All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of Manchester City fans have reacted negatively to reports linking Declan Rice with a move to the Etihad Stadium.

The Athletic’s West Ham correspondent Roshane Thomas wrote in a mailbag for the website on Friday that there is “every chance” of the Premier League champions making a transfer offer in 2022 for the England midfielder, who was reportedly a target for the Cityzens this year as well. Man City fan feed @City_Chief later shared the update via Twitter.

A core presence in the Three Lions’ run to the Euro 2020 final in the summer, Rice has also drawn admiring glances from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, with some reports claiming that West Ham had placed a £100m price tag on him to ward off prospective suitors. Incidentally, that was the same amount which City paid to Aston Villa for his England team-mate Jack Grealish in August.

Despite his tender age, he has already captained David Moyes’ side on numerous occasions and exceeded 150 first team appearances. City reportedly want him as Fernandinho’s long-term successor at the Etihad, with Rice and Rodri potentially playing together or even vying for just one place in Pep Guardiola’s midfield.

Man City fans don’t want Rice

These City fans on Twitter weren’t overly keen on the idea of the club making a big-money move for the “overpriced” West Ham midfielder, with some stating their preference to see City academy starlet Romeo Lavia promoted to the senior squad instead and others believing Rice to be surplus to requirements given the presence of Rodri at the Etihad.

“Behave”

Credit: @pinner_stewart

“He’s so bad. Along with Southgate, Kane and Mount, one of the major reasons we didn’t win the Euros. Just promote Lavia”

Credit: @EthanGaffiney

“Oh my word, another English player. Gonna get overpriced”

Credit: @BuhleQavile

“One of the most overrated players I’ve ever seen. Rodri is 10x the player Rice is. This fella can’t make a progressive pass to save his life and is slower than a snail facing counters. Just promote Lavia or even get Kalvin Phillips who defo is better than Rice”

Credit: @JamesMcSilva

“Please no. We already employ Rodri who is 10x the player Rice is”

Credit: @mxnciteh

“Why? Good player but he won’t be the worth the stupid money we would have to pay + Rodri is better.”

Credit: @King_Kevin100

In other news: This development prior to the Club Brugge game had lots of Man City fans excited

West Ham United are leading the race to sign Joe Worrall in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the Hammers insider revealing in a recent post that David Moyes’ side hold an advantage over the likes of Burnley, Leicester City, Everton and Newcastle United in the battle for the Nottingham Forest centre-back, as Steve Cooper is keen on signing West Ham’s 21-year-old left-back, Emmanuel Longelo.

In the update, Claret & Hugh said: “West Ham appear to still have a small edge as the chase looks set to hot up for Nottingham Forest’s sergeant major central defender, Joe Worrall.

“We understand that no new contract talks have been held with the player, despite his contract expiring in two years’ time.

“In the meantime, we have learned from sources close to Forest boss, Steve Cooper, that he remains keen on Hammers academy left-back, Emmanuel Longelo – who has now been scouted on several occasions by the club and they told us [Cooper] will start new talks with the Hammers in the summer.”

Moyes must axe Longelo for Worrall

While Longelo is undoubtedly an exciting up and coming prospect in east London, should the youngster prove to be the key that unlocks West Ham’s move for Worrall, it would appear an extremely wise move for Moyes to sacrifice the 21-year-old in order to get a deal for the former England U21 international over the line this summer.

Indeed, over his 29 Championship appearances this season, the £3.6m-rated defender has been in imperious form for the Garibaldi, helping his side keep 11 clean sheets, as well as making an average of two interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 3.3 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 63% – per game.

These returns have seen the £10k-per-week talent who Matt Davies comedically claimed is “made out of the same stuff as Wolverine” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Cooper’s fifth-best player in the second tier of English football.

And, with 33-year-old Angelo Ogbonna having spent the last four months on the sidelines with an ACL injury, Issa Diop having been generally below-par ever since his £22m arrival and Craig Dawson turning 32 in May, it is clear to see that West Ham are in need of a freshen up in the heart of their defence.

As such, should Longelo indeed be desired by Cooper as a makeweight in West Ham’s reported £15m move for Worrall this summer, Moyes simply must axe the 21-year-old in order to secure a deal for the Forest titan.

AND in other news: WHU can land dream signing as GSB plot fresh bid for £17m ace dubbed “the next Mbappe”

Bruno Lage has had an incredibly difficult start to life as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He had to turn away bids and interest for his star players and after three matches in the Premier League, Wolves have failed to score or register a point.

That being said, the Old Gold have looked pleasing on the eye and there are certainly plenty of positives from his tenure so far.

In offensive areas, Wolves have a swagger to their play, something backed up by their 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

That proves that once one goes in, the goals will start flowing for Lage’s team.

He will, however, need Adama Traore to step up. In possession of the ball, the human roadrunner has been nothing short of exceptional this season. The winger has amassed ten dribbles per match according to WhoScored, a tally that no one in Europe’s top five leagues can eclipse.

Yet, after the Wolves boss challenged him to improve his finishing, a new forward has arrived.

Hwang Hee-chan was introduced as a Wolves player during their defeat to Manchester United and following the international break, he will earn his first taste of English football.

The Molineux outfit have been hot on the collar of Hwang for a number of years now but they finally have their man, albeit on a temporary basis at first.

Fortunately, he looks like a man in form. The £53k-per-week earner was in vibrant touch as his South Korean side defeated Lebanon 1-0 on Tuesday.

Hwang was at the heart of everything good his country did with the attacking dynamo proving to be the supply line for the only goal of the game.

His creativity was first class as he provided three key passes during the course of the match.

Playing on the left-hand side, it gave the South Korean winger freedom to get at the defender and he duly undertook that task in excellent fashion.

Hwang attempted a colossal 11 dribbles of which he succeeded in five. That might not be the extraordinary levels we see from Traore but it proves that their talents can align in certain areas.

Furthermore, the new Wolves signing won ten of his defensive duels, suggesting he doesn’t shy away from a physical battle.

When it comes to facing mean-mannered Premier League defenders, that attribute will be vital if Wolves are to start scoring again.

If Hwang starts scoring on a regular basis for his new club, Traore better watch out.

AND in other news, Wolves must revisit swoop for “remarkable” £104k-p/w beast, he’s a big upgrade…

Crystal Palace have received a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

What’s the story?

The Eagles have been linked with a move for the highly-rated 23-year-old throughout the summer, but fierce rivals Brighton and Hove Albion were believed to be in pole position for his signature in recent weeks.

However, according to The Scottish Sun, the Seagulls and fellow Premier League side Southampton have baulked at Edouard’s £85,000-per-week wage demands, leaving Palace as the only interested party.

Patrick Vieira would love him

Since arriving at Celtic Park back in August 2017, the £15.3m-rated gem has established himself as one of Europe’s most promising young forwards, bagging 85 goals and providing 39 assists in 175 appearances for the Hoops.

The former France under-21 international’s standout displays have earned several plaudits, with former Celtic boss Neil Lennon labelling him “magnificent” after a match-winning performance.

His arrival at Selhurst Park would be seen as a significant coup for the south London outfit, and new manager Patrick Vieira would surely love to be able to call upon the services of a proven goalscorer.

It’s a luxury the French tactician arguably doesn’t have at this moment in time, with Michy Batshuayi’s departure leaving Christian Benteke and Jean Philippe-Mateta as the only out-and-out strikers in the first team squad.

Palace’s opening day fixture against European champions Chelsea highlighted their need for attacking reinforcements before the current window closes after they only managed to produce one shot on target all afternoon.

The exceptional powers of talisman Wilfried Zaha can only carry the capital club so far, and the addition of Edouard could provide the catalyst they need to propel themselves to a 10th consecutive season in the top flight.

Chairman Steve Parish has already secured the signatures of several exciting young acquisitions this summer in the shape of Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher, but Edouard would perhaps be the most sensational of them all.

With Palace now having a clear run at the Frenchman, Parish must complete a deal for the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate, providing Vieira with the quality and strength in depth that he needs to succeed at Selhurst Park.

In other news… Crystal Palace enquire over £14.4m-rated magician, he’d be another Parish masterclass 

As per the club’s official website, Premier League outfit Crystal Palace sealed a last-gasp move for Michy Batshuayi late on in the January transfer window. The 25-year-old had been playing his football at Spanish club Valencia on loan from Premier League giants Chelsea in the first half of the season, only for struggles in front of goal at the Mestalla to call into question his future at the club as the winter window progressed.

And it was Roy Hodgson’s Palace who officially sealed a Deadline Day move for the striker as they sought the reinforcements they desperately needed in the final third of the pitch, with the arrival of the Belgium international potentially going some way to securing the Eagles another season of Premier League football.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while one look at the Palace squad suggests a side full of talent and one that shouldn’t be in relegation trouble, their evident struggle for goals means that the Londoners are indeed embroiled in a battle near the bottom, what with Hodgson’s men currently sat 15th in the table and just four points clear of safety.

And their meagre tally of 24 goals from their 24 matches is without doubt a key factor in their struggles to put daylight between themselves and danger this term – after all, their top-scoring striker this season is on-loan man Jordan Ayew with a paltry two goals to his name.

But with supremely talented attackers in Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend, the Eagles are always likely to create ample goal-scoring opportunities just waiting to be converted by the predatory and lethal striker the club have been crying out for – and they may finally have that man in Batshuayi.

Yes, the 25-year-old has endured a tricky time in Spain recently with only one La Liga goal to show for his endeavours in Valencia, but one only need look at his goal-scoring record at Chelsea, Marseille, and Borussia Dortmund to suggest that Palace appear to have pulled off something of a masterstroke.

The Belgian ace has netted 19 times in just 53 appearances for Chelsea following his move from Marseille back in 2016, which given his lowly number of starts at Stamford Bridge equates to a goal every 93 minutes of action – that is a staggering return.

And with 33 goals in only 78 appearances in France for Marseille, and then nine goals in 14 games for Dortmund last season, it’s pretty clear that his time at Valencia was a one-off – on the whole, the 25-year-old will more often than not have an impact when on the field.

And that ability to get into the right place at the right time in the penalty area, and thus get on the end of goal-scoring opportunities, is exactly what Palace need to start moving up the Premier League table – it’s difficult to see where the goals were coming from were they not to sign the striker.

As it happens, the 25-year-old made the Deadline Day move to Selhurst Park, in turn equipping Hodgson with the goal-scoring forward the Eagles so desperately need to move clear of danger – thus, his arrival might well have just saved their season.

Crystal Palace fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Flocking to Twitter, many Chelsea supporters have been left excited following a Fabrizio Romano update involving rising star Aurelien Tchouaméni.

The AS Monaco prodigy, who started for France against Spain at the weekend in their 2-1 UEFA Nations League final victory, has been turning many heads throughout Europe.

Tchouaméni, starting nearly every Ligue 1 game for Monaco last season, made an extremely impressive 3.5 tackles per 90 on average and marked himself out as a real enforcer in front of the back four (WhoScored).

At just 21-years-old, the Frenchman also has plenty of years left ahead of him and could even reach a higher level than his current form – prompting Chelsea to take a swift interest.

According to reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano on his Here We Go Podcast (via Route1futbol), the Blues now have Tchouaméni on their list of targets as sporting director Marina Granovskaia eyes defensive midfielders.

Flocking to this claim, many Chelsea fans have been left overjoyed, with one suggesting he could even be a better signing than West Ham star Declan Rice.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

Chelsea fans excited by Tchouameni claim…

“Bring him home”

Credit: @AVN54872570

“Tchouameni is the man not Rice.”

Credit: @walter81414191

“Praying for a Marina Masterclass”

Credit: @Prince_Havertz

“Marina should just hijack this deal fast!!!!!”

Credit: @nii4real_

“Marina get it done”

Credit: @CFC_kai

“On my knees”

Credit: @shina_oj

“we’re back”

Credit: @0shi_val

In other news: ‘Horrible’, ‘Sell him’, ‘Hugely disappointing’…Many Chelsea fans erupt over player after what they’ve seen, find out more here.

After finishing in the top half of the table in their first season back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence, Leeds United’s current season has not been as smooth as most would have hoped for at the Yorkshire club.

With 18 games played, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have managed to win just three games whilst drawing seven and losing eight.

One big issue that Leeds have had to deal with this season is the fact that they have managed to concede 36 goals in those 18 games, leaving only Norwich City and Newcastle United, prior to their match against Manchester United, having conceded more.

Now that the January transfer window is set to open in a matter of days, this could give Bielsa the chance to fix some of the issues in his squad, particularly at the back, which the Whites are apparently looking to do.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Leeds are monitoring the situation of Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon who the north London club are likely to allow to leave.

The claim states he could leave “on a short-term deal” in order  “to get game time as he has struggled for minutes this season.”

Fixing an issue

Since joining Tottenham back in October last year from Championship club Swansea City, the 24-year-old has only made 13 appearances in the Premier League with 12 of them being from last season.

Leeds currently have defender Liam Cooper out through injury, meaning this could be a smart move from the Yorkshire club to bring in a capable centre-back such as the £24k-per-week Rodon, who has some experience of playing in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho once labelled the centre-back as a “perfect” player which considering he’s coached defenders such as Sergio Ramos and John Terry among many others during his managerial career, is quite the statement.

Rodon could prove to be a better option for Leeds than current centre-back Robin Koch who struggled in his first game back for Leeds in their 4-1 defeat against Arsenal after recovering from injury.

He was completely dreadful vs the Gunners, earning a woeful SofaScore rating of 5.9 and completing an uncharacteristic and measly 77% of his passes.

Keep in mind that journalist Ian Mitchelmore once dubbed him as “flawless” and it’s clear to see why he’d bring a greater degree of solidity to Bielsa’s backline.

Even though the report suggests that Newcastle United are in the lead to secure Rodon’s signature next month, Victor Orta should do all he can to sign the defender to see if he can help fix Bielsa’s issue of seeing his side concede too many goals.

In other news: Orta heading for unforgivable Leeds transfer disaster on “relentless” £36m-rated star – opinion

Back in January of 2019, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side were reported to be extremely interested in the signing of a relatively unknown right-back, who went by the name of Timothy Castagne.

Indeed, The Daily Record claimed that the Hoops had made the Atalanta full-back their top priority in the winter window, with Rodgers viewing the Belgium international as a direct replacement for Mikael Lustig – who looked as if he would be leaving Parkhead at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

However, despite offering £8m for the then-23-year-old’s services, the Bhoys failed to get a deal over the line for the promising defender, with Atalanta believed to be looking for a figure in the region of £12m in order to sanction the right-back’s sale.

And, in May of 2019, after finding himself much more involved with Gian Piero Gasperini’s first-team squad, Castagne himself revealed just how close he came to joining Celtic, stating: “It’s incredible how quickly things in football can change.

“In December, I wasn’t starting any games and there was an £8m move to Celtic on the table. It looked like I was leaving, but the club wanted £12m and the deal collapsed.

“Since then, having not played for 13 games, I played just about every other game and we qualified for the Champions League. So it’s been an unbelievable turnaround for me.”

However, flash forward 16 months and Castagne would eventually find himself playing for Rodgers, although not at Celtic Park.

Indeed, in September 2020, Leicester City parted with £21.5m in order to bring the then-24-year-old full-back to the King Power, since which time the Belgian has gone on to establish himself as a first-team regular with the Premier League side.

Furthermore, his prominence in the English top-flight has also seen his market value soar, with the £63k-per-week defender now being worth around £25m in today’s market – something that will undoubtedly leave an incredibly sour taste in Celtic mouths.

Indeed, while £12m certainly would have been an eye-catching fee for the Hoops to cough up for a little-known right-back, the 26-year-old who Gerry Taggart dubbed a “proper player” has since proven he would have been well worth the outlay – both financially and in terms of performance – leading us to believe that Celtic had something of a nightmare when missing out on the full-back in 2019.

AND in other news: “Understand that…”: Journalist drops big transfer update, it’s bad news for Celtic

Phil Hay has given a short and sweet response to Andrea Radrizzani confirming Leeds United remain fully behind Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Leeds struggling

After a fantastic maiden campaign back in the Premier League which saw the Whites finish in the top half, the Yorkshire outfit have struggled to hit the same heights this term.

As it stands, they are 17th in the table after 10 matches and, although the recent 2-1 victory over Norwich gives them a little more breathing space, Leeds remain in a relegation battle for now.

Also, Bielsa’s contract is set to run out at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt) due to his tendency to only sign one-year deals, and it is not yet sure whether he will put pen to paper on a new one.

The Latest: Hay discusses Bielsa future

Speaking at the Lisbon Web Summit, Leeds owner Radrizzani discussed Bielsa’s future. He said (via The Athletic):

“When I got Marcelo Bielsa to come I knew it was going to be a challenge but we support him unconditionally and I think that the results have been seen on the pitch.

“For him, this is the longest (reign) in his career at a club. As a club, we support him and his ideas unconditionally.”

Hay was then asked on Twitter whether he believed these comments could be seen as the dreaded vote of confidence. His response was emphatic:

“Nah.”

The Athletic reporter’s response has gone under the radar with zero retweets and just 13 likes – he has over 210,000 followers on Twitter.

The Verdict: Deserves more time

Even though he hasn’t been at the club that long, Bielsa is a Leeds legend. In the 14 years between the club’s relegation to the second tier and Bielsa’s appointment, 18 different managers tried and failed to return the Elland Road side to the promised land (Soccerbase.com).

It took the 66-year-old two seasons to earn promotion, and the way they took to life back amongst the elite, scoring 62 goals in the league alone (Sky Sports), showed his nous.

Some of European football’s leading managers, such as Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino (via Give Me Sport), have even named Bielsa as an inspiration.

The fans love him, and that adulation appears to be reciprocated – the former Chile boss has never spent longer as a club’s manager than he has in his current role. Yes, it is a bit of a struggle at the moment, but the man in the hot-seat has earned the right to turn things around.

In other news, Leeds are interested in this Championship star.

Aston Villa are open to moving Trezeguet on during the January transfer window.

That’s according to The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse, which has had some Villa fans talking on social media.

Villa have already been extremely busy when it comes to transfer activity this month, with Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne arriving.

Axel Tuanzebe cut short his season-long loan to move to Napoli and Anwar El Ghazi is joining Everton on a temporary basis, while Trezeguet is another player who could depart over the coming weeks.

According to Collomosse, Trezeguet is thought to be available for transfer this month. The 27-year-old is currently away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations and has missed the majority of the campaign through injury.

His first appearance of the season came in the 2-1 defeat to Brentford, and it seems as that could turn out to be his final outing in a Villa shirt.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Collomosse’s claim regarding the winger on Twitter. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with a mixed response.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @alexiawhite

“Whilst it feels harsh on El Ghazi and Trez it would seem to me that Gerrard is getting rid of those who aren’t quite good enough for the level he wants. Removing sentiment from it I agree, but I’d be sad to see them both go for various/obvious reasons.”

Credit: @Benjmeister85

“I’m sad”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Really?”

Credit: @ZM_AVFC

“The clear out has begun”

Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ

“Good don’t wanna see that diver in a villa shirt again”

Credit: @ryanavfc7

In other news: ‘Called it a week after Gerrard arrived’ – Lots of AVFC fans flock to Ornstein’s transfer update.