All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal are reportedly keen on swooping for Tyler Adams this summer…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, the versatile 22-year-old is of interest to Gunners boss Mikel Arteta due to his ability to play both in central midfield and at right-back, meaning he’s an ideal fit for his current tactical system.

However, it is thought that the Bundesliga outfit are reluctant to let another one of their key players leave this summer, having lost Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate, whilst Adams is under a long-term contract, too.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the US international is believed to have a release clause, though it remains to be seen just how much that is.

Imagine him & Partey

With the futures of both Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin up in the air at the Emirates Stadium right now, it’s no wonder a player in the profile of Adams is being targeted.

The Leipzig sensation is capable of playing in either role, as seen many a time during the 2020/21 campaign. As per Transfermarkt, the young dynamo played 20 times in the engine room and made another 16 appearances on the right.

His bustling energy in midfield could be most appealing, though. WhoScored recently revealed that Adams had finished the season with a better tackle success rate (71.4%), which was more than anyone in Arteta’s whole squad.

Furthermore, the 22-year-old also averaged 1.1 interceptions and managed an 86.1% pass success rate when making over 46 attempts each league outing.

The former New York Red Bulls graduate may well be an ideal partner for the box-to-box presence of Thomas Partey, with him filling in on the right when needed.

“He’s a special person, he’s a special personality, he’s a special talent and the ceiling for him is massive,” claimed his former and now incoming manager Jesse Marsch, with Bundesliga.com also described him as a ‘combative and creative midfielder.’

That defensive midfield role is also his favoured position, only bolstering the claims that he and Partey could be a dream duo for Arteta.

Gunners sporting director Edu Gaspar must look to seal a move for the 5 foot 9 beast this summer.

AND in other news, Edu could secure Arsenal’s next Tony Adams in £50m “warrior” who’s a “special talent”…

West Brom have battled hard to beat the drop in recent weeks but it was too little, too late as relegation back to the Championship was confirmed last week following a defeat to Arsenal.

The Baggies only have their pride to play for ahead of Wednesday night’s encounter with West Ham United, though manager Sam Allardyce will undoubtedly want to see a result against his former club.

Last time out, Albion were well-beaten by last season’s champions, Liverpool, at the Hawthorns and return to the same scene as the Irons are looking to bolster their European claims.

Big Sam’s current squad is awash with temporary loan players, including Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Conor Gallagher, and MBaye Diagne and there can be an argument that they shouldn’t feature if the 66-year-old has one eye on next season.

However, there are other players in the side that have continually let the Midlands club down and it is these that the West Brom boss must avoid playing in these final two matches, starting tonight.

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In a strange move to drop Diagne from the starting XI at the weekend, Big Sam opted for the rarely-seen talents of Hal Robson-Kanu and he even found the net but he was merely capitalising on a woeful defensive mistake.

The 31-year-old Welshman is out of contract in the summer, when his reported £30k-per-week contract comes to an end after five seasons at the club.

His start at the weekend was actually his first in the Premier League all season, with his only other appearances coming in the Carabao Cup, in which Albion were knocked out early with him captaining the side.

That speaks volumes and is perhaps why he’s still set to depart the club next month.

Once lauded as an “absolute machine” by former Reading teammate Jem Karacan, he has evidently seen some regression to his game in the past year and considering he’s not going to be involved in the Championship next season, it would be pretty pointless to start him in this match.

If he’s not wanting to deploy Diagne anymore, then Allardyce should look to Karlan Grant – the Baggies’ £12m summer signing, who signed a whopping six-year deal.

He has played just 32 minutes since early February yet is the most likely option to lead the line next term. He needs game time, not Robson-Kanu.

Starting the veteran is only going to hold them back in the long term, so he must be axed from the starting XI this evening as West Brom look to plan for life in the Championship.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges over West Brom job amid Allardyce claim, it’s bad news for fans…

After suffering playoff heartbreak with Sunderland, Steven Gerrard should axe Rangers flop Jordan Jones from his squad at Ibrox this summer.

The former Kilmarnock man was sent on loan to the League One side in January and has been a regular in Lee Johnson’s side throughout the second half of the campaign.

The winger was one of several players to attend a house party in November, breaking the restrictions at the time, so it was no surprise to see him shipped out.

Since signing from Kilmarnock in 2019, he has gone on to make just 19 appearances for the Gers, contributing one goal and two assists, which suggests that his move has not worked out.

Unfortunately for Rangers, 26-year-old’s contract at Ibrox is set to expire in 2023, which suggests that they may well look to cash in on him in the next two years, rather than losing him for nothing at the end of his current deal.

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After his latest setback with Sunderland, which saw them fall to a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Lincoln City in the League One playoffs, Gerrard’s best course of action this summer would be to get rid of Jones for good.

The winger produced a disappointing defeat in the 2-0 defeat against Lincoln in the first leg, earning a 6.61/10 rating for his performance from WhoScored, whilst he was left on the bench for the 2-1 win in the second leg despite the North East side needing a goal, which certainly doesn’t bode well for his future.

Although he managed three goals and four assists in 20 appearances for the League One side, averaging a fairly solid 6.88 rating from WhoScored for his performances, it seems unlikely that he will ever be able to establish himself as a regular in Gerrard’s side at Ibrox.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

The “exciting talent” has unfortunately failed to impress during his time at Ibrox and given that Gerrard will be looking to add Champions League quality to his squad ahead of next season, it seems likely that Jones’ time with the Scottish Premiership champions might well be up and letting him go would be the correct call.

And, in other news… Wilson should return for “outstanding” beast after director’s huge claim

Some of Dejphon Chansiri’s decisions at Sheffield Wednesday have cost the Owls dearly this season.

What’s been said?

That’s according to Keith Andrews, who, when speaking to the Sky Sports EFL Podcast (via Football League World), claimed that Chansiri has not spent money wisely during his time at Wednesday, as well as taking aim at the owner’s trigger happy approach with managers.

He said: “Dejphon Chansiri, in trying to get to the holy land of the Premier League, and not spending the money wisely. This has not just crept up on them, likewise with Derby County.

“The squad was slightly unbalanced and you look at the number of head coaches and managers they’ve had this season, different messages. It has been a crazy, crazy season.”

Chansiri’s calls cost Owls

Indeed, it has been something of a season to forget for Wednesday this term, with the Owls, barring a miraculous final day escape, looking likely to drop down to the third tier of English football ahead of next season.

After taking over at the club back in January 2015, when Chansiri promised the club’s fans that he would guide the club back to the Premier League, things appeared to be moving in the right direction at Hillsborough, with the Owls securing a top-six finish in the Championship in back to back seasons, although ultimately missing out on promotion both times.

However, following the sacking of Carlos Carvalhal towards the end of 2017, things began to take a turn for the worst at Wednesday, with a host of managers, including Jos Luhukay, Steve Bruce and Garry Monk, failing to reach the heights of Carvalhal’s tenure with mediocre finishes in the second tier.

Meanwhile, Chansiri had also been sanctioning a number of questionable moves in the transfer market, including spending £10.53 million on the signing of Jordan Rhodes, handing the forward a four-year deal on a whopping £35,000-per-week.

The effects of such signings have rocked Wednesday to their financial core this season, with Chansiri failing to pay the players on time on multiple occasions throughout the season, while the owner’s decision to sack Monk and replace him with Tony Pulis, only to then sack Pulis after just 10 games in charge, has also seen a lack of continuity at Hillsborough that has undoubtedly had a negative effect on the players.

As such, in rather stark contrast to Chansiri’s original promise of Premier League football under his leadership, it now appears more than likely that the owner will be responsible for the club playing in League One.

In other news: Chansiri heading for disaster over “explosive” Sheff Wed beast, fans won’t forgive him – opinion

If you’re a young player at Wolves, it’s incredibly likely you’ll get an opportunity to shine in the first-team.

Jeff Shi’s mantra since purchasing the club has been to buy players at a young age and progress them towards reaching their high ceiling.

Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto are two of Wolves’ biggest success stories since Fosun completed their takeover at Molineux but others continue to come through the ranks.

As well as buying for the first-team, the Old Gold have been keen to strengthen their options from an academy point of view.

They broke their record fee for an academy player by signing Christian Marques after they beat Bayern Munich to his signature. Another of their finest captures at youth level is Luke Matheson.

Amidst studying for his GCSE’s, the teenager scored at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup for Rochdale.

It’s a moment that has made his career as he broke into their first team at the tender age of 16.

What followed was a move to Wolves, who have yet to blood him at senior level.

However, it surely won’t be too long before he earns his opportunity under Nuno Santo. After all, he already has a taste for first-team action and has all the qualities that perfectly suit Wolves’ style of play.

Unfortunately, he does have plenty of players ahead of him in the pecking order. The Old Gold signed two right-backs last summer in Nelson Semedo and Ki-Jana Hoever.

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That said, Semedo has been a liability at times this season and has now been linked with a move to Roma.

If Wolves decided to cash in just a year after buying him, they should look to finally unleash Matheson at Molineux.

Speaking during his debut campaign at Rochdale, the teenager earned plenty of praise from manager Brian Barry-Murphy: “Luke is an exceptional guy. He is one player you would have no problems staying grounded and true to his family.”

The 18-year-old hasn’t developed as rapidly as many thought he would when he scored against Manchester United but he still possesses plenty of eye-catching traits.

After he signed for the club, scouting writer David Alexander Hughes told Birmingham Live: “In terms of his defensive work, the defender is exhibiting a strong tactical understanding of the game, reading opposition attacks well and making a decent amount of interceptions and possession recoveries per game.”

Hughes continued: “Matheson’s abilities in progressing the ball and providing a threat in the attacking third make him an ideal candidate to feature as a wing-back for Nuno’s side.”

He added: “Wolves have recruited a young and exciting defender who looks to have a very high ceiling. To be a regular within League One at just 17 is a true testament to his ability.”

Matheson is maturing all the time but after an unsuccessful loan spell with Ipswich, is now back in the U23s at Compton.

Nuno has always had a keen eye for young talent at Molineux; the 18-year-old must surely be near the top of his priorities, however.

AND in other news, Nuno must wield the axe on “uninspiring” £30k-p/w Wolves flop, he’s done at Molineux…

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Dele Alli needs to leave Spurs and become a big fish in a small pond once again.

Alli has been an outstanding servant to Tottenham following his move from MK Dons back in 2016, but has fallen down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, and having lost his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, could seek a transfer away from Spurs to revive his international career.

The attacking midfielder saw a January move to PSG blocked, and despite making 10 appearances in all competitions since then, has started just once in the Premier League.

But recent reports believe that Alli, who reportedly earns £100,000-a-week, is going to finally be allowed to leave Tottenham at the end of the season, and whilst a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino remains a strong possibility, Windass believes that staying in the Premier League would be good for the England international.

He told the Transfer Tavern:

“I think Everton or Aston Villa, one of those teams where he then becomes a big fish in a small pond again. At the minute he’s a small fish in a big pond.

“The kid needs to be playing to get back into the England squad. Gareth will be on the phone saying ‘I think you’re a great player, but you need to be playing your club football!'”

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Rangers relayed footage of central-midfielder, Joe Aribo, in action at Ibrox.

So far this season, Aribo has been one of Steven Gerrard’s stand out players in the club’s title-winning campaign, with the 24-year-old scoring six goals and registering four assists over his 26 Scottish Premiership appearances, as well as averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.40 – ranking him as Gers’ joint second-best performer in the Scottish top flight, behind only James Tavernier.

In the club’s recent 2-1 win over Hibernian, the midfielder displayed his talents admirably once again, particularly in one phase of play, in which Aribo plucked a high ball out of the sky with an incredibly deft touch.

And, after Rangers shared footage of the touch in question on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many heaping a considerable amount of praise on the midfielder.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to the footage of Joe Aribo?

“I used to think Dennis Bergkamp had the best first touch. Not so sure anymore!”

@Xero1982

“Honestly, I’d drop a baby out of a burning building to Joe Aribo with 100% confidence he would caress it to safety with his feet.”

@Jock_Rangers

“Velcro feet.”

@nathrfc1

“His first touch is worth £10m.”

@kyle__55

“Beautiful.”

@Jack64527644

“Feet like pillows.”

@sagahansenOF

“It is simply sensational.”

@J_Munro98

In other news: Sources lift lid on ‘strong interest’ in Gerrard; chief executive has link with the Gers boss – find out more here!

In a recent interview, former Premier League referee, Mark Halsey, gave his verdict on a controversial Jonathan Moss call in West Ham United’s draw last weekend.

Despite having raced into a comfortable 3-0 first-half lead against Mikel Arteta’s side on Sunday, own goals from Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson either side of half time, as well as an 82nd minute Alexandre Lacazette strike, saw David Moyes’ side take just a disappointing point from their clash with the Gunners.

However, following the game, the West Ham manager took aim at the standard of officiating in the fixture, something that was likely a reference to an incident in which, with the score at 3-1, Moss halted a promising attack spearheaded by Jesse Lingard, with the referee blowing an extremely late whistle to award a West Ham free-kick, despite the Hammers having played on with a clear advantage.

And, in a recent interview with This is Futbol, Halsey claimed that it appeared Moss was not paying attention to the developing situation when blowing to award West Ham the free-kick.

He said: “Jon Moss did seem to wait a long time and I think he’s perhaps just momentarily switched off.

“We’ve all done it – where we’ve blown too quick whenever an advantage accrues. I’ve done it and then you think, ‘What have I done that for?’ and then you say, ‘I’m sorry’ – but this went on a long time.

“All I can say is that Jon Moss possibly switched off in that situation. I’d imagine David Moyes wouldn’t have been best pleased at that situation, especially when Arsenal have come back and got a 3-3 draw out of it.”

Transfer Tavern Take

While it is undeniable that West Ham were the masters of their own downfall in the draw with Arsenal, should Moss have been paying attention during the incident in question – something that, as a Premier League referee, is quite an important part of the job – perhaps the fixture could have turned out rather differently.

Having said that, this is something that is not likely to afford many West Ham fans much comfort, who will now have two weeks to linger on their club’s capitulation against the Gunners until they see their side in action once again.

In other news: these West Ham fans slammed this club figure with “no ambition” after footage surfaced – find out more here!

The lawyer of Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara believes the police now have enough evidence to charge Ondrej Kudela for “racially aggravated conduct”.

Kamara lawyer discusses case

Aamer Anwar is representing Finland international Kamara after he accused Kudela of racist abuse during the Europa League round of 16 clash between the Gers and Slavia Prague at Ibrox.

Speaking about the progression of the case, Anwar said (via The Herald):

“The police have now gathered evidence including CCTV as well as statements from witnesses that we believe would corroborate sufficient evidence for a criminal charge of a ‘racially aggravated conduct’ by Kudela – in that it is alleged he intended to cause Glen Kamara alarm or distress and his conduct was motivated by malice and ill-will because of Glen’s race.

“If Police Scotland believe there is sufficiency of evidence, then they can swiftly move to a charge of a Section 50A(1)(b) offence under Criminal Procedure Scotland Act 1995, that would mean that Mr Kudela would be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

“Mr Kudela could then be served with a citation to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date and ultimately at a trial if he does plead guilty in advance.”

FinallyFinally, it seems that we may be close to some sort of outcome in regards to this case. Since the game was played on March 18th, there have been accusations thrown back and forth – Slavia have accused Kamara of striking Kudela on the back of the head in the tunnel (slavia.cz), while there have also been suggestions Nicolae Stanciu received abuse from a Rangers player (eFotbal.cz).It remains to be seen whether Kudela is actually found guilty, but putting together a strong case is a start. The result of the impending trial is important – whatever verdict is reached will send out a message in regards to the fight against racism.In other news, Rangers are said to be interested in this 27-goal striker.

Leicester City will be aiming to get their first win in three Premier League games on Saturday evening as they take on Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.

The Foxes were held by Burnley at Turf Moor last time out, Kelechi Iheanacho cancelling out Matej Vydra’s early opener.

Brendan Rodgers’ men were not quite able to turn the game on its head, though, and departed Lancashire with just a point.

What will the Leicester City starting XI look like against the Seagulls?

We are expecting as many as four changes from Rodgers as he attempts to get his side back on track.

Kasper Schmeichel is an ever-present for Leicester this season so will undoubtedly start between the sticks. He will be screened by Timothy Castagne, Caglar Soyuncu and Ricardo Pereira.

There will however be one alteration in the backline, with the fit-again Wesley Fofana, who made a brief 24-minute cameo against Burnley starting once again in place of Daniel Amartey.

Wilfred Ndidi, who was also deployed at centre-back at Turf Moor, should move back into midfield alongside Nampalys Mendy. The Frenchman should be starting back-to-back games for the first time since early December.

Elsewhere, having had a hectic schedule at the beginning of 2021 in playing almost every minute in the league, Youri Tielemans should be afforded a rest. He should be replaced by youngster Sidnei Tavares, who made his Premier League debut last time out.

In a similar vein, Jamie Vardy should also drop to the bench. The 144-goal forward is still recovering from a hernia operation, so a rest could potentially be beneficial. Marc Albrighton could well come in for him after his brief but impressive cameo against Burnley.

Following a mistake at Turf Moor, it also makes sense for Hamza Choudhury to drop out of the starting XI. Cengiz Under should get an opportunity to line up in attack in his absence, having not played a great deal of football recently.

AND in more news, take a look at our analysis of the winger’s excellent performance at Turf Moor.