Wolverhampton Wanderers frontrunners to sign Matheus Cunha


Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly seem ready to try to win the race to sign Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha.

The West Midlands outfit are expected to be active in the mid-season transfer window, priority will be trying to find a solution to the club’s poor performance in the final third.

According to Relevo, Wolves are interested in signing Cunha at the midway point of the campaign.

The Brazil international has made just two starts in La Liga, with as many as 14 substitute outings coming in Spain’s top flight and the Champions League.

Although the Red and Whites may ideally prefer to retain the services of the 23-year-old forward, who is contracted to the club until the summer of 2026 and has a buyout clause of €80m.

As well as Wolves, Leeds United and Everton are said to be keeping a close eye on the forward’s situation in Madrid.

Read more

Aston Villa want to sign Matheus Cunha?


Aston Villa have reportedly outlined their intentions to move for Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha as a January transfer target.

Villa boss Unai Emery is being provided with funds at the turn of the year in a bid to further improve the club’s fortunes.

According to Relevo, the Midlands club are contemplating luring Cunha to Villa Park.

According to Transfer expert Matteo Moretto, Emery is a long-term admirer of the Brazilian, who has struggled for game time during his time in Spain.

Cunha, 23, has made just two starts in La Liga and the Champions League this season, with a further 14 games coming from the substitutes’ bench.

The striker has been impressive last term, contributing six goals and six assists from 29 La Liga appearances.

Cunha still has over three-and-a-half years left to run on his contract at Atletico, leaving the club in a strong position when it

Read more

Real Madrid lining up move for Bruno Fernandes


Real Madrid have emerged as rumoured suitors for Manchester United attacker Bruno Fernandes.

The 28-year-old has been a key player for the Red Devils since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, representing the club on 146 occasions, contributing 53 goals and 42 assists in the process.

The Portugal international has been a peripheral figure for the Red Devils this season, recording three goals and three assists from 20 appearances in all competitions.

He is currently playing in the 2022 World Cup, where he scored two goals and provided two assists in two appearances.

The midfielder is under contract with the Mancunian giants until June 2026, with the option of a further 12 months.

According to Record, Los Blancos are huge admirers of the midfielder and are keen to explore the possibility of signing him at the midway point of the campaign.

The report adds that the La Liga

Read more

Bayern Munich join Real Madrid in race for Declan Rice


Bayern Munich have reportedly outlined their intentions to move for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice during next summer’s transfer window.

The 23-year-old’s future at the club now appears to be in doubt, with a number of teams believed to be interested in signing him ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been credited with an interest in signing the England international, while a recent report suggested that Real Madrid have emerged as rumoured suitors for the midfielder.

According to Fichajes, Bayern Munich want to strengthen their midfield options for the coming season, and the German champions view Rice as the ideal acquisition.

Rice has enjoyed another stellar season with the Hammers during the 2022-23 campaign, with the club captain making 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring once and providing two assists in the process.

The midfielder was heavily linked with a

Read more

Man United weighing up move for Cody Gakpo?


Manchester United have reportedly “explored” the possibility of signing PSV Eindhoven attacker Cody Gakpo in the January transfer window.

Man United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are allegedly exploring the possibility of sacking the Portugal international.

Whether the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is sacked or sold by United, head coach Erik Ten Hag will be keen to bring in a replacement during the midway point of the campaign.

Eindhoven attacker Cody Gakpo was strongly linked with a potential switch to Old Trafford last summer.

The 23-year-old has made an electric start to the 2022-23 campaign, contributing 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 appearances for the Dutch outfit across all competitions, including 21 goals in just 14 Eredivisie matches.

The 20-time English champions opted against recruiting the Dutchman towards the end of the summer window and instead splashed around £85m on Antony

Read more

Man United plot January move for Memphis Depay


Manchester United have reportedly made an approach to re-sign Barcelona winger Memphis Depay during the January transfer window.

The Red Devils had allegedly been planning to move for a new central-forward next summer, but they are said to be open to making a move during the mid-season transfer window.

Memphis could be available for £4m at the beginning of 2023, as his contract with the Catalan giants is due to expire at the end of June.

According to Sport, Man United are now accelerating their attempts to sign the Dutchman, with manager Erik Ten Hag viewing him as the perfect mid-season addition.

The report adds that the 28-year-old will not make a decision until following the conclusion of the World Cup, but he is allegedly interested in a return to the Premier League.

Memphis previously represented Man United between 2015 and 2017, and made 53 appearances for the club.

Read more

Reffing Hell: Stuck In The Middle Of A Game Gone Wrong

Ian Plenderleith (1965-) is a soccer writer and journalist who has been covering the game in the US, Germany, Switzerland and his native UK for the past 25 years. His books include a collection of soccer fiction aimed at an adult audience, ‘For Whom The Ball Rolls’ (Orion, 2001), and ‘Rock n Roll Soccer: The Short Life and Fast Times of the North American Soccer League’ (Thomas Dunne Books, 2015), a historical analysis of the role of the NASL in US soccer history. He has contributed columns, commentaries, player profiles, match reports, historical features and satirical news to numerous newspapers, magazines and websites, including The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, When Saturday Comes, and Soccer America. After 16 years in Washington DC as a coach, referee, writer and slowly retiring player, he now lives and works in Frankfurt, Germany.

Christopher Berry is an illustrator with a designer’s day job in

Read more

The Only United – Howler Magazine

Billy Merck signed his first professional contract for indoor soccer’s Portland Pythons, in a career that also included stops with the Utah Freezz, Cascade Surge, Lafayette Lightning, and Louisiana Outlaws. Billy played the three for Pacific University (Oregon) where he was an NAIA All-American and later inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2013; he holds the Boxers’ all-time career assist record, which he set in 1997. He also played and coached for FC Portland. After playing, Billy completed three masters’ degrees—including his MFA from McNeese State University and his PhD from Washington State University. He writes about soccer and lives in the Portland area with his wife and son. Twitter: @billymerck.

Maggie O’Keefe is a painter and illustrator from Westchester, New York. She received her BFA from Cornell University in 2019 and studied at The Art Students League of New York. Maggie has exhibited her work at Dacia

Read more

How An American Became So Attached To Soccer, He Now Calls It Football

Kevin Lynch is a Malmö, Sweden-based creative director at Oatly (the oat milk company, not the sunglasses one). While most of his career has been spent at advertising agencies in the US, Canada, and China, he’s also served as the first director of marketing at China’s oldest international school, Shanghai American School, and created side projects that attracted reactions ranging from adoration (@Yearbnb) to death threats (Chicagoans for Rio).

You can read Kevin’s latest piece in McSweeney’s here.

Howler doesn’t have millionaire owners, just a determination to tell stories in and around the game we love that no one else would tell. Our sponsors make that possible by providing support for the writers, artists, photographers and contributors who are the heart and soul of what we do. Please support our sponsors.

This article is presented by Saturdays Football. Football / Soccer goods that any

Read more

Leave a Little More

A writer and illustrator with deep roots in the game craft a story for soccer’s future stars.

In 2017 Sam Cronin—not to be confused with her husband and former MLS All-Star Sam Cronin—wrote the initial manuscript for Leave a Little More, a children’s book with a nucleus of soccer and empowering the everyday decisions we make. 

“I think when I was writing the book I was talking to myself just as much as anyone else. You don’t have to be doing something so obviously great in order to be making an impact,” said Cronin. 

The seed for the story was planted for Sam (the author) after the Cronins moved to Denver when Sam (the player), an MLS veteran and Hermann Award finalist at Wake Forest, was traded from San Jose to the Colorado Rapids on January 19th, 2015. Sam had been in advertising for most of her life and

Read more