All posts by z3u9t.icu

An update has emerged on Burnley defender James Tarkowski, regarding Tottenham’s interest in his services… 

What’s the talk?

According to 90Min, Tottenham have identified Burnley central defender James Tarkowski as a potential target this summer. The report names Tarkowski alongside Conor Coady and Joachim Andersen in terms of centre-backs who the club are currently looking at.

The Telegraph reported last month that Tottenham’s Premier League rivals Wolves and West Ham are both interested in the former Brentford man. He has 12 months left on his contract at Turf Moor.

Forget Toby

As great a servant as Toby Alderweireld has been for Tottenham, it is time to forget about him and move on to Tarkowski. The Sun have reported that the Belgian defender wants to leave Spurs and that the club are willing to facilitate a move if an interested side makes a fair offer for his services, whilst Fabio Paratici is also open to bids for Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier.

We are not saying that Tottenham should be selling Alderweireld or that it would be a good decision by the club if they did, but bringing in Tarkowski would certainly help ease the blow. The ex-Atletico Madrid man has been a mainstay at the heart of Spurs’ defence for six seasons since his transfer to the club in 2015, averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.68 or higher in every campaign – managing a score of 7.00 or higher in two of those Premier League seasons.

This shows the standard of player Paratici will need to bring in to cope with the loss of Alderweireld if it goes through. Tarkowski could be exactly the player Santo requires to freshen up his defence and add some extra steel to the backline. Burnley boss Sean Dyche labelled him as outstanding earlier in his Claret days.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph:

“Tarky’s been absolutely outstanding.”

The £22.5m-rated beast has a fantastic record at Premier League level for Burnley. In the past four top-flight campaigns, Tarkowski has registered WhoScored ratings of 7.22, 7.11, 7.19 and 7.02 respectively, highlighting how incredibly consistent he has been for the midtable side. The 28-year-old has also averaged over 4.5 aerial battles won and more than one block per game across those four seasons, which shows how strong he has been defensively for the Clarets.

Therefore, he could be the defensive pillar Santo needs in North London next term. He has proven at Burnley that he is good enough to be a top-class defender at this level and that his arrival could allow Tottenham fans to forget about Alderweireld, should he leave.

Nuno Santo will need new recruits in defence should the likes of Alderweireld, Dier and Sanchez depart. Getting Tarkowski in would be a great place to start.

AND in other news, Spurs submit official bid to land 16 G/A dynamo, he’s an upgrade on Steven Bergwijn…

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke (via GIVEMESPORT), West Ham signing Eden Hazard would be a ‘real signal of intent’ to the rest of the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Struggling in Madrid

Since joining Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2019 in a deal worth £103.5m, Hazard has not looked like the same player who tore up the Premier League in a Chelsea shirt a few years ago.

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The Belgian winger has failed to score in 13 appearances for Los Blancos this season. This follows his poor form since his arrival in the Spanish capital, where he has scored just five goals in 56 games during an injury-plagued stint at the Bernabeu.

When compared to his stats in a Chelsea shirt, where he scored 110 goals and produced 92 assists in 352 games, it is evident that Hazard is a shadow of the player he once was.

The Latest: Hazard linked with Hammers move

El Nacional previously reported that West Ham had made a €25m (£21.3m) offer for Hazard. This fee seems low at face level, but when combined with his reported £381,000 weekly wage, the finances soon add up.

O’Rourke believes that the Hammers’ prospective signing of Hazard would be a huge signal to the rest of the Premier League if it materialises.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “West Ham, they can offer him Premier League football, and could match his wages, you can never say never in football. It would be a real signal of intent if West Ham can convince Eden Hazard to move to the London Stadium.”

The Verdict: Return to London unlikely

Earning 116 caps for the Belgium national side, Hazard has not been short of praise. Back in 2018, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher compared the winger’s power to that of Diego Maradona and Pele, also claiming that he was ‘the best player in the Premier League’ at the time.

This was reinforced by former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, who said that the Belgian is ‘the best player I have ever played against in my five years playing in the Premier League’.

With these glowing testimonies, it is easy to see why the arrival of Hazard would send a huge message to the rest of the league. Challenging for Champions League qualification, West Ham could be the ideal destination for Hazard to revive his career.

If the Hammers manage to scrape together the money, this transfer could prove to be a shrewd move for both parties. However, his staggering weekly wage could prove to be too much for the Irons, and that may be the rock on which this intriguing rumour perishes.

In other news: West Ham eyeing ‘unbelievable’ ace for Moyes as contact is made with agent

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”

A behind-the-scenes Rangers setback has emerged on the make-up of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s backroom team…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Jean-Paul van Gastel may not be able to link up with the 46-year-old at Ibrox until January due to his contract with Chinese cliub Guangzhou City.

The report claimed that the Dutchman has been lined up to join Van Bronckhorst’s coaching team, having worked as his assistant at Feyenoord, but they will need to iron out a deal with Guangzhou if they want him to arrive before the next transfer window.

Gutting blow

This news will surely be gutting for Rangers fans as it appears to be a sizeable blow to Van Bronckhorst’s short-term plans at Ibrox. The issue with him joining in the middle of a season whilst out of a job is that he has to piece together a backroom staff from scratch with certain people in work elsewhere, with Van Gastel still under contract in China.

Gastel and Van Bronckhorst worked hand-in-hand at Feyenoord and were hugely successful as a pair in the Netherlands. In four years, they won five trophies for the Rotterdam club and averaged 1.99 points per game across 176 matches – finishing third, first, fourth and third in the Eredivisie in that time.

In the 2016/17 campaign, they led the team to 84 points and the league title as they won 26 of their 34 matches and averaged 2.41 points per game. This provides an insight into how well they worked together at Feyenoord and the sort of influence they could have in Glasgow moving forward, which is why Van Gastel not arriving until January could be a big blow for both Van Bronckhorst and Rangers.

Therefore, Gers fans may not see the full potential of Van Bronckhorst’s staff until the second half of the season. They may need to wait until January for the 46-year-old’s right-hand man to come through the door for his management to be as effective as possible. Van Gastel already worked with him at Feyenoord and will know exactly what he wants from the players, which could make him a useful coach to have on the training ground to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them.

This is why Gers supporters may be gutted by this update on the 49-year-old coach. Hopefully Ross Wilson will be able to work out a deal with the Chinese club to bring him to Scotland sooner rather than later, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be possible.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can find his next Van Persie at Rangers in £33k-p/w gem who’s “like a jungle cat”…

Things look to be on the up for Wolverhampton Wanderers under the leadership of Bruno Lage in recent weeks, with the team picking up 10 points from a possible 12 over their last four Premier League fixtures, and the 45-year-old will undoubtedly be hoping for yet another positive result when Everton visit Molineux on Monday night.

With the Toffees currently on a run of contrasting form, having picked up just four points from as many games, Lage will know that his side have a fantastic opportunity to close to the gap to those currently occupying the European places in the Premier League table, with Wolves just one point behind Manchester United in seventh going into the weekend.

However, after Fernando Marcal missed out on the 1-1 draw with Leeds United last weekend as a result of a calf injury, the performance of Rayan Ait Nouri while standing in for the 32-year-old will have presented the Wolves manager with something of a selection headache ahead of the Everton clash.

Indeed, over the course of his 83 minutes on the pitch at Elland Road, the £16.2m-rated youngster impressed on the left-hand side of Wolves’ back five, making three clearances, one interception and five tackles, as well as successfully completing two dribbles and two long balls and winning eight duels.

These returns saw the defender receive a match rating of seven from Birmingham Live’s Alex Dicken, with the journalist stating of Ait Nouri’s display: “The Frenchman justified his selection with a good performance. He offered a threat going forward and worked Meslier on one occasion, whilst competing with Leeds’ star man Raphinha.”

It remains unclear at present whether the £29k-per-week Marcal will be fit to face the Toffees on Monday, but even if the player who Romain Saiss dubbed a “strong” option has recovered from his knock, Lage must ensure that he sticks with Ait Nouri. The 20-year-old proved last time out that he is more than capable of doing a better job at left-back than the Brazilian, which is reflected in the youngster’s 6.78 WhoScored rating this season compared with Marcal’s 6.63.

In other news: Wolves handed major boost over “special” £41k-p/w beast, Bruno Lage will be buzzing

Leeds United picked up their first Premier League win and clean sheet of the season last weekend as they beat Watford 1-0 at Elland Road.

Whites centre-back Liam Cooper played an important role in the result, with an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.27 for his performance. He made one tackle, one interception, two clearances and two blocks, whilst also winning two aerial battles.

The Scotland international has had a solid start to the Premier League campaign and has started all seven of the club’s matches so far, proving himself to be a key member of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.

Would anyone have predicted this after the 2017/18 season at Elland Road? Cooper played 30 times in the Championship and averaged a rating of 6.83, as Leeds finished 13th in the table and had little in the way of promotion expectations for the future.

In September 2018, Transfermarkt valued the centre-back at a measly £900k. That summer, however, everything changed for Leeds and Cooper as Marcelo Bielsa was appointed as the head coach on an initial two-year deal.

The Argentine manager has since gone on to lead Leeds to third and first in the Championship, winning promotion with the latter, and then ninth in the Premier League last season. He has been able to take the club from midtable mediocrity in the second tier to competing at the top level whilst pulling off a coaching masterclass with some of the players, one of them being Cooper.

In the 2019/20 promotion season, Cooper averaged a sensational WhoScored rating of 7.29 in 38 Championship starts for the Whites. This was a marked improvement from the 6.83 he managed in his last season before Bielsa came through the door, with the Yorkshire-born Scotsman being named in the PFA Team of the Year.

The Leeds warrior was then able to make the step up to the Premier League and thrive under Bielsa’s management last season. He averaged a score of 7.11 as he captained the side to a top-half finish, making an impressive 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game.

At the time of writing (10/10 /21), Cooper is valued at £6.30m by Transfermarkt. This is a 600% increase from his value at the time of Bielsa’s appointment and shows how the Argentine has pulled off a masterclass in coaching with the defender.

Bielsa has been able to turn Cooper into a player capable of producing excellent, consistent, performances in top-flight, having been a solid, albeit uninspiring, player in the second-tier beforehand. This shows the 66-year-old’s coaching ability and why he has been an inspired appointment at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Bielsa could save Leeds millions by unleashing “multi-faceted” 18 y/o “metronome”…

After cruising to a 5-1 victory over FC Porto in their latest Champions League fixture thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool are back in Premier League action today with a showdown against Manchester City at Anfield.

Ahead of the clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, the Reds were handed a double injury blow with Jurgen Klopp revealing that Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara will be unavailable through injury.

Taking this into account, let’s take a look at how we think Liverpool will set up against City – we expect Klopp to make two changes from the team that started in midweek.

How will Liverpool line up against City?

In goal, we expect Alisson Becker to continue despite managing to concede three goals in Liverpool’s previous league outing in their 3-3 draw against Brentford.

At right-back, with Alexander-Arnold out and Klopp listing Neco Williams, James Milner and Joe Gomez as potential replacements for the injured defender, we feel as though Klopp will stick with Milner, who played in the right-back position against Porto before being substituted in the second half, perhaps to rest him before the City game.

At left-back we expect Andy Robertson to start after impressing in midweek by earning himself an overall match rating of 7.9/10, the highest of any Liverpool defender on the day according to SofaScore.

For the two centre-back positions, we feel Klopp will stick Virgil van Dijk but drop Joel Matip to give £70k-per-week Ibrahima Konate the chance to prove himself against a top team after taking part in Liverpool’s 3-0 Carabao Cup match against Norwich City.

In midfield, we expect Liverpool to stick with the same trio that played against Porto with club captain Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Curtis Jones, who provided two assists in midweek and earned himself a higher match rating than any other Reds player on the day with 8.5/10 (as per SofaScore).

As for Liverpool’s attacking line, we think Klopp will stick with Mane and Salah after their success in midweek but replace Diogo Jota with Roberto Firmino to reward him for his goals against Porto.

Whether Klopp makes these changes or not, everyone who plays in the match will have to be at the top of their game if the Reds are going to beat the Manchester club, especially in an attacking sense given City have only conceded one goal so far this season.

In other news: Klopp must trust “remarkable” £140k-p/w LFC ace on Sunday, could be difference-maker – opinion

Aston Villa announced on Thursday afternoon that assistant manager Richard O’Kelly has decided to leave the club.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been sharing their thoughts on the confirmed news on social media.

O’Kelly, who arrived alongside Dean Smith at Villa Park back in 2018, becomes the second member of staff to leave this summer after John Terry’s departure in July.

The club didn’t reveal why the 64-year-old has left, with O’Kelly describing his time at Villa as a ‘tremendous privilege’.

Villa are now expected to recruit a new coach over the coming weeks to work alongside Smith and remaining assistant Craig Shakespeare.

It’s not exactly ideal news for Villa with O’Kelly leaving just days before the new season gets underway, and some supporters appeared to be shocked.

Villa fans react

The club shared the news regarding O’Kelly on their official Twitter page. These Villa fans all seemed to be stunned at the update, with one describing it as ‘worrying’.

“I’m actually done”Credit: @MDavidson1874″Wow, gobsmacked by this one.”Credit: @luckysalt”Gutted. Best of luck Ned!”Credit: @jonesy73″Yes but worrying trend…”Credit: @chaiwaller8″John Terry, Jack Grealish and now Richard O’Kelly I can’t believe this”Credit: @catrinavfc”What, why!? I hope it’s not health related! I remember watching the video of him with Buendia only a week or so ago with him saying he’s looking forward to working with him. :/”Credit: @AVFCJono”sorry?”Credit: @M10Packed

In other news: ‘As if’, ‘Gets no bigger than this’, ‘Brilliant’ – Many AVFC fans react to ‘class’ news. 

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over a hat-trick scored by Tony Weston for the club’s B team on Wednesday afternoon.

The striker helped himself to three of the four goals which saw his team win 4-2 away to Septemvri Sofia in the first leg of their UEFA Youth League tie, with Cole McKinnon grabbing the other as they had to come back from 2-1 down (rangers.co.uk).

Weston grabbed all the headlines in what was a spectacular individual performance which puts Rangers B in firm control going into the second leg.

At 18 years of age, the Englishman is certainly a prospect, and aside from scoring in the Challenge Cup for Rangers B earlier in the season, he has also featured at senior level for Blackpool, albeit a very brief cameo in the FA Cup in the 2019/20 campaign (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Weston is surely a player who Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be keeping a close eye upon as he develops.

Rangers fans on Weston hat-trick

These Rangers fans were buzzing as Weston’s hat-trick was announced on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter claiming that the youngster is a ‘quality’ player:

“This boy is insane”

Credit: @Gravybawz

“Baller!”

Credit: @CraigStewartRFC

“Quality wee player”

Credit: @N18721

“This boy’s a goal scoring machine.”

Credit: @dave_n84

“Get in there Tony. I hope GvB is watching”

Credit: @harryhastings

“This kid is on fire.”

Credit: @Govanbronkhorst

In other news, this official club post has left many Gers fans fuming

An update has emerged regarding Celtic’s interest in Derby County left-back Lee Buchanan.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Hoops are monitoring the 20-year-old as they eye up potential defensive reinforcements before the end of the transfer window.

The report claims that Nottingham Forest are also interested in the defender and have already had a £1.2m bid rejected by their fierce rivals Derby.

Ange would be delighted

Celtic must seal a deal for the 1.75m (5 foot 9) beast this summer as he would be a terrific addition to the squad and improve their defensive options in the short- and long-term. He could come in and compete with Greg Taylor for the left-back spot and provide a healthy competition for places which could help drive on both players to improve.

Taylor played 22 games in the Premiership last season and averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.96. Buchanan, meanwhile, played 35 games in the Championship and averaged a rating of 6.92 when starting as a left wing-back and 6.63 overall. This suggests that he could come in and be a reliable option for Postecoglou to call upon either to start ahead of Taylor or as a backup to the 23-year-old initially.

Rams manager and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has said that the 20-year-old has a “bright future” and believes that he will become an England international.

He told the Derby Telegraph: “I think I can speak on behalf of my players. Lee Buchanan has got a really bright future and I am sure he will play for England within the next couple of years.

“He is getting better every game. The small sides of the game he needs to improve, he is improving on massively.”

This is high praise indeed from a man who knows exactly what it takes to play for England and in the Premier League and Champions League at the highest level. Therefore, Buchanan could have the potential to be a phenomenal player in the future if he lives up to the hype Rooney has placed on him.

Postecoglou would surely love it if the club brought in the 20-year-old because it would represent an exciting coaching challenge for him. He would be tasked with helping Buchanan become the England international Rooney believes he can be, and if he is able to reach those levels, Celtic would have a terrific player on their hands and all parties will be delighted with the outcome.

AND in other news, Celtic must axe £14k-p/w beast whose career is in “freefall”, his time’s up…