All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester City have been dealt a potentially huge injury blow ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, as Kevin De Bruyne confirmed that he played through the pain for Belgium against Italy earlier this week, after suffering ligament damage in their win against Portugal earlier in the tournament.

The 30-year-old midfielder, who could not prevent his side from crashing out of the European Championships on Friday, confirmed after the game that:

“Personally, I can say thanks to the medical team. Playing with a torn ligament, and I played 90 minutes, is incredible.”

“There were too many problems in the team (with many injuries) to be at 100 per cent.”

Considering the new season is just over a month away for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola will surely not be impressed that one of his most influential players has been playing with such an injury.

It is suggested that a player can take up to six months to recover fully from a torn ligament ankle injury, so whilst it is easy to see why De Bruyne was desperate to play in the quarter-final match, he really should not have been risked by Roberto Martinez, as it could create a lot of problems for City next season if he isn’t at 100%.

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Considering the former Chelsea man was rated as the best performer in City’s side last season as they won the title, averaging an incredible 7.65/10 rating from WhoScored for his performances, it comes as a huge blow to Guardiola that he might well end up missing the start of the new campaign as he begins his recovery.

With two of City’s rivals for the title, Liverpool and Manchester United, already strengthening their sides, the Etihad outfit will have to be at their best again next season if they want to retain their crown, and having the “world-class” De Bruyne fit is key to their success.

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Therefore, Guardiola should rightly be angry that the talismanic midfielder risked making his injury worse for Belgium, and will be hoping that he can make a swift recovery in time for the season opener.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Laporte: Txiki should seal Man City swoop for £40.5m-rated beast likened to Hummels

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

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.

Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer believes that Callum Hudson-Odoi could move to Liverpool in either January or next summer.

The Chelsea winger has been linked with a potential move to the Reds, per reports in Italy, amid his struggles for minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Hudson-Odoi made just 10 starts in the league last season and has played a mere three times this term.

The 20-year-old, who can play on the right wing and the left wing, and has been capped three times by England, has previously been linked with a move to Bayern Munich but they were unable to strike an agreement.

The £100,000-a-week winger has made a total of 101 appearances for the Blues and has scored 13 goals, while registering 16 assists.

He has a contract until 2024 and is valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, and Palmer thinks that he will be attracted by the prospect of playing at Anfield under manager Jurgen Klopp.

He exclusively told FFC: “Of course I can see him making that move. At the end of the day, if he’s not going to play regular football at Chelsea, then he’s going to want to leave to go and play. He’s got to, for his own development, for his own career, he’s got to play. It doesn’t seem so much now that the top clubs are too fussed about selling players to other top clubs.

“You’ve seen Giroud go from Arsenal to Chelsea; some might say he was at the back-end of his career so they were happy for him to go there.

“You’ve seen Willian go from Chelsea to Arsenal, probably Chelsea didn’t see Arsenal as a threat when he went there. If a move like that came up for him, to go to Liverpool and he could play regular football then, of course, it makes sense for the player.”

Everton slumped to a disheartening 3-2 defeat against Burnley in midweek to add further misery to their already dismal Premier League campaign.

Having seen numerous fan protests take place around the club throughout the season, it seems as though some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding the hierarchy at Goodison Park and their stance on the club’s current state of affairs.

What’s the latest?

In a recent tweet, Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett gave an insight into the feeling at Everton in regards to Frank Lampard’s position as manager.

He revealed: “Real concern in #efc board, I’m told, but feeling is changing manager won’t solve problems right now. That’s not to say Lampard safe for rest of season. Relegation could be massive for Everton, with few players in squad on contracts that auto-reduce if in Championship.”

Since the former Chelsea and Derby County manager took charge at Goodison Park at the end of January, the Toffees have lost six of their seven league games.

As things stand, the Merseyside club are just one point ahead of the relegation zone with nine games left to play until the season comes to an end.

Fans will be happy

Despite the Toffees’ disappointing run of form in recent weeks, it will presumably be somewhat pleasing for Everton fans to hear that the board have no intention of getting rid of their latest manager at this moment in time.

In what has been a scarring season for the Merseyside club, the further disruption which would undoubtedly be caused if the hierarchy were to sack Lampard after only a number of weeks in charge would surely set them back even further in what is a crucial period of the campaign.

Regardless, the bottom line is that the Toffees need to start getting points on the board if they are to have any real hope of avoiding the drop to the Championship.

With their next league game seeing them take on Manchester United at Goodison Park, this clash could be pivotal for Everton if they are able to snatch a win, not just for the three points they would accrue but also for the confidence it could give the players to potentially then kick on and leave their current relegation worries behind.

In other news – Kenwright calamity: Everton had a nightmare over “unbelievable” 166-goal “superstar”

Flocking to Twitter, many Leicester City fans have erupted over an official post by their club after what has been a rather lacklustre start to the 2021/2022 campaign.

Brendan Rodgers’ side, after a fruitful transfer window and clinching the Community Shield, certainly looked as if they could be right up there with the traditional top four at the very beginning of this new season.

While there is still time for the Foxes to continue their steady rise over these last few seasons and turn things around, results haven’t exactly gone swimmingly over the last month.

Leicester won just one game in all competitions over September, a Carabao Cup victory away to Millwall, whilst losing to the likes of Manchester City, Brighton and Legia Warsaw.

In their most recent outing, Rodgers’ side also blew a two-goal cushion away to Palace as they eventually shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw – with the club now dropping an official post on what awaits them after the international break.

Sharing the official fixture list for October, Leicester relayed the fact that Man United, Brentford and Arsenal await them in the Premier League this month while they also cope with cup games against Spartak Moscow and Brighton.

Flocking to Twitter, in reaction to the official post, many Foxes fans erupted with their takes on the challenges ahead – find all of their best ones down below.

Leicester fans flock to official club post…

“Championship here we come”

Credit: @Mahesh_y_m

“We’re losing all”

Credit: @Aaronic514

“oh wow 5 Ls”

Credit: @OliverRowe14

“0 points from 5”

Credit: @geoolihag

“We gonna be in the relegation zone by November tears”

Credit: @Lestahas

“L, L, L, L, L”

Credit: @SPW_85

“Mercy”

Credit: @JoBeanCash_

“Big big month ahead”

Credit: @Denzi10

An update has emerged on Southampton target Keane Lewis-Potter, regarding Hull’s expectation for the January window.

What’s the talk?

According to The Hull Daily Mail, Hull are expecting offers to come in for Keane Lewis-Potter in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Southampton have a firm interest in the forward and that Hull could find it difficult to stop him from leaving the club.

Exciting for Southampton

Southampton fans will surely be excited by this update as it suggests that the club could be ready to make a move for him in the next window. Hull seem to believe that Saints’ interest in the player is serious and that it could lead to an offer in the upcoming months, which could be exciting for supporters who may want to see the club add to the squad.

Lewis-Potter has impressed since breaking through into the Hull team and has produced two goals and one assist this term in the Championship. In the 2020/21 League One campaign, he racked up 13 goals and five assists for his side, showing that he could score and assist goals on a regular basis.

Last year, Hull manager Grant McCann lauded the youngster for his performances in League One. He said: “The kid’s a special talent. Wherever we play him across that frontline, he’ll create and score goals.

“He can be anything he wants to be. He’s quick, he’s getting stronger. If you see him physically now compared to where he was this time last year, he’s head and shoulders above in terms of his physique. He’s got all the tools to be anything he wants.

“With young players you need to keep on at them. They need to keep understanding what’s expected on an everyday level. We’ve got good staff around here to help Keano keep progressing.”

This shows how highly rated he is and why Saints fans could look forward to the prospect of him arriving at St. Mary’s in January. Ralph Hasenhuttl would be getting a 20-year-old attacker with scope for development, who could push the current first-team players whilst also being a long-term project for the manager to work on.

He could be one the fans are able to enjoy watching over the course of a number of seasons, watching his progress, instead of someone who comes in and provides quality straight away.

AND in other news, 5 tackles won: Southampton powerhouse with 7 duels won stole the show vs SUFC…

Celtic may have their first win of the Ange Postecoglou reign under their belts but they cannot neglect the need to bring more new faces to Paradise.

Joe Hart and James McCarthy became members of the Hoops family last week but there is still plenty of work to be done.

On the chalkboard

Anthony Ralston has performed admirably this season after coming in for scrutiny that he wasn’t good enough for Celtic.

Those claims made sense considering he played just once for the Bhoys last term. However, he’s been ever-present since Ange Postecoglou took charge and even scored a wonderful goal against Hearts last weekend.

Ralston collected the ball from Odsonne Edouard before dancing beyond several defenders and then planting the ball past Craig Gordon from inside the area.

He also scored against Dundee on Sunday afternoon in their 6-0 thrashing to continue his mightily impressive campaign.

Though, if Celtic are serious about advancing in Europe and contending for the title again, they will need to sign an improvement.

That’s why supporters should be delighted that they are in discussions to sign Royal Antwerp defender Aurelio Buta.

He’s been on Celtic’s radar for a number of weeks now but Sky Sports reported last Friday that a bid of £4.5m was now being prepared.

If they can lure him to Paradise, it would be an almighty upgrade on Ralston.

The Glaswegian side haven’t replaced Jeremie Frimpong since he left for Bayer Leverkusen last January but Buta would help them significantly.

He is a tackling machine and is equally adept in forward phases of play. Dubbed “very gifted” by journalist, Aster Nzeyimana, the 24-year-old completed 1.2 tackles per match in 2020/21.

That’s a tally that would have equalled Frimpong’s success rate in a Celtic shirt from the same season.

Hailed as one of the best full-backs in the Belgian top-flight, Buta would be an exceptional piece of business by Postecoglou and co.

They have needed a permanent full-back for the best part of eight months now and thus, fans should be excited at the idea of signing him.

Ralston has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign but he is still relatively unproven in the Premiership over a prolonged period of time.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Edouard: Celtic can boost title hopes by signing “wonderful” 19-goal beast…

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.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted with an image of a small model Gers shirt which has been shared on Twitter.

The Gers are preparing for the new campaign after a fantastic 2020/21. They won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years as they went through the whole league campaign without experiencing a single defeat (thefishy.co.uk), and they are now in with a chance of reaching the Champions League group stage.

However, Twitter user @TinyJerseys has been looking to Rangers’ past rather than the future, and has put together a fantastic miniature model featuring a Gers jersey from the 1996/97 season, famously worn by the likes of Ally McCoist, Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup. The attention to detail in the design is impressive, to say the least.

An image of the shirt was shared on the @TinyJerseys account and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the ‘tremendous’ design.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the image

“Exquisite”

Credit: @jackfrankwitts

“Outstanding”

Credit: @GoterborgL

“Tremendous.”

Credit: @BaldyBanger

“Top draw as always pal”

Credit: @CugeC1

“Excellent again”

Credit: @wearra61

“Do you sell these, they are fantastic”

Credit: @bobstar1701

In other news, Rangers are set to sell this “fautless” ace.