All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United returned to Premier League action yesterday with a home clash against relegation-battling Everton.

The Hammers secured a 2-1 win over Frank Lampard’s Toffees thanks to goals from Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen, setting themselves up nicely for their Europa League quarter-final match against French club Lyon on Thursday night.

Despite the win, the east London club were without one of their key players, who they will now be sweating over in regards to whether or not he’ll be available for their midweek showdown.

What’s the news?

With Ben Johnson not involved at the weekend, David Moyes had this to say after Sunday’s victory about the full-back’s current fitness situation.

“He felt his hamstring playing for England on Wednesday night. He trained Friday and Saturday but felt it again Saturday. We don’t think it’s bad but it was a decision today. We didn’t not want him for other weeks. I’m hoping he’ll be ok.”

So far this season, the 22-year-old has made 26 senior appearances for the Hammers across all competitions, showing how much of a useful squad option he is for Moyes.

Having played through the entire 90 minutes of West Ham’s four previous league games prior to the win against Everton, this shows what a consistent run of form he was on before picking up this injury while away on international duty.

Fans will be sweating

To highlight how significant the defender has become for the team since his days of playing in the U18 and U23 sides, he has averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.5 clearances per game in the league this season, placing him in the top five for each statistic in Moyes’ squad.

With the reoccurrence of the hamstring issue on Saturday and the fact that Moyes is hopeful rather than sure that the Englishman can make a speedy recovery, this will surely leave plenty of Hammers fans sweating for the time being.

Given the significance of Thursday’s game, the club will undoubtedly be hoping that Johnson will be available for selection by that time and can keep his fitness up for the remainder of the season.

Should the right-back be unable to play, the Hammers may have to rely on Ryan Fredericks or Vladimir Coufal to do a job for them in midweek.

That may not be ideal given the Czech star has been out of action for the past few weeks with injury despite being on the bench against Everton.

In other news: Moyes can finally axe “shocking” WHU dud as claim emerges, supporters surely buzzing

Leeds United’s return to the Premier League saw them embark on a bit of a spending spree under Marcelo Bielsa, and the Whites’ most high-profile signing was undeniably the capture of Valencia star Rodrigo.

Reports claimed that the Yorkshire club shelled out a club-record sum to bring the Spain international at Elland Road, and almost a couple of years later, it’s quite safe to say things haven’t really worked out for the forward – he’s managed just 12 goals and three assists in 55 games across all competitions for Leeds.

What perhaps makes a move for Rodrigo even worse now on reflection, is that they were actually also attempting to sign Rafael Leao at the same time back in 2020.

Football Insider claimed that the Portugal Leao was of interest to Leeds, although it was suggested that luring him away from the San Siro may prove to be “complicated” as Milan still had “high hopes” for him.

It was added the Whites had made enquiries for the attacker, and that if Milan were going to sell, it would be for nothing less than the £20m they themselves have paid to sign him for French side Lille.

Since that deal failed to come to fruition, Leao has come on leaps and bounds in his time in Serie A.

Now valued at £60m by CIES, the 22-year-old – almost a decade younger than Rodrigo – has really come to the party for Milan this season, bagging 11 goals and providing another six assists in 34 games across all competitions – including notching in the Champions League earlier this year.

The president of Leao’s former club, Lille, Gerard Lopez simply declared him the “Portuguese Mbappe”, while Sporting CP’s former youth coach, Tiago Fernandes, proclaimed: “I pushed (then-Sporting coach) Jorge Jesus to take him in the first team and I said to him: ‘Yes, Gelson Martins has talent but Rafael is the best player in the history of the Sporting Academy’. At youth level, he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo.”

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Dubbed as an “extraordinary talent” by Croatia legend Zvonimir Boban, it’s clear missing out on Leao may rank as one of  Victor Orta’s biggest howlers at Elland Road, especially when you consider how Rodrigo’s career has turned out.

The man with 34 career goals to his name could have been a superstar signing for the Whites up front.

AND in other news: Orta can now axe “awful” £55k-p/w flop as Leeds eye “underrated” £12.5m-rated “threat”

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Son Heung-Min is set to return to action for Tottenham Hotspur after playing for South Korea at the Asian Cup.

The winger, playing in his second international tournament this season, could not avert a shock defeat for his country in the quarter-finals as they were beaten 1-0 by Qatar on Friday, and Son needs to be back in Mauricio Pochettino’s XI as soon as possible.

On the chalkboard

Spurs have struggled without Son.

Of course, Harry Kane and Dele Alli both sustained injuries at the worst possible time with Son already away, leaving Pochettino without his three most potent attacking weapons.

He had been on an electric run of form before his departure to the United Arab Emirates, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in just 10 games, as per Transfermarkt.

Spurs lost 1-0 to Manchester United in his final game, and have since been knocked out of two cup competitions without the winger.

Which big 6 club needs to do the most business in January? Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad think in the video below…

A 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday saw them eliminated from the FA Cup, while they were beaten by Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Thursday, losing on penalties at Stamford Bridge.

Son, during his time at the Asian Cup, drew a blank for South Korea, but he did provide two assists in the final game of the group stages against China as they won 2-0. Perhaps unfortunately for Spurs, Son played 89 minutes against China, 120 against Bahrain – in which his nation won in extra time – and 90 in the defeat to Qatar.

Pochettino, per the London Evening Standard, expects to have Son available for the midweek clash with Watford but unsurprisingly revealed that the winger is exhausted: “He’s so tired, played three games. Very tough games. Not too much energy today, but we hope he’ll be available on Wednesday.”

Fatigue be damned

Son simply has to start against Watford.

He may be tired, but an exhausted Son is better than a fully-fit Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

The 23-year-old turned in an atrocious display against Palace, despite earning his chance in a cameo against Fulham after Son’s departure; he came off the bench to provide the assist for Harry Winks’ dramatic late winner.

Son was sorely missed against both Chelsea and Palace, however, with no player able to offer his pacey, driving runs on the counter.

Fernando Llorente has played reasonably well without him, but it is very clear that he does not have the required ability to lead the line for Spurs for a considerable period of time.

Now Son is back, he should be restored to the striking position against the Hornets and give Spurs the cutting edge they have brutally lacked.

It is, of course, a tough ask to expect him to hit the ground running but with the lack of alternatives in the squad, Pochettino simply does not have another option.

Old Trafford has been home to many huge football superstars over the years, and it’s not often that Manchetser United get it wrong when they make moves for players to bring into the club.

However, Ed Woodward had an absolute howler in letting one player slip through the cracks, and the United board will surely regret not taking the player’s potential more seriously.

Former Red Devils scout Jorge Alvial revealed to Manchester Evening News that the powers at Old Trafford ignored the chance to sign Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies on numerous occasions, ignoring 40 reports on the talent before he signed for the Bundesliga giants.

Eventually the club did offer Davies a trial, but the 17-year-old rejected the offer and committed his immediate future to Vancouver, with the player reflecting on the interest from English clubs when he signed for Bayern Munich two years later.

He revealed to the Daily Mail: “I know there were rumours about England. I know different teams had approached my agents. My full focus at the time was Vancouver and trying to get into the play-offs.”

At this point, the left-back has become one of Europe’s hottest prospects, winning 12 trophies with Bayern Munich since he joined in 2019, including a Champions League and three Bundesliga titles. Therefore, the United board must be having nightmares over relinquishing the opportunity to sign the 21-year-old when they had their chance.

Another kick in the teeth for the Red Devils will be the fact that the German champions signed Davies from Vancouver for just £9m, and according to Transfermarkt as of December 2021, the young player is now worth an astonishing £63m, a 600% increase in value in just three years.

When you compare Davies to United’s most recent left-back signing Alex Telles this season, the Bayern Munich star has made 23 more ball recoveries, completed over 200 more passes, has a better pass accuracy, completed 55 more take-ons and won 55 more ground duels according to Squawka.

Davies, who was hailed the “Usain Bolt of football” by Rio Ferdinand, clearly has a bright future ahead of him, and United must learn from the decision to ignore the young star as they move into their new era with a new manager at the helm this summer.

In other news: Man Utd suffer major Ten Hag setback which will have Red Devils fans worried

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones has made a Manchester City transfer claim involving Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez amid all the rumours surrounding Erling Haaland.

The Lowdown: Sky Blues in pole Haaland position?

Recent reports have suggested that Pep Guardiola’s are major favourites to sign Haaland with Norway’s international star seeming set to be one of the summer window’s big name transfers.

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Daily Mail reporters Jack Gaughan and Craig Hope, two reliable sources, first claimed that the Sky Blues have a deal in place to sign Dortmund’s prolific striker.

Other claims have come to light since then with City apparently being in pole position for Haaland’s services this summer.

However, despite all the noise, Jones has now shared what he’s heard as Pep Guardiola eyes another forward alongside the 21-year-old.

The Latest: Jones make Martinez transfer claim…

According to the reporter, Man City, and by extension their sporting director/transfer chief Txiki Begiristain, have also weighed up a move for Martinez.

Jones also refuses to rule out further reports of a potential move to Eastlands for the Argentine.

“I’ve even heard that Manchester City have looked at him over the past year and have considered whether he might be a good fit for them,” he explained (via GMS).

“So, I think once again this summer, we will see rumours around Lautaro Martinez.”

The Verdict: Great alternative?

If City can’t win the race for Haaland, should Guardiola’s side consider Inter’s star attacker as an alternative?

Scoring 14 goals over 28 appearances this season in Serie A, Martinez could move on for around £67.3m, over £30m less than what Inter were demanding around two years ago.

Nerazzurri sporting director Piero Ausilio, speaking to the press, once openly stated that Martinez would not leave for less than his once-€111m (£100m) release clause (The Daily Mail).

As his valuation drops substantially, City could sign a gifted attacker who Romelu Lukaku even called a ‘beast’, even if it’s clear Haaland is the superior striker.

His 16 goals and six assists over just 16 Bundesliga starts comes as a quite frankly ridiculous record, but if Begiristain and co fail in their bid, they should indeed consider a move for Martinez.

In other news: Man City officials sent to club as Pep eyes ‘absolute beast’ alongside Haaland, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could seal their best signing since Heung-min Son following an exciting claim from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

The north London outfit are in desperate need of fresh additions this month, certainly if Antonio Conte is to stand a chance at reviving this sinking ship.

Given his tactical system – primarily deploying three-at-the-back – he needs further reinforcements to his backline, where left-back Ben Davies has been plugging a gap and the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga have had to be trusted.

One player that Spurs appear keen on is Villarreal defender Pau Torres, who rejected a move to the club during the summer window but back then, it was the underwhelming Nuno Santo in charge – rather than the trophy-laden Italian.

And Romano believes their interest is something to keep an eye on heading into deadline day in a little under two weeks time.

“Let’s see what happens with a centre-back. Tottenham want to sign a new centre-back in January. Pau Torres has always been on their list since last summer, but Villarreal have no intention to let him leave in January,” he told the ‘Here We Go’ podcast last week.

Torres’ desire may well hinge on any sort of Champions League involvement but Spurs are firmly in the race for a top-four finish and that could well be achieved with the Spaniard’s arrival.

He played an integral role for former Arsenal boss Unai Emery at the Yellow Submarines as they defeated Manchester United to clinch the Europa League title last season.

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Meanwhile, domestically, the 25-year-old colossus ranked as their fourth-best player (6.76) in La Liga last season. Across 33 starts, he proved to be an excellent ball-playing option by averaging an 87.8% passing accuracy and 0.8 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.

“When he was small you could see he had an extraordinary talent to construct the play, I even played him for a few games in midfield, but he told me he was more comfortable at the back. Bit by bit he picked up more intensity, more strength, becoming more physical and he kept developing,” once claimed his former youth coach, ex-Villarreal midfielder Javi Calleja.

His profile is exactly the sort of one that Conte would love in his backline – an aggressive but astute on-the-ball beast to pair alongside summer signing Cristian Romero and Eric Dier.

As such, any move for Torres would surely excite the manager and fanbase alike. He’d be such a necessary addition that it could well equal the arrival of Son, who has quickly become one of Tottenham’s most reliable players over the years.

Fabio Paratici and co must seal a move for the £45m-rated Villarreal star at all costs this month.

AND in other news, “I understand..”: Sky Sports reporter drops transfer claim that’ll anger Spurs fans…

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting an ‘ambitious’ bid to sign Serge Gnabry, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Star claim Spurs are keen on landing the Bayern Munich contract rebel as he enters the final year of his current contract at the Allianz Arena, where he is thought to be holding out for a salary of around £13m-per-year.

The Bundesliga champions won’t be held ransom by his demands, so that has alerted many teams around Europe, including the Lilywhites and Real Madrid, though it remains to be seen how much the German side would sell him for – if at all, given their track-record in letting players leave for nothing.

CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of £60m.

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Major coup

Whilst an ex-Arsenal player, Gnabry would be something of a coup for Spurs, should they manage to secure his signature in the coming months.

The German international struggled to make much of an impact during his time in England, eventually being sold to Werder Bremen for just £5m in 2016 but he has since emerged as one of the best wingers in Europe.

Across 168 appearances for the Bavarian giants, Gnabry has provided 63 goals and 40 assists, averaging a direct contribution once every 104 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Spurs know too well of his ability after he absolutely tore Mauricio Pochettino’s side apart with four goals in Bayern’s 7-2 win in the Champions League back in October 2019.

His form has led to quite the praise indeed, including a particularly glowing endorsement from BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who claimed last season:

“His stats are phenomenal. He’s sitting in the top-level, world-class. He’s come to Germany and set the place on fire, he was absolutely stunning tonight. His decision making has been extraordinary.

“I’ll go as far as to say he’s one of the most improved players in football at the moment. I don’t think anyone’s upwards trajectory is as sharp as his.”

Also lauded as a “real weapon” by his former manager Niko Kovac to Bundesliga.com, Gnabry would certainly add a new dimension to Conte’s attack and given his links to the Gunners and exploits for Bayern, he’d be quite the stunning signing for the north Londoners.

If sporting director Fabio Paratici can pull this off, it would certainly be another one of his masterclass-like swoops.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs in talks for “phenomenal” £33m signing, he’s better than Bremer…

As per a report by the reliable Gary Jacob of The Times, Southampton are in the mix to sign bright Hull City forward Keane Lewis-Potter alongside a few big Premier League clubs.

The Lowdown: Semmens eyeing moves?

Saints chief Martin Semmens has kept his role even after Serbian-born businessman Dragan Solak completed his £100 million takeover earlier this month (Sky Sports).

The powers at be clearly still show faith in Southampton’s long-serving chief executive as he continues to oversee their transfer activity behind-the-scenes – with reports suggesting they are weighing a couple of moves.

Semmens and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl have been reliably tipped with an effort to make loanee Armando Broja’s stay on the south coast a permanent one (Sky Sports), meanwhile Dean Jones of Eurosport says they are in pole position to sign Fulham attacker Fabio Carvalho (GiveMeSport).

The Latest: Southampton eyeing Lewis-Potter…

According to Jacob’s information, Southampton are one of four English top flight sides eyeing a move for Hull’s exciting forward Lewis-Potter – with the 20-year-old attracting plenty of attention.

As well as Hasenhuttl’s side, Spurs, West Ham and Leicester City are in the mix as his suitors from the Premier League continue to grow.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Racking up 13 goals and six assists in Hull’s third tier promotion campaign over 2020/2021, Lewis-Potter has maintained that dazzling form into his first full Championship season at the MKM Stadium.

Indeed, the Englishman has so far bagged five goals and four assists in the league under manager Grant McCann – leaving little wonder he has been turning heads and Southampton are interested.

He’s even been compared to superstar winger Eden Hazard, with former Tigers player Craig Fagan calling Lewis-Potter ‘similar’ to the Belgium international (The Athletic).

Meanwhile, McCann also hasn’t held back in his praise for the ‘special talent’, and we believe he could well be a brilliant signing for Southampton if they can win the race.

In other news: ‘Inspiring’, ‘Yes yes yes’ – Many Saints fans rave as their club eye ‘unreal signing’, find out more here.

Some West Ham United fans slammed the perfomance of Nikola Vlasic in their 3-2 loss at home to Leeds United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Croatia international struggled to make any real impact on the match in truth, and he was subbed off just after the hour mark for Arthur Masuaku after Jack Harrison completed his hat-trick for the away side to put them back in front for a third time.

Vlasic lost out on all three of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal, successful dribble, key pass or accurate cross, while he was also guilty of losing the ball 12 times (SofaScore).

With Said Benrahma currently at the African Cup of Nations with Algeria, the 24-year-old is certainly not doing enough to impress David Moyes in his absence, with just one goal to show from his 19 appearances for the Irons.

West Ham fans slam Vlasic

These West Ham supporters slammed Vlasic’s performance on Twitter, with one Hammers fan going as far as to claim that the Croatian was ‘non-existent’ against Leeds today:

“Vlasic was non-existent”

Credit: @ScottVenn

“Vlasic couldn’t hold onto possession to save his life”

Credit: @manlikethigss

“Can we get a refund on Vlasic. Garbage. In fact can we sling Diop into any deal?”

Credit: @Danwhu28

“Poor from Vlasic too, and Dawson. And Fab makes that harder if he’s off his line quicker”

Credit: @The_Wilkerson

“Vlasic did not play well today, needs to start stepping up”

Credit: @nathh_whu

“Vlasic has been shocking today”

Credit: @moyes_boy

In other news, find out who the Irons have now been backed to sign in January

Alasdair Gold has shared some bad news for Tottenham Hotspur supporters involving midfielder and homegrown sensation Oliver Skipp amid his recent injury woes.

The Lowdown: Skipp setbacks…

The 21-year-old, who recently put pen to paper on fresh terms with the club, hasn’t been able to contribute for manager Antonio Conte since late January due to ongoing fitness issues.

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Skipp’s last minutes for Spurs came during a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea in the first month of 2022 with his pelvic injury keeping him sidelined.

The Englishman has suffered setbacks in his return to action since, coming as a source of real frustration for Conte, who has remained in the dark over his starlet’s recovery timeframe.

After the Lilywhites confirmed brilliant news of his new contract, Gold has now shared a damning update on Skipp and his injury, coming as the player himself admits it’s been a real problem.

The Latest: Gold shares Skipp update…

The reliable football.london correspondent, taking to Twitter, says that he’s still no closer to returning to Conte’s starting eleven.

Sharing an update on his recovery, in response to Skipp’s official reaction to signing fresh terms, Gold explained:

“Understand he’s not closer to a return yet.”

The Verdict: Bad news…

The promising youngster’s continued availability delay will come as bad news for both Conte and supporters as Spurs fight to finish in the Premier League top four.

Currently locked in a fierce battle for Champions League qualification with north London rivals Arsenal, Tottenham will need any quality at their disposal to come out on top.

According to WhoScored, no Spurs starter has averaged a higher pass accuracy than Skipp (90.1%) in the top flight this season, backing his real composure and assurance in Conte’s midfield.

Tipped as a future club captain, those inside and outside N17 will be hoping he can return to the grass as soon as possible.

In other news: Big name source: Tottenham in pole position to sign ‘unreal’ 6 ft 3 powerhouse for Conte! Find out more here.