with head and heart.”

Transfer Tavern Take

The comments of Kalajdzic, who is reported to be valued between €20-25 million (£17.2-21.5 million) by Stuttgart, are likely to come as a blow to David Moyes and his side, as the 57-year-old has still yet to replace Sebastien Haller, who left West Ham for Ajax in the January window.

Indeed, with Michail Antonio being the Scot’s only option as a senior centre-forward in his first-team squad, the position is somewhere it would appear crucial for the Hammers to invest in this summer, although, a move for Kalajdzic appears, at present, to be rather unlikely.

In other news: these West Ham fans slammed this club figure with “no ambition” after footage surfaced – find out more here!

Everton are open to selling Yerry Mina this summer, according to Football Insider.

Their report claimed that the Blues may sanction a £20m exit for the Colombian to partly fund a move for an elite centre-back.

This follows a claim from talkSPORT last week that Carlo Ancelotti was eyeing up a reunion with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, whom he previously described as “the best defender in the world”.

Football Insider added that Ancelotti is impressed by Mina’s physicality but considers him too erratic.

Mina’s Everton career to date

Mina joined Everton in the summer of 2018 for a fee of just over £27m. He has gone on to make 72 appearances for the Toffees and this season he started 22 of the club’s first 24 Premier League matches.

Everton journalist Greg O’Keefe wrote in January that he had ‘found something lacking since his arrival… consistency’. However, the 26-year-old was dropped to the bench for the 3-3 draw at Manchester United at the start of the following month and, having suffered a calf injury, he has not been selected since.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Everton will require a top-level central defender if they are to pursue their ambition of becoming a Champions League club.

This year, it looks as if they’ll have to settle for a place in the Europa League given their inconsistency – see the home defeats against relegation-threatened sides like Fulham, Newcastle and Burnley.

Showing Mina the door would be a little ruthless, but many Everton fans would probably applaud that mindset. However, they would surely struggle to fetch £20m for a defender of Mina’s calibre in this declining transfer market, as he’s about to enter the final two years of his deal.

In other news, some Everton fans weren’t happy with this transfer update.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Newcastle midfielder Keith Gillespie has praised Liverpool for allowing Harvey Elliott to continue his development in the Championship this season.

Following his move from Fulham, the teenager has made strides in the Reds’ first-team, appearing eight times in all competitions last season.

But with Liverpool’s destructive front-three in scinscillating form in Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, Elliott’s chances of becoming a regular at Anfield were always going to be limited.

Therefore, Michael Edwards ensured a temporary move for the youngster went through to join Blackburn Rovers on loan for the season, in an attempt to gain valuable senior experience prior to challenging for a regular place at Anfield in the future.

Elliott has dazzled during his spell at Ewood Park, scoring five times, including his first professional goal against Coventry in October, whilst adding five 10 assists, second only to Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia in the Championship assist charts.

And Gillespie told Football Fan Cast that a second-tier loan was exactly what Elliott needed at this stage in his career:

“I think it’s been a wise move for Liverpool to send him out to send him out there to the Championship, a good level of football – playing week in week out against seasoned-pros, rather than staying at Liverpool and playing Under-23s football.”

Elliott has impressed at Blackburn this season, and with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane struggling in recent months, the 17-year-old might have done enough to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad next term.

According to recent reports from Italy, Glasgow Rangers attacking midfielder, Ianis Hagi, could be set to leave Ibrox this summer.

The report by Noi Biancocelesti (via Sport Witness) claims that, with it looking unlikely that Lazio will go on to make Andreas Pereira’s loan move a permanent deal at the end of the season, Simone Inzaghi’s side are considering other options for additions to their attacking midfield in the summer transfer window.

One such option is reported to be Hagi, with the Serie A side thought to have previously held an interest in the £21,000-per-week 22-year-old, prior to his permanent move to Rangers last summer.

And, it would appear that this interest is something that Lazio now appear keen on reigniting, with Noi Biancocelesti claiming that the Italian side, who did boast Champions League football this campaign, value the Romania international at around €6 million (£5 million).

Sport Witness suggest that this could prove something of a stumbling block for I Biancocelesti, as Steven Gerrard and co will likely demand a much larger fee for the midfielder.

Transfer Tavern Take

Having signed Hagi for £3.15 million last summer, in the unlikely event that Rangers do accept an offer of around £5 million for the 22-year-old in the upcoming transfer window, the club would still have turned a decent profit on the midfielder.

However, considering the fact that Hagi has proven himself a crucial part of Gerrard’s side this season, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists over his 38 appearances in all competitions, with former Romania boss, Christoph Daum, dubbing midfielder an “excellent” talent, it is not difficult to imagine the Gers boss being uncertain about selling the midfielder for a figure of around £10 million, let alone the quoted £5 million.

In other news: this ‘superb’ £6.2k-p/w star lifted the lid on talks with the Rangers hierarchy – find out more here!

Some Wolves fans have been left to bemoan an injury update on Raul Jimenez as the Daily Mail have reported that he may not play again this season.

As per the news outlet, the Midlands club remain determined to remain prudent over the Mexico international’s return to the team.

He returned to training with his teammates in March, although he is still not able to participate in contact sessions, and must have further assessments before being cleared to head the ball.

Jimenez has clearly been a big miss for the Molineux outfit, as his goal record speaks for itself, scoring no fewer than 47 times in 118 games in total over all competitions across three consecutive terms for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side (Transfermarkt).

Wolves fans on Jimenez injury update

These WWFC supporters bemoaned the injury update on Jimenez after it was shared on Twitter, with one fan going as far as to claim that they were ‘gutted’ while another branded it as ‘disappointing’:

“Disappointing but it’s better to be safe considering what happened with Jonny :(“

Credit: @sophiaeclayton

“Shame but better playing safe then sorry”

Credit: @EdgeOwyn

“For the best but I’m still gutted”

Credit: @ZakHughes_WWFC

“Pain.”

Credit: @wwfcjoe_

“Relegation battle incoming”

Credit: @georgiaa_sophie

“Obviously it’s good that we’re not taking any risks or else something could go horribly wrong, but I just miss Raul so much and this isn’t helping”

Credit: @WWFC_Sam1877

In other news, find out what Fosun update has been slammed by Wanderers here!

Reports in Spain earlier this week claimed that West Ham United are weighing up a summer swoop for Villarreal striker Paco Alcacer, who could be the answer to David Moyes’ search if David Sullivan can seal a deal.

It is suggested that Alcacer has earned a place on the Hammers’ radar after his efforts in La Liga and the Europa League caught the attention of the London Stadium hierarchy, as Moyes lines up reinforcements for a potential season featuring European action next term.

Moyes is well-aware of the need for depth at the centre-forward position after passing on the chance to sign a replacement for Sebastien Haller in January and he intends to correct that decision in the next transfer window.

West Ham are currently without a recognised senior striker after losing Michail Antonio for potentially the rest of the season with a third hamstring injury of the campaign, after scans estimated a four-to-six-week lay-off for the 31-year-old.

Villarreal boss Unai Emery would be loath to lose Alcacer, who is under contract through to the summer of 2025 to further complicate West Ham’s advances. As such, the Irons would be expected to pay as much as €25m (£21.5m) for the 19-cap Spain international.

West Ham have shown some resistance to paying El Submarino Amarillo their alleged asking price, but feel Alcacer’s experience and track record could see him emerge a better option than Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri who was the subject of a rejected £32m bid in January.

Alcacer is also entering his prime at 27 and knows what it takes to succeed outside of Spain, after scoring 26 goals in 47 games with Borussia Dortmund before leaving the Bundesliga outfit following the arrival of Erling Haaland.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-and-views” title=”Latest West Ham news, views and gossip!”]

The Villarreal striker also has aspirations of regaining his place in the Spanish national squad after two years outside of Luis Enrique’s plans, and Alcacer is aware that stand-out displays away from the domestic scene represent a strong opportunity to work his way back.

Moyes should be urging Sullivan to now seal a deal with the Estadio de la Ceramica natives to offer Alcacer a chance to show Enrique what he is all about in the Premier League, as the £43,000-per-week forward could prove to be the striker that West Ham are after.

While not a regular starter in games under Emery and being sidelined for nine fixtures due to Achilles and muscle injuries earlier in the term, Alcacer boasts 10 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions this season.

Alcacer was expected to earn his long-awaited recall to the Spain squad in November after scoring nine times in 11 games, as part of a promising partnership with Gerard Moreno that led Emery to laud the forward:

“Paco is a great player for Villarreal. We are very happy with the way he is playing and the goals and assists he is providing,” the ex-Arsenal boss said, via quotes by DPA International.

His hunger to achieve on the pitch is also met off it, with Alcacer’s former Valencia youth coach Vicente Mir once claiming “he’s no lay-about” and praising the striker for always being one of the first to arrive for training and maintaining that attitude after joining Barcelona.

Moyes is a manager who lauds hard-working players and it was down to that reason that the Scottish coach consistently favoured Antonio over Haller, before allowing the Ivory Coast international to join AFC Ajax in January.

Now, Moyes can look to match Antonio with another driven individual in Alcacer, if Sullivan puts any questions over the fee needed to the side and seals a deal with Villarreal.

AND in other news, David Moyes eyes a summer reunion with £75k-p/w enforcer who looked “like he’s on roller-skates” in 2020…