All posts by z3u9t.icu

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side now on a run of four consecutive wins in all competitions, things very much appear to be looking on the up for the 56-year-old at Parkhead.

As well as the positive results, the Hoops manager has also seen a number of key players make returns from injury. Josip Juranovic, James McCarthy and Mikey Johnston have all featured in recent matchday squads after spending varying lengths on the sidelines, while both James Forrest and Christopher Jullien look set to make a return to first team action in the not-too-distant future.

In yet more good news, summer signing Georgios Giakoumakis also scored his first goal on his full debut for the club in Saturday’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone, with the centre-forward’s impressive performance showing Celtic fans a glimpse of what could be to come over the course of the remainder of the season.

With a trip to high-flying Hibernian up next for the Bhoys tonight, Postecoglou must ensure that he sticks with Giakoumakis if the striker is to go on and replicate the extraordinary form he showed at VVV-Venlo last season.

Indeed, despite his team’s eventual relegation, the £2.25m-rated marksman bagged 26 goals, registered one assist and created three big chances over his 30 Eredivisie appearances, as well as taking 3.2 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who journalist Jeroen Kapteijns dubbed a “phenomenon” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.35, ranking him not only as his club’s best performer in the league but also as the joint sixth-best in the entire division.

As such, with Postecoglou undoubtedly hoping that the 26-year-old can hit similar heights at Parkhead this season, the Bhoys boss must stick with the Greece international tonight in order to give Giakoumakis the best possible chance of building up a similar run of form goalscoring form in the green and white of Celtic.

In other news: Ange confirms Nicholson negotiations with “huge” talent, Celtic fans will be buzzing

Tottenham have made a move to sign Lewes FC winger Ollie Tanner, according to The Athletic.  

The Lowdown: Tanner profiled

The 19-year-old has been labelled ‘special’ by his manager Tony Russell labelled as. The 6 foot 1 left winger is under contract until the end of the 2022/23 campaign, with his impressive form attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs.

Brighton have had an offer rejected for the former Arsenal schoolboy, and it seems as if it will be Spurs who secure the teenager’s services.

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The Latest: Spurs’ bid set to be accepted

According to The Athletic, Spurs are looking to pip Brighton to Tanner’s services, having submitted an offer on Saturday.

Russell confirmed it was a ‘really good’ offer, with The Athletic believing that Lewes are set to accept Tottenham’s bid for the teenager.

Tanner has been training with Spurs over the last two weeks and it could now be just a matter of time until he is officially a Tottenham player.

The Verdict: Good news

Tanner is clearly a player in demand, so Spurs winning the race for his services can only be viewed as good news in the long run.

Even though Tottenham are in need of senior reinforcements in the final days of the transfer window, it’s good to see that the club are still working on bolstering their youth ranks.

The likes of Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are recent examples of players establishing themselves in the first team after coming through the academy, and maybe in the next few years, Tanner could be the next in line for that big breakthrough.

In other news: Check out this morning transfer development from Fabrizio Romano with Spurs now ‘confident to complete’ key signing.

Everton goalkeeper Joao Virginia is close to joining Sporting Lisbon on an initial loan deal with an option to buy, according to Portuguese media outlet Record (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The Liverpool Echo reported last week that the Toffees had sanctioned a loan move for the 21-year-old, who has been attracting interest from the Championship and from abroad.

Virginia played three games for Everton last season, making his Premier League debut against Burnley in March when Jordan Pickford was forced off with an injury. He kept his place for the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City and helped the Blues keep the eventual Premier League champions at bay for 84 minutes.

Everton under-23 boss David Unsworth has lavished the ‘keeper with praise, describing him as ‘unbelievable’.

The latest

Record claimed (via Sport Witness) that negotiations between Everton and defending Primeira Liga champions Sporting are now ‘very advanced’ and that an agreement should be reached this week.

The Lisbon club will then be able to decide whether they want to sign Virginia permanently at the end of his loan spell.

The verdict

Virginia remains well down the pecking order at Goodison Park. He may have sensed an opportunity when Robin Olsen returned to Roma following his Merseyside loan spell, but the signing of Asmir Begovic means that the youngster’s first team prospects are very limited.

If there is an option to buy, what kind of fee should Everton propose? Virginia is only 21 years old and will still have two years left on his contract come the end of the season, so somewhere around the £2m mark would probably be reasonable.

In other news, many Everton fans ripped into this player during the Southampton game. 

Liverpool defender Ben Davies has told The Mirror that he felt as if he had been ‘mentally released’ when he sealed a loan move to Sheffield United. 

The 26-year-old was ‘becoming aware’ that he was well down the centre-back pecking order at Anfield, even being as low as ‘fifth or sixth choice’, but the ‘promise of playing games’ for the Blades in the Championship has revitalised him.

Davies’ Liverpool struggle

Liverpool signed Davies from Preston North End in January in a £2m deal. Along with Turkey international Ozan Kabak, he arrived in the midst of a defensive injury crisis at Anfield, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all ruled out for the remainder of the season.

However, the Englishman still didn’t see a minute of competitive action before the end of the campaign as Klopp demonstrated a preference for the likes of Kabak, Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams. In fact, his only outing for the Reds to date has come in a pre-season mini-game against VfB Stuttgart.

Liverpool fans express sympathy for Davies

Twitter fan feed Anfield Edition relayed Davies’ comments, and here’s what some Liverpool supporters made of the 26-year-old’s words.

“This lad was poorly treated”

Credit: @WouldBeScouse

“I felt sorry for him. Even when Kabak got injured didn’t get a look in. I hope he progresses well in his career”

Credit: @Perry06675126

“Genuinely feel for the guy, came into impossible circumstances, tried his best, wasn’t meant to be. Hope he does well at Sheffield”

Credit: @CosmoKhan

“This lad has been properly mugged off”

Credit: @Michael_LFC78

“Good lad, we done the dirty on him and he continued to be completely respectful. Hope he does well there”

Credit: @Ifcj__

“He was treated terribly tbf. He’s much better than Rhys and should have played his games”

Credit: @ShaunlfcT

In other news, many Liverpool fans reacted positively to this transfer rumour. 

Liverpool could finally replace departed winger Xherdan Shaqiri after being linked with a move for Porto ace Luis Diaz.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet TodoFichajes (as relayed by CaughtOffside), the Reds are one of several sides interested in securing the highly-rated 24-year-old’s services.

The report also lists Bayern Munich, Barcelona and AS Roma as potential suitors for Diaz, while his current club are thought to value their prized asset at a minimum of £43m.

Edwards must sanction Liverpool move

Colombia international Diaz arrived at the Estadio do Dragao from his homeland back in 2019 and quickly established himself as a key player for the Dragons. In 106 appearances for Sergio Conceicao’s charges, he has bagged 30 goals and provided a further 14 assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part in their domestic double in 2019/20.

He then featured heavily for his nation last summer in the Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four strikes.

Diaz scored the winning goal for Colombia as they won 3-2 in their third-place play-off with Peru, earning the praise of teammate Juan Cuadrado, with the former Chelsea man insisting that Los Cafeteros wouldn’t have won without the skillful forward.

“We won because of Lucho, he has an excellent level, and he will achieve great things,” Cuadrado said after the game.

With former Liverpool attacker Shaqiri departing for Lazio in the previous window, manger Jurgen Klopp is currently light on options in the final third of the pitch.

Therefore, director of football Michael Edwards must sanction a swoop for Diaz, providing the German with a plethora of options across the front three, allowing him to rest and rotate his star performers.

Although Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have started the new campaign in impressive fashion, the pair are approaching their 30th birthdays and Diaz’s arrival at Anfield could ensure Liverpool remain a potent attacking force for years to come.

In other news… Report reveals exciting Liverpool transfer update, fans will be absolutely buzzing 

Sunderland have been handed a potential boost in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Jordan Gabriel.

What’s the talk?

Nottingham Forest have officially completed the signing of right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu on a season-long loan from Arsenal, potentially opening up the door for Sunderland to land Jordan Gabriel before the end of the window.

The Sun on Sunday (8th August, page 67), reported earlier this month that the Championship side would be willing to cash in on the right-back if they are able to bring in a replacement. Football Insider reported Sunderland’s interest in his services, with Lee Johnson looking to improve his squad before the end of the month.

Fans will be buzzing

Now that Forest have sourced a potential replacement for Gabriel, in Osei-Tutu, Sunderland could now be clear to steam on ahead of and secure a deal for the defender. The second-tier outfit are now able to cash in on the right-back knowing that they have another body in the door, which means that Kristjaan Speakman should be ready to strike to swoop him up.

Sunderland fans will be buzzing as Gabriel could be a fantastic addition to the squad. He played 29 games for Blackpool as they won promotion to the Championship in the 2020/21 campaign, starting 18 of those matches. This shows that he played an important role in a team capable of getting out of the division, which should be Sunderland’s goal this term.

In those games, he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.75. The 22-year-old made 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst committing zero errors leading to goals or shots in the entire campaign – suggesting that he is a reliable defender at League One level.

Former Liverpool coach Neil Critchley hailed Gabriel as talented upon signing him for Blackpool last season. He said:

“Jordan is a talented modern day full-back, and is someone I have been aware of from his early years at Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

“He will bring athleticism to the right-hand side of the team, and he is very good defensively in one v one situations. He’s very highly thought of at Nottingham Forest and we’re thankful to them for allowing us to sign Jordan for the season.”

Therefore, the £2.1k-per-week dynamo could be a fine addition to Johnson’s squad. He has shown that he can be a good option in the third tier and that he knows what it takes to get promoted to the Championship.

Hopefully, Sunderland can strike a deal for him and he can taste back-to-back promotions in his career.

AND in other news, Forget Pritchard: Sunderland dynamo with 85% pass accuracy stole the show for Johnson…

West Ham United could discover another Jarrod Bowen this winter.

The Irons may be set to raid his former club, Championship outfit Hull City, for a second time in January after a very reliable source revealed interest in one of their emerging talents.

Speaking on this week’s edition of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, Hammers insider ExWHUemployee claimed that Keane Lewis-Potter was an attacker that David Moyes could take a look at next month.

“A player in the Championship who West Ham could look at in January is a forward for Hull called Keane Lewis-Potter,” he said.

“The Hull fans talk of him in the same breath as they do Jarrod Bowen. He’s got the same work ethic, the same potential. He has shown similarities to Bowen and if that’s the case, he might be worth a more serious look at.”

Indeed, there are plenty of comparisons to be made between the current Tigers star and the man he has seemingly replaced at the MKM Stadium.

Both are capable of playing anywhere along the frontline and that is something which has proven to be increasingly valuable to Moyes in east London, as Bowen has often been deployed up front in a bid to rest Michail Antonio or whenever the Jamaica forward is absent through injury or suspension.

Lewis-Potter is yet to prove himself outside League One or the Championship, very much like Bowen prior to his £22m move on deadline day in January 2020.

So far this term, the 20-year-old gem has provided Grant McCann – who was in charge when Bowen was still at Hull – and the Tigers with five goals and four assists in 22 appearances across all competitions, building on last season’s tally of 15 goals and six assists, per Transfermarkt.

He has done so primarily at left-wing but he has also featured as a striker, in the no.10 role and on the other flank too.

The 5 foot 7 dynamo has been dubbed a “special talent” by his boss at Hull, with McCann telling the club’s official website last year:

“Keano will play a huge role this season. The kid’s a special talent. Wherever we play him across that frontline, he’ll create and score goals.

“He can be anything he wants to be. He’s quick, he’s getting stronger. If you see him physically now compared to where he was this time last year, he’s head and shoulders above in terms of his physique. He’s got all the tools to be anything he wants.”

Valued at around £12m according to The Sun, Irons recruitment chief Rob Newman could well secure Moyes his next Bowen with a January swoop for Lewis-Potter.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Areola: West Ham flop who made only 9 passes badly betrayed Moyes on Thursday night…

Everton took a huge win from their clash against Manchester United at Goodison Park yesterday, with the side embroiled in a difficult relegation battle this season the three points couldn’t have been more crucial for Frank Lampard.

With reports that sources from Everton had claimed the Toffees boss would be sacked if he didn’t take points from Ralf Rangnick’s side on Saturday, Lampard definitely put up a fight to prove the doubters wrong in his pursuit to lead Everton to safety this season.

Although the manager can’t take all the credit, the team performance from Everton was outstanding in a rarely-seen impressive defensive display from the whole team who put in a shift to hold onto a clean sheet following Anthony Gordon’s 27th-minute goal.

Despite having less possession than the visitors, the Toffees made more tackles (18) and over twice as many clearances (35) throughout the game, with Jordan Pickford a clear contender for man of the match after making four saves and two clearances in a fantastic performance.

There was one player who did make an important return and huge impact on the team following his selection in the starting line-up alongside Alex Iwobi and Allan, with Fabian Delph proving that the side desperately missed his experience in the centre of the pitch.

According to SofaScore, the 32-year-old midfielder won 100% of his duels, made six clearances, three tackles and two interceptions, as well as offering up a pass completion rate of 80% (24/30) before he was taken off in the 84th minute to be replaced by Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Delph who was hailed a “leader” by Gerard Houllier, recently returned to full fitness following a number of injury issues this season including a hamstring injury that has seen him unavailable for selection for the entirety of 2022 so far, and he surely made up for it in his seventh appearance this season against Man United.

Lampard was full of praise for the £92k-per-week midfielder following the victory, claiming that they “missed him” in his post-match interview;

“Yeah we’ve missed him.

“Delph gave us a sense of calm, his positional behaviours — like when a centre-back is out of position he falls into the backline.”

Everton may have found the key to unlocking survival in the Premier League this season by unleashing Delph in midfield and Lampard will be hoping the former Man City star can continue to lead and dominate in midfield ahead of the remaining fixtures this season to give the side their best chance of staying up.

In other news: Fewer touches than Pickford: Everton’s 9-pass flop was “wasteful” once again vs United

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael suggested that, despite having played a bit-part role at The Hawthorns so far this season, Kenneth Zohore could well still have a role to play for the Baggies.

Speaking about the centre-forward’s standing in his squad ahead of the January transfer window, Ismael said: “At the minute it’s early – you never know what can happen. You see with Kean [Bryan], that situation. In the next game, there could be another situation and the player is involved in the game.

“Just patience, work, he wants to play every time with the U23s which is a good sign. He wants to stay in the rhythm. He trains well. He is our player so everyone needs to be involved, stay focused and involved and you never know.”

Zohore must go

While Ismael’s suggestion that Zohore could still prove to be a useful part of his Albion squad if one of his favoured forwards becomes unavailable due to injury or suspension is perhaps sensible, it is nevertheless an unavoidable fact that, so far in his West Brom career, the 27-year-old has simply not been good enough.

Indeed, after making an £8.01m move to the Baggies back in 2019, the £1.8m-rated man failed to impress over his 17 Championship appearances in his debut campaign, scoring three goals, providing no assists and missing four big chances, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.6 shots per game.

These returns saw the player who Neil Warnock once dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of just 6.67, ranking him as Albion’s fourth-worst performer in the league that season.

The £16.5k-per-week striker then endured an equally disappointing loan spell at Millwall last year, scoring two goals over 17 Championship appearances for the Lions, before returning to The Hawthorns this summer.

Furthermore, so far this season, Zohore has found himself left out of each of Ismael’s matchday squads since the second fixture of the campaign against Luton Town, a fixture in which the 46-year-old Albion boss was furious with the 27-year-old’s efforts upon his introduction to the game.

As such, considering the 6 foot 3 striker’s below-par performances and rather hefty weekly wage, Ismael simply must axe the centre-forward this winter, as he is undoubtedly becoming something of a burden for the club.

In other news: West Brom confirm exciting development which is sure to leave Baggies fans buzzing

The Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has now revealed the ‘latest’ on Newcastle United’s ‘interest’ in signing Darwin Nunez in the summer.

The Lowdown: On the list

Nunez is just one of a number of high-profile strikers that are reportedly on the St. James’ Park faithful’s shortlist for the summer.

It is no surprise given the kind of season that he is having, as his goal in the UEFA Champions League for Benfica against Liverpool in midweek was his 28th in total over all competitions so far.

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Even some Reds fans were left blown away by his performance, as Anfield Index podcaster Hari Sethi went as far as to claim that he is an ‘absolute beast’ who is ‘rapid quick’ and ‘really strong’.

Indeed, the North East club are sure to face some stiff competition for his signature.

The Latest: Nunez update

Taking to Twitter, Taylor has revealed that both Arsenal and Manchester United have consulted Benfica over terms for a potential deal, while West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion have seen bids rejected for Nunez, and even Championship Sheffield United have courted him in the past:

“Latest on Darwin Nunez as Arsenal & Man United consult Benfica over terms of deal. Courted by Sheffield United, Brighton & West Ham saw bids rejected. Asking price now £67m with agent Edgardo Lasalvia determined to beat Jorge Mendes to any sale.”

Continuing, Taylor also revealed that Nunez could potentially be out of reach for the Tynesiders, unless they pay a huge, club-record fee:

“There is still firm interest from West Ham & Newcastle, too. However, beginning to sense that Nunez could now be out of reach for both – particularly without UCL football – unless they’re prepared to pay huge, club-record £. Atletico leading race.”

The Verdict: Pay the money

As much as Nunez is going to cost, the Magpies simply have to pay the money if they want to move to the next level.

His scoring record speaks for itself, and at just 22 years of age, the Uruguay international has the potential to become one of the best in the world – in fact his former manager Jorge Jesus has even tipped him to become just that.

With the calibre of clubs also in for him, it will be difficult already to attract Nunez without European football to offer, and so the Toon must get him to believe in the long-term project, and make him the face of it.

In other news, find out who NUFC have now ‘moved’ to sign here!