All posts by z3u9t.icu

With Liverpool wingers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scoring 16 out of the 31 Premier League goals that the Reds have managed to score so far this season – more than any other side in the division – it’s safe to say the duo are two of Jurgen Klopp’s most important attacking players.

Although, it seems as though the Merseyside club have their eye on adding another winger to their squad that could well provide some competition to the deadly duo and their place in the team.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by El Nacional that the Reds are willing to tempt Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele to join the Merseyside club in the summer, when his current contract expires, on a free transfer with a €20m (£18m) signing bonus and an increase to his current wages.

Before he made the move to Barcelona, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £45m according to Transfermarkt scored 10 goals and provided 22 assists across 50 appearances for Klopp’s former side, Borussia Dortmund before securing his move to the La Liga giants in the summer of 2017 for a fee of £135.5m.

During his time at Barcelona, the French international has managed to score 30 goals and provide 21 assists in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Regarding a potential move to Liverpool in the summer, this could be a dream transfer move for Klopp, who is reportedly a big fan of Dembele, given the winger’s relatively young age and the experience he has under his belt playing in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Champions League.

Also, with former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman previously saying that Dembele offers “something different” to some of his former attacking options at the club, the winger could well have the same sort of effect at Anfield alongside the likes of Salah and Mane.

However, with Dembele having a very unfortunate injury record and the fact that he is currently earning a weekly wage of £287k-per-week, as per Salary Sport, which Liverpool are reportedly willing to increase according to this latest report, these are factors that should definitely be taken into consideration over a potential move for the winger in the summer.

In other news: FSG could seal perfect Salah heir at Liverpool with “unpredictable” £63m-rated machine – opinion

As per a report in the paper edition of The Mirror (28.01.21, pg. 58, via The 72), there has been an update on West Ham United’s search for a goalkeeper involving England international Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: West Ham make summer bid…

According to reliable sources, the Irons and manager David Moyes actually made an offer to sign Johnstone in the summer window.

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However, as backed by The Athletic, their attempt was swiftly turned down by The Baggies as West Ham then turned their attention to signing Paris-Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan.

Johnstone is set to leave the Hawthorns at the end of this campaign with his deal expiring this summer, and after his manager Valerien Ismael left him out of the squad to face Preston North End on Wednesday due to an ‘internal’ issue (Birmingham Live), as well as Millwall today, it appears the Irons could be back in for him.

The Latest: West Ham ‘could make a last minute move’…

As per The Mirror (via The 72), West Ham ‘could make a last minute move’ for Johnstone before the transfer window’s closure.

However, Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman aren’t the only parties interested, with both Spurs and Southampton also apparently in the picture.

The Verdict: Priority?

Given first team shot stopper Lukasz Fabianski is reportedly close to signing a new deal, not to mention West Ham’s option to buy for Areola, we believe signing a keeper should be at the bottom of Moyes’ list of priorities this month.

As the window draws to a close, it is imperative that the Irons make headway in signing a potential new forward or centre-half with Newman apparently given these tasks as priorities.

Johnstone, despite being called ‘world class’ by Wolves legend Steve Bull, should definitely be put on the back burner until summer if he is indeed still available by then.

In other news: ‘Another new one emerging’ – Sky Sports journalist breaks transfer news out of West Ham, find out more here.

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Ahmed Kendouci to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a number of reports from Algeria (via The Scottish Sun), which claim that Ange Postecoglou is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the ES Setif central midfielder ahead of a potential move in the winter market.

The report goes on to state that Celtic have even contacted the former Rangers centre-back Madjid Bougherra, who is now a coach at the Algerian side, for information on the 22-year-old, while the Bhoys’ interest has led to the ES Setif manager, Nabil Kouki, to speak out regarding the sale of the one-time capped Algeria international.

Kouki said: “Last season, we missed out on the title because we sold important players in the transfer window. I very much hope and expect that it won’t happen this time. The board of this club must make a statement that we should keep our best players and indeed, strengthen the squad. So I very much hope Ahmed Kendouci remains with the club despite the recent speculation.”

Postecoglou can axe Soro

Considering the fact that it has recently been reported that Ismaila Soro will be allowed to leave Parkhead in the January transfer window, with New York Red Bulls believed to be interested in a move for the central midfielder, Celtic’s potential swoop for Kendouci could well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the 23-year-old.

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Indeed, since Postecoglou’s arrival in Glasgow last summer, the £810k-rated man has started just six games in all competitions for the Hoops – making a further 11 appearances from the bench – with only six of these 17 fixtures coming in the Premiership.

And, considering how poor the £12.5k-a-week midfielder who Ori Guttman dubbed an “explosive” player has been over these league outings, it is hardly surprising that Celtic are willing to sanction his departure this month. The Ivorian is averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.63 – ranking him as Postecoglou’s sixth-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, it would indeed appear wise for the 56-year-old Bhoys boss to finally call time on Soro’s Celtic career, and subsequently reinvest the money received from his transfer into a £1m swoop for a player who the Greek-Australian coach is clearly a fan of in the shape of Kendouci.

In other news: Forget McGree: Celtic must now move for “perfect” Jan signing, he’d be a huge upgrade

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left gushing over a claim that has emerged from Allan McGregor.

Speaking in the Teddy Bears’ pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Boxing Day, the veteran goalkeeper has now claimed that clubs should continue playing games, despite fears of players getting Covid-19 on top of injuries that they have to deal with.

In new rules set by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, there will now be reduced capacities for SPFL matches due to fears over the spreading of the virus, starting at Ibrox on Boxing Day.

The English Premier League has already seen three Boxing Day fixtures being postponed because of rising Covid-19 cases, and suddenly there are some teams with a fair few games in hand.

Nonetheless, while the cases have not reached a critical level for football to be stopped, McGregor wants to still see matches played at the moment, and a lot of Light Blues supporters are agreeing with him.

Rangers fans on McGregor claim

These Gers gushed as his claim was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as call him a ‘hero’:

“What a Christmas present this is, thank you admin”

Credit: @GreegsBigPinky

“Hero”

Credit: @Newcoinvestor

“McGregor, you magnificent man.”

Credit: @OnlyAnExcuse

“Yesss Gregsy get them telt”

Credit: @alegil2101

“Nailed it”

Credit: @Rossco1610

“I actually love him.”

Credit: @Yaco1872

In other news, find out what team news has RFC fans buzzing here!

West Ham United have been dealt a huge setback in their bid to secure a deal to bring Mohamed Bayo to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing on Twitter that Clermont Foot will not be sanctioning the sale of the centre-forward this month, as the French club require the 23-year-old’s services in their battle to avoid relegation from Ligue 1.

Previous reports had claimed that Clermont were demanding a figure in the region of €20m (£17m) in order to part with the Guinea international this month, with a number of English clubs – including West Ham – believed to have made contact with the French outfit regarding a deal for the striker.

However, according to Nixon’s latest update, a move for the player now appears to be off the table in January, with the journalist stating: “West Ham. Brighton. Southampton. Won’t get striker Bayo from Clermont this season. Now needed to avoid relegation.”

Moyes will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Bayo has been in France this season, and with West Ham desperately lacking any real strength in depth at centre-forward, the news that Clermont are no longer considering cashing in on the 23-year-old this month is sure to have left David Moyes fuming.

Indeed, over his 17 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, the £9m-rated forward has been in remarkable form, having already scored nine goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his team-mates, as well as taking 2.3 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £5.2k-per-week hitman average a superb SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as his club’s second-best performer in the French top flight, while his nine goals rank him as the joint-seventh highest scorer in the division overall.

As such, when taking into account that Moyes only has the injury-prone Michail Antonio as an option at centre-forward, Bayo would very much have seemed to be a welcome addition to the 58-year-old’s attacking arsenal at the London Stadium.

However, following Nixon’s latest update, it would now look as if the Scot will need to turn his attention elsewhere in the transfer market in his bid to secure attacking reinforcements, something which will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to the West Ham manager.

In other news: Transfer insider reveals West Ham have “looked at” signing £25m beast, fans surely buzzing

Newcastle United haven’t always found goalscoring particularly easy at times this season, with the Magpies going through 31 Premier League games with just 34 scored.

One player in Newcastle’s squad who has had a particularly dry season in front of goal is Miguel Almiron.

With 25 appearances to his name across all competitions, the 28-year-old – who has been described as a “popular” figure at the club by Don Goodman – has failed to score a goal or provide an assist for his team.

In addition to his lack of goal contributions, the Paraguayan’s overall performances have been rather lacklustre, with WhoScored giving him a season rating of 6.34/10, making him one of the lowest-rated players currently in Eddie Howe’s squad.

With the summer transfer window on the horizon once the current season ends, it seems as though the Toon could be looking at signing one man who could perhaps be a replacement for the misfiring Almiron.

According to UOL (via Sport Witness) Newcastle are interested in signing Everton attacker Richarlison during the upcoming transfer window.

They also claimed that the Toffees would be looking to recoup a transfer fee of €80m (£67m) for their Brazilian star.

In 145 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, the 24-year-old has scored 49 goals and provided 13 assists along the way, showing how deadly he can be in front of goal.

This is backed up by what former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti had to say about the attacker when he claimed that Richarlison “rarely misses a chance” and is a “complete” player.

With the Brazilian having made three times as many key passes as the Newcastle dud in this campaign, also creating more chances and making more passes into the final third, the Toffees maestro has proved himself to be a much more creative player than Almiron.

To have a player of the Everton star’s attacking quality and calibre in their squad would surely give the Magpies some much-needed creative and attacking strength on the pitch.

If the club decides to call an end to Almiron’s time at St James’ Park in the summer, then launching a move to sign the Everton attacker should very much be in their thinking if they want to land an upgrade.

In other news – Possession lost 20 times: “Huge” Newcastle flop was Howe’s glaring liability against Wolves

Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans were left unimpressed by another lacklustre display from midfielder Lynden Gooch despite their victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday.

The Black Cats ran out 2-0 victors as they finally returned to winning ways, coming off their barren run of six consecutive matches without a victory in normal time (BBC).

Sunderland’s win keeps them well in contention for automatic promotion as they fight among one of the closest races England’s third tier has seen in recent years.

Only five points separate sixth place from the summit of League One and Lee Johnson’s side are right in the mix, helped in no small part by their victory over The Tractor Boys.

However, it was anything but routine as Sunderland left it late and secured the win in dramatic fashion with two goals in the last five minutes. Indeed, Luke O’Nien opened the scoring in the 85th minute before Aiden McGeady sealed all three points with an injury time penalty.

Sunderland fans slam Gooch

Despite this precious win, one man who failed to impress was Gooch, as numerous fans were quick to point out on social media.

This isn’t the first time he has been criticised by many Black Cats supporters this season, either, with the 25-year-old’s recent performance against Bradford also coming under fire.

It’s little wonder they felt the same way against Ipswich judging by Gooch’s SofaScore numbers, with the American ranking as Sunderland’s lowest-rated player on the day with 6.1. He also picked up another booking, his sixth of the season, whilst succeeding with none of his crosses, completing zero dribbles and winning just 33% of his duels (SofaScore).

Taking these numbers into account, you can understand why supporters felt his performance was “shocking” – check out some of their verdicts from Twitter below.

“Madness how Gooch still has the audacity to put a Sunderland kit on”

Credit: @drew1aws

“Evans, Embelton & Gooch off please, Mr Johnson.”

Credit: @JakeStappard_

“Gooch and O’Nien need hooking and never allowed to play for this club again…”

Credit: @safcftm2015

“Sub off Gooch, never play him again, recall Diamond & Hawkes.”

Credit: @Camer0nJohnson

“I thought Embleton second half especially was awful and could’ve been off 10 minutes earlier. Was typical Gooch too I thought, loads of effort and the ball but so wasteful and frustrating”

Credit: @JHerra18

“Not the best performance but the fight was there. Don’t think either team done enough to win the game so that’s a positive. Hopefully the end of Gooch, shocking footballer”

Credit: @1996SAR_

“Still don’t know how Gooch is a professional footballer”

Credit: @DomZvirblys

Rangers have been handed a positive injury lift as their Ibrox stars have returned back from friendlies and World Cup qualifiers this week…

What’s the talk?

Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi are the only injury concerns for the Gers heading into the weekend’s Old Firm clash.

No other players have come back with knocks from representing their countries, and they are all set to be available for selection on Sunday.

The club’s official Twitter account quote Van Bronckhorst as saying: “All the players returned fit, only Hagi & Morelos are missing.”

Delight

The Ibrox faithful will be delighted with this news, as it means the vast majority of the players came back from international duty without any setbacks, providing the Dutchman with a big boost as he has not lost multiple first-team assets.

For instance, Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun started both of Nigeria’s clashes with Ghana. They lost on away goals after drawing 0-0 and 1-1 in their World Cup qualifying play-off, which means that they will not be heading to the tournament later this year. Thankfully for Rangers, they did not sustain any knocks from these matches and will be fit to face Celtic this week.

Aaron Ramsey coming back without any issues will leave supporters particularly buzzing given how bleak his situation looked halfway through the international break.

Wales manager Rob Page revealed that the midfielder was dealing with a knock after their 2-1 win over Austria in their play-off. The 47-year-old told Sky Sports, via STV: “They both (Ramsey & Bale) struggled towards the end of the game. You could see both of them were holding their groins and hamstrings.”

He was then left out against the Czech Republic earlier this week, potentially leaving Gers fans worrying about his fitness. However, Van Bronckhorst’s comments suggest that the 31-year-old will be fit enough to play in the Old Firm clash.

Ramsey has the quality to have a major impact against Celtic after missing out on the teams’ last meeting two months ago. He made his first Premiership start against Dundee last time out and scored the equaliser in the 2-1 win, showing off his predatory instinct in the penalty area as he was perfectly positioned to follow up into an empty net after Kemar Roofe’s header was saved.

Supporters will therefore be excited to see what the Welshman can do against the Hoops, as his goalscoring touch from midfield could be key to picking up the three points. He produced 130 goal contributions throughout his time at Arsenal in England and managed 12 goals and assists combined in 65 outings for Juventus in Italy, which shows that he knows how to be a difference-maker at the top level, and his availability for Sunday will be a big boost for the Gers.

AND in other news, Rangers had a major disaster on “complete” 243 G/A ace who’s “like Harry Potter”…

Flocking to Twitter, a number of West Ham United fans have reacted to a fresh transfer claim involving Aston Villa forward Anwar El Ghazi.

David Moyes has had a forward on his Irons transfer agenda for some time, with his search dating back to all the way last year.

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Indeed, after the club sold their record signing Sebastien Haller to Ajax 12 months ago, the West Ham manager confirmed that his side were indeed on the look out and bids had been made.

That quest for new attacking additions has continued into 2022, with Football Insider now sharing the latest on Moyes’ and West Ham’s transfer plans for the winter window.

According to their information, the Irons – and by extension their manager – are plotting a move for El Ghazi this month, with the Hammers boss apparently seeing him as someone who can spearhead his attack through the middle.

This comes as Villa have put the player up for sale and are willing to negotiate either a temporary transfer or preferably a permanent one.

West Ham fans react…

Flocking to Twitter, these West Ham fans have reacted with their takes, with some certainly open to the idea of his signing while others have more mixed opinions.

Having scored 10 goals last season, you can see why some Irons supporters believe the “skilful” El Ghazi would be a shrewd capture, but others suggest that the club should set their sights higher this month.

Check out some of their verdicts below:

“Skilful player and decent shot on him, but we need Schick”

Credit: @DangeMcTowel

“Wouldn’t be totally against that”

Credit: @FinchieRiley

“I wanted him for us when he was at Ajax. Always been a quality footballer and might go up a level under Moyes”

Credit: @rockywhu

“An option for Benramha cover while at the African Nations Cup and beyond, I’d say more effective than Yarmo and Bowen having to swap wings. Smart addition if at the right price. Loves a penalty as well.”

Credit: @WHUFCpubtalk

“No way”

Credit: @isafitzzz

“I can see this happening and oddly working well”

Credit: @ChrisTheHammers

In other news: West Ham could now table bid to sign ‘unbelievable’ £31.5 million-valued star for Moyes, find out more here.

He’s long been one of the first names on the team sheet, but Douglas Luiz has a new role in the Aston Villa midfield and he’s absolutely thriving under new boss Steven Gerrard.

Traditionally playing as the holding midfielder, Luiz made a name for himself under Dean Smith as one of the best in the division. A strong tackler, with good positional awareness and excellent physical qualities, Luiz joined from Manchester City in a £15m deal after he was unable to secure a work permit for the then-champions.

He walked straight into the newly promoted midfield and featured in 36 Premier League fixtures, level with Jack Grealish for the most of anyone in the squad. After avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth, he continued to be a mainstay the following season and made 33 appearances as Villa made a push for Europe.

His form during that season saw him linked with potential transfers back to Man City and abroad, with his ball-playing qualities becoming more apparent. He even earned more regular call-ups to the senior Brazil national team, winning four caps in both 2020 and 2021 to take his total tally to nine.

The start of this season saw his form drop off, as the Midlands side claimed just ten points from the first 11 games and Smith was sacked, replaced by Liverpool legend Gerrard. Since then, Villa fans have seen Luiz play in a slightly different role but they have seen the 23-year-old recapture his old form but with an added twist of creativity.

Luiz has managed to register three assists already this season, with the most recent coming in the 2-1 defeat to Man City where he started the game in a more advanced, box-to-box role. With Marvelous Nakamba holding the fort behind him, Luiz has been able to use his excellent passing range and dribbling in a more attacking way to help Villa build their play from the back. He was excellent against Leicester in the 2-1 win at the weekend, winning 80% of his duels including a team-high four aerial duels.

The three assists he’s registered in 11 appearances so far trump or equal the tally of the previous two full seasons in that department, while his ability to win the ball back higher up the pitch is a positive and a big part of why Gerrard’s side have been successful since he took over this season.

The £31.5m-rated bulldozer is currently averaging 1.6 key passes per game this season compared to 0.6 last season, while he’s also averaging 1.1 successful dribbles compared to 0.7 last season.

With the Villa squad taking on a new lease of life under the new boss, Luiz is a big part of that and deserves the plaudits for taking to his new role so well.

AND in other news, Matty Cash stole the show against Leicester City