All posts by z3u9t.icu

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard is reportedly attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the summer and if Ralph Hasenhuttl wants to keep him on the South Coast, then the club should consider offering him a new deal as soon as possible.

The Danish international’s contract with the Saints is set to expire at the end of next season, meaning that if Spurs did make an approach for the six-foot-six defender in the summer, then it is unlikely that Southampton would be able to demand a significant fee, despite his impressive performances this season.

In fact, Hasenhuttl could potentially lose him on a free transfer next year, with foreign clubs free to approach him with the view to signing him on a Bosman transfer in January 2022.

Considering how important the 28-year-old has been in the Austrian’s side this season, the club should surely be looking to tie him down to a longer deal to ensure that he isn’t prised away from them too easily in the future.

In 21 appearances this season, the former Borussia Monchengladbach man has averaged an impressive 7.09 rating for his performances, which is second to only James Ward-Prowse in the Southampton squad.

Therefore, he is clearly a key figure in this Southampton side and should be rewarded with a new deal, as his current deal sees him earn £60k per week at the South Coast club.

Arguably, the club should be focusing on the Dane more than Danny Ings, with the club currently in ongoing negotiations with the England international over a new deal, with his contract also set to expire at the end of next season.

However, despite his impressive performances in recent seasons, the former Liverpool man has suggested that he sees his future with a Champions League side, so it is difficult to see his long-term future with Southampton.

Although Vestergaard will likely share the same dream, he hasn’t openly admitted to it, so there’s no reason to think he can’t finish his career at the top with Southampton by signing a new long-term contract.

Therefore, Martin Semmens should perhaps forget about Ings and instead focus on delivering a new contract to the Danish international, as his performances this season certainly warrant him earning a new deal.

And, in other news… Semmens can deliver Saints’ Ings replacement with swoop for in-demand 24 y/o

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has revealed that Udinese star Rodrigo de Paul still wants to come to Leeds United, and refused to rule out a potential summer transfer.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the previous summer transfer window suggested that De Paul was a key target for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, with Hay himself claiming that Leeds’ interest in the midfielder remained serious.

Now, writing for The Athletic, the journalist has delivered an update on the £31.5m-rated ace, saying: “De Paul wants to come. He’s not making any secret of that. But Leeds didn’t push it much last summer and didn’t get involved with him at all in this window. I’d never say never because he looks like a decent fit but Leeds have always seemed a bit indifferent about it. Maybe that will change when the season ends.”

Orta should make a move

Having failed to sign De Paul in the summer, and having also missed out on fellow midfield target Michael Cuisance after issues over his medical, it’s clear that Leeds are keen on strengthening their squad in that engine room.

And with Hay revealing that De Paul still wants to come to Elland Road, it’s all perfectly set up for Victor Orta to go back in for the Argentine.

The 26-year-old has been an ever-present for Udinese in Serie A this season, playing every single minute in the Italian side’s league campaign until he was sent off at the weekend.

His dynamism and box-to-box style has brought him five goals in 20 league games, and his all-action displays are something that would surely fit in seamlessly with Leeds’ intense running.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Smarterscout’s Dan Altman said: “There aren’t any central midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues who can match Rodrigo de Paul’s style of play and his pitch coverage.

“He’s most active in the right channel, crossing midfield, but he can pop up almost anywhere. He’s an avid defender, and his attacking contribution is huge at a Premier League standard. He’s Argentine and has enormous output on both sides of the ball, so he seems like a great fit for Bielsa’s Leeds.”Whilst Erick Pulgar of Fiorentina has been the name Leeds fans have come to know over these past few weeks following reports of a move in the January transfer window, De Paul should be the priority.The Argentine is keen to join Leeds, and was a key target last summer. The end of the season could be the perfect time for a move to finally be made.Meanwhile, Phil Hay has revealed Leeds are planning a summer move for this ace…

Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Allan may not be available for Everton’s clash against West Bromwich Albion on Thursday.

Allan may be out

The Toffees are in action again in just two days’ time as they travel to The Hawthorns to play West Brom.

Following his team’s 1-0 victory over Southampton on Monday, Ancelotti revealed that Everton may be without the former Napoli midfielder in the Midlands. He told BBC Sport:

“We have time to recover for Thursday. Allan was back after two months, we have to take care of this, it might be more difficult for him.”

Disappointing

This will no doubt be disappointing for Ancelotti. When Allan has been available, he has been an important player for the Merseyside outfit. No player amongst his teammates to start more than one game has averaged more than his 3.4 tackles per game in the Premier League (WhoScored), while he has also managed an 87% passing accuracy rate throughout the campaign.

Unfortunately, injury problems have reduced him to just 13 appearances in the top flight (Transfermarkt). Ancelotti is right to be cautious with the £22.5m-valued 30-year-old, but now that he has returned to the first team, the Italian will be hoping that the tenacious midfielder can play a big role between now and the end of the season as the Toffees go in search of a place in next season’s Champions League.

In other news, Ancelotti is ready to sanction the sale of this in-form striker.

Manchester City’s impressive recent form has seen them rise to fifth spot in the Premier League table, now just four points behind leaders Liverpool, with two games in hand on last year’s champions.

A depleted Citizens side showed their mettle at Stamford Bridge in the 3-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne starring for Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, the performance of Rodri should not go unnoticed, as the Spanish midfielder produced an excellent display which will reassure Manchester City fans that he is more than capable of stepping up to replace Fernandinho, with the 35-year-old seeming likely to leave the club this summer when his contract expires.

As per Squawka football, during the game against Frank Lampard’s side, Rodri enjoyed the most touches (108), the most successful passes, the most duels contested, the most recoveries and the most tackles of any player on the pitch, in what was a dominant all-round display.

The Spanish international has faced criticism at times since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, with former City star Micah Richards certainly not happy with his performance against Leicester earlier this season, saying:

“I’m not blaming it [the defeat] just on Rodri, there were loads of bad performances in there.

“But in the middle by himself, the way he turns, he doesn’t read danger like Fernandinho [does], and the back line gets exposed.”

Since that 5-2 defeat, however, City have shown themselves to have one of the best defences in the league, with the partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias working wonders at the back, although Rodri’s influence on this upturn in form should not be forgotten.

The 24-year-old has averaged a solid 7.01 rating for his performances in the Premier League this season and whilst Richards might not believe that he reads the game in the same way Fernandinho does, he has averaged 1.1 interceptions and 1.7 tackles in his appearances in the top-flight this season, whereas the Brazilian has managed just 0.5 interceptions and 1 tackle per game on average.

The Spaniard is also still just 24-year-old, so there seems no reason why he can’t get better and achieve the same sort of status Fernandinho has achieved amongst the City faithful during his time with the club.

And, in other news… Guardiola can sign Mendy upgrade in PL beast with a taste for goals

Manuel Lanzini proved a rare negative of West Ham United’s 2-1 win at home to West Bromwich Albion having held David Moyes’ side back on Tuesday night.

Moyes opted to give Lanzini the nod to open the action behind striker Michail Antonio at the London Stadium over Pablo Fornals, with the Spaniard falling to the bench allowing the Argentine to make only his second Premier League start of the season.

But the decision proved ill-conceived with Lanzini struggling to bring the energy or the vision needed in the central midfield role, and saw his number shown after only an hour as the first of Moyes’ permitted substitutions in a double change alongside Said Benrahma.

Lanzini frequently appeared anonymous throughout the first half, despite West Ham controlling much of the proceedings, with full-backs Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal causing much of the Hammers’ attacking momentum.

Lanzini’s struggles to establish himself in the early stages further saw Moyes strive to find alternative answers as the interval neared, with Benrahma moving centrally and the 27-year-old shifted onto the left-wing.

The changes failed to prevent the Irons from soon starting to lose control of the game after West Brom came out from the break looking a side reborn following Sam Allardyce’s team talk, and quickly equalised through a glorious Matheus Pereira strike from the edge of the box.

The Baggies continued to look the side in the ascendancy until Moyes called for changes, and reaped the rewards of his actions when Antonio flicked home substitute Andriy Yarmolenko’s delivery for what would prove to be the winning goal just four minutes later.

Lanzini’s invisible presence had played a key role in West Brom initially finding their route back into the match, on a night where things could have ended vastly different for the £12.5m-rated maestro had he shown a slim margin more quality.

Manuel Pellegrini lauded Lanzini during his tenure in east London as a player he could place a great deal of trust in, as the midfielder played without fear and “always wants the ball”.

Lanzini never shied from taking possession during his time on the field against West Brom on Tuesday night, having left the pitch with 50 touches to his name – more than any visiting player and the most of Moyes’ front four, per WhoScored. But the £70,000-per-week dud heavily struggled to use his time on the ball to good effect.

Cresswell did well to work a cut back for Lanzini just before the half-hour mark only for the Argentine to produce a tame effort, who again did poorly when he swiftly blazed another effort over the bar. Lanzini should have later got a goal, too, only for his 57th-minute strike from eight yards out to be brilliantly blocked by Dara O’Shea on the line.

Those efforts ensured Lanzini departed the action with one big chance missed to his name from one shot on target, one blocked and one directed wide, while producing just one successful dribble – albeit above his appalling season average of 0.2, per SofaScore.

He further opted against attempting any crosses into Sam Johnstone’s box, was caught offside once and committed two fouls to the one for a foul given on him, and gifted West Brom possession 11 times while losing four of his six combined duels.

Lanzini’s efforts ensured he raised his average minutes per game to 26 but performed well below his usual standards in the duel with a seasonal score of 43% won in the league, to make it an easy decision for Moyes when considering his first substitutes of the match as the midfielder had held West Ham back.

AND in other news, West Ham can secure David Moyes’ dream Mark Noble heir in a £25m January target…

Celtic enjoyed their first win since facing Motherwell in the Premiership last month. The Hoops produced a spirited performance to fend off European rivals Lille in a thrilling 3-2 win.

It was a bittersweet result for Neil Lennon though. Despite their efforts to bank a victory, their fate was already sealed before they hosted the French outfit at Celtic Park. With this being their only win of the competition, the Bhoys tumble out of the Europa League after a disappointing run overall.

They will now shift attention to the weekend when they prepare to face Kilmarnock, and one man who should make the starting lineup is David Turnbull.

David Turnbull impressed vs Lille

The £1.6million-rated midfielder only joined the Glasgow outfit in the summer after making his move from Motherwell. But despite being a new addition to the squad, he has struggled for consistent game time under Lennon.

His start against Lille was his first since he featured against St Johnstone back in October. Due to his limited first-team minutes, he has just two goals and two assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt). But although he hasn’t opened up his account in the same style as Mohamed Elyounoussi, he is showing extreme promise to become someone Lennon can rely on.

Turnbull bagged himself a goal and an assist against Lille and made three key passes to cause a lot of bother for their defence (via Sofascore). In just 90 minutes he has shown more creativity than the likes of Scott Brown, who is without a single goalscoring contribution this season despite featuring in more games.

Before the midfielder left Motherwell, he was lauded as a “special talent” by James McFadden and his move to Celtic is looking like one that will benefit both Turnbull and the club.

Lennon must consider putting him down as one of the first names on the team sheet ahead of their weekend clash with Kilmarnock.

In other news, Hammond must bring Gyrano Kerk to Parkhead to fill the puzzle…

Everyone in the Celtic camp and all of the club’s fans will be thrilled to be back to winning ways after their recent two results. Thanks to a victory in the Europa League over Lille and a 2-0 win against Kilmarnock in the Premiership, the Hoops have restarted a positive streak.

Neil Lennon will especially be breathing a sigh of relief as their weekend win means that he lives to see another day as the Celtic manager. He will be especially pleased with goal-scorers Mohamed Elyounoussi and Shane Duffy, as well as summer signing David Turnbull who has come on leaps and bounds recently.

One man who was below par though is Odsonne Edouard, and his erratic differentiating performances are starting to become something of a concern for Lennon.

Odsonne Edouard stats vs Kilmarnock

Considering the £16,000 per week centre-forward has been linked with a regular exit, he isn’t painting himself in the best light. Edouard looks a shadow of his usual self this season, struggling to find form on multiple occasions across both the Premiership and the Europa League.

He finished last season with a whopping 27 goals and 19 assists in 46 matches, but this term he is dipping in and out of form.

He was all but absent against Killie, with Elyounoussi instead proving to be the more clinical of the two. According to Sofascore, Edouard made just 11 passes the entire time he was on the pitch and he lost possession on ten different occasions.

Not only have Celtic struggled without his usual fiery nature, but he isn’t selling himself for any potential buyers that might come knocking in January or the summer.

He has two goals in his last five appearances, which is a pretty solid return. But in his last ten domestic matches, he has only found the back of the net three times, which is a worrying amount for a striker of his calibre (via Transfermarkt).

With Leigh Griffiths rarely seeing any action and Lennon clearly having no faith in Albian Ajeti, Edouard is the key man in attack. However, his recent performances say otherwise – he could just be damaging his own image with this poor run of form.

In other news, David Turnbull was Lennon’s real match-winner vs Kilmarnock…

Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet by not signing Juninho Bacuna from Huddersfield Town in the summer…

What’s the word?

Recent reports had revealed that Rangers were interested in a move for the 4-cap Curacao international, with the club keep to take him on loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy.

The Sun’s Alan Nixon added that Steven Gerrard was searching for an attacking midfielder, as the Ibrox outfit had enquired about Bacuna’s availability, but their request had been rejected, and they ended up bringing in Bongani Zungu on a season-long loan deal from Amiens instead.

Rangers dodged a bullet!

Bacuna clearly has bags of potential, that much is almost obvious, but his inexperience would’ve made this a hard sell with supporters. He broke through the ranks at FC Groningen after scoring 13 goals for their academy teams, via Transfermarkt. Since then, it’s fair to say that he has struggled for consistency so far, as he has only managed to score seven goals in 68 appearances for the Terriers in all competitions.

When you consider that Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield have been in such fine form in recent weeks, and that’s without even mentioning Ryan Jack, it’s difficult to see which player would’ve been forced to make room for him in the Rangers midfield.

Coupled with the fact that the 23-year-old earns weekly wages worth £17,000, which is more than what Arfield earns every week, it’s safe to say that it would’ve been a nightmare move for the Gers. The last thing that Gerrard needs is an inconsistent, inexperienced midfielder, who would cost a fair amount of money. It almost doesn’t bear to think about.

Former Terriers striker Dale Tempest once criticised the £4.95m-rated ace for his inability to concentrate during a game, saying he often “falls asleep”. He told The Examiner: “He is a technically brilliant player and physically fantastic, but tactically and mentally he falls asleep and doesn’t fully fulfil his responsibilities in a central role.

“Every time I watch a Town game, I swear to myself and to anyone I am with – I wish Bacuna would stop rolling his foot over the ball!!”

Hardly the stuff that legends are made of, that’s for sure. Rangers will be glad that they signed Zungu instead. Now they just have to make sure that he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders.

AND in other news, Rangers must watch out for Standard Liege’s Mehdi Carcela in Europa League…

West Ham United have been given the ideal chance to sign rumoured David Moyes target Jesse Lingard, after the Manchester United midfielder left super-agent Mino Raiola after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, Lingard has ditched Raiola’s agency, which also represents Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba and Matthijs de Ligt, in favour of handing full control to family members and other close associates.

Lingard began working with Raiola in January but came to the mutual agreement to sever all ties after falling out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and reconsidering his future at Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old has missed United’s last seven fixtures through a hip injury, though is expected to return to full fitness soon, with the blow helping restrict Lingard to just two appearances all season – both coming in the EFL Cup during September.

Tottenham Hotspur and FC Porto had shown an interest in Lingard this summer, with the former England international set to be out of contract when his £75,000-per-week terms expire next June, although the Red Devils hold an option to extend by a further 12-months.

Moyes had also considered a move to bring Lingard to the London Stadium this summer, per the Independent, who noted the Scottish coach was looking to capitalise on a potential clear out at his former club.

United are keen to retain their academy graduate as they are loath to losing Lingard for free, yet have not triggered their clause. The 24-cap midfielder is also open to staying at Old Trafford, but is eager to play more regularly having only started nine of his 22 Premier League appearances last term.

A deal to lure Lingard away from Old Trafford in the summer was expected to cost at least £20million, with 90min also noting interest from Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton.

Chance to strike

Should Moyes continue to look fondly on a deal to bring Lingard to the London Stadium, news of the midfielder leaving Raiola’s agency should be seen as a huge boost with the 53-year-old notorious for demanding sizable fees when moving his clients.

It was once alleged in the book ‘Football Leaks: The Dirty Business of Football’, via The Telegraph, that Raiola was due £22.8m of the £89m fee United paid Juventus to sign Pogba in August 2016, on top of £2.2m from the Frenchman and £16m in further payments.

But Raiola’s demands will no longer be a likely sticking point in discussions to sign Lingard, while the Red Devils’ summer asking price of £20m will surely be slashed further given the midfielder has played just 99 minutes this season and scored four goals across all competitions last term.

Moyes could revive Lingard’s career by offering the Solskjaer outcast a new home with the Irons, as Rio Ferdinand previously lauded his worth in an attack on Jose Mourinho for never playing him in the right position.

“This is a kid who I’ve seen grow up through the ranks at Man United,” Ferdinand said, via quotes by the Express. “His movement is phenomenal, his touch, his awareness of players around him and he gets important goals. I think that his relationship with the other players in the attacking-third is key to this team and he’s someone who I just love watching play.

“He’s in with a manager now who understands him, who understands where he needs to be on the pitch to get the best out of him. I think that’s what Jose Mourinho never maybe grasped enough.”

Like Ferdinand, former Manchester United boss Luis Van Gaal felt Lingard was best suited to a central No. 10 role, which would raise question marks over Pablo Fornals’ role going forward should Moyes revive his interest.

Over his 22 outings in the Premier League last season, Lingard averaged 42 minutes a game, in which he recorded 0.5 shots, 0.9 key balls, 0.6 successful dribbles and 1.9 duels won, per SofaScore. Fornals, meanwhile, is currently averaging 83 minutes a game this term, while penning 1.3 shots, 0.8 key balls, 0.9 successful dribbles and 3.0 duels won, suggesting Moyes would be best served sticking with the Spaniard signed under Manuel Pellegrini.

AND in other news, David Moyes is “worried” by a West Ham blow that a Manuel Pellegrini favourite can capitalise on.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon is after a left-back this summer and this week, the Scottish champions have been tipped to sign one name…

What’s the word?

According to Parkhead legend Frank McAvennie, the Hoops have an interest in bringing Leeds United defender Barry Douglas to Celtic Park.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“I’ve been told by sources about the boy at Leeds, Barry Douglas. Maybe something is happening with that in the background, I do not know. I do not know what the situation is but I have heard that he is a really good player. 

“There are players out there for Celtic to go and get that won’t cost millions and millions. Celtic can pick up players from the Championship. This boy Douglas is supposed to be good, so why not? I do not know what the transfer fee would be but with one year left on his contract, I am sure they could negotiate something. He is not playing so Leeds might want somebody paying his wages.

“If Peter (Lawwell) wants him he will go and negotiate and maybe that is why he is umming and ahhing about the boy at Charlton.”

A good move?

Since the acrimonious departure of Boli Bolingoli this summer, Lennon has only had one option in the left-back role and as a move for young Charlton starlet Alfie Doughty continues to falter, it could make more sense to move for the experienced Scotsman.

The 31-year-old has twice won promotion from the Championship yet finds himself well down the pecking order in Yorkshire.

Over the course of his career, per WhoScored, Douglas has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 key passes and 1.4 crosses per game, and he’s widely known as a set-piece specialist, which is a bonus.

Alan Hutton believes that, on his day, the veteran is “up there among the best full-backs in the league,” adding: “His crossing ability, his engine, he really does well.”

Whilst Sky Sports pundit Matt Murray has also lauded the £3m man, saying: “He was very unlucky not to get to play in the Premier League but his set-pieces, crosses, deliveries, wonder goals earn him a spot. He’s a top lad, too – and if you’re trying to cultivate a winning culture in the dressing room, he has to be in there.”

With Douglas earning as little as £10k-per-week, it could be quite the bargain from Lawwell.

If I were Greg Taylor, I’d be looking over my back during these final ten days of the transfer window.

AND in other news, Leeds have interest in £20m Serie A star who’s like Samuel Saiz…