All posts by z3u9t.icu

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United, has called for Dwight Gayle to be dropped, if Callum Wilson is ready to start against Burnley.

Steve Bruce confirmed during his pre-match press conference that both Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin were available for the Burnley match, however he did not mention if they would be fit enough to feature from the start.

Bruce opted to play two strikers against Tottenham hotspur last week in Gayle and Joelinton and it was the latter who stood out with a goal and assist in their 2-2 draw, whereas Gayle missed two great chances to open the scoring.

Speaking on who Wilson should replace against Burnley if he’s fit and why Joelinton must keep performing to the standard he set against Spurs, Howey told FFC:

“You probably have to drop Gayle because of Joelinton’s performance against Tottenham.

“I do think though that if Joelinton reverts back to the performances that we have previously seen, then the manager has to change it again.”

It has been reported that the £40,000-per-week striker is set to be offered a new three-year contract at the club, despite having scored just one goal all season.

Callum Wilson’s return to fitness will be very much welcomed by both fans and Bruce who know how important he is for the Magpies to stay up this season.

Queens Park Rangers were left with a share of the spoils on Saturday afternoon after battling out a frustrating, but otherwise, entertaining draw against Reading in the Championship.

It means Mark Warburton’s side have lost just one of their last five league outings, though he should be concerned as usual talisman, Charlie Austin, was way off the pace on the day.

The 31-year-old veteran, on loan from West Brom, has been enjoying life back at Loftus Road having scored five times in 23 appearances. However, against the Royals, he was anonymous, lightweight and rather poor.

As per SofaScore, Austin was Warburton’s lowest-rated player, bringing him a 6.4. Only one other started from the 22 on the pitch managed to be graded worse.

He just could not get into the game whatsoever. The 6 foot 2 striker was hauled off in the 65th minute after making only 25 touches – the lowest of any QPR starter. Even Geoff Cameron, who played a good 20 minutes fewer than Austin managed to match that number, and goalkeeper Seny Dieng (36).

Austin also made just nine passes – that’s just one every seven minutes and was comfortably the worst return of any player on the pitch.

West London Sport were particularly scathing in their review, grading him as QPR’s lowest-rated outfield player, They wrote: ‘Missed two presentable chances in the first half and was loose in possession far too often.’

Indeed, it is hard to argue with that.

The £1.8m-rated loanee lost possession ten times, which means he handed the ball back to the opposition every 2.5 touches – hugely wasteful.

In addition to that, Austin even lost five of his eight duels (62.5%), both on the ground and in the air, meaning more often than not he was beaten all ends up by the Reading defence – only adding to his, and probably Warburton’s, frustrations.

It’s no wonder he was hooked with just under half an hour to play. He badly let his manager down, and will need to improve substantially after the international break to keep his place, with Macauley Bonne waiting in the wings for that golden opportunity.

AND in other news, Forget Dykes: QPR monster who had 92 touches stole the show for Warburton on Wednesday…

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Sevilla star Lucas Ocampos this summer, with a number of clubs thought to be keen on him.

Marcelo Bielsa will be eyeing up additions in the next transfer window as he looks to make his squad more formidable ahead of next season.

Leeds have impressed in their first year back in the Premier League, but they need to ensure they kick on and don’t go backwards in 2021/22. Bielsa may feel that more attacking firepower is required and an exciting new rumour suggests that is the case.

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Leeds keen on Ocampos move

According to Football Insider, the Whites are interested in snapping up Sevilla hero Ocampos, with the report claiming that they are ‘keeping tabs’ on the £36m-rated winger. Even better for Bielsa, the Europa League holders are reportedly willing to sell him for much less than his £62m release clause due to the financial effects of the global pandemic.

The 26-year-old has chipped in with four goals and assists apiece in La Liga this season, starting 21 of Sevilla’s league matches.

Transfer Tavern take

Ocampos seems an exciting player, so it would feel significant if Leeds could get a deal over the line. At 26, he is at a prime age to come in and make an immediate impression.

Wolves are also believed to be interested, however, as are other clubs, so Bielsa may have to work all of his magic in a timely fashion if a deal is to be completed.

In other news, one international Leeds player is set to leave the club this summer – find out who it is here.

Leicester City travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton on Saturday evening, and the match could be the perfect time for Brendan Rodgers to blood an exciting youngster.

Sidnei Tavares has been afforded a couple of brief cameos in recent weeks, appearing off the bench in both the UEFA Europa League and Premier League.

He was introduced late on in Leicester’s last league outing – the 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor – but it’s now time for his first start.

With Leicester having suffered a plethora of injury woes this season, they have been limited in their options in midfield.

Dennis Praet was ruled out long-term following an injury picked up against Stoke City, whilst James Maddison has also recently been restricted to the sidelines with a hip problem. Ayoze Perez could have deputised but he too has been ruled out.

That means Leicester have been relying on Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder has played in all but two of Leicester’s games in all competitions this season. The last time he didn’t appear was in a 1-0 defeat to Zorya Luhansk way back at the start of December.

Of course, the midfielder has been one of the Foxes’ most reliable players this season, posting their third-highest WhoScored average match rating – hence why he has been selected so much by Rodgers.

However, Portugal underage international Tavares could help take the burden off of the former AS Monaco man’s shoulders.

Traditionally an attacking midfielder, he has solid statistics in the Foxes’ youth ranks, netting 12 goals and providing six assists in appearances for various age groups.

His talent has certainly been noticed in recent years, too. Barcelona have been rumoured to be considering a move for the midfielder, whilst Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers said recently that he has “big potential”.

After all, the east Midlanders have enjoyed plenty of success with their youth ranks in recent years, with the likes of Harvey Barnes, Ben Chilwell, Hamza Choudhury and Luke Thomas all breaking into the firs team squad.

Should Rodgers elect to give Tielemans a well-earned rest against Brighton this weekend, Tavares could well be the perfect replacement and also potentially become the next star off of the King Power Stadium production line.

AND in more news, have a look at why we believe Leicester could do better than signing Orkun Kokcu.

Celtic may be without a manager but transfer preparations at Parkhead are well and truly underway.

What’s the word?

The Hoops have already wrapped up a deal to bring Liam Shaw to Glasgow but two other players who could join are more youngsters from the EFL; Kyle Joseph and Kwadwo Baah.

However, they’re now looking to sign an explosive winger in the shape of Aaron-Salem Boupendza.

That’s according to 90min, who suggest that Celtic are one of a number of teams vying for the winger’s signature.

Boupendza currently plays in Turkey for Hatayspor where he’s been seriously impressive. Arsenal are one of the sides chasing his signature with the Bhoys facing plenty of competition from south of the border.

Southampton, Tottenham, Leicester, West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Wolves are all monitoring his development while Rangers are also an interested party.

Christie upgrade

This will be music to the ears of Hoops supporters; Boupendza should be an upgrade on the much-maligned Ryan Christie.

The Scot has been in shocking form lately, scoring just twice in his last 25 outings for Celtic. For someone who found the net on 20 occasions last term, he has been abject at best.

Christie’s end product has often been left wanting and that has never been more evident than in the 1-0 defeat to Ross County.

He played as a striker next to Odsonne Edouard but spurned four chances, including an opportunity from just a matter of yards out that not only cleared the crossbar, but also the stand behind the goal.

With that in mind, signing someone like Boupendza would undoubtedly help Celtic. He is capable of playing on either flank, as well as through the middle as a central striker.

He has been electrifying for Hatayspor this season, scoring 18 times in just 28 outings. He’s failed to register an assist but with players like David Turnbull and James Forrest in the side, that should be of no concern.

Vital to the 24-year-old’s style of play is his dribbling. When one-on-one with the defender, Boupendza often gets the better of them. He has attempted 109 dribbles this season, completing 69 at a rate of 2.7 per match.

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For context, no player at Celtic has recorded more than the 1.6 dribbles amassed by Tom Rogic and Edouard.

Clearly, he could offer something different to the new manager at Paradise. On top of that, he could even be a more potent goal threat than someone like Christie.

As Celtic try to reclaim their dominance of the SPFL, finding more goals will be of utmost importance. Boupendza would offer than in abundance.

AND in other news, Forget Christie: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 23 y/o next term, he’s “outstanding”…

Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash with arch-rivals Chelsea this evening, Jose Mourinho has been cruelly dealt some troubling injury news…

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick’s update ahead of tonight’s game against Chelsea, two of Spurs’ injured players have now seemingly been ruled out for the remainder of February.

Giovani Lo Celso has been absent since pulling up with a hamstring problem in their 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on December 20th, and the reliable journalist claims ‘there is little prospect of the midfielder returning for at least three weeks.’

While Sergio Reguilon is another who is currently on the treatment table at present.

Kilpatrick has also delivered an update over his progress as he too is out with hamstring trouble, though just like the Argentine, he’s ‘set to miss most of February.’

Cruel blow

Given Spurs’ current form, this will quickly become a nightmare for Mourinho as he could really do with both players right now. Indeed, they have lost back-to-back matches and now face the Blues, who have a bit of a new manager bounce after appointing Thomas Tuchel.

Spurs have missed both players and their attacking influence substantially over the last few weeks and would have hoped to have them back as soon as possible.

Across their two defeats to Liverpool (3-1) last week and then Brighton (1-0) on Sunday, Mourinho’s side have only amassed an xG of 0.47 as per Understat.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike against the defending champions was a rare scorcher from long-range, so without that, they’d have failed to score in successive outings.

Lo Celso ranks third for key passes per 90 (1.88) but when you factor in those that have played at least ten league games, he sits top of the tree, so clearly, Spurs have lacked his presence in attacking midfield as he’s been the man providing those valuable chances to Kane and co.

Similarly, only Kane (11) and Heung-min Son (six) have delivered more assists for Spurs than Reguilon (three) in the Premier League this term, as per WhoScored.

No left-sided full-back is managing as many as his 0.7 successful crosses per 90 either. And that’s a problem as they attack most down this flank (37%).

It’s no wonder that Spurs have struggled to score in the absence of the duo, so to be without them throughout the rest of the month with games against Everton in the FA Cup, league leaders Man City and for the return of the Europa League knockout stages, is potentially one cruel blow to their chances of stopping the rot anytime soon.

Even when Kane hopefully returns next week, he’s going to struggle to score goals himself if Spurs aren’t creating chances, so having Lo Celso and Reguilon sidelined for such a long time is certainly going to keep Mourinho up at night.

AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash “exciting” £26m-rated beast tonight, he could be Spurs’ game-changer…

Leicester City scrape a narrow win over Aston Villa thanks to goals from Harvey Barnes and James Maddison. Despite the home side grabbing a goal back early in the second half, it wasn’t enough to hugely trouble the Foxes.

They held onto their lead and will enjoy jumping into second place thanks to their hard-fought win.

Barnes was unarguably the player of the match with a goal and an assist to his name.

However, one man who also shone for Leicester was Ricardo Pereira. The Portugal international was deployed in a more advanced role this evening, starting the match in a wide attacking position rather than his usual spot in defence.

This is the first time he has played in this position since his long-term knee injury, but he definitely didn’t forget how to adapt.

Ricardo Pereira vs Aston Villa

A versatile senior player is something that every Premier League club should benefit from. Pereira has certainly proven that he can adopt new roles and his performance against Villa showcased his versatility at its best.

According to Sofascore, the £70k-per-week speedster registered two shots on target and made two key passes, which showed just how much of a handful he was for the Villains’ defence.

Not only did he make their backline work with his attacking contributions, but his natural defensive mind also came into play.

Pereira chipped in three tackles when tracking back to help out the defence. This is more than what both Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans managed to put in, with the latter failing to register a single tackle, block or interception.

Finding the balance between attacking and defending is a skill that takes a lot of fine-tuning, but Pereira has the ability to perform in both roles without neglecting one or the other.

Jamie Carragher recently heaped praise on the full-back, describing him as a “classy” player under Rodgers. Indeed, the boss will be delighted to have him back from injury and will hope to continue to utilise him in these more advanced positions.

In other news, Steve Howey labels James Justin injury a “huge blow”…

Sheffield Wednesday are among the teams chasing a loan move for Jarrad Branthwaite this month, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Owls are said to be one of several Championship sides lining up a temporary spell for the promising Everton centre-back, as per the ECHO.

The 18-year-old is thought to be open to the idea of a short stint away from his parent club to gain some valuable first-team minutes under his belt after a frustrating campaign.

League rivals Blackburn Rovers are the only other side mentioned in the report.

Shades of Michael Hector

With the Toffees teen down the pecking order, behind the likes of Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey, a move to Hillsborough Stadium would certainly prove beneficial.

In recent weeks, Wednesday have suffered injuries to their backline, notably Chey Dunkley and Julian Borner, whilst last season’s Player of the Year, Dominic Iorfa, has been ruled out for the entire season.

The Owls have even lost central defensive loanee Aden Flint back to parent club Cardiff City, so there is a need for additions at the back.

Since his debut last season, Branthwaite has been restricted to a total of only five senior appearances and requires game time, and Wednesday know all too well how loans like this can turn out as Michael Hector was a massive hit in south Yorkshire only two seasons ago.

Many fans wanted his return after a successful loan spell from Chelsea, though he went on to sign for Fulham for £8m.

And the two bear some similarities – both are at least 6 foot 4 inches in height and have pacey attributes despite their towering presence.

Indeed, Branthwaite has been dubbed one of the fastest players at Goodison Park (Sky Sports, via the News and Star) whilst Hector was lauded for his speed by the Premier League’s official website after transforming Fulham’s backline.

The teenager’s former manager at Carlisle has previously waxed lyrical over his potential, claiming: “The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer.”

Considering he’s only on a reported £15k-per-week, he could fit into the Owls’ wage bill nicely as Flint was thought to be on the same amount and he’s no longer at the club.

Dejphon Chansiri must swoop for Branthwaite before one of their rivals get to him this month.

AND in other news, How Sheffield Wednesday could look under managerial front-runner Paul Cook…

If losing Harry Kane to injury last season taught Tottenham anything, it’s that they need more personnel on their attacking roster. As the club push for their first ever Premier League title, a solid back up for the England international should be high Jose Mourinho’s shopping list.

Spurs currently only have loan signing Carlos Vinicius to cover Kane, which isn’t good enough for an elite side on the hunt for silverware. Desperate times like these only highlight deals from the past that turned out to be wrong in hindsight. One of them is Daniel Levy’s decision to let Fernando Llorente leave last year.

Llorente was a loss for Spurs

Looking to bolster their options up front, Spurs paid £15million to sign Swansea’s star player in 2017. Thanks to Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson – who also left the club at the end of the 2016/17 season – the Swans survived relegation. The striker netted an admirable 15 goals, finishing in the top ten highest goal scorers for the campaign.

Despite a slow start to his career in north London, Llorente showed flashes of brilliance and ended his tenure with 13 goals and six assists in mainly cameo appearances (via Transfermarkt). And although he played second fiddle to Kane, Mauricio Pochettino was a big admirer of his. So much so that when the Spain international joined Napoli on a free contract last summer, the former boss was left seething when they were trumped by the Italians for his signature.

That certainly would have caused friction between Pochettino and Levy and could have potentially added to the Argentinian’s shock departure just months later. Fans were left distraught when their beloved manager was given the sack and they were frustrated with Levy over his decision to let Llorente go.

It seems despite his clever deals like signing Dele Alli for £5million, the Spurs chairman isn’t squeaky clean when it comes to his business decision. This is definitely up there with some of the club’s major faux pas.

In other news, Dele Alli situation could brew storm between Daniel Levy & Jose Mourinho…

Leicester City will have their eyes on a third-place spot in the Premier League table this evening as they prepare to host Brighton at the King Power Stadium.

Chelsea’s surprise 1-0 loss to Everton last night will have hugely frustrated Frank Lampard in his title endeavours, but the Foxes could capitalise on this and move third.

Leicester’s last fixture saw them bank a 2-0 victory over AEK Athens to finish top of their group in the Europa League.

Prior to that, they put their bodies on the line to snatch all three points from Sheffield United in what looked certain to be a game ending in a draw.

With morale high and their recent wins in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how Brendan Rodgers will set up to face the Seagulls tonight.

After his recent performances in the Europa League, Cengiz Under may have earned himself a start in the Premier League.

Whilst it would come at the expense of James Maddison’s spot in the lineup, the winger and Harvey Barnes are a very dangerous duo when they take to the pitch together.

Both of them teaming up with Jamie Vardy could cause a huge headache for Brighton in three changes by Rodgers.

With Wilfred Ndidi back to fitness, he should be one of the first names on Rodgers’ team-sheet. The £75,000 per week defensive midfielder has been sorely missed and will help to keep any surprise Brighton attacks at bay.

An outlandish prediction which could come to fruition is that Luke Thomas could be rewarded with a start after his strong European form.

Whilst this would mean James Justin drops to the bench, it would be a huge chance for the 19-year-old, who is desperate to become a regular under Rodgers.

A win tonight will be huge for the Foxes, who will knock Chelsea off their third-place spot and put pressure on Liverpool and Spurs, who will face each other today.

In other news, Luke Thomas did Rodgers proud in match vs Athens…