All posts by z3u9t.icu

Plenty of Aston Villa fans hit out at winger Anwar El Ghazi on social media following the club’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Friday evening.

Dean Smith made one change to the side that drew with Wolves last time out, with youngster Jacob Ramsey replacing January signing Morgan Sanson in midfield.

The visitors were forced into an early change, though, after Bertrand Traore was forced off injured, bringing El Ghazi into the action.

Villa looked to have snatched all three points late on following Ciaran Clark’s own goal, however, with just seconds remaining in injury time, the Dutch winger gave the ball away, which led to Jamaal Lascelles heading home.

The result leaves Smith’s side in ninth place, with Lascelles’ dramatic equaliser preventing Villa going above Premier League champions Liverpool.

El Ghazi recorded a WhoScored match rating of 6.22/10 – the third worst score out of all 14 Villa players to feature. He had more shots than anyone on the field at St James’ Park (6), but only two managed to hit the target.

Villa fans slam El Ghazi

“El Ghazi should be embarrassed with his display tonight. We deserved absolutely nothing from that game”

Credit: @seeley_george3

“El Ghazi has absolutely 0 footballing ability, all he can do is shoot.”

Credit: @DomQ18

“Trez lacks quality and El Ghazi is so greedy.”

Credit: @AVFCFaithful_

“El Ghazi is a complete waste of time. Lost the ball THREE times in injury time, allowing the ball to be put back in the box.”

Credit: @FroggattSimon

“Stop playing El Ghazi”

Credit: @MattBedfordd

“El Ghazi forever scared of the ball”

Credit: @10grealishh

In other news: Many AVFC fans have been buzzing after a report on Wes Edens resurfaced, find out more here.

To suggest that Rafa Mir’s time at Wolves has been a disaster would be putting it lightly.

The Spaniard has played just four times for the senior side and has struggled to ever really make an impression on Nuno Santo.

In fact, he has found life difficult in England as a whole. Mir hasn’t scored in English football and endured a dismal loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he didn’t find the net.

However, back in his native Spain, the 23-year-old has been a joy to watch this season. He is finally making an impression and because of that, Nuno should be taking note.

Mir has always been highly thought of. The very fact he had two years in Barcelona’s famous La Masia is evidence of that. Though, like a lot of players that pass through their gates, he has not achieved much since departing.

The striker hasn’t lived up to his true billing and he hasn’t met expectations either. When he penned terms in January 2018, former Wolves star Diogo Jota said; “He’ll be a good signing for us.”

That has been anything but the case. Mir has struggled with the language and has never settled in the Midlands.

Unfortunately, the forward’s time at Wolves could be coming to an end just as his career takes off. On loan at Huesca, the Spanish outfit have an option to buy the player.

Though, if Nuno and Jeff Shi have any sense, they will try and convince him to stay. After all, his form this season dictates he could be a valuable option for the club next term. Wolves have their own option to buy Willian Jose who is currently on loan from Real Sociedad but by bringing Mir back in the summer, they could save a fair amount of cash in the transfer market.

Wolves supporters are unlikely to be convinced by the striker but he has been a force in Spain this season. In total, Mir has racked up nine strikes in just 22 outings. Six of those have come courtesy of recent hat-tricks.

The tall and quick attacker knocked three goals past CD Marchamalo in the Copa del Rey in December before scoring another trio of goals when Huesca defeated Real Valladolid last Friday.

Mir was in inspired form, demonstrating attractive all-round qualities. He completed both of the dribbles he attempted and won a colossal six aerial duels. Based on that, he feels like the complete striker. He is quick, physical and importantly, he can now find the net.

With Raul Jimenez injured for the last 14 games, Wolves have won just four matches. One of the reasons they’ve struggled so much is down to a lack of firepower. Fabio Silva has scored twice all campaign for instance.

Thus, Mir could give Nuno’s men some much-needed firepower in 2021/22. He must be given the chance.

AND in other news, Forget Jota: £75k-p/w ace who goes “under the radar” has been a bigger miss for Wolves…

Many Liverpool fans have been left to fume at a report from the Daily Mirror that Steven Gerrard is being lined up to replace Jurgen Klopp.

As per the news outlet, there are increasing doubts over the future of the German boss at the Anfield faithful, as there is an apparent growing belief that he would accept the job of succeeding Joachim Low as the Germany international manager.

Klopp is under pressure already to get the Reds to finish in the UEFA Champions League spots come the end of the 2020/21 term, with the Premier League title looking like it is going to go back to Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Gerrard is currently doing very well at Rangers at the moment as they are in the next stage of the UEFA Europa League and look pretty much nailed on to win the Scottish Premiership title off of the hands of Celtic.

An LFC legend, it may be very hard for him to turn down the job if it was offered to him in the future.

Liverpool fan reaction to Klopp report

These Kopites fumed upon learning of the report on Twitter, as they feel as if Klopp should be given more time given he has won both the Premier League and the Champions League for the Merseyside club:

“Way too early, don’t make the same mistake Lampard made.”

Credit: @fxqial

“Delete this post. What is wrong with the English media? Kloppo literally is just going through a rough phase on and off. this is very disrespectful from such a big media outlet to even mention this.”

Credit: @theKloppEnd2

“Don’t go the way of Chelsea with Frank Lampard. Let Klopp be”

Credit: @RealOtmac

“Too soon! I don’t want a situation like Lampard at Chelsea.”

Credit: @benr1892

“Absolute disrespect of this story. The things Klopp has done for #LFC and could anyone cope with the injuries and the death of his mother. Hope and expect Klopp to be our manager for at least a few more seasons.”

Credit: @LFC6Times2019

“I’ll stop supporting Liverpool if this happens then”

Credit: @EltxnFtbl

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by Liverpool fans here!

Liverpool have reportedly turned their attention towards signing Juventus centre-back Merih Demiral in the January transfer window, as they look to solve their current injury crisis in defence.

What’s the word?

According to Turkish news outlet Fanatik, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City are all interested in signing the Juventus defender this month.

It is suggested that the 22-year-old is keen to be playing regular football ahead of the European Championships with Turkey this summer, something which he is not currently getting under Andrea Pirlo with the Serie A side, as he has made just nine appearances in all competitions this season.

Bad news for Phillips?

If Liverpool were to sign the defender, who joined the Old Lady for €18 million (£16.5m) in 2019, this month it could be bad news for Nathaniel Phillips. It seems unlikely that the 23-year-old would be offered an extension to his contract that is set to expire at the end of this season, despite him stepping up this season in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.

With the likes of Joel Matip also set to return soon, whilst Rhys Williams and Billy Koumetio may both be knocking on the door of the first-team squad again next season, it seems likely that Phillips would quickly become surplus to requirements once Liverpool’s usual starters are back fit.

Demiral would certainly come with high expectations, with Turkish football expert Emre Sarigul full of praise for the defender, saying:

“Demiral was a Vidic fan growing up and he is a similar stature to the former Manchester United man. The Turkish international towers above most players, is physical, strong in the air and surprisingly technical with the ball for such a big man. He is a natural leader and cool under pressure.”

This is glowing praise for the former Sassuolo man and judging by the description of Sarigul, he could be the ideal man to replace Van Dijk whilst the Dutchman recovers from his injury.

Certainly, we saw Liverpool’s defensive frailties exposed at times in the 1-0 defeat against Southampton on Monday night, with Jurgen Klopp fielding two defensive-midfielders at centre-back in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, so signing a centre-back such as Demiral must surely be a priority for sporting director Michael Edwards this month.

And, in other news… Forget Trent: Klopp will be fuming with “world class” LFC star who made just 11 passes vs Southampton…

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Jean-Philippe Mateta from Mainz 05 on an 18-month loan with an option to buy, and it could be bad news for Michy Batshuayi.

What’s the word?

Mateta arrived in London for a medical last night ahead of a move worth up to £16m, with the initial loan costing £2.5m whilst the option to buy is worth a further £13.4m providing he starts 15 games in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old told the club’s website: “I’m very happy to come to Crystal Palace and I look forward to training.”Playing in the Premier League was my dream when I was a child. Now I can play, I will show the fans of Crystal Palace what I can do.”

📸 No Worries. #CPFC | https://t.co/utMcYSDkhb pic.twitter.com/VN4FHWjxcu

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 21, 2021

“We have followed Jean-Philippe’s development with keen interest for some time, and I’m so pleased that we have been able to bring him to south London,” said club chairman Steve Parish.”He is a player that is full of potential with a proven goal-scoring record, and his signing reiterates our commitment to ensuring we have a well-balanced squad in terms of youth and experience for the seasons ahead.” Bad news for Batshuayi

Mateta has impressed with his performances in the Bundesliga for Mainz, bagging 27 goals in 71 appearances across all competitions, including a hat-trick against SC Freiburg.

The Paris-born Frenchman has continued his prolific form since the start of this season, scoring seven goals in 15 top-flight games, resulting in a solid 6.72 average rating.

His arrival at Selhurst Park could spell trouble for Michy Batshuayi as it may have all but ended his hopes of joining Palace on a permanent basis in the summer.

Palace signed the Chelsea striker on loan until the end of the season, with the option to make his move permanent at the end of his loan spell, but he has been restricted to just four starts in the Premier League this season so far, with the last of his appearances coming off the bench in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City.

It’s been nearly six months since the misfiring Batshuayi signed for Palace, and it’s fair to say that his second stint at Selhurst Park hasn’t quite worked out, having so far failed to find the back of the net for Hodgson’s side this season.

The 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £10m via Transfermarkt, has done little to justify such a hefty price-tag, and he may in fact cost even more if Palace wish to make his move permanent after he agreed a one-year contract extension with his parent club in the summer.

Should Mateta hit the ground running – and he has certainly shown that he should be able to do this, given his excellent goal return for Mainz – it’s hard to imagine Parish will want sanction such a move for Batshuayi, given his struggles in front of goal, as he may struggle to get a decent amount of game time under Hodgson as he already finds himself behind Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke in the pecking order.

The Palace flop may in fact be forced to return to Chelsea with his tail between his legs instead.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must avoid signing Fiorentina striker Christian Kouame in January…

A lot of talk has been swirling around Neil Lennon’s future as the manager of Celtic Football Club. The Hoops have endured a difficult season in which they currently see themselves trailing to arch rivals Rangers in the league.

Their Glaswegian neighbours are running away with it at the top of the table and have a hefty 13-point lead over Celtic. Although the reigning champions have two games in-hand, it doesn’t look like they have much chance of catching the Gers, who are yet to lose a match.

The Bhoys are also out of the Europa League, having won just one match in their group stage. This came on Thursday when they managed to come out on top of a 3-2 win over Lille to end their European run.

Many believe that if (or more likely when) Celtic finish second in the league this season, Lennon will be shown the door and the hunt will start for a replacement.

Speaking to FootballFanCast editor James Beavis, former Premier League midfielder Rob Lee discussed potential names to replace the current Celtic boss, including Roy Keane.

Lee tipped Eddie Howe to be a good potential fit for the Hoops, but snubbed the idea of Keane making the move to Parkhead.

“Roy Keane was a fantastic footballer but I think he’s good as a pundit, he’s a great pundit. Pundits these days are so limited to what they can say but I think Roy breaks that trend. I think he says exactly what he thinks.

“He probably wants to be a manager but I think he should stay as a pundit.”

In other news, Exclusive: Pundit rubbishes idea of Sam Allardyce replacing Neil Lennon at Celtic…

David Sullivan must sanction a £5.5million January transfer bid for Independiente del Valle’s Moises Caicedo, who could be David Moyes’ next Declan Rice at West Ham United.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Record, the Irons have submitted an inquiry over the young Ecuador international as they look to contend with Manchester United for his signature.

Caicedo’s high-energy and aggressive pressing is seen as the perfect addition to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s preferred game plan at Old Trafford, while fitting seamlessly with Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward’s vision for a “cultural reboot”.

The 19-year-old set two records when he scored during Ecuador’s 4-2 win over Uruguay in October, to become the youngest-ever goalscorer for his country and the first player born in the 21st-century to net in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying fixture.

Independiente are said to value Caicedo at €6m (£5.5m) and would demand a 20 per cent sell-on clause should he leave in the upcoming January window, having tied the skilful midfield titan down to a new four-year contract after a handful of approaches this summer.

West Ham and Manchester United are offering the official line that they will only be active in the mid-season market if the right deal presents itself, while Caicedo would be expected to favour a move to Old Trafford.

The teen brute recently named the Red Devils as his favourite club and praised Paul Pogba as a player he draws inspiration from, alongside Chelsea and France star N’Golo Kante.

Moyes’ next Rice

West Ham stepping up their interest in Caicedo from an official inquiry to a formal bid could see Sullivan deliver Moyes his next Rice, and lock up the future of the Hammers’ midfield in case Chelsea return with a new approach for the Irons’ England international.

Frank Lampard’s side baulked at West Ham’s £80m asking price for Rice in the summer and could face competition from Manchester United, after the Red Devils were touted to be considering the West Ham captain as they begin targeting four signings to complete a squad overhaul.

Moyes will be irate if the east Londoners lose Rice without having a ready-made replacement in store, having called on the 21-year-old as one of four players to play all 1,170 minutes in the Premier League thus far this season.

Caicedo may not yet have any Premier League experience but may be Moyes’ answer, as the four-time Ecuador international has already established himself as a central figure for Independiente in their domestic and Copa Libertadores campaigns with six goals and two assists in 30 senior games.

His box-to-box exploits have also seen Caicedo lauded as a well-rounded and remarkably complete player by Scouted Football, who note the 19-year-old brings a mature level to his passing as he recycles possession or plays ambitious balls to progress play.

Those words are reflected in his output, too, with Caicedo recording a 100% accuracy rating with 2.2 long balls a game in the 2020 Copa Libertadores alongside 29.3 total passes, 1.0 key balls, 1.0 successful tackles, 3.3 duels won and 0.7 shots, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a £67k-p/w West Ham dud’s torturous midweek display proved why he cannot be trusted vs Chelsea.

Newcastle should be relieved that they didn’t end up signing Thiago Silva in the summer.

What was the story?

Following confirmation that he would be leaving PSG at the end of his contract, 90min suggested that a number of Premier League clubs were interested in signing him on a free transfer.

Along with Newcastle, it was claimed the likes of Arsenal, Everton, Wolves and West Ham were all looking into the prospect of making a contract offer for the veteran Brazilian.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But, it was fellow Premier League side Chelsea who swooped in at the last moment to sign him before the end of the deadline.

Expensive disaster for Steve Bruce

Despite his abundance of top-level experience with PSG, it just wouldn’t have made sense for Newcastle to snap up Silva on a free.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Chelsea signed the centre-back on a two-year deal worth €6m a season, which amounts to £105k-a-week.

For someone who just turned 36 in September, that is a ridiculous sum of money, and there would have been a serious question mark on whether he was looking for his final pay-cheque.

And following his outspoken comments on how he had been treated by PSG, French pundit Daniele Rioli tore into him, saying: “We just realise that like Cavani, Thiago Silva especially had a very misplaced pride: ‘Oh no, the proposal had to be made to me before, now it’s too late, blah blah blah…’

“Yet he had agreed for a long time with Chelsea. He’s like, ‘I’m crying, I’m hurt’. It is always the blow of heightened emotion. Thiago Silva is unbearable!”

And on the pitch, he’s already had some nightmare moments in a Blues shirt, with his horror showing against West Brom in which he played a major part in gifting the Baggies a goal, seeing him come under criticism from former Chelsea man Alan Hudson.

He said: “This is a player expected to bring some solidity to a poor looking back line and what a beginning, horrendous. He’s been outstanding, but here he looked like he had never played the game before.”

Steve Bruce made the right call in not following up on their interest in the defender.

Gareth Bale produced a worryingly invisible display as Wales ground out a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Sunday night to stay top of their UEFA Nations League group.

Wales are in a close-fought battle with Finland to top Group B4 with Markku Kanerva’s side just a point behind Ryan Giggs’ men, who scraped a narrow victory over Ireland thanks to a close-range header from AFC Bournemouth star David Brooks in the 66th-minute.

Bale was credited with assisting the game-winning goal after Brooks turned home the Tottenham winger’s looping header in a match starved of big chances, with interim Wales coach Robert Page seeing his XI direct just four of their 10 efforts on target.

Page returned Bale to the Wales starting line-up after the Real Madrid loanee missed the October internationals through a knee injury, but struggled to see any real quality from the 31-year-old as his 3-4-3 system forced the attacker to drop far too deep.

Bale was more productive after the break as a change in tactics allowed for the Tottenham icon to bother the Irish defence more often, yet he still ended the game with barely any of his 39 touches coming near to, or inside, the visitors’ penalty area, per SofaScore.

Jose Mourinho claimed after Bale had a similarly slack display in Tottenham’s 1-0 Europa League defeat to Royal Antwerp last month that the forward was improving, having registered zero shots on target and played just 24 accurate passes before being replaced by Harry Kane.

“He is working very, very hard,” Mourinho said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He is improving.”

“Seven years is a long, long, long gap,” the Spurs manager added, admitting fans should not expect the same Bale from his first stint in north London. “So which player in the world is the same as he was seven years ago? Sometimes they’re not better or worse, they’re just different players.

“For example, you look to [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi and compare them with seven years ago. They play in different areas, different positions. They transform their qualities to try and explore their qualities in other responsibilities in the tactical system of their teams. I think it happens with the majority of the players, so for sure, he is a different player.”

Bale remaining on the field for the full 90 minutes at home to the Republic of Ireland helped the Tottenham gem to reach 39 touches, yet he could still only find teammates with 22 of his 29 attempted passes. Furthermore, he did not attempt a single cross, he registered just one shot on target and he attempted – though completed – only one dribble.

Mourinho will have been buoyed to see Bale play the match to its entirety after earning his first start of the Premier League campaign in a 78-minute display at West Brom, but he would have hoped to see the winger fare far better with his assist painting over some worrying cracks.

AND in other news, Tottenham can unearth their new Dembele in a youth prodigy who can play five positions.

According to TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers are said to be one of three clubs pursuing Stoke City winger Tom Ince.

Ince currently plays for the Potters and has done for the last two seasons.

However, he could now be on the move having not featured at all so far in this campaign. The ‘Gers are said to be one of three clubs eyeing the 28-year-old, along with their fierce city rivals Celtic and promoted Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.

This could well be a very interesting signing for the Ibrox outfit if they are able to pip their two transfer rivals to a deal. Ince hasn’t been at his best at Stoke, managing just nine goals and 11 assists in 81 appearances, but his displays before that, especially for Derby County, show that he is a dangerous winger. With the Rams, he managed 38 strikes in 115 games, scoring at least 10 times in all three full campaigns at the club – that duly convinced Huddersfield to pay £10m to sign him.

Jordan Jones’ display against Motherwell at the weekend, in which he scored, indicates that he could be looking to make that right winger spot his own, but Steven Gerrard’s squad is still light on that side as shown by the need to use Ianis Hagi in that role. Ince, with his goalscoring ability, could be exactly what they need to solve that conundrum.

‘Gers fans, would you like to have Ince at Ibrox? Let us know what you think by commenting below!