All posts by z3u9t.icu

After an impressive start to life as Aston Villa manager, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard returned to Anfield on Saturday, looking to build on his side’s recent run of three league wins from four.

Despite a battling performance, the Villans left Merseyside empty-handed as Mo Salah’s 67th-minute penalty separated the two teams.

With the Reds the league’s top scorers with 44 goals prior to the match, the Midlands club were always going to need their front men to perform if they were to come away with a result, particularly Ollie Watkins. However, the striker had a quiet afternoon at Anfield.

Starting in a front three alongside Ashley Young and Jacob Ramsey, Watkins struggled to make any sort of impact, with the centre-forward failing to get a single shot away.

Furthermore, according to SofaScore, the 25-year-old lost possession 14 times alongside making just 36 touches, meaning that he lost the ball every 2.57 touches. There was a lack of physical presence up front from Villa’s talisman too as Watkins lost 75% of his duels.

The £44k-p/w forward has made a good start to life under Gerrard, scoring against Brighton and Manchester City under the 41-year-old since he replaced Dean Smith, and there is still little doubt that Watkins is the club’s best striker, his four league goals the most of anyone in Villa’s squad so far this season.

However, fellow forward Danny Ings returned from injury on Saturday, having not played for three games, which will increase competition in the attacking department once again. The two started alongside each other in Gerrard’s first game against Brighton, with Ings playing as a centre-forward and Watkins playing on the left of a front three.

It’s plausible that this could happen again, but if both were to purely play in their preferred centre-forward role, then one would have to miss out. This must be used as an incentive for Watkins has his place in the starting line-up is at greater risk after today’s soporific performance, especially with the renewed availability of Ings.

In other news: Aston Villa can start January with a bang by signing “unbeatable” £27m-rated machine

Leeds United fans will love Phil Hay’s latest claim…

What’s the word?

The Athletic reporter dropped an exciting 12-word update on the contractual situation of Raphinha to Twitter earlier this week.

“Leeds United are increasingly confident of finalising a new contract with Raphinha,” he said before going on to discuss his performance against West Ham United on Sunday in an accompanying column for the website.

Hay described his display as a “creative masterclass” as Jack Harrison’s hat-trick secured an impressive 3-2 win over the Irons at the London Stadium.

A matter of time?

It is surely only a matter of time before we hear official news from the club on this front as all the noises around Elland Road are positive – the fact that one of the most reliable sources associated with Leeds is saying so is massively encouraging.

Indeed, Sunday’s performance was another damning reminder of how important the Brazilian is to Marcelo Bielsa and the squad.

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As per SofaScore, he registered a whopping eight key passes, including an assist for one of Harrison’s three goals. He also accurately delivered 100% of his crosses, registered two dribbles and attempted three shots but could not add to his eight goals.

Before the weekend, he was the only player to have scored more than twice. He also tops the charts for average rating (7.27) by quite some margin, leading the way for key passes (2.1 per game) and dribbles (2.3 per game), via WhoScored.

‘Leeds have no interest in listening to bids for Raphinha in the present transfer window,’ Hay added in his piece for The Athletic. ‘They have received no offers so far and when it was reported in his native Brazil on Christmas Eve that Bayern Munich would sign him before the end of the month, Leeds poured water on the story quickly.’

Raphinha has been a real star for the Yorkshire giants ever since his £17m move from Stade Rennes in October 2020 – now valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, it has looked every bit like an incredible deal for the club.

Of course, United should be resigned to losing him at some point but him being around for the foreseeable future, thanks to an extension to his current £63k-per-week deal is surely going to leave the Elland Road faithful absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, “This week”: Journo drops big Leeds transfer claim live on air, fans will be buzzing…

Goals from Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son ensured a winning start to Ryan Mason’s caretaker spell in charge of Tottenham Hotspur as they came from behind to defeat Southampton in the Premier League.

Spurs looked toothless in the first half and were gifted their two strikes in the second as the Welsh superstar, starting for the first time since the north London derby, capitalised on a defensive mistake before the South Korean converted from the spot, having had an earlier effort ruled out via VAR.

The 29-year-old has hardly had much time to implement his own ideas but you could certainly see a change in spirit and energy, and it certainly felt like the side played with more freedom.

And this was most notably seen in just how much possession Mason’s full-backs enjoyed despite playing in a back four, rather than a back five.

Both Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier recorded the most touches of the 22 players that started, with the latter edging it with a whopping 108 touches of the ball, as per SofaScore.

The 28-year-old deserves as much credit as the two goalscorers as he responded to our calls to see him axed with a pretty impressive display – by comparison, he only normally manages 65 touches each league game.

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For once, he was far from being his usual calamitous self and actually proved to be a defensive beast at the back, as well as contributing further up the pitch with some nice link-up play with Bale.

No one recorded as many tackles as Aurier (seven), to emphasise just how good that was, the other Spurs players on the pitch combined for 11 between them, four of which was from the right-winger.

Aurier’s usual average is just 2.9 tackles, so he certainly exceeded expectations.

The £18m-rated star, who earns a reported £120k-per-week in north London, also won 13 duels and provided a single block, interception and clearance – young Nathan Tella really struggled to contribute, as a result.

Further up the pitch, Aurier made 100% of his crosses, won two free-kicks and delivered in terms of passing, making 88% of his 68 attempts, which is nearly 10% above his usual average.

We may have been slightly critical of his recent performances, but Aurier should also be handed praise when it’s due.

He was Mason’s unsung hero along that right-flank and he certainly will not get the plaudits, with Son and Bale finding the net to clinch a valuable three points in their race to secure a top-four finish.

AND in other news, Levy heading for disaster if he appoints 50 y/o who has an ‘excellent’ relationship with Kane…

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has been mentioned with a potential overhaul of his squad during the upcoming summer transfer window.

The previous January window saw numerous players not only make moves to Villa Park but also saw some other figures wave goodbye to the club as they left on loan deals.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though one current Villa figure could be set to have his bags packed and bring his time at the Midlands club to an end.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider sources, French club Marseille are interested in re-signing Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson this summer.

Villa signed the Frenchman back in the 2021 January transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £16m.

Since then, the midfielder has only made 20 appearances for the Villans across all competitions, failing to score even one goal or provide one assist, making him somewhat of a flop considering what they paid for him.

Get rid of Sanson

Having suffered from injury and illness issues when he first arrived at the club, which was described as “frustrating” by former Villa manager Dean Smith, the 27-year-old has found it hard to get regular game time under Gerrard in this campaign.

Since the turn of the year, the £59k-per-week disappointment has only appeared in six league games, starting just two of them.

It’s hard to determine what exactly the Frenchman offers the team considering how, from an attacking point of view, he’s only been able to make three shot-creating actions in the league.

From a defensive standpoint, he’s only made eight tackles for his side, which is lower than the likes of Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins.

His performances throughout this campaign haven’t done much to convince the current Villa boss that he deserves to be in the squad next season.

According to WhoScored, the former Marseille star is listed as the lowest-rated Villa player currently in Gerrard’s squad to have started more than one league fixture, with an overall rating of 6.34/10.

With that in mind, if Gerrard doesn’t have Sanson in his long-term plans for the future beyond this season and Marseille are willing to make a suitable financial offer for their former midfielder, then selling him would be the best option for all parties this summer.

In other news: “Gerrard wants..“: Journo drops teasing transfer claim, AVFC supporters surely buzzing 

David Moyes is in line for a potential injury boost at West Ham United following the March international break, with Arthur Masuku touted for minutes with the Under 23s.

That’s according to Claret & Hugh, who claim that the DR Congo defender may be given a run-out at Rush Green against Leicester City’s junior side on Friday night.

Masuaku has been missing for the Irons since December 5th after undergoing career-saving knee surgery, as he sought to solve an issue that had caused pain for nearly two years.

It was expected that Masuaku would not be able to make his return to action until the middle of April at the earliest, having suffered an apparent setback in his recovery.

But Moyes confirmed last week that the 27-year-old had been back in training over the previous few days and carried out sessions with the U23s, though remained lacking match fitness.

“Arthur’s trained two or three days this week with the U23s and trained with me for a couple of days now, so Arthur’s getting much closer to match fitness and all-round fitness generally,” Moyes said ahead of West Ham’s trip to Manchester United.

The Irons may now look to test Masuaku’s knee with a run out in the academy ranks against Leicester on Friday, with a view to his potential inclusion in the senior fold once the Hammers regroup after the international break.

Masuaku was Moyes’ number one choice at left-back before his operation, having opened 10 of West Ham’s initial 11 Premier League games and only departed the action before the final five minutes on one occasion.

Aaron Cresswell has often been Moyes’ go-to in the role since losing Masuaku, but has begun to be utilised in a centre-back capacity once more with academy product Ben Johnson earning frequent minutes at wing-back instead.

Masuaku proving his fitness against Leicester’s U23s will no doubt be a big boost for Moyes as he looks to secure West Ham a place in next season’s Champions League, having lost ground to Chelsea in the top-four race after last week’s defeat at Manchester United.

The Irons now trail the Stamford Bridge natives by three points and will not overtake Thomas Tuchel’s side by winning their game in hand, with West Ham claiming an inferior goal difference by nine.

Masuaku had been an influential part of the Hammers’ early-season form with no player yet to eclipse his average 2.2 successful dribbles per game from left-back, with Cresswell only bringing play out from the back 0.1 times from 0.2 attempts and Johnson from half of his one dribbles a game, per WhoScored.

The absent 27-year-old’s defensive impact had been superior to what Cresswell has since brought to the side, as well, with Masuaku registering 1.7 successful tackles to his teammates’ 1.1 while blocking 0.4 more crosses and 0.6 more passes a game.

Masuaku’s form sparked praise from former Irons striker Frank McAvennie back in October, who believed the £7m-rated full-back had responded well to Moyes’ tough treatment.

“You need managers to say that if you do this, you play and if you don’t do it, you’re not playing. I know you have to wrap players in cotton wool these days but sometimes you need to give them a kick up the backside,” he told Football Insider.

“That was possibly the wee kick up the backside he needed because he has been a different player of late. It is all a lot better now.”

It obviously remains to be seen what sort of impact Masuaku’s lengthy absence will have had on his productivity, but Moyes will surely be glad to have another body available after the international break.

AND in other news, David Moyes has made a £25m forward his top target to fill Seb Haller’s void at West Ham…

Everton have reportedly called the agent of Denzel Dumfries ahead of a potential transfer in the summer window.

The Lowdown: Dumfries wanted

There have been various reports over the last few weeks with regards to interest from the Goodison Park outfit in signing Dumfries.

With the PSV Eindhoven ace impressing at Euro 2020 with the Netherlands so far, scoring two goals in his first two group games from the right-back position (Sofascore), he is bound to attract a lot more interest from other clubs in Europe ahead of the 2021/22 season.

The Latest: Agent called

As per Sport (via Sport Witness), Everton have called Dumfries’ agent Milo Raiola over a possible deal for the 25-year-old.

However, both Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have also called the agent of a player who has been described as a ‘revelation’ at the Euros by the Spanish media outlet who reported of the Toffees’ interest.

The Verdict: Sign quickly

Dumfries scored four goals and supplied a further nine assists in 41 games across all competitions in 2020/21 (Transfermarkt), showing just how much of an attacking threat he can pose despite being a defender by trade.

At 25 years of age, and being the captain of PSV, the Dutchman would appear to be an ideal long-term replacement for veteran Everton right-back Seamus Coleman.

However, with competition looking to hot up as the Euros continue, the Toffees need to be looking to sign him as soon as possible.

In other news, find out what transfer update has left these Everton fans buzzing!

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing a loan move for William Saliba in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Saliba future unclear

As per Sky Sports, Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion, leaving the future of Saliba very much unclear.

The central defender spent the 2020/21 season on loan at OGC Nice, but with White potentially coming to the Emirates Stadium for big money, it certainly casts doubt over how much game time he would be allowed.

The Latest: Saliba loan?

According to the Daily Mail, the St. James’ Park faithful are eyeing a potential loan move for Saliba, as they monitor his situation at the Gunners.

They are said to be keeping tabs on the Frenchman, although their transfer business is on hold at present as Mike Ashley continues to discuss the proposed takeover in the North East from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The Verdict: Sign

Bought for a hefty £27m in July 2019 despite only being a teenager, Mikel Arteta’s team clearly saw a lot of potential in Saliba, and the Magpies could certainly take advantage by furthering his development.

He has no shortage of admirers, none more so than former Tyneside club stars Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy, have both sung his praises in the past (Ligue 1 podcast).

Saliba was a regular starter in Ligue 1 last term, and certainly showed just how talented he is already despite being 20 years of age, winning no fewer than 3.5 of his duels a game while also averaging four clearances and 1.3 interceptions per match (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, he would certainly be another good option to have for Steve Bruce.

In other news, find out what ‘huge’ NUFC transfer claim has been dropped here!

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has urged Glasgow Rangers to sign Britt Assombalonga on a free transfer this summer.

Campbell urges Assombalonga move

The Gers have been linked with a move for the Congolese striker (GiveMeSport), who currently plays in the Championship for Middlesbrough.

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell believes that the £2.7m-valued 28-year-old would be a great signing for the Ibrox outfit. He said:

“I think he’ll score a lot of goals in Scotland.

“Morelos will be out. I’m sure he wants to move. Britt Assombalonga would be a handful up in Scotland. He’d be a great replacement. 

“He’ll do very well there. On a free too, good business, really great business.”

Gers step up striker drive

It seems that the Gers may be preparing for the departure of Alfredo Morelos as they look to bring in a new forward. The Colombia international has recently revealed that he is eager to play in the Premier League (Radio Caracol), so it may only be a matter of time before he departs the club.

Assombalonga isn’t the only striker the Gers are said to be monitoring – it seems that they are also in pursuit of Peterborough United’s Jonson Clarke-Harris. Either way, it is important Ross Wilson and co to plan for Morelos’ potential departure, as much as they will be eager to avoid such a situation.

In other news, an update has been provided on this Slavia Prague player’s claim.

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid after a report said they are at war with the Scottish National Party after it was suggested the Gers players sang a sectarian song as they celebrated the end of the season.

This past weekend was a special one for the Ibrox outfit. Their 4-0 victory over Aberdeen at Ibrox meant they completed an unbeaten Premiership season (BBC), and they also received the trophy after the match. As such, thousands of fans took to the streets to celebrate, while the players enjoyed themselves at the stadium.

There have been reports that a sectarian song was sung at the party, and it has now been said the SNP are at war with the Gers. Rangers themselves have already questioned whether the video is genuine.

The news was shared on Twitter by @PoliticsForAll, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say about the news below

“And?”

Credit: @NotForMeMate

“Only one winner.”

Credit: @owenmt_1

“It’s not just selik we’ve rattled, we’ve rattled the full country, quality hahahaha”

Credit: @leewill90899218

“Let’s hope Rangers sue tinpot government and Yousaf in particular. Trumpian garbage from the SNP”

Credit: @scotgardener

“SNP regime hate Rangers as it’s a British football club, and the SNP despise everything British and have spent the past decade trying to purge anything British from Scotland.”

Credit: @BritishAlba

“That’s the best bit, Nats are utterly clueless”

Credit: @Odiepops

In other news, many Rangers fans loved this Burj Khalifa tribute.

Sheffield United failed in their bid to bring Alex Collado to Bramall Lane due to the winger’s representative’s unrealistic financial demands.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Andy Giddings, with the BBC journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, despite both Barcelona and Sheffield United being happy for the deal to go ahead, the 22-year-old’s move to the Championship side broke down due to the financial demands of the player’s representatives.

In his tweet, Giddings said: “Understand SUFC pursuit of Barca midfielder Alex Collado broke down at the 11th hour due to ‘unrealistic financial demands’ from the player’s representatives. Told both clubs are happy for the deal to be concluded.”

Jokanovic will be fuming

Considering just how short Slavisa Jokanovic’s side is in the wide attacking areas of the pitch, in addition to the sheer amount of potential Collado appears to possess, the fact that the Blades’ move for the right-winger fell through at the 11th hour due to something as trivial as the demands of the player’s representatives is sure to have left the 53-year-old manager fuming.

Indeed, following the closure of the summer transfer window on Tuesday evening, Jokanovic has been left with no players who are natural options on either the left or right-wing in his first-team squad, meaning that, until January, the Serbian will have to make do with fielding one of his centre-forwards out of position on the flanks.

Furthermore, while Collado has struggled to break into the Barcelona first team, making just two appearances for the LaLiga side, the £4.5m-rated man’s form for Barcelona B clearly illustrates exactly why Jokanovic wanted to secure his signing.

Indeed, over the 22-year-old’s 83 appearances for the reserve side, who play their football in the third tier of Spanish football, the winger has scored 18 goals and registered 11 assists, while also bagging four goals and one assist over his 20 fixtures for Barcelona’s U19 team.

As such, it would certainly have appeared as if the youngster would have made a very useful addition to the Sheffield United side prior to Tuesday’s transfer deadline, however, after missing out on his signing, Jokanovic will now have to make do with the options he has been left with in his squad – something that would not appear to bode overly well for the club’s Championship campaign, considering how poorly it has started.

In other news: “Deal agreed”: Journalist reveals SUFC transfer development that’ll have fans buzzing