All posts by z3u9t.icu

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

Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer believes that Nuno Espirito Santo would be a good appointment for Everton as they continue their hunt for a new manager, with reports on Tuesday suggesting they are now in talks with other candidates despite the Portuguese being the favourite to take the role.

The Toffees have yet to replace Carlo Ancelotti after his shock departure to rejoin Real Madrid.

There has been a lengthy search for a new boss but they are yet to formalise the appointment of his replacement.

Santo seems to be the frontrunner, per reports, as they look to parachute a new manager into the club ahead of the 2021/22 season.

He decided to leave Wolves at the end of the campaign, having spent a total of four years during his time at Molineux, guiding the club from the Championship into the Premier League.

Palmer believes he has the correct profile to take over at Everton, as he plays an attractive brand of attacking football, and believes he may have left Wolves at the right time, after taking them as far as he could.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Nuno has done well up until this season but when you’ve brought a side up from the Championship, it takes a long while for that side to become established in the Premier League and I’m assuming that maybe he felt he’d taken them as far as he could take them with the resources that were available to him.

“He’s obviously a very good manager, I like the way he plays, I like that he’s very offensive in his attacking style of play.”

Glasgow Rangers are back in action later today, facing the same opposition for the second time in the same week as they look to keep their trophy hunt on the right tracks at Ibrox.

Rangers face St Johnstone for the second time in a matter of days, with the Saints travelling to Ibrox for a Scottish Cup tie against Steven Gerrard’s side.

The Light Blues slipped to a 1-1 draw against Callum Davidson’s side at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday, with the hosts grabbing a deserved late equaliser from the penalty spot.

Gerrard will be looking to avoid a repeat of that scoreline at Ibrox on Sunday as they are looking to win the Scottish Cup for the first time since 2009.

In order to give his side the best chance of progressing to the semi-finals, the 40-year-old manager should axe Jack Simpson after his less than impressive performance in midweek.

The 24-year-old centre-back, who joined from Bournemouth in February, made his first start for the club at McDiarmid Park in midweek but struggled throughout and earned a shocking 5.98/10 rating for his performance from WhoScored.

The Englishman was regularly beaten by St Johnstone’s strikers in the air, struggling to cope with the aerial threat they possess, and Gerrard’s side should expect a similar bombardment at Ibrox on Sunday.

Simpson’s rash challenge inside the area also gifted the hosts a penalty in stoppage time, which Liam Craig duly tucked away to earn Davidson’s side a point, and perhaps emphasised that St Johnstone were right to target him throughout the match.

One of the defender’s former coaches Tim Davis was full of praise for Simpson after he earned an England U’21 call-up back in 2018, saying:

“He was a natural-born leader. As a kid, he wasn’t blessed with the most natural talent, like some are, but he had an amazing drive and determination.”

However, there was little evidence of that leadership in midweek, and whilst this was only his third appearance in a Rangers shirt, he has done little to win over fans so far and looked a bit of a liability at McDiarmid Park.

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Therefore, Gerrard should relegate him to the bench and bring back either Filip Helander or Leon Balogun, who have both excelled alongside Conor Goldson at centre-back.

And, in other news… Rangers handed huge boost in hopes of signing “powerful” gem, Wilson must deliver

Journalist Ryan Taylor has now dropped some Newcastle United transfer news on Hugo Ekitike.

The Lowdown: January bid

A reported £33m deal for Ekitike to move to St. James’ Park from Reims fell through on deadline day in the January transfer window, so Chris Wood from Burnley was the only striker brought in to boost Eddie Howe’s forward ranks.

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However, given recent links to the likes of Victor Osimhen and Arnaud Kalimuendo, it is clear that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would like to bring in another forward to the North East in the summer, with Wood only finding the back of the net twice for the Magpies.

The Latest: Ekitike update

Taking to Twitter, Taylor has shared that the Tyneside outfit have now been ‘told’ that they can sign Ekitike this summer, following comments from Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot:

“Newcastle have been told they can sign Hugo Ekitike this summer after January deadline day deal collapsed. #NUFC

“Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot: ‘Hugo will be allowed to go & he’s probably going to leave.’ Also interest from West Ham, Wolves, Fulham.”

The Verdict: Exciting

The summer window is shaping up to be an exciting one for the Toon Army, and more so given this update on Ekitike.

Described as a ‘very special‘ player earlier on this season by Reims manager Oscar Garcia, the French teenager has a big future ahead of him, and many in France even go as far as to claim that he could be the ‘next Mbappe‘.

Like the now PSG superstar did at AS Monaco, Ekitike has burst onto the scene, with ten goals and four assists in 24 games in total over all competitions so far (Transfermarkt), and at just 19 years of age, he could be a real coup for the Magpies.

In other news, find out which NUFC target is ‘definitely an upgrade on Ciaran Clark’ here!

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…

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City could be looking at a £500m rebuilding job over the next few transfer windows, says former player Paul Stewart.

It was a successful season for City, who won both the Premier League and Carabao Cup, while they also managed to reach the FA Cup semi-final.

However, their conquerors there, Chelsea, were also able to conquer them in the Champions League final, a competition they are so desperate to win but just have not been able to.

Considering that, and the fact that they have just lost all-time top scorer Sergio Aguero, Stewart is expecting a massive rebuilding job at the Etihad.

“We’re looking at a rebuilding job,” the ex-City star exclusively told FFC. “The thing with Pep is his rebuilding is totally different because he gets the money and ready players. He gets the top players and they’re ready to come in the team.

“His rebuilding job will be 500 million and he’s got the best players, hasn’t he? That’s the luxury Manchester City have.”

When you look at some of the players Manchester City are currently being linked with, they could easily end up spending that kind of money over the next few years as they aim to continue their domination of English football.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane, for example, could cost £200m this summer, according to some reports.

The latest name linked in Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial search will surely have Harry Kane worried…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the North London outfit’s newly-appointed sporting director, Fabio Paratici, is pushing hard to secure former Wolves boss Nuno Santo in what has been described as a “major coup” for the club.

It’s thought that the Italian is the driving force behind Spurs’ sudden U-turn on the 47-year-old, who was quickly ruled out following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in mid-April.

Everton and Crystal Palace have been interested in appointing him but the Portuguese remains out of work heading into pre-season.

Bye-bye Kane!

Nuno has plenty of credentials to be considered for the role, having guided Wolves into the Europa League in their very first season back in the big time but he’s simply not the right fit for Spurs’ ‘DNA’ or needs.

And this will surely push Kane ever so much closer to the exit door after reports suggested that he has reiterated his desire to leave the club during the current transfer window, as per Sky Sports.

It is widely believed that chairman Daniel Levy is after an attack-minded head coach who can commit to the development of its young prospects, with the likes of Oliver Skipp, Jack Clarke and Ryan Sessegnon on the fringes of the first-team.

Well, Nuno’s final season at Molineux provides some insight as to why he might be a very disastrous choice for Paratici.

His Wolves side bagged only 36 goals from their 38 league matches, some 15 fewer than a season earlier and the lowest of any team sitting 16th or above. Even relegated West Brom were only one behind their final total, which is damning.

Of course, some of that can be attributed to the absence of Raul Jimenez but his replacement, Fabio Silva, only found the net four times in 32 appearances and that should concern Spurs’ leading talisman greatly.

Indeed, it’s thought that this perceived negative brand of football was one of the reasons behind Fosun’s amicable split with the former goalkeeper, with it being confirmed two days before the final day that he was going to leave by mutual consent.

Wolves have since replaced him with a manager that registered a 103-goal season at his former club, so that tells you all you need to know.

Something that has since backed this up is a claim from BirminghamLive reporter Alex Dicken, who told football.london: “It wasn’t always pretty to watch and some coaches, namely Maurizio Sarri, criticised their lack of intent in games, but during those first three seasons it worked.

“It was frustrating how slowly Wolves started games and there are some damning statistics about their lack of goals in the first half of matches under Nuno. That could have just been a coincidence, but more likely it was down to the way Nuno set his team up.

“This is why I would be so surprised if Spurs appointed him. The style of football wouldn’t be dissimilar to Jose Mourinho’s, but Nuno boasts nothing like his compatriot’s trophy record.”

Overall, the Midlands side managed a measly 1.18 goals per game in the Premier League under Nuno, which is a drastic decrease from Mourinho’s 2.01 goals per game record at Spurs – and he’s said to have “sucked the culture out of the club.”

Furthermore, ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinso has revealed another concerning reason over the club potentially appointing the Portuguese, he told Football Insider:

“I heard from my sources that he wants 15 or 20 backroom staff members coming with him but I cannot see that happening at Spurs because Daniel will not want to do that because it will be very expensive.”

On the above evidence, it’s hard to see Spurs suddenly winning the sort of silverware that Kane is desperately craving and it’s not like he’s certain to thrive in what seems like such a negative system.

He may well want to leave even more if Nuno is hired.

AND in other news, Forget Nuno: Paratici can revive Spurs by hiring “wonderful” 57 y/o with 67% win rate…

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.

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…

Transfer deadline day was a dismal affair for Rafa Benitez and Everton.

It was rather in tune with how the entire window had gone for a Toffees side who were clearly lacking the usual financial firepower.

What’s the word?

Everton spent a grand total of £1.7m on five new recruits in the summer window.

Bizarrely, only one of those players actually cost an upfront transfer fee as Demarai Gray swapped German shores for English ones.

A late move for Salomon Rondon wrapped up their business but it could have been a lot more exciting.

That’s because according to Dutch reports, Benitez and co made a late move to sign Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek.

They submitted a loan offer to acquire the Netherlands international but it was a move that was ultimately blocked.

Van de Beek was keen on the move to Goodison Park but it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who stepped in and stopped the deal from being completed.

Deadline day disaster

It doesn’t appear as though Everton could have done much to stop Solskjaer’s thought process but if they’d tried earlier in the window, they may have had greater success.

The Toffees knew for a long period of time that their finances weren’t too eye-catching this summer and they also knew that Richarlison and James Rodriguez could both leave.

PSG never came in for the Brazilian as they kept Kylian Mbappe in Paris despite an eye-watering bid of £189m from Real Madrid.

As for James, he couldn’t find a suitable club to sign for despite missing early parts of the campaign. Judging by the Colombian’s wages of around £200k-per-week, you’d have thought Everton would push more to sell an unhappy player.

However, that wasn’t the only disaster on deadline day. Van De Beek’s move was out of their hands in the end but it will be a huge blow that they weren’t able to conclude a deal.

After all, he’d have been an exceptional signing for the Toffees.

The former Ajax man hasn’t been able to settle in at Old Trafford, starting just eight times last term after moving from the Eredivisie.

His time in that division was sensational though as he contributed to ten goals and seven assists in his final campaign with Ajax.

A complete midfielder, Van De Beek would have offered more than just goal contributions to Benitez’s team though.

His two tackles per game in 2019/20 shows that he can also perform reliably from a defensive point of view.

Creative numbers of 1.8 key passes per match during a final season in his homeland dictate he’d have been a fine replacement for James too. Benitez should be gutted here.

AND in other news, Reporter shares the player Everton missed out on after Van de Beek, Rafa surely gutted…