All posts by z3u9t.icu

Newcastle have endured a nightmare season to date and currently sit 19th in the Premier League table after 15 matches played.

They have 10 points on the board after picking up their first win of the campaign against Burnley over the weekend, to go along with their seven draws and seven defeats.

Howe must wield the axe

Whilst the club’s poor form this season has been caused in part by a number of players underperforming on the pitch, one man who has particularly struggled is Miguel Almiron.

The ex-Atlanta United playmaker has been a passenger this season and Eddie Howe must brutally axe him from the squad in January unless something changes in the next month. His performances have not been anywhere near good enough for a player who Transfermarkt claim to be the fourth-most expensive signing in the Tyneside club’s history.

In 13 Premier League appearances this season, the Paraguayan has failed to score or set up a single goal. As per SofaScore, he has also lost 52% of his duels and given possession away a whopping 98 times, whilst only averaging 0.8 key passes and 0.2 crosses per game from out wide.

This shows that he has been a passenger on the pitch as he has not pulled his own weight on the ball, despite his work rate out of possession. He is not showing enough quality with the ball at his feet to warrant a place in the team, and that could force Howe to look at the transfer window as a possible solution to that problem.

Last year, Almiron’s former boss Steve Bruce dished out glowing praise of the 27-year-old due to his willingness to train and play on despite carrying an injury. 

The ex-Magpies coach said: “Almiron is a manager’s dream. He’s bright, he’s tough, he trains every day and he’s been carrying a thigh injury but doesn’t want to tell anybody.

“The last 20 minutes on Sunday (against West Ham United) he was limping about the pitch. In 18 months he’s proved to be a really top, top player.”

This highlights the positive aspects of Almiron’s game and shows that he is willing to work hard for the team and put in a shift. However, that is little use to Newcastle if it comes with almost no quality in possession, given that he often plays in the final third of the pitch.

Therefore, unless the Paraguayan bucks up his ideas and starts making an impact in front of goal in providing assists and/or scoring goals, Howe may need to cash in on him in January and look elsewhere for a replacement. The Magpies will need quality at the top of the pitch to get themselves out of the relegation zone and Almiron is not providing that at this moment in time, as shown by his appalling statistics in the top flight.

AND in other news, Howe preparing NUFC bid to sign 20-goal “great finisher”, fans would love him… 

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

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”…

Despite West Ham losing 1-0 to Manchester United, Manuel Lanzini emerged as David Moyes’ silver lining after a promising cameo performance at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Lanzini has struggled for game time in claret and blue since the closure of the winter transfer market, with the weekend’s outing only his second in nine Premier League fixtures.

The Argentine’s opening role at home to Sheffield United last month also marked just his third top-flight start of the season, while only Andriy Yarmolenko (346), Mark Noble (369) and Ben Johnson (391) have now played fewer minutes than Lanzini (403) under Moyes.

Moyes opted to introduce Lanzini to the action at Old Trafford having felt that his forward options had not caused Manchester United enough problems over the first hour of action, with Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio unable to trouble the Red Devils frequently enough.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had taken the lead nine minutes before Lanzini stepped onto the field through a fortuitous Craig Dawson own goal, and Moyes felt West Ham’s performance improved in line with his tactical changes.

“We thought tonight that the way we would play with two up, Jarrod and Michail as two forwards to start with, we thought that might give them a problem to start with, so I saw that as being positive in a different way,” he said, via quotes by football.london.

“But, ultimately, we got better as the game went on when we brought on Manu and Said [Benrahma] I would say that. I would also say Man United might have been better than they were and that the team that was out did not concede any goals, only one from a set-piece at that time and it was only after that that you can judge it.”

Moyes was also impressed by how Lukasz Fabianski – who Solskjaer lauded for a number of “fantastic” saves – performed in goal to keep Manchester United at bay for much of the game.

“Lukasz in recent weeks has been in really good form and that’s good because he has come back into it at an important time. He made a couple of saves tonight, he kept us in the games at different times, so his form has been very good,” the Irons boss added.

Fabianski making crucial saves is what West Ham supporters will have come to expect of the 35-year-old, who last week signed a one-year contract extension to remain at the London Stadium through to 2022 having otherwise been a free agent this summer.

Lanzini, though, will likely have caught a few by surprise given his lack of action and outcast status under Moyes, who was reportedly open to cashing in on the £12.5m-rated maestro this January amid interest from Olympique de Marseille before Andre Villas-Boas quit.

Lanzini has also struggled to deliver during his brief spells on the field, apart from his stoppage-time screamer away to Tottenham Hotspur back in October, with his goal in north London his only strike of the Premier League campaign, while boasting just a single assist.

The 28-year-old was unable to double his tallies on Sunday but he brought a creative spark to the pitch, with Lanzini offering a shot and creating one goalscoring opportunity in a side that combined for only seven attempts on Dean Henderson’s goal all game, per SofaScore.

Villas-Boas’ winter target further completed all 21 of his attempted passes, won three of five ground duels and completed his only attempted dribble, against a backline pairing of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire who have won, on average, 45% and 50% of their ground duels and are only dribbled past on average 0.4 times a game in the top-flight this term.

Lanzini only averages 1.4 ground duels won and 0.3 successful dribbles per league outing this term, plus 15.8 (88%) accurate passes from a similar average return of minutes as he earned on Sunday, so it’s clear to see that he upped his game at Old Trafford, which is a small positive to take from an otherwise disappointing evening in Manchester.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with an incident involving Scott Brown during the Old Firm derby on Sunday.

The Gers faced Celtic for the third time this season at the weekend and drew 1-1 after Alfredo Morelos cancelled out Mohamed Elyounoussi’s opener. In essence, though, the match was a dead rubber as the Gers had already confirmed their status as Premiership champions.

The week preceding the match proved to be a difficult one for the Ibrox outfit. They were knocked out of the Europa League last Thursday by Slavia Prague after losing 3-1 on aggregate, but the match was marred by allegations of racist abuse towards midfielder Glen Kamara.

The rivalry between Rangers and Celtic is fierce, but that did not stop Brown from walking into the Gers half to embrace Kamara as the two teams warmed up before kick-off. A clip of the moment was shared by Sky Sports Scotland on Twitter, and many Gers fans could do nothing but praise the Celtic captain.

These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on Brown’s gesture.

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

“I might hate him with a passion but that was class, well done Scott, we stand together”

Credit: @sea_ibrox

“I totally cannot stand the boy as a player but an amazing gesture from Scott Brown, fair play! Some things are bigger than football!”

Credit: @theruralrider

“Any thoughts I hold on scott brown matter not a jot today. That was a touch of class. Fair play.”

Credit: @JackReg31454571

“Absolutely hit the nail on the head mate. Sometimes rivalry just doesn’t matter. Hats off to Broony”

Credit: @Gav1nsm1th87

“Class touch”

Credit: @ArgyllWarrior

“Hate him but good gesture from him”

Credit: @Declan_1872_

In other news, many Rangers fans slammed this man’s performance against Celtic.

West Bromwich Albion are close to appointing Valerien Ismael as the new manager at The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a deal to bring the Barnsley boss to West Brom is all but done following developments that occurred during talks on Saturday.

The report goes on to state that Guochuan Lai and Ismael have agreed the terms of his contract with the club, while the Baggies will now approach the Tykes to discuss buying the 45-year-old out of his current deal, something that is believed will cost West Brom around £2m.

Fans will be buzzing

Having endured their club going through a rather arduous search to appoint Sam Allardyce’s successor, with moves for names such as Chris Wilder, David Wagner, Roy Hodgson, Frank Lampard and Michael Appleton all failing for a variety of reasons, the news that West Brom now appear close to landing their new manager is sure to have Albion fans buzzing.

And, considering the rather remarkable job Ismael did after taking over at Barnsley in October of last year – when the club’s CEO Dane Murphy claimed that the Frenchman was a “standout” candidate for the role – it would very much seem as if the 45-year-old is one of the better candidates Lai has targeted.

Indeed, despite the Tykes being predicted by FourFourTwo to finish the Championship season in a lowly 18th place before a ball was kicked, in addition to having not won a single game from their opening seven league fixtures of the 2020/21 season prior to Ismael’s arrival, the Frenchman went on to guide his side to a rather astonishing 23 wins, five draws and 11 losses over his 39 league games in charge of the club, securing a fifth-place finish for a much unfancied Barnsley side, before narrowly losing out in the play-off semi-finals to Swansea City.

Adding in the fact that the former VfL Wolfsburg manager arrived after the summer transfer window had closed, in addition to signing just three young players in the January transfer window, Barnsley’s astonishing form is very solid evidence that the 45-year-old is a fantastic coach who can get the best from a group of players.

As such, given a greater transfer budget to work with, as well as a side brimming with Premier League experience, should Lai indeed go on to land Ismael this summer, it would appear to bode extremely well for West Brom’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League next season – an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Get it done: Lai must sanction West Brom summer swoop for “outstanding” 32 G/A machine

What defines a scapegoat? According to the dictionary, it’s a person that’s blamed for the mistakes and wrongdoings of others.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be politically correct to suggest that Callum McFadzean was Sunderland’s.

He may be targeted considerably by fan blogs for his poor performances but the fact of the matter is that for the most part, he deserves the criticism. After all, he is the man making the errors.

McFadzean is a committed professional and is a handy full-back when it comes to the offensive phases of play. Though, when he’s faced with a tricky winger he looks way out of his depth.

We have seen that on multiple occasions this term. Whether it was giving away a penalty against Wimbledon last year or being run ragged by Otis Khan in the EFL final at Wembley, he’s had plenty of moments to forget in 2020/21.

During that clash, he was beaten by Khan on four occasions while he was also led what Sunderland reporter James Hunter described as “merry dance” by Olamide Shodipo when the Black Cats faced Oxford United.

Though, none were arguably worse than what occurred against Hull City on Tuesday evening.

On paper, a 2-2 draw with their fellow promotion hopefuls was a good result, but consider three straight defeats before that and their chances of automatic promotion appear to be fading by the day.

McFadzean owes a great apology for his role in the defeat to Hull.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-transfer-rumours-and-news-grigg-denayer-louis-dreyfus-sanderson-melamed” title=”Latest Sunderland transfer news and views!”]

Playing at left-back, he was terrorised by Mallik Wilks, one of League One’s best players this season.

The Hull winger has netted 16 goals this term while providing six assists for his teammates in the process. He didn’t find the net on Tuesday but he did create both goals after skinning McFadzean down the right.

Bailey Wright may have been unable to pick up Josh Magennis who bagged both strikes inside the area but if Sunderland’s left-back had been stronger and more adept he’d have been able to stop the source of the delivery.

In total, McFadzean lost a whopping 80% of his defensive duels as he committed two fouls and was dribbled past on three occasions. He was only able to make one tackle during his time on the field too.

Wilks was a constant threat, producing four shots, four dribbles and two key passes for the Tigers.

Against one of the most dangerous players in the third tier, the Mackems full-back was caught napping on several occasions.

Lee Johnson has been keen to stick with him in recent weeks while Denver Hume steps up his recovery from injury but his performance this week that should have left the manager seething.

He needs to drop him permanently from the starting XI during the run-in.

AND in other news, Forget Stewart: SAFC must swoop for 16-goal beast, Jack Ross thinks he’s “terrific”…

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan is confident that Patrick Bamford will sign a new deal at Elland Road following a superb season.

The Lowdown: Star man this season?

The Whites have had a memorable campaign upon their return to the Premier League, heading for a mid-table finish and playing some of the most entertaining football in the division.

A number of players have stood out for Leeds, but arguably none more so than Bamford, who has scored 15 league goals and impressed with his all-round game.

The Latest: New Bamford deal discussed

Whelan believes that the striker has done enough to earn a bumper new deal at Elland Road, telling Football Insider that it would make perfect sense:

“He seems happy with his game and with the manager he’s working for

“He’s really hit the heights that we knew he could do. He’s given it many tries in the Premier League and it’s not worked out for him.

“This season has been incredible. If you score 15 goals, you’ve got to be ecstatic with that as a striker. When you do that, people stand up and take notice.

“It’s not easy to get any goals in the Premier League, let alone this season when people have been doubting you.

“A new and improved contract I’m sure will be discussed and signed, because he’s been an ever-present under Marcelo Bielsa, one of his key men.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-2/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: No-brainer for Leeds

Bamford has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Leeds, with the idea of him becoming such an integral part of the team unthinkable at one point given his previous struggles. He is undoubtedly a player who should be viewed as a long-term key man and he has done more than enough this season to justify getting a new contract.

At 27, he is at the peak of his powers and should continue to be for a number of years. It’s not hard to see why Whelan has called for the Elland Road hierarchy to ensure that they secure the striker’s future in Yorkshire.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move to another Premier League club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Many Everton fans have been left to buzz as footage emerged of a goal scored by Ellis Simms for Blackpool in their EFL League One play-off tie.

The goal quickly circulated around Twitter and was shared by The Toffee Blues, which showed the striker peeling off of his marker before unleashing a fierce left-footed strike into the back of the net to put the Tangerines 2-0 up away at Oxford United.

Simms went on to score another goal in the game to continue his fine form ever since his loan move away from Goodison Park – he had already scored eight goals in the league (Transfermarkt), adding two more to his collection.

It begs the question whether Carlo Ancelotti will give him a chance in the first team squad come the start of the 2021/22 season, given his fine form.

Everton fans on Simms goal

These Toffees buzzed as the goal was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to call the 20-year-old Englishman a ‘baller’:

“Lukaku-esque.”

Credit: @triggerfishhead

“Lad looks a talent. Is he ready to be involved in first team squad next term?”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Can we get him back for tomorrow night?”

Credit: @alandean1878

“Ellis Simms is on fire”

Credit: @efcstaffo

“We’ve got a serious player there yeno hope he gets a chance next season”

Credit: @JayRimmer10

“He’s a baller”

Credit: @efcowen1

In other news, find out what ‘top-four quality’ striker EFC are eyeing here!

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley believes his old side should be turning to Chelsea or another Premier League outfit for a striker.

Forest’s forwards have not been firing in this early stage of the season, with Lyle Taylor the only No.9 in the Reds’ squad to have scored in the Championship so far, with his sole goal coming in the opening weekend of the new campaign.

Chris Hughton’s team as a whole have not been good enough in front of goal and in the league overall. They currently sit bottom of the table with just one point, while only Sheffield United have found the back of the net on fewer occasions (via WhoScored).

Considering all of that, Crossley has called for his former club to bring in a new centre-forward and believes Chelsea could be a good place to start looking.

“Look to the Premier League for a loan spell,” the ex-Forest star said to TT. “Chelsea loan a lot of players out. Whether it’s a loan or permanent, it’s always better to get a permanent in, but if it’s a loan from a Premier League club, I think there’s a handful.”

Without a doubt, this goalscoring issue is something Hughton needs to address or else it is going to be a long season for Forest.