All posts by z3u9t.icu

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster expects clubs’ live streaming of Scottish football to come to an end at the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign, as per the Press and Journal.

The lowdown: Positive vibes at Parkhead

At present, all is rosy at Celtic Park as manager Ange Postecoglou has the Bhoys facing in the right direction in pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title.

Six points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the summit and with a potential domestic treble on the horizon, things really couldn’t be going much better for Celtic fans at the moment.

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Having been forced to turn to club streams in lieu of live-action during the post-pandemic era, Hoops supporters have been able to return to Paradise to watch their side’s renaissance in person.

Now, the option of season ticket holders watching any game from a distance could be set to be taken off the table…

The latest: ‘Blocked hours’ back

Speaking to P&J, Doncaster has confirmed that the availability of watching top-flight football not chosen for television coverage from home will come to an end next season.

“We’re very grateful for the help Sky Sports have given us over the past two years, allowing our clubs to stream games.

“Effectively there has been a suspension of article 48, which is the blocked hours. The blocked hours mean you can’t broadcast between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday.

“I would expect blocked hours to resume from this summer and we’ll return to a world where you need to attend the game to see it.

“But football broadcasting remains an ever-changing landscape.”

The verdict: Backwards step

Whilst having supporters back inside football stadiums is the priority, allowing fans to watch their beloved side whenever possible from home was a step in the right direction.

This return to the so-called ‘blocked hours’ is a detrimental one and in truth only has a negative impact on the Scottish game, which already suffers from receiving far inferior broadcasting deals to the English leagues.

Albeit the days of empty stadiums are hopefully a thing of the past, some supporters may still be reticent to return and bringing an end to the option of streaming the Hoops may exclude those supporters.

In other news, Celtic are facing competition for EPL defender. Find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur’s games as of late have been filled with thrills and last-minute drama. Despite missing key players in Harry Kane and Dele Alli, they’ve shown unrelenting spirit to dig out victories in the dying moments. Spurs have won their last three bouts in dramatic fashion, displaying unmatched resolve into finding the winner late into the games.

Following the frustrating loss to Manchester United at home, Mauricio Pochettino’s been reinvigorated into reigniting the players’ belief. They might be missing their captain, but Spurs always have an encouraging manager whose urging his players forward even when games feel finished.

The Argentine manager’s ability to reinvigorate his players’ never-say-die attitude has been exemplified in the last couple of weeks. Spurs snatched victories from the jaws of dropped points, maintaining their discreet surge towards an unlikely title challenge.

Be it a very late winner at Craven Cottage, an inspired come-back against a resolute Watford or carving open an impenetrable Newcastle at home, Pochettino’s side has won their last three games after the 80th-minute mark. Late goals are their new favourite thing.

Be it inspired substitutions or moments of brilliance from talented individuals the recent victories have truly brought to light Pochettino’s motivational ability. If not anything, he’s proven that it’s not only the Kanes’ or Alli’s who can come up with goals.

Having etched a must win at all cause attitude into every single player, irrelevant or crucial, it seems the Argentine’s coming up with his own version of “Fergie Time”. Indeed, perhaps he could have added yet another string to his bow and the most important time possible, helping Tottenham to really challenge for the title.

West Ham United remain interested in a deal to bring Layvin Kurzawa to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French media outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness), who claim that David Moyes’ side remain in the race for the Paris Saint-Germain left-back this month, although the 29-year-old is not believed to be near the top of the 58-year-old’s list of targets in the current market.

The report goes on to state that the likes of Lazio, Inter Milan and Napoli are all also interested in a move for the France international, while Chelsea are believed to have rejected the chance to sign the former AS Monaco defender.

He’d be a huge upgrade

While Kurzawa may not be high on Moyes’ list of priorities in the January window, with the Irons manager prioritising the signing of a centre-back and centre-forward this month, considering the experience and ability the signing of the 29-year-old would bring to the left of the Hammers’ backline, it would appear highly advisable for the boss to indeed make a move for the PSG defender this month.

While it is true that the £8.1m-rated man has struggled to hold down a starting spot in the PSG side in recent seasons, he has nevertheless demonstrated previously that, when given the opportunity to do so, he can be an extremely useful player for a side challenging at the top of the league table.

Indeed, over his 19 Ligue 1 appearances in his debut campaign following a £22.5m move from AS Monaco back in 2015, the £89k-per-week left-back scored four goals, registered five assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.1 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position that season, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 3.3 interceptions, 2.7 tackles, 2.2 clearances, 43.4 passes and winning 7.2 duels per fixture – with a success rate of 62%.

These returns saw the player who labelled himself as a little “crazy” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.49, ranking him as the fourth-best player in the entirety of the French top-flight that year.

As such, should Moyes be able to help Kurzawa refind this form following a potential switch to West Ham this winter, the 29-year-old would not only appear to be a huge upgrade on Arthur Masuaku, but he could well push the Hammers’ first-choice left-back, Aaron Cresswell, for his starting spot at the London Stadium.

In other news: Moyes must now launch WHU bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon” as key transfer twist emerges

As per The West Ham Way website, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared a transfer update out of Rush Green involving long-time target Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham still chasing…

Since the Manchester United ace’s prolific 2020/2021 loan spell at the London Stadium, it’s no secret that manager David Moyes has been eager to sign Lingard on a permanent deal.

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The Hammers were knocked back in their summer attempts to do so but that interest has since continued into this January transfer window.

It is believed by reliable sources that Lingard is still a top target for Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman as the England international seeks a move away from Old Trafford in search of game time and one last major move before the twilight phase of his career.

Newcastle have also been attempting to sign the 29-year-old this month, but after those talks stalled, insider Ex believes West Ham are ready to try and take advantage in a last-gasp move.

The Latest: West Ham ‘attempting’ to now ‘reach a deal’…

According to the insider, via WHW, the Irons are ‘attempting now to reach a deal’ for Lingard after failed negotiations between Newcastle and his club.

As just two full days remain to conclude business, with the window shutting at precisely 11pm on Monday night, Newman and co are apparently at work on an eleventh-hour agreement.

However, there are still hurdles to the potential transfer as Man United seem ‘reluctant’ to do business with a direct challenger for the Premier League top four, while there are also still ‘issues’ to be resolved on Lingard’s side.

The Verdict: Time to move on?

As West Ham also chase the signing of a striker and centre-half in this final hurdle, Moyes shouldn’t spend too much time chasing his former favourite.

One final attempt may be worth it to see if an agreement can in fact be reached, especially considering United run the risk of losing him for nothing in the summer.

Valued at around £18 million by Transfermarkt, the Irons could potentially snap up Lingard for far less given his contract situation, which is set to expire later this year.

Pundit Rio Ferdinand also branded the player ‘amazing’ for this spell on loan in east London last year, as evident by his nine goals and four assists in 16 Premier League starts.

However, if this transfer continues to drag into deadline day, Moyes, unfortunately, has no time to waste and alternatives simply must be pursued at that point.

In other news: West Ham eye late window bid for ‘world class’ player after manager leaves him out of squad, find out more here.

Manchester United lost 1-0 to Everton at Goodison Park this afternoon, leaving their chances of a top four finish and Champions League football next season in serious doubt.

The Toffees are currently the fourth-most out-of-form in the Premier League over the last six matchdays, and after today’s defeat the Red Devils have become the seventh-most out-of-form, losing their eighth top-flight game of the season.

Despite having 67% possession, more shots on target and over twice as many passes completed today, United could not take anything from their clash on Merseyside, with players such as Alex Telles summing up their wastefulness on the ball, losing possession a team-high 28 times.

The Toffees took the lead in the 27th minute when Anthony Gordon’s shot deflected off Harry Maguire into the back of the net behind David de Gea. The visitors had more than hour to redeem themselves but failed to impose themselves successfully on Frank Lampard’s resilient Everton side.

One player who put in yet another nightmare performance for the Red Devils was Marcus Rashford, who failed to make a sufficient impact in the game, perhaps becoming more of a hindrance than a help.

According to SofaScore, United’s golden boy – who Gary Neville called “terrible” – was the worst-rated player on the pitch (5.9) and for good reason, losing all seven of his ground duels and 87.5% of his duels overall.

The forward also lost possession of the ball every 2.7 touches and failed to complete any of his three dribbles before he was hooked by Rangnick in the 64th minute, being replaced by Anthony Elanga.

It has been reported that the 24-year-old is intending to leave Old Trafford this summer after coming through the club’s academy and breaking through into the first team; and when you consider the season he is having, it would be no surprise if his desire to leave the club will be heard and delivered by United.

Rangnick will need to hope that the teams immediately ahead of them suffer the same fate during their fixtures this weekend to give his side a slight chance of redemption to keep their Champions League chances intact. One thing is for sure; Rashford did not do United’s top-four push too many favours today.

In other news – “Erik ten Hag has..”: Romano drops exciting Man Utd update this morning, it’s great news

A major Rangers transfer development has emerged on Ibrox gem Joe Aribo…

What’s the talk?

Reporter Tom Barclay has revealed that one Premier League club is not eyeing up a move for the Nigerian international midfielder.

Crystal Palace have been linked with a swoop for the Gers midfielder and Barclay has now allayed any fears in Glasgow that Aribo will be on his way to Selhurst Park.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It makes sense and I can see why they are being linked with midfielders because of Gallagher leaving in the summer.

“But, from what I’m told, I’m not sure that is the case.”

Gio will be elated

This news will surely leave Gio van Bronckhorst feeling elated as Aribo is a key player for him in Glasgow and he will want him to stay at the club.

In the Premiership this season, the midfielder has eight goals and five assists in 32 outings as he has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.10. This comes after he managed seven goals and four assists in the 2020/21 title-winning campaign for the Gers.

His form last term led to his former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa heaping praise on him, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

These comments highlight how rare of a talent Aribo is and why it would be difficult for van Bronckhorst to replace him with a similar player. As Konsa explained, the Nigerian’s blend of physical stature and technical ability makes him unplayable on his day as he has the strength to hold off defenders whilst also having the skill to produce quality in the final third.

His aforementioned statistics in the Scottish top-flight prove that he can put deliver on a regular basis at the top end of the pitch and that is why he is such a key player for the head coach. The Dutchman will not want to lose him and that is why he will be buzzing with Barclay’s claim that Palace are not eyeing him up as one of their top targets, as it stands.

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…

Newcastle United enjoyed a brilliant January transfer window as they brought in a number of players to bolster their squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

They were struggling in the bottom three of the Premier League just after the turn of the year and PIF backed Eddie Howe by signing the likes of Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Matt Targett.

A few months on and the Magpies are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone with seven games left to play and look set to avoid the drop.

This suggests that PIF played the January window brilliantly as the new signings provided the team with a much-needed lift.

Whilst you can praise the owners for the players they did bring in, you can also appreciate the players that they opted against going for. For example, Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell was linked with a £20m switch to St. James’ Park at the start of the month.

Newcastle were 19th at the time of the report and ultimately avoided paying that sizeable fee for the 23-year-old, with Championship outfit Bournemouth eventually snapping him up on deadline day on loan until the end of the season. The Cherries reportedly have an option to sign him for £11m in the summer, £9m cheaper than what it would have cost the Toon in January.

This means that they saved themselves from making an expensive error as they would have, seemingly, been overpaying for the midfielder. Norwich were willing to settle for £11m in the end and that means that it would have been a blunder from PIF to pay £20m at the start of that month.

His form, or lack thereof, has also shown that they were right not to bring him to the club – for any price. He has been an unused substitute in two of Bournemouth’s last four games and has zero goals and zero assists in his 10 Championship appearances since making the switch.

This comes after he endured a torrid first half of the campaign with Norwich. He was not directly involved in a single Premier League goal for the Canaries in eight outings and Yellows legend Chris Sutton claimed that he was “getting above his station”, which does not suggest that he was/is in the right frame of mind for a relegation scrap.

Therefore, PIF played a masterclass by opting against a deal for the dud in January as they saved themselves a decent chunk of change and avoided signing a player who is desperately out of form.

AND in other news, Same agency as Joelinton: NUFC scouting 6 ft 4 star, he’s a dream Botman alternative…

Trezeguet may leave Aston Villa on loan before the end of the transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans. 

The lowdown

The Egyptian joined Aston Villa ahead of the 2019/20 season in an £8.75m move from Kasimpasa. He has since made 64 appearances for the club, although he spent much of 2021 sidelined by a serious knee injury and has played just 10 top-flight minutes since recovering from that setback.

His current goal tally stands at nine, while he has also served up five assists during his time with the Midlands outfit. His £32.5k-per-week contract still has 18 months left to run.

Trezeguet is currently away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and it’s unclear if that will complicate any potential transfer. They are due to meet Ivory Coast for a round of 16 tie on Wednesday, just five days before the January deadline.

The latest

During The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Saturday, Evans was asked whether time was ‘up’ for wingers Bertrand Traore or Trezeguet given Gerrard’s preference for a narrow 4-3-2-1 formation.

The journalist replied: “Traore, I feel, will be back up now. Maybe an impact player? Trezeguet is going to struggle for minutes so he may go on loan.”

The verdict

Where might Trezeguet end up?

It was reported earlier this month that Galatasaray were keen to take him back to the Turkish Super Lig and had initiated talks with Villa.

Steven Gerrard has already allowed Anwar El-Ghazi to leave this month, but in Philippe Coutinho, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore, he will have ample options in the wide attacking areas even if he lets Trezeguet go too.

Some Villa fans may be sad to see the 27-year-old go, because his commitment has never really been in doubt. For instance, his former manager Dean Smith described his ‘running numbers’ as ‘incredible’; while former Villa defender Alan Hutton hailed his willingness to close people down, even if he did look like a ‘headless chicken’ at times.

At least a loan move could enable Trezeguet to reinvigorate his career while still maintaining ties with the club so that they aren’t just barging him out the door unceremoniously.

In other news, lots of Villa fans flock to links with this Serie A maestro

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Burnley beast James Tarkowski…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, the Magpies are now eyeing a late bid in the transfer window for the centre-back as they ‘rekindle’ their interest in him. No offer has gone in as of yet, but the club are looking at him as a potential target with less than a week to go before the window closes.

Football Insider previously reported that Burnley are looking for £20m for the 29-year-old this month, with fellow Premier League side West Ham also keen on the defender.

Forget Lascelles

Newcastle’s defensive record this season is abysmal, but the prospective signing of Tarkowski could help the club to improve on their porous backline. It is time to forget about club captain Jamaal Lascelles and bring in the Burnley man to take his place in the team.

The Magpies skipper has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.51 in the Premier League, starting 17 of the club’s 21 top-flight matches. Only Norwich have conceded more goals than Newcastle, having played a game more, and the ex-Nottingham Forest defender has been a central part of their woes with his poor showings on a regular basis.

Tony Philliskirk previously dubbed Tarkowski as “integral” and a “leader”, and that is exactly what the 29-year-old could be for Eddie Howe if he is able to replicate his Burnley form for Newcastle. He has proven his Premier League quality over the course of several seasons and he could go a long way to helping the Toon improve their defensive record by replacing Lascelles in the team.

The ex-Brentford beast has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.02 or higher in each of the last five Premier League campaigns, including the current season, which shows how remarkably consistent – and brilliant – he has been for Burnley. He has maintained a high standard over half a decade, whilst Lascelles has only averaged a score higher than 6.80 in one of his six top-flight campaigns.

This suggests that Tarkowski would be a major upgrade on the current Magpies defender and would be a fantastic signing for Newcastle. He would be integral for Howe, as he has proven that he can be relied upon to deliver stout defensive displays week in, week out, and PIF must ensure that they can get this deal over the line for Howe by next Monday night.

AND in other news, “In the next 48 hours”: Journalist drops exciting NUFC transfer claim that’ll delight fans…

There are a very particular set of curses that linger in the damp and murky spots of Arsenal’s London Colney training base.

Not only are the Gunners currently allergic to a Champions League spot, but the fortunes of some individuals that put pen to paper in the back offices at Colney aren’t always vibrant.

A captaincy curse has plagued the club for well over a decade now with the likes of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas seemingly revolting while in possession of the armband.

The same eventuality befell Laurent Koscielny, Granit Xhaka and more recently Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang.

Yet, it has now fallen on the shoulders of a certain Alexandre Lacazette. There is no player revolt or dampened attitude, but since taking on the captaincy from his great mate who now plays for Barcelona, he has scored just one Premier League goal.

Not only is he suffering from the increased pressure of being the Arsenal captain but it would appear the dreaded number 9 curse has struck the French forward this term too.

Those who donned the famous jersey before him; Lucas Perez, Lukas Podolski and Park Chu Young, hardly enjoyed profitable spells in north London and it seems Lacazette is drinking from the same cup as his predecessors.

With his contract due to expire at the conclusion of the season, there is a sense that he won’t renew his deal. That doesn’t particularly feel like a bad piece of news for Arsenal but after the club’s 4-2 win over Chelsea on Wednesday night, his days in red and white are now surely well and truly numbered.

When Aubemayang departed for Catalonia in January, there was a seismic weight placed on the 30-year-old and it’s simply one he’s not been able to carry.

His performances have dwindled and after a fight with the current pandemic, he was forced to watch from the bench at Stamford Bridge in midweek.

The fact he wasn’t fit enough to start can now be seen as a blessing in disguise as Eddie Nketiah put in the type of performance that should well and truly place the final nail in Lacazette’s coffin at Arsenal.

He ran himself into the ground, pressing relentlessly from the front and working hard to score two goals and equal his French colleague’s tally of open play strikes in the top-flight this season despite just two starts in the competition.

It was damning on the former Lyon man who watched a more mobile athlete stride forward with purpose and offer considerably more threat in offensive areas.

Lacazette did eventually come on in the dying embers, making a grand total of four touches and zero passes.

Many have been quick to criticise him of late, with some on Twitter claiming he has been doing a “Yaya Sanogo impression”, such is his bad form.

That may be a tad harsh but following Nketiah’s brace and overall performance against the champions of Europe no less, his elder teammate should not start again for Arteta during the run-in.

AND in other news, Forget Laca: Arsenal already have their new Saka in “deadly” 17-goal Hale End starlet…