All posts by n8rngtd.top

Barry Ferguson has suggested that Glasgow Rangers winger Ryan Kent is worth at least £20m in today’s market.

Ferguson discusses Kent

Kent was in terrific form for the Gers against Celtic in the Scottish Cup fourth round on Sunday, forcing an own goal from Jonjoe Kenny as the Gers won 2-0. His performances this season have attracted interest from Leeds, who are said to be ready to offer £15m for the 24-year-old (The Scottish Sun).

Writing for the Daily Record, Ferguson believes that Kent is worth £20m at least. He said:

“How much could we be talking for the Englishman? No less than £20million for a player who has time on his side.”

Massive increase on market value

Kent is currently valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt – £20m would therefore represent a 192% increase on that figure, which is a considerable amount. With 11 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, this has been the former Liverpool man’s most productive season as a professional footballer.

The reported interest from Leeds could well be matched by a number of other clubs during the summer transfer window. As Ferguson says, Kent has plenty of years ahead of him and has already shown bags of promise.

As per WhoScored, he has been the Gers’ second-best performer this season, while only James Tavernier has a higher tally of goal contributions in the Premieship among Steven Gerrard’s squad.

The likelihood is that he will end up in the English Premier League at some point in the future. Whenever he departs Ibrox, Ross Wilson and co must make sure that they get the right price for him.

In other news, many Rangers fans lauded this man’s performance against Celtic.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has gifted David Moyes a huge boost in West Ham United’s rumoured plans for a summer transfer, after declaring himself Premier League ready while speaking with the Daily Mail over the weekend.

The Irons have been widely credited with an interest in the Bees’ Championship star since the winter market, when Sebastien Haller’s move to AFC Ajax left Michail Antonio as Moyes’ only recognised senior centre-forward.

Toney was considered to be one of three options topping Moyes’ shortlist for potential summer targets last month, alongside Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah and Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham.

West Ham striving to seal a deal for Toney could prove expensive, with reports by TEAMtalk suggesting Brentford will demand £30m after selling Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa for £28m rising to £33m in September. Football League World have also claimed a £35m asking price.

Either sum would be a large outlay for a player only boasting 10 minutes of Premier League football in their career, but Toney has gifted Moyes a huge boost by declaring himself ready for the step up to the top-flight.

“I feel like I’m more than ready to step up into the Premier League,” the 25-year-old said. “I feel the qualities the players have, I can fit in perfectly. The deliveries the players get, I’d be able to get on the end of crosses. I feel like I would slot into the majority of teams in the Premier League.”

Toney’s confidence on the back of a 29-goal, 10-assist and counting Championship campaign should give Moyes all the reason needed to urge West Ham to fund a summer swoop, for a player who could become the Hammers’ third-most expensive signing of all time.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news%2c-views-and-gossip” title=”Latest West Ham news, views and gossip!”]

Toney wasted no time in settling into life at Brentford following a 24-goal, six-assist season in League One with Peterborough United last term, with the Northampton-born frontman striking home seven times in his first six Championship appearances under Thomas Frank.

The 2019/20 League One top-scorer has continued to establish himself as a free-scoring machine in the second-tier since, with Toney topping the goal charts by four to Norwich City’s Teemu Pukki (25) and eight to fellow Irons target Adam Armstrong (21) of Blackburn Rovers.

He could now follow in the footsteps of Watkins by leaving Brentford for the Premier League, where the Aston Villa forward has 12 goals to his name and impressed Gareth Southgate to earn his England debut last month.

Toney has the potential to eclipse Watkins’ successes in the top-flight too, with Darren Bent waxing lyrical over the prolific £21,000-per-week marksman at the Villans star’s expense.

“His movement is absolutely superb – [he] senses where the danger is going to be and gets himself in there,” Bent told talkSPORT in January. “He’s good in the air and he has two good feet. But where I think he excels to a Ollie Watkins and a [Neal] Maupay is that I think he’s more clinical. In and around that box with his finishing – I think he’s more cultured to his finishing.”

Toney has scored more often in the Championship this season than Pukki and Armstrong despite taking fewer shots, with the Brentford marksman attempting 117 efforts to his rivals respective 126 and 170, per WhoScored.

He has also scored more in the air with six headed goals to Pukki’s one and Armstrong’s two, which could see Toney prove to be the ideal striker for West Ham who rank second only to Chelsea (5) for accurate crosses (4.9) per Premier League game this season.

It may take a lot for West Ham to seal a deal with Brentford, and would become increasingly complicated should the Bees secure promotion, but Moyes should be urging the London Stadium hierarchy to launch a swoop this summer.

AND in other news, a £4.5m-rated West Ham enforcer is being lined up for a summer move out of east London…

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has been linked with a shock summer move to Leicester City, with Brendan Rodgers eyeing him up.

The Guinean arrived at Anfield to much excitement back in the summer of 2018, having actually signed from RB Leipzig the previous year.

Keita’s Liverpool career has been a curious one to date, however, with good performances thrown in, but injuries affecting his progress and his impact not as great as many expected.

The 26-year-old has been limited to just seven Premier League starts in 2020/21, again highlighting his lack of playing time.

Keita linked with Liverpool exit

According to Football Insider, Leicester are ‘keeping tabs’ on Keita, with Rodgers described as a ‘big admirer’ of the Liverpool man.

There is no indication that the Reds are willing to move him on at the end of the season, however, so the Foxes’ efforts may be in vain.

Transfer Tavern take

It would be a big surprise if Klopp allowed Keita to leave in the summer, even though he clearly hasn’t yet exploded in a Liverpool shirt. He has been described as ‘world class’ by Virgil van Dijk, which speaks volumes.

With Gini Wijnaldum potentially moving on, more opportunities could come his way moving forward, and he has been perfectly effective, when fit.

Keita needs to go up a level if he is to avoid being seen as a disappointing signing, but at 26, he still has time on his side and is a player with huge amounts of quality.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp has hinted at a key selection ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Read more about it here.

Rangers take on their Old Firm rivals in the Premiership on Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s side looking to finish the league season unbeaten having already brought title number 55 to Ibrox.

The Gers were knocked out of the Europa League in midweek after suffering a 2-0 defeat at home against Slavia Prague, which was their first home defeat in just over a year.

Gerrard has some big calls to make when it comes to deciding who to start against Celtic, with Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun having both been sent off against the Czech side in midweek.

It also looks as if Nathan Patterson could miss the game at the weekend, which gives Gerrard a headache when it comes to selecting a right-back for the derby.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Gerrard to line his side up, with three changes from the team which started against Slavia on Thursday…

Allan McGregor continues in goal, having been one of Rangers’ most impressive performers so far this season.

There’s one change in defence as, in the absence of Patterson, Leon Balogun moves to right-back, which sees Filip Helander come back in to partner Connor Goldson.

After receiving racial abuse on Thursday, Gerrard should perhaps be mindful that Glen Kamara might not be in the right frame of mind to play on Sunday, so he is rested and Bongani Zungu replaces him in defensive midfield.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Joe Aribo and Steven Davis, the latter fresh from signing a new deal, start ahead of him in midfield, with the Nigerian dropping further back after featuring on the wing against Slavia.

This allows Ianis Hagi to return to the side in Gerrard’s third and final change, with Scott Arfield – who reportedly earns £17,500k per week at Rangers – dropping out after a disappointing display on Thursday.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

Hagi completes the dangerous trio of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, with those three likely to be the key to whether or not Rangers can come away with all three points on Sunday.

In other news… Wilson can sign Rangers’ ideal Defoe heir with swoop for prolific £6.3m-rated beast

According to a report by The Mirror, Jose Mourinho is eyeing a move for Southampton colossus Jannik Vestergaard this summer as he makes the signing of a central defender a top priority – and it’s Tottenham’s belief they can land themselves a bargain as the 6 foot 6 powerhouse enters the final year of his contract. 

Jose eyeing Vestergaard

The Denmark international is reportedly a wanted man by Mourinho after a solid season, with Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl arguably missing him when he was reduced to the sidelines through injury.

As per The Mirror, Tottenham have been very impressed with everything Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has brought to the club and could wish to swoop for another bargain addition from the south coast club.

It is reported that Mourinho personally believes Vestergaard could bring the desired surety in defence which Spurs have arguably lacked at times this season, and Tottenham view him as a possible bargain given his contract situation.

Transfer Tavern take

It’s hard not to see why the Lilywhites boss is a fan judging by recent plaudits, with Martin Keown likening Vestergaard to Virgil van Dijk in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.

As well as this, former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood hailed the 28-year-old as ‘outstanding’ for his Southampton contribution this season when speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday at the end of January (via HITC).

The giant Dane has won 3.6 headers per game this season, the most of any Saints player and more than anyone in Spurs’ squad.

Time will tell whether Mourinho manages to land Vestergaard in the summer, but he certainly seems interested and could be a decent addition

In other news: Tottenham have been sent a Harry Kane warning, find out more here.

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has told Football FanCast that Danny Ings will not be moving to a top-four club this summer but he believes Arsenal could end up making a move for the Southampton forward.

Ings has been in excellent form this season, scoring eight goals in the Premier League, and has 42 in 91 appearances for the south coast outfit in total.

He has battled injury issues, having sustained a knee problem earlier this season, but remains the Saints’ key man going forward.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men are currently 14th in the Premier League table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Windass is convinced that Southampton will stay in the top-flight but he does not believe Ings will be moving to a club in the top four when the transfer window reopens.

Ings has played for Liverpool previously, but he made just 25 appearances for the Reds, scoring four goals.

Liverpool signed the player as he came to the end of his contract at Burnley and Windass believes that his performances at Anfield may put off any potential suitors.

He told FFC: “Southampton will stay in the Premier League. Because Danny Ings went to Liverpool and it wasn’t a success, I can’t see one of the top four buying him.”

However, Windass does think that a club like Arsenal could make a move for the forward.

He has claimed that he could cost as much as £50m, but he does not believe the Gunners should be regarded as a Champions League-level team.

Windass added: “Maybe Arsenal, but I’m not talking Arsenal as a top four team.

“Arsenal will probably go and pay £30, £40, £50 million for him, whatever, but I can’t see Danny Ings going into the top four.”

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered a major update on Leeds United’s transfer plans for the end of this season.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have enjoyed a superb return to the Premier League following their promotion last summer, finding themselves just five points off reigning champions Liverpool.

Now, Hay has revealed the Whites could make up to five new signings when the season is over, and that “for the first time they’ll move on from a small section of the Championship old guard”.

Hay added that with Bielsa keen to maintain a small squad, departures will be just as important as any potential incomings, with Andrea Radrizzani wanting Leeds to emerge from their “Championship skin”.

Bielsa should be buzzing

Given how Leeds finally saw all their hard work in recent seasons under Bielsa pay off with a first-placed finish in the Championship last season, it was perhaps unsurprising that the Whites didn’t look to completely revamp their squad ahead of their return to the top-flight.

Bielsa has never been one to just blow things up completely and start afresh, instead, he’s known to show his trust and faith in the players who brought the club up in the first place.

The Whites did make a couple of significant additions in the likes of Diego Llorente and Raphinha, with the latter in particular looking more and more like a bargain with every passing game.

But ultimately, if Leeds are to take that next step, new signings in the mould of a Raphinha need to be made, and while that may mean tough decisions on some of the players who have served the Yorkshire club so well recently, it’s only for the better.

It’s exactly why Leeds’ plan to bring in up to five new players should have Bielsa buzzing. The Whites seem intent on not just settling with Premier League football, but marching forwards as ever and the manager will likely be keen to start yet another phase of the Leeds re-build with money to spend and with change on the horizon.

Liverpool have reportedly been offered West Ham centre-back Winston Reid ahead of transfer deadline day, but signing him would be a big mistake by the Reds.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, West Ham have offered the Reds the chance to sign Reid before the transfer window shuts, as an alternative to Issa Diop – who has also been linked with a move to Anfield in recent days.

Liverpool already look set to bring Preston North End’s Ben Davies to Merseyside, but according to the print version of the Monday edition of The Times they could look to bring in another defender too on deadline day.

The 32-year-old would offer Jurgen Klopp some experience in his backline, something which he currently lacks, and is reportedly readily available, having recently featured for the Hammers’ U23 side.

Would he be a good signing?

Reid’s best days are unfortunately behind him. The New Zealand international was regarded one of the best defenders outside the top six a few years ago but now hasn’t appeared in the top-flight since the 2017/18 season.

Injury issues have proved to be a real problem for the 6 ft 3 centre-back, with his most recent knee injury ruling him out for as many as 53 games between 2017 and 2019.

In fact, he appears to be even more injury-prone than Liverpool’s Joel Matip, who has spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines in recent seasons, but his longest lay-off was for 20 games in the 2019/20 season.

The experienced defender spent last season on loan with Sporting Kansas City in the MLS, where he would make 12 appearances in all competitions, which will have helped to build his fitness back up, but it is hardly of the same standard of the Premier League.

Therefore, it would be a baffling decision to bring in Reid, who has managed just one appearance in the Premier League 2 this season, as the last thing Klopp needs in his squad is a defender who is likely to spend more time on the sidelines than he will on the pitch – so sporting director Michael Edwards must steer well clear of him in the next couple of days, no matter how desperate Liverpool get.

And, in other news… LFC handed big transfer blow as reported bid for “natural leader” CB rejected

As rumours continue to fly around the January transfer window, Celtic find themselves linked to Stoke City’s Tom Ince. According to Football League World, the Hoops are monitoring his situation as he finds himself out of favour at the bet365 Stadium.

However, despite the right wing being a position the reigning Premiership champions are desperate to fill, signing Ince will not have the desired effect.

Celtic must hold off on Ince

The Bhoys are without one single recognised senior right winger and have been playing the likes of David Turnbull and Jeremie Frimpong in this position instead. Whilst they aren’t short of creativity from the likes of Turnbull, Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi, Celtic must broaden their options in attack.

According to Transfermarkt, Ince has made just seven appearances for the Potters this season and has been reduced to mainly cameo spells. His last outing was against Nottingham Forest and he was brought on for just nine minutes before the end of the match.

Last season, the 28-year-old missed just eight appearances in the Championship term but still only managed to contribute three goals and two assists, which is a poor return for a winger. Celtic are in need of a prolific creator and goalscorer who can help orchestrate their attack and break down opponents.

This is something they’ve struggled with as of late, as they have only managed to register one single win in their last five appearances. The reigning champions, who were on course for their tenth consecutive title, have fallen to the likes of Livingston and Hibernian – opposition sides that they really should be beating.

Nick Hammond must recruit someone who has impressive goal contribution numbers and not another version of Jonny Hayes. Whilst Ince’s £2.5million rating is quite tempting, he is too similar to the former Hoop.

As per Transfermarkt, Hayes managed just two goals and seven assists in 68 total appearances for Celtic. With Ince’s stats for Stoke, the Bhoys run the risk of having a repeat of the past if they sign him this window.

In other news, Celtic will be faced with huge problems if Kris Ajer leaves the club…

For Wolves, it looks as though spending any money this window will be incredibly tough. Considering they are in dire need of improving their forward line, that isn’t news that supporters will want to hear.

What’s the word?

Reports early this week suggested that Wolves had been told to forget about signing the likes of Divock Origi and Olivier Giroud because of a lack of finances.

Despite that, there are still rumours swirling around about possible incomings. One player reportedly on their radar is Montpellier striker Andy Delort.

According to Le Buteur (via Sport Witness), Wolves have made a serious offer for the striker and want to sign him at ‘any price.’

Unfortunately, they are facing competition from Newcastle for his signature. It’s claimed that the Magpies have made him a priority this month.

Ideal for Wolves

Delort has come a long way in his football career and is the definition of a late bloomer. The Algerian has risen through the ranks of both English and French football and was coincidentally wanted by Kenny Jackett when he was at Wolves back in 2014.

The forward was at Tours in Ligue 2 at the time and before a move to Wigan materialised, Jackett said the following: “We put a bid in for Andy Delort but we haven’t been able to close that deal. Nothing has been agreed. But we did put a considerable bid in. I don’t know where it is but no deal has been done.”

It’s probably quite fortunate that happened because Delort ended up scoring a tally of zero goals during his time in the north of England.

However, since then, he has become a fearsome striker, one to be reckoned with at the top level. For Montpellier this season, the 29-year-old has netted eight goals – more than anyone in the Wolves side – and also has more assists than anyone at Molineux – six.

With that kind of record, he’d be a valuable asset for Nuno Santo to have. That being said, the £27k-per-week forward isn’t all about scoring goals.

Like the injured Raul Jimenez, he is adept in physical situations and has won a colossal 4.5 aerial duels per game. For context, that’s more than even Willy Boly has amassed (3.2) at the heart of Wolves’ defence.

Considering that, he’d be an important player in both penalty boxes. Jackett may have failed to sign Delort seven years ago but Wolves cannot afford to make the same mistak, especially with Jimenez out injured with a fractured skull.

With their man striker still absent, Wolves desperately need someone who can firstly score goals, and secondly, offer similar qualities to the Mexican. Delort, therefore, is their man. If Jeff Shi can find the finances to fund the deal, they must complete this move as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Worse than Silva: Wolves “liability” who lost possession 13x will have Nuno fuming…