All posts by z3u9t.icu

Steven Gerrard looks to have been handed a huge injury blow ahead of the Old Firm Derby this Sunday, with Nathan Patterson looking unlikely to feature for Rangers after picking up a knock in midweek.

Gerrard confirmed following the game against Slavia Prague on Thursday that the 19-year-old was struggling after getting a kick to the calf, which could well rule him out of today’s match.

What is even worse for Gerrard is that first-choice right-back James Tavernier is also sidelined through injury, meaning that the Gers are down to bare bones in that department for what is arguably their most important game for the rest of the season.

Of course, Rangers have already delivered title number 55 but they are undoubtedly desperate to finish the season unbeaten, having won 28 and drawn four of their 32 league fixtures so far this season.

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Therefore, it comes as a huge blow for Gerrard that he could be without the teenage defender, who has stepped up impressively in the absence of Tavernier in recent weeks.

Balogun also highlighted his vulnerability as a right-back in the recent 5-2 win against Royal Antwerp, which is something that Rangers’ Old Firm rivals may look to exploit on Sunday if the Nigerian is forced to deputise in that position once again.

Patterson earned a lot of praise for his performances against Slavia Prague in both legs of their Europa League tie, with Gerrard suggesting after the first leg at the Sinobo Stadium that the academy graduate “became a man”, whilst BT Sport pundit David Weir suggested that he was “outstanding” during the game at Ibrox on Thursday.

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Therefore, it will be a shame if Patterson misses Sunday’s derby, as he has shown in his recent performances that he is more than ready to step up on big occasions for the Gers; and considering Tavernier’s absence, it could seriously put Rangers’ unbeaten run in the league at risk if he doesn’t feature, as it would likely force Gerrard to play Balogun in a position where he has previously struggled.

In other news… Wilson can sign Rangers their ideal Defoe heir with swoop for prolific £6.3m-rated beast

According to a report by reliable Lilywhites correspondent Alasdair Gold, finding a perfect deal for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium naming rights is expected to gather pace and could come ‘sooner rather than later’ – with this exciting update coming as potentially positive news for Spurs.

Chairman Daniel Levy, amid the financial complications caused by this COVID-19 global pandemic, is questing to secure the perfect naming rights deal for Tottenham Hotspur’s brand new state of the art ground – a move which could bring millions of pounds to the club over the next few seasons.

Gold drops exciting naming rights update

It is understood by Gold that Levy is searching for an offer in keeping with the some of the world’s record deals as he pours cold water on reports claiming Tottenham are looking for a £250m package.

Indeed, the journalist says that the actual figure Tottenham want is much higher, and the search for an ideal agreement is set to gather pace and could happen ‘sooner rather than later’ thanks to one Levy move.

The recent appointment of chief commercial officer Todd Kline is responsible for the new-found optimism of negotiating the right option for Spurs.

It is said that the American has blown Tottenham staff away behind the scenes since beginning his new role, and his vast experience in spearheading stadium rights deals in the United States has been well documented.

Transfer Tavern take

Kline played a key role in securing the Miami Dolphins’ 18-year stadium agreement with Hard Rock in 2016, worth a reported £180 million.

This was the third most lucrative naming nights deal in American Football history at the time according to football.london.

Levy is apparently after an even larger number with Tottenham as Kline’s activity behind the scenes prompts positivity, with Gold’s update an agreement could happen ‘sooner rather than later’ coming as exciting.

In other news: Alasdair Gold has also listed 10 players who could leave north London, find out more here.

Caglar Soyuncu appears to have handed Leicester City a fitness boost at just the right time.

The Turkish defender was previously self-isolating back in his home country having tested positive whilst on international duty.

However, according to Leicestershire Live, he has now flown back to the UK and is once again in contention – his return to action coming at the best possible time with Leicester preparing for an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, as well as continuing their battle to end the season in the Premier League top four.

It remains to be seen whether the 33-cap Turkish international will go straight back into the Foxes’ starting XI but the fact that he can be called upon will be a huge boost to Rodgers.

In the two games that the East-Midlanders have played during Soyuncu’s absence, they have lost each of those – a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Manchester City before a 3-2 loss to top-four rivals West Ham United.

That is certainly a trend that has been prominent since Soyuncu replaced Harry Maguire in the Leicester City lineup.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the defender has missed a total of 27 matches, whether that be through injury, suspension or selection. In those games, Leicester win rate ironically increases by a marginal amount.

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However, it’s in their defending where they struggle most without the former Freiburg man, conceding 1.14 goals per game on average without him whilst they only ship 0.96 per match in all competitions when he plays.

That influence is certainly well noted at the club too, with Rodgers hailing his defender’s “quality”.

Not only will the returning Soyuncu have an influence on the club’s results, but he will also be hugely useful in the team’s system. He will now be able to replace Daniel Amartey in the heart of a more conventional back-three, giving Rodgers the option of partnering him with the likes of Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana, a luxury that he has not been afforded on too many occasions throughout the campaign.

It goes without saying then that Soyuncu’s return to action is positive news all around for Leicester and it comes at the perfect time.

AND in more news, find out why Leicester must try again for a previous transfer target should they earn UCL football…

Plenty of Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Wesley Hoedt is set to return to the club at the end of the season.

Hoedt has spent this campaign out on loan at Italian side Lazio. Not so long ago, it seemed the Serie A outfit were eager to sign him permanently (lalaziosiamonoi.it). However, according to Radiosei (via lalaziosiamonoi.it), it appears the Rome-based outfit are no longer interested in pursuing such a deal.

The change in heart is reportedly down to a number of poor performances. He has actually started just four of the last 11 Serie A matches (Transfermarkt), which shows that Simone Inzaghi does not quite have faith in the £5.4m-valued defender.

The news was relayed by Twitter account @SouthamptonPage, and it is fair to say that some Saints supporters are not best pleased with the update as they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hoedt news below

“Stealing a living”

Credit: @stevebr27075195

“His arrogance gets in the way of everything”

Credit: @griffryan

“We’ll have to release him and lose a lot of money.. not being funny but no one is going to want him”

Credit: @WillsfcMitchell

“Probably one of the worse signings we’ve ever made. We signed him after he had a fight in training at Lazio with Felipe Anderson, was awful for us and now we can’t even give him away”

Credit: @Extr3me_Matrix

“Loan him out to Acrington Stanley for a year for a packet of hob-nobs and 241 vouchers at Chesington World Of Adventure.”

Credit: @bfgfox

“Such a failure for what we paid for him. The frustrating thing is there is a player in him, it’s his own ego and concentration that lets him down”

Credit: @HebbesAlex

In other news, Southampton enquire about this Premier League striker.

Liverpool look to have suffered a transfer blow in their hopes of signing Lille centre-back Sven Botman, with Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano suggesting that he is unlikely to be joining the Reds.

The Dutch centre-back has been touted as a potential option for Jurgen Klopp’s side throughout the transfer window but it appears as if he will be staying with Lille in Ligue 1, for now at least.

The 21-year-old has impressed with Les Dogues since joining from Ajax in last summer’s transfer window, having made 22 appearances in the French top-flight, in which he has averaged a superb 7.08 rating.

Whilst the Reds are seemingly close to signing Ben Davies from Preston North End and Ozan Kabak from Schalke before the deadline, neither have reached the levels of performance of Botman so far this season.

Davies has averaged a 6.82 rating for his performances in the Championship, whereas Kabak has earned a worrying 6.39 average rating for his performances in the Bundesliga, suggesting that on current form at least, Botman would have been a better option than both.

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Botman also outscored both Davies and Kabak when it comes to interceptions and aerial duels won on average this season, despite playing in a better side, considering Preston’s level and Schalke’s dreadful form in recent times.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the 21-year-old is currently a better player than both, so it is a shame that he won’t be joining Klopp’s side this season, as he could’ve been a great addition to the squad, especially considering the current injury concerns.

Sports journalist Robin Bairner was full of praise for the Lille man on Twitter recently, saying:

“Sven Botman has been simply brilliant for Lille this season. It’s incredible that it’s his second season playing first-team football.”

Therefore, considering his performances this season, you would hope that the Reds will consider reigniting their interest in Botman in the future, as he looks to have a huge amount of potential.

And, in other news… “He could play for Liverpool” – Exclusive: Pundit drops claim on £18m-rated PL star who wants to play in the CL

Eric Dier let Jose Mourinho down as Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 to West Ham United on Sunday, with a performance worse than Davinson Sanchez’s during the London derby.

Spurs are now winless in five of their last six Premier League games and trail the fourth-placed Hammers by nine points in the race for Champions League football, albeit with a game in hand.

Criticism can fall at both Dier and Sanchez’s feet for the goals scored by David Moyes’ side, with Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard able to fire past Hugo Lloris after errors from the England and Colombia internationals.

Dier simply watched the ball sail over his head inside the opening stages, hoping that Lloris would come and collect Jarrod Bowen’s teasing cross, only to be left yelling at Japhet Tanganga for not staying with Antonio’s run after he smashed home at the second time of asking.

The goal gave the hosts the momentum to go on the attack, but the Irons failed to double their advantage until two minutes into the second half when Sanchez produced a feeble attempt to stop Lingard running through for his third goal since joining West Ham on loan.

Dier was also far too slow to turn with the danger as the Manchester United-owned midfielder broke into Lloris’ box, leaving Lingard unchallenged to drill his left-footed effort into the far corner of the net.

Question marks could be raised over Lloris’ decision not to collect Bowen’s cross that led to Antonio’s goal. However, the bigger error was committed by Dier in allowing the ball to float into the six-yard box unchallenged, knowing that the striker was immediately behind.

An all too frequent occurrence for a player that had traditionally been a midfielder throughout his Spurs career – this trend only shows his several lack of positional awareness to be a central defender for the future.

Sanchez’s error in the lead-up to Lingard’s goal also overshadowed a performance that otherwise featured multiple moments of merit for the defender that Dier’s display did not.

While Sanchez registered a game-high five successful tackles, Dier took possession with just two of his four attempts. The £72k-per-week England international also offered fewer clearances (2) than his Colombian teammate, who provided a team-high five, via SofaScore.

Only Aaron Cresswell (6) recorded more clearances than Sanchez for West Ham, while Craig Dawson, Declan Rice and the £36m-rated Tottenham colossus also offered a joint game-high three interceptions. Dier made zero interceptions and fewer clearances than half-time substitute Matt Doherty (3).

Dier, who saw the ball for the second-most touches (92) among both sides – marginally more than third-ranked Sanchez (89) – completed just 83% of his passes, the same as his defensive partner and just two per cent superior than goalkeeper Lloris (81%).

The former Sporting CP centre-half’s efforts also trailed his seasonal averages for clearances (4.8) and interceptions (0.9) made in the Premier League this term, though Dier eclipsed his usual standards for pass success (82%) and touches taken (72.9).

But given how influential his role was in Tottenham’s plans to beat West Ham, Mourinho will have surely felt let down by seeing Dier pass the blame onto Tanganga for Antonio’s goal and fail to atone for his error like Sanchez.

AND in other news, Tottenham Hotspur face a £51m asking price to land a “talented” leader this summer…

Celtic are reportedly monitoring Hibernian goalkeeper Ofir Marciano ahead of the summer window.

There has been a key development regarding his future, with Hibernian manager Jack Ross confirming that the 31-year-old has turned down a new contract at Easter Road.

Premier League ambitions

Marciano, who has made 145 appearances for Hibernian and has turned out 23 times for Israel, will now leave the club at the end of the season when his current deal expires.

Celtic aren’t the only side who have been linked with the shot-stopper. Hapoel Be’er Sheva are another club thought to be keen on Marciano, who has Premier League ambitions.

Transfer Tavern take

It remains to be seen what Celtic’s goalkeeping plans are for the 2021/22 campaign, but statistically a move for Marciano could be a shrewd one.

He has kept 12 clean sheets in the Premiership this season, the same number as Scott Bain and more than Vasilis Barkas (10).

Performance-wise, Marciano leads the way among the trio, as per WhoScored. The Israeli averages a Premiership match rating of 6.73, up on Barkas’ score of 6.49 and Bain’s 6.62.

Conor Hazard recently penned new Parkhead terms, so you’d expect that either Barkas or Bain would have to make way in order for Marciano to come in.

In other news: Celtic are keen to talk to teenage ace who attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Juventus last year, find out more here.

If the transfer window slams shut with Wolves doing no business, it will frustrate supporters.

The club have won just two of their last nine outings so arrivals need to be forthcoming. Fortunately, they have at least bolstered squad numbers by recalling Patrick Cutrone and Morgan Gibbs-White.

On the chalkboard

Gibbs-White spent the first half of the season on loan at Swansea but after playing just five games for the Championship outfit, he spent a period out injured.

It wasn’t the most profitable experience for the young attacking midfielder but it’s clear that Nuno Santo has trust in him.

He came off the bench in the club’s FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace last Friday but then started against Everton in an advanced role. Nuno will now be hoping that he can improve a lacklustre attack that has wilted since Raul Jimenez fractured his skull.

However, just as the Englishman has returned, could he already be in trouble? Considering Gibbs-White’s Wolves career to date, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he suffered another setback.

Tavernier to the rescue

According to TEAMtalk, Wolves are one of a number of Premier League sides to have registered an interest in Middlesbrough attacker Marcus Tavernier.

The 21-year-old is a rather versatile individual and as well as having the ability to play on the flanks, can also play in a central role just behind the striker.

Therefore, Gibbs-White clearly needs to watch out, especially when the Boro star has been challenged to replicate a current England international.

Speaking about Tavernier last summer, Neil Warnock said: “I think he’s got a few strings to his bow if I’m honest. I looked at Mason Mount the other night and how he’s come on in 12 months.

“There’s no reason why Tav can’t do that in the next 12 months if he motivates himself and listens. He’s got some great attributes and good habits. All being well we can put him in the right direction and he can become a very good player.”

You just need to assess the stats of the pairing in the Championship this season to understand why Wolves have to sign him.

In 2020/21, Tavernier has scored two goals and registered three assists, performing 1.8 shots per game. With that in mind, he’s a bigger goal threat than Gibbs-White, someone who managed one goal and only 1.4 shots a match for Swansea in comparison.

Tavernier, who earns £8k-per-week at the Riverside, is clearly a very talented player and given his age, could very quickly usurp Gibbs-White at Wolves.

After all, he’s receiving regular first-team football on a more consistent basis than his potential new teammate.

The Wolves youngster, for instance, only has 17 league starts to his name in his entire career. Tavernier has surpassed that in this season alone.

Considering Nuno loves developing new arrivals, he would be a brilliant addition. That being said, it could spell the end of the road for Gibbs-White’s progression.

AND in other news, Shi heading for costly error on 105-cap Wolves target once dubbed “out of this world”…

Leicester have the chance to put more daylight between themselves and closest Europa League opponents Sporting Braga this evening. The two have three points between them but a win for the Foxes in Portugal will be a huge boost for their 2020/21 campaign.

It will also put Leicester in good stead to top their group and finish on maximum points. However, Brendan Rodgers will be cautious of the fact that they play Fulham in just a matter of days and can’t afford to risk any key players.

With a dilemma on his hands, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Leicester to line up vs Braga tonight…

The Foxes will be reeling after a 3-0 defeat against Liverpool ended their six-game unbeaten run. The reigning champions made easy work of bagging another Premier League win and have now leapfrogged Leicester in the table. Eager not to let it set a dynamic, Rodgers will be putting all of his focus into tonight’s tactics and we could see a change in formation.

Despite playing with three central defenders and deploying his full-backs further up the pitch recently, the boss could revert to a standard four across the back in order to maximise defensive strength. James Justin and Christian Fuchs will shift back as Rodgers could recreate the set up he fielded against Zorya last month.

After struggling against Liverpool and netting an own goal, Jonny Evans could be given a breather ahead of Fulham, with the lesser seen Wes Morgan stepping in to start. The £80,000 per week centre-back could make an appearance in the second half though.

Leicester will need the creative mind of Youri Tielemans in midfield but could also rely on Hamza Choudhury, who started the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium with Wilfried Ndidi still out.

Kelechi Iheanacho will undoubtedly start after bagging two goals last time out, but his support may be altered a little. Ayoze Perez hasn’t started a match for Rodgers in more than a month, with Harvey Barnes now excelling in the team. However, the youngster struggled at Anfield and the Spaniard may finally get the nod to play opposite fellow winger Cengiz Under, with James Maddison pulling the strings in the middle.

It will be bold option to start Perez after he has fallen down the pecking order, but it could be the boost he needs to perform and stay happy in the squad.

In other news, Ricardo Pereira’s U23 appearance is exactly what Rodgers needed…

Manchester United will be well aware they have a mountain to climb if they are to challenge defending champions Liverpool for the Premier League this season.

Although the Red Devils are expecting a relatively quiet January transfer window, the board could be tempted to make a move for a signing should the opportunity arise to sign one of their top targets in the upcoming market.

With United’s finances restricted due to the coronavirus pandemics, perhaps Ed Woodward could be tempted to raise surplus cash by offloading some of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s fringe players.

You’d have to imagine that Phil Jones and Andreas Pereira, who is currently on loan at Serie A side Lazio, will be among the first names on the chopping block.

However, Solskjaer must bite the bullet and urge Woodward to cash in on Jesse Lingard, with the £100,000-per-week United outcast bleeding the Glazers dry.

Reports in recent times revealed that Solskjaer is looking to sell Lingard as soon as possible, but a move never materialised up until now.

Glasgow Rangers, Celtic, and teams from Germany, Spain and Italy are all interested in the former England international, according to TEAMtalk, which is perhaps hardly surprising given his experience.

The one-time Premier League champion has scored 33 goals and supplied 20 assists in over 200 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

But the versatile forward, who predominantly plays as a right winger, hasn’t played a single game in the Premier League or the Champions League so far this season and despite being fit has been left out of the matchday squads for the past nine fixtures in the top flight.

His playing time solely been limited to just two appearances in the EFL Cup, where he failed to record a single goal or register a single assist against Luton, despite playing the full 90′ minutes, which only goes to show that he may be heading for the Old Trafford exit.

Despite his shortcomings, the 28-year-old still earns more than Daniel James and Mason Greenwood, despite the fact the pair have played more regularly than Lingard.

It’s surely a no brainer at this stage for Woodward to simply cut his losses once and for all, as he’s costing the Glazers a fortune by being an unused substitute on the bench, and the money may be best spent elsewhere instead, like signing a new centre-back.

AND in other news, Paul Pogba stole the show for Solskjaer as Man Utd edged past Sheffield United…