All posts by z3u9t.icu

Watford have had a mixed start to life back in the Premier League but one man who has disappointed for Xisco Munoz’s side is William Troost-Ekong.

The Hornets were impressive in their opening fixture against Aston Villa, winning 3-2, but have since slumped to successive away defeats against Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur without scoring a goal.

This may well give Xisco some selection headaches for when his team returns to action following the international break, and Troost-Ekong could certainly be in danger of losing his starting spot.

As per WhoScored, the centre-back is currently rated as the 14th-best performer in Watford’s side so far this season, despite playing 90 minutes in all three of their Premier League fixtures.

His 6.24 average rating is the worst of any player to feature in all three games, which emphasises that he has been consistently mediocre, and it is a stark contrast to the 6.69 rating he averaged across 32 appearances in the Championship last season.

Despite being a centre-back, the Nigerian has not managed to win a single tackle in any of his Premier League appearances so far this season, whilst he also scores poorly in terms of blocks (0.3) per game.

For comparison, last season saw the 28-year-old average 0.9 tackles, 0.6 blocks and 0.7 interceptions per game in the Championship, despite him arguably having to do less defending because of how Watford were able to dominate most games, whereas in the Premier League he will surely need to do a lot more from that sense.

The £3.6m-rated defender has plenty of competition in his position, with Francisco Sierralta, Craig Cathcart and Christian Kabasele all rated higher than him so far this season, so unless Troost-Ekong can improve his performances, it would not be a surprise to see him dropped in the near future.

In other news… Signed for nothing, now valued at £7.2m: Giaretta delivered a masterclass with Watford ace

Leeds United could battle Newcastle United in the race to sign Tottenham defender Joe Rodon in January, The Telegraph report.  

The Lowdown: Rodon profiled

Rodon, labelled as ‘flawless’ by journalist Ian Mitchelmore after an impressive performance for Wales, is 24 years of age and has 22 caps under his belt for his country.

Valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, the centre-back has made 20 appearances for Spurs after joining from Swansea City last October.

He’s yet to make a domestic start during the current campaign and has played just 78 minutes of Premier League football – with none of those coming under Antonio Conte.

Leeds currently have Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk and Charlie Cresswell out through injury, and it seems as if Rodon could well be on Victor Orta’s radar along with two midfielders.

The Latest: Leeds links

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath shared a transfer notebook online, with Rodon one of the players he provided an update on.

He suggested that Newcastle were leading the race to sign Rodon on loan in January before adding that Leeds are also in the race and are monitoring the situation – possibly meaning they are keen on his services.

Spurs are likely to give the green light to a temporary exit, and it is accepted it will benefit the defender to be playing regularly.

The Verdict: Needed?

Although Leeds are currently without Cooper, Struijk and Cresswell through injury and Diego Llorente due to Covid-19, a new defender may not be the main priority in the New Year.

That’s because the Whites have just four senior midfielders on the books at this moment in time, two of which are injured in Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton.

Orta is after a defensive and attacking midfielder in January, and should he get those early, then perhaps the club could look at loan deals in other areas, but before then, their focus should be solely on bolstering the middle of the pitch with Phillips out for two months.

In other news: ‘Superb’ injured Leeds defender back in training as Bielsa now gets positive Thorp Arch update. 

Numerous Premier League clubs are interested in signing Benfica striker and reported Liverpool transfer target Darwin Nunez this summer, according to reliable journalist David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: Nunez on fire this season

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the best young strikers in Europe this season, catching the eye with his performances for the Lisbon club.

Nunez has scored an incredible 24 goals in just 20 Primeira Liga starts, also netting in the Champions League quarter-final clash with Liverpool last week and being described as a ‘top, top boy’ by Jurgen Klopp.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-27/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Uruguayan has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent days, with the Reds ‘convinced’ that they should sign him, and a fresh update on the player’s future has now been provided.

The Latest: Nunez a wanted man

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning as he shared a corresponding article from The Athletic, Ornstein revealed that a number of top English clubs are leading the race to snap up Nunez, for whom Benfica want £58.6m, but Liverpool weren’t specifically mentioned.

The journalist tweeted: “Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez has interest from many clubs for summer move but current leading contenders Man Utd, Chelsea, #PSG. None of those can move yet so just initial dialogue. Benfica seeking ~€70m & sale early in window.”

The Verdict: Do Liverpool need him?

Nunez is clearly a special young talent with a big future, as evidenced by his goal record and much sought-after status, but there is a strong argument to say that more big-name attacking signings aren’t needed at Liverpool this summer.

Klopp arguably has five world-class attacking options at his disposal already, and unless someone leaves in the summer, it would be almost impossible to keep six forwards happy if the Uruguayan were to join.

Midfield should be the main area of focus instead, with players ageing in the middle of the park – Jordan Henderson, Thiago and James Milner are in their 30s, while Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turn 29 this year – and an injection of youth needed to take Liverpool forward.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided a key Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.

Manchester United will be hoping to maintain their upturn in fortunes when they take on Atalanta in the Champions League tonight.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges bounced back from their humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool with a comfortable victory over Tottenham Hotspur last time out, providing hope that they’ve turned a corner under the Norwegian’s tutelage.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford wrapped up a much-needed three points against Spurs, and the Red Devils will be firmly focussed on putting in a similar performance against tonight’s opponents.

The two sides clashed at Old Trafford just a couple of weeks ago in what turned out to be a hugely entertaining encounter. United’s dramatic comeback win after being 2-0 down at half-time moved the Red Devils to the top of Group F, but with just three points separating all four teams, there’s still all to play for.

Solskjaer confirmed in his recent press conference that he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game in Italy, so Anthony Martial’s lack of match sharpness is his only concern.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects United to line up in Bergamo as Solskjaer attempts to build some momentum…

David de Gea is set to remain between the sticks for United after maintaining his fast start to the season, so Dean Henderson will once again have to settle for a place on the bench.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper, Solskjaer has some big decisions to make. He had great success playing a back five against Spurs, but we fancy him to be slightly more ambitious this time around. That means Victor Lindelof will watch on from the sidelines while Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Aaron Wan-Bissaka comprise the defensive unit.

In midfield, the pragmatic double pivot of Fred and Scott McTominay is likely to remain as United adopt a safety-first approach, allowing Bruno Fernandes the freedom to join in the attacks ahead of him.

Completing the starting lineup is Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Ronaldo, so the £5.4m-rated Edinson Cavani misses out in favour of the 24-year-old, who comes into the side after scoring on Saturday.

In other news… Ole must controversially unleash “dreadful” £19.8m-rated MUFC dud, he’s a game-changer 

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened, this could spark a flurry of transfer activity between a range of clubs with lots of players on the move.

Despite having the joint-second smallest senior squad in the Premier League with 25 players according to Transfermarkt, it seems as though Leeds United could be saying goodbye, albeit temporarily, to one of their current players.

According to the Daily Mail (via Glasgow Times), Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville is being considered for a potential loan move to Scottish club Rangers this month.

Since joining Leeds’ U23 side back in September 2020, the winger has made 24 appearances for the Yorkshire club’s youth team in which he has managed to score nine goals and provide eight assists in the process, highlighting his attacking talents and why Rangers apparently have their eyes on him.Even though the 20-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £8.4k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has made seven senior appearances for Leeds so far this season, none of the five league appearances he’s made in this current campaign have seen him start, which suggests that he is not a crucial figure for Bielsa at this moment in time.This also suggests that a potential loan move to Rangers this month could be beneficial for the player if he gets regular playing time there.Labelled as a “runaway train” in the past by Leeds journalist Beren Cross, Summerville could find his chances to play in the first team at Elland Road hard to come by throughout the remainder of the season given the presence of Raphinha and the fact that Jack Harrison and Dan James managed to get on the scoresheet in their recent 3-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League.With this in mind, it could be worth Leeds loaning the Dutchman out this month to give him the chance to show what he’s capable of in a senior team that can give him regular playing time.If Summerville does go to Rangers on loan this month until the end of the season and manages to make the best use of his time there, this could give Victor Orta the chance to save Leeds and Bielsa millions in potential future transfer fees if he can come back to Elland Road and immediately take a place in their starting XI on a consistent basis.In other news: Orta can seal Bielsa’s dream LUFC deal with £18m-rated gem who has a “fighting spirit” – opinion

Southampton have not had a particularly good start to their 2021/22 Premier League campaign, with four draws and three defeats in their opening seven games.

One player who has yet to get his season up and running for the Saints and who Ralph Hasenhuttl should be putting in his starting XI to face Leeds United in their next Premier League match is Stuart Armstrong.

On the chalkboard

Having returned to team training prior to Southampton’s previous Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after struggling with a calf muscle issue, we feel that the Scotland international should be in the starting XI to face Marcelo Bielsa’s side next week if he is fit enough to feature for his first match of this season.

Southampton signed Armstrong back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Celtic on a four-year deal for a fee of £7m.

Since then, the 29-year-old – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £50k-per-week according to Spotrac – has made 104 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, in which he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists.

Last season saw Armstrong, who was once labelled as a “role model” by Hasenhuttl, score four goals and provide five assists in the Premier League, ultimately earning him an overall season rating of 6.82/10, making him Southampton’s sixth-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

Looking ahead to the Leeds clash, we feel that he should definitely be in Hasenhuttl’s starting XI if he’s fit enough to play. He could even provide the team with a suitable replacement for James Ward-Prowse, who was given a red card in the Chelsea game, resulting in him being given a three-match ban.

Only three players contributed to more goals for the Saints last season. One is the suspended club captain and another is Danny Ings, who is no longer at St Mary’s. Therefore, the Austrian manager would certainly be wise to call upon the Scotland international to provide a cutting edge in the final third.

If Armstrong does play a part in the Leeds game and has a positive impact on the team in terms of contributing to a goal, we feel that he could potentially be the player to keep Southampton away from the relegation zone and save their season – if he is trusted to play regularly throughout the rest of the campaign and can match or exceed his 2020/21 goal contributions return.

Nonetheless, whether or not he plays a part against the Whites, we feel that this could still be a great opportunity for Southampton to grab their first league win of the season considering that Marcelo Bielsa’s team have also had a difficult start to their campaign.

In other news: Ralph could solve big Southampton issue with £12m “special talent”, fans would love it – opinion

Burnley manager Sean Dyche, who was linked with a move to Crystal Palace in the summer, penned a new four-year deal at Turf Moor on Thursday.

And, as to be expected following continued links to Selhurst Park, a number of Eagles supporters were quick to react to the news on social media.

Steve Parish was on the search for Roy Hodgson’s successor over the summer and placed Dyche on a list of possible Palace candidates.

Dyche admitted he was ‘flattered’ regarding the interest, with Palace approaching the Clarets over the 50-year-old’s services at the end of May.

The Eagles were told it would cost £3m in compensation for Dyche, and as we now know, decided to bring in Patrick Vieira instead.

Vieira chalked up his first Premier League win for Palace over Tottenham last weekend, with the Eagles currently sitting above Burnley in the table.

Palace fans react

Burnley shared the news of Dyche’s new deal on their official Twitter page. Their post received plenty of interaction, with a number of Palace responses available to view below.

“Waited to see if Vieira was actually any good before committing to Burnley”

Credit: @MattCPFC

“Bless him he waited so long for us to save him and we never did”

Credit: @liamb0117

“He even waited to see if Vieira would do a de Boer and we came calling before signing the deal. Maybe one day, Sean.”

Credit: @Phillyconcarne

“We’ll probably go for him if Arsenal come in and nab Vieira”

Credit: @SomePalaceGuy

“I can see this man managing them in the 2030s”

Credit: @cpfcboiling

“Burnley extend their stay in the Premier League by 4 years”

Credit: @CPFC_Cal

In other news: ‘No no no’ – Conor Gallagher update has lots of Palace fans talking. 

Celtic look set to wrap up a deal for VVV-Venlo forward Georgios Giakoumakis following the news that both clubs have agreed a fee, as well as the Greece international finalising personal terms with the Scottish giants on a four-year-deal, as per Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis was an unexpected sensation in 2020/21

Rising from relative obscurity, the 26-year-old sent shockwaves through Dutch football in 2020/21, becoming the top scorer in the Eredivisie with 26 goals in 30 league appearances [Transfermarkt], in spite of his current employers suffering relegation at the end of the campaign.

If you were to add the other three goals the 6 foot 1 ace converted in the KNVB Cup last term, he outscored his entire career goal tally in the space of 12 months, 29 last season to his previous 26 goals with various former clubs [Transfermarkt].

Well and truly striking when the iron is hot, Celtic seem to have all but sealed the capture of Giakoumakis following recent developments.

The Latest: Giakoumakis set to sign for Celtic on four-year deal

Celtic have agreed a £2.5m fee with VVV-Venlo for the signature of the Heraklion-born forward, according to Sky Sports.

He is set to link up with the Glaswegians on a four-year contract after agreeing terms, with the Hoops having seemingly beaten off stiff competition from Werder Bremen to land the instinctive poacher.

The Verdict: Potential to be a bargain signing

In the midst of heavy speculation surrounding the future of Hoops star Odsonne Edouard, the Celts will land themselves an impressive bargain should the Giakoumakis deal be completed before tomorrow’s transfer deadline.

The 26-year-old is most certainly a penalty box striker who is constantly looking to be the focal point of offensive passages of play, illustrated by his average rate of 3.2 shots per game across last season [WhoScored].

One exciting component of his game which should not be ignored is his aerial ability and desire to get on the end of whipped crosses, something that the Celts lack somewhat within their current strike force.

Ange Postecoglou is said to have been relentless in his sales pitch to bring in the striker [Daily Record], whilst the manager’s Greek origins may have been a source of familiarity and comfort for the VVV-Venlo marksman.

All things considered, Giakoumakis seems to be an intelligent prospective signing who has the tools to succeed in the high-stakes Parkhead environment due to his physicality and finishing ability.

In other news, Celtic are close to signing a Portugal under-21 international. Find out more here.

In the Premier League, not only have Liverpool got themselves comfortably in the race to win the title and scored more goals than any other team in the top flight, but the Reds have also managed to keep eight clean sheets along the way.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though the Merseyside club could be in danger of losing one of their current senior players.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by the Sunday Mirror (via Liverpool Echo 16:58) that newly appointed Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has got Reds defender Joe Gomez on his radar for a potential transfer move in the upcoming January transfer window.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Charlton Athletic in a deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m, Gomez has made a total of 128 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.

Labelled as a “sensational” player by Jurgen Klopp in the past, Gomez has hardly had a look in for their current Premier League campaign, making just two appearances and playing just 13 minutes of action.

However, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has played the full 90 minutes in both of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup games and one of their Champions League games, winning all of three of them and keeping two clean sheets in the process.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-liverpool-news” title=”Check out the latest Liverpool news!”]

Even though he has been injured in recent weeks, it’s safe to assume that Gomez would possibly be tempted to join Villa if he would be guaranteed regular playing time in the Premier League and play under Gerrard.

However, from a Liverpool point of view, it would be a calamity if FSG were to approve Gomez’s potential move to Villa. After all, he has vast experience with the Reds and has demonstrated enormous potential, leading us to believe he could become a regular figure in the team for the next few years alongside the likes of Ibrahima Konate.

With Vigil van Dijk and Joel Matip both now at the age of 30, it’s safe to say that Liverpool will be relying on the likes of Gomez and Konate to be their long-term replacements in the future, which would be quite hard if Gomez joins Villa.

It’s safe to say this wouldn’t be the wisest move from departing directing Michael Edwards.

In other news: Edwards could be set for LFC disaster as claim emerges on “unstoppable” £200k-p/w gem – opinion

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with the performance of Cedric Itten during their 2-1 pre-season defeat of Real Madrid on Sunday.

The Gers were in action at Ibrox as they continued their pre-season plans. Before this clash, they beat Partick Thistle 1-0 and then lost to Tranmere Rovers by the same scoreline before drawing 2-2 with Arsenal and 0-0 with Brighton.

, However, even without a whole host of their star players available, 13-time European champions Real Madrid were still able to field a starting XI full of glittering talent. The Gers picked up the victory, though, thanks to goals from Fashion Sakala and Itten.

The latter’s display in particular attracted plenty of praise from Gers supporters. Itten has been in top form in pre-season, scoring three times (rangers.co.uk), and may well have earned himself a spot in Steven Gerrard’s starting XI for their first Premiership game against Livingston next weekend.

These Gers fans were delighted with the Switzerland international and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the 24-year-old’s “superb” recent form, with one even joking that he might be the man Real Madrid will want to replace Bernabeu legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Itten’s performance

“Sakala is a player. Itten playing superb. Hagi and Lundstram been decent as well. Team looking strong once again”

Credit: @MrBluenose24

“Itten is gonna do some serious damage up top as well”

Credit: @gregmartin1982

“Cedric Itten is the Ronaldo replacement Real are looking for”

Credit: @BenFinlay10

“Everyone rightly talking about Sakala… however absolutely delighted Itten scored again. Think he could be an important player for us this season”

Credit: @Rossco76

“Right a few talking points and I’ll try not get carried away… 1, the new boys look like they have always been part of the team, Outstanding acquisitions. 2, Itten has found some form and his confidence is growing. 3, we are winning the Champions League!!”

Credit: @ibrox_blue

“Itten is the GOAT”

Credit: @Lachlan72_

In other news, Rangers are set to sell this player during the summer transfer window.