All posts by z3u9t.icu

In what was only their third draw of the Premier League season, Leeds earned a creditable point at home to a rejuvenated Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas Tuchel’s men have been on a roll since the German’s arrival at Stamford Bridge and came into the game off the back of a couple of impressive wins against Liverpool and Everton respectively.

However, despite a couple of scary moments – not least when a ball ricocheted off a Leeds defender and hit the crossbar in the first half – the Whites came through it unscathed and kept things tight at the back.

While he wasn’t able to break the deadlock, Tyler Roberts was a standout performer for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The £9m-rated dynamo delivered one of his more impressive displays of the Premier League season, and what a time to do it given some of the speculation over his long-term future at the club.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed in the last few days that, depending on the Whites’ summer activity, both the 22-year-old and Helder Costa could be one of the fall guys of the club’s revamp.

However, on the basis of Roberts’ display against Chelsea, Bielsa may start to have second thoughts – although of course, one good performance doesn’t automatically change everything.

It was his goal which was ruled out for offside in the opening period after Patrick Bamford had strayed off earlier in the move, while his stunning effort took some heroics from Edouard Mendy to deny him from opening the scoring.

He was a real livewire for Leeds, with most of the Whites’ best attacking play coming through him. He completed three of his four attempted dribbles, which was the most of any player on the pitch, and considerably more than his season average of 0.6 per match in the Premier League.

As well as being more direct in his play, Roberts didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, winning five of his duels on the day – again, far more than his season average of 2.9 per match.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him a seven, adding: “Had his moments of frustration, but did serve up some quality in the second half as Chelsea’s defence splintered. Forced a fingertip stop out of Edouard Mendy in the first half.”

Hay dubbed Roberts’ performance as “impressive” on Twitter after the match, and it was a display which sent a reminder to Bielsa perhaps there is still a quality player there to be nurtured and developed.

Meanwhile, this Leeds man let Bielsa down with a shocking display vs Chelsea…

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith should urge the club to make a move for Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos amid Gabriel Agbonlahor’s claim.

What’s the story?

The Colombia international has recently suggested it would be his dream to move to the Premier League, and Agbonlahor has thrown Villa’s name into the equation about a possible landing spot for the forward.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “He could go to a number of clubs. I would love to see him at Aston Villa. I think he’s a great striker. Apart from the top four, five all the other clubs would have him.

“He’s quite quick, he’s a finisher, he’s aggressive, he works hard and he’d add a lot to all of those clubs.”

Gerrard called him “unplayable”

For Villa fans who perhaps may not have their eye on Scottish football as much, Morelos’ disciplinary issues may be the thing for which he’s best remembered – the 24-year-old has already picked up 43 yellow cards and seven red cards in 175 games for the Ibrox club.

While that may turn some off, the Colombian’s style of living on the edge but being a real livewire could be the kind of game-changer who really lights a fire under Villa up top.

Morelos has earned rave reviews for the way he goes about things, and there’s a discernible theme about how he can be a real “nightmare” for opposition defenders.

Former Celtic striker John Hartson said: “He divides opinion, he’s a little bit unpredictable, but he’s a nuisance and he gets you goals. He’s the type of player who backs in, he’s strong. He’d be a nightmare to play against.”

Steven Gerrard, his manager at Ibrox, has waxed lyrical about the kind of player the Colombian can be when his mind is right, saying: “When Alfredo is on his A-game, he can be unplayable and help this club to be successful. That’s what he needs to realise from a personal point of view. His A-game, on a regular basis, brings this club success.”

It’s exactly why Villa should be all over a move for the £10.8m-rated Morelos, especially when you consider that, aside from Ollie Watkins, there’s no real strength or quality in depth at centre-forward for Smith.

Meanwhile, Villa should unleash this 17 y/o who “everybody’s talking about”…

Plenty of Leicester City fans have been reacting to a transfer update regarding Cengiz Under on social media.

According to the reliable John Percy of The Telegraph, the Foxes won’t exercise their option of making the 23-year-old’s deal at the King Power sTADIUM permanent in the summer.

Under, who arrived on loan from Roma last year, could have joined on a full-time basis for a fee in excess of £20m. However, his performances haven’t justified that price tag, and it seems as if the Turkish forward will return to Italy in the summer.

He has made 19 appearances under Brendan Rodgers this season, scoring twice and registering three assists. Under has been out through injury since March and has started just one Premier League game all season.

Leicester fans react to news about Under

Percy shared the news on Wednesday evening on Twitter, with the post receiving plenty of interaction. Here is what some Foxes fans had to say in reply to the update.

“Can’t believe it”

Credit: @_JoBeanCash_

“Devastated”

Credit: @liamlcfc88

“We used all our right winger luck on Mahrez. 20 years of pain from now on”

Credit: @DT1884

“The Replacing Mahrez show lives on”

Credit: @hm_Ixfc

“A cursed position for us.”

Credit: @lcfcsanny

“Bye Chunder, another right winger that couldn’t get anywhere near the level of replacing Mahrez. Hopefully the next one will.”

Credit: @SamLCFC98

In other news, Leicester are keeping tabs on this Premier League-winning midfielder.

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to launch a summer swoop to sign Bologna FC 1909 goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

What’s the word?

According to TuttoBolognaWeb, several Premier League sides are monitoring Skorupski’s situation at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara after his impressive run of form in the Serie A.

The 29-year-old Poland international has kept four clean sheets in 18 Italian top-flight outings this season, as Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side strive to secure a mid-table finish.

Skorupski has been Mihajlovic’s number one between the sticks whenever fit this term, having only sat out seven fixtures throughout the 2020/21 campaign as a result of a fractured hand sustained in December.

West Ham are thought to be the keenest side considering pursuing a deal for the four-cap shot-stopper, likely as a result of his compatriot, Lukasz Fabianski, currently being set to leave the London Stadium as a free agent in the summer.

Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers plus Aston Villa are also in the running, should they look to cause a shake-up in goal during the off-season.

Fabianski revealed in December that he had been in discussions with the Irons hierarchy over a new, long-term deal, but he is yet to put pen to paper despite entering the final three months of his current £65,000-per-week terms.

The Hammers have also been linked with potential replacements in Manchester United outcast Dean Henderson, who would command a £40m asking rice, and Sheffield United’s number one Aaron Ramsdale, who intends to remain at Bramall Lane regardless of what division the Blades are playing in next season.

Should West Ham sign Skorupski?

While Fabianski is still capable of pulling off remarkable and sometimes unbelievable saves, it would appear that West Ham are testing the waters to see if a suitable replacement can be found in the summer transfer market for the goalkeeper who turns 36 in April.

Skorupski would be a much more lowbrow signing than a Henderson, who earns £100k-p/w at Old Trafford, or Ramsdale, who is being eyed for a senior England call-up, but the Bologna favourite is one of the best-performing shot-stoppers in the Serie A this season.

The £3.5m-rated ‘keeper averages the second-most saves per game (4.06) in the Italian top-flight to Cagliari Calcio’s Alessio Cragno (4.08), along with the second-most from shots faced inside the penalty area (2.72) by players who have featured at least five times, per SofaScore.

Skorupski has also only been beaten by three of 26 shots faced from attempts taken outside of the box, while Fabianski averages 2.88 saves per Premier League game and has conceded from five of 34 shots struck outside the area.

Skorupski has also appeared to turn his reputation around in Italy, having been described as being “very arrogant” by Empoli FC President Fabrizio Corsi after a loan spell at the Carlo Castellani Stadium before sealing a €9m (£8m) move to Bologna from parent side AS Roma in 2018.

Now, the Poland ‘keeper leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of helping I Rossoblu secure points and does not put himself above the team, as shown by his comments a few weeks ago.

“We are working on penalties, watching videos of our opponents and I waited to the end. Fortunately, I went the way he took it and saved the spot-kick,” Skorupski told Sky Sport Italia, via quotes by Football-Italia, after beating SS Lazio 2-0 in February.

“I made a couple of good saves in the second half too, but the whole team did really well and earned these three precious points.”

If Moyes is looking for a suitable Fabianski replacement and if he is keen to operate on a strict budget – ruling out moves for Henderson et al. – then he should urge West Ham to launch a swoop on Bologna for Skorupski.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a huge blow with a David Moyes favourite ruled out until mid-April…

Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy should try and secure a move to Premier League rivals West Ham as the midfielder has struggled for regular game time under Roy Hodgson this season.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Mail, McCarthy has caught the attention of a number of Premier League clubs, with Brighton, Burnley, West Brom and West Ham among those watching his situation unfold with the midfielder out of contract in the summer.

It appears Palace are open to parting ways with the 30-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who has struggled so far this season, and indeed over recent seasons, since he moved to Selhurst Park from Everton for an undisclosed fee in August 2019.

McCarthy, who earns wages worth £50,000-per-week, scored ten goals in 133 games for the Toffees but has so far failed to find the back of the net in 43 appearances across all competitions for the Eagles, with Hodgson’s side battling to stay above the relegation battle in the Premier League this season.

Take the opportunity

The midfielder has made just five starts in seven top-flight appearances this season so far equalling 423 minutes, due to both injury and not being preferred in the starting XI, which should act as a signal for McCarthy that his time is up at Selhurst Park. Therefore he must convince Steve Parish to sanction a move to West Ham before the January transfer window closes in ten days’ time.

If West Ham have a legitimate interest in McCarthy, and no other offers arrive before the window closes, then Parish should seize the chance to offload the midfield outcast once and for all.

McCarthy’s dramatic fall from grace started well before Jairo Riedewald’s recent emergence, given the fact Hodgson was left frustrated by his disappointing performance in the Carabao Cup defeat against Colchester United in 2019.

Despite his best efforts, his chances have becoming increasingly scarce since the start of this season, and McCarthy will be well aware that a move elsewhere could lead to better opportunities otherwise he risks his career stagnating having fallen behind the likes of Riedewald, James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic in the pecking order under Hodgson this season.

In terms of statistics, both McArthur and Milivojevic currently average more clearances than McCarthy whilst the 33-year-old also makes more tackles (3.1) per match.

It’s fair to say that the player who Hodgson once admitted he has “admired for a very long time” is a shadow of his former self – he endured a night to forget at the Etihad against Manchester City last time out as SofaScore graded him as one of the worst players on the pitch with a low 6.4 rating.

Given West Ham’s shortage of options in midfield, he may find better opportunities elsewhere.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace should keep Christian Benteke or face consequences…

Speaking to Sky Sports News on Saturday (13.12), Clinton Morrison believes Gareth Bale will be questioning why he moved on loan to Tottenham.

Bale will be doubting his decision

Bale returned to his former club on a temporary basis from Real Madrid last summer, but he has so far started just two Premier League games (Transfermarkt).

Morrison has suggested he will be regretting moving back to north London. He said:

“He is sitting on the bench, 10 minutes to go, and you are not bringing him on. You have made only two substitutions. Gareth Bale must be sitting there thinking, ‘What I have come to this football club if I am not going to be given an opportunity?'”

Disappointment

All PollsBale’s first spell at Tottenham was a successful one – after all, Real paid a then-world record fee to sign him in 2013 (BBC). While he was not always allegedly the most popular player at the Santiago Bernabeu (The Sun), the £18m-valued forward (Transfermarkt) still managed over 100 goals for Los Merengues and scored in two Champions League finals.

However, while the fans may have been happy to have Bale back at the club, Jose Mourinho was reportedly against his signature (The Irish Independent), and that is clear when you see his reluctance to include him in the starting XI or bring him on from the bench. At 31, and with a number of injuries behind him, there is a worry that the Wales international’s best days are long gone.

In other news, a financial expert has dropped this claim on Sergio Reguilon.

Danny Mills has been discussing Illan Meslier following his agent speaking quite openly on a Leeds United podcast recently.

Mills fumes at agent

The goalkeeper’s agent insisted there are some “top clubs” taking an interest in the young player. Speaking to Football Insider, Mills said: “His agent is just stirring things up saying ‘I want a better deal because there are other people sniffing around.’ You know what? Agents should just pipe down.

“We’ve all been there, we’ve all done it. I’ve done it myself. All of sudden a story emerges in one of the newspapers saying ‘such and such are going to offer this amount a week and another club is interested.’

“He’s got a lot of potential but he’s still a young goalkeeper. He’s still in his first season in the Premier League. He’s been good but he’s not been off the scale.”

Agents showing their ugly side again

Meslier has been inconsistent this season, making two errors leading to goals in his first campaign in the top flight, but showing superb form at other times.

In the 25 appearances he has made in the Premier League, he has helped the club pick up 11 wins as he has made 99 saves, and kept eight clean sheets (Premier League), hardly a poor start for such a young player.

He is only 21 years-old, and this is quite a young age for a goalkeeper, but Marcelo Bielsa clearly has complete faith in him.

Mills is right to be disappointed in the agent as well – the £10.80m-rated ace is in a great position playing consistently in a great division, and so his agent should be a bit more careful with what he says next time.

In other news, the club have been linked to this Championship player!

Liverpool have been handed a potential injury boost with Jurgen Klopp confirming that Joel Matip is set to miss just three weeks of action after suffering a problem with the adductor problem he suffered against West Brom in December.

Therefore, the Cameroonian defender should return before the end of the transfer window but that should not prevent the Reds from acting in January.

As it stands, Klopp has just Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams available as natural centre-backs in his first-team squad and neither of those had appeared in the Premier League before this season.

Fabinho has, of course, been superb in his performances as a centre-back but the Reds cannot rely on him to perform superbly out of position in every single game he plays, so must look to bring in another defender in the winter transfer window.

The Reds do have the likes of Billy Koumetio and Sepp van den Berg waiting in the wings if required but having a solid defence is the key to winning titles, evidenced by the 15 clean sheets the Reds kept in the top-flight last season, so the Merseyside club should definitely be looking to add an experienced centre-back to their ranks in January.

The club will no doubt be regretting not replacing Dejan Lovren during the summer transfer window, after he joined Zenit St Petersburg, as whilst the Croatian was error-prone at times, he was an excellent back-up option for Klopp to have during his time with the Reds.

It has been suggested that Liverpool weren’t looking to sign a centre-back in January before Matip’s injury and with the former Schalke man only set to be out for three weeks, they may be tempted to stick with what they have for the rest of the season.

However, the 28-year-old has been extremely injury-prone during his time with the club and even when he does return from injury, there is certainly no guarantee that he will remain fit for the rest of the season, especially if he is expected to play twice a week.

Therefore, despite the positive update on Matip’s injury, Michael Edwards must rip up the previous transfer plans and ensure that Liverpool sign a centre-back next month.

And, in other news… LFC “baller” was Klopp’s one positive vs NUFC; he must start vs Southampton…

According to a recent update by The Sun, West Ham are eyeing a cut-price move for Lyon star Moussa Dembele – with David Moyes and the club supposedly on red alert as the Ligue 1 giants prepare to sell their striker. 

Dembele, who has bagged 31 goals in two seasons for Lyon in the league alone, could now depart the Groupama Stadium with West Ham touted as one of the clubs interested in a move.

After Michail Antonio’s most recent injury blow, questions have been asked surrounding the Hammers’ strength in depth and whether signing another forward should be one of Moyes’ top priorities.

Reacting to this Sun report, plenty of West Ham fans have had their say over swooping for Dembele.

While some hint that a move is unlikely, others have swooned over the mere idea of the Hammers putting pen to paper on a deal for the Frenchman – tipping the ‘absolute monster’ to ‘displace Antonio’.

Find all of the best verdicts here.

Fans swoon over Dembele

In other news: ExWHUemployee has dropped a behind the scenes claim on this ‘fantastic’ Moyes signing, find out more here. 

Glasgow Rangers romped to a 4-0 victory over Aberdeen FC to move eleven points clear of reigning champions Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

After hammering Hamilton Academical at home in an 8-0 win before the international break, Steven Gerrard’s side extended their unbeaten run by beating third-placed Aberdeen at Ibrox, having beaten the Dons at the Pittodrie Stadium at the start of the season.

Several of Gerrard’s top stars were in sublime form at the weekend, especially in the first half where the home side largely dominated proceedings from start to finish, winning almost every battle in the air and on the ground.

Whilst much of the focus will be on James Tavernier after the Rangers skipper scored his 10th goal against Aberdeen, Ryan Kent was a constant menace throughout the game, as he caused Derek McInnes’ side all sorts of problems by popping up all over the place.

The usually reliable left winger finally answered his critics in style as he forced a fine save from Joe Lewis, before he opened the scoring with a sensational long-range strike to end his 10-game goal drought stretching back to the 4-0 win over Dundee United.

Kent then capped off an impressive performance after he set up Scott Arfield for Gerrard’s side’s third goal.

Per SofaScore, the 24-year-old received a high rating of 8.1 out of ten for his efforts – he took two shots on target, 46 touches of the ball, had one shot blocked, completed three key passes and 31 out of 34 passes at a pass success percentage of 91%, whilst he also made one tackle and two interceptions, which shows that he contributed defensively as well as the Gers kept their 17th clean sheet in all competitions so far this season.

Once described as a “frightening” beast by Arfield after a strong start to the season, Kent’s performances had somewhat tailed off before the international break, with one goal in his past eleven games prior to the game against Aberdeen.

But he bounced back in sensational style which will have reminded Gerrard precisely why he cannot afford to lose the winger in the winter transfer window.

Kent re-joined Rangers from Liverpool for £6.5m plus £1.5m in add-ons on a four-year deal after a successful loan spell last year. Since then, he has become the go-to man for the Gers manager, having scored 20 goals and supplied 20 assists in 96 games for the Light Blues in all competitions.

Brandon Barker is Gerrard’s only other option on the left wing, but the Ibrox boss has been reluctant to use the Manchester City academy product in the Premiership this season, with all but four of his appearances in the top flight as a substitute so far.

Gerrard will be keen to wrap up a deal for the dynamo as soon as possible, amid rumours that Leeds United remain interested in Kent.

AND in other news, Gerrard’s nightmare: Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson must stop Joe Aribo from Ibrox exit…