All posts by n8rngtd.top

Everton could soon have genuine competition for that number one spot if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to the Mirror, Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti wants to add Manchester United outcast Sergio Romero to his squad to put added pressure on current first-choice Jordan Pickford.

It’s claimed that the England international failed to impress Ancelotti during spells last season with several costly mistakes falling at his feet.

Romero has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford after returning loan star Dean Henderson was handed a bumper six-year extension.

Pickford was signed by Ronald Koeman back in the summer of 2017 for a record £30m fee and has gone on to feature 129 times,

#1 competition

It’s indeed true that the Everton shot-stopper made several mistakes between the sticks last season, which hasn’t gone down well with the Goodison Park faithful very often as you can see here.

But he does appear to be rather comfortable in the position considering the only alternative was a 37-year-old Maarten Stekelenburg with Jonas Lossl out on loan to Huddersfield Town.

Romero is a top-class goalkeeper who merely has two outstanding options in front of him in David de Gea and now Henderson, so the Toffees could be getting quite the bargain.

This is reinforced by the 96-cap Argentina regular receiving praise from teammates as well as his boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – after a win versus West Ham, he said: “He was brilliant again, he normally is. Top professional, top human being. And the goalkeeping situation is great because you have competition. We have two of the best keepers in the world and it’s great for me, and we want that in every single position.”

Whilst Eric Bailly believes the 33-year-old is an “immense talent”.

It remains to be seen how much Romero could cost the Merseysiders, although he’s valued at just over £2.5m by Transfermarkt and is only on £70k-per-week.

AND in other news, Everton set for £13.5m bargain with target Brands believes is “perfect”…

Earlier this week, Glasgow Rangers were linked with Bordeaux striker Josh Maja, and supporters of the Scottish side were excited by this rumour. Now they might be about to get even happier following the latest update on the forward.

French football journalist Hanif Berkane was speaking to WebGirondins and talking about the possible transfer, and he said: “For Maja, it’s very real. I think that if Lille have made official the transfer of Morelos, the offer will quickly arrive on Bordeaux’s desk”

Alfredo Morelos looks likely to be heading to Lille, and it looks like Maja could be the number one replacement on Steven Gerrard’s list following Berkane’s quotes.

The former Sunderland man is only 21, per Transfermarkt, but is showing glimpses that he can perform in a top league as he has managed nine goals in 31 appearances for the French side.

He is seen as more of a substitute at the moment as he has only started eight times, per WhoScored, so to be still picking up goals does highlight the potential he has. Added to that, he also scored 17 goals for Sunderland before leaving, so has 26 first team goals in 80 appearances across his time at both clubs.

Transfermarkt value the Nigerian at £5.67 million, and if Glasgow Rangers get the £20 million that they want for Morelos, then they may be able to acquire the player and even buy another forward if necessary as it is going to be very hard to replace the Colombian who managed 77 goals in only 137 games.

Maja is young, showing potential and looks to be quite prolific, so he could be a very decent striker for the Scottish side to sign this summer.

Glasgow Rangers fans, would you like Maja? Comment below!

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Callum Wilson from Bournemouth this summer, according to Sky Sports as relayed by Ricky Sacks. 

Recent reports revealed Tottenham are leading the race to sign the Cherries ace, although Daniel Levy will face a transfer battle with Premier League rivals Newcastle United and West Ham if he wishes to secure his signature.

After his side finished in the top six on the final day of the campaign, Jose Mourinho is preparing for his first summer window in charge of Spurs as he turns his attention to next season.

Levy has insisted he will not be spending “rivers of money” in the summer so Mourinho has a tough task on his hands as he will have to hunt for bargains, look for free agents and sort out swap deals to improve his squad.

Wilson was widely tipped to move to north London last year as reports suggested Mauricio Pochettino was preparing an £80m swoop for two Bournemouth players. As a move failed to materialise, Mourinho wants to succeed where his predecessor could not, as he is determined to get his man before the start of next season.

The Cherries have rejected any attempts to sign their star striker in the past but they are now in a precarious position as they have been relegated to the Championship.

The England international earns wages worth £110,000-a-week and he may have to take a considerable pay cut if he wants to remain in the Premier League. In comparison, Harry Kane is one of the club’s highest-paid earners with his latest contract earning him £200,000 per week.

Wilson, 28, has struggled for goals this season, as he has only scored eight times in the English top flight, having managed nearly double that total last year.

Will he want to play second fiddle to Kane? That remains to be seen, as this is a problem that has plagued Spurs for several years. Eddie Howe’s side will sell the forward for £20m as they seek to get rid of his salary as soon as possible.

The 26-year-old’s absence showed the Lilywhites lack real depth in the striking department and they must find suitable cover and competition for their talisman at all costs.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Wilson in the summer? Let us know down below!

Plenty of Everton fans have been drooling over the latest news that Hayley Raso has signed a new deal with Everton Women that will keep her with the Merseyside club until the summer of 2021, as per the Toffees’ official website.

The 25-year old joined the Blues from Brisbane Roar in last winter’s transfer window but is yet to make her first-team debut because she had been struggling with an injury problem added to the fact that the Women’s Super League was stopped due to the global pandemic outbreak that swept across the footballing world.

Raso began her career at Canberra United in her native Australia before moving to Brisbane Roar in 2013, and she has also played in the United States of America with Portland Thorns.

The winger made her senior international debut at just 17 years of age and featured heavily for her country in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, where she helped the Matildas make it into the round of 16.

These EFC supporters drooled over the news on Twitter, as they hope that Raso will play a key part next season:

Evertonians, do you follow the women’s game? Comment below!

So the Timo Werner transfer saga continues to take its twists and turn. And judging by the latest update, it appears Liverpool may finally have pulled the plug on bringing the Germany international to Anfield this summer.

According to The Daily Mirror’s David Maddock, the Reds have withdrawn from talks to sign the striker after refusing “point-blank” to pay his release clause.

Can you spot your Xabi Alonso from your Bruno Cheyrou? This Liverpool quiz will have you questioning your knowledge…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It’s suggested that with the current situation taking its toll on clubs’ finances, Liverpool value Werner at significantly less than £30m, and that with Leipzig insisting they will not negotiate a price below £50m, the Merseyside club have simply walked away.

And after hearing about the fresh development on their chase for Werner, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

A couple of Liverpool fans aimed their criticism at the club’s owners, insisting that they are simply being frugal with their money again – this entire 2019/2020 campaign has seen the Reds spend a total of just £9.36m according to Transfermarkt.

One Reds fan meanwhile appeared to be far more optimistic, instead suggesting that this is potentially mind games from Michael Edwards, and it could perhaps get Werner to push for a move himself.

Werner’s situation at Leipzig is unlikely to get resolved anytime soon.

Understandably, both Liverpool and Leipzig are trying to get the best possible deal for themselves, particularly in light of the current climate, where every penny will absolutely count.

So whilst for now the move may be dead in the water, don’t rule it out definitively just yet.

A lot of Crystal Palace fans are loving the latest news from journalist Matthew Law, who has tweeted that the Eagles will face rivals Charlton in a friendly match to prepare for the return of the Premier League.

There is a big history between the two sides, stemming from the fact that they are local rivals, and moments like Ian Dowie leaving Palace to manage Charlton are one of many which heat up the London rivalry between the two sides.

It is the Eagles who currently boast bragging rights, as they are now an established Premier League side whilst Charlton fight for survival in the Championship. The Selhurst Park side also have a good record against their upcoming opponents as they have won 34, drawn 15 and lost only 19 against the Addicks, via 11vs11.

This could be the ideal type of friendly to get the Palace squad match fit for the Premier League, which is finally due to return in June after three months of postponement.

Here is what these Crystal Palace fans said following the tweet from Law:

Palace fans, are you excited for the friendly against Charlton? Comment below with your views!

Newcastle United may have had a lucky escape as former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager André Villas-Boas has reportedly turned the Tyneside club down, according to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness).

As per the outlet, the Marseille boss has turned down an approach from the North East, despite an offer to ‘significantly’ increase his wages.

The Magpies are believed to be on the hunt for a big-name manager to replace Steve Bruce should their prospective takeover by the Saudi Arabian investment group go through at St. James’ Park.

Villas-Boas is one of the names who is on their list, and it has been widely rumoured he could be leaving Marseille after the departure of director of football Andoni Zubizarreta, as the Toon was touted as a possible destination.

However, a move to NUFC will not be happening as he has already turned down their advances.

Perhaps they are rather lucky that Villas-Boas has said no given his failings in the Premier League. Taking charge of Chelsea in the 2011/12 season, the Portuguese man was sacked in March after some poor results which eventually saw the Blues finish in sixth place in the league table.

AVB switched to bitter rivals Spurs the following campaign, but was eventually sacked again in December 2013. His overall winning percentage in the top flight arguably does not bode well, as he won 42 out of 81 games, giving him a win ratio of 51.9 per cent, according to Transfermarkt. This is relatively low for two big clubs hoping to continuously finish in the Champions League places.

If the would-be owners are ambitious about where Newcastle could finish under them, then not having Villas-Boas at the helm may be a blessing in disguise given he has already failed twice in England.

Geordies, what do you think of AVB? Comment below!

In a recent interview with The Times Jack Ross defended his record with Sunderland, stating he didn’t fail at the club and didn’t operate negatively.

Many have been critical of his tenure in the north-east due to perceived negativity from his side, but the fact the Black Cats drew 19 league games last year indicates there may be a bit of truth in those claims.

Watch Sunderland Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, the Scot has labelled it “fake news”, adding that the only time he played for a draw was in an away match at Barnsley, and believes his team’s strong record in coming from behind shows the willingness they had to win games.

It is natural for a manager to defend his actions, but many supporters reject his comments, with several especially highlighting the number of 1-1 draws they had to sit through last term.

Sunderland did score 80 League One goals in 2018/19, though, and since Ross’ departure the team has only nine goals from eight games, which suggests he wasn’t holding them back.

Regardless, fans still believe the right decision was made in letting him go, as these reactions show.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

This weekend, leagues across Europe will start up again after the two-week international break.

Amongst them is the Bundesliga. This year’s edition of the German top flight is turning out to be a captivating one. Borussia Monchengladbach lead the way by four points, but after that, second and 10th are separated by the same gap.

Schalke are in that group chasing Die Fohle. Die Konigsblauen currently have 19 points, and are just two away from RB Leipzig in second. On Saturday, they will face Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion as they look to continue their good start to the campaign.

Other than the fact it has the potential to be a thrilling game, it is the perfect chance for Liverpool fans to see one of their transfer targets in action. Morocco international Amine Harit has been linked with a move to Anfield, and against Die Werderaner, he should have the possibility to show off his offensive ability.

It has been a magnificent start to the campaign for the 22-year-old. Much like the rest of the team, the former Nantes man has benefited from David Wagner’s influence. So far this season, he has scored five goals and provided two assists in the German top tier. That leaves him with seven goal contributions overall, which is his highest return in any league campaign of his to date.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Even in just a few months since the former Huddersfield boss arrived, Harit has seen considerable improvements to his game. Via WhoScored, he has 1.4 shots per game compared to 0.7 last term, 1.8 key passes compared with 1.2, as well as 2.2 dribbles compared to two. Not only that, he has won more fouls – 3.5 per outing to 2.8.

Under Wagner, Schalke have increased their average possession by just under 5% from 46.9% last term, and they will be hoping to take advantage of a Bremen team that is currently struggling. Florian Kohlfeldt’s team have not won in seven league games, and have conceded 24 goals. Only two teams have shipped more in the Bundesliga.

That is partly down to an unsettled backline. Omer Toprak, Niklas Moisander, Milos Veljkovic, Christian Groß, Theodore Gebre Selassie, Sebastian Langkamp and Marco Friedl have all lined up at some point at the heart of the defence. This uncertainty will encourage Schalke, and Harit will look to be at the centre of their attacking play.

With a market value of £14.4m, he could end up being something of a steal. Against Bremen on Saturday, Liverpool fans should tune in to see the youngster show just what all the fuss is about.

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has teased Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a backhanded compliment after the forward hit the Reds’ winning goal against KRC Genk on Tuesday night.Robertson was benched for the Champions League tie as Jurgen Klopp seemingly kept one eye on Sunday’s Premier League showdown with title-rival Manchester City, but started Oxlade-Chamberlain as his de facto striker.According to those matches where his position has been recorded by Transfermarkt, Oxlade-Chamberlain had never played as the designated striker or as a false nine before in his senior career, yet was able to live up to the task by striking the match-winner on the turn when he drilled the ball home in the 53rd-minute.It was the Portsmouth-born winger’s fourth goal of the season across all competitions, after he fired home from range the Reds’ third of the night against his former side Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last week.His brace against Genk when Liverpool travelled to Belgium towards the end of October also featured a wonder-strike from the 26-year-old, when he scored with the outside of his boot.Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal against Genk on Tuesday night was relatively subdued compared to his effort last month, while also being the 33-cap England international’s first from inside the box this season.Robertson clearly noticed that, as well, as the Scotland left-back took to Twitter after the win to tease Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Liverpool host Manchester City on Sunday looking to stretch their advantage over the reigning Premier League title holders, as Klopp’s men can open a nine-point margin should they triumph at the weekend.