All posts by z3u9t.icu

Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side were left frustrated as they failed to pick up all three points on their return to Premiership action this month.

The Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Aberdeen in their first match after the winter break, with Lewis Ferguson’s second-half penalty canceling out Ianis Hagi’s goal in the first half.

Forget Goldson

One player who struggled in the match was central defender Connor Goldson, who received a SofaScore rating of 6.6 for his performance. He only completed 59% of his attempted passes and lost 100% of his ground duels as he failed to impress.

Elsewhere in the Premiership on the same night, Ibrox-bound defender John Souttar caught the eye with an excellent showing for Hearts. Rangers have agreed a deal to sign the centre-back at the end of the season when his contract at his current club officially expires and he is continuing to show off his superb form.

It has been reported that the Gers would be interested in bringing him to Glasgow this month instead of waiting until the summer and this latest display, coupled with Goldson’s unimpressive one, highlights exactly why they need to do it.

Souttar was given a SofaScore rating of 7.6 for his display against St. Johnstone, with the colossus winning 70% of his duels and completing 84% of his passes. He also completed 100% of his two dribble attempts and made one block, one interception and two tackles – as per SofaScore.

This shows the level of quality he can provide at this level and these are the kind of performances he could bring to Rangers, potentially replacing Goldson.

Gers sporting director Ross Wilson hailed the beast upon the announcement of the deal to sign him on a pre-contract earlier this month, saying:

“We are really looking forward to John joining Rangers and continuing his development under Gio, our coaching and support staff.

“John is a full Scotland international and has so much potential ahead for the coming years. I have really enjoyed getting to know John across all of our conversations so far and I can see how excited he and his family are to be joining Rangers. We are equally excited to welcome John to Ibrox.”

The Glasgow giants are evidently keen to see him playing for the club next season and now need to do all they can to bring him in during the current window. Goldson’s contract is up at the end of the campaign and the Gers cannot afford to allow performances like the one against Aberdeen to become common-place as he begins to think about where he will be playing next term.

Therefore, Wilson must strike an instant deal to get Souttar playing for Rangers this month instead of waiting until the summer.

AND in other news, 7 duels won: “Brilliant” Rangers gem with 100% dribble success was Gvb’s shining light…

These Wolves fans have been left buzzing as an official post from the Midlands club emerged involving Hwang Hee-chan.

As per the official Twitter page of the Molineux faithful, the South Korea international has been voted as the Castore player of the month (POTM) for October by the supporters after his three goals last month helped to secure a win against Newcastle United and a draw against Leeds United in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

Hwang ended up beating Raul Jimenez and Max Kilman to the award, as he received his accolade at Compton Park before jetting off to international duty.

The striker is only on loan at the Wanderers from RB Leipzig until the end of the season, but is already proving a valuable member of the team with his goals, and is currently their top scorer with four goals in total over all competitions so far this campaign (Transfermarkt).

Thus, it is no surprise at all to see so many WWFC fans behind him as he got the award.

Wolves fans on Hwang news

These Wolves supporters buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Yesss ladddddd”

Credit: @Wolves_Dan74

“Congratulations. Fosun, you know what to do”

Credit: @WolvesLads

“What a player!”

Credit: @Young_Wolves

“W”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“He deserves it.”

Credit: @POHHNE

“I like him, just needs better control of the ball when at his feet”

Credit: @DavidAr10667542

In other news, find out who some Wanderers would be happy to sell after exit links here!

Leeds United have entered the final international break of 2021 15th in the Premier League after 11 matches played this season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men have only won two of their 11 league games, but have avoided heading into the break in the bottom three.

The Lillywhite have 11 points and are three points ahead of 18th-placed Burnley, whilst they are four points behind 10th-placed Crystal Palace.

Liability

One player who has let Bielsa down with his performances this season is Welsh international winger Daniel James, who joined the club from Manchester United for a reported £30m in the summer window.

Since making the switch, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.57 in the Premier League for the Lillywhites – ranking him 19th in the squad. Jack Harrison (6.48) is the only senior player below him in the list, with Crysencio Summerville, Charlie Cresswell and Cody Drameh the others making up the bottom five along with Harrison and James.

The 24-year-old summer signing has been a liability on the pitch. Whilst he puts in the hard work and tries to make things happen, his quality lets him down at the end of the day and his lack of end product will surely frustrate Marcelo Bielsa.

In 10 league outings for Leeds, James has registered zero goals and one assist, whilst he has created a measly five chances in that time.

Former Premier League forward Darren Bent once criticised the attacker’s decision-making in the final third and branded him as ‘headless’. He told Football Insider:

“The only thing about Dan James at times, for me, he’s a little bit headless.

“He’s shown great potential, when he first went to United he played really well, scored a few goals but at times he for me he’s fouled or he shoots sometimes when he should pass it, he’ll pass when he should shoot.

“He’s got great pace and I think he’d be a great addition in anyone’s squad but when we talk about someone coming in and making a real difference and adding a lot of quality to whatever they’ve already got, I’m not quite sure.”

Per SofaScore, James has also been a liability in terms of keeping the ball, with 103 losses of possession in 10 top-flight games.

Whilst his end product in scoring and creating goals has been lacking, the main concern may be how often he gifts the ball back to the opposition throughout matches. He has also lost 62% of his duels, proving himself to be a lightweight in the defensive side of the game.

This shows why James has let Bielsa down this season, as he has been poor at keeping the ball, competing in duels and delivering quality in the final third.

Paying so much for a player who has only offered running thus far does not appear to be a great piece of business, but there is plenty of time left for him to come good and, hopefully, the Argentine can get the best out of him,

AND in other news, Imagine him and Joffy: LUFC may save millions in 19y/o who can “become a household name”…

Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side return to Premier League action this afternoon as Norwich City visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 52-year-old’s reign at Spurs has got off to an impressive start – embarrassing UEFA Europa Conference League defeat aside – with the club picking up seven points from the Italian’s first three league games in charge.

However, while Newcastle United’s win over Burnley on Saturday means that the Canaries come into the fixture as the 20th placed side in the top flight, Dean Smith’s men are currently on a run of four games without defeat in the league, with Conte undoubtedly being well aware that Spurs will have to be at their best if they are to pick up all three points in North London.

So, will the 52-year-old make any changes to the side that started the 2-0 win over Brentford on Thursday evening? Here’s how we’re predicting Tottenham will line up against City, along with the latest team and injury news.

With Antonio Conte recently confirming that Giovani Lo Celso – as well as long-term absentee Cristian Romero – will once again miss out on Sunday’s fixture due to injury, we expect the Spurs coach to make two changes to his starting XI against Norwich.

Indeed, as previously mentioned, Conte will know that Norwich can pose something of a threat despite their lowly league standing, leading us to believe the Italian will not rotate his squad too much – something which will likely be saved for Thursday evening’s European fixture against Stade Rennais.

As such, the back six of Hugo Lloris, Ben Davies, Eric Dier, Davison Sanchez, Sergio Reguilon and Emerson remains unchanged from midweek.

The first alteration comes in the middle of the park, with Tanguy Ndombele – who Noel Whelan dubbed a “frustrating” player – taking the place of 21-year-old Oliver Skipp, in a bid to increase the fluidity of the Tottenham attack.

The second change comes in the front three, with the £80k-per-week Lucas Moura dropping to the bench after a disappointing performance against Brentford, being replaced by Steven Bergwijn – who Conte recently took the time to praise.

Speaking about the potential of the 24-year-old winger, the former Inter Milan boss said: “I think Steven could also be a good option. We have a world-class striker as a number nine in Harry [Kane]… but in the past, I have seen that Son played in this position. Honestly, I prefer Son to play as a number 10 that he is now playing.

“I like to have a point of reference as a number nine. Steven is working and we are utilising him also in this position, in the three positions of the striker. Steven could be a good option on the day that I want to give a rest to Harry.”

With that in mind, it must be the Dutchman’s chance to shine in attack for the Lilywhites.

In other news: Conte offered £157k-p/w beast who’s “impossible to mark”, he’d solve a huge THFC issue

As Rangers near their 55th SPFL title after a comfortable 3-0 win over St Mirren at Ibrox, many Gers fans were wowed by the performance of defender Connor Goldson – taking to social media and applauding the Englishman for a fine display. 

The 28-year-old, who partnered centre-back Filip Helander this afternoon, stunned many supporters with his showing at points – with Steven Gerrard’s men now closing in on 55 and only needing arch rivals Celtic to drop points tomorrow against Dundee United.

Goldson helped the Gers to a crucial three points in their quest to clinch a first league triumph since 2010/2011, with their long ten-year wait for a title likely to come to a close soon – if not this weekend depending on how their rivals perform on Sunday.

Flocking to the praise the centre-back for his performance, it’s safe to say the Ibrox faithful were impressed – dropping all of their verdicts on him through social media.

Rangers fans blown away by Goldson

“That was another Connor Goldson masterclass”

Credit: @Pena_Cartel

“Goldson turned into Messi”

Credit: @Stephen32789781

“Goldson unleashing his inner Bougherra”

Credit: @revanite72

“Connor Goldson is spectacular.”

Credit: @RakoTuke

“Connor Goldson. Player of the year.”

Credit: @Seanboy1872

“Conor Goldson, Rangers Legend. Can’t be anything less surely???”

Credit: @DylxnHxwarth

Goldson has been magnificent today

Credit: @macdonald1872

Connor goldson player of the year, won’t hear any different.

Credit: @RhysS98

In other news: Gers fans also loved these Gerrard comments, find out more here.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now eyeing up a move for Scottish centre-forward Jacob Brown in the summer.

The Lowdown: Contract expiring

Brown’s contract at Stoke City expires in 2023, so he and the Potters have a decision to make over the summer as to whether he should be sold now for a fee, signed to fresh terms or allowed to leave for free next year.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-3/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They are reportedly planning to open up talks over a new deal, but it is not guaranteed that he will sign.

The Latest: Rangers interest

As per Football League World, the Ibrox faithful are now interested in signing Brown this summer, as well as West Ham United, Brentford and Burnley.

While Stoke are keen to give him an extension, a tempting offer may be too hard for him to turn down.

The Verdict: Sign

Given that his contract is running down, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team may be able to get Brown on the cheap, and so snapping him up in the summer seems like a no-brainer.

Described as a player with an ‘incredible’ work rate and having ‘fantastic energy’ by his manager Michael O’Neill, he is one that should quickly become a favourite with the supporters, added to the 13 goals and five assists that he has managed in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Brown even recently went viral after being involved in a rather bizarre scuffle with Bristol City player David Bentley, showing the type of passion the Ibrox faithful would love to get behind.

In other news, find out what big transfer twist this Gers insider has now dropped here!

Leeds United are enjoying a pretty good festive period.

Although they were battered by Manchester United at Old Trafford, they have responded in superb fashion.

Marcelo Bielsa’s team rose to the robust challenge of Burnley a few days ago, winning 1-0 and then demolished West Brom on Tuesday evening.

The Whites were relentlessly emphatic as they won 5-0 at the Hawthorns, playing the type of clinically impressive football we’ve become used to seeing from them under Bielsa.

Jack Harrison ran ragged down the left-hand side and combined with Raphinha and Rodrigo, the Baggies couldn’t live with Leeds.

However, just as important as the dynamic attackers on show was Kalvin Phillips. The England international has been utilised as a centre-back in recent weeks but was back in his preferred holding role on Tuesday.

It was a position he thrived in and absolutely dominated the opposition. To coin the YEP’s Graham Smyth, he was playing in complete “cruise control”, spreading passes and breaking up the play on a regular basis.

Phillips won 83.3% of his duels – ten in total – as he absolutely bullied West Brom every time they tried to break away.

All of the praise will go to those in the final third but Phillips set the tempo and the platform from which Leeds could go and play freely. The 25-year-old completed 92% of his passes and was unsuccessful with just one of the 11 long balls he played during the contest.

This was a complete performance from the midfielder, one that saw him perform two dribbles as he had Albion’s entire team on strings.

Phillips’ display was exactly the type of one that should gain him further England recognition. After suffering an injury that ruled him out of the Three Lions’ last fixtures, it will be encouraging for both club and country that he’s now in such good form.

This was a showing that demonstrated he’s not just about the defensive side – he can also prove to be a difference-maker going forward.

He is well and truly the heartbeat of this Leeds team.

AND in other news, Leeds brute who won 6 aerial duels was an absolute beast vs WBA…

Despite Timothy Fosu-Mensah’s recent departure to Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester United still have a lot of work to do over the course of the January transfer window.

The Red Devils find themselves in the Premier League title race this season, and if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side do intend to get their hands on the elusive trophy then they should also look to offload a large chunk of the deadwood that is bogging them down.

What’s the word?

According to Argentine journalist Nahuel Ferreira, via Sport Witness, £16m man Marcos Rojo ‘seeks to terminate his contract’ with the Red Devils.

Whilst several reports have suggested Boca Juniors are leading the race to sign the former Argentina international on a free transfer, it’s claimed Mexican side Cruz Azul have held initial discussions with his representatives over a possible move.

However, Ferreira suggested United have still yet to decide whether or not they will allow Rojo to leave in this transfer window, although the club have apparently confirmed his current deal will not be renewed.

What are they waiting for?

Ed Woodward has done a pretty decent job when it comes to shifting some of the deadwood with the likes of Fosu-Mensah, Alexis Sanchez and Chris Smalling all heading for the Old Trafford exit in recent times.

However, much of the same old mediocrity still remains to this day, none more so than the out of favour defender Rojo, who has fallen down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and is quite frankly a waste of time, energy and resources.

Once tipped for greatness by Louis van Gaal – say no more – it’s fair to say that Rojo’s career hasn’t quite panned out as he might have expected.

The 30-year-old, who has to be seen as wasting the Glazers’ money considering he earns around £80,000-per-week at Old Trafford, has not made a first-team appearance for more than a year and has been deemed surplus to requirements by Solskjaer with his last outing coming by way of the 3-1 victory over Brighton back in November 2019.

Solskjaer could look to offload the £5.4m-rated outcast and use his excessive wages to sign another big-name defender, with Dayot Upamecano reportedly at the top of his list of transfer targets.

It’s sad to say it, but the stats don’t lie and it seems like he’s served his purpose at Old Trafford. He hasn’t played a Premier League game in over a year and has made just one appearance in the Super Liga this season during an injury-stricken campaign in his homeland.

Just last season, he only averaged two clearances per game in three top-flight appearances, which is way below the six he was averaging in the 2017-18 season and the 6.8 he was producing the season prior to that, which seems to suggest he is well past his prime.

With Upamecano and Nikola Milenkovic two long-term targets, it’s almost certain Rojo will be forced to make room, particularly following the rise to prominence of Axel Tuanzebe this season.

United should just rid themselves of Rojo once and for all, even if they have to take a substantial hit.

AND in other news, Manchester United must offload Jesse Lingard in January…

Despite a potential impending points deduction, Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side look likely to be spared relegation from the Championship this season.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who claimed in a post on Twitter that, despite recent reports suggesting that the Rams could yet still be relegated from the second tier following their dramatic final day 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday due to a breach of financial fair play rules, any points deduction will be imposed on the club as of next season, rather than the campaign just past.

He said: “Hear EFL will reveal findings of their appeal in the next 24 hours. Then it goes to charges and any appeal. Any points penalties will next season. As was the case with Sheffield Wednesday. Interesting to see the details… [they will be] key to all this and how hard they will be hit.”

Fans will be buzzing

Following what has been a rather disastrous 2020/21 campaign for Derby fans to endure, with their side only narrowing avoiding relegation to the third tier of English football due to, ultimately, Sheffield Wednesday incurring their own six-point penalty, the news that the club look set to avoid any deductions to this season’s points total will leave the Pride Park faithful buzzing.

Having said that, if Derby do not buck up their ideas next season, both in terms of the way the club is run from a financial perspective as well as the performances of Rooney’s players on the pitch, then the joy of avoiding relegation this season could well be short-lived.

However, with a summer transfer window ahead of him, the 35-year-old manager has plenty of time to put a team together that is capable of a much more respectable league position than their 21st placed finish this term, be that with or without a points deduction.

In other news: Get him gone: Rooney must ruthlessly axe Lampard’s £20k-p/w Derby flop this summer – opinion

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Giovani Lo Celso has suffered an injury setback ahead of the Europa League clash against Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday night.

The Spurs midfielder returned to training ahead of the Premier League game against Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Mourinho suggesting that while he had an “opportunity” to make it in time for the Eagles, he was more likely to be in contention for the game against Zagreb.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash tonight, the Spurs boss has now revealed: “Gio is not ready but it’s nothing to do with his previous important injury, from which he’s totally recovered.

“But with his accumulation of work, his feelings are not the best at the moment, a little bit of some back pain so he’s had to stop working the way he was doing. So not for this match.”

It’s fair to say it’s been a strange old campaign for the midfielder, with numerous injuries and niggles restricting the £31.5m-rated gem to just 11 Premier League appearances amounting to only 436 minutes of action – frustratingly for both manager and player, he’s completed the full 90 minutes in just two games all year.

Just last season, Lo Celso’s Spurs teammate Harry Winks waxed lyrical about the Argentine’s ability, saying: “It took him a while to get used to all the intensity and the aggression of the league but he’s flying now and he’s been fantastic.

“He is a technically gifted player. But he is not afraid to get stuck in when he needs to as well.”

Sadly for both him and Spurs, things just haven’t quite panned out as they would have wanted this time around.

Lo Celso’s latest setback will surely just add to Mourinho’s concerns and worries over the midfielder – there’s nothing more frustrating than having an injury-prone player who continues=s to break down just when you think they’re ready to be welcomed back into the fold.

With the north London derby on Sunday against Arsenal, there was every chance that Lo Celso could well have played a part, or even started against Zagreb tonight in order to perhaps rest some of the Lilywhites’ other key stars who have had a busy few weeks.

Instead, Mourinho will be forced into sticking to a familiar eleven, and Lo Celso, who he likely thought was going to be ready to feature tonight, has now just added to his worries.

Meanwhile, Spurs should start this £16.2m-rated gem tonight…