All posts by z3u9t.icu

Phil Hay has singled out four players at Leeds United for praise in their 0-0 home draw with Chelsea in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, he thought that Diego Llorente, Kalvin Phillips, Pascal Struijk and Tyler Roberts were all ‘impressive’ against Thomas Tuchel’s team.

Leeds impress defensively

Considering the form of the Blues going into the game, Marcelo Bielsa’s side certainly did well to keep them at bay at Elland Road.

Leeds’ two central defenders and central midfield players were vital in making sure that the ball did not hit the back of their net, with Llorente making the most clearances (three) out of any Whites player to have set foot on the pitch, while each of the other players recorded at least one (Sofascore).

Struijk blocked no fewer than three shots on his goal, more than any other Leeds players combined, while he also made three interceptions, as Phillips topped the tackling stats with four in total (Sofascore).

Each player did their bit own individual jobs for the team and, as a collective, they were pivotal in making sure that the Yorkshire club came away from the match with a point and a clean sheet.

In other news, find out which player’s Leeds career Hay claims is ‘over’.

According to a report by West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh, via West Ham Gossip, GSB will be willing to sell Felipe Anderson for around £17 million in the summer – prompting many Irons to react and have their say as this claim emerges. 

Anderson, who was shipped out on loan to FC Porto at the start of the season, is currently one of the candidates to be sold in the summer as West Ham look to recoup some of the money they spent to sign him in 2018.

Snapped up for £36 million from Lazio (BBC), GSB are apparently willing to offload the 27-year-old for less that half of that price – meaning the club could take a financial hit of around £19 million.

Flocking to this insider claim, many Hammers had no shortage of opinions as the club contemplate selling Anderson at the end of the season.

Find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans flock to Anderson inside claim

“I hate this club sometimes”

Credit: @jxck_whufc

“Same Ol’ West Ham, They will sell him, lose money off the deal, he will go to Italy or France and have the season of his life.”

Credit: @Walter60926294

“But they’ll actually sell him for £12m with some fantasy add ons that’ll never materialise. He’s a totally busted footballer …. and I told you that all along. Massive imposter.”

Credit: @TheTiltman

“Get the bloke involved”

Credit: @frankum86

“I’d pay money to get rid of him. No chance we’re getting £17m for him”

Credit: @Dylanelliotttt

“Will never happen at this price.”

Credit: @FrencHammer

“Bring him back now. Play him as a striker.”

Credit: @Jimmygoldsmith

“Absolutely deluded if they think we will get anywhere near that! I’d be happy with £10m for him !!”

Credit: @WestHamLounge_

In other news: West Ham fans also had their say on this ExWHUemployee update, find out more here.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that defender Ozan Kabak picked up an injury during his side’s 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on Thursday night.

Doubts about Kabak

The 20-year-old started at the heart of the Reds’ defence alongside makeshift centre-back Fabinho as they were inflicted with a fifth-straight defeat at Anfield – something which has never happened in the club’s history.

Praised as a ‘talent’ with ‘quality’ for showing his ‘really good’ form recently by Jurgen Klopp (besoccer.com), Kabak was brought in to nurse the devastating injury crisis, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all out with season-ending injuries.

Unfortunately, it appears that Kabak could join them in the already overcrowded Kirkby treatment room. Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via James Pearce), Klopp said that the 6 foot 1 centre half picked up “a little problem”, but did not specify what kind of injury he had suffered.

Kabak is now a doubt for Fulham, so Liverpool will have to prepare themselves to field their 20th centre-back partnership of the season, with the likes of Ben Davies and Nathaniel Phillips available for the German tactician to choose from.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

While Kabak has not set the world on fire with the appearances he’s put in so far, it will still be a big blow to the reigning Premier League champions.

It appears that the news does not get any better for the Liverpool supporters, who have had to endure what has been a miserable 2020/21 campaign from start to finish.

That being said, the club simply have to finish in the top four. With Jordan Henderson also out, they have even fewer options to choose from to play at the back. Fulham could be another tricky test for the understrength Reds.

In other news, Emile Heskey believes Jurgen Klopp mainstay needs to be dropped from Liverpool squad.

Sam Allardyce’s job at West Brom isn’t getting any easier after they were given a Christmas thrashing at the hands of their old foes.

The Baggies were hit for five without reply by Leeds United at the Hawthorns on Tuesday evening, a defeat which condemned them to five points adrift of safety.

Romaine Sawyers ensured Albion got off to a diabolical start as his back pass embarrassingly went into Sam Johnstone’s net, and it was simply floodgates from there.

Gjanni Alioski, Jack Harrison and Rodrigo all bagged before half-time before Raphinha’s strike some 20 minutes from time sealed the demolition of the Midlands outfit.

There were simply no positives from the match whatsoever – you could not pick out a player worth even an ounce of praise.

Although one man utterly betrayed his new manager with his performance.

In Jake Livermore’s absence, the captaincy has been handed to the long-serving Matty Phillips, but by going on his display this week, he’ll be lucky to be named on the bench let alone be gifted the chance to lead the side out again.

The 29-year-old was hooked at half-time and it’s no surprise to see why.

Per SofaScore, Phillips lost 100% of his six duels both aerially and on the ground, enjoyed fewer touches (19) and passes (seven) playing in attacking midfield than the goalkeeper, and failed to register a single key pass, accurate cross, shot or dribble.

Ineffective. Lightweight. Anonymous.

Those aren’t characteristics Big Sam will want to see from a player he trusted with the armband, so ultimately he was let down tenfold.

BirminghamLive reporter Joseph Chapman graded his performance a joint-low two out of ten, he added:

“Having shown seeds of promise in a central role at Anfield, Phillips was played around here. His passing was inaccurate in attack and Leeds had far too much joy heading in the opposite direction. Hooked at the break.”

It is now three consecutive matches that West Brom have lost at home by a three-goal margin and with just eight points for the season, the 66-year-old ‘firefighter’ has it all to do to turn around this sinking Albion ship.

Performances like that will do him no favours whatsoever.

AND in other news, Exclusive: 29 y/o backed to spearhead Sam Allardyce’s survival bid…

Tottenham Hotspur star Serge Aurier may have surprisingly found himself on the scoresheet up at Bramall Lane this afternoon, but he was still disappointing on the whole.

Jose Mourinho’s side romped to a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United to move back into a top-four place in the Premier League with Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele also grabbing goals apiece.

The Ivorian right-back headed home a Heung-min Son corner inside the opening five minutes, though when delving into the numbers, they may tell a different story as to how he performed.

In the past, Aurier has often been lambasted as a “liability” and had his defending described as a “madness,” and we saw small glimpses of that in a performance that’ll have had Jose Mourinho feeling more angry than pleased.

The 28-year-old was particularly wasteful in possession with the few touches (53) he had as he lost the ball a total of 14 times, meaning he handed it back to the Blades once every four times he had it, via SofaScore.

By comparison, Eric Dier lost possession more times (16) but as he recorded a whopping 97 touches, it meant he only lost the ball once every six touches, which is far better than Aurier.

The Englishman took a lot of flak on Twitter because of his display – after all, Spurs did let the Premier League’s rock-bottom side score an easy goal in the second half.

One supporter claimed that Dier was their main problem at the back, whilst another slammed his inability to jump in the air. Some even believed the 27-year-old was at fault for the Blades goal.

However, Aurier was far worse and was rather lucky that his defending didn’t cost his side more. Indeed, he was the only Spurs player who recorded an error that led to a shot – had the attempt been better, then that could’ve quite easily been another goal.

The £18m-rated defender, who earns a reported £120k-per-week in N17, also recorded the joint-fewest clearances (two) and tackles (one) of any visiting defender, meaning he wasn’t strong defensively, especially as he’s averaged a massive 3.3 tackles and 2.9 clearances per game this term, per WhoScored.

SofaScore also graded Aurier (6.9) a lower rating than Dier (7.1), which only further proves that he was the more suspect of the two players.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick was particularly scathing over his crossing too, he wrote in his post-match ratings: “His crossing, which was so good against Fulham, was inconsistent.”

Indeed, Aurier made only 71% of his passes and also failed to pull of a single successful dribble, thus finding it hard to contribute further up the field.

He might well have scored the opener, but aside from that, the former PSG man was ineffective in a display that ultimately let Mourinho down.

AND in other news, Forget Ndombele: “Magic” Spurs machine who had 93 touches stole the show for Mourinho…

Sunderland really don’t have much to shout about at the moment.

Having sacked Phil Parkinson, they are now four league matches without a win. Consequently, the Black Cats are six points off the pace in League One.

However, are things about to get better?

What’s the word?

Owner Stewart Donald has been making immense strides to finally selling his majority stake in the club over the last few weeks.

Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus are believed to be in pole position to acquire the club, but Donald has work to do before they arrive.

That’s because they’re searching for Parkinson’s successor and also a new technical director, someone to lead their recruitment.

Former Sunderland man Stefan Schwarz has been linked but according to Football Insider, a different man is set to be given the newly opened role at the Stadium of Light.

That’s Birmingham City’s academy manager and coach, Kristjaan Speakman.

The 41-year-old has been with the Blues for 14 years and it’s thought that he’s now in advanced talks to join Sunderland as their sporting director. He had been lined up for a similar role in the Midlands before a U-turn on Speakman’s future was taken.

Fabulous record

This would be an absolutely wonderful appointment from Donald, one that could mark a triumphant end to his reign as the owner of Sunderland.

Why? Well, Speakman’s record at Birmingham is a fabulous one, and his work with the youth academy should be welcomed by Sunderland supporters who have seen their best young players come and go.

Whether it be Jordan Pickford, Sam Greenwood, Joel Asoro or Josh Maja, there have been a host of bright academy products leave in recent years.

Though, with the help of Speakman, the Black Cats could put an end to that unwanted hoodoo. During his time with Birmingham, the young coach has achieved great things.

Under his watch, the likes of Demarai Gray, Nathan Redmond, Jack Butland and Jude Bellingham all broke through. The final three, meanwhile, have also all played for England. Of course, they departed eventually but it’s a testament to the hard work Speakman did that they produced so many eye-catching players in such a short space of time.

Talking about the 41-year-old, Birmingham reporter Brian Dick said: “I think if Sunderland are after a youth pathway it could be a good move for them. Speakman was also keen on getting the Blues academy up to an academy one status.”

Birmingham academy coach Jack Kennedy added: “I feel he will improve the academy immensely (at Sunderland). His track record of bringing through players at BCFC was very impressive, and he would always look to have the right programmes for each individual for them to be successful.”

This is tremendous news for a club who have seen their academy become a second priority in recent years. Players have left in search of greener pastures and last season, their U23s failed to win, drawing once and losing 17 outings.

Kennedy also told Roker Report a little bit about Speakman: “Nationwide he is highly thought of, and has done many talks through player development project – the leading coaching provider which has coaches across the globe, and talks about his values and how he developed the culture at the club.”

This move from Donald can only be a positive one.

In other news, Sunderland have been linked with a former Championship manager…

Many Everton fans have been discussing an update about Lucas Digne that recently emerged on social media.

The Times’ correspondent Paul Joyce has recently reported that the Toffees are now preparing to offer the left-back a new contract. An article written by the journalist has claimed that this is an attempt from Everton to ward off potential suitors for the Frenchman amidst reports linking him with a move. The defender is expected to get improved terms in the new deal and Everton are hoping he will sign the deal after he was linked with a move to Manchester City (as per the Times).

Digne is currently out injured and could be out well into the New Year too, but Carlo Ancelotti has already revealed that his rehab is going very well indeed (as per the Times). Digne is currently valued at £29.70m.

Digne arrived at Goodison Park from Barcelona in the summer of 2018 for a fee of £18 million. Since arriving at the club, he has made 87 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees while picking up 17 assists and a total of five goals (as per Transfermarkt).

Many Everton fans were raving about this update and they took to Twitter to make their opinion clear about Digne’s potential new deal.

What did Everton fans make of this update about Digne?

In other news, many Everton fans have been talking about the club’s links with a move for Sami Khedira – read more about it here.

Newcastle United are set to keep hold of midfielder Matty Longstaff, with the Magpies not allowing the 20-year-old to leave St James’ Park despite interest from the Championship.

Longstaff has so far been ruled out of action at the start of the campaign with a recurrence of a thigh injury which had kept him out of the side during the closing stages of last season, as per the Northern Echo. However, the midfielder is thought to be nearing a return to action after returning to training, as per Chronicle Live.

Magpies hold firm over midfielder

Newcastle have managed to add to their midfield options with the arrival of Jeff Hendrick on a free transfer from Burnley. The Magpies, though, had been hoping to further strengthen in that area, but missed out on both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley due to not being able to shift unwanted players, as per Chronicle Live.

Longstaff only just signed a new two-year deal with the Magpies in the summer, which prevented Newcastle from losing the midfielder on a free transfer. The 20-year-old burst onto the scene last term with a debut goal in a 1-0 win against Manchester United, and he made eight further league appearances. His form earned praise from BBC pundit Martin Keown, who likened him to Paul Scholes.

It has now been reported that the Magpies have fielded interest in the midfielder being taken on loan by clubs in the Championship, but he is set to remain at St James’ Park and fight for his place in the side when he returns to full fitness.

Matty Longstaff needs to back up early promise

Undoubtedly, Longstaff showed his potential last season in his breakthrough campaign, with the midfielder scoring twice in nine appearances and averaging an 80% passing accuracy (via Sofascore). The 20-year-old, though, will need to improve his consistency and defensive output to really secure his place in the side.

The 20-year-old should be a key part of Bruce’s plans, but he needs to show that he can compete for regular minutes during the rest of the campaign. Had Newcastle brought in another midfielder it could have allowed them to let Longstaff leave on loan, but their failure to shift players has meant they could not strengthen and therefore have to keep the midfielder in their squad.

Geordies, can Longstaff establish himself in the first-team this season? Let us know your thoughts below!

After suffering a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at Southampton just before the start of the international break, Newcastle will be itching to put things right when they take on Chelsea this Saturday.

The Magpies currently lie in 13th place in the Premier League, and face a Chelsea side whose uptick in form has seen them move just three points behind league leaders Leicester.

And whilst the chances of the Tyneside club picking up a result may be slim, they have been handed a major potential boost ahead of the clash at St James’ Park.

After limping off in England’s UEFA Nations League defeat to Belgium on Sunday, there is a huge concern over whether Ben Chilwell will be fit enough to play for Chelsea on Saturday lunch-time.

The Blues’ summer signing has been in fine form over the past few weeks at club level, bagging two goals and two assists in his last five Premier League games.

If he does miss out, then Chelsea will be without one of their first names on the team-sheet, and give Frank Lampard a major headache.

It could leave him having to use regular centre-back Cesar Azpilicueta out of position, or turn back to Marcos Alonso, whose last game in a Blues shirt was his horror showing in a 3-3 draw away to newly-promoted West Brom – a match in which he was hauled off at half-time when his team were trailing 3-0.

Either way, Allan Saint-Maximin will surely be licking his lips at the prospect of going up against one of the two. Newcastle’s wing wizard has yet to really spark into life this season aside from the game against Burnley, in which he picked up his only goal and assist of the season.

Described as looking “lazy” by Alan Shearer earlier this year, Saturday could give Saint-Maximin the perfect opportunity to find his form and run riot against either an out-of-position centre-back, or a slow and defensively suspect left-back.

The Magpies’ star winger will fancy his chances.

Leeds United have brought in no fewer than three new signings this transfer window and they aren’t finished just yet…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, the Yorkshiremen are interested in Atalanta playmaker Ruslan Malinovskyi as talks over a deal for Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul appear to be going ‘nowhere.’

This comes just a few days after the Telegraph first reported the news, claiming the Ukraine international would be a cheaper option at just £20m.

It’s also suggested that Marcelo Bielsa is looking for competition to Pablo Hernandez, who will turn 36 before the end of the current campaign.

Saiz-like playmaker?

Well, the Argentine mastermind had a ready-made successor lying in wait before he sold him on in Samuel Saiz and with a move for De Paul stalling, Malinovskyi could make a ton of sense.

Atalanta stunned many last season with impressive displays in both Serie A and the Champions League and the 27-year-old attacking midfielder played a crucial role in that.

Per WhoScored, he provided nine goals and four assists whilst averaging 2.3 shots, 1.4 dribbles and 1.4 key passes per game – in fact nearly three of his passes each match led to a shot amongst this goal-hungry Atalanta side.

His teammate Robin Gosens claims he’s a player that “can make the difference” when he wants whilst former United defender Tony Dorigo believes the Ukrainian is “one heck of a player.”

In the past, Malinovskyi has made it clear that he’d like to one day play in the Premier League, so maybe a swoop for him could work in Leeds’ favour.

One of his biggest assets is his pass-making ability and without Hernandez, the Whites lack the ability to unlock the opposition’s defence – his 82.5% passing accuracy provides some encouragement.

Saiz’s first season at Elland Road saw him reap the rewards, providing five goals and seven assists whilst averaging 2.4 dribbles and 1.9 key passes each game, via WhoScored.

Malinovskyi is in a very similar mould, so it’s no wonder Bielsa is keen.

AND in other news, Leeds to revisit ‘special’ £20m-rated speedster with bid…