All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic’s lack of top-end attacking talent was made abundantly clear in their biggest game of the season.

On Wednesday night, the Hoops were held to a dire goalless draw by Kairat at Parkhead in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, having just three shots on target all night and mustering a solitary big chance.

Thus, next Tuesday evening, Brendan Rodgers’ side must win in Kazakhstan, something the Celts have never previously achieved in three attempts, losing two of them, to book their place in the Champions League league phase.

Raucous chants of ‘sack the board’ could be heard throughout the second half of Wednesday’s, potentially disastrous, draw, with supporters frustrated by the club’s lack of spending, but could that be about to change?

Celtic's lack of attacking options

For the crucial mid-week tie against Kairat, Rodgers deployed a front three of Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, and James Forrest.

After a less-than-productive first half, Idah was hooked at the interval, with Maeda deployed down the middle, and Yang Hyun-Jun was introduced.

Within seconds of the restart, Yang found Forrest, who forced Aleksandr Zarutskiy into a very smart save down to his left, but this was followed by little else, with unproven summer signing Shin Yamada thrown on towards the end, but this merely underlined Rodgers’ lack of proven options in forward areas.

As they seek to address this, according to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, as relayed by Daily Record, Celtic have been told the fee they’ll need to pay to secure the signature of Calvin Stengs.

They claim that Feyenoord are ‘willing to cooperate in a sale’ for a player whom they value at £5.1m, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Premiership champions are willing to pay the asking price at this moment in time.

55 years ago, Celtic and Feyenoord met in the European Cup Final at San Siro, but just six men have represented both clubs, namely Colin Kazim-Richards, Regi Blinker, John Guidetti, Glenn Loovens, Pierre van Hooijdonk and, of course, the king of kings himself Henrik Larsson, so could Stengs add his name to that list?

What Calvin Stengs would bring to Celtic

Stengs joined AZ Alkmaar as an 11-year-old, and his senior breakthrough came while representing the Cheese Farmers, scoring 24 goals and registering 22 assists in 113 appearances for AZ, with five of these goals coming in Europe.

This earned him an £8.6m move to Nice in the summer of 2021, but he made almost no impact on the French Riviera, scoring just a solitary goal during his one season with the Ligue 1 outfit.

After a decent campaign on loan at Royal Antwerp, scoring three goals but racking up nine assists in Belgium, he returned to the Netherlands by joining Feyenoord, thereby reuniting with Arne Slot, who’d previously been his manager in Alkmaar.

As the table below outlines, Stengs certainly produced impressive statistics during his first Eredivisie season in Rotterdam.

Minutes

2,095

113th

Goals

6

40th

Assists

12

3rd

Expected assists

8.6

3rd

Shots

44

47th

Key passes

71

2nd

Shot-creating actions

129

6th

Goal-creating actions

17

6th

Big chances created

13

6th

Accurate final 3rd passes

397

14th

Average SofaScore rating

7.51

7th

As the table documents, despite somewhat limited minutes, Stengs was one of the chief creators in the Eredivisie, ending up third for assists, while also ranking highly for expected assists, key passes, shot-creating actions, and big chances created.

The highlight of his Feyenoord career actually came against Celtic, marking his Champions League debut by scoring this long-range free kick at De Kuip, one that Joe Hart believes he should’ve kept out.

Last season, however, things did not go to plan for Stengs, seeing a miserly 797 minutes of action due to knee, hamstring and ankle issues, starting just eight matches across all competitions.

To commence the new campaign, the 26-year-old has been an unused substitute for all four of Feyenoord’s fixtures, including both legs of their Champions League qualifying exit at the hands of Fenerbahçe, as manager Robin van Persie seemingly prepares for the winger’s departure.

Nevertheless, he is still a highly-rated talent.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him a “flamboyant winger”, praising his pace, dribbling ability, and creativity, while Nils Mackay of Opta adds that he is a “serious talent”.

Stengs is certainly a versatile player, predominantly deployed as an attacking midfielder during his time with Feyenoord, having made a name for himself as a right-winger at AZ, earning all eight of his senior Netherlands caps in that position out wide too, most recently bagging a hat-trick against Gibraltar at Estádio Algarve.

Following the sale of Nicolas Kühn, the aforementioned Forrest is currently Celtic’s starter wide-right but, at 34 years old, having scored just one goal last season, the club legend is no longer the elite-level difference-maker he once was.

Thus, there is a clear spot up for grabs, one that Stengs could come in and make his own, and all available evidence suggests he would be an excellent addition, which would result in Forrest dropping down to the bench after he started the last two games in the Premiership and the Champions League on the right flank.

Idah upgrade: Rodgers would love Celtic to sign "world class" star for free

As Adam Idah continues to find Celtic goals hard to come by, Brendan Rodgers would love to sign a “world class” striker available on a free transfer.

Aug 19, 2025

Fabrizio Romano has tipped Tottenham to sign two forwards, with chairman Daniel Levy and co making a decision on Richarlison’s future at the club.

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Spurs boss Thomas Frank has now welcomed playmaker Xavi Simons to N17 from RB Leipzig, after Spurs struck an overnight agreement for the Dutchman worth around £52 million.

After missing out on both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White in humiliating fashion, Simons’ arrival comes as a much-needed boost to inject positivity ahead of what will be an interesting last three days of the window.

The 22-year-old bagged 11 goals and eight assists over 33 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig last season, despite missing a chunk of the early-campaign with ankle ligament damage.

Mohammed Kudus

£55 million

Kota Takai

£5 million

Mathys Tel

£30 million

Joao Palhinha

Loan

Kevin Danso

£21 million

Xavi Simons

£52 million

Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard has alluded to sources in Germany claiming that Simons has attitude concerns, but this may just be paper talk, and supporters can expect a “silky” new playmaker capable of making a serious contribution in the final third.

In terms of other business that Levy, Johan Lange, CEO Vinai Vinkatesham and Fabio Paratici could conduct before the September 1 cut off time, it has been widely reported that Tottenham want a new defender and a new winger too.

Spurs were in lengthy talks to sign Savinho from Man City, but must now look at alternatives as Pep Guardiola’s side adopt a firm ‘not for sale’ stance.

The Lilywhites are still actively pursuing a centre-back too, with City’s Manuel Akanji on their list of targets heading into deadline day.

Tottenham tipped to sign two forwards with Richarlison decision made

Speaking on Men in Blazers earlier this week, trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has said that he expects Tottenham to sign two new options up front before the end of the season, with Levy and co making a call on Richarlison’s future.

It’s actually good news for Spurs supporters, because Romano expects Frank’s side to sign a forward duo on top of Richarlison – who won’t be going anywhere this summer.

The 28-year-old, after a difficult 2024/2025 marred by injury, is beginning to hit his stride just in time – with Richarlison having one eye on a place in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The former Everton star bagged a brace against Burnley, including an early goal of the season contender, and assisted Brennan Johnson for Tottenham’s opening goal in their outstanding 2-0 win at the Etihad last weekend.

After the sale of Jacob Ramsey handed them some wriggle room on the PSR front, Aston Villa are now reportedly eyeing a fresh approach to sign a player who Unai Emery loves.

Emery "accepts" PSR rules in frustrating summer

Aston Villa were finally forced to face their PSR concerns and sell an important member of Emery’s squad in Jacob Ramsey. The academy graduate completed a move to Newcastle United, who are likely to compete with Aston Villa for a place in the top six this season. It’s a move that needed to happen financially, but one that captain John McGinn has already aired his frustration about.

As frustrating as Ramsey’s sale will be for all involved at Villa Park, however, Emery has “accepted” PSR rules and reiterated the pride that he has in his side.

The Spaniard told reporters: “No, I’m not frustrated. I accept the rules, I accept where we are and how we are competing and how we are being ambitious in our capacity to compete with the better teams in the Premier League and in Europe.”

“I think you have to be proud of everything we are doing. But of course, everything we did for me is done now, we have to do it again and again and again and it’s starting again for me to beat these teams and to build, through the result, good performances and try to get our title we have.”

Meanwhile, what Ramsey’s departure has done is hand Villa some room to make some moves of their own, which could yet see them welcome a Premier League rival this month.

Aston Villa eyeing Jackson loan deal

Whilst they’re in no position to match his €60m (£52m) price tag, those at Villa Park could yet bypass FFP rules in a fresh approach to welcome Nicolas Jackson this summer. According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Aston Villa are now eyeing a loan deal to sign Jackson after he was dropped by Chelsea following their own impressive additions.

Emery is reportedly a huge admirer of Jackson, who worked under the Villa boss during their time together at Villarreal, and may yet get the chance to strike a reunion before the transfer window slams shut.

Instant Guessand upgrade: Aston Villa hold talks to sign £60m "monster"

Aston Villa could soon snap up this £60m attacker who is an instant upgrade on new recruit Evann Guessand.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 19, 2025

Dubbed “confident” by former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Joe Cole last season, Jackson could have the perfect opportunity to leave his Stamford Bridge woes behind, courtesy of those in the Midlands.

It’s all been rather quiet at Manchester City in recent weeks, but that is about to change.

In both January and early June, the Sky Blues were very active in the transfer market, getting players in ahead of the Club World Cup, with Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki all debuting stateside earlier this summer.

However, since Pep Guardiola’s team were ignominiously dumped out in the round of 16 by Al-Hilal in Orlando, not a lot to report either on or off the pitch.

James Trafford has re-joined the club from Burnley, taking the Citizens’ spend in 2025 to almost £350m, but could they be about to smash their club-transfer record, seeking a statement signing as they attempt to reclaim the Premier League title?

Manchester City aiming to bolster their midfield options

One of the most interesting aspects of Man City’s team in the early weeks of this season will be the reintegration of Rodri.

After rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal in September, Rodri was not seen again until 20 May, coming off the bench for a seven-minute cameo against Bournemouth.

The Ballon d’Or winner did feature in all four Club World Cup matches in June, albeit his only start came against Juventus, match practice that will help, but he’ll need to get up to speed quickly, ahead of Man City’s Premier League opener at Molineux.

As the season progresses, there are plenty of options to partner Rodri at the base of midfield, new signing Reijnders, Mateo Kovačić, Nico González, İlkay Gündoğan and Matheus Nunes, to name but a few, but could they make a move to sign one of the Premier League’s very best in that role?

Well, according to Julien Laurens of ESPN, Manchester City – alongside rivals Manchester United – are interested in signing Carlos Baleba, with Guardiola said to have ‘been a longtime admirer’ of the player.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Laurens adds that the Cameroonian international is valued at around £104m by Brighton, who are looking for an astronomically high fee, given that former club Lille are entitled to a 20% sell-on clause.

This comes days after David Ornstein of The Athletic reported that Man United had ‘made contact’ with the Seagulls over the possibility of signing the 21-year-old, so could Baleba end up in Manchester after all, only in a sky blue shirt rather than in red?

What Carlos Baleba would bring to Manchester City

Baleba joined Brighton & Hove Albion from Lille for a reported fee of £23m just two summers ago, and has certainly impressed all Premier League observers.

Ryan Adsett of Talk Seagulls describes him as an “agile powerhouse in midfield” who is a “serious talent”, while Matthew Avery of Breaking the Lines asserts that he will become ‘a world-class player’ given his ‘physical dominance’ and ‘elite line-breaking’ ability, concluding that his value in the transfer market will only continue ‘skyrocketing’.

Ahead of Brighton’s clash with Brentford in January, Thomas Frank stated that the “excellent midfielder will go to one of the bigger clubs in the future, for sure”, with Andy Naylor of the Athletic impressed by his ‘mobility​​​​​​​’ and ‘defensive positioning​​​​​​​’, noting that a ‘summer departure for Baleba cannot be discounted’.

Arguably, the youngster’s best performance of last season came against Manchester City in early-November, introduced as a half time substitute with the Seagulls 1-0 down, only to, as documented by James Gheerbrant of the Times, completely change the game as they roared back to win 2-1 late on, underlining that he is Brighton’s ‘most influential’ player.

Sam Blitz of Sky Sports believes that Baleba ‘could be inspired’ by Rodri, noting that the two nominally defensive midfielders are capable of impacting both ends of the pitch, so let’s analyse how the duo compare.

Minutes

2,661

81st

2,931

45th

Completed passes

1,149

70th

3,365

1st

Pass completion %

87.4%

52nd

92%

11th

Passes into final 3rd

109

57th

378

1st

Progressive passes

118

67th

376

1st

Tackles

79

25th

70

27th

Blocks

47

21st

32

88th

Interceptions

46

11th

26

73rd

Ball recoveries

197

5th

235

2nd

Firstly worth noting that, due to the fact he hardly featured in the most recent campaign, the 2023/24 season was chosen for Rodri statistics.

The table documents that the Spaniard is the pass master, ranked first for completed passes, attempted passes, passes into the final third and progressive passes; the fact his numbers are impressive shouldn’t be too surprising, as he did win the Ballon d’Or.

As for Baleba, his passing numbers are solid, if not quite as outstanding, but it is his defensive statistics that leap off the page, ranked in the top 25 last season for tackles, interceptions and blocks.

In the respective campaign analyses, both finished in the top five when it came to ball recoveries, suggesting they would form an impenetrable partnership.

Thus, as Rodri is eased back in, after a long spell on the sidelines, he’d surely love having Baleba alongside him, covering vast amounts of ground and doing a lot of the dirty work, so Man City should go all out and pay Brighton’s asking price, if they want to knock Liverpool of their perch.

Bad news for Doku: Man City preparing £87m bid for "world class" forward

As Manchester City seek to reclaim the Premier League title, they are preparing an £87m bid to sign a “world class” attacker who’s better than Doku.

Aug 6, 2025

Sheffield Wednesday are in a state of constant change, but their internal situation hasn’t slowed the Owls’ mission to bring in new blood as they now have a potential recruit on trial.

Danny Rohl leaves Sheffield Wednesday

Following a summer of turbulence, David Ornstein has confirmed that Danny Rohl has left his post at Sheffield Wednesday after informing his players and staff this morning of his intention to depart Hillsborough.

“Danny Rohl exits position as Sheffield Wednesday head coach. Agreement finalised for 36yo to depart SWFC – players + staff being informed this morning. German boss free to pursue next steps; expected to take some time to consider options.”

Financially, Sheffield Wednesday are in a frail position and have been unable to pay players on time in recent months. Rohl opting to leave is just the latest in a long line of exits, including Josh Windass and Michael Smith.

Dejphon Chansiri’s mismanagement of club affairs has left fans irate. On the same token, uncertainty over whether club captain Barry Bannan will commit to the Owls is another frustrating element of the current state of play.

With no imminent takeover in sight, it is hard to envisage when things will start to take a turn in the other direction. Sheffield Wednesday are in a dark period, but supporters will cling on to the hope that light exists at the end of the tunnel.

Derby battle Sheffield Wednesday to sign defender with over 300 EFL games

He could be a strong addition to the back-line.

ByHenry Jackson May 16, 2025

Finding a manager to steer the club through difficult moments will be a stern task, though there is one small nugget of positivity for the Owls to cling on to amid recent developments.

Sheffield Wednesday take Reece Clairmont on trial

According to The Star, Sheffield Wednesday have signed former Arsenal winger Reece Clairmont for a trial after he left the Gunners on a free transfer at the end of last season.

The 18-year-old winger is reported to have started for an Under-21 Owls side in a 2-0 defeat to Derby County over the weekend. Whether or not he earns a contract remains to be seen, though the academy pathway is set to be heavily utilised this term in light of off-field problems.

Reece Clairmont in 2024/25 – Under-18 Premier League

Appearances

6

Goals

0

Assists

0

Alexander Asaba has also been at Sheffield Wednesday on a trial basis and started the clash, and it remains to be seen if either are set to be involved in Friday night’s clash against Scarborough Athletic.

Cost-effective solutions on the pitch will need to come into effect this season. Ultimately, budget restrictions and the threat of a Championship points deduction don’t help matters whatsoever.

Nevertheless, there is still talent in the building at Hillsborough and allowing youth a chance to flourish under new management may unearth some prodigious talent that can be sold later down the line, potentially easing the financial situation while Chansiri attempts to find a buyer.

Arsenal are poised to spend over £200 million this summer at least, if certain deals go through, so they’ll need to eventually balance the books by selling players.

£80m player gives "positive" response about joining Arsenal after contact

He’d be yet another ambitious deal.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 16, 2025

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard arrived at the Emirates Stadium recently for a total of around £75 million, not including add-ons, while Noni Madueke also sealed a £52 million switch from Chelsea.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£75m

Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera’s initial £13 million move, not including add-ons which could take it up to £17 million, brings Andrea Berta’s spending up to £140 million – with the player set to undergo his Gunners medical on Wednesday.

After Mosquera, Arsenal are finalising a move for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres after reaching an agreement in principle (The Athletic). Mikel Arteta’s side will pay an upfront fee of around £55 million, plus an extra £10 million in add-ons, which means Berta is set to fork out a minimum £195 million on transfers with the club’s deals so far.

As we’ve seen with Chelsea and Aston Villa recently, UEFA operate strict financial fair play rules, with the Premier League duo fined for breaches and forced to sell squad members so they can register new players for their European campaigns next season.

While there is no indication that Arsenal are in any similar danger, or with regard to PSR, Berta will be keen to err on the side of caution and offload a few surplus men.

Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko and 19-year-old defender Maldini Kacurri are named as players who Arsenal could likely choose to sell or loan out, with uncertainty also surrounding both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard (The Athletic).

Arsenal have already let Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos leave the club this summer, with the north Londoners also terminating Takehiro Tomiyasu’s contract following his injury nightmare.

Arsenal could terminate Karl Hein deal amid Sevilla interest

Now, according to Spanish news outlet Vamos di Sevilla, they could repeat that with 23-year-old goalkeeper Karl Hein.

The 39-cap Estonia captain appears out of Arteta’s long-term plans and has only ever made one senior appearance for the club in a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton in 2022 – a match where he also gave away a penalty.

He spent last season on loan at Real Valladolid in La Liga, starting 31 league games and keeping five clean sheets in that time as they were relegated to the Spanish Segunda División.

However, Sevilla are believed to be keen on him, and Hein is ready to accept an offer from them to leave the Emirates. Vamos di Sevilla also suggest that Arsenal could terminate Hein’s contract, just under 12 months before it is set to expire in 2026, or even green-light another loan.

In any case, he is apparently one of the Sevilla sporting directors’ favourite options, so this could be one to keep an eye on.

Liverpool have reportedly made their first approach to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United and could now break the British transfer record for a second time this summer.

Liverpool make first approach to sign Isak

Whilst the initial consensus was reportedly that Newcastle United’s attempted move to sign Hugo Ekitike would not leave the door ajar for Isak’s exit, Liverpool didn’t seem to receive that message. Now, according to David Ornstein, the Reds have made their first approach to sign the Swede in another big-money deal.

As things stand, Newcastle’s stance, as it has always been, is that Isak is not for sale. But Liverpool’s decision to make their approach may yet have loosened their grip on one of the Premier League’s hottest talents. From ‘not for sale’, a record-breaking £120m price tag has now been mooted, which could hand Liverpool the encouragement they need.

Liverpool’s admiration for Isak is far from new and it certainly isn’t a surprise. If there was a weakness in Arne Slot’s Premier League-winning side last season, it came in the No.9 role, as Luis Diaz was often forced to play out-of-position to lead the line and Darwin Nunez continued to struggle.

Now that both have been linked with moves away to Bayern Munich and now AC Milan respectively, however, Liverpool may finally have the funds and room to welcome the ultimate solution to their striker problem. In one summer, the Reds could go from Diaz, Nunez and Mohamed Salah to arguably the world’s best trio in Florian Wirtz, Isak and Salah.

Starts

34

25

38

Goals

23

10

29

Assists

6

12

18

Expected Goals

20.3

9.4

25.2

There’s still a long way to go before Isak becomes Liverpool’s next No.9, but that’s not to say Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes don’t already have their next trick planned.

What Liverpool plan to do next in Isak chase

According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool will “for sure” submit a club-record bid to sign Isak this summer and follow up their initial approach. The Swede is their “dream” target in a deal that could reportedly cost in the region of £120m.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “For sure, Liverpool want to try for their dream target with an eventual club-record bid. Liverpool have intention to try and they made an approach with Newcastle.”

The transfer specialist then went on to reveal that if Liverpool fail in their pursuit of Isak, then their attention will turn back towards Ekitike. The Eintracht Frankfurt striker has been the subject of a £60m+ bid by Newcastle, but the Magpies could now be facing a lose-lose situation up against the Reds in a ruthless mood.

Wirtz's dream CF: Hughes in talks to sign £63m "monster" for Liverpool

Isak and Ekitike aren’t the only high-level strikers Liverpool have their eye on.

ByAngus Sinclair Jul 15, 2025

As the season approaches and the transfer window progresses, both forwards are likely to steal plenty more headlines. As things stand, however, in a transfer battle between Liverpool and Newcastle, it seems as though the Premier League champions have the edge.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is leaving no stone unturned in his pursuit of top quality to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s ranks, ahead of another Premier League title challenge.

Berta to offer "emerging star" in Arsenal swap deal for near-£70m signing

The Italian really wants to bring him to N5.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 9, 2025

The Gunners, amid their ongoing talks to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, which could be done fairly soon after the player agreed personal terms, are also attempting to bolster other positions in the attacking third.

Gyokeres could be joined by Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, with the England international, like Gyokeres, also already agreeing his contractual package.

Interestingly, and what is a very exciting prospect for Arsenal supporters, a move for Madueke or any other left-wing target is independent of their potential deal for Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze.

The £100,000-per-week star has reportedly held “positive talks” over joining Arsenal (ESPN), and some reports suggest that Berta is determined to sign Eze. Journalist Rahman Osman also reported in The Sun earlier this week that Berta could offer Palace an “emerging star” as a makeweight to sweeten talks for Eze, but the Eagles are holding out for his £68 million release clause.

Football Transfers provided another update on the ongoing saga this morning.

Berta to hold Wednesday talks with Crystal Palace over signing Eze

The outlet states that Berta will personally hold “Wednesday” talks with Palace over signing Eze, with club-to-club talks seemingly poised to take place today.

Football Transfers relay that Eze wants to join Arsenal, and these negotiations will apparently be centered around how Arsenal would structure the payments of Eze’s release clause, so it appears the north Londoners could steadily be giving in to Palace’s demands.

Not much else is said with regard to the 27-year-old, but Berta is showing no sign of slowing down in his pursuit of Eze, so this could be one to watch in the coming days.

The former QPR star could make a sensational return to the Emirates, 14 years after he was released by the Arsenal academy, and it is clear as day why Berta is reportedly very keen to strike a homecoming.

Eze bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for Palace last season – scoring the FA Cup-final winning goal against Man City to end their history-long wait for a major trophy – and 2024/2025 was by no means his only heroic campaign at Selhurst Park.

Sky Sports report that the attacking midfielder would come in to complement Martin Odegaard, but Eze’s versatility means he’s capable of reinforcing Arteta’s wise areas too.

The club may not have announced any official signings yet, but Arsenal appear to have burst into life over the last week or so.

On top of securing massively important contract extensions for Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly, the North Londoners appear incredibly close to securing Kepa Arizabalaga as their new number two.

Moreover, while we’ve been saying it for some time now, the announcement of Martin Zubimendi’s signing is just around the corner.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners have also made the surprise decision to sign Brentford’s Christian Nørgaard, although if recent reports are to be believed, they might be about to land someone who’d be an even better signing.

Arsenal strike in the transfer market

News of Arsenal’s interest in Nørgaard emerged midway through last week, with reports claiming that they had already agreed to personal terms with the Danish international.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

While it’s not been 100% confirmed, it appears as if the Brentford ace will cost the North Londoners around £10m plus up to £5m in add-ons.

While it’s not the most exciting transfer the club will make this summer, it does make sense, considering the money and the fact that Thomas Partey is now set to follow Jorginho out the door in the coming days.

Yet, with all that said, Arteta and Co now look like they are closing in on another surprise addition to the club, an exciting talent who’d be a better signing than Nørgaard.

At least that’s according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who claims Arsenal are advancing with their interest in Valencia centre-back Christian Mosquera.

The Italian journalist has revealed that the Gunners have already reached a “full agreement on personal terms” with the Spanish defender.

It’s still unclear how much the 21-year-old will eventually cost, but Romano has reported that the Premier League runners-up are hoping to secure his services for around €20m, which converts to £17m.

He might not be a particularly well-known player in England, but based on his performances this season, the potential many believe he has, and the holes in Arsenal’s squad, he could be a better signing than Nørgaard.

Why Mosquera will be a better signing than Nørgaard

The first thing to say is that Nørgaard looks like he’ll be a fine addition to Arsenal’s squad this summer, especially now that Partey is set to depart, but therein lies the biggest drawback to his signing: he’ll likely never be more than fine.

After all, Zubimendi will almost always be picked ahead of him for the defensive midfield role, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Declan Rice wasn’t also ahead of him in the pecking order – not to mention the chance Lewis-Skelly ends up playing there in the long run.

Furthermore, as the Danish international will be turning 32 next season, there will be little time for him to bed in, and there is every chance he will be moved on in a couple of years for a younger backup.

Goalkeeper

28

Centre-back

27

Full-back

25

Central midfielder

25

Wide attacker

26

Central attacking midfielder

26

Striker

27

This is unlikely to be the case with Mosquera, as he only turned 21 last week, and according to research carried out by The Athletic, centre-backs typically don’t reach their peak until around 27.

This fact also means that it’s less of a problem if the young Spaniard plays second-fiddle to more established stars over the coming years, as, unlike the Dane, he will almost certainly have more time to bed into the side.

However, while William Saliba will undoubtedly be the starting right-sided centre-back heading into next season, the North Londoners have fewer genuine options to replace him should he get injured.

For example, Ben White and Jurrien Timber are far more useful as right-backs, while Riccardo Calafiori and Jakub Kwior are left-footed, and Takehiro Tomiyasu cannot be relied upon to remain fit.

Finally, on top of being younger and potentially filling a seriously pressing gap in the squad, the Alicante-born “monster,” as dubbed by podcaster Rohan Jivan, also has some impressive experience under his belt.

For example, even though he was 20 years old at the start of this season, he’s already made 90 appearances for Valencia, totalling 7399 minutes, and while he is yet to earn a senior cap, he has made ten appearances for the Spanish U21 side and played one game at the Olympics last summer.

Ultimately, while he’s unlikely to be a game-changer next season, Mosquera is an undeniably exciting prospect, and thanks to that fact and Arteta’s need for a new right-sided centre-back, he looks like he’ll be a better signing than Nørgaard.

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Birmingham City stole most of the headlines in League One last season by sealing a title success on a gigantic 111 points, but Wrexham also gained plenty of airtime themselves when clinching yet another promotion.

This was the Red Dragons’ third promotion success in a row, unbelievably, with Phil Parkinson the manager who has amazingly steered the Welsh giants back into the spotlight away from non-league obscurity, to now being one division below the Premier League.

Wrexham will know that their next step up to the Championship will be their most difficult jump to navigate so far, with plenty of new signings ready to enter the building to ensure the next step-up isn’t so difficult, which includes this exciting striker target potentially joining Parkinson’s ranks.

Wrexham now interested in former PL ace

As per an exclusive report from football journalist Graeme Bailey, Wrexham are now in the race to land Leeds United attacker Joe Gelhardt this summer.

Unfortunately, they aren’t just a lone suitor having a peek at the two-time Premier League goalscorer, with Chris Davies’ Birmingham also keen on landing a loan deal for the explosive centre-forward, as Leeds look to get rid temporarily after sealing their own dramatic promotion.

Whilst the 23-year-old has found himself stuck on the periphery at Elland Road as of late, he still has plenty of plus points next to his name that will intrigue Parkinson and Co.

He could even be viewed as a better signing for Wrexham to make than the newly promoted side going after an injury-prone Danny Ings, with the soon-to-be free agent forward more known now for his lengthy absences away from the first-team, than his clinical finishing ability.

24/25

17

1

2

23/24

30

1

1

22/23

22

3

2

Why Gelhardt would be a better signing than Ings

Indeed, the table above makes for some pretty grim reading on the ex-Liverpool striker’s end, with Ings only managing five goals for West Ham over his last three unmemorable seasons.

Whereas, in Gelhardt’s defence – despite tumbling down the pecking order in West Yorkshire as of late – he has still proven he can cut it in the Championship when handed a chance to impress out on loan at Hull City last season.

This spectacular effort back in January would get the ball rolling for Gelhardt in his fresh location, with the ex-Hull number 30 going on to bag another four strikes in league action, away from just this wild shot looping over Paul Nardi’s head.

This will instantly put Wrexham at ease about whether the 23-year-old is well-suited to the demands of the Championship after barren patches of form at Leeds. On the contrary, Ings last played at the demanding level all the way back in 2014, with a concern brewing that he just doesn’t have the legs required to kick back into gear in the EFL.

Games played

22

Goals scored

5

Assists

0

Big chances missed

1

Big chances created

5

Total duels won*

5.2

To Wrexham’s relief, Gelhardt showed he has plenty left in his tank at Hull last season, with a bite present in his game too when winning 5.2 duels on average per Championship clash, away from also creating five big chances on top of his goal tally of five.

The newly promoted side have also been there and done that when it comes to veterans leading the line, as seen in Steven Fletcher being on their books last campaign, with the loan capture of the 23-year-old “wrecking ball” – as he was once labelled by Jamie Redknapp for his aggressive approach – signalling a newer approach centred on the future.

While Ings’ name might be more instantly recognisable, his best years seem to be behind him now.

When it comes to Gelhardt, however, plenty more could still be in the offing.

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