All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds could finally offload Kiko Casilla this summer by signing West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

What’s the story?

The Spaniard has struggled for game-time this season having lost his starting spot with Marcelo Bielsa’s side to Illan Meslier – he has played just three competitive games for the club in 2020/21.

The Express and Star have claimed that the Whites are believed to be interested in the 1.93m (6 foot 4) Johnstone and that, if a suitable offer did come in for him this summer, West Brom would not stand in the way of him leaving.

Bye-bye Kiko Casilla

Speaking after Leeds’ FA Cup loss to Crawley Town earlier this campaign, journalist Daniel Storey vented: “I think Kiko Casilla was the other game-changer in a negative sense because I don’t think he should be playing for Leeds for non-football reasons, but he probably shouldn’t be playing for Leeds for football reasons after today.

“He just looked so short of confidence that the second goal just completely went through him at his near post. I think it was disappointing that he was picked and I kind of saw it as karma doesn’t really have a sell-by date and two or three years down the line, he’s come undone maybe.”

Leeds TV podcaster Oscar Mari simply dubbed him a “complete liability”.

Whether it’s his on-pitch performances or off-field controversies, Casilla’s stock has fallen through the floor, with Meslier now firmly established as the club’s number one, and he must surely be sold this summer.

By signing Johnstone, Leeds would be getting someone to genuinely compete with the Frenchman for the starting spot, and he has performed impressively for West Brom this season. His former boss Steve Bruce labelled the shot-stopper a “diamond”, and given the kind of shift he has had to put in this season at The Hawthorns, it’s no surprise why he has earned such praise.

No goalkeeper in the Premier League has faced more shots on target (168) than Johnstone, while no goalkeeper has made as many saves as him either (116).

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He has been heavily tested in a Baggies side looking to stave off relegation, and while Sam Allardyce’s side may go down, that isn’t down to a lack of effort or quality from the man in between the sticks.

Johnstone’s possible arrival this summer would finally allow Bielsa to wave goodbye to Casilla and reinforce the goalkeeping department at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds should move for this Premier League powerhouse this summer…

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Brendan Rodgers is ‘admired’ by Tottenham Hotspur as a potential heir to under-fire coach Jose Mourinho – but the appointment would be ‘riddled’ with difficulties.

Tottenham eyeing Rodgers

Rodgers, who has a wealth of managerial experience at the top level, winning trophies galore north of the border with Celtic and overseeing a Liverpool title challenge in 2013/2014, is on the candidate list as a possible successor for Mourinho.

The Portuguese boss is under mounting pressure after a dismal Europa League exit at the hands of Croatian minnows Dinamo Zagreb as Tottenham squandered a 2-0 first leg lead.

Mourinho’s position was already under scrutiny, but this result has made his circumstances worse as Levy puts feelers out for potential replacements if he does decide to axe the former Chelsea and Man United manager.

Transfer Tavern take

As per the Mail, Rodgers seen as a candidate even if his appointment is ‘riddled’ with complications.

Links with the 48-year-old emerged last month as this report insists he is still on Levy’s list, with Football Insider even claiming that he was very keen to join Spurs before Liverpool’s formal approach and was the chairman’s ‘preferred choice’ nine years ago.

Lauded as an ‘elite manager’ by BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage (via the Daily Mail) for his job at the King Power Stadium, it will be interesting to see whether he is in fact still high on Levy’s priority list as the pressure grows on Mourinho.

In other news: Tottenham could lose this ‘top class’ player, find out more here.

Celtic’s pursuit of a new manager has really intensified in the last few days with Roy Keane lined up to take on the Parkhead hot seat.

The Bhoys are without a permanent boss after Neil Lennon left his job a few weeks ago. John Kennedy has been placed in interim charge but there has now been a twist in their chase of Keane.

What’s the word?

The Daily Mail reported in the last few days that Celtic were indeed in discussions to bring the former Sunderland manager to Glasgow.

However, they now claim that Nicky Butt might not actually join him at Celtic Park.

Rumours of a move for Keane intensified last week when Butt left his role at Manchester United to pursue other opportunities. With that in mind, it was thought that he could join his former teammate in the Scottish Premiership.

However, new reports understand that Butt’s decision to leave wasn’t because of an imminent move to Celtic. Instead, it was influenced by the elevation of colleague John Murtough, someone Butt didn’t see eye to eye with.

Bad news for Desmond

The imminent arrival of Keane has gone down like a led balloon with Celtic supporters according to podcaster Paul John Dykes.

However, the initial thought of Butt arriving alongside him was something of a positive. After all, he’s achieved wonderful things while involved with the Man United youth set up.

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He was a key influence in helping the Red Devils reclaim their status as one of the most productive academies in world football, developing the likes of Marcus Rashford, Dean Henderson, Mason Greenwood and Scotland international Scott McTominay.

For a Hoops side who have been so reluctant to blood their young talent, this would have been massive. Cameron Harper has already gone back to America in search of more opportunities while there is a real fear that Karamoko Dembele won’t renew his contract.

Butt, however, could change the dynamic at Celtic Park and make it one where young players thrive, rather than leave.

The news that he hasn’t left United in order to pursue a move to Celtic with Roy Keane, therefore, is bad news for Dermot Desmond.

AND in other news, Celtic playing staff could revolt after John Kennedy claim comes to light…

Liverpool will be able to park their Premier League woes in midweek as they take on RB Leipzig in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Reds head into the clash on Wednesday evening, holding a 2-0 aggregate advantage after goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in Budapest, where they will return to play this defacto ‘home’ tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have to be wary though, having lost seven out of their last 15 matches in all competitions since the turn of the year, including the 1-0 defeat to Fulham last time out, a match where the German elected to make sweeping changes.

What could his starting XI look like against Leipzig then?

There could be as many as six alterations to the Liverpool side on Wednesday.

Alisson and Andrew Robertson will be a few of those selected against Fulham to be retained. They will be joined in the back-line by Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ozan Kabak, who was injured last time out.

The centre of midfield should have a totally different complexion to it as Thiago and Curtis Jones earn recalls to be deployed alongside Georginio Wijnaldum. One of the duo will replace £36m-rated midfielder Naby Keita, the other comes in for James Milner.

The final alteration will occur in the frontline. It has already been confirmed that forward Roberto Firmino is a doubt for the game so Diogo Jota will lead the line, with the returning Sadio Mane coming in to replace Xherdan Shaqiri.

Mo Salah struggled hugely against Fulham at the weekend so he too could be dropped with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recalled into the starting XI alongside Mane and Jota. We explained earlier today why we’d have played Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield instead of Thiago, but we think Klopp will not go down that route, instead, we think he’ll use the former Arsenal man on the wing.

AND in more news, take a closer look at why the Reds must make a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen…

Southampton fell to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, although VAR was a serious cause of controversy.

Ross Barkley’s goal earned the visitors all three points but Ralph Hasenhuttl will feel aggrieved that his side were denied a penalty after Matty Cash’s handball, and they had a last-gasp equaliser chalked off when Danny Ings was ruled offside by the tightest of margins.

In a time where the Saints are suffering an injury crisis, which only got worse as Ibrahima Diallo, Oriol Romeu and Theo Walcott were all substituted due to injury concerns on Saturday, the Austrian is reliant on experienced players such as Walcott to help his side out.

However, the former Arsenal man’s performance against Villa was far from good enough, as he struggled throughout the game before he hobbled off.

As per SofaScore, the 31-year-old earned a 5.5 match rating for his performance, which was comfortably the worst of any player on the pitch.

Although the £9 million-rated forward was substituted just after the hour mark, he failed to have any real impression on the game during his time on the pitch, contributing no shots and no key passes.

Former Southampton left-back Matt Targett had the better of him throughout the game, as Walcott failed to win any of his nine duels, and he was unsuccessful in all five of his dribble attempts.

Targett, meanwhile, would win nine ground duels and made nine tackles – the most of any player on the pitch, which led to him earning an impressive 7.8 match rating.

Walcott was also wasteful on the few occasions he received the ball, as he had just 31 touches during his time on the pitch but would still manage to lose possession on 12 occasions, making just 15 passes during the game.

It was frankly an anonymous display from the 31-year-old former England international and although his injury comes as a blow, based on his performance against Villa, it is hard to argue that he will be a big miss in Hasenhuttl’s side, as it arguably showed that he is way past his best.

And, in other news… Southampton dealt transfer blow with 23 y/o; Ralph faces a race against time

Sunderland’s busy period of football is showing no signs of letting up with another fixture to prepare for on Saturday afternoon.

The Mackems have tasted defeat in just two of their last 17 league outings, a brilliant run that has been engineered by the methods of Lee Johnson.

He has been game-changing for the Mackems’ attack with Charlie Wyke becoming the league’s second top scorer and Aiden McGeady becoming League One’s most prolific creator.

They have swatted aside fellow promotion hopefuls Lincoln and Doncaster in recent months but Crewe could represent another tough encounter on Saturday.

Therefore, what formation and starting XI could Johnson field?

We’re predicting the Mackems boss to make two changes from the team that beat Fleetwood in midweek.

There is a change of formation with the manager reverting back to a four-man defence. That means that Lynden Gooch is axed from the XI with the £8.1k-per-week Josh Scowen returning from injury in the middle of the park.

There is a solitary change in defence where Jake Vokins comes in for Callum McFadzean. The pair have been poor in recent weeks but with a four-man defence in operation, we feel it would be too risky to bring the more attacking Jordan Jones into the fray.

Bailey Wright is still out while Tom Flanagan is a week away from returning according to the boss.

The effervescent trio of Wyke, McGeady and O’Brien all continue in forward areas. The latter scored against Fleetwood and appears to be in good form, quickly becoming one of Johnson’s go-to men.

Under Phil Parkinson, he struggled for much game time. The same can be said for McGeady, a player who is now among the most dangerous in the third tier.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: Sunderland missed dream signing in “extremely talented” 27 y/o…

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

Many Liverpool fans blasted BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton after he slated manager Jurgen Klopp and his personality change during the 2020/21 campaign.

A regular on BBC 5 Live, but writing in his Daily Mail column, the former Blackburn Rovers striker believed that the German tactician has lost his calm and collected character from recent years, describing him as going “from Mr Motivator to Mr Moaner.”

Klopp has been desperately unhappy with many aspects of this season, including VAR calls, injuries and scheduling of his squad’s games, which lead to an infamous row with BT Sport journalist Des Kelly.

Despite all of the problems he has encountered and with the severe setbacks to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, Liverpool still top the Premier League – albeit on goal difference to Manchester United who have a game in hand.

With this in mind, supporters were not impressed with the language that Sutton chose to use, making their feelings clear on social media.

Fans let rip at Sutton

“Couldn’t care less what Chris Sutton has to say”

Credit: @dylxnzi

“Don’t care for Chris Sutton’s opinion”

Credit: @mave2386

“Chris Sutton needs to try to be a manager.”

Credit: @elninoamir

“Funny that coming for the guy who still hasn’t shut up about Rodgers”

Credit: @ChrissyL_LFC

“Who’s Chris Sutton? Never heard of the guy in my life”

Credit: @matabulat96

“He’s up there with the worst of them in my opinion. Pundits that is.”

Credit: @Jonny15371296

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer discusses options available to Liverpool to replace Georginio Wijnaldum.

Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday night to bring an end to their perfect start to the 2020/21 European campaign.

The Reds had won all three of their opening games in Group D, including a 5-0 win against the Serie A side away from home.

However, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were clearly out for revenge on Wednesday night and produced a superb display to take all three points, after goals from Josep Ilicic and Robin Gosens.

One man’s performance that will have concerned Jurgen Klopp was that of Neco Williams, with the Welsh international struggling throughout the game.

As per SofaScore, the 19-year-old picked up a 6.5 rating for his display, with only Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Konstantinos Tsimikas rated lower of the Liverpool players who started the game.

The right-back lost possession a remarkable 27 times during the game, which was the most of any Reds player on the pitch.

Williams has established himself as a trusted member of Klopp’s side in recent seasons, having made 16 appearances (ahead of Wednesday’s game) for the first-team now, in which he has contributed no goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

Considering Trent Alexander-Arnold is currently sidelined through injury, Williams is likely to have a lot more game time in the coming weeks, but he will need to improve on this performance if he wants to keep his spot in the starting 11.

The Welshman saw a lot of the ball against the Italian side but was unable to have much impact going forward, as none of his three crosses on the evening found their mark, whilst only two of his 11 attempted long balls found a Liverpool shirt.

54 of Williams’ 70 attempted passes found their target, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 74%, suggesting that his passing could have been a lot better on the night too.

The right-back wasn’t too bad defensively, however, as he won five out of nine of his ground duels, whilst he also made five interceptions during the 90 minutes.

Alexander-Arnold was full of praise for the academy talent earlier this year, saying:

“Neco is an amazing talent, he is someone who we all look to as being someone who can play for the club for a long amount of time and will have a bright future no matter what.”

“I think he is on the right path, for sure. Mentally, he’s ahead of people his age, he’s getting the right experience in training; playing against the best players in the world can only improve you.” (per Liverpool FC)

However, he did little to repay the England international’s faith in him on Wednesday night and it will perhaps not be a surprise if Klopp opts to start James Milner at right-back in the Reds’ next game, after his impressive performance in the win against Leicester City last weekend.

Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of West Brom ended in defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals at the Hawthorns on Sunday evening.

The Baggies were thrashed 3-0 by Aston Villa in their own back yard, condemning them to yet another game without victory, meaning the Midlands strugglers are now four points from safety going into Boxing Day.

After Anwar El Ghazi bagged the first goal of his brace in the fifth minute, things went from bad to worse for Albion as skipper Jake Livermore saw red for a challenge on Jack Grealish ten minutes before the break.

Some of the blame can be attributed to the 31-year-old veteran for the reckless manner in which he got sent off, but Big Sam has much more alarming matters right across his squad.

None more so than at right-wing where Matty Phillips put in one abysmal display in front of his new boss.

The former QPR dynamo won a paltry two of 15 duels (23%), failed to deliver a single accurate cross or long ball and made just 64% of his 14 passes, via SofaScore.

In 77 minutes on the pitch, the lightweight Baggies calamity managed just 27 touches whilst he lost possession 12 times.

BirminghamLive graded his performance a disastrous four out of ten, and claimed:

“Was blunted on the wings and wasn’t able to really affect the game in any way as Villa poured on the pressure in the first half. Had one decent chance to spring a counter in the second period but it fizzled out quickly.”

This complete no-show from the vastly-experienced 29-year-old only goes to just show how enormous of a task Allardyce has in turning around his sinking ship.

If he’s to start anywhere in January, then it’s got to be through the creation of chances on the flanks. Players like Phillips are clearly not up to the scratch of the Premier League.

Livermore may take the pelters after that silly tackle, but he was far from the being the major problem against Villa.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to bring Premier League striker to West Brom in January…