All posts by z3u9t.icu

If you could have predicted one fixture in the Premier League today to end in a 0-0 draw, it was always going to be West Bromwich Albion’s clash with Newcastle.

Both teams have been poor this season and consequently, this match was a relegation six-pointer. West Brom are currently in the relegation zone and a win today would have restored the gap to themselves and the Magpies.

Yet, in rather torrid fashion, they played out a goalless draw, a result that did neither side any favours on Sunday afternoon.

Sam Allardyce’s men kept their fourth successive clean sheet but were laboured in front of goal as they lacked the cutting edge necessary to see off Newcastle.

The man who typified their poor display this afternoon was Mbaye Diagne. Sporting eye-catching blue hair, that was about the most exciting thing on offer from him.

Diagne arrived in January on a loan deal and after scoring in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United, looked a solid acquisition. Though, as his performances of late are showing, he may not be up to scratch in the Premier League.

A number of players were dismal on Sunday, no less than Ainsley Maitland-Niles. His decision making was left wanting on a number of occasions in the middle of the park, but he was at least keen to drive his team forward, performing five dribbles.

The same cannot be said for Diagne. He didn’t offer much of a presence up top and made just 12 passes in the entire match. Though, most concerning of all was the Senegalese’s finishing ability.

Conor Townsend was rampant down the left-hand side but despite creating numerous chances for Albion’s striker, he didn’t tuck them away. Diagne’s movement was good but when the ball actually landed at his feet, he left Martin Dubravka with no reason to be fearful.

The winter signing fired a total of three attempts off target, costing Allardyce dearly in a game that meant so much to his team.

To make matters worse, he lost possession of the ball on 15 occasions. When you consider that he only touched it 33 times, it makes for pretty glum reading. Diagne was so poor that his tally of touches was actually fewer than goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

If West Brom want to stay in the division, they’ll need to find someone capable of scoring goals regularly sooner rather than later. Diagne doesn’t feel like the answer to their prayers.

AND in other news, “Might come back and haunt them” – Exclusive: Pundit raises doubts over “unfair” West Brom call…

According to Glasgow Live, Rangers outcast Jordan Jones could be used as a transfer makeweight to help secure a move for Aberdeen star Scott Wright before the transfer window closes this week.

What’s the word?

Jones previously made headlines for all of the wrong reasons having been handed a seven-game ban by the SFA for breaking coronavirus protocols.

The Northern Ireland winger has served his suspension after being charged over the incident but is yet to to receive a minute of playing time for Steven Gerrard’s side this year.

Rangers have now made it clear they’re ready to offload him this month and Glasgow Live reports that he could find a new home with Derek McInnes’ side.

Get rid of him

After suffering a goal drought stretching back to the 3-2 win over Standard Liege in the Europa League last year, Ryan Kent ended his barron spell with a fine finish against Ross County.

Speculation is rife over his future at the club, but Kent looked to have his focus back against the Staggies in Saturday’s 5-0 win.

Whilst Gerrard is in dire need of options out wide, this doesn’t mean that he should turn to Jones. Indeed, it would be better for the Ibrox boss to simply offload the Northern Irishman – either permanently or on a temporary basis with an option to buy.

Jones has struggled to have any real impact for Rangers since he signed a four-year pre-contract deal with the 54-time Scottish champions in 2019.

The 26-year-old’s slump is stark – he has gone three games without a goal and has netted just once in 19 games for the Gers. Alarming figures for a forward who was once considered to be “a great talent” by his former Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke. This is a poor return by any player’s standards, especially when you consider the fact that he earns around £9,100-per-week at Ibrox, which is more than regular starter Joe Aribo.

For context, this is even fewer goals than Brandon Barker, who himself faces an uncertain future at the club having struggled for game time under Gerrard this season.

His salary could be used to pay for Wright’s imminent arrival with Gerrard seemingly eager to bring the 23-year-old left-winger to Ibrox before the transfer window closes this week.

However, the Dons are holding firm, as they are reluctant to part ways with one of their star players immediately, so Jones could be used to sweeten the deal instead.

AND in other news, Rangers are close to securing Scott Wright from Aberdeen…

Since Jeff Shi became owner of Wolves, the mantra has been to develop players for the future.That’s seen the likes of Diogo Jota, Adama Traore and Pedro Neto become genuine stars of the Premier League. The idea is to breed them young and then develop them quickly.Unfortunately for those coming up through the academy, it’s mainly been done through external transfers, players coming in from abroad.Rarely do we see those who have risen through the ranks at Molineux given a chance to enjoy first-team life. Max Kilman has stepped up admirably this term but Morgan Gibbs-White is someone still struggling to make the grade in the top-flight.His loan stint at Swansea was cut short with Wolves needing more depth in January but he’s featured as a starter just once in the league since returning.Gibbs-White has undeniable talent but can’t quite provide enough quality to impress Nuno enough to trust him regularly. Worryingly for the 21-year-old, there’s another player in the academy in his position making waves.That happens to be Owen Hesketh, a young attacking midfielder scoring on a regular basis for the U23s.The 18-year-old is capable of playing on both flanks, but also as a number 10 or central midfielder. His versatility is eye-catching, but so is his ability to find the back of the net.In his last four games, Hesketh has beaten the goalkeeper on three occasions.

It’s a run of form that’s seen him earn rave reviews, particularly from U23 boss James Collins. He said earlier this week: “Owen is a real plus to have in the group and have in the team, because he keeps the game ticking with the way he passes the ball, he’s always the one wanting the ball from a teammate.â€

Collins continued: “Owen has come in and scores every week, it seems.â€

Remarkably, this is the youngster’s first season in U23 football. He has stepped up to the plate and has now become one of their most important players at academy level.

If it wasn’t for a loan spell to Meritan Shabani, however, he may not have got his chance. Football is often about circumstance and if Gibbs-White finds himself on the sidelines again or out on loan, Hesketh will be waiting in the wings ready for his chance.

Judging by his counterpart’s form, he could even be given a go this season. After all, the Old Gold have little to play for between now and the end of the campaign. It would be risk-free to unleash him.

AND in other news, Wolves may already have their next Coady in rarely-seen 19 y/o who’s “always had potential”…

Leeds United picked up a great result against Newcastle United on Wednesday night as they won 5-2. However it was a surprise to see Helder Costa not feature in the match day squad.

What Bielsa had to say about Costa

When asked if there was an injury to Costa and whether that was why he was not involved against Newcastle, Bielsa simply said: “No injury.”

Helder Costa has to prove himself

This simple message highlights that at the moment Bielsa believes there are 18 better players than the winger who deserve a spot in the squad more than him.

He definitely has the quality to succeed, with his former manager Nuno Espirito Santos saying: “The first season we were in the Premier League, Helder was immense and had a huge impact on the team.

He’s a very talented player, but things happen naturally, players move from here to another place. It happens in football. Honestly, I’m delighted he’s showing his quality and enjoying his football.”

However this season has not shown his quality. The 26 year-old has scored twice, in ten appearances, and has only managed on average 0.9 shots and 0.7 key passes a game (WhoScored).

The player now knows that he has to perform better and more consistently when given the chance if he wants to be playing more for the club.

In other news, Leeds United tipped to go in for £14.4m-rated Premier League winner.

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers target Daniel Johnson’s future at Preston North End is in doubt after he rejected a club-record deal.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed Johnson is still of interest to Rangers and that Alex Neil is resigned to the loss of the 28-year-old in the summer.

Rangers seem to be in a one-horse race to sign the attacking midfielder, whose current contract is set to expire at the end of this season.

Johnson has been in decent form for Preston after a sluggish start, providing four goals and three assists in 18 appearances in all competitions this season, via Transfermarkt.

Barry Ferguson 2.0?

He has played 17 games in the Championship, bagging three goals and three assists, but he now seems destined for the Deepdale exit.

A transfer for Johnson would be a good move for Rangers, especially if the club don’t intend to renew Bongani Zungu’s contract, which will run out at the end of the current season.

From the outside, it seems he has a lot of factors that make him the perfect fit for Steven Gerrard’s side: an experienced box-to-box midfielder itching for a new challenge; available for little more than a compensation fee; and he has the ability to play in a variety of positions across the midfield.

Just like Rangers legend Barry Ferguson before him, the £3.6m-rated colossus could become the lynchpin in the midfield, as he is able to control the ball and dictate play. Ferguson famously scored 19 goals from the middle of the park to win the Scottish Football Writers’ Association and PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year in the 2002-03 season.

In over 200 appearances for Preston, Johnson has contributed to 76 goals in total, via Transfermarkt.

Speaking to Football Insider, Alan Hutton heaped praise on his old Aston Villa teammate, saying: “Obviously, I know Daniel Johnson from his time at Villa, so I was very surprised at the time when Villa let him go, I thought it was very early, I thought they could have held onto him to see where he went in his career.

“He’s gone to Preston and he’s been unbelievable, done unbelievably well. Last season, he played as a number 10 and I think the numbers are there for everyone to see, he’s done really well, but he’s also a number eight in my opinion, he can do both.”

As Gerrard’s Gers look to derail Celtic’s bid for ten in a row, recruiting the Jamaican would be a shrewd bit of business. It’s rare to find a talented player for such a low transfer fee, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Rangers target John Lundstram produced one of his worst performances in the FA Cup…

Liverpool striker Divock Origi was handed a rare opportunity to start in the Reds’ game against Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday night and after producing a shocking display, it may well be time for Jurgen Klopp to sell the Belgian international.

The former Lille striker was making just his fifth Liverpool appearance of the season in the game against Atalanta but was replaced shortly after the hour-mark after producing another poor display.

As per SofaScore, the 25-year-old, who earns £49,500 per week at Anfield, earned a 6.3 rating for his performance, which was the joint-worst of any player on the pitch.

During his time on the pitch, Origi would complete just nine of his 12 attempted passes, suggesting that he was never really able to have any impact on the game and it was no surprise that Klopp decided to substitute him when his side fell behind.

He also had just 22 touches of the ball during the game, suggesting that when the home side did have the ball, the striker wasn’t often involved in their build-up play.

Of the seven duels he was involved in, he was able to win just one which again suggests that the Atalanta players had the better of him throughout his time on the pitch.

Whilst he will always be fondly remembered by Liverpool fans for his role in their Champions League success in 2018/19, after scoring a brace in the comeback semi-final win against Barcelona, as well as a late goal in the 2-0 win against Spurs in the final, perhaps it is time Klopp cashed in on him.

Despite his goal in that final, he earned criticism from Andrea Pirlo for his attitude in that game, with the Italian suggesting on Sky Sports Italia:

“Divock Origi was awful. He came on in such an important game with that attitude.

“If he hadn’t scored, they should’ve given him a kicking.” (per Mirror)

Considering the form of Diogo Jota since signing from Wolves, it seems unlikely that Origi will be able to claim a starting spot in Klopp’s side any time soon, so perhaps the Reds would be best served by selling the £14.4 million-rated forward in January.

He certainly attracted interest from Premier League sides during the summer, so the Merseyside club would surely be able to receive a decent fee should those sides come knocking again in the winter transfer window.

Considering he has just one goal in all competitions this season, which came in the 7-2 League Cup win against Lincoln City, it would seem that the Belgian is no longer good enough to be part of this Liverpool squad.

AND, in other news… Liverpool made a big mistake in releasing “fantastic” Champions League regular

Former England international Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast editor James Beavis, has claimed that injuries to Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman are a far bigger blow for Everton and Carlo Ancelotti than losing Fabian Delph.

The Toffees are set to be without Delph for this Saturday’s Premier League clash with title-chasing Chelsea after the midfielder limped off during the first half of last weekend’s draw at Burnley clutching a hamstring injury.

Blues chiefs are resigned to losing the former Manchester City star for the early stages of the festive period, fearing that rushing him back will only worsen the issue having been plagued by injuries since moving to Goodison Park in 2019.

Ancelotti was already without his first-choice full-backs Digne and Coleman for the trip to Turf Moor, forcing the Italian to hand Delph only his second start of the league campaign to fill in at left-back.

Digne is facing up to three months on the sidelines after surgery on an ankle injury, while Coleman has been plagued by hamstring problems this season that have ruled the Republic of Ireland international out of action for five of Everton’s last six top-flight fixtures.

Lee, who earned 21-caps for England during his playing career, feels the loss of Digne and Coleman has thrown Everton’s season off course and into the rough, as the pair brought energy and balance that Ancelotti cannot find elsewhere in his squad.

“I think the bigger blow is his full-backs. I think that’s why they started like a house on fire, Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman. But they’ve got so much energy, they can get up and down and give so much balance and I think they miss them more than they miss anybody else,” Lee told Football FanCast. “It helps that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been on fire, he’s scoring all their goals.

“But I thought at the start of the season, they look good, they look like they have a really, really good balance to their team and it just goes to show you that if you lose a couple of your wider players and lesser players come in, or maybe they don’t know how to do the job, that they just seemed to be set up so well under Carlo Ancelotti. And they now, they look a bit not quite as fluent as they were. And I think it’s down to both their full-backs.”

Everton have won just once in the five Premier League fixtures they have been without Coleman for, coming at newly-promoted Fulham, while losing to Southampton, Newcastle and Leeds United.

Ancelotti fielded central defender Ben Godfrey at right-back against Southampton after stating he has “no doubt” in the summer arrival’s ability to play on the side, before favouring Jonjoe Kenny at Newcastle, Tom Davies against Leeds and Alex Iwobi at Burnley.

Godfrey is now expected to move to left-back in place of Digne and Delph when the Toffees host Chelsea on Saturday night, with Ancelotti seemingly opposed to utilising former Olympique de Marseille prospect Niels Nkounkou.

The young Frenchman has featured for just 69-minutes in the Premier League since moving to Merseyside in the summer and been omitted from Ancelotti’s last four matchday squads, despite playing all three Carabao Cup ties through to the end and providing one assist.

It remains to be seen who Ancelotti favours on the right of his defensive line, with Coleman’s absence denying the Italian his joint-most productive defender for successful tackles (14) and ground duels won (27), per SofaScore, while Digne accounts for the second-most key balls (16) and big chances created (5) by any Everton player in the league this term.

AND in other news, Everton already have their answer to a 48-goal target “every coach wants”.

In breaking news, The Daily Mirror’s Darren Lewis has revealed that Aston Villa’s reported transfer target Said Benrahma has failed his medical at West Ham.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months had suggested the Algeria international was a prime target for Dean Smith’s side, but a deal until now has failed to materialise.

And in recent days, it appeared Villa’s fellow Premier League side West Ham had stolen a march in the race to sign the winger, with reports claiming that a £30m deal between both the Hammers and Brentford had been agreed.

Now, The Daily Mirror have dropped a major bombshell by claiming that Benrahma’s move to the London Stadium is now in doubt after failing his medical. It’s added that the deal is now off, unless a solution can be found by 5pm.

Now or never for Johan Lange

Talk about some deadline day drama.

Whilst Benrahma may have failed his medical at West Ham, there’s no reason why Villa’s club doctors may do the same if they were to make a last-gasp move for the Algerian.

Some teams are fairly more stringent on a player passing his medical checks, whilst others are willing to look past minor or even major concerns. In favour for Villa, is that Smith is fully aware of the 25-year-old’s ability and history having managed him, and the manager surely has the trust of his owners given the incredible start they have enjoyed to the new Premier League season.

Sporting director Johan Lange has been given a shock chance to seal a last-minute deal for one of their summer targets, and having looked like it could go down as one of his biggest regrets, he may now be able to make it turn around full circle in the end.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is on the brink of unearthing Southampton’s strongest senior squad in a long time. His dedication to seeing the club re-establish themselves in the Premier League has delivered some exceptional results for the Saints. One of note being their surprise win over league leaders Everton at St Mary’s last weekend.

The Austrian’s eye for talent in both the existing team and during the summer transfer window is already paying off. Danny Ings is running the show with his clinical goalscoring abilities, whilst loan signing and former south coast man Theo Walcott also looks to make a big difference.

However, there are several players currently on loan from the club. Mohamed Elyounoussi is making waves over at Celtic Park and could be looking at a spot in the starting lineup once he returns. But on the other end of the scale, outcast defender Wesley Hoedt may not receive the same warm welcome despite his strong stats at Lazio.

Does Hoedt have a future at Southampton?

It’s more than fair to say that the Dutchman and the Saints have a very turbulent relationship. Hoedt admitted that he regrets making the initial move from Lazio to Southampton back in 2017. Speaking to Sport Magazine in September 2019, the centre-back stated that he “decided to prove my worth elsewhere” after Hasenhuttl reportedly didn’t give him the second chance he was promised (via Daily Mail).

His return to Italy is now his third consecutive loan move away from the Premier League and he has slipped way down in terms of fan opinions. Any return to full-time football at Southampton will result in a sour reception from the Saints supporters, but he may be able to win them over.

In Lazio’s clash against Club Brugge on Wednesday, Hoedt stood out in the heart of the defence despite a 1-1 draw. The 26-year-old made an impressive 11 clearances and three tackles, including a contribution of five successful long balls out of his attempted nine (via Sofascore).

This shows that Hoedt cannot be written off by the Saints just yet and should the £60,000 per-week man finally be given another chance by Hasenhuttl, he could put pressure on Jannik Vestergaard, who has been questionable across the backline recently. There has also been speculation over whether he could be leaving the club. Should any talks come to fruition, it could leave the door open for a controversial return for Hoedt next season.

In other news, Southampton interest in Toby Savin could spell the end of Angus Gunn…

Everton returned to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon looking an entirely different side.

The lockdown-hit 2019/20 campaign saw the Toffees peter out with a whimper with Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson pulling the strings in midfield – you wouldn’t blame anyone for not renewing their season ticket (under normal circumstances) on that basis.

However, Marcel Brands backed his man – Carlo Ancelotti – during the off-season and here we are with a very impressive new-look Everton.

They made the trip from Merseyside to north London to face a Spurs side that also bolstered their ranks, including a £15m move for one-time mooted target Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

But going by his debut, it’s one the club did well to miss out on.

Instead, it was James Rodriguez’s maiden Premier League bow that struck the headlines – and quite rightly – as he put in a sensational display. You’d struggle to believe this was Everton, in all honesty.

Per SofaScore, the 29-year-old picked up a match-high 8.1 rating and was pretty much integral to how the Toffees performed. He recorded five key passes, three shots and three interceptions. He even managed to get 11 of 12 long balls on target and enjoyed two dribbles.

By comparison, Davies managed seven key passes throughout the whole duration of last season.

The 2014 World Cup star cost just £20m and took a pay cut, which absolutely seems like one of the coups of recent times when you consider Sigurdsson was signed for a whopping £45m.

Jermaine Jenas lauded Rodriguez’s display, saying: “Rodriguez looked an absolute world-beater for Everton on Sunday – and he is almost exactly what Spurs haven’t got at the moment. He has got that star quality about him. The talk when Rodriguez signed was would he be quick enough or fit enough, but he has got the ability to see things before they happen. He just looked like he was a class above.”

It’s no wonder Jupp Heynckes labelled him a “god-send” back in 2017.

If that was a mere glimpse into things to come, then shout Brands’ name from the hilltops. He’s secured one hell of a signing at Goodison Park.

AND in other news, Henry Winter delivers verdict on Everton’s win…