All posts by z3u9t.icu

Rangers were one of the clubs reportedly interested in signing Rochdale winger Kwadwo Baah recently, but it had looked as if Steven Gerrard’s side had missed out on bringing the 18-year-old to Ibrox when it was reported that he would join Manchester City.

However, that move has now collapsed, due to City not being happy with an aspect of Baah’s medical, which opens up the door for Ross Wilson to potentially bring him to Rangers this summer.

The teenager has burst onto the scene at the League One club this season, with three goals and two assists in 23 league appearances for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side.

His first goal for the club was an outstanding finish in the 5-0 win against Wigan Athletic, and he went one better in the 4-4 draw with Charlton Athletic, as he first curled an unstoppable shot into the top corner, before accelerating past the Charlton right-back and smashing in from a tight angle for his second of the game.

Although both his and Rochdale’s form has declined in recent weeks, it is still clear that he has a huge amount of potential, with manager Barry-Murphy dubbing him a “special talent” earlier in the season.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Rangers and any other interested clubs could potentially bring him in on a free transfer in the summer, which could represent an excellent deal for the Ibrox outfit.

The Stuttgart-born winger does seem to have a similar style of play to Ryan Kent, as according to WhoScored, he averages 1.6 dribbles per game in the English third tier, whilst Kent averages 1.8 dribbles per game in the Scottish Premiership.

Like Kent, the Rochdale winger also loves to shoot from range and possesses excellent skills, which have regularly seen him embarrass senior League One defenders on occasions this season.

With the former Liverpool man having been linked with an exit from Rangers last summer in particular, perhaps if he does leave, then Baah could be the ideal man to replace him in Gerrard’s side.

Therefore, Wilson should reignite Rangers’ interest in the winger this summer and do everything he can to bring him to Ibrox, as it seems clear from his performances this season that he has a very bright future in the game.

In other news… No time for niceties: Rangers should axe £7.5k-p/w flop this summer; he’s not good enough

With Celtic stuck in a terrible rut this season, there is surely only one solution; sacking Neil Lennon.

The Northern Irishman has stated that he won’t depart Parkhead unless he’s given the boot which judging by the hierarchy’s support for him, seems far-fetched.

A plethora of names have been linked with the hot seat with Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard being talked up in recent weeks.

Though, one name mentioned in November was former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick. Derek Rae commented that in order for Celtic to bring him to Glasgow, he needed to be appealed by the project.

He’s already rejected Chelsea so a move to Scotland is surely within the realms of fantasy, certainly for the time being.

Though, if he does eventually replace Lennon, he could be game-changing for Christopher Jullien. The 62-year-old is one of the most meticulous coaches about and was the pioneer behind the modern-day press. His teams must win the ball back within eight seconds of losing it if they are to be successful.

It’s a style of play that has been adopted right across Europe with many of the world’s best teams – Liverpool and Bayern Munich for example – using it to their advantage.

He also has a particular favouritism towards set-pieces. Writing on the Coaches Voice, Rangnick declared that you needed all five elements of football to be the best. One of those elements was set-plays.

“Set-pieces, both in offence and defence. More than 30 per cent of goals are being scored from corners, free-kicks and penalties,” he wrote.

A third of training isn’t dedicated to their practice but with Rangnick that is different. So, why could the manager turn Jullien into a star?

Well, he has a habit of scoring goals from set-pieces. The Frenchman scored seven times last term following his £7m switch and his ability to find the net has been well noted by Lennon.

He said last term: “When we looked at Jullien, scoring goals was something we thought he could do in Scotland and Europe. He’s a threat and he has worked on it as he wants to get on the end of things.”

“He’s brave and puts his head on things in both boxes.”

Celtic have scored the joint-most goals from set-pieces this season (11) and that’s without putting a strict focus on it. Coincidentally, that’s also come in a campaign where Jullien has spent a large portion out injured.

Rangnick may have been described as a “very demanding” coach by former RB Salzburg CEO Jochen Sauer but the intricate details and clever philosophies he uses are phenomenal. The way RB Leipzig have developed, he helped change the face of the football club.

He could very much do the same at Celtic, and in turn, make Jullien even better and help him reach a new level. Rangnick is a must-have coach for majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

AND in other news, Celtic could fix a big problem by hiring manager who left Rodgers “really impressed”…

Speaking to the press (via football.london), after lauding promising youngsters like Oliver Skipp and Dane Scarlett, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has been wowed by another Tottenham talent in training – heaping praise on Joe Rodon.

The young Welshman, who signed from Swansea City last summer as part of a busy transfer window for Tottenham, hasn’t featured too regularly for Spurs and has been left out of the last three matchday squads in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

When pressed about why Rodon hasn’t been included lately, and what the defender must do to fight his way back, Mourinho was quick to heap praise on his promising young talent – admitting he has been wowed by his “perfect” application in training.

Jose Mourinho wowed by Rodon

“He has to do nothing,” explained Mourinho.

“He works very hard, good professional. He has to do nothing. He cannot play in the Europa League so that makes his chances reduced, in relation to the other guys.

“Centre-back is a position where of course if he was in the Europa League he would have lots of chances to play in these 11 matches that we did.

“There’s nothing. He’s perfect, works very hard, young guy, wants to learn, very enthusiastic, He played already matches that represent a lot, he played important matches against some of the best teams. He has just to wait for his opportunities and to get it.”

Transfer Tavern take

Highly rated by certain sections of the media, former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson dubbed him ‘outstanding’ after his first Premier League start against Chelsea (Football Insider).

Time will tell when Rodon is picked for match selection again by Mourinho, but the Lilywhites boss is certainly impressed by his attitude in training.

In other news: Daniel Levy is plotting to offload this Tottenham ace, find out more here.

Steven Bergwijn has been quite the enigma at Tottenham Hotspur since his arrival nearly a year ago.

The 23-year-old arrived from PSV Eindhoven last January for around €30m (£26.5m) as one of Jose Mourinho’s first signings at the club. He has since seen his value rocket to a whopping €70m (£62m) as per the CIES Football Observatory.

But why?

Supporters on social media have gotten on his back at times, and on the face of it, it appears quite reasonable as he’s not scored since a 1-1 draw with Manchester City, which was Spurs’ first game back after the temporary break in June.

The general consensus

The north Londoners romped to a 3-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, a victory which moved them to third place in the Premier League.

Bergwijn was one of the few disappointments as he missed a sitter at 1-0. He also successfully pulled off just one of his three dribble attempts, fired three shots without scoring, won just 25% of his duels, and was dribbled past twice, via SofaScore.

It led to the following reactions on Twitter…

Unjust?

Indeed, the Dutch international has struggled in terms of goal contributions having provided only four assists in 19 appearances this term, but many in N17 need to realise the greater impact he is having under Mourinho.

In some ways, he has become his sacrificial lamb on that right-flank.

Per FBref, only three other players are pressing more than Bergwijn in the final third of the pitch and those three are managing more minutes, so it’s not completely reflective of his true potential.

This much is backed up by his heat map for the season, via SofaScore:

Clearly, he is involved way more than what is perceived – the map above shows he is contributing defensively just as much as he is up the field.

Without his presence against Leicester, Mourinho’s side were utterly dominated as the Foxes ran away with a 2-0 victory, so it can’t be a coincidence that Spurs pick up their first win in five games with Bergwijn back in the starting XI.

There’s a reason why journalists (The Extra Inch via This is Futbol) have lauded him a “really special” talent and “more effective than [Lucas] Moura” in the past.

Get off his back, Spurs fans.

AND in other news, Pathetic Spurs star who lost possession 19 TIMES badly betrayed Mourinho…

With less than a week left until the January transfer window closes, Leeds United reportedly find themselves in the mix for several new signings. The Championship titleholders are said to be on the hunt for some new defensive options to give them a boost in the second half of the Premier League season.

According to French outlet Foot01, Victor Orta has identified Jordan Amavi as a potential candidate to join Leeds. Aston Villa are also keeping tabs on the left-back, who is into the last six months of his contract with Marseille.

Would Amavi be a good signing for Leeds?

Marcelo Bielsa is currently struggling with defensive frailties as he waits anxiously for summer signing Robin Koch to return from injury. Fellow new recruit Diego Llorente is also out of action and has made just the one appearance for his new club since joining.

Because of this, the Argentinian has been fielding Luke Ayling in the centre of his backline, with Stuart Dallas filling in at right-back. This leaves just Ezgjan Alioski and lesser-seen Leif Davis as Bielsa’s only options on the left-hand side.

The latter still has a lot of time to grow into a potential first team starter, but Leeds signing Amavi could cause seriously problems for Alioski.

The North Macedonia international could easily be elbowed out of the picture if Orta brings the 26-year-old to Elland Road. There will be some tough competition between the two, but if Radrizzani spends upwards of his £9million Transfermarkt value on Amavi, he will likely be expecting to see the new recruit start the majority of games.

This isn’t to say that Alioski will be shipped out of the team, but he will more than likely slip down the pecking order. This would mean that Bielsa finally has some substantial depth to his squad though, which is greatly important in the Premier League.

In other news, Leeds made right decision not to sign Michael Cuisance…

Leeds United were unable to continue their encouraging run of form as they were stopped in their tracks by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa and Frank Lampard went head-to-head for the fifth time and it didn’t disappoint with both Premier League teams firing over 30 shots between them in west London.

But it was the home side that ran out victors, defeating the Yorkshiremen 3-1, though it was no more than what they deserved.

Former Blues striker Patrick Bamford gave United an early lead, but goals from Olivier Giroud, Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic mounted heaps of misery on the Argentine by the full-time whistle.

There were several disappointing individual displays across the pitch for the top-flight newcomers but Chelsea’s shut-down of Jack Harrison may have proven to be the major difference.

The 24-year-old, who briefly played with Lampard at New York City in 2016, was lightweight and wasteful, so perhaps it was hardly a surprise to see him hooked by the hour mark.

In the end, even goalkeeper Illan Meslier managed more touches and passes than Harrison.

The Man City loan star also won just 44% of his nine duels, both aerially and on the ground, and failed to deliver a cross from three attempts. From his 39 touches, Harrison even lost possession 11 times and failed to get a shot on target, via SofaScore.

It was a shocking performance all round and undoubtedly, he let Bielsa down as his first-choice and usually dependant winger.

LeedsLive’s chief reporter Beren Cross graded the £45k-per-week star’s performance a five out of ten, and claimed: “Quiet all evening. Much of United’s best stuff came down the right flank and Harrison looked away from the main thrust of the game.”

That merely reinforces the fact that it was an off-night for the anonymous Harrison.

The €15m-rated (£13.5m) dynamo will have to do a lot better with fixtures against the three United’s, West Ham, Newcastle and Manchester, before Christmas.

AND in other news, Leeds may have unearthed their next Harte in “very good” Thorp Arch sensation…

Celtic superstar Ryan Christie has been a talisman for both club and country this year. After playing a huge role on the international stage during Scotland’s Euro qualification campaign, the midfielder has risen into the spotlight at a domestic level too.

Christie has attracted a lot of attention from the Premier League and could be subject to potential offers from the likes of Leeds and Newcastle, according to 90min.

Whilst the sale of the £7,700 per week playmaker would bring in a handsome profit, Peter Lawwell should undoubtedly prefer to have the player at Parkhead, rather than getting a big cheque for him.

Celtic must keep hold of Christie

Christie is a driving force in Neil Lennon’s side and he has adapted to playing out on the wing during the club’s hour of need. As it stands, the Hoops do not have a single recognised right-winger available, but this has rarely been a problem. The 25-year-old has slotted nicely into the wide position and has contributed four goals and ten assists so far this season, as per Transfermarkt.

His ability in front of goal and his creative play in the middle of the park have been huge assets for the Bhoys. Despite the fact Lennon could miss out on lifting the Premiership title this campaign, a strong January transfer window plus his ‘quadruple treble’ achievement on Sunday could buy him more time as the manager of the club.

Celtic already run the risk of losing star striker Odsonne Edouard after several clubs have shown interest in his services. Arsenal in particular are reportedly looking to bring him to the Emirates as a replacement for Alexandre Lacazette.

But between Edouard and Christie, the latter could be the biggest miss to Celtic if they were to let him go. Indeed, others have also lauded his value to the Glasgow outfit, with Billy Dodds describing his performance in the Scottish Cup final as “majestic” on BBC Sport Scotland.

Lawwell must do all he can to make sure Christie stays at Celtic as they look ahead to defending their title in the second half of the campaign.

In other news, Lawwell making smart decision by offering Conor Hazard new deal…

West Brom could be the “ideal” location for free-agent Jack Wilshire to land, according to Harry Redknapp.

What’s the word?

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday (01/11, page 60), the former Spurs, Portsmouth and West Ham boss claimed it was a shock to see the 28-year-old without a club.

He believes that two of the three promoted teams could do with a player of his experience, he said:

“When you’ve been in football as long as me, there isn’t much left to shock but seeing Jack Wilshere without a club certainly does.

“Jack would be ideal for someone like Fulham or West Brom, and if you were paying him on appearances, there would be no risk.”

Worth a shot?

Whilst a move for the ex-Arsenal maestro would be a massive gamble to make, it could be one that saves the Baggies’ season.

Many will be put off by Wilshere’s injury history but that’s something he has claimed he is fully over – speaking to the Times in September, the former England international revealed his desire to be playing every week.

“I’m still only 28 and feel fit, strong and ready to play. I am still incredibly hungry, ambitious and desperate to play football and achieve success.”

Jack Wilshere after West Ham exit

Since then, he was released from his £100k-per-week contract and is now without a club.

182 appearances in the Premier League, 35 across the Champions and Europa League, and 41 goal contributions, per Transfermarkt. It’s not every day a player of this calibre becomes available – for free.

Throughout his career, Wilshere drew comparisons ranging from Barcelona duo Xavi and Iniesta, to England legends Paul Gascoigne and Wayne Rooney.

It doesn’t stop there, World Cup-winning duo Marco Reus and Bastian Schweinsteiger have also waxed lyrical about his abilities – the former dubbed the dynamic midfielder a “perfect player” whilst the latter hailed him as “one of the best players there [is].”

Aside from Jake Livermore, Albion lack experience at the very top of the game and as Redknapp says, anything like a pay-as-you-play deal could well be a masterstroke from Luke Dowling and the club’s hierarchy.

AND in other news, West Brom must rue not signing £80k-p/w “game-changer” during the transfer window…

Ross Wilson has said that he would like to make two more signings for Glasgow Rangers if possible, speaking during a Q&A on Wednesday.

Wilson in transfer revelation

The Gers were busy this summer, bringing in no less than eight first-team players including the likes of Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi and Bongani Zungu.

The January window is fast approaching, and Wilson was asked by Vital Football whether he would like to sign a player on a pre-contract agreement or initially on loan with an option to buy. He responded:

“In an ideal world I’d sign two players (as long as we need two and they fit our strategy!).

“The two examples you mentioned are both important to us but they key word you mentioned is targeted. That needs to mean we have done the work and followed the clear strategy and process to get to the signing stage on those two examples.”

Is there any need?

The heavy investment during the summer has worked wonders for the Ibrox outfit so far this season. The Gers are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, lead the Premiership by nine points and are also joint-top of their Europa League group after three matches. Everyone at the club could hardly have asked for a better start.

It is always important to keep an eye out for any interesting talent, which Wilson will do. However, halfway through an important campaign, too many new arrivals could disrupt the flow of things. As the sporting director himself says, it is important to find players who match exactly what the club need.

In other news, Rangers fans rage at this latest Castore offering.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is still on the look-out for a new midfielder.

The Gers have been busy in the transfer window this summer, signing Ianis Hagi, Calvin Bassey, Jon McLaughlin, Leon Balogun, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe, but Gerrard has made it clear that he would like to bring in a new player in the middle of the park. As of yet, he has not brought in one.

The Ibrox outfit have been linked with Daniel Johnson recently, and it seems that they may now be back in for Bongani Zungu. The Gers were said to be in advanced talks with him a while ago, but that particular piece of speculation had gone quiet recently with Amiens reportedly looking for €4m (£3.7m) for his services. However, according to KickOff, the 27-year-old is still in contact with Gerrard, and the Gers could be interested in signing him on a loan deal.

This has attracted the attention of the Gers supporters and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts, it seems they are divided on whether they would want Zungu or if they would prefer the aforementioned Johnson.

You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!