All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United embark on a trip to the capital to kickstart their FA Cup campaign.

It’s the first of two successive matches against Premier League rivals West Ham United for Marcelo Bielsa’s men but they head into kick-off full of confidence after last weekend’s impressive victory over Burnley.

However, the Argentinian head coach has since suffered further injuries to his already-depleted Whites squad, so it will be interesting to see how seriously he takes the competition, given their top-flight struggles this term.

What sort of lineup could we see at the London Stadium? Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…

There could be just two changes from the win against the Clarets.

Tyler Roberts picked up an injury during that encounter and is unavailable and his likely replacement, Joe Gelhardt, suffered a blow during Thursday’s training session.

Patrick Bamford is expected to return to the squad today but it would be a risk to start him, especially for the entire 90 minutes. Instead, Bielsa might hand an opportunity to promising U23 hopeful Sam Greenwood, who continues to light up the academy with goals.

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, both he and Lewis Bate are likely to be involved in some capacity – the latter may have to settle for a place on the bench though.

The other change comes out wide as leading goalscorer Raphinha earns a rest ahead of next weekend’s important league clash. In his place, we could see Crycensio Summerville after the 20-year-old’s impressive performance for the U23s in midweek.

It means Illan Meslier remains between the sticks, with a backline of Junior Firpo, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and vice-skipper Luke Ayling also unchanged.

Stuart Dallas would continue in midfield alongside Adam Forshaw – who will continue in the Kalvin Phillips role – and Mateusz Klich.

As a more experienced member of the squad, Jack Harrison could support Greenwood and Summerville in the attack.

Predicted Leeds XI (4-1-4-1): Meslier; Firpo, Llorente, Koch, Ayling; Forshaw; Harrison, Klich, Dallas, Summerville; Greenwood

AND in other news, Bielsa suffers fresh Leeds injury blow ahead of Hammers cup clash…

With so many players currently out injured at Sunderland, the Wearside club have finally been handed some good news regarding one of their players which will surely please a lot of fans and Lee Johnson.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Northern Echo, Black Cats midfielder Luke O’Nien has undergone a successful operation to fix a shoulder injury which has affected him for a significant period of time.

Last month, Johnson revealed that the success of the surgery would be a big factor in when the 27-year-old will be able to return to action. Given how well his surgery went, it seems as though there can be some hope that he will be back sooner rather than later, which would be a big relief for everyone at the Stadium of Light.

O’Nien’s performances in his 16 League One games for Sunderland this season earned him an overall rating of 7.16/10, making him their second highest-rated player after Ross Stewart according to WhoScored. That just goes to show how important he is to the team and why it’s good to hear that he may only be out for three months rather than until the end of the season as previously feared.

Those performances have seen the 27-year-old prove his worth to Johnson’s side by averaging 1.4 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and three clearances per game.

Also, prior to his surgery, O’Nien stepped out of his usual defensive midfield role to play in the left-back position for Sunderland’s games against Ipswich Town and Shrewsbury Town, in which he scored one goal and set up another. This shows how versatile he is as a player and how much faith Johnson had in him to deploy him there with the likes of Denver Hume and Dennis Cirkin injured.

Moving forward, even though the 27-year-old will still likely spend the next three months on the sidelines, plenty of positivity can be taken from the reports that his surgery went well and that he is now on the road to a full recovery.

If O’Nien can get back to action as soon as possible, he could be the difference between Sunderland securing promotion and spending another season in League One given his defensive talents and versatility.

In other news: KLD can spark Sunderland’s promotion charge with big winter decision, fans would be thrilled

An update has emerged on Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson, regarding interest from elsewhere in the Ibrox defender…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that the defender appears set to be a target for ex-Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa heading into the upcoming transfer window, due to his current contract situation.

He told GIVEMESPORT: 

“One of the names in the frame would be Connor Goldson, who is yet to sign a new deal at Rangers.

“I think his contract is up in the summer, so Villa might be able to get him for relatively cheap in January.”

Livid

Rangers fans will surely be livid by this claim from O’Rourke as he has suggested that Villa will be looking at Goldson as a serious transfer target. Gerrard, of course, knows him well and may want to bring him south of the border to England to bolster his new squad.

The centre-back’s contract is up next summer and it remains to be seen whether or not he is open to putting pen to paper on an extension. This means that the Gers could be vulnerable to a foreign club signing him on a pre-contract deal in January, whether that is Villa or another side, and this is a major cause for concern for Gio van Bronckhorst.

It could be easier for Rangers to convince Goldson to extend his terms with no clubs vying to sign him, as there would be no alternative option that tempts him into leaving. However, O’Rourke’s update appears to show that will not be the case and Villa may look to test the defender’s resolve by making a swoop for him.

He has played 197 games for the club to date, winning one Premiership title, and has proven himself to be a top performer at this level. Last season, he averaged a terrific WhoScored rating of 7.38 in the league and he has averaged a score of 7.12 this term, winning at least 3.6 aerial battles per game across both seasons.

This highlights his importance to Rangers and why fans will be livid by Villa’s interest in him, as he has been a consistently excellent centre-back in the league.

He has shown that he can be relied upon week-in-week-out and losing a player with that quality could be a major blow to the side, which is why supporters will be gutted if he joins the English side.

AND in other news, 9 duels won: “dominant” £6.75m-rated Rangers beast who made 3 tackles was GvB’s hero…

Crystal Palace could form a deadly duo after being linked with Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux (as relayed by SportWitness), the Eagles are one of three Premier League clubs interested in securing the 26-year-old’s signature, with Newcastle United and Everton also listed as potential suitors.

An enticing short-term loan move including an option to buy has been outlined as the most option given Pepe’s recent struggles, meaning Palace chairman Steve Parish may have to act quickly in order to secure his target’s signature.

Imagine him & Odsonne Edouard

The south London outfit have made a hugely encouraging start to life under new manager Patrick Vieira, but the Frenchman’s squad rebuild is far from complete.

Following Andros Townsend’s departure over the summer, Palace lack a natural option on the right-wing, with Jordan Ayew and Michael Olise both preferring to play through the middle.

Therefore, Vieira needs to acquire a player in the mould of Pepe over the next couple of transfer windows in order to continue his progression at Selhurst Park.

Despite failing to live up to the extremely high expectations that his club-record £72m price tag brought at Arsenal, the Ivory Coast international remains a talented player.

In 98 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, Pepe has found the back of the net on 25 occasions, laying on a further 18 assists for his teammates.

After bagging a brilliant brace via two outstanding free-kicks against Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League, former manager Unai Emery labelled his efforts “perfect”, highlighting just how dangerous he can be on his day.

And the prospect of Pepe linking up with one of Palace’s new, exciting attacking talents under Vieira’s tutelage is surely a mouth-watering prospect for everyone associated with the club.

Edouard has settled into life in the Premier League with ease following his switch from Celtic, notching up three goals in his first nine outings.

With the extra creativity and chance creation that Pepe would bring, that tally would surely increase exponentially in the second half of the season, should the Ivorian make the move across the capital.

And, in other news…Forget Gallagher: Palace monster who made 8 clearances was Vieira’s hero vs Burnley 

As per Foot Mercato, Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension Antonio Conte, have been offered the chance to sign Paris-Saint Germain striker Mauro Icardi.

The Lowdown: Icardi wanted at Spurs…

This isn’t the first time Spurs have been linked with the Argentine amid Fabio Paratici’s search for a centre-forward alternative to Harry Kane.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Even before Conte’s arrival at the club, Tottenham’s transfer chief had supposedly rejoined the race to sign Icardi after chairman Daniel Levy made an offer to sign from Inter Milan in 2016.

The 28-year-old has cut a frustrated figure at the Parc des Princes under former Lilywhites manager Mauricio Pochettino, starting a handful of games over 2021/22. As a result, it is believed that Icardi wants to move away from PSG due to becoming a ‘luxury’ stand-in for the club’s starting trio of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe (Foot Mercato).

The Latest: Spurs offered chance…

As per another update by the French source, Icardi’s entourage have now offered Spurs, as well as Newcastle, Barcelona and Juventus, the chance to sign the Argentina striker.

They describe the subject of his future as PSG’s ‘biggest issue’ in the January transfer window, and while a return to Italy is more plausible, they hint that Tottenham or a move to the Premier League shouldn’t be ruled out entirely.

The Verdict: Ideal Vlahovic alternative…

Icardi comes as an ideal alternative to Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic if Tottenham can’t get a deal done for the Serbian.

The PSG forward, who earns a reported £165,000 per week, has been described as ‘world-class’ by Italy defender Georgio Chiellini, while his goal record speaks for itself.

Racking up a 171-goal senior career total, the player is certainly adept at finding the target despite his recent lack of minutes, and he would certainly provide some serious competition for Kane in N17.

In other news: Tottenham in contact over signing ‘phenomenal’ star as directors spotted in London, find out more here.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has dropped the latest news on Paulo Fonseca’s links with Newcastle United, confirming that talks are on hold while the consortium explore other candidates.

The lowdown: New era on Tyneside

With Steve Bruce’s reign in the St. James’ Park dugout now officially over, attention turns to who will replace the 60 year-old at the helm.

The Magpies have been linked with endless names, from Wayne Rooney to Antonio Conte, and while we know Graeme Jones will take charge for the trip to Crystal Palace, there isn’t much certainty on what happens after that.

One name that has cropped up more than most is Fonseca, with Downie brining an update on the former Roma boss live to Sky Sports on Friday.

The verdict: Other candidates in the mix

Via Football Daily, Downie reported from outside the stadium: “We reported yesterday that Paulo Fonseca had held initial discussions with Newcastle.

“It’s my understanding that there have been no further talks since then and certainly no offer.”

He continued: “Fonseca has been spoken to, but I think Newcastle’s new consortium want to make the right decision, they want to make sure they go about things properly, and they do plan to speak to other candidates before making a decision.”

The verdict: Take your time

One can only applaud the new owners for not rushing into what is an absolutely crucial first big decision in Newcastle’s new era.

With Bruce leaving the club locked deep in a relegation battle, the wrong replacement could set the new owners’ plans back years if the Magpies drop into the Championship.

Fonseca certainly has his plaudits, with Ex-Roma striker Antonio Cassano hailing him as an ‘exceptional’ manager, but one name to keep an eye on as an alternative is Roberto Martinez, who has worked with Graeme Jones in the past and is said to be keen on the role.

Want to read more about the links to Martinez? Click here…

Crystal Palace have suffered a potential injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Burnley a week on Saturday after Joachim Andersen was forced to withdraw from the Denmark squad.

What’s the word?

The 25-year-old has been one of the Eagles’ standout performers since his arrival over the summer and was rewarded for his fine club form with a call-up to the national team.

However, the Danish FA announced only that Andersen would be returning to south London after failing to recover from a ‘minor injury’ in time, meaning he will play no part in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Scotland.

They tweeted: “Joachim Andersen leaves the national team camp. He went into the collection with a minor injury, which he unfortunately has not recovered from, and therefore he is now traveling home. Really good recovery for Joachim.”

Patrick Vieira would be gutted

Although it’s hoped that Andersen will be fit enough to return against the Clarets on 20 November, the defender’s situation will have Patrick Vieira worried, and he’d be gutted if his star centre-back can play no part.

The £18.8m signing from Lyon has featured in all 11 Premier League games for Palace this season, forming a formidable partnership with Marc Guehi at the heart of defence.

As per WhoScored, the Scandinavian has averaged 1.5 interceptions per league game throughout 2021/22, which ranks him third in the Selhurst Park ranks. He’s also managed 2.5 clearances, again the third-highest, and has won 1.1 aerial duels a match, all of which highlights his instrumental displays.

With Andersen integral to the capital club’s current six-game unbeaten run – including back-to-back victories over Manchester City and Wolves – Vieira will be hoping his fitness setback is only minor, allowing the Selhurst Park outfit to continue their impressive run.

And, in other news…Parish must revive Palace interest in “world-class” £175k-p/w gem, Vieira needs him

A number of Sheffield United supporters have been left stunned by Rhian Brewster’s harsh red card for England’s Under-21s on Monday.

The Blades are currently preparing for Saturday’s Championship clash at home to Stoke City, as they look to respond after their 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth last time around.

Another international break has halted the domestic season for the time being, but a number of United players have been in action for their respective nations.

Someone who has had an unfortunate time of things is Brewster, after the young striker was sent off in farcical fashion for England U21s in their 1-0 win away to Andorra, with a video of the incident shared by The Bladesman (@The_Bladesman) on Twitter.

The 21-year-old received a second booking for an innocuous foul, summing up his struggles since leaving Liverpool, which has seen him score just once in 38 Blades appearances.

Sheff Utd fans react to Brewster sending off

These United supporters took to Twitter to react to Brewster’s unlucky red card, struggling to believe how harsh the decision was.

“Man, he can’t catch a break at the minute. Shocking decision”

Credit: @JackBarrett1889

“What did he actually get sent off for?”

Credit: @CMcB_89

“Quite frankly, ridiculous!!”

Credit: @LemonsTom

“That’s a really, really poor decision to send off Rhian Brewster last night”

Credit: @HoltChris

“That’s a shocker!”

Credit: @AlanBiggs1

“The refereeing in the Euros made me think things were getting better but this decision is ridiculous. Not even a foul”

Credit: @Mick616161

With the future of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone looking increasingly uncertain as the season progresses, Valerien Ismael may already be turning his attention away from attempting to convince the 28-year-old to remain at The Hawthorns beyond the end of the campaign and towards sourcing a replacement for the England international.

However, before dipping into the transfer market, it would appear highly advisable for the Frenchman to take a closer look at one of the Baggies’ home-grown talents – in the shape of Josh Griffiths.

Indeed, having been sent out on loan to Cheltenham Town last season, the £450k-rated man highly impressed over his 44 League Two appearances, keeping a whopping 21 clean sheets and making an average of two saves per game.

These returns saw the 20-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the club’s ninth-best performer in the fourth tier of English football.

Upon returning to West Brom this summer, the England U21 international was once again sent on out loan for the 2021/22 campaign, this time to Michael Appleton’s Lincoln City.

And, despite the Imps having something of a bumpy start to the season – winning four, drawing four and losing six of their opening 14 league fixtures – Griffiths has nevertheless turned in a number of impressive performances over his 14 League One appearances, making an average of 2.6 saves per game and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.72.

Indeed, Appleton has been impressed with what he’s seen from the 20-year-old, stating: “It’s been a difficult start to his campaign, but to come through that type of match [against Rotherham] with crosses and set-pieces raining in on him, shows the type of character he’s got and what sort of goalkeeper he is going to be.”

As such, with yet another season of first-team football behind him, the player Andy Wilcox claimed has a “big future” and believes “one day he could go and play in the Premier League” would appear to be getting ever closer to staking a claim in Ismael’s first-team squad.

And, with Johnstone’s future still appearing to be very much up in the air at present, should the England international indeed leave The Hawthorns at the end of the season, giving the highly-rated Griffiths a shot between the sticks could end up saving the Baggies millions in the transfer market.

In other news: Ismael drops “behind the scenes” January transfer claim that’ll have WBA fans buzzing

When Michael Keane started the season in torrid form for Everton, many supporters may have been lusting after the return of a certain Ben Godfrey.

The former had been handed an early chance by Rafa Benitez to impress, but after being rolled too easily by Patrick Bamford against Leeds and then letting his marker go for Huddersfield’s goal in the Carabao Cup, it didn’t bode well.

Keane did impress as the Toffees beat Brighton and then he scored last weekend against Burnley, yet there was still a feeling that in order for this Everton defence to reach its maximum potential, Godfrey needed to be part of it.

The centre-back started for the first time under Benitez in the win over Burnley, but against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, he was quite mediocre.

Godfrey played at right-back ahead of Seamus Coleman, who was suffering from a hamstring problem during the week.

Sadly, the 23-year-old didn’t play particularly well in that position. Arguably, he was even worse than Lucas Digne, the scorer of an own goal during their dismal 3-0 defeat.

The Frenchman at least provided a big opportunity for one of his teammates to score, while he also managed three tackles, but Godfrey couldn’t usurp that. He supplied an early chance for Salomon Rondon to score at the near post but that was about as good as his evening got.

His defensive efforts were particularly poor as Leon Bailey ran him ragged after he was substituted on late in the game by Dean Smith. The Everton defender was caught wildly out of position for the third and final goal, scored by Villa’s rampant Jamaican.

Instead of marshalling the right-hand side, Godfrey had been dragged to the left of the centre circle, which allowed Bailey to exploit what felt like several acres of space on Everton’s right flank.

The England international couldn’t react quickly enough and consequently Villa sealed the victory.

His numbers didn’t amount to much joy, either. He won a measly 14.2% of the defensive duels that he competed, considerably lower than Digne’s 70%.

Furthermore, he surrendered possession on 15 occasions and completed just 71% of his passes on what was a disastrous night for the club.

On this evidence, Benitez is better off playing Godfrey at centre-back.

AND in other news, 38% pass success: Everton dud who lost the ball every 1.6 touches let Rafa down v AVFC…