All posts by z3u9t.icu

Newcastle are interested in signing Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina this summer amid speculation that he could leave St Mary’s on a permanent basis.

What’s the story?

Magpies boss Steve Bruce has already confirmed that the club will be looking to sign Joe Willock on a permanent deal from Arsenal in the summer, but it now appears that they have their sights set on another central midfielder in Lemina.

The Guardian claimed that the Gabon international, currently on loan at fellow Premier League side Fulham, is understood to be available for around £7m and that he is not a part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s plans.

Worse than Shelvey

Ever since Garth Crooks raved about the £65,000-a-week earning Lemina in his early spell in English football, things have gone downhill for the midfielder.

The BBC Sport pundit said: “My goodness, this lad looks a powerhouse. I suppose when you’ve played for one of the biggest clubs in the world in Juventus, you should have all the tools to survive in any league.

“The former Juve man was composed on the ball and timely in the tackle – and for a holding midfielder, he was very capable of hurting the opposition. Lemina is a top-four player in my opinion.”

Lemina is now a player for a team looking set to go back down to the Championship at the first time of asking, and his performances for the Cottagers this season have been nothing short of disappointing.

As per WhoScored, the box-to-box midfielder has averaged just 0.6 shots, 0.5 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game in the Premier League, scoring just once and providing no assists whatsoever.

In fact, if you compare that to Jonjo Shelvey – who has come under fire from some Newcastle supporters before – it’s actually far worse. The Magpies ace has three goal contributions to his name while averaging 1.4 shots and 1.3 key passes per game, and his dribbling average of 0.7 per match is only slightly inferior to the 27-year-old.

What Newcastle desperately need this summer is proven quality or someone with real potential like Willock, for example. What they don’t need at all is a player like Lemina who appears to have just coasted through the season and is yet to show anything like the kind of ability which prompted Crooks to call him a “top-four player”.

Meanwhile, Newcastle can finally wave goodbye to this liability…

West Ham have had an incredible start to their season, currently sitting third in the Premier League, four points from top of the table. For Hammers fans this is the season of dreams so far.

Last term, West Ham finished in a respectable 6th place and it’s safe to say a certain injection of energy and attacking talent in the January transfer window played a huge part in the European qualifying position.

Jesse Lingard joined the Hammers on a loan deal from Manchester United during the winter transfer window and nobody could’ve predicted how integral he’d become for West Ham in the second half of their Premier League campaign.

The 28-year-old attacker in just 16 appearances for the East London scored nine goals, not to mention the impact he had on the players around him, assisting five strikes scored by his teammates too.

There was no doubt that after an impressive loan spell, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was keen to snatch Lingard back from West Ham, and David Moyes was well aware that was the case.

‘Ole made it clear to me quite early in the transfer window that he wanted to keep him. I knew pretty early in the transfer window that he was staying at Manchester United,’ Moyes said.

Despite committing to Manchester United, the England international, who’s contract ends in the summer, has failed to get the game time he had the pleasure of having at West Ham, and as a result, has been linked with a permanent move away from Old Trafford to east London.

West Ham should do everything in their power to secure the signature of the attacking midfielder. His versatility and determination going forward will add further cover in the attacking prowess and threat that West Ham must excel in to stay inside the top four this season.

There are so many benefits to signing Lingard to the London club, with not only his experience, in general, as a seasoned professional with 218 Manchester United appearances and 29 England caps, but he already has 4-5 months of experience playing in this West Ham side, understanding the vision and the culture of the team.

Lingard really enjoyed playing in particular with, West Ham number nine, Michail Antonio, in February he spoke about his ‘connection’ with his West Ham teammates.

“In training we have that connection and built it up fairly quickly. On matchday it is fairly easy to play with Michail Antonio and Declan Rice.”

The thought of those three players lining up alongside each other is a salivating thought for Moyes and the club’s supporters who would no doubt be delighted to see him back in claret and blue.

It would also ensure that West Ham start the Daniel Kretinsky era with a bang by signing the £80-per-week gem, continuing to challenge for the top four providing they can convince the midfielder to leave Manchester United before his contract ends.

In other news: Lingard could be Pogba’s replacement long term

West Ham United could seal themselves an absolute bargain as they look to put an end to their search for a new frontman this winter…

What’s the word?

According to Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet (via Sport Witness), mooted Irons target Jonas Wind could leave Superligaen giants Copenhagen should they receive a bid in the region of £10m to £11m for him in January.

David Moyes was said to be ‘closely interested’ in a move for the 22-year-old striker only last month.

The aforementioned report suggests that only Premier League clubs would be able to afford Wind in the near future, thus opening the door for head of recruitment Rob Newman and co to strike.

Bargain swoop

For just £10m, the east Londoners could stumble across a steal in their quest to find the perfect foil to Michail Antonio in attack.

The 31-year-old cannot be relied on throughout the whole season, particularly with Europa League matches to come, and not to mention his poor injury history. He’s out of form too, having scored just once in his last eight appearances, and the lack of competition isn’t going to help matters there.

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It’s going to be hard enough to find a player willing to be a second fiddle and it would be an even bigger risk to splash the cash on such a signing, so Wind makes a ton of sense this winter.

He ended the 2020/21 season with 17 goals and eight assists as the Danish outfit finished third in the league and he has continued his form into the current campaign, with ten goals and six assists across the Superligaen and Europa Conference League – he’s on course to eclipse his impressive year.

In the past, his upward career trajectory has been backed to replicate that of Erling Haaland, who impressed at Norwegian top-flight side Molde before making his mark at Salzburg and now Borussia Dortmund, whilst also being compared to Edin Dzeko in terms of playing style, being 6 foot 3.

Wind has been dubbed the “future of Danish football” as he’s a “good and complete forward”, according to football scout Jacek Kulig.

Newman must look to seal this move when the New Year swings around. He could be a cheap and effective option alongside Antonio as the season rumbles on.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee delivers David Moyes update at West Ham…

Liverpool are still without midfielder Curtis Jones ahead of this weekend’s trip to Wolves. 

Neil Jones, the club’s correspondent for Goal, wrote on his Facebook page that the 20-year-old still needs to ‘be patient and wait for his eye issue to fully clear up’.

Jones hasn’t featured for the Reds since the 2-2 draw with Brighton on 30 October. He was on a run of four starts in five Premier League matches before he sustained the issue.

The midfielder joins Roberto Firmino on the team’s injury list in a period of the season which sees them play nine games in 31 days.

Better LFC injury news elsewhere

The journalist reported that the Brazil striker may return to the grass at the AXA Training Centre next week, but wasn’t so optimistic about the English midfielder.

Joe Gomez and Naby Keita are further down the line in their respective recoveries, having returned to training in recent days.

Twitter fan feed Anfield Edition relayed Jones’ fitness update, and here’s what some supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans bemoan Jones’ continued absence

“Still don’t understand how he did that to his eye. Definitely need more details…”

Credit: @seyjith

“That must’ve been one bad eye injury”

Credit: @Kieran_Reid99

“What happened to his eye?”

Credit: @Kiels695

“Unbelievable that is”

Credit: @Royston679

“How can Firmino play with a pirate patch and CJ can’t ?”

Credit: @thebigguy86

“Who sparked him? I need to know”

Credit: @_LFConnor_

In other news, a number of Reds fans erupted over this transfer update

Raul Jimenez’s absence from the Wolves team while he recovers from a fractured skull has been all too clear.

Since he’s been out injured, Fabio Silva has scored just twice while Adama Traore and Willian Jose are yet to find the net all term in Wolves colours. Thus, new recruits are needed in the summer.

What’s the word?

Wolves tried their best to replace the goals of Jimenez in January but Jose clearly hasn’t done that very well.

Whether they enter the market for another striker remains to be seen but they are targeting a wide player if you believe reports.

Football Insider claimed over the weekend that the Midlands outfit have set their sights on signing Goncalo Guedes from Valencia.

It’s understood that the Spanish side are likely to sell him in the summer after they had funding withdrawn by owner Peter Lim.

West Ham are also reportedly interested in the player who is currently rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt. The Portugal international may have to significantly reduce his salary in order to complete a move though. The Jorge Mendes client currently earns £101k-per-week in La Liga.

Pedro Neto 2.0

A young Portuguese player on the books of Mendes appears to tick all the boxes when playing Wolves transfer bingo.

Some players are often wide of the mark but Guedes has the potential to be a real star at Molineux. His style of play suits the Old Gold and he’d fit into a side who like to operate with crafty playmakers and dazzling dribbles.

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Guedes certainly fits that mantra and if you combine his qualities and the positions he plays in, he has Pedro Neto written all over him.

The Valencia attacker has the ability to play on both flanks while he’s also incredibly capable of starring in a number 10 role.

He has predominantly played off the left flank in 2020/21 but only has four goals to his name in all competitions. That being said, his contributions have arguably merited more.

Guedes has managed 1.5 shots per game this term, a tally only bettered by Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and indeed Neto at Wolves. Meanwhile, his 1.9 dribbles per match is just 0.3 fewer than Neto’s tally.

Wolves’ Portuguese sensation has had a stellar campaign but they need more numbers in attack if Nuno is to ever take this team to the next level. He has tried and failed to do that by switching the club’s normal formation so perhaps new recruits could change their fortunes instead.

Speaking about the winger, Luis Figo once said: “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well.”

Possessing eye-catching levels of pace, he has the abilities to stretch defences just as Neto does. This would be a smart move from Wolves providing they can afford the finances.

A glowing review from Figo tells you all you need to know.

AND in other news, Wolves must wield the axe on £22k-p/w flop who “defied the laws of physics” yesterday…

Manchester City made the decision to sell young centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo to Fulham in a deal that will see the Citizens receive up to £2 million and considering his recent performances for Scott Parker’s side, it looks as if they may have let him go far too easily.

The 23-year-old has made 24 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League this season, averaging an impressive 6.92 rating for his performances.

Although the West London side endured a difficult start to the campaign, they have given themselves a real chance of staying up after losing just twice in their last 10 games, which the defeats coming at home against top four-hopefuls in Leicester City and Tottenham.

Adarabioyo has been a big part of this improvement in form, as Fulham have managed six clean sheets in those 10 games, including shutouts in impressive away wins against both Everton and Liverpool.

The 6 foot 5 centre-back has already seen his value increase to £4.5 million on Transfermarkt, and you imagine that it will only increase further if Fulham stay up this season, and he continues to impress in Parker’s side.

Considering City have persisted with Eric Garcia at times this season, despite him refusing a new contract and agreeing to join Barcelona at the end of the season, it seems strange that they were willing to keep him in the squad whilst getting rid of Adarabioyo for such a small fee.

The former England U19 international was touted for big things at City and would go on to make just eight appearances for the Citizens’ first team, as well as enjoying loan spells at West Brom and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

It seems baffling, therefore, that City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain was willing to let him go for so cheap in the summer, as he is still just 23 and if he continues to star in the Premier League, you would imagine he would be worth a lot more in the future.

And, in other news… 100% duels lost: “Remarkable” Man City beast let Pep and KDB down with awful display vs MUFC

Journalist Keith Jackson has suggested that Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst could deploy Joe Aribo as a false nine on Thursday. 

The lowdown

Rangers are due to travel to Germany for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final this week, where they will take on RB Leipzig.

They already knew they would be without top scorer Alfredo Morelos, who is ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing thigh surgery, but now second-top scorer Kemar Roofe has picked up a knee injury which will also sideline him against the Bundesliga outfit.

With those two missing, Fashion Sakala led the line for Gers on Saturday as they won 3-1 at Motherwell.

Aribo is predominantly a central midfielder who is also capable of operating on the right but, according to Transfermarkt, he has never played as a centre-forward or a second striker in his senior career.

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The latest

Jackson said in The Daily Record’s Monday Jury that Van Bronckhorst has his ‘work cut out’ to deliver a ‘tactical solution’ to Rangers’ centre-forward problem.

The journalist has pondered if Aribo could ‘operate as a false nine’ and said that, in the circumstances, it would be a ‘huge’ achievement if the Gers leave the Red Bull Arena with ‘the semifinal still alive’.

The verdict

This is certainly a bold call from Jackson, given that Aribo has no experience in the position, although you could argue that it’s exactly the kind of thing which could catch Leipzig out, as Domenico Tedesco’s side probably won’t be prepared for it.

Aribo is certainly a goalscoring midfielder, having bagged eight over the course of the season. Incidentally, that is more than Sakala (seven), although the Nigerian has played 10 more matches.

If Rangers are to take this gamble, then it’s important that Van Bronckhorst trains the revised shape all week so that his players are able to adjust as best they can ahead of Thursday night.

In other news, Ally McCoist tears into one ‘really poor’ Rangers player

Everton fans have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed footage of Robbie Savage and Chris Sutton, who labelled Dominic Calvert-Lewin a diver.

Speaking on BBC Five Live Sport, Sutton stated the Everton forward was the winner of the ‘simulation game’, going on to say that Calvert-Lewin was ‘better than that’ and to ‘just stop it’ when it came to simulation, before Savage also repeated the call that the £40.5 million-rated 23-year-old was ‘better than that’.

So far this season, Calvert-Lewin has been in incredibly fine form over his 16 league appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, scoring 11 goals and averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.40 – ranking him as the club’s second-best performer in the top flight.

And, after BBC Five Live Sport shared the footage of Savage and Sutton on Twitter, fans of Everton flocked to have their say on the matter, with many left furious by the pundits’ remarks.

So, what exactly did these Everton fans have to say in reaction to Robbie Savage and Chris Sutton’s comments regarding Dominic Calvert-Lewin?

“Staggered by this. DCL wouldn’t even be in the top 100 divers in the Prem! Look at Man U diving to get pens every week! Liverpool get them every other week! Leicester are trying it, Jose has got Kane doing it at Spurs…and you choose to highlight DCL. Absolutely bonkers!”

@DannyBrodders

“Really weird take this. Calvert-Lewin isn’t even renowned for going down and he didn’t even claim for a penalty. So many more obvious examples than any of the players mentioned there.”

@matt8284

“Utter embarrassments, the state on this pair. One player who oozes integrity..and you rate him as a cheater or and a diver. You lack class… But hardly surprised. You spout bile to try and stay relevant… But you are utterly irrelevant. Not surprised that BBC is going downhill”

@Rexellis75

“So funny. This is pathetic you have started with someone who would struggle to make the top 100 premier league divers #pathetic #boring what are the chances the actual cheaters such as Harry Kane, Mo Salah, Bruno Fernandez don’t make this list”

@jonty1878

“This is utterly absurd.”

@EmmaHanko

“sack them now absolute joke. Never been booked for simulation.”

@LHenney06

In other Everton news, find out which Everton man has been linked with a move to West Brom here!

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ivan Toney was in the building and ready to sign for Celtic last summer.

Following his goalscoring exploits for Posh, the striker was a man in demand, with the Hoops one of many interested in signing him.

But Celtic failed to meet Peterborough’s asking price, and Toney joined Brentford instead.

And the 25-year-old has been in monstrous form for the Bees, scoring 30 goals in 45 Championship appearances to fire them to a top-six finish and leave him on course to win the second-tier Golden Boot.

Celtic, ended up signing West Ham flop Albian Ajeti instead, who’s scored just six times in the Scottish Premiership and has generally been a disappointing addition.

Meanwhile, talisman, Odsonne Edouard has failed to hit the heights of previous seasons, whilst Leigh Griffiths has been a bit part-player, netting just seven times.

And McAvennie told Football FanCast that it was a mistake from Celtic not signing him:

“They had him at Celtic Park. He was in at Celtic Park, that’s a fact, and they were arguing over half a million. And look at the boy now, he’s banging in goals.

“He would have done wonders for Celtic.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Daniel Pinder, who is editor-in-chief at Get German Football News, has claimed that Emmanuel Dennis would offer a different way to attack if Leeds United signed the striker.

Dennis had previously been linked with a move to Leeds when he was at Club Brugge but since his loan move to FC Koln in January, the striker has played 10 games scoring just one goal in the DFB Pokal.

Leeds have relied on Patrick Bamford this season for goals and thankfully for Marcelo Bielsa, the striker has not missed a game this season through injury or suspension and his 14 goals have helped the Lilywhites to a solid debut Premier League campaign.

Speaking on what Dennis would bring to Leeds that Bamford doesn’t do and how he would fit into a Bielsa side, Pinder exclusively told FFC:

“He definitely offers something different to Bamford as he plays on the shoulder of defenders, and if the defence is playing a high line then he’ll happily make runs in behind them.

“Bielsa likes his strikers to press from the front and Dennis does this well and he’s shown some good finishes during his time with Club Brugge, so I think Leeds could be a decent fit for him.”

Bielsa has established a front three of Bamford, Raphinha and Jack Harrison at Leeds this season, a trio set to play Premier League football again next term.

It appears unlikely that FC Koln will make the 23-year old’s loan deal a permanent one considering he is yet to get off the mark in the Bundesliga.