All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Marco Silva must make a drastic change to his starting XI for the trip to Huddersfield by dropping Lucas Digne and recalling Leighton Baines.

On the chalkboard

Digne has been one of Silva’s most consistent and impressive performers since moving to Merseyside in the summer, but the French ace’s severe struggles against Millwall should force the Portuguese manager into a drastic change.

His display at The New Den was a far cry from the standards we’ve come to expect from Digne. The Frenchman cost his side goals as he failed to deal with Lee Gregory’s aerial presence for Millwall’s equaliser, before needless fouls led to the hosts drawing level again in the second half and then Murray Wallace netting a late winner.

The former Barca defender was hardly that impressive in his last Premier League game, either, when Southampton beat Everton 2-1 thanks to the 25-year-old prodding the ball beyond a hapless Jordan Pickford.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

Digne needs to be dropped

It would have been harsh to drop Digne after his own goal, but playing a hand in all three of Millwall’s goals should be a big wake-up call for Silva. Huddersfield could look to exploit the 5 foot 10 defender’s rash decision making, as Jan Siewert aims to get off on the right foot as David Wagner’s successor.

While Baines is no spring chicken, he would likely have drawn on his years of experience to know there was no need to commit unnecessary fouls on Saturday, especially considering Millwall had already demonstrated their dominance over Everton at set pieces throughout the match.

With Everton suffering a drastic slump in form and this time of the season an endurance test for even the strongest squads in the Premier League, the Huddersfield clash on Tuesday is the ideal time to bring Baines back into the fold – providing both fresh legs and a calming influence.

Celtic have been linked with a late window swoop for Derry City striker Michael Harris, according to The Irish Examiner’s John Fallon.

The Lowdown: Harris profiled

Described as a pacey forward by The Derry Journal, Harris is 19 years of age and is primarily a centre-froward, but he can also play on the right and even in an attacking midfield role.

The youngster has made just two senior appearances for Derry after progressing through the club’s academy.

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He appears to be the next Irish target for the Bhoys after moves for James McCarthy, Liam Scales and Johnny Kenny under Ange Postecoglou, with the latter of the three arriving from Sligo Rovers earlier this month.

The Latest: January move possible

According to Fallon, The League of Ireland could lose Harris ‘during this window’, with the Hoops and Championship side Stoke City keen.

Harris has turned down a new contract with Derry and it appears as if Celtic are eyeing up a compensation deal.

The Verdict: Interesting…

Should the Hoops make a move for Harris, it would almost certainly be for the club’s B team and seeing the forward as a long-term project.

That’s because Kenny, who had a far more impressive senior record with Sligo, is yet to feature for Celtic in a matchday squad.

Kieran Devlin hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Kenny making the step up before the end of the season, but due to his lack of experience at first-team level, you’d think it could take Harris a little longer, should he follow Kenny in a move to Parkhead.

Celtic will need to be quick, though, with the transfer deadline fast approaching, and if they miss out on Harris, he could be a player they keep tabs on ahead of a summer switch.

In other news: In the coming days – Celtic now eye ‘very clever’ teenager who could go out on loan – journalist.

A number of Southampton supporters have slammed Mohammed Salisu’s performance in his side’s Premier League clash with Tottenham on Tuesday.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men returned to action against Spurs at St Mary’s, following their excellent 3-2 win away to West Ham on Boxing Day.

It was a tough assignment for Saints, however, with Antonio Conte coming in and making an immediate impression in north London, remaining unbeaten in the league as Lilywhites boss.

After James Ward-Prowse gave the hosts the lead with a brilliant strike, the game turned on its head when Salisu received a second yellow card, fouling Son Heung-min clumsily to concede a penalty.

It was a hugely disappointing moment for the defender, who had few complaints, as he failed to even make it to half-time at St. Mary’s.

Southampton fans slam Salisu’s display

These Southampton fans took to Twitter to criticise Salisu’s performance, having had such a negative impact on proceedings.

“Well that’s marvellous, isn’t? Give away a penalty and the ref won’t dish out a red. However, they can hand out a yellow which is a second, so equivalent to giving a red anyway. Although, Salisu was a walking red card today”

Credit: @scottie_clark

“Rejects a call up for AFCON to focus on his club career. He can focus on his club career elsewhere. He shouldn’t play for Southampton again”

Credit: @ByrneDick

“What was Salisu thinking?”

Credit: @spmooney68

“As much as I rate Salisu he is always prone to a ill timed tackle away from a second yellow which could now cost us in a game we were well on top of “

Credit: @BIDDS83

“Standard of refereeing is so bad atm. That said, Salisu was a red card waiting to happen today”

Credit: @jdavies913

“Game over, Salisu has looked awful today”

Credit: @FPLDisasterClas

In other news, Saints have been linked with a January move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have gone wild as their club drop a teasing message involving midfielder Curtis Jones.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has overseen a fine 2021/2022 campaign so far as Liverpool keep pace with their fierce title rivals at the top of the Premier League table whilst breaking Champions League records.

Indeed, the Anfield outfit are well in contention for the English top flight title after they failed to defend their 2019/2020 triumph last season – a campaign largely marred due to consistent availability issues.

Liverpool fans will be hoping to avoid a similar scenario this time round, especially since key men Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are set to be missing in January due to their involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.

As such, Klopp must be eager for the majority of his squad to be fit and ready when called upon as the club now drop a teasing message involving young midfielder Jones.

The 20-year-old has been out of action for Liverpool since picking up an eye injury before the November international break but the club’s official Twitter account have now posted a teasing message containing an image of Jones back in training ahead of their clash with Newcastle on Thursday.

Fans buzzing…

As the Englishman edges closer and closer to a first team return with his step back on to the training pitch, it’s little wonder many Reds are buzzing as their club share a positive update.

Jones may be able to bolster Klopp’s options in midfield sooner rather than later and add a degree of real quality, as evident by the fact he has averaged a higher pass accuracy this season (94.1%) than any Liverpool player with more than one start in the Premier League (WhoScored).

Taking this into account amid a fierce title race, you can understand why plenty of supporters are overjoyed with his return to the grass.

Find all of their best reactions to Liverpool’s post down below:

“It’s time, the fun run is over.”

Credit: @HHSN_8

“Finally!”

Credit: @manuelkimu

“Yesssssss more depth in the midfield yummmmmm”

Credit: @GreenwaldJoe

“LET’S GOOOOO”

Credit: @MK98___

“The face I’ve wanted to see”

Credit: @Ericjr70961719

“Don’t joke with me is he back”

Credit: @gerald_ynwa

“Nice to see you back @curtisjr_10!! We’ve missed you”

Credit: @lfcleahx

“Greatest English midfielder of all time!!”

Credit: @Y1_fella

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt a major injury blow this week…

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports, Spurs forward Heung-min Son is expected to miss the remainder of the month with a muscular injury sustained during their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat at Chelsea in midweek.

It means he will miss this afternoon’s encounter with League One minnows Morecambe in the FA Cup third round, the return leg against the Blues at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night and the north London derby against Arsenal in the Premier League next weekend.

Major blow

This will come as a gutting setback to the Italian head coach, especially as it will now make it harder to rest leading striker Harry Kane this weekend.

Conte only has one senior option up front, with Son being able to provide cover there if need be, so to have him unavailable against a side of the Shrimpers’ calibre is certainly disappointing and will serve as a big blow heading into some crucial fixtures – ones in which Kane may now not be rested for.

The competition also hands the 52-year-old with another opportunity to end the club’s barren spell without silverware, with their last triumph coming in the League Cup some 14 years ago.

Son has been a standout performer for the Lilywhites this season, having provided nine goals and five assists across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

The £72m-rated South Korean international also rates out as their best-performing player, registering an average WhoScored rating of 7.24, which is clear of the likes of Kane, Lucas Moura and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Not only does he lead the way for goals and assists but an average of 1.9 key passes (first in the squad) and 1.6 dribbles (second) per game reflects his importance to Conte and the team.

Back in October, former Newcastle United talisman Alan Shearer waxed lyrical about Son’s influence to Match of the Day 2.

“When he plays like that, there’s not many defenders that can live with him, he’s got everything you need. Pace, energy,” he said. “Drive to get in there, goals, assists. I’m such a huge fan of his, they couldn’t cope with him – he was the difference, you can’t stop him. Fantastic player.”

With important games ahead, Conte will surely be fuming with this devastating blow to Son, especially as it hands him a massive dilemma surrounding the selection of Kane today.

AND in other news, Paratici “opens talks” to sign £20m “monster” at Spurs, he’d be unstoppable under Conte…

Newcastle United are ‘seriously interested’ in a deal for Lille centre-back Sven Botman, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown

The Magpies shipped another four goals in their defeat to Leicester City on Sunday, taking them to 34 conceded in 16 games – the worst record in the Premier League.

It’s therefore no surprise to see the relegation-threatened Tynesiders linked with possible defensive reinforcements ahead of January – Burnley’s James Tarkowski is also among the names mentioned.

Botman may not come cheap, especially given that he still has three-and-a-half years to run on his contract with the reigning French champions. The 21-year-old is valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Romano tweeted in the early hours of Monday morning: “Newcastle are seriously interested in signing Sven Botman in January. He’s top of the list – but still waiting to know Lille position/price tag. AC Milan are keeping tabs on Botman situation too”.

The journalist also noted that Sevilla, Atalanta and Wolverhampton Wanderers had all held ‘talks’ over a potential move for the Dutchman last summer.

The verdict

This would be some coup for Newcastle. Botman could be regarded as one of the next generation of elite centre-backs, hence the links with Liverpool and an array of top clubs.

As well as being solid defensively – the Dutchman has won 72% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial battles this season – he can help Newcastle to build attacks from the back. He ranks in the 80th percentile among positional peers in the top five European leagues for progressive passes.

According to FBRef, he boasts a similar statistical profile to Manchester United’s four-time Champions League-winner Raphael Varane, while his ‘superb’ defending has also helped Lille progress to the last 16 of Europe’s premier club competition.

If Newcastle’s PIF ownership can persuade him to swap the north of France for the northeast of England, it would represent a real coup given the defender’s evident ability and the intensity of competition for his signature.

In other news, Romano also reveals Newcastle talks over this Premier League midfielder

Newcastle find themselves in an intriguing position heading into the January window as they are 19th in the Premier League and recently flush with cash.

The Magpies are yet to win a match in the division, but have recently been taken over by Saudi Arabian consortium PIF and could have a sizable transfer warchest to play with in the window.

In order to help comply with FFP rules, Newcastle could look to sell on some of their assets in order to offset some of the money they want to spend on incoming to bolster the squad, which could leave a few players facing the chop.

Blinder

One player who could be cashed in on is young goalkeeper Freddie Woodman. The club have played a blinder with the 24-year-old in recent years and he is now in a position where he could potentially earn the side a healthy payday should a team come in for him.

Two years ago, Woodman was 22 and Transfermarkt valued him at a measly £450k. This was after short loan spells with Aberdeen, Crawley and Kilmarnock, where he made a combined 35 senior appearances. His lack of minutes and lowly value by the age of 22 suggested, at the time, that he may not have a future towards the top end of the game, but this is where Newcastle stepped in and played a blinder.

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Ex-Kilmarnock boss Lee Clarke previously lauded the gem as an ‘oustanding’ goalkeeper and outlined his key attributes between the sticks.

He told The Athletic: “I knew he was an outstanding young keeper and had all the attributes. The tough thing was I had an experienced goalkeeper in Jamie MacDonald in the team — that was causing one or two issues in terms of what I wanted to do. 

“But I knew I was bringing a talented goalkeeper in. Freddie’s communication, his shot-stopping and his distribution skills are second to none. He’s an unbelievable professional and works extremely hard at his game.”

They decided to send him out on loan to Swansea in the Championship for the 2019/20 campaign and he kept 12 clean sheets in 43 games for the club. By April of that season, his value on Transfermarkt rose to £2.88m – a marked improvement from the previous year.

However, the real masterstroke by the Magpies came that summer.

Instead of sending him off to another team or giving him a chance in the first-team, they allowed him to re-join Swansea on loan and his numbers shot up – with 20 clean sheets in 45 appearances for the Swans in the Championship. He also kept one clean sheet in three play-off outings, taking his total to 21 shutouts in 48 matches that term.

Now, at the time of writing (13/11/21), Transfermarkt value Woodman at £9m.

This is a sensational 1900% increase from his valuation in 2019 and shows how well Newcastle have played his situation over the past two years. They have handled his development brilliantly and now it could earn them multi-millions if they decide to cash in on him in January.

AND in other news,  Howe could land instant NUFC masterclass with move for “unplayable” £16.2m-rated titan…

Celtic simply must seal the permanent signing of centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer, according to journalist Stephen McGowan.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers superb on Sunday

The Hoops picked up arguably their biggest win of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, clinching a 2-1 victory away to their bitter Glasgow arch-rivals.

It was Carter-Vickers who scored the winning goal at Ibrox and his all-round performance was sensational as he ensured that Celtic held on for victory during a tense second half.

As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old made a hugely impressive eight clearances during the game, also winning eight out of 10 duels and making three interceptions as he posted a man-of-the-match rating of 7.7.

The Latest: McGowan urges Celtic to stump up for Carter-Vickers

Taking to Twitter after the match, McGowan urged Celtic to make Carter-Vickers’ loan move permanent in the summer following the American’s tremendous display against Rangers.

The Scottish Daily Mail’s Chief Football Writer gushed: “Irrespective of whether Celtic get that Champions League money they should pay whatever it takes for Cameron Carter-Vickers.”

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The Verdict: No-brainer for Hoops

It makes complete sense for Ange Postecoglou to bring in Carter-Vickers permanently, with the 24-year-old’s performances for Celtic catching the eye throughout the season.

He has made 27 Premiership starts and won 4.3 aerial duels per game, and there are real signs that he is forging a dominant partnership with Carl Starfelt at the back. As per WhoScored, they both rank in the top five players this season currently in Postecoglou’s squad.

Also, at 24, he is at an ideal age in terms of his peak years most likely still being ahead of him.

The eight-cap USA international’s current deal at Tottenham expires in 2023 and they may be keen to receive a fee for him while they still can this summer. That could play into Celtic’s hands if there is both a willing seller and an enthusiastic buyer.

In other news, three Celtic players shone most in the win over Rangers. Find out who they are here.

A number of Manchester United fans hit out at right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka for his performance against Young Boys on Wednesday.

Ralf Rangnick made several changes to his squad with United already through, with eight players in the squad below the age of 20.

Wan-Bissaka was one of 11 changes to the starting line-up, making his 18th appearance of the campaign in the 1-1 draw and needed to be stretched off after colliding with the advertising boards towards full time.

However, plenty of United fans didn’t like what they saw from the 24-year-old at Old Trafford. The full-back lost possession on 19 occasions, the most out of any home player. [SofaScore]

He also failed to complete a cross or make a key pass all evening, with Luke Shaw on the opposite side registering an assist for Mason Greenwood early on.

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United fans react

This is what these United fans had to say about Wan-Bissaka on social media, with many wanting him sold and another believing he won’t survive the Rangnick era.

“I don’t mean to be horrible, truly I don’t, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka has just produced the most horrific disasterclass of a performance I have ever seen. He is absolutely awful. Don’t even wait for the summer, just sell him in January.”

Credit: @MarkLenehan

“Wan-Bissaka is not surviving the Rangnick era.”

Credit: @Alex_Bentham

“sell awb asap he’s finished”

Credit: @afiqimrann

“Wan-Bissaka is playing against us. Sell this guy already”

Credit: @Melussi2

“I’ve seen the light AWB is a terrible footballer. Sell him, Lingard and Mata in January”

Credit: @utdHarryy

“Awb can’t press. He’s lazy. With that Ole as our manager we thought he’s the best because they don’t even train all was vibes n cruise. He was nowhere to be found today and the gegen pressing is too intense for him. We should sell him by January.”

Credit: @nestaseyi

In other news: ‘Revamp continues’ – Lots of Man Utd fans erupt as two ‘big’ arrivals are named. 

Eberechi Eze will travel north with the Crystal Palace squad for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Burnley, manager Patrick Vieira has confirmed. 

Eze has not played for Palace since the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa back in May.

He suffered a serious Achilles injury in training the following week.

But now, more than six months on, he’s on the verge of a return to first-team action.

Vieira revealed that Eze completed 90 minutes in an in-house friendly and is training with his team-mates once again.

As a result, he’s in line to potentially get some minutes at Turf Moor.

Eze’s return: A big boost for Palace

In his debut season at Selhurst Park, Eze ranked in Palace’s top five performers, according to WhoScored data, an impressive feat for a youngster only just emerging in top flight football.

He led the way in the Eagles’ ranks for assists, key passes and dribbles per 90 minutes.

The official Crystal Palace Twitter account relayed Vieira’s comments, and here’s what supporters had to say.

Palace fans express excitement ahead of Eze comeback

“Excellent”

Credit: @SilverGeoff

“Super”

Credit: @123456789ogfk

“The Prem has missed its best midfielder”

Credit: @45RileyC

“ahh my boy is back tomorrow, the prem is in trouble”

Credit: @pogzizouu

“imma cry when I see this man on the pitch again”

Credit: @tklug13

“Eze in the squad tomorrow!”

Credit: @FPL_EZE

“Scary hours”

Credit: @cpfc_austin

In other news, fans also flocked to this Nathan Ferguson update.