All posts by z3u9t.icu

This has been a torrid old season for Wolves. They’ve been missing Raul Jimenez since November and any dream of securing European football is long gone.

Therefore, this is a critical summer for the Old Gold.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Wolves are considering a phenomenal return for Matt Doherty.

The Irishman only left last summer but, after a difficult campaign with Tottenham, he could return to the Midlands.

Doherty has started just 12 of 29 Premier League matches this term and thus may be searching for an escape route.

Sources have told Football Insider that Wolves are keen to re-sign him for a fee lower than the one Spurs paid last summer. The Lilywhites initially dished out £16m for his services, paying him a wage of £74,000 per week.

Nuno’s dream

Wolves have recruited poorly over the past 12 months, something evident in what they did last summer.

Jeff Shi replaced Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota, 25% of Wolves’ goals last term, with Nelson Semedo and Fabio Silva.

Wolves paid out £27.61m for Semedo while Silva set them back £35.6m. It’s safe to say that neither of them have been worth the money.

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The former has been a defensive calamity while the latter has scored just twice since arriving, so Doherty would be a welcome addition. The wing-back has played 302 times for Wolves, displaying immense consistency throughout his time at Molineux.

The defender very quickly became a dream for Nuno Espirito Santo, someone capable of fitting into Wolves’ desired system and style of play perfectly.

Speaking about him when he left for north London, the manager said: “Such a nice person, it was a pleasure to work with Matt. He had to adjust and adapt to so many things and the way he grew as a player was amazing. I wish him all the best. I will miss him. It’s up to us to find solutions (to replace him).”

Unfortunately, Wolves haven’t been able to replace him sufficiently. Semedo has been criticised for his role in the defensive, being beaten all too easily on numerous occasions. Recall his performance against Arsenal and you’ll envisage the torment that Nicolas Pepe gave him.

Doherty, on the other hand, was a loyal servant to Wolves, being described by journalist Tim Spiers as “superb” during his time at the club.

He wasn’t just defensively astute, but he was adept in offensive areas too. During his two seasons in the Premier League with Wolves, he scored eight goals and claimed the same number of assists.

It goes without saying that he should be a tremendous addition if they can bring him back.

AND in other news, Better than Jose: Wolves must swoop for “special” £30m beast with 27 goals this term…

Manchester United and Manchester City have a transfer battle on their hands to land Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic this summer.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils previously sent scouts a couple of years ago to watch Milenkovic in action for Fiorentina in a Serie A match against Bologna prior to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge at Old Trafford.

United have long been on the lookout for defenders despite boasting several centre-backs among their ranks.

Reports resurfacing in Italy have now credited Manchester City with an interest and they are set to join the race to sign him in the summer.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (Thursday print edition), as relayed by Sport Witness, the 23-year-old has been tipped to make the switch to a Premier League side when the transfer window re-opens in a few months’ time.

Milenkovic has been in impressive form for Fiorentina this season, having made 23 appearances across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

He is contracted with La Viola until 2022.

The next Nemanja Vidic?

United let Chris Smalling leave for Roma in the summer and Victor Lindelof’s poor form has raised concerns about the team’s defensive options.

Solskjaer currently has five centre-back options at his disposal, in the form of Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, but have just one natural left-sided central defender in the club captain after Smalling left the club last year.

In Milenkovic, United could find an enforcer who has often been described as “the new Nemanja Vidic,” and the comparisons don’t stop there, either.

Like his fellow Serbian before him, Milenkovic has developed quite the reputation over the past few years for being a fearsome tackler who takes no prisoners with his no-nonsense approach to defending. He’s been dubbed as “fearless” for his style of play, and even hailed as being better on the ball than Vidic too.

Standing at 6 ft 5 in tall, the towering colossus – who is currently valued at £25m via Transfermarkt – would afford the likes of David de Gea and Dean Henderson with a level of protection that has not be seen at Old Trafford for quite some time, while WhoScored lists him as an indirect set-piece threat, as his natural height also makes him something of a powerhouse inside the box.

It’s no surprise to see he has shown a willingness to get stuck in, either, as evidenced in his 1.7 tackles per 90 in Serie A during his time under Cesare Prandelli this season. For context, Lindelof has only been able to muster 0.8 per game in the Premier League.

A lack of experience in the Champions League or Europa League shouldn’t deter potential suitors. Yes, it means he hasn’t played at the highest level, but if he can offer a fraction of the form from his past few seasons with Fiorentina, then the youngster can prove to be a very shrewd addition to Solskjaer’s side.

Milenkovic would fit the bill at Old Trafford, as an accomplished defender and a powerful threat in the air. Ed Woodward, therefore, should sanction a swoop for one of Europe’s hottest prospects in the summer, although he may have to break out the cheque book in order to do so.

AND in other news, Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly was colossal against Real Sociedad…

Rumoured Leeds United transfer target Orkun Kokcu has opened the door to a potential exit from Feyenoord this summer, and it’s something Victor Orta must take advantage of.

What’s the story?

The £11.7m-rated gem is rumoured to have been on both Leeds and Leicester’s radar in the January transfer window (Voetbal International via Sport Witness), but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

And, Kokcu himself has admitted that his long-term future at the Dutch side is up in the air, saying: “I still have a contract until 2025, but the situation has changed.

“Feyenoord have been very open about the financial situation, and it is clear that the club is ending up in the minus. If a club comes to me with a good story and Feyenoord can make money from it, I can imagine that I will listen to it.”

Bielsa would be buzzing

Kokcu was being linked with a move to either Arsenal and Everton last year, which is a real testament to how highly-rated he already is in European football.

In a profile piece by The Evening Standard, they wrote: “While Kokcu is primarily viewed as a central midfielder, the 19-year-old is a gifted technician on the ball and has been tipped to move further up the field as a playmaker.

“The Turkish youngster enjoys dictating play in the central areas of the pitch and has a keen eye for a pass, much like Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas, preferring to control proceedings from deeper positions.”

Given that he’s still only 20, and has already racked up significant game-time with Feyenoord – 68 senior appearances to be precise including games in the Europa League – Kokcu has got everything going for him to be a major future success at Leeds.

The central midfield area, whether that’s as a deep-lying play-maker or someone further forward, is something where the Whites lack a real strength in depth, and Kokcu’s arrival would go a long way to addressing that.

Add to that, his ability and youth, and this would surely be the kind of signing that has Bielsa buzzing. With Arsenal and Leicester reported as suitor too, it would go down as a major coup by Orta.

If Leeds decide to strengthen any area in the January transfer window, then the priority has to be in defence.

The Whites have only just welcomed Liam Cooper back from injury, but Robin Koch and Diego Llorente are both still on the sidelines. They can be thankful, therefore, that the market is open for business.

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, Leeds are one of the teams interested in signing young Lens defender Loic Bade.

The report states that the centre-back is a very popular player and thus, both Lyon and Rennes are monitoring his situation.

The 20-year-old also has willing suitors away from France as Leeds are reportedly eyeing Bade along with Germany’s Borussia Monchengladbach and Italy’s AC Milan.

As per Transfermarkt, the Frenchman is valued at just £5.4m, so he presumably wouldn’t cost Victor Orta a great deal of money if he did push ahead with a deal.

Forget Struijk

Bade is hardly a household name but he has quickly emerged as one of the best young defenders in Ligue 1 and he could very quickly follow in the footsteps of William Saliba and Wesley Fofana.

Those two young centre-backs caught the eye in Ligue 1 for St Etienne before moving to the Premier League, joining Arsenal and Leicester, respectively.

It’s difficult to be certain about whether he’d take to English football as well as someone like Fofana, or if he’d take time to settle in as Saliba has, but either way, he’s an impressive talent.

Described as a “dominant” defender who plays like Raphael Varane by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he has a host of qualities that could be game-changing for Leeds.

A crucial point to note, however, is that statistically, he is better than current stand-in defender Pascal Struik.

The Lens prodigy, who stands at a mighty 6 foot 3, has won 4.3 aerial duels per game this season while coming out on top of 2.2 tackles a match. On top of that, when watching Bade, it’s clear to see that his reading of the game is phenomenal, and the fact that he is making 2.8 interceptions a game on average, backs that up.

If you compare his numbers to Struijk, there are vast differences. The Dutchman has only wins, on average, two aerial battles a match, whilst avering just 1.8 tackles a game, so he wins fewer headers and challenges than Bade.

Clearly, Bade would be an upgrade on the Leeds youngster, but he could also offer more than the likes of Liam Cooper in the air.

That’s because he has, on average, won more aerial duels than any Leeds player per game this season. His numbers would also rank sixth among Marcelo Bielsa’s men for tackles, if they were compared to the Leeds squad.

But can he do it against the very best? Well, he was part of the Lens defence that kept a clean sheet and won 1-0 against PSG earlier this season. They didn’t have Kylian Mbappe or Neymar on that day but given that PSG still have some excellent players, he’s proven that he can be more than competent in the bigger games.

With Leeds lacking genuine centre-back cover and after their defence collapsing so badly against Crawley in the FA Cup last weekend when they had to rotate, signing a player with Bade’s expertise would prove invaluable as the season reaches its conclusion.

The 3-0 defeat last Sunday clearly showed that Bielsa can’t rely on those coming through the academy just yet. Thus, he needs to invest in the market and sign someone like Bade. The defender has potential – just as Leeds’ current crop of U23s have – but pivotally, he’s already proving himself in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Orta needs to bring him to Elland Road.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Alioski: Orta must seal Leeds swoop for 22 y/o who “will fit Bielsa’s style”…

Celtic will soon be shifting their attention to who they can entice to Parkhead to bolster their chances of snatching their crown back from Rangers next season. The runaway Premiership leaders have a whopping 20-point advantage at the moment and look all but nailed on to break Celtic’s nine year successive run.

If the Bhoys are to bounce back, they’ll need to add new personnel to their struggling squad. The likes of Diego Laxalt, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Shane Duffy are all set to return to their parent clubs this summer, unless Celtic make their moves permanent.

The latter has been less than impressive since his loan transfer from Brighton and there have been talks of the club terminating the relationship early.

With links between the Glaswegians and Preston North End’s Ben Davies, the centre-back looks to be in trouble. If this move goes through, Neil Lennon will have no need for Duffy moving forwards.

Celtic must move for Ben Davies

According to The Star, the Hoops are keen admirers of the centre-back, who would reportedly command a £10million transfer fee. Whilst this may be viewed as a steep price for Celtic, their defence is an area that is in serious need of some attention.

Kristoffer Ajer continues to be linked with a move away from Glasgow and Duffy’s eventual departure will leave Lennon with just Christopher Jullien and Hatem Abd Elhamed as their natural centre-halves.

Signing Davies would be an immediate upgrade on Duffy, who has put in some calamitous performances this season – again last night, he was rated as the second-worst player on the pitch for the Bhoys by SofaScore in the 2-2 draw with Livingston. According to WhoScored, the Preston ace’s defensive stats have already been stronger than the Irishman’s this season.

Davies currently averages more clearances, interceptions and tackles per match and commits less fouls than Duffy. Although the latter has more defensive contributions, Celtic need their central defenders to be exactly that. They have shipped 18 league goals so far this season, just one fewer than the previous campaign with 11 games still to play.

The Hoops also conceded a whopping 19 goals in their short Europa League run, the joint-most in the group stages alongside Ludogorets and Dundalk.

Nick Hammond must prioritise a new defensive signing and Davies could be a fine fit for the struggling Scottish giants.

In other news, Signing Benjamin Siegrist would be the end of Scott Bain…

Glasgow Rangers romped to a four-goal rout of Ross County at Victoria Park on Sunday afternoon to extend their lead to 13 points at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Steven Gerrard’s side brushed aside the second-bottom Staggies to maintain their unbeaten start to the season as Celtic dropped points against St. Johnstone at Celtic Park.

Kemar Roofe poked the ball past County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw to open the scoring before the break, and James Tavernier, a Callum Morris own goal and Jermain Defoe added the extras.

Rangers dominated from start to finish in a largely one-sided affair, although Stuart Kettlewell’s side came close to scoring after Canadian midfielder Harry Paton forced a fine save from Allan McGregor.

The current club captain produced a near-perfect display, Defoe rolled back the years with his brief cameo, but Kemar Roofe was arguably the pick of the bunch.

SofaScore graded the 27-year-old with a decent 7.3 rating – he won three out of his six duels, produced 17 out of 18 passes (94%), was fouled once, which shows that he was a constant threat throughout.

Roofe finished the game with a team-high two shots on target, plus two shots off target and one shot blocked, despite the fact he was replaced by Cedric Itten towards the latter stages of the second half.

Valued at £4m via Transfermarkt, the versatile forward has now scored six goals and supplied an assist in nine appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst he is averaging 2.3 shots per game, via WhoScored.

There’s no doubt the Ibrox boss will have been buoyed by his striker’s performance as Alfredo Morelos struggled alongside the Jamaican striker. Despite the Colombian’s best efforts, he couldn’t end his latest mini goal drought, and may be left to rue his missed chances as Defoe came off the bench to score on his 800th appearance for club and country.

Gerrard’s side travel to Poland to face Lech Poznan on Thursday knowing they will win Group D if they can match or better Benfica’s result against Standard Liege.

Morelos may be the trusted man for the big occasion, but we’re backing Roofe to lead the line in the Europa League as he has made such a strong start to the season.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers boss Steven Gerrard could unshackle Kemar Roofe as the team’s No. 10…

Fabian Schar was Steve Bruce’s true hero against Manchester City on Boxing Day as the Newcastle United defender earned his first start in seven weeks.

Bruce recalled Schar to the Magpies’ line-up for their trip to the Etihad Stadium as he sought to favour a five-man defence, having lost top-scorer Callum Wilson in the build-up to kick-off after the summer arrival sustained a knock.

The decision to name an additional defender failed to prevent United from tasting a third defeat in their last four fixtures across all competitions, yet Schar produced plenty of positives against Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues.

Bruce had been without Schar for the Magpies’ previous three Premier League fixtures, although the reason behind his absence was never formally confirmed, with Newcastle choosing not to reveal the identities of any employees who contracted coronavirus.

Jamaal Lascelles and Allan Saint-Maximin were later revealed to have tested positive, though no official declaration was made over the causes of Schar and Javier Manquillo’s recent unavailability.

Bruce may have now hinted toward Schar testing positive, though, after discussing the Switzerland centre-half’s return to action after the Manchester City game.

“Fabian Schar has trained once in five weeks but wanted to play, the attitude of them all was there to see,” Bruce said, via quotes by the Chronicle. “We have got a large chunk of players missing. I don’t want to make excuses, but we are struggling for numbers.”

Schar had not started a top-flight game since Newcastle lost 2-0 at Southampton in early November, before playing the second half of the following 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at St. James’ Park.

His limited practice in the following weeks can forgive Schar for some of his misdemeanours against Manchester City, yet the 29-year-old – who a senior official of one of his former employers told The Athletic that he “drove me nuts” – still left Bruce with plenty to praise on a night where goalkeeper Karl Darlow was being lauded for an “excellent” display.

Schar registered more than twice as many interceptions as any other player for either side at the Etihad on Boxing Day, with the £40,000-per-week defender snatching possession five times, along with making four clearances, per SofaScore.

He additionally blocked a shot as one of just three Newcastle men to stand in the way of Guardiola’s Citizens, won his only aerial duel of the night and was the sole Toon centre-half to complete a long ball.

Federico Fernandez misplaced each of his four attempted long passes while Ciaran Clark chose not to attempt any passes at range, while Schar found teammates with six of his 12 long balls as he recorded a greater number of accurate passes (21) than each of his defensive partners.

Bruce now only stands to benefit from Schar regaining more fitness in the coming days before Newcastle host champions Liverpool on Wednesday night.

AND in other news, an £18m-rated Newcastle ace badly betrayed Steve Bruce with a horror show performance at Man City.

Bailey Wright was one of the stars of the show as Sunderland were held to a draw away to Rochdale on Tuesday night, yet his performance alongside his Black Cats defensive partners left manager Phil Parkinson “disappointed”.

Sunderland travelled to the Crown Oil Arena looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season after a 3-1 loss at home to Portsmouth over the weekend, and begun the League One clash in fine fashion through Charlie Wyke after 15 minutes.

The Black Cats’ lead lasted just 10 minutes, however, as Matty Lund struck his first of the night to pull the game level, something the Northern Irishman would again do just before half-time once Wright had restored the visitor’s advantage.

Lund was able to poke home his fourth of the third-tier campaign thanks to generous defending by Sunderland, leaving Parkinson saddened to see his side’s once superior defensive record further slump having previously allowed just one goal to be scored over the opening six matches.

“I’m disappointed with the two goals we conceded tonight, of course I am,” said Parkinson, via quotes by the Chronicle. “We have been waiting for the goals to come, [but] the bedrock of the team has been in our defensive third.

“I’ve just said to the lads that they need to make sure that is in place, don’t let the frustration of not killing teams off and converting chances stop us defending properly. Prior to the Portsmouth game we were doing so well, we’d only conceded one goal all season, but there was an undercurrent of ‘we’ve got to score, we’ve got to score’.”

While Parkinson was rightly frustrated to see Sunderland ship two goals at Rochdale on Tuesday night, Wright’s efforts in the centre of the Black Cats’ line of three centre-halves surely would have left a positive impression on his boss.

Wright, who has opened all eight of Sunderland’s League One games this term, achieved SofaScore’s highest match-rating for a visiting player against Rochdale at 7.8 out of 10, only trailing the host’s double-scorer Lund (8.3/10).

The North East outfit’s 28-year-old defender warranted his side’s highest match rating thanks to an impressive tally of 82 touches while completing 57 of his 68 passes, both of which were game-high figures.

He further stood out with a match-high eight clearances and blocked two shots, made one tackle, won four of eight duels, found teammates with 15 of 26 attempted long passes and scored with his only shot of the night.

Wright is now one of just six players to have scored for Sunderland in League One this season, highlighting the Black Cats’ need for goals but also demonstrating how he’s helping the Stadium of Light natives to keep a mostly tight unit at the back.

AND in other news, a promotion rival has pinpointed a major flaw in Phil Parkinson’s tactics that could spell dire consequences for Sunderland.

Sunderland fell further behind the front runners at the top of League One last night, and Conor McLaughlin was one of the talking points after the game.

McLaughlin in numbers

The Black Cats were held to a 1-1 draw against high-flying Fleetwood Town in Lancashire despite taking the lead in the second half through Charlie Wyke’s header just before the hour mark.

They were soon pegged back as Callum Connolly scored his first goal since February to force Sunderland to share the spoils, leaving them seven points off the pace despite climbing above Charlton Athletic into seventh (via BBC Sport).

Ultimately, it was another night where Sunderland did not defend to the expectation of what the supporters are looking for, with McLaughlin lining up in what appeared to be a back five.

During the 90 minutes, McLaughlin lost possession a rather remarkable 19 times, made no interceptions and did not manage to block any shots (Sofascore).

The pressure on manager Phil Parkinson is mounting. With reports of a new takeover looming, results such as this will not help his cause.

That being said, players such as McLaughlin need to be performing at a higher level to help the Black Cats progress to the Championship.

In other news, Sunderland icon dropped ‘huge’ claim on Phil Parkinson’s future.

Hal Robson-Kanu is back in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion.

However, Slaven Bilic’s side have suffered another setback, after the club confirmed the 31-year-old striker sustained a broken arm in Sunday’s defeat at Southampton.

But the 44-cap Wales international is no stranger to overcoming adversity.

In fact, his career was almost over before it had even begun.

As a teenager, Robson-Kanu was on the receiving end of a potential career-ending challenge, injuring his cruciate knee ligament in the process.

After a series of operations, he was told by doctors that his chances of recovery were remote.

He soon grew tired of sitting on the sidelines and decided to do something about it, which in turn inspired him to start his own business.

Robson-Kanu spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about his latest venture in a wide-ranging interview.

“I was looking for a natural remedy to help with my recovery. Nothing seemed to work and believe me when I say we tried everything!

“So, my dad and I invested a lot of time and energy into researching different ways which would improve my recovery as well as reducing any aches, pains and swellings from the surgeries I had as a teenager.

“From my personal experience, I can tell you that turmeric aided my recovery and helped to dramatically reduce the pain I was experiencing at the time.

“I can honestly say that it saved my career!”

Robson-Kanu soon returned to action, and has gone on to score more than 50 goals for Reading and West Brom combined.

He established The Turmeric Co. in 2018, which offers a range of natural health shots to help with recovery.

His work would become a welcome distraction when West Brom’s push for promotion was brought to a dramatic halt. However, some of his teammates weren’t quite so lucky…

“We were away from football for quite a long period of time. Fortunately, I also run a business so I had quite a lot going on, but I know some of my teammates struggled like a lot of other people did during the lockdown.

“I think this time has taught everyone that it is really important to maintain your fitness levels. If you look at Joe Wicks, what he did was fantastic, and my family actually joined in with a few of his workouts.”

Robson-Kanu gave us an insight into the work his company has carried out during the pandemic.

Business has blossomed, as his shots now find themselves stocked in shops such as Whole Foods and Planet Organic, whilst website traffic has never been higher.

But he also organised shots for NHS staff and sent supplies to hospitals which were put under increasing pressure by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We worked with the NHS during the height of the pandemic, where we delivered care packages to NHS staff. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive and they really enjoyed them as they worked incredibly long hours. From that perspective, it was fantastic that we could contribute in such a way.

“In terms of clubs, we supply thousands of athletes who use our products on a daily basis, but we also supply a number of Premier League clubs, Championship clubs and several rugby teams as well.

“So it’s great that these individuals are taking their health really seriously and looking at natural options like our range to support their careers.”

As you might expect, his company are actively encouraging people to live a healthy balanced lifestyle. He went on to explain why natural nutrition is key.

“We are massive advocates of natural nutrition and that’s the basis of our range. We only use natural fresh products in every single shot.

“I think it’s important to understand the impact that nutrition actually has on your life as we live in an age now where information is very easily accessible.

“It’s certainly one of the reasons why we have seen such tremendous growth in the business.

“People are not only starting to take their health more seriously but beginning to have an interest in natural nutrition as a way of supporting their wellbeing as well.”

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, with seemingly no end in sight, fans have grown accustomed to seeing top-level football being played in empty stadiums.

Robson-Kanu shed some light on what it is like playing behind closed doors.

“It is definitely different, it’s certainly not the same as playing in front of fans, and I think it makes you realise the importance of fans within sports in general. But, as a professional athlete, you just have to get on with it.

“The Hawthorns is a great stadium but it’s so much better when it is full.

“Although we have embraced the start of the season, we are definitely looking forward to fans being back in the stands and I certainly think the sooner it happens, the better.”

He also revealed his favourite goal for the Baggies. The striker memorably scored a 20-yard screamer as West Brom came from behind to beat Southampton back in 2016.

“My goal against Southampton is definitely my favourite so far, as it was an away game, it was a winning goal, Virgil van Djik was playing, and I ran past him and ended up putting the ball into the top corner!”

Check out the Turmeric Co.’s official website for more information.