All posts by z3u9t.icu

Newcastle failed to build on any momentum a 1-0 win over Burnley gave them as they were hammered 4-0 by Leicester on Sunday.

The Magpies were torn to shreds by the Foxes in the second half as they conceded three goals from the 56th minute onwards, having gone 1-0 down in the first-half after Jamaal Lascelles was adjudged to have fouled James Maddison in the box.

Eddie Howe’s team are 19th in the Premier League table after 16 games and have only won one match all campaign, whilst they have also conceded the most goals (34) in the division.

Axe him

One player who struggled against Leicester was central defender Fabian Schar, who has had a difficult season at St. James’ Park.

He failed to make a single block, interception or tackle in the 90 minutes, whilst losing two of his three duels on the ground. The centre-back only completed 67% of his attempted passes and lost possession of the ball a whopping 24 times in total.

This came after he struggled badly in the win over Burnley. As per SofaScore, he lost 11 of his 13 duels and only completed 42% of his attempted passes. He also gave the ball away 20 times and made one block, whilst failing to make a tackle or interception.

Over the course of the season so far, he has lost the ball 110 times in seven Premier League appearances, whilst averaging just 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game. He has found a teammate with an abysmal 66% of his passes overall, showing that he has been dreadful with the ball at his feet this season with his failure to find the right colour shirt with his passing.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe recently admitted that he has been a fan of Schar from afar and claimed that he is a ‘fantastic’ player.

He said: “I have been an admirer of Fabian from afar for a long, long time. I think he’s a fantastic footballer.

“He has also shown his defensive resilience and mentality to not want to concede.”

This suggests that he believes there is a good player in there and axing him from the team for a few matches could benefit him. It could give him time to get back to 100% and be ready to come back into the XI and start showing why Howe thinks he is a ‘fantastic’ defender.

In the 2018/19 campaign, Schar averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.14 and made 5.3 tackles and interceptions per game at centre-back for the Magpies. This level of form may be what Howe is referring to with his comments, but his form this season is a far cry from this and that is why he should be brutally axed from the team, for now.

AND in other news, Forget Joelinton: NUFC must seal record-breaking swoop for “world-class” £42.7m beast…

West Ham United are set to revisit their interest in James Tarkowski, according to a very reliable source…

What’s the word?

The anonymous ExWHUemployee claimed that David Moyes has three names atop his centre-back wish list for the summer transfer window, in which the Burnley colossus features as one.

Speaking on a recent episode of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, he said: “Our centre-back targets will be very similar to what they were last year. So you’re talking [Duje] Caleta-Car of Marseille, [Nikola] Maksimovic of Napoli, James Tarkowski of Burnley. There are other names by I think they would be the main ones.”

Get it done, Moyes

A new central defensive option may not sit high on the priorities for the Irons this summer, but if the door opened for Moyes to swoop for Tarkowski, then the club should absolutely back him.

We’ve seen in recent windows that the Scotsman can get it absolutely spot on with his targets, with the likes of Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Jesse Lingard as prime examples.

All three should be in contention for the Hammers’ Player of the Year award as they all played a pivotal role in guiding the club from relegation candidates to qualifying for the Europa League by acheving their best top-flight finish since 1999.

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Tarkowski would be a quality addition to a backline which in some ways flatters to deceive. Not many of West Ham’s centre-backs would walk into many teams above them in the table – it’s only really Angelo Ogbonna (once of Juventus) for whom you could potentially make a case.

Moyes is also losing the services of Fabian Balbuena, whilst there are many concerns over Issa Diop, so much so that Aaron Cresswell is often deployed in a back three over him.

The 28-year-old Clarets beast, who is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has become a solid option in the Premier League, in which he has now registered more than 150 appearances.

In the 2020/21 campaign alone, he ranked as Burnley’s second-best player with an average WhoScored rating of 7.02, a figure only bettered by three Hammers stars – none of whom are centre-backs.

Tarkowski also won 4.7 aerial duels and made 1.8 tackles and 4.4 clearances per outing in the league this season, which again outranks every single one of Moyes’ current central options.

As evident above, he would be an instant upgrade at the London Stadium, so Moyes could well be onto a winner if he is is able to secure the 28-year-old.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Diop: West Ham could seal bargain swoop for £13m powerhouse who “will explode”…

Giovani Lo Celso can count his lucky stars that Tottenham Hotspur ran out victorious on Wednesday evening as his appalling display almost cost them dearly.

Goals from Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son not only sealed a valuable win in their pursuit for a top-four finish but they also signalled the first three points of the Ryan Mason era in N17.

The 29-year-old was appointed as Spurs’ caretaker boss until the end of the season following Jose Mourinho’s shock sacking on Monday and he may well want to think again before trusting the Argentine playmaker, with the Carabao Cup soon on the horizon.

Mason opted for a 4-3-3, with Lo Celso playing alongside Tanguy Ndombele at the top of the engine room and if you were to read post-match reaction from the Spurs bubble, then you’d think it was the latter that had the poorer game.

For example, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick claimed the French midfielder was still looking ‘sluggish’ having gone ‘off the boil’ under Mourinho in recent matches.

However, he played a crucial part in their opener, playing in a deft ball to Lucas Moura before it fell into the path of Bale, and that simply can not be understated.

By contrast, the list of words used to describe Lo Celso’s display could range from lightweight to wasteful, so it was really no surprise to see him hooked by Mason in the 79th minute, with the livewire Erik Lamela taking his place.

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The £27m-rated dynamo was heavily involved in most attacks, often showing for the ball and that was backed up by the fact that he had 59 touches, seeing the ball once every 1.3 minutes, as per SofaScore.

But in possession, he offered next to nothing, failing to register more than one key pass from his 38 successful passing attempts, whilst he fired one shot wide and another was blocked when an easier pass was open.

Furthermore, he failed to complete a successful dribble from two attempts, proving to be the weaker man when up against James Ward-Prowse and Stuart Armstrong in the middle.

It was also telling that he won just two of 11 duels (18%), both on the ground and in the air, only further suggesting that he struggled big time.

His nightmare display was emphasised even more by his inability to keep possession, as he lost the ball 14 times – five other starters managed better, including Ndombele.

All in all, Lo Celso can count himself a little fortunate that he was firstly, playing a poor side that couldn’t capitalise on his mistakes, and secondly that they won the game because he quite rightly deserves criticism after that showing.

The 25-year-old, on the above evidence, was certainly worse than Ndombele, and given it was only his eighth league start of the season, he may well be lucky to be given another crack from the off.

AND in other news, Levy could find Spurs’ next Pochettino in 45 y/o gem who WOWED Guardiola this season…

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension their transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have sent a club official to Roma as news emerges on transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Conte loves him…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte, according to reports, is a big fan of the playmaker and really wants to see him make a move to the Premier League.

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Indeed, a report by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) shared news that the 52-year-old ‘really likes’ Zaniolo and would ‘really like him’ as a part of his Tottenham team.

Links to the 22-year-old have been fairly consistent, going as far back as the Mauricio Pochettino era, with yet another report now surfacing this week.

The Latest: Tottenham official travelling…

La Gazzetta dello Sport, as shared by Sport Witness, claim that a Lilywhites official has been sent to run the rule over Spurs’ long-time target tonight as Roma take on Leicester City in the Europa Conference League.

The Tottenham scout will be watching over his performance as Paratici continue to keep close tabs on Zaniolo.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Calciomercato.it recently reported that Roma value their Italy international at around €70 million (£58m), a heavy price, with Juventus, AC Milan, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid also courting the attacker.

His recovery from a shattering ACL injury, which caused him to miss the whole of 2020/2021, has been quite remarkable as he now begins to find form again.

Ex-Liverpool and Juventus midfielder Moussa Sissoko, recently calling Zaniolo an ‘excellent’ player, is certainly an admirer, with the starlet even earning comparisons to Steven Gerrard in past seasons.

As Paratici sends a club official to keep watch, it will be interesting to see how he fares in the Spurs audition.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.

Steve Bruce has confirmed that Newcastle United will be without top scorer Callum Wilson against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday night due to his hamstring injury.

The 10-goal forward has missed the Magpies’ last five Premier League fixtures as a result of the issue sustained late in the first half of February’s 3-2 win at home to Southampton.

United are yet to secure all three points without the ex-Bournemouth forward leading the line at some stage, with defeats to Chelsea and Manchester United followed by draws with Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa.

Newcastle’s form in recent weeks has seen the Tynesiders let slip a nine-point lead over the relegation zone to now sit just two points clear of 18th-placed Fulham but holding two games in hand over the Craven Cottage natives.

Bruce would have hoped to have had Wilson available for Saturday’s trip to 16th-placed Brighton, but while the £20m frontman and Allan Saint-Maximin (groin) will both be absent, Miguel Almiron is in contention for a return from a knee injury.

“They’re both back on the grass. We still think with Callum that the international break is at the right time. He’s well into his rehabilitation, he’s back on the grass,” Bruce said on Friday.

“The same goes for Almiron, who trained for the first time yesterday [Thursday], so we’ll see how he is, but things are obviously improving, given the time.

“The same goes with Saint-Maximin, but we know with Saint-Maximin and Callum, in particular, were nasty muscle injuries, which are obviously going to take time. You have to let nature take its course.

“[Almiron]’s got a chance. We’ll see.”

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Bruce being without Wilson at the Amex Stadium on Saturday will see Newcastle face Brighton in a relegation six-pointer without the man responsible for 35% of his team’s 28 goals in the Premier League this season.

Wilson also accounts for 27% of the Toon’s 18 assists, having provided a team-high five in 21 games – only Saint-Maximin (three) has also provided more than two thus far.

Dwight Gayle and Joelinton have each taken on the role of filling in for Wilson since his injury, although neither have found the back of the net in their recent appearances to remain on one goal each in the top flight this term.

Joelinton struck his only effort of the campaign in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in November, some 14 appearances ago, yet impressed Bruce with his overall performance in the right-sided split striker position during last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

“I thought Joelinton, arguably, had his best game in a Newcastle shirt,” Bruce said, via quotes shared by The Shields Gazette. “I thought he was terrific on the night. But, of course, a striker has to top it off by scoring a goal. He understands that, but his overall performance was very, very good. I thought he led the line very, very well.”

As Joelinton is now expected to once again start in place of Wilson against Brighton, Bruce must see the £40m Brazilian step up and end his long-running dry spell if Newcastle are to seal a crucial win in their fight for Premier League survival.

AND in other news, Newcastle’s hopes of signing a “standout performer” have taken a major blow…

Many Everton fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Chris Smalling.

As per Gianluca Di Marzio, the Goodison Park faithful have asked for information with regards to the AS Roma central defender, and he could be sold for the right price.

It certainly seems a strange idea to bring in Smalling given that the Merseyside club already have Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina, and are yet to appoint a permanent manager to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who has left to go and manage Real Madrid.

At 31 years of age as well, Smalling is not getting any younger, and so the Toffees should really be looking at younger targets in the summer window, and prioritise different positions in the squad first of all, given the approval of the new boss.

Everton fans on Smalling transfer update

These Blues supporters fumed as the transfer update on Smalling was shared on Twitter:

“We’re finished as a club”

Credit: @WAJG_96

“No no no no no no no no no STOP IT @Everton”

Credit: @2ndCityShirts

“Honestly just fold at this point @Everton”

Credit: @jck1878

“Really is getting worse day by day”

Credit: @MattH1878

“This club’s mudded”

Credit: @bobadiIIa

“Actually hate us”

Credit: @Everton1878___

In other news, find out the latest in EFC’s pursuit of this Euro 2020 ace here!

Marcus Bent has described Antonio Conte as a potential “Hollywood signing” but reckons his wage demands could prevent him from becoming the next Everton manager.

Conte is currently a free agent following his departure from Inter Milan last month, less than three weeks after guiding the Italian giants to their first Serie A title for 11 seasons but has since held unsuccessful talks with Tottenham.

He looked set to become Jose Mourinho’s replacement in north London, but the deal collapsed at the very last minute, with the two parties unable to reach an agreement.

Earlier this month, when Everton were hoping to pursue a deal for ex-Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Football Insider reported that the Toffees had made an optimistic approach for Conte, although nothing has yet materialised.

Conte has five major league titles on his CV, including the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016-2017, but Bent exclusively told Football FanCast that his financial package is likely to stop any possibility of him becoming Everton boss:

“Speaking to the club, he’s a Hollywood signing, he’d be a massive coup and someone that you would want to get in, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to come in and do the job.

“But you’ve got to think about wages, price-tag that it would cost to bring him to the club, but that’s what they’ve said to me, and if they were to get him it would depend on how much.”

Many Rangers fans have welcomed an update from the Glasgow club involving Kieran Wright.

As per the Gers’ official website, the Scotland under-21 international has signed a new deal which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2023.

The academy product is currently on loan at Partick Thistle and has played in 14 games across all competitions so far this season, keeping a very impressive seven clean sheets and only conceding a mere 10 goals (Transfermarkt).

With veteran Allan McGregor currently 39 years of age, Steven Gerrard’s side may have found an ideal long-term successor for the goalkeeper in Wright, as the 21-year-old will hope to break into the first team at Ibrox soon enough.

Rangers fans on Wright contract

These Gers supporters on Twitter lauded the new deal given to Wright, with one fan describing the news as ‘quality’:

“Smashing stuff young man keep up the good work”

Credit: @gazza07770

“Brilliant Kieran another year with McGregor and then claim that number 1 jersey”

Credit: @nopathway

“Good news.”

Credit: @CHLEE_RangersFC

“Quality to see us tying youth down! He showed reflexes of Alan McGregor recently against Airdrie, question is does he go straight back out on loan for more game time or spend time at training with McGregor and McLaughlin next season?”

Credit: @Stegthomson1

“After the save he made against Airdrie he deserves it”

Credit: @Declan_1872_

“Love this @kieranwright01 keep plugging away big guy”

Credit: @mcalpine_mr

In other news, find out who some Gers fans have called for to start in the Scottish Cup!

The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder has slammed the display of Joelinton for Newcastle United despite their win over Sheffield United in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

The Lowdown: Willock rescues Newcastle again

Joe Willock scored yet another goal for Steve Bruce’s team as they ran out 1-0 winners at St. James’ Park against the relegated Blades, and crucially in front of some members of the Toon Army.

It was the first round of fixtures in the top flight in which fans were allowed back into all grounds in the 2020/21 term, with the second set to come in on the final day on Sunday afternoon.

The Latest: Ryder slams Joelinton

While there were some very good performances for the Tyneside club on Wednesday, Ryder was not impressed with Joelinton, who only lasted the first half as he was taken off at the beginning of the second.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the Magpies journalist claimed that the striker ‘wasted a couple of chances’ in what was a ‘disappointing night’ for him, giving him a measly 6/10 overall rating, the joint-lowest out of any Magpies player to have started the match.

The Verdict: Not Joelinton’s best game

Joelinton did not have his best game for NUFC, as he failed to record a single shot on target or key pass, and achieved a mere 75% pass accuracy, the lowest out of any of his teammates to have started (Sofascore), so Ryder’s criticism is more than justified.

The Brazilian also lost possession of the ball on four separate occasions, and only managed 20 touches in total (Sofascore), showing how little impact he had before being taken off. For some context, goalkeeper Martin Dubravka managed 38 touches.

Nonetheless, he will want to improve on this display going into the new campaign, especially once Callum Wilson comes back to full fitness, putting his starting place under threat.

In other news, find out what big claim Ben Jacobs has dropped as news emerges on the takeover case here!

Leeds United could reignite their interest in Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Endless O’Brien links

The Whites were linked with a number of players in the summer, but few individuals cropped up more than O’Brien.

The 22-year-old was constantly tipped to move to Elland Road, having shone for Huddersfield in recent years, making 86 appearances and winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2019/20.

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The Latest: Pundit makes January prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, former Arsenal and Everton striker Campbell said Leeds could go back in for O’Brien in January, claiming the funds are available to bring him in:

“The money is there. Sometimes these transfers are to fatten your squad up. The player might not go into the starting 11 straight away.

“£8million to fatten the squad when Leeds actually have players who can do a job, maybe it wasn’t the priority.

“Maybe they will bide their time and return for him in January.”

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The Verdict: Shrewd mid-season addition

While O’Brien may not necessarily have been a must-need signing in the summer, he could be a shrewd acquisition midway through the campaign.

At that point, a gruelling season could be starting to take its toll physically and the midfielder could be a welcome addition, in terms of squad depth and options at Marcelo Bielsa’s disposal.

Not only that, but O’Brien’s age means he would come in as a long-term signing, rather than a short-term quick fix, suggesting Leeds are continuing to build towards the future.

In other news, Leeds have faced a potential blow regarding one transfer target. Find out who it is here.