All posts by h716a5.icu

After falling behind in the game, Arsenal came back strong to claim a resounding 4-1 victory over Molde in their Europa League clash on Thursday night.

With boss Mikel Arteta making numerous changes to his starting line-up after their 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford last Sunday, it was no surprise to see the Gunners look a little disjointed in the opening period.

And they paid the ultimate price for it when Molde’s Martin Ellingsen fired one home from well outside the area. But whilst Arsenal rallied to clinch all three points in their third group game of the competition, there was one man who put in a very poor performance: Willian.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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The only outfield player to have started the game at Old Trafford and then on Thursday night, the Brazilian seemed to be the player most affected by the amount of changes made to the team. He lacked rhythm and cohesion with his teammates, and whereas his link-up play with Hector Bellerin and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was excellent on Sunday, it was virtually non-existent against Molde.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 12 times and couldn’t get into the game at all, making just 29 passes in total. He also registered no shots on goal whatsoever, whilst defensively, he didn’t contribute anything either, failing to make a single tackle or interception.

His display led to Arsenal icon Martin Keown to slam him after the game, saying: “Willian is coming back. You could see he’s not quite at the level maybe at Chelsea.”

With the Brazilian’s previous ties to Arsenal’s London rivals, and the fact he is 32, there is little room for patience when it comes to Willian. He should be hitting the ground running at the Emirates, but instead, since that opening day blitz against Fulham, hasn’t quite hit the heights just y

Celtic are reaching a point where they can no longer consider a future without Mohamed Elyounoussi. The Norwegian’s form this season has been nothing short of spectacular, outscoring star man Odsonne Edouard across all competitions so far. But with Elyounoussi only being in Glasgow temporarily, Neil Lennon and co need to scramble to make sure they can sign him on a permanent deal.

Darren Bent recently predicted that Southampton would be willing to cash in on the St Mary’s outcast, who has made just 19 appearances under Ralph Hasenhuttl, in which he is yet to find the back of the net. With the Saints flying in the Premier League at the moment, it’s difficult to envisage room for Elyounoussi in their current squad.

Indeed, Bent believes that the south coasters will sell up, providing they can recoup all, of if not in excess of, the £16million they signed him for (via Football Insider).

Celtic must not flinch Elyounoussi transfer fee

Whilst this is a hike from the original reported £8-10million quoted price tag, it’s not something that the Hoops can afford to shy away from. Elyounoussi has popped up with some crucial goals this season and has kept their Premiership hopes alive, despite currently trailing to Rangers by nine points.

His performance against Lille also gave Celtic a foot back in the door – bagging a brace to force the Europa League match into sharing the spoils. Undeniably, Lennon’s side would look very different without the influence of Elyounoussi. Tom English recently lauded Elyounoussi as a “dangerous player”, following his brace-scoring performance in Celtic’s 6-0 win over KR Reykjavik.

With talks of Edouard being “unhappy” at the club and top sides like Arsenal eyeing up a move for him, the Bhoys simply cannot afford to lose two top-class forwards at once. A £16million fee will mean Celtic will set a new transfer record, going above Edouard’s signing price of £9.2million (via Transfermarkt). Whilst this will be a big thing to consider, it makes perfect sense.

Elyounoussi has already established himself as a fan favourite too. Many are on board with bringing the 26-year-old to Parkhead permanently as surely without his influence, Lennon and his men would seriously struggle next season.

In other news, Celtic must take chance on injured starlet if they lose Mohamed Elyounoussi…

Everton stunned many with their phenomenal work in the transfer market this summer with the addition of James Rodriguez the icing on the cake.

Although, they can feel relieved that another deal didn’t make it through as last season’s loanee, Djibril Sidibe, revealed that he very nearly returned to Goodison Park.

Speaking to French outlet Journal L’Est Eclair, the 28-year-old said:

“I had a proposal to extend my stay in Everton. But staying there wasn’t just up to me. The two clubs discussed it and couldn’t come to an agreement.”

The Monaco ace went on to express his desire to one day return to the Premier League after enjoying his spell in Merseyside, but it is the Toffees who should look to avoid making that happen on their part.

Sidibe’s stint under Carlo Ancelotti last term wasn’t really a success – nor could it be considered a failure – more so-so, or bang average.

It would have been a major gamble to sanction the €14m (£12.5m) clause to make the loan deal permanent, meaning in total, Everton would’ve forked out €16.5 (£15m) for a back-up player, per GFFN.

The 28-year-old French international has gone onto start four matches for the Ligue 1 outfit, yet is only averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.5 fouls and 1.2 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

This shows major regression from his loan spell here, as he’s recording fewer tackles and more fouls each outing, so maybe Everton got out at just the right time.

There weren’t many supporters behind the idea of signing him permanently either with the right-back being lamented as “widely inconsistent” and “dodgy.”

Even Sky Sports pundit and commentator Gary Neville once slammed his defending against Arsenal as a “madness” (via the Daily Star) too.

Sidibe’s spell at Everton edged closer to being a flop than a sensation, so they certainly dodged a massive financial bullet by not sanctioning his return this summer.

Marcel Brands ought to count his lucky stars tonight.

AND in other news, Everton cannot afford to miss out on their next Leighton Baines…

It’s not often things go wrong for this Wolves side. Usually, they quietly go about their business in swashbuckling fashion.

That was all too evident when they beat Arsenal a few weeks ago.

However, they are feeling the effects of a negative they were forced to take away from the Emirates Stadium. After a sickening clash of heads with David Luiz, Raul Jimenez was stretchered off with a fractured skull.

It was an almighty injury to receive and since he’s been missing, Wolves have failed to score.

A 4-0 loss to Liverpool was followed by a disappointing defeat to Aston Villa as try as they might, Nuno Santo’s men couldn’t find the back of the net.

Some added firepower in January could do the trick and one of the latest names to be linked with a move is Brazilian forward Hulk.

The powerful stocky striker is currently playing in China but according to Football Insider, Wolves could sign him on a free transfer.

The player himself admitted over the weekend that he’s set to depart Shanghai where he’s enjoyed a fabulous stint.

Hulk has accumulated over £90m in wages during his four years in China and has scored 76 goals in 145 games in the process. Clearly, he knows how to find the back of the net.

Evidently, the Chinese Super League is several steps below the Premier League in terms of quality but if he does sign, there are reasons to believe he could replace Adama Traore.

The Spaniard had a brilliant season last term, contributing to 13 goals, but this campaign he doesn’t have a single goal or assist.

A player known for his dribbling, he still terrifies defenders but Hulk could do that and provide goals on a regular basis.

He has eight strikes to his name this term and has performed 3.4 successful dribbles per match. Compared to Traore, he is fractionally behind. The devastating winger has registered 3.5 dribbles a game in 2020/21.

It’s clear to see why we’re comparing the two and if Wolves continue to be frustrated by a lack of progress in Traore’s contract talks, he could depart.

Hulk would be an absolute bargain of a replacement if they can convince him to move to English shores.

In other news, Wolves’ £60k-p/w dynamo was their ONLY positive against Aston Villa…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis is eyeing key reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window as he looks to defy the odds and stave off the threat of relegation.

Maybe it is time to revisit someone available for free…

What was the word?

According to The Sun on Sunday back in October (4th, page 59), the Owls were considering a move for out-of-work winger Andre Green, who is still without a club.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has since provided an update on the former Aston Villa graduate, he told fans in a recent mailbag:

“It’s a case of waiting for the right club. Green has been a little unfortunate with previous loan spells that haven’t quite worked out for him. He’s had a couple of injuries that knocked him off track, too.

“He would also likely need to take a significant pay cut to drop into the Championship or League One, particularly given the COVID-19 situation means clubs are tightening their belts.”

So should Pulis be eyeing him up?

Squad depth option

It is thought that the 62-year-old is wanting at least four new faces in at Hillsborough before the end of January, and there are certainly plenty of gaps to plug – none more so than upfront.

Only Jordan Rhodes is an out-and-out centre-forward.

But Pulis ought to consider his squad depth on the wings too, as it is only really Kadeem Harris and Adam Reach capable of producing regularly.

In reality, loan star Jacob Murphy was never replaced by Garry Monk in the summer, and now they’re being made to pay for it. One injury to either of the aforementioned pair would spell serious trouble.

Green may have been out of the game for a while, as well as not doing himself any favours at Preston last season, but could be well worth the punt as it won’t cost Dejphon Chansiri a penny – a good thing given the situation regarding players being paid on time.

He’s racked up 55 appearances in the Championship, where he has delivered four goals and two assists, via Transfermarkt.

During a spell at Charlton Athletic at the end of last term, Green’s striking partner Lyle Taylor lauded the forward as a “real handful.”

It could be well worth taking a bargain punt on the free-agent ahead of January.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit reveals what Josh Windass has told him about Tony Pulis’ squad…

Steve Bruce must wield the axe on Joelinton against Liverpool on Wednesday night with Newcastle United set to welcome Callum Wilson back from injury.

Joelinton led the line as the Toon’s sole centre-forward in defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day, having seen his partner in crime sidelined after sustaining an ankle issue during last week’s Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Brentford.

Bruce sought not to risk Wilson away to the Citizens having seen the striker prove a pivotal aspect of his plans since joining in a £20m deal this summer, with the ex-AFC Bournemouth hitman accounting for 47% of the Magpie’s 17 Premier League goals thus far this season.

But according to The Northern Echo, Wilson is expected to feature against Liverpool in Wednesday night’s meeting at home to the Anfield natives, while teammate Jonjo Shelvey is also likely to be recalled after missing the Manchester City loss through fatigue.

Bruce should not hesitate to drop Joelinton for Wilson should the former Cherries star be passed fit, having sorely missed the England international against Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues.

Joelinton offered nothing at the Etihad Stadium during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat, as the £18m-rated Brazilian cut an invisible figure in the final third for most of the game with a tame header sent wide of the post his only shot of the match, per SofaScore.

He additionally offered no key balls among a mere 12 accurate passes with a 67% completion rate, attempted no dribbles, was caught offside once, made two fouls and lost four of five ground duels.

Joelinton’s sole strength came in the air with success in six of 11 duels, but failed to deliver the attacking threat Wilson brings to the table despite Bruce often urging the £40m striker to improve.

Bruce believes the fee Newcastle paid TSG Hoffenheim in 2019 has counted against Joelinton, but the time for excuses has now passed.

“Sometimes you need time – it doesn’t matter about the price-tag,” Bruce said in November, via quotes by Reuters. “In Joe’s case, the price-tag meant he struggled at times.

“But the kid wants to do well. He had a lot of opportunities, but we are starting to see him now with his strength.”

AND in other news: Steve Bruce has been dealt a huge blow, leaving Newcastle United with a titanic task vs Liverpool.

Crystal Palace have been handed a huge boost after Roy Hodgson appeared to confirm that Christian Benteke’s injury isn’t too serious, despite the Belgian striker being withdraw at halftime against Sheffield United, where he was replaced by Jordan Ayew.

What’s the news?

When asked about Benteke’s fitness at the weekend, Hodgson told reporters, via football.london: “Well, we think Benteke got a kick in the first half, which was obviously concerning him at half-time – a sort of dead leg. Normally those dead legs, if you’re lucky, don’t produce long-term problems.”

Palace snapped Benteke up from Liverpool for £27m in a club record deal on a four-year contract in 2016.

The 30-year-old centre-forward has been in decent form this season, scoring three goals in 12 appearances in the Premier League so far, via Transfermarkt. Given the extent of his injury, it appears he could be back in action in a matter of days.

Likely impact?

In fact, we’d even go so far as to say that Benteke has been one of Palace’s best players since the start of the season.

Palace have been in desperate need of some quality upfront for some time now and the Belgian international has delivered with great aplomb, bagging a brace against West Bromwich Albion in his first start of the campaign.

The Eagles boss reserved special praise for Benteke after he scored his first goals of the season, saying: “He has been patient and never stopped working. He showed the type of player he was when Palace bought him from Liverpool and has now got to keep that going.”

Whilst the goals have started to dry up, with just one in his past five games, his influential presence at the top of the pitch cannot be ignored, as he came close to scoring after combining with Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Zaha in the first half before being replaced by Ayew.

It’s worth remembering he has still scored more goals than Ayew, Michy Batshuayi and Connor Wickham have between them, albeit the latter has spent nearly the entirety of the season so far on the sidelines.

With an FA Cup tie with Wolves next on the agenda, Benteke simply must be one of the first names on the team sheet if he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders.

AND in other news, Forget Eze: Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell sent Hodgson a timely reminder…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass hinted that Wolves should consider a move for former Chelsea striker Diego Costa.

The Spaniard had his contract with Atletico Madrid mutually terminated last month and as a result, he’s now available for clubs to sign on a free transfer.

Wolves are one of the sides reportedly interested in the forward but according to Fabrizio Romano, the forward only has one offer on the table at the moment – from a team in Saudi Arabia.

Tottenham and Leeds have also been mentioned in the same breath as Costa but it looks as though he’ll take some time to make a decision before throwing himself back into football immediately.

It’s thought the Old Gold are on the hunt for a new striker with Raul Jimenez currently absent through injury and thus, Windass thinks that Costa would fit the bill at Molineux.

When asked which Premier League sides should consider a move for Costa, Windass told Football FanCast: “Wolves could [be a good] fit, obviously, with Jimenez fracturing his skull. That could be a good fit.”

Wolves signed Fabio Silva for £35.6m in the summer so any January transfer will presumably have to be done at cut-price.

Costa may cost a pretty penny in terms of his weekly salary but the club would do little wrong by acquiring him on a free transfer.

The 24-cap Spain international has already made 89 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 52 goals in the process.

His record this season isn’t so impressive, however. The 32-year-old netted twice in seven appearances for Atletico before he was allowed to end his contract in the Spanish capital.

AND in other news, 70 aerials won: Shi can find Wolves’ perfect Jimenez heir with move for £23k-p/w beast…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United footballer Steve Howey has been discussing the lack of centre-back options at Liverpool.

The Reds are currently without Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez due to long-term injuries, with Fabinho having filled in at centre-back for much of the season.

Whilst Joel Matip made his return from injury in the defeat against Burnley on earlier this week, the Cameroonian international has been terribly injury-prone throughout his time in the Premier League, so it would be something of a surprise if he was to stay fit for the rest of the season.

When asked about potential options for Jurgen Klopp’s side in the January transfer window, Howey suggested Brighton centre-back Lewis Dunk as someone who could help to fill a gap at the Merseyside club.

“Jurgen Klopp says he’s not 100% sure whether he’s going to go in [to the transfer window]. I’ve always liked the lad Dunk at Brighton. I think he’s decent, he’s got good distribution, he’s a big lad. He’s a unit.

“I’ve always liked the two centre-halves at Brighton to be quite honest.”

Dunk has been with Brighton throughout their time in League One and the Championship and has established himself as a solid centre-back with the Seagulls in the top-flight.

In total, the 29-year-old has made 324 appearances for Brighton, in which he has contributed 21 goals and 14 assists.

In that time, he has seen his value soar, and he is now valued at £24.3 million by Transfermarkt, suggesting that any move to Liverpool would presumably not come cheap, especially as he is contracted until 2025.

He is also captain of Graham Potter’s side, and they would therefore not be keen to let him go mid-season, especially when they are in a relegation battle.

Therefore, whilst the six foot four Dunk might have been a good short-term option for Liverpool this season, evidenced by his solid performances in the top-flight in recent seasons, he would not be a cheap solution for Klopp in the January window, so it would arguably be a surprise if Liverpool did bid for the Englishman.

And, in other news… Forget Origi: £99m-rated LFC star who lost possession 39x badly betrayed Klopp

Leeds United decided to slam the door on any potential movement for rising talent Sam Greenwood. Clubs including Swansea City have been circling the 19-year-old striker as he’s been making waves at the U21 level at Elland Road.

But despite the interest, The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath has reported that Leeds rejected Swansea’s approach for his services. Marcelo Bielsa reportedly wants to see the teenager stay with the Whites for the second half of the season.

What does the future hold for Sam Greenwood?

For the Argentinian boss to reject any moves for Greenwood, he must have some plans up his sleeve for the former Arsenal man. According to Transfermarkt, he has already netted six goals in ten appearances for Leeds’ youth side. He was also handed his first Leeds senior appearance when the Whites took on Crawley Town in the FA Cup third round earlier this month.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-transfer-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

Patrick Bamford is currently Bielsa’s only reliable option when it comes to strikers. The Englishman boasts Leeds’ highest goalscoring tally, leading the way with 11 goals and four assists so far this season. The player with the next highest amount is winger Jack Harrison, who has five goals and four assists, according to BBC Sport.

But Bamford still leads the way by a large margin. In fact, the only out and out back-up he currently has in case of injury is Joe Gelhardt. Summer signing Rodrigo can play as a centre-forward, but he recently admitted that his preferred role is operating in the pocket of space just behind the striker.

With Bielsa opting to keep Greenwood at Leeds for the rest of the season, he may have plans to bring him into the action off the bench. The teen could be given the chance to live up to his hype – after being likened to Robin van Persie during his days in Arsenal’s youth system.

With Bamford picking up a dead leg injury against Leicester, options are very, very limited. This could be Greenwood’s time to really kick start his career and show what he’s made of in England’s top flight if he is given a chance to shine.

If he isn’t in Bielsa’s plans, then the decision to not let him leave on a loan would be seen as an odd one, so by keeping him around, the boss may be thinking of using Greenwood at some point in the coming months.

In other news, Leeds taking a risk amid Phil Hay’s deadline day update…