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Fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding City’s reported summer interest in both Andre Silva and Lautaro Martinez.

According to Dominic King’s report for the Daily Mail, despite maintaining an interest in Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola’s side are now also considering a move for either Eintracht Frankfurt striker Andre Silva or Inter Milan hitman Lautaro Martinez.

As such, while it would appear as if Haaland remains Guardiola’s primary target to replace the outgoing Sergio Aguero this summer, with the 20-year-old’s representatives being spotted in Barcelona and Madrid on Thursday, it would seem as if Silva and Martinez are City’s backup options for the Dortmund star, should he be tempted to join another club.

However, after City Xtra relayed this news on Twitter, fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing furious at their club’s links with a move for any other striker than Haaland.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Andre Silva and Lautaro Martinez?

“Brilliant. I think we all know in reality there is a minimal chance of us signing Haaland. To get rid of Aguero and swap with Andre Silva – as Martinez is looking to sign a new contract – is just madness really. Not saying the source is reliable btw.”

@lnGoodKompany

“Omg.”

@fidels782

“This is a joke.”

@mancitymj14

“I’m going to be sick, he better be unreliable.”

@Ethan73918517

“Lautaro Martinez and Andre Silva. We are not a serious club.”

@TheGismyName

“Let Pep know we want Haaland and only Haaland.”

@Abdulha06845753

In other news: lots of Man City fans ripped into Guardiola as these ‘disrespectful’ talks emerged – find out more here!

In a recent interview, the Sunderland legend, Kevin Phillips, claimed that Lee Johnson will look to make at least two signings for the Black Cats this summer.

Speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips, who scored 130 goals over 235 matches for Sunderland, stated his belief that his former side need to strengthen both at left-back and in attack this summer.

He said: “I think there will be a lot of change in the summer and left-back will be a position that I am sure they will look at. It is certainly an area that they need more options in. I think another striker might be signed, it depends who stays this summer.

“I am sure Lee Johnson will look to sign a left-back though because he addressed that position in the January window with [Jake] Vokins but it doesn’t look like that move will be made permanent.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Indeed, with Vokins having made just four appearances for Sunderland since his arrival from Southampton on a four-month loan deal back in January, over which the left-back has averaged a rather disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.58, it would not appear as if Johnson has been overly convinced by the 21-year-old thus far in his spell at the Stadium of Light.

Furthermore, with the League One side appearing to be heavily reliant on Charlie Wyke’s goals – with the striker bagging 23 times in the league this season, while Grant Leadbitter is second in the club’s scoring charts with six – Phillips’ suggestion that Sunderland could also do with a new centre-forward would also seem to be founded on solid ground.

However, the calibre of player the club could go on to attract this summer will very much depend on what league they are playing in next season, with the Black Cats currently sitting five points behind the automatic promotion places with just six games to go.

In other news: ‘Incredible’, ‘Never tire of watching this’ – Lots of SAFC fans buzz as ‘unreal’ footage emerges – find out more here!

While Raphinha may be the man stealing the headlines at Leeds, Stuart Dallas has been the real star of the show for Marcelo Bielsa.

The Northern Irishman has taken his game up a level since the step-up to the top flight and has been in superb form.

The 30-year-old spent a lot of the first half of the season at full-back, both on the right and left, but now playing in midfield, he looks like a star.

As per Transfermarkt, in the seven games that he’s played in a box-to-box midfield role, he has scored three times which is his best record in the opposition’s penalty area.

His match-winning display against Manchester City typified this when he scored twice at the Etihad Stadium.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay raved about Dallas and his worth to this Leeds side, insisting that on his current form, it would be difficult to leave him out of the team next season, even with some potential signings.

Writing in the Athletic he said the Leeds star was undroppable and looks like a quality asset in central midfield.

The Northern Irishman has certainly proven in recent matches that a midfield role can see him really shine at Leeds, and it would be silly to move him back into full-back.

As a result, Bielsa must unshackle Dallas as the club’s primary box-to-box midfield star from this point onwards.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have hit out at Trezeguet’s first half display against Tottenham on social media.

Dean Smith made two changes from the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United last time out, with Morgan Sanson and Matty Cash coming in for Jacob Ramsey and Ahmed Elmohamady respectively.

Trezeguet kept his place in the side, making his 11th Premier League start of the current campaign on Sunday night and his 20th appearance in all competitions.

However, his first half display didn’t hit the right note with some supporters, who took to Twitter to vent their frustrations at the Egypt international.

Villa fans react

The 26-year-old began on the left-hand side of a front three alongside Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore, coming up against Spurs’ Japhet Tanganga, with one fan comparing the clash between the two as to ‘League One’ level.

In the first half at Villa Park, the 26-year-old failed to register a shot or win an aerial duel, while also recording fewer than 10 accurate passes (SofaScore).

This is what some Villa fans had to say about the wide man’s performance in the first 45, with one describing it as ‘abysmal’.

“Trezeguet running around like a competition winner again”

Credit: @Okay170

“I really don’t enjoy being negative or slagging players, and I know we are missing Jack but Trezeguet is such an awful player! I genuinely don’t think he brings anything to table, very few players have ever left me feeling as frustrated in the 30 odd years I’ve been watching”

Credit: @AVFCRichard

“Trezeguet is abysmal”

Credit: @tomk1874

“Can someone please help me understand why @Trezeguet is preferred to El Ghazi? #avfc”

Credit: @GMP4AVFC

“Trezeguet vs Tanganga has League 1 vibes”

Credit: @vizzy9

“Other than effort, Trezeguet isn’t offering anything for us! #avfc”

Credit: @Mattes21_avfc

In other news: Many Villa fans make their feelings known at transfer update on 2020 target, find out more here. 

Carlo Ancelotti should look to rotate his squad and unleash Alex Iwobi on West Bromwich Albion on Thursday night, with Everton in action three times in the space of eight days.

The Toffees hosted and beat Southampton 1-0 on Monday but return to the field at the Hawthorns, before travelling to Stamford Bridge for a clash with top-four rivals Chelsea next Monday.

Taking points in south west London may prove crucial to the Blues’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, with Thomas Tuchel’s club currently above Everton by a single point ahead of their midweek visit to Liverpool later on Thursday following the Baggies affair.

Sam Allardyce’s Hawthorns natives will not be expected to present as much of a threat to Everton as Chelsea will, with the relegation-threatened side claiming only their third win in 26 games with a 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

West Brom were winless in their previous seven home Premier League fixtures, while Ancelotti’s Blues are one of the top-flight’s best travelling sides with only Manchester City, Leicester and Manchester United claiming more points on the road this season.

Ancelotti will look to keep Everton’s record going on Thursday but should have an eye toward Monday’s trip to the capital, and look to rest and rotate his options.

The Italian has not named an identical starting line-up in any of the Toffees’ last 22 Premier League games, with the last fixture to feature an unchanged side being Everton’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on September 26th.

Iwobi has played a minimal role in the Blues’ recent top-flight ties, with the 24-year-old only featuring for a mere seven minutes over two substitute outings against Liverpool and Southampton.

The £23m-rated winger had opened last month’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City for his fourth and most recent start of the calendar year, having only opened three of the previous six available games after sitting out New Year’s Day’s defeat to West Ham United through injury.

Iwobi had been a regular of Ancelotti’s plans before the Irons visit to Goodison Park, starting the Toffees’ prior eight matches across all competitions, and should now be afforded what has become a rare opportunity for the versatile dynamo to feature.

Ancelotti will be loath to lose one of his favoured trio, Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin or James Rodriguez, for Everton’s trip to Chelsea, but he can take confidence in the displays Iwobi produced prior to the turn of the year.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss described Iwobi’s efforts at the tail end of 2020 as being among his best performance during his tenure, after providing a real grit to his displays.

“It’s his best moment since I arrived. He is showing confidence, is really good in one-versus-one situations and is working hard. The key is to work hard – the team is working hard,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by Royal Blue Mersey.

Iwobi is yet to build on his sole goal or two assists registered in the Premier League this season since striking the back of the net against Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, but has provided a key pass in each of his last two starts.

He also displayed his intent to drive Everton up the field during his brief cameo at home to Southampton on Monday, with Iwobi attempting a game-high six dribbles – more than double his average 2.5 per top-flight outing.

Fitness should not be a concern given his lack of recent action, either, so Ancelotti should have no reason to not start Iwobi at West Brom on Thursday night.

AND in other news, Everton are tracking a prolific 15-goal winger backed to reach another level…

Leeds United have had a brilliant first season back in the Premier League.

The Whites are comfortably sitting in mid-table and have secured their safety ahead of the next campaign. Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani can, therefore, breathe a huge sigh of relief.

On the chalkboard

There have been plenty of positives to Leeds’ play this season. Raphinha has proven to be a vibrant addition while very few would have expected Patrick Bamford to score double figures and find the net with such regularity.

Yet, one of the huge negatives has been in midfield. Kalvin Phillips is as reliable as ever but when the England international doesn’t play, Leeds struggle.

Pascal Struijk has looked every bit a Premier League defender but when he’s operated in a defensive midfield role, he hasn’t looked the part.

Indeed, Struijk was dragged off at half time in Leeds’ FA Cup defeat to Crawley at the beginning of the year, failing to win a single ground duel. Then, against Brighton, the Dutchman surrendered possession 13 times and was 8% down on his average pass success rate.

Those areas are pretty fundamental when playing in a holding area but he has been found wanting too often. Noel Whelan has been one of Struijk’s critics when featuring in that part of the field, saying: “I think Struijk looks out of place, playing Kalvin’s role.”

It’s hard to argue against that point given the unfavourable aggregate scoreline of 15-6 when the youngster plays in midfield.

The solution

One easy way of ending the Struijk experiment would be to sign another midfielder. Lille general Boubakary Soumare has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent months while French wonderkid Edouardo Camavinga has too.

The Yorkshire Evening Post revealed their interest in the midfielder at the start of the month, only for Phil Hay to laugh off claims that he could move to Yorkshire.

That being said, with the money Radrizzani and the 49ers possess, alongside the lure of Bielsa, it could be an attractive proposition for Camavinga.

Still only 18 years of age, the thought of the France international lining up alongside Phillips in the Leeds midfield is a mouth-watering prospect.

After all, this is a player highly thought of in France and deemed the next big thing. He’s been compared to N’Golo Kante and been given consistent high appraisals. Former Rennes academy boss Landry Chauvin once told Bleacher Report (via Planet Football):

“He has this simplicity that brings the ball to life. He touches the ball as much as anyone else, but sparingly. He doesn’t need to carry it. He passes the ball, he makes himself available; he passes, he makes himself available.”

Assess the stats and you can envisage what a midfield pairing of Camavinga and Phillips would look like. The teenager has amassed 2.7 tackles per game this term, a tally which coincidentally amounts to the same number as Leeds’ ever-improving midfielder.

With those two in the middle of the park, they’d have the potential to break up even the highest quality of teams when they try to attack.

Rated at £45m, it would be a hugely expensive deal. That being said, if a chance arises, they must secure his signature. Camavinga is too good to ignore.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: Leeds gem who made just 10 passes is becoming a huge issue…

Rangers’ signing of Joe Aribo from Charlton Athletic in 2019 looks to have been a masterstroke by the Ibrox outfit, with the Nigerian international’s market value having gone through the roof in his two years working under Steven Gerrard.

The midfielder joined on a free transfer from the Addicks in July 2019 and has been a regular with the Light Blues in the two years since, making 84 appearances for Gerrard’s side, in which he has contributed 16 goals and 12 assists.

Rangers did superbly well to sign Aribo for nothing when they did, as he had just played a huge part in Charlton’s promotion to the Championship through the League One playoffs, weighing in with 10 goals and five assists across the season.

At the time of his signing, Gerrard confirmed that there were plenty of clubs in the Premier League and Championship, as well as some across Europe, who were interested in signing the young midfielder, which emphasises just how well Rangers did to bring him to Ibrox.

This season in particular has seen Aribo impress for the Gers, as he has contributed six goals and four assists in 26 Premiership appearances so far in 2020/21, resulting in a superb 7.40/10 average rating from WhoScored.

[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!”]

This rates him as the joint-second best performer for Gerrard’s side in the league so far this term, which emphasises just how important he has been to Rangers’ title success.

It is no surprise, therefore, that his market value on Transfermarkt has significantly increased as a result of his performances this season, as he is now rated at £3.15m, which is the highest value of his career.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

Considering that Aribo was valued at just £450,000 when he joined the club, it is excellent to see how his impressive performances on the pitch are being recognised by a significant increase in market value, and it would not be a surprise if we see the 24-year-old’s value continue to rise in the future.

Last season, Gerrard labelled the Nigerian international “outstanding” after an impressive performance against Braga, and it seems clear that the midfielder has now established himself as a key player under the former Liverpool captain.

In other news… Gerrard suffers potentially huge Rangers transfer blow with “outstanding talent”

Fans of Everton have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed comments made by the former Toffees manager Ronald Koeman.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Koeman – who spent 15 months as Everton boss between 2016 and 2017, averaging 1.48 points per match over his 58 games in charge of the club – discussed his time on Merseyside, rather brutally taking aim at the Everton fan base for their high expectations, as well as claiming that the club was living in the past.

He said: “Everton are a club, and also the fans, who expect sometimes too much. I think sometimes they are still living in the past about the great seasons that they had at Everton.”

Of course, the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti was met with similar scepticism from pundits, as the likes of Jermaine Jenas and Chris Sutton questioned whether Everton was a high enough level for the Italian – criticism he has since proven to be unfair.

After The Everton End relayed the Koeman’s comments on Twitter, fans of the Blues flocked to have their say on the matter, with many left furious by the 57 year-old’s remarks.

So, what exactly did these Everton fans have to say in reaction to Ronald Koeman’s comments?

“Never disliked an ex-manager as much as him. Don’t even dislike Big Sam as he did a job for us. Koeman was not even liked by the people working in the club.”

@IptvZombie

“Arrogant. Is he on another holiday on the ale? If anyone is living in the past, surely he is a case in point living off his own playing days. Treating Messi like he treated Barkley and Niasse. Shocking man-manager should just stick to coaching free kicks.”

@goodysonx74

“Everton are a club still suffering as a consequence of the atrocities made during his tenure. Ok, 100% of the blame cannot be pinned on Koeman but we could have been closer to reaching our fans ‘high expectations’ if we weren’t carrying the burden of the ‘Koeman and Walsh’ days!”

@camaustin28

“Disrespect from him. No idea how he’s had so many jobs.”

@LeaPortelli

“Shocking, to say the least. He was supposed to take over from Martinez. But he sent us back.”

@Sagar_Milanista

“Terrible manager”

@salemmohalesh75

“Ooh Ronald, sounds like sour grapes that, mate. You obviously didn’t ‘get’ our club or its fan base at all. We don’t expect immediate success; that takes time and a plan. Sadly, you seemed bereft of ideas and ultimately you were not up to the job.”

@nccarson

“Another stain on our history, the list is endless these last 5 years.”

@grantlothian1

“Mate you can’t manage Barcelona. Stay in your lane.”

@DGBeswick1

In other Everton news, the club’s bid to save £6.2m-per-year collapsed at the 11th hour, find out more here!

Pundit Kevin Phillips has tipped Premier League side West Ham to sign Rangers left-back Borna Barisic soon.

The Croatian left-back was linked with a move to Leeds United in the summer transfer window and it was reported that the Gers were going to demand more than £8million to part ways with the defender – they are now well-placed to earn a big fee from his potential sale.

Barisic could be a ‘good signing’ for West Ham

Phillips believes that it could actually be the Hammers who sign Barisic from Rangers  – they would have adequate cover for Aaron Cresswell and as a result, they would have some good competition for the left-back spot. The pundit feels that the 28-year-old could be a ‘good move’ for David Moyes’ men.

In an interview with Football Insider, Phillips talked about Rangers’ Barisic and said:

“Cresswell has done pretty well. I think it would be a good signing – obviously you need two good players for every position.

“There’s going to be suspensions, injuries etc. so you need someone capable to come in. He’s younger so it could be a really good move.”

This comes after Football Insider had linked Barisic with a move to the London Stadium and he is one of the left-back options that the Hammers are looking at.

Losing Barisic could be a disaster for Rangers

Barisic has made 15 Premiership appearances this season, picking up four assists and scoring one goal so far. In the group stage of the Europa League, the Croatian had contributed with three assists in six appearances, also adding an assist in the League Cup to take his total to eight. (as per Transfermarkt).

In the 2019/20 league season, Barisic made 22 appearances for the Gers under Steven Gerrard. During that time, he scored twice and assisted eight times.

This clearly shows that the 28-year-old is an important contributor to goals even from left-back and losing him wouldn’t be a good thing for the Gers at all.

In other news, a Rangers target has talked about links with a move to Ibrox – read more about it here.

According to a report by Post United, via West Ham Central, GSB have raised their offer for Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri to €40m (£35.4m) – prompting many West Ham United fans to erupt as they hammer this potential transfer decision. 

En-Nesyri has emerged as a heavily linked target for West Ham over this last week (The Athletic), with the 23-year-old reportedly subject of intense interest as West Ham eye bringing a new striker to east London.

Post United now claim that the Irons are willing to pay as much as £35.4m to get him over the line, even despite the presence of cheaper alternatives like Boulaye Dia (talkSPORT).

As a result, many supporters are not impressed by the potential GSB move – going on to brand it a ‘joke’ with one fan even saying that En-Nesryi gives him ‘Haller flashbacks’.

Find all of their verdicts on the report down below.

West Ham fans erupt over En-Nesyri offer

“Wow”

Credit: @TWHU77

“We better not have.”

Credit: @_ghzst

“This club is a joke if he doesn’t score 20 odd goals a season what’s the point”

Credit: @Kai_WHU

“In other words sulivan is at again….”

Credit: @FTLOT

“This makes no sense what so ever..”

Credit: @David_Moyesio

“Haller flashbacks”

Credit: @updates_ham

In other news: ExWHUemployee says a new striker has entered the radar in this ‘magnificent’ ace, find out more here.