All posts by h716a5.icu

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned that Jordan Rhodes could put off potential suitors this summer if he is unwilling to take a wage cut.

Rhodes’ contract at Hillsborough expires at the end of the season and, according to Salary Sport, the 31-year-old is earning £35,000 per week, as things stand.

For Palmer, demanding that kind of money could detract interested parties. However, on lower terms, the ex-Wednesday player is expecting advances from other Championship outfits.

Discussing Rhodes, who is currently being linked with a return to Huddersfield Town, in an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“A lot will fall down to his wage demands. I mean, he 100% will not be going to any football club on the salary he’s on now, that is for sure. But if he falls into a category, say between eight and 10 grand a week, there’s a lot of Championship clubs, or maybe even first division clubs, who will have a bet on him.”

On Rhodes’ performances at the club specifically, the retired Premier League footballer said:

“He hasn’t done it really. And this is where he’s flattered to deceive a little bit. Wednesday are in the position they’re in and he’s scoring goals and people start looking and saying, ‘Jordan Rhodes is the real deal’. Not for me.”

After struggling for most of the campaign, Rhodes’ form has indeed picked up of late. The former Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers striker managed to net twice against Barnsley just before the international break, and he will have a chance to build on that when Wednesday welcome Watford to Hillsborough on Friday.

Queens Park Rangers were unable to continue their rich vein of form on Saturday afternoon as they slumped to a home defeat to lowly Huddersfield Town, and one man badly let Mark Warburton down.

The Terriers were the better side throughout the encounter, but it may have been a different match had Todd Kane converted an absolute sitter with it still all-square before the break.

Ilias Chair teed up the right wing-back from seven yards out and he still missed – many will blame him for the result, but it was the Rs’ inability to control the match from midfield that ultimately proved to be their downfall.

Fulham loanee Stefan Johansen endured, perhaps, his worst game since joining the club in January – as described by West London Sport in their post-match ratings:

‘Probably his least impressive display since his arrival from Fulham. Loose in possession with too many over-hit passes and struggled to get on top against the excellent [Lewis] O’Brien and Jonathan Hogg.’

Indeed, he was graded as their worst starter and it’s easy to see why.

The Norweigan veteran played the full 90 minutes, and recorded the second-most touches of anyone on the pitch (95). Therefore, his influence in the match should’ve been far greater as he’s clearly meant to be pulling the strings from the engine room.

However, Warburton got very little in return.

Johansen also lost possession 17 times, meaning he handed the ball back to Huddersfield once every five minutes – or once every 5.5 touches, as per SofaScore.

The £1.8m-rated 30-year-old was also weak in his battles, winning only one of five duels (20%), which merely reinforces the view from WLS that he struggled to combat the energy and aggression from O’Brien and Hogg in the middle.

By comparison, midfield partner Sam Field only lost three of 11 duels in the middle, whilst no other Hoops player was as ineffective.

So, much of the fault may well lie at Kane’s feet but that was merely one chance in 90 minutes of football and thus, Johansen’s performance must be criticised just as much – if not more – especially given his vast experience.

Warburton would have surely wanted better from the £8k-per-week promotion winner.

According to a report by Football League World, West Ham United and GSB are keen to hold talks over signing Rochdale forward Kwadwo Baah – coming after a recent development that he will be back on the market after his failed move to Manchester City (The Telegraph).

Baah looked set for an eventual move to the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season, with journalist Mike McGrath recently revealing that terms were agreed.

However, the deal reportedly collapsed at the medical stage, with Baah now about to be back on the market when his current contract with Rochdale expires in June.

West Ham interest emerges for Baah

This development has prompted West Ham and GSB to turn their heads as the Irons are now eager to hold talks with Baah over his signing this summer.

Indeed, as per FLW, West Ham are interested in negotiations for his signature among other clubs eyeing a move – with the 18-year-old having no shortage of plaudits.

Transfer Tavern take

Rochdale boss Brian Barry-Murphy has made no secret of his talent in recent interviews with the press, branding Baah as ‘very special’ and ‘very dangerous’ (Evening Express).

Premier League and European clubs, as a result, have targeted the forward for his head-turning performances in England’s third tier – but it remains to be seen whether West Ham now can now nick in first and agree a deal.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to an ExWHUemployee tweet, find out more here.

This was not an evening which Filip Helander will look back on with any great deal of fondness, but Glasgow Rangers got the job done against Royal Antwerp in a seven-goal thriller in the Europa League.

Two goals from Borna Barisic sealed a memorable victory for Steven Gerrard’s side as they came from behind to beat the Belgians. Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent also scored for the Scottish Premiership leaders, with Alfredo Morelos picking up two assists as well.

However, a defensive lapse of concentration late in the first half threatened to undo all of their hard work, but Rangers refused to buckle.

And, as Antwerp grew more desperate with each passing minute, Ryan Kent took advantage of some weak defending to rifle home a shot to bring the two sides level before Borna Barisic secured a dramatic three points for Rangers in the final minute of stoppage time.

Gerrard opted to recall Filip Helander at the Bosuilstadion instead of Leon Balogun and he may have been left to regret his decision after he produced an uninspiring performance in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Antwerp.

Helander may have not been at fault for all of the goals but conceding three goals in less than 45 minutes is not the way to impress the Rangers manager as you try to work your way back into the fold.

The Swedish international was subject to some criticism for his efforts at Antwerp from former Rangers striker Peter Lovenkrands, who noted he was at fault for Martin Hongla’s goal, saying: “Helander drops really deep to cover Avenatti’s run, if he doesn’t do that he’ll shut that down. He’s far too deep, if he stays in the line it wouldn’t have been a goal there.”

Steven Davis had every right to feel harshly penalised for a foul inside the box after he clipped the back of Lior Refaelov’s heel but otherwise controlled possession of the ball and dictated play for most of the game, having taken more touches of the ball (86) than any of his teammates, as per SofaScore.

Yet for Helander, there is no escaping from what was a rather lacklustre display by all accounts. The Swede received the second-lowest rating of any Rangers player to feature in the match, having earned a 6.0 for his efforts, and it’s easy to see why.

For context, other than Allan McGregor, every other Rangers player on the pitch was graded at 6.2 or better by SofaScore and that should help to paint the full picture.

He failed to register a single tackle or interception or block a single shot in the entire game, via SofaScore, whilst he committed two fouls, which was the joint-highest out of the entire Rangers squad, to sum up his frustrations on the night.

If that weren’t bad enough, Helander lost at least 66% of his duels in total, as he only managed to win two out of a possible six, which was one fewer than Davis could manage during the entire game.

Considering the fact that the 27-year-old earns £9,300-per-week at Ibrox, that being more than the likes of Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara, he really should be doing a lot better than that, especially when he was trusted with a start in the first place.

Helander, therefore, badly let Gerrard and Rangers down on the night with a woeful display at the back.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos stole the show in Europa League goalfest…

Many Liverpool fans were in awe of footage of star defender Virgil van Dijk back on the pitches of the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby.

The 29-year-old posted the video on his official Twitter account where he was seen completing some light jogging up and down the field as he recovers from his serious knee injury.

Van Dijk has not featured for Jurgen Klopp’s side since October after rupturing his cruciate ligament during their 2-2 draw against Everton at Goodison Park, where Jordan Pickford flew over the ball and caught the Dutchman on his standing leg.

In his absence, Liverpool’s title defence and actual defence has crumbled in the space of two months and the Reds have now lost their last five-straight games at Anfield in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were overjoyed to see Van Dijk on the mend and flooded his social media with an array of supportive messages.

Van Dijk sends these fans crazy

“Oh my god! We might actually be back soon”

Credit: @LfcRyannnn

“I LOVE YOU MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN”

Credit: @Bigsamm

“Getting ready for number 7”

Credit: @freddy_kofi

“The time has come”

Credit: @almaskeen19

“KINGGGGGGG”

Credit: @lfcaxchie

“Beautiful”

Credit: @lfckillian

In other news, Some Liverpool urge club to ‘fire the whole medical staff’ after Fulham team news reveal.

When Wolves take on Chorley tonight, they will do so with the hope of evading memories of 1986/87.

On that day, the Old Gold lost 3-0 to tonight’s opposition in what was one of the most embarrassing evenings in their history.

Judging by Wolves’ form, however, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if they struggled again.

On the chalkboard

Wolves have been diabolical of late and since Raul Jimenez sustained a horrific fractured skull against Arsenal, they have won only two of their last ten outings.

Nuno Santo has swapped between a four-man and three-man defence, but clearly that level of tinkering has not benefitted the side.

The Molineux outfit have kept just one clean sheet since the end of October and it’s evident that change is needed. In their last ten outings, Nuno’s side have shipped an almighty haul of 18 goals.

A large reason behind that has been the form of club captain Conor Coady, someone who has looked particularly out of sorts of late, giving away a penalty against West Brom.

The solution

When Wolves travel to Chorley this evening they must take the ruthless decision to axe their skipper. Conor Coady was ever-present in the Premier League last season and has been so far this term too.

Therefore, removing him from the starting XI would be a particularly surprising judgement. However, Nuno is clearly losing patience with the defender, substituting him for the first time in his Wolves career during their Black Country derby defeat.

The fact of the matter is that the £55k-per-week earner is becoming a bit of a liability, and after his awful display at Molineux last time out, is proving that he cannot play in a back four – a formation Nuno has used seven times since Jimenez’s injury.

It doesn’t offer the same protection as a back three and thus, Coady was caught out for a penalty by Calum Robinson.

Former referee Mark Halsey told This is Futbol: “He’s caught him twice. So as I’ve said before, you cannot go and make challenges, rash challenges like Conor Coady did in the penalty area if there’s any contact.”

Unfortunately, that’s not the first time Coady has been caught out lately. He has made just four successful tackles in his last ten outings, a tally that defies belief when you consider the position he’s playing in. It’s equally bad when you recall the aforementioned sum of goals Wolves have conceded.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-wolves-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Wolves news”]

Coady’s substitution last weekend felt like a watershed moment. It would be wrong to suggest that Nuno has completely lost faith in the 27-year-old, but it showed his frustration.

Against non-league opposition in Chorley, it’s the perfect time for the manager to experiment with his backline and remove Coady from the firing line.

He needs a momentary spell out of the Wolves side.

AND in other news, Wolves must unleash “outstanding” rarely-seen 18y/o with “a bit of everything” tonight…

According to The Sun, Manchester United are monitoring Hoffenheim midfielder Christoph Baumgartner.

What’s the word?

With Paul Pogba’s future at Old Trafford so far unresolved, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may find himself short of options in the midfield.

And now, The Sun claim the Red Devils are reportedly eyeing up a move for Baumgartner, who has been dubbed the new Michael Ballack in a nod to the former Chelsea great.

The £16m-rated 21-year-old, who favours playing in the No.10 role, has made 17 Bundesliga appearances so far this season and has three goals and five assists to show for his 15 starts, per Transfermarkt.

United’s very own Michael Ballack?

For all the wealth of riches Solskjaer possesses in terms of his attacking resources this season, there has been one constant when it comes to the team selection in attack.

Bruno Fernandes is one of a very select group of players to have appeared in every Premier League game for United so far this season.

But it’s fair to say that United’s overreliance on Fernandes has slowly started to take its toll, having now gone four league games without a goal or an assist.

Meanwhile, Baumgartner has burst onto the scene this season, scoring five goals and supplying seven assists across all competitions, making six appearances in the Europa League alone.

And when you look at the impact Ballack had at Chelsea – one Premier League title and three FA Cup trophies – it’s easy to see why the Austrian midfielder would make a fine addition to Solskjaer’s squad and be someone Fernandes could mentor in the No.10 role at Old Trafford.

In his heyday, Ballack was widely considered to be one of the most complete and versatile midfielders in the country – he scored 17 goals and supplied ten assists in 105 Premier League appearances, and showed a predatory instinct inside the box, as seen by his goal in the 2-1 win at home to Porto in 2007.

When you consider the fact that Solskjaer seems prepared to wave goodbye to Jesse Lingard – considered to be a future club great – coupled with the fact that Pogba’s future remains uncertain, the next logical step would be to bring in a replacement with an eye on the future. Baumgartner could be the player to do precisely just that.

AND in other news, Manchester United striker Anthony Martial was shocking in Sheffield United defeat…

Leeds United could be looking at their next rising star as Alfie McCalmont continues to shine on loan with Oldham Athletic. The midfielder has tallied three goals and two assists whilst in League Two and he has become a regular starter under Harry Kewell (via Transfermarkt).

McCalmont got his first taste of senior football last campaign when he made two appearances for the Whites. He made two cameo appearances against Salford and Stoke in his boyhood club’s brief run in the EFL Cup.

Once he returns from his loan duties, Marcelo Bielsa could look to integrate him further into his squad as Leeds enjoy their fresh chapter in the Premier League.

McCalmont could be another Shackleton

Jamie Shackleton is a perfect example of how much Leeds value growing their academy players. The youngster made his senior debut in 2018 and has quickly become a player that Bielsa values as a senior playmaker. He made 24 appearances for the Leeds first team last season and has featured five times in the Premier League this term.

In McCalmont’s latest appearance against Walsall, he completed 100% of his attempted long balls and put in two tackles. However, he also missed two big goalscoring opportunities and hit the woodwork (via Sofascore). Whilst this shows the promise of a keen attacker, tidying up his accuracy is something that Bielsa can work with him on once he returns to Yorkshire in the summer.

Leeds are lacking creativity in their midfield at the moment, with Patrick Bamford doing a lot of the leg work by himself when it comes to scoring goals. If the manager can integrate McCalmont into the team and use him as a super sub, he could make a huge impact on matches that aren’t going Leeds’ way.

With Bamford being their main weapon, opposing teams are finding ways to easily silence the Whites. And whilst it is a problem area that must be addressed, Bielsa could save Andrea Radrizzani the time and money spent on searching for a new recruit by promoting the eager McCalmont.

In other news, Carlton Palmer fears Robin Koch injury is “massive blow” to Leeds…

Leeds United have been tipped to be interested in signing William Saliba on a temporary basis in January. Kevin Campbell believes that the Whites “would love” to bring him to Elland Road as Arsenal hope to see him gain some valuable first team experience (via Football Insider).

The 19-year-old signed for the Gunners in 2019 in a £27million deal, before being loaned back to former club Saint-Etienne. Saliba attracted a lot of attention during his time in France, commanding the spotlight in his transition from youth to first team football.

His former coach Fabio Frasconi tipped the centre-back to “go very far” after likening him to France international Raphael Varane (via Planet Football).

Saliba could mend Leeds injury troubles

If Leeds pursue a move for the teenager then they would be answering a lot of questions raised around their squad right now. The Whites are struggling massively with their squad depth and received a double fitness blow when Robin Koch and Diego Llorente both picked up injuries earlier this month.

Marcelo Bielsa has been forced to use full-back Luke Ayling as a stand-in central defender whilst the duo are sidelined. Although he’s been doing a solid job so far, the boss cannot rely on him to play out of position for months to come.

That’s why signing Saliba would be a huge statement for the club. Not only would they be plugging a leak in their defence but the Arsenal prospect would relish in the chance to play regular first team football in the Premier League.

The Gunners clearly have big plans for the youngster, else they wouldn’t have spent such a large sum on such a young player. There’s likely no chance of a permanent deal being offered, which suits Leeds considering they spent a hefty amount in the previous transfer window.

Recruiting Saliba on loan would be the ideal move as it wouldn’t affect Koch’s place in the squad next season but it would still help keep them afloat this campaign.

In other news, Radrizzani will be glad to offload Eunan O’Kane next summer…

Manchester United were dealt a huge blow as Jude Bellingham decided to sign for Borussia Dortmund to bring the long-running transfer saga to an end in the summer. If Ed Woodward wasn’t already regretting his failure to sign the former Birmingham City teenage prospect, he will surely be doing so right now after Bellingham came off the bench to earn his first senior cap for his country in the 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland this week.

What’s the story?

According to The Mirror, the fully-fledged England international is expected to stay with his teammates in order to continue his development as a player.

The Dortmund dynamo, 17, became the third-youngest player to represent the Three Lions after he was handed his debut by Gareth Southgate.

Southgate is apparently so impressed by his attitude that Bellingham has been included in the senior squad to face Belgium and Iceland in the Nations League.

 Woodward disasterclass

Bellingham burst onto the scene at Birmingham City, where the teenager enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with the Blues, scoring four goals and supplying two assists in the Championship, whilst he averaged 2.2 clearances, 1.2 shots and 1.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

German giants Dortmund signed the Stourbridge-born central midfielder from Birmingham in the summer for a fee believed to be somewhere in the region of £20.7m, which could rise to £30m depending on performance-related bonuses.

Comfortable in possession and confident on the ball, the talented teen has immediately picked up where he left off last season with Lucien Favre’s side, having made six appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, registering one assist, whilst he has made 2 tackles, 1.2 shots and 1.2 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.

By comparison, his United counterpart Donny van de Beek has endured a frustrating start to life at Old Trafford, whilst he is averaging fewer than one tackle and one shot per game in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

It’s perhaps hardly surprising Bellingham was recently described as a “fantastic talent” by Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings, after he was promoted to Southgate’s senior squad following injuries to Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse. It’s worth remembering he bagged more times than United first-team regulars Nemanja Matic and Fred last term, even if you combine both their scores together.

Whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, Woodward should’ve pulled the trigger whilst he still had the chance to sign him in the summer, as he may have become a club legend in the mould of his childhood hero Wayne Rooney.

The future seems bright for Bellingham, whose market value is €40-50m (£36-45m) as per Football Observatory, but we can’t say the same for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Woeful Woodward: Manchester United will forever regret not signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund…