Emiliano Martinez reportedly played a key role in convincing fellow Argentine Emiliano Buendia to choose Aston Villa over Arsenal, as stated by Chris Wheatley.
In a sparkling 2020/21 season, Buendia notched an impressive haul of 15 goals and 17 assists as he inspired the Canaries to the Championship title [Transfermarkt].
Never likely to avoid interest from significant Premier League clubs, the Argentina international is now set to join Aston Villa in a deal worth a reported £40m despite considerable interest from the Gunners [Croydon Guardian].
Further introspect has revealed that Martinez played a key role in this decision. Wheatley was quick to disclose why this came to pass, tweeting: “Same agent as Emi Martinez, negotiations swift and easy for Villa to complete”.
Furthermore, it is no coincidence that the two players are both currently on Argentina international duty, which may have also had an impact on Buendia’s decision [Birmingham Mail], and it’s little wonder that loads of Aston Villa fans took to Twitter to revel in the latest news of their latest signing.
Villa fans react to reported Martinez influence
Here is what some of the Villa faithful had to say following the “brilliant” update:
“doing wonders on and of the pitch”
Credit: @AVFCxBilly
“Knew he’d have a say” Credit: @liamhaddon1″I love this game” Credit: @liam_davies7 “the way he never fails to amaze me <3″Credit: @schwarzgeIben”JWP get that done, he’s brilliant”Credit: @daveLowe3″Best keeper in the world”Credit: @JFFNavfcIn other news, these Villa fans react to the club’s reported interest in this midfielder.
Former Leeds United striker and now Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan has urged the Whites to make a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.
The Lowdown: Edouard set for exit
It seems as if Edouard has now played his final game for the Hoops. The Frenchman started in the club’s final game of the season against Hibernian on Saturday, with the Easter Road clash ending in a stalemate.
Reports in recent months have suggested that the 23-year-old wants to leave Celtic Park this summer, regardless of who comes in to replace Neil Lennon. Leicester City are reportedly confident of securing Edouard’s services, but Whelan wants Leeds to make their move over the coming months.
The Latest: Whelan urges Leeds to make move
According to Football Insider, Leeds are putting plans in place to sign a new, young striker and have set aside £20m-25m to bolster their attacking ranks.
Speaking to Football Insider about the subject, Whelan staked his claim for Edouard, who Lennon described as ‘magnificent’ earlier this season. The 46-year-old said:
“We’ve got to look long term here.
“You want someone you can improve, can grow into the side, grow into the football club and be there for three to four seasons. There’s already a player out there – Edouard.
“I keep saying it, go get him. He’s at Celtic. He fits that mould, he’d be competition. There’s many, many clubs interested in him, why shouldn’t we be? You can get him at a really good price.
“We’ve got to start looking at other people. Can we take away the players that other teams are trying to get?
“Victor Orta’s not failed us yet. What we do need is that striker. That’s the right criteria that we need to bring into the football club.”
The Verdict: Hoops need a proven replacement
With Edouard seemingly on his way out of Parkhead, we feel it is pivotal that Celtic bring in a proven replacement this summer. The Frenchman has netted 57 Scottish Premiership goals in 100 appearances, with 16 of those coming in the current campaign.
Mohamed Elyounoussi is the only other Hoops player to net double figures this season in all competitions, and he’s set to return to Southampton over the coming weeks.
Immediate firepower seems to be what is required under the new manager, so it looks set to be a crucial summer window for new Celtic CEO Dominic McKay.
In other news: ‘Something happened’ – McAvennie shares inside Celtic claim as news emerges on ace who wants out, find out more here.
West Ham United can seal a place in the Europa League with at least a draw in their final Premier League game of the 2020/21 season.
David Moyes and his side welcome Southampton to the London Stadium later this afternoon, where they’ll be looking to round off their phenomenal year in style.
It was only last season that the Scotsman saved the Irons from relegation with one game to go, now they need a solitary point to be competing on the biggest stage next term.
The 58-year-old has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection, so it will be interesting to see what sort of line up he selects, so here’s our predicted XI ahead of kick-off…
There could only be one change from the side that defeated West Brom in midweek.
Moyes may decide to revert back to the 3-4-3 system that has served the Hammers so well throughout the campaign in a bid to ensure a point, which would mean a defender would have to come into the side.
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Issa Diop is the obvious candidate to pair up alongside Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson.
In the warm-up at the Hawthorns, Lukasz Fabianski pulled up with a knee problem, so Darren Randolph is expected to deputise between the sticks once again, with Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal taking up their usual roles out wide.
It means Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice continue their impressive partnership in the middle, whilst it is the £26m-rated Pablo Fornals who makes way for the 24-year-old Frenchman.
Michail Antonio will undoubtedly lead the line and he’ll be joined by Said Benrahama and Jesse Lingard, who Moyes does have a big decision over. The Man Utd loanee has been out of form recently, failing to score in their last five games, whilst he’s also only provided one assist in that run, too.
He does keep his place over the potential inclusion of Jarrod Bowen.
AND in other news, West Ham given big boost ahead of Southampton clash as injury news emerges…
According to a report by the Daily Mail, out of work manager Rafael Benitez fancies the job at Tottenham Hotspur, but it is debatable whether he fits the profile of a young and dynamic coach reportedly wanted by technical performance director Steve Hitchen.
Benitez fancies job at Tottenham
Indeed, as per the Daily Mail, Hitchen is leading Tottenham’s search for a Jose Mourinho successor and has already profiled exactly the kind of manager he wants in north London.
It is said that the 44-year-old advisor to Daniel Levy is on the look out for a ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ coach with a ‘commitment to adventurous football’, but that hasn’t stopped certain managers from fancying the job at Tottenham.
Benitez, who guided Liverpool to a Champions League triumph in 2005, now allegedly fancies joining Spurs alongside target Ralph Rangnick, with loanee Gareth Bale previously professing his admiration for the Spaniard.
Speaking in an interview with The Times back in 2016, the 31-year-old explained how he enjoyed working under the former Reds manager at Real Madrid and how Benitez helped him to settle into life at the Bernabeu.
Transfer Tavern take
While Benitez has vast experience at the top level, also winning the Europa League with Chelsea in 2013, we believe that Hitchen may be correct in his belief that Spurs need a young and dynamic coach to instill an exciting brand of football in N17.
Tottenham’s list of candidates grows thin, however, especially considering that Julian Nagelsmann has agreed to join Bayern Munich and Erik Ten Hag has signed a new deal at Ajax.
Narrowing the search for a new manager could mean that Tottenham will take time to make an announcement on their next move, but the last thing Spurs fans will want is to rush into a hasty appointment who turns out to be a bad fit.
In other news: Sky journalist shares development in Tottenham manager hunt, find out more here.
After such an inconsistent campaign, Wolves no longer have anything to play for this season.
Nuno Santo’s team have performed well below par and as they gear up to face Brighton this afternoon, they will do so from 12th in the table.
Ambitions of qualifying for Europe have fallen by the wayside but it’s not been entirely the manager’s fault.
Wolves have suffered from a mind-blowing number of injuries this term with Jonny sustaining two ACL problems and Raul Jimenez fracturing his skull.
Pedro Neto has broken his knee cap while Willy Boly will miss the game on Sunday while he recovers from the after-effects of the ongoing pandemic.
With all this in mind, how will Wolves line up when they welcome Brighton to Molineux this weekend?
We’re tipping Nuno to make three changes to the side that drew with West Brom last time.
There is no place for Willian Jose in the side as Fabio Silva gets an opportunity to build on the goal he netted against the Baggies.
There is one change in the attack where Owen Otasowie drops out after his rare chance last weekend. With that in mind, Daniel Podence comes back into the fray in a wide position.
Vitinha gets another chance as the attacking midfielder after shining so bright at the Hawthorns.
The other change could be an enforced one. Wolves are currently sweating over the fitness of Rayan Ait-Nouri and if he can’t make the game, Max Kilman might come into the team.
The left-back replaced him towards the end of their clash with Albion but the £14k-per-week earner hasn’t actually started for the Old Gold since February 7th.
Boly misses out so it’s a centre-back pairing of Conor Coady and Romain Saiss again.
Joao Moutinho is back to full fitness so he replaces Leander Dendoncker in midfield for the third and final change in this XI. He has been absent for the last two matches with a minor ankle problem.
AND in other news, Wolves beast who became “ridiculous” under Nuno sees his value rise by 180% in 3 years…
Keith Gillespie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Leicester have some of the best defenders in the Premier League.
Having lost Ben Chilwell to Chelsea last summer, Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers reinvested the money by bringing in young French centre-back Wesley Fofana and the well-established Belgium right-back Timothy Castagne from Atalanta.
And although Leicester might be the third top scorers in the Premier League this season having netted 53 times in their 30 games, only Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham have conceded fewer than Rodgers’ men (34).
Rodgers also has the experienced Jonny Evans at his disposal, whilst James Justin performed brilliantly prior to his season-ending injury sustained against Brighton in the FA Cup back in February.
Leicester return to Premier League action against Manchester City on Saturday, knowing that seven victories from their final nine games will guarantee a place in next season’s Champions League.
And whilst the likes of Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Jamie Vardy have often grabbed the headlines this season, Gillespie lauded Rodgers for putting together defensive department.
He told Football FanCast:
“Defensively they have got great defenders in terms of Evans, Soyuncu, Fofana, Castagne, Pereira and Justin. There’s six there that are as good as anybody in the league. I think he has assembled a really good squad there.”
In recent years, Sunderland have had the unfortunate experience of seeing a number of their academy stars leave the Stadium of Light in search of first-team football away from the Black Cats.
You can hardly blame them, however, when you consider the rather questionable ownership of Stewart Donald.
The club’s U23 side failed to win a single game last season but that’s no surprise after who left. Sam Greenwood, now of Leeds, departed for Arsenal in 2018 and he was then followed in controversial circumstances by Josh Maja a year later.
The Fulham striker wasn’t the last, however. Bali Mumba, Joe Hugill, Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer and Logan Pye have all walked through the exit door. They have now also been joined by Mitchell Curry who has gone to Inter Miami.
This has been a trend before Maja and co even burst onto the scene. Two high profile examples, Jordan Pickford left for Everton and Jordan Henderson went to Liverpool.
The midfielder departed in 2011 for a fee of around £16m and since then, his career has taken off in some style.
Henderson wasn’t a fan favourite at Anfield initially but he is now one of their standout players, an individual who goes under the radar on a regular basis.
After exiting the Stadium of Light ten years ago, he admitted it was hard to leave his boyhood club but the decision to move to Merseyside has undoubtedly been vindicated.
Considering his immense career trajectory, it’s baffling to think he was almost let go when he was still a trainee. Before making his breakthrough under Roy Keane, he could have been left in the doldrums somewhere.
Former Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia once told the Mirror: “There was one professional contract still to be handed out, and it was a straight choice between three of the academy lads.”
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Sbragia continued: “The night before the decision had to be made, it still hadn’t been decided. As I left for home, I didn’t have a clue which one would get the nod. When I came back in the following day, Jordan had been chosen.”
It’s fairly evident why; he had plenty of desirable attributes. He wasn’t able to show them in the north-east for long but he has demonstrated them on plentiful occasions for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Henderson has now made 392 appearances for the Premier League outfit and while his boyhood club Sunderland have fallen down the football pyramid, Liverpool have become one of the best in the world.
With the 30-year-old as captain, he has won the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
He is an FWA Premier League Player of the Year winner and is one of the first names on the team sheet for England. Sunderland knew they had a gem but it’s unlikely they will have envisaged his career panning out quite as it has.
Henderson’s transfer value soared to £31.5m, an increase of £15.5m in the year the Reds ran rampant in Europe. He is a shining example to everyone at Anfield and now has to go down as one of the most consistent players in the top-flight.
Football – Sunderland v Wigan Athletic Barclays Premier League – Stadium of Light – 10/11 – 23/4/11 Stephane Sessegnon (R) celebrates with Jordan Henderson after scoring Sunderland’s third goal from a penalty Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ed Sykes Livepic NO ONLINE/INTERNET USE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE +44 (0) 207 864 9000.
Speaking about the Liverpool star in 2018, Gary Neville commented on the way he succeeded Steven Gerrard in the middle of the park:
“Think about four years ago when Liverpool nearly won the league under Brendan Rodgers, he was a box-to-box midfield player and Steven Gerrard was sitting in there. Now he has evolved his game, he’s matured.”
Neville continued: “He wants to learn all the time, he works hard, he’s conscientious, he’s a manager’s dream.”
One of Sunderland’s favourite sons, he has quickly become a Premier League stalwart. Henderson is a shining example to everyone in the north east.
AND in other news, Imagine him & Wyke: SAFC could create a scary duo by signing 25 y/o who “works hard”…
Leeds must win the race to sign Crystal Palace star Patrick van Aanholt in this summer transfer window amid reports linking him with a move elsewhere.
What’s the story?
Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have got their eye on signing the Dutchman on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer.
However, Football Insider now claim that Galatasaray have offered a contract to Van Aanholt as they look to beat the Whites to his signing, with the Turkish giants also the team who have supposedly agreed a deal to land Leeds’ Gjanni Alioski.
Premier League proven
Van Aanholt is battle-hardened in English football, having played 209 times in the Premier League, and would surely be more of a guarantee in terms of hitting the ground running at Elland Road.
His more attacking style of play as a left-back is also right up Bielsa’s wheelhouse, with Gus Poyet, his former manager at Sunderland, saying: “You need to be really on top of him for his defensive duties and maybe have people around who can help him to maintain the mentality you need to defend. He’s a very offensive full back. He has an explosive ability to go forward and help the team to create chances.
“I would say use him as much as you can on the offensive side, and convince him to help with his defensive duties. But that’s his character. It is what it is. We can’t change that and he can’t be a different player than he is.”
The £55,000-a-week earning Dutchman would be a shrewd signing for Leeds given his Premier League experience and the fact he would arrive as a free agent once his contract expires.
It’s a deal which Victor Orta and co should be all over.
Meanwhile, Leeds must surely rue letting this star leave…
Leeds United are not planning to sell goalkeeper Illan Meslier this summer.
That’s according to an eport from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Leeds source that the Whites won’t listen to offers for the Frenchman and he will remain as Marcelo Bielsa’s number one next season.
Meslier’s impressive Leeds form
Meslier, on £16,500-a-week in Yorkshire, had been linked with French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League rivals West Ham following an impressive first season in the top flight.
He’s missed just one Premier League game all season and his solid displays have resulted in his market value soaring from £4.05m to £15.3m in under 12 months.
Transfer Tavern take
His contract at Elland Road doesn’t expire until 2023, so Leeds aren’t exactly under major pressure to sell.
Bielsa is clearly happy with the towering youngster, believing he has had ‘a good season’. He’s placed his trust in Meslier over the experienced Kiko Casilla – with the former making a whopping 115 saves during the current campaign.
Meslier turned 21 earlier this month and it seems as if the Frenchman will continue to be first choice under Bielsa for the foreseeable future.
In other news: Leeds keen on England U-21 international alongside European giants, find out more here.
Many Sunderland fans were critical of the display of Callum McFadzean despite their 2-0 win over Rochdale in League One on Saturday afternoon.
Dion Sanderson and Charlie Wyke got the only goals of the game in the first half at the Stadium of Light as Lee Johnson’s team aim to push for promotion back to the Championship.
However, while there were some very good performances in the red and white shirt, McFadzean’s flattered to deceive for several SAFC supporters.
The former Sheffield United man found himself booked very early on in the match for a clumsy foul and, although he did manage to keep a clean sheet, his afternoon did not get that much better.
McFadzean failed to record a single dribble, tackle or accurate cross from left-back, and he also lost possession of the ball no fewer than 17 times, the most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).
Sunderland fan reaction to McFadzean display
These Black Cats supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that the 27-year-old was ‘unbelievably poor’:
“2nd goal came against the run of play. McFadzean continues to be the worst player alive. Think Younger looks uncomfortable at right back, not his fault though. Excellent crosses and headers for the goals. We have to get at them more 2nd half #safc”
Credit: @davis0688
“I’m yet to see McFadzean do anything of note, guy gets rinsed up by everyone on the wing. #SAFC”
Credit: @Blackie1973_
“Never seen a left-back so bad as McFadzean. Gets caught out so much #safc”
Credit: @imdannygavin
“McFadzean is so bad. Been caught out several times already today #SAFC”
Credit: @MJacko1989
“Younger is a natural centre back and today we had square pegs in round holes again. We’ve got away with it last few games, if we go to Pompey with that back 4 we will lose the game. I would go as far to say McFadzean is the worst player I’ve ever seen in the red and white.”
Credit: @Kingy78_
“McFadzean was unbelievably poor today . Nearly gave away a goal when he went to jump for a ball and it bounced over his head! He really is poor should give Vokins a run”
Credit: @only1kilbane
In other news, find out what club reveal has delighted Sunderland fans here!