All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to an update by Claret & Hugh, Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong is West Ham United and GSB’s ‘number one’ striking target ahead of the summer transfer window.

Commenting on the links with Hatayspor striker Aaron Boupendza, C&H reveal that the Championship attacker is a far more likely signing and remains a priority for West Ham.

West Ham prioritise Armstrong

Armstrong, who has bagged a prolific 19 goals in 33 appearances for Rovers in England’s second tier this season, is attracting interest from the east Londoners and GSB as a result.

Another recent claim by C&H revealed that West Ham wish to sign Jesse Lingard on a permanent deal this summer and potentially two new strikers, and Armstrong could be one of them as the insider shares this update.

He isn’t the only Championship star David Moyes has been keeping tabs on according to recent reports, with the Daily Star saying at the start of this month that Ivan Toney is also on a shortlist.

Transfer Tavern take

Pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor, speaking to Football Insider, is certainly enthusiastic about a potential move for Armstrong – previously heralding him as a would-be ‘perfect signing’ for the Irons.

As this news emerges that Armstrong looks set to be made a priority, time will tell whether GSB manage to pull off a deal to sign the prolific forward.

However, he could be a potentially great acquisition judging by his goal return this season.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this update, find out more here.

Former Tottenham defender Gary Mabbutt has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes his friend Steve Bruce will lead Newcastle to Premier League survival.

Newcastle edged deeper into relegation troubles following their damaging defeat to Brighton on Saturday which left them just two bottom-three.

That result was their sixth Premier League fixture without victory, which led to increased pressure surrounding Bruce’s future, although Mike Ashley confirmed 24 hours later that he will remain at manager of the St James’ outfit heading into the international break despite their wretched form.

Newcastle’s next game is against Mabbutt’s former side, Tottenham, who’re also enduring a difficult moments following crushing defeats to Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb.

Asked whether he thinks Newcastle have enough to stay in the Premier League, Mabbutt told Football FanCast:

“Steve Bruce has been a friend of mine for a long time. We have played against each other and with each for England. He has had a very torrid time over this period. Obviously a very good friend of mine is Stephen Clemence, who I played with at Spurs and Ray’s son.

“So I want Newcastle to do well for both Steves, but they’ve had a difficult run of it and aren’t in a particularly good place.

“There’s a lot of teams that were adrift that have suddenly come back. Who knows what could happen, but Newcastle have got far too much to go down this season.”

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp must surely be relieved with the news that Eden Hazard is not available for the Reds’ UEFA Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The Merseysiders welcome Los Blancos to Anfield for the second-leg of their quarter-final meeting, which they will go into 3-1 behind on aggregate after the first-leg in Spain. However, Hazard will not be one of those to take to the pitch, with the Belgian not included in the Spaniards’ travelling squad with a reported ankle injury.

His absence will be a huge boost to the Reds’ chances of progression.

Before his move to the Santiago Bernabeu, Hazard proved to be a constant thorn in Liverpool’s side.

The Belgian has thus far made 18 career appearances against the Reds with both of his former clubs Chelsea and Lille OSC and scored on seven occasions, providing a further two assists.

As a matter of fact, the now £36m-rated midfielder has not scored more goals throughout his career past any other opponent.

Even more worryingly, in matches where Hazard had provided a goal or an assist, a total of eight games, the Reds have not managed to win a single one.

One wonderful contribution that comes to mind straight away when considering Hazard coming up against Liverpool is his wonderful goal in the 2-1 Carabao Cup victory for Chelsea at Anfield in 2018 – a strike that led current Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp to label him as “special”.

So, whilst Hazard has not yet hit the heights expected of him in Madrid, having scored just four goals in all competitions – ironically fewer than he has netted against Liverpool in his entire career – that previous record would certainly have been a concern.

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Nevertheless, with Hazard now ruled out, Liverpool can relax in the sense that he will certainly not be having another starring role at Anfield as the Reds attempt to overturn their first-leg deficit, although Madrid showed in the first leg that they still have more than enough firepower to cause the Reds some big problems.

AND in more news, remind yourself of a dreadful sale completed by the Reds in 2016…

When Lee Johnson spoke about the January transfer market, he consistently muttered his desire for more pace and players capable of stretching the play.

His opening few weeks at the club had seen Jack Diamond become key to the Mackems but with little first-team experience and at the tender age of just 21, he wasn’t a player they could rely on to bolster their promotion bid.

Instead, the new manager turned to the transfer market. He signed Ross Stewart from over the border but it’s Jordan Jones, another from Scotland, who has answered Johnson’s prayers.

The Rangers loanee has had to wait patiently for a real run of games in the side but he has now started successive games on the right-hand side of Sunderland’s attack.

The moment that earned him those starts was sumptuous. Jones was introduced from the bench in the 2-2 draw with Crewe and was one of the saviours. He came on with the Black Cats losing by two goals but he scored a superb effort to resuscitate what had been a lifeless performance.

Johnson has made this Sunderland attack infinitely better and that can be seen in the return of Aiden McGeady. The Irishman has assisted 11 goals in 17 outings while Charlie Wyke has just brought up his 20th league strike of the campaign.

Aiden O’Brien has also been an important figurehead of Sunderland’s revival, scoring twice in his last ten outings. That being said, his status in the team has diminished somewhat with Jones’ arrival.

He has been outstanding since coming to the Stadium of Light and his performance on Saturday defined what he can offer to the team. As Johnson’s men beat Rochdale 2-0, Jones was influential, putting in a radiant and energetic performance on the wing.

The Rangers loanee has already developed a crucial understanding with Wyke, which was seen with the winger’s assist for Sunderland’s top scorer. Jones got at his man and then whipped in a tantalising and inch-perfect ball for Wyke to head home.

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It was a moment of delicious quality from a player becoming all the more crucial to Johnson. In total, Jones played two key passes during Sunderland’s win on Saturday. In addition, the 26-year-old completed three successful dribbles as he gave Rochdale left-back Jimmy Keohane a torrid afternoon.

Although he completed just 16 passes, it was a glistening afternoon that should earn him further starts.

Though, we shouldn’t be surprised with his attributes. Speaking after his arrival, Glasgow Live reporter Mark McDougall commented: “In all honesty, he should stroll League One if his attitude is right when he goes down there. He’s two-footed so can go inside or outside and has pace to burn. He can be a joy to watch when he’s on his game because of how direct and tricky he is.”

The winger has proved since signing that he is indeed a joy to watch. His display on Saturday afternoon was full of quality and crucially, end product.

AND in other news, SAFC star who won 12 duels stole the show on Sat, he’s playing like a “man possessed”…

Leeds United secured an emphatic win on Sunday after snatching all three points from title hopefuls Leicester City. Despite the home side’s opening goal, they couldn’t defend against the hunger and skill that the Whites showed from the get-go.

Just two minutes after Harvey Barnes struck in the first half, Leeds found an equaliser through Stuart Dallas. This set the tone for even more goals to come from the Championship title winners, with Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison on song to deliver the other two goals for Leeds.

Bamford contributed a goal and two assists and was undoubtedly Marcelo Bielsa’s Man of the Match, but another player who shone for his side was the skipper.

Liam Cooper solid in Leeds defence

Despite Leeds’ troublesome defensive problems right now, they look like they are starting to make the best of a bad situation. Bielsa is without both centre-back signings from the summer, Diego Llorente and Robin Koch. Both have been a miss since they were sidelined with their respective injuries, but Liam Cooper has massively stepped up for his team in their absence.

According to SofaScore, the captain made an impressive four blocks, six interceptions and three tackles against Leicester. He also completed seven out of his ten attempted duels, asserting his dominance at the heart of the Leeds backline.

Compared to his performance against Newcastle, he made more tackles, more interceptions and more blocks against the Foxes. He also gave away fewer fouls and lost the ball fewer times too. This is a huge positive for the captain, who has been heavily relied on during Leeds’ injury crisis.

Bielsa will be hugely pleased with Cooper’s performances and his ability to be unwavering in defence. The 29-year-old has been noticed by plenty of people too. He was recently labelled a “crucial” part of Bielsa’s squad by Jack Collins on the Ranks FC podcast.

Cooper is a vital asset to the Whites and it will undoubtedly fill Illan Meslier with confidence knowing that he has a strong centre-half operating in front of him.

After a rough patch, Leeds look to have hit a good bit of form, which is partly due to the performances of their captain.

In other news, Leeds must revisit transfer swoop for Divock Origi…

Whilst Manchester City were able to make it 20 wins in a row in all competitions with a 2-1 win against West Ham on Saturday afternoon, the performance was not at the level City have been producing in recent weeks.

Whilst Pep Guardiola made plenty of changes from the side that beat Borussia Monchengladbach in midweek, the side that started at the Etihad looked sluggish in the first-half in particular, with West Ham deservedly levelling through Michail Antonio.

City struggled to break down David Moyes’ side, with both goals coming from defenders in Ruben Dias and John Stones, with several attacking City players arguably underperforming.

Ferran Torres, in particular, was nowhere near his best on Saturday.

As per SofaScore, the Spanish winger would earn a 6.5 match rating for his display, which was the joint-lowest of any Man City player who started the game.

The former Valencia man was second-best against West Ham right-back Vladimir Coufal, with the Czech international earning an impressive 7.2 rating for his display, with Torres failing to track his runs forward on a number of occasions in the first half, one of which led to the equalising goal.

During his time on the pitch, Torres would complete just 23 passes, which was fewer than goalkeeper Ederson, and the joint-lowest with Sergio Aguero of any City player.

The 20-year-old was also successful in just 2/6 of his dribbles, which again emphasises that Coufal had the better of the £45 million-rated winger during his time on the pitch.

Torres also struggled to win many of his duels during the game, as he was successful in just 3/10 in total, resulting in a less than impressive 30% success rate. For comparison, City’s right-winger Riyad Mahrez would win 4/5 during his time on the pitch.

Therefore, despite the three points being the most important thing, Torres was rarely involved at the Etihad and it seems unlikely that he will feature again soon, especially when you consider the form of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling in recent weeks.

And, in other news… End of an era: Txiki should sanction exit of £31.5m-rated City stalwart this summer 

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he was confused by Jose Mourinho’s tactics in Sunday’s north London derby.

Following a wretched run of form, the Spurs boss has become slightly more expansive in recent weeks which has seen Tottenham win four matches on the bounce in all competitions, scoring 13 times in the process.

But Mourinho went with a familiar cautious approach at the Emirates, despite picking up attacking line-up, which included Tanguy Ndombele, Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale, Heung Min Son and Harry Kane – with Erik Lamela’s Rabona goal their only registered shot in the first-half.

And goals from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette saw Arsenal turn the game around – with Mourinho’s team only throwing caution to the wind once Lamela was sent off in the latter stages for elbowing Kieran Tierney.

Their attacking intent was nearly rewarded with a point, with Kane striking the post before Davinson Sanchez’s effort was cleared off the line by Gabriel.

But Windass doesn’t understand why the Tottenham manager is so defensive in games against the traditional top-six.

He told Football FanCast:

“I couldn’t believe what I was watching. There were so many players strolling around, it was like an end of season game, they were strolling around, there was no intensity. Harry Kane was very isolated, very quiet, even though he had a couple of chances. It was a bad day at the office. I fancied Tottenham, it was one of those games where you don’t have them very often.

“His tactics change against the top teams, maybe that’s why he gets a lot of criticism. When he does play against the top teams, he parks the bus a little and allows them to come on, they defend very deep and get them on the counter-attack.

“That’s probably why he takes a lot of flack and that’s why he has lost all of those games against the top-six. But then he’ll go to West Brom and be more expansive, I don’t get it.”

Tottenham have now lost five straight matches away at the ‘so called’ big six, suggesting Mourinho’s approach isn’t working and a Plan B is required.

A report has linked Leeds United with Championship midfielder Marcus Tavernier but it will not be easy for Leeds to acquire the player, however, as three other Premier League sides are keen.

The latest on Tavernier

According to TEAMtalk, Middlesbrough have brushed off a number of enquiries for Tavernier. Everton, Leicester and Wolves have all registered their interest. Meanwhile, Leeds are thought to be keeping tabs on him too.

The update emphasises that Tavernier is not in a hurry to leave Teesside and that the player would only consider a move at this moment if the Championship side accepted a bid.

This news will be a blow for Leeds

The club were only monitoring the young star, but these latest reports could definitely be a blow for the club.

The 21 year-old has been very good for the Championship club this season. He has featured 22 times, and picked up two goals and three assists (WhoScored).

He is clearly an attacking threat as he has managed on average 1.8 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.2 successful dribbles a match. What is so good about the young player is that he is good in defence as well as attack, as proven by the fact that he has made 1.8 tackles per game.

These stats highlight that the player, who has featured 15 times for the England U20’s, has great potential and that he may be able succeed in the Premier League in the near future.

Therefore, the fact that three other Premier League sides are interested, combined with the fact that Boro are not listening to enquiries, could be a blow for Leeds as it looks like it will be very hard to acquire the young talent.

In other news, Phil Hay discussed one Leeds player following a recent loss, find out who it is here!

Tottenham target Eduardo Camavinga has dropped a huge transfer hint this weekend by saying that certain clubs make him dream.

Camavinga drops hint

According to The Daily Express, the 18-year-old is a target for Spurs, with Real Madrid and Manchester United also eyeing a move.

The midfielder currently plays for Rennes, but he admitted over the weekend that he has his eyes set on a potential transfer in the future. He said:

“The great clubs make me dream, but I cannot name one in particular for my future.

“We’ll see [about a new deal at Rennes].

“We haven’t set a date to discuss my future, I’m in no rush about it.

“There will be negotiations to keep me here.”

Star talent

This does not come as too much of a surprise – Camavinga is one of the brightest young talents in Europe. He already has three caps for France, scoring once, and he is currently valued at £45m (Transfermarkt). In fact, Paul Pogba compared him to Kylian Mbappe in terms of how he is ready to play at the highest level despite his age.

Jose Mourinho and co have huge competition for his signature. Manchester United and Real Madrid are two of the biggest clubs on the planet with funds that go further than in north London. However, it is still not impossible to see him lining up for the Lilywhites, especially if they continue to perform as they are at the moment as they top the Premier League. Stranger things have happened, that’s for sure.

In other news, this Spurs man has been tipped for a January move away from the club.

Celtic are currently going through a turbulent time as a club. They currently look a shell of their usual, dominating self and are trailing to arch rivals Rangers by 13 points in the Scottish Premiership.

With such a huge gap between them and the league leaders, plus their inevitable exit from the Europa League, there’s a target on Neil Lennon’s back.

Although the club are backing the man who has led the Hoops to five league titles and an infamous ‘treble treble’, the club’s poor run of form can only go on for so long before something must give.

Names linked to Celtic manager job

A lot of speculation is flying about as professionals and fans alike wonder whether Lennon will face the boot any time soon. If he does, the club has been linked to several high profile names who could swoop in and start to pick up the pieces in the wake of the Irishman.

One man who has been tipped by bookies as the favourite to replace Lennon is Martin O’Neill. But according to Football Insider, the 68-year-old has already dismissed the idea of joining the Glasgow outfit.

Whilst many just want a quick-fix solution to the current mess at Celtic, O’Neill is not a target that the club should be chasing. The former Northern Ireland international already had a stint in Parkhead, guiding the club to three league titles and two Scottish Cups.

On paper, he looks ideal to step in if Lennon is axed. But Celtic run the risk of repeating history by signing a manager who has already been in charge of the club. Plus, with being 68, he may not be the best choice for the future.

At this moment in time, a quick-fix would be a mistake for the club. Peter Lawwell must be looking for the next long-term head coach who can come in and restore Celtic’s stature.

In other news, Shane Duffy tipped for early exit after disappointing loan spell…