All posts by n8rngtd.top

As the January transfer window draws near, Leeds United could be forced to scour the market for even more new signings. Despite their fruitful summer haul, Marcelo Bielsa currently finds himself with just one fit senior centre-back ahead of their clash with Burnley at the weekend.

His defence is undoubtedly where the Argentinian must focus his attention, but his attacking options could also do with some love. At the moment, Leeds’ only major source of goals is Patrick Bamford, which isn’t good enough for a side looking to survive in the Premier League.

Despite all their options out wide, the Whites are struggling to leave their mark when it comes to getting forward. However, there is a man that Leeds have been linked with who could help solve these worries.

Leeds interested in Ryan Christie

According to 90min, Ryan Christie has attracted a lot of attention from the Premier League. Both Leeds and Leicester are reported to be considering tabling an offer for the Scot’s services. Should the right one come Celtic’s way, Peter Lawwell might be forced into selling up, especially following the Glasgow outfit’s inconsistent form this season and the financial impact of their European exit.

Christie has contributed four goals and ten assists to his side’s campaign so far, along with his iconic performance for Scotland in their Euro qualifying win over Serbia last month. His influence on his country, along with his versatility to play in both midfield and on the wing, have seemingly made him a very hot target ahead of the January window.

Indeed, he recently received top praise from Chris Sutton, who lauded the £8,000 per week gem as a “manager’s dream”.

Christie would be a great addition to this Leeds side if Celtic are willing to let him go and Victor Orta must make him a priority for the club’s winter shopping. The 25-year-old’s attacking influence would be ideal in support of Bamford, who is extremely overworked in Bielsa’s front-line.

In other news, Orta must move for “real talent” Michael Olise to replace Forshaw…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom and England midfielder Carlton Palmer has offered insight into how Slaven Bilic’s relationship with sporting director Luke Dowling might have broken down.

The Baggies sacked the Croatian earlier this week, less than 24 hours after picking up an impressive 1-1 draw at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

They acted very quickly in finding a successor as Premier League veteran Sam Allardyce was appointed on an 18-month contract with the sole aim to steer Albion to safety.

If the 66-year-old pulls that off, then he’ll be in line for a £1.5m bonus whilst there’s also a break clause should the Midlands outfit get relegated this term.

Bilic led West Brom to promotion from the Championship last term, but could only manage seven points from their opening 13 matches, though he largely missed out on numerous transfer targets throughout the summer window.

He even saw a key member of his squad in Ahmed Hegazi sold behind his back by Dowling, against his wishes too, which Palmer believes was the major turning point that turned things sour at the Hawthorns.

The ex-Baggies man told FFC:

“Is it a case that Slaven’s been very vocal about the board and how they haven’t supported him, and the way that he’s been treated by the board? It could be a reason why they decided to let go of him.

“As a manager or a coach, you’re not going to be happy when you’ve not been kept in the loop about a player that has been sold. That’s not acceptable and I know Slaven wasn’t very happy about it, and quite rightly so.”

Indeed this appears to very much be the case.

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley revealed that Bilic told staff privately, “It sometimes feels like we’ve been relegated to the Premier League, not promoted,” following the sale of the Egyptian to Al-Ittihad – one of the Croatian’s former clubs.

Whilst the Daily Mail have also reported of a rift between Dowling and Bilic as Albion sat by and watched the likes of Ollie Watkins and Eberechi Eze join their Premier League rivals.

Big Sam may have to do wonders with what he’s already got with the January window on the horizon.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit drops West Brom takeover hint after Sam Allardyce appointment…

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must give Glenn Middleton his time to shine at the Govan stadium amid reports Leeds United remain interested in Ryan Kent.

What’s the word?

Former England international Danny Mills claims Rangers could insert a colossal new release clause into Kent’s contract as they are prepared to increase his wages in an attempt to convince him to stay at the club.

The Light Blues remain locked in negotiations with the £3.1m-rated winger’s representatives as his current contract will run out in 2023 and they are keen to offer him a contract extension with new and improved terms.

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills said: “Their value will definitely be going up because of their performances in the Europa League.

“Ryan Kent’s release clause previously was £20million and he has a fantastic season do they have the right to say ‘hold on, he’s now worth £30million or £40million’.

“They’ll be lots of negotiations going round with how the deal works and what their valuation is now.”

But, whilst it remains to be seen if Leeds will return for their long-term target in January, such an offer somewhere in that region might prove to be too tempting to ignore. If this is indeed the case, Gerrard must give Middleton the time to shine more often.

Time to shine

The 20-year-old has become something of a forgotten man in recent times, having burst on to the scene as a fresh-faced teenager, but failed to impress during two unsuccessful loan spells at Hibernian and Bradford last season.

He has been hampered by injuries so far this season whilst he has largely been starved of opportunities due to Kent’s emergence on the left wing.

Gerrard has given the current Scotland U21 international just 35 minutes of first-team football so far this season, whilst he has been omitted from the Europa League squad, and has yet to feature in the Scottish Premiership so far.

But, whilst we said just this last month that Rangers should get rid of the versatile player in January, we may have been just a tad too hasty.

The Ibrox boss believes Middleton can still have a part to play as the Gers seek to regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season after he was handed a surprise recall as he replaced Borna Barisic at left-back during the 4-0 victory over Falkirk in the Betfred Cup.

When asked about his future, Gerrard offered some words of encouragement, saying: “Glenn has been on loan and had injuries but he has been back within the group for four or five weeks now.

“He has been working hard and playing for an opportunity.

“We think he can do left-back, left-wingback or left-wing and it was a strong cameo from him.”

In 29 games for the Gers, the youngster has scored five goals and supplied five assists in all competitions, including scoring a sensational screamer against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League.

Middleton clearly left quite the lasting impression after his brief cameo against Falkirk, so Gerrard must give the young Scotsman more opportunities to prove himself on a regular basis, rather than handing him a few minutes here and there as this will only serve to hinder his development as a player.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard may regret his decision to axe Jermain Defoe from the Europa League squad…

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Gedson Fernandes is in danger of missing out on Tottenham’s Europa League squad.

What’s the word?

Having successfully navigated past the three qualifying rounds, Spurs finally enter the group stages of the competition, and will be facing LASK, Antwerp and Ludogorets respectively.

But with there being a fixed quota on the number of non-homegrown players who can be allowed in a squad (17), McGrath has revealed that there is a major question mark on Fernandes.

The Portuguese talent has hardly featured at all this season for Jose Mourinho’s side, playing just 63 minutes of football – and even that came in the Carabao Cup clash against Chelsea.

Mistake from Mourinho

Whilst it’s absolutely understandable why Fernandes’ name is near the top of the conversation when it comes to potential players who could be left out of the Europa League squad, it would be a major mistake from Mourinho to do so.

The 21-year-old is as versatile as they come, and it was telling that even despite only joining in the January transfer window, and being young and inexperienced in English football, Mourinho used him in five different positions last season: central midfield, attacking midfield, on the left and right flanks, and even at right-back too.

That ability to perform in a number of different roles is like star-dust, particularly in European competitions. The Thursday-Sunday combination of fixture scheduling for Spurs is likely to take its toll, and there will be no way Mourinho pushes his first-team stars too hard for both games.

But having someone like Fernandes, who can operate across midfield and even as a full-back, saves him a massive headache. Whether it’s an injury, or a key player need resting, he can trust in the starlet to come in and do a job.

So whilst he may be Spurs’ forgotten man for the time being given his lack of game-time this season, Mourinho desperately needs to select Fernandes for his Europa League squad, or he risks it back-firing.

Everton succumbed to a third-straight Premier League defeat when beaten at home by Manchester United on Saturday, but Marcel Brands’ summer masterclass shone through as Allan thrived as the lynchpin of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

The Toffees reunited Ancelotti with his Brazilian anchor in the off-season after agreeing a £21.7million deal with SSC Napoli, adding Allan to the ranks at Goodison Park as the first piece of a jigsaw that would go on to feature Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez.

It was not the French nor Colombian star who fared best against Manchester United, though, but rather Allan as Everton sought to utilise the 29-year-old’s wealth of knowledge to thwart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils and hit them on the counter.

Only the Toffees’ two centre-halves Michael Keane and Mason Holgate saw more of the ball than Allan while the hosts had possession, with each recording an 8.0, 7.8 and 5.0 share of the ball to rank first, second and fifth respectively among all who featured for either side, per WhoScored.

Only Bruno Fernandes (81) and Fred (80) took more touches of the ball for Manchester United than Allan (76) achieved for Everton, as well, though only Fred (67) attempted a higher number of passes (51) while trailing Keane (81) and Holgate (79).

Allan only misplaced six of his 51 passes and directed 31 of his accurate efforts forward, too, as the Brazilian marshalled the centre of the field to progress Everton’s attacks closer to David de Gea’s net.

An improved effort in the second-half further saw Allan break up Manchester United’s play, despite the nine-time Brazil international recording just three of his nine attempted tackles and two of his six successful efforts after the break.

Ancelotti did not just benefit from Allan’s tackling or passing in defeat to United, either, as the 5 ft 8 enforcer completed four of his five attempted dribbles, on route to 14 successful ground duels from 22 contests, SofaScore.

Allan’s efforts proved such a threat to United that the Red Devils were forced into fouling the 29-year-old four times, more than any other Everton player, while Ancelotti’s forward trio of Bernard, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez were only fouled a combined four times.

Rodriguez’s three goals and three assists as Everton romped to four wins and a draw played a great role in their unbeaten start, yet Allan’s efforts were key in the Toffees’ failed bid to avoid a third-straight Premier League defeat.

AND in other news, a Carlo Ancelotti outcast could be on his way out of Everton after a potential suitor confirmed interest.

Gheorghe Hagi has compared his son, Glasgow Rangers’ Ianis, to France legend Zinedine Zidane.

Hagi compared to Zidane

Gheorghe himself was a legendary footballer. He appeared for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Galatasaray throughout his career, whilst he helped Romania reach the World Cup quarter-finals in 1994, their best-ever international performance.

However, Hagi has compared his son to the former Juventus playmaker rather than to himself. Talking to Der Standard, the 55-year-old said:

“Unlike me he’s two-footed, taller and slimmer.

“His style of play is more like Zinedine Zidane than Gheorghe Hagi – but I can live with that too!”

Hagi must show his ability in the Old Firm derby this weekend

After a slow start, one whcih saw him criticised by some Rangers supporters, the younger Hagi has burst into life. In his first 13 matches of the season, he has one goal and a very impressive seven assists. At £3m, he is starting to look like a bargain, and Steven Gerrard will be hoping that he continues to progress as he is just 21-years-old. To be compared to a former Ballon d’Or winner is a huge call, but the early signs at Ibrox have at least been positive.

On Saturday, though, he will encounter another big test. This weekend, the 54-time Scottish champions host Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season, and although it will be played without fans in attendence, it will be a tough clash for the Gers. Hagi was brought in to have an influence when things matter – this the perfect opportunity to show that he was worth every penny.

Let us know what you think below!

According to The Athletic, Newcastle are struggling to offload Henri Saivet before the close of the transfer window next week.

What’s the word?

Despite sealing a string of impressive signings in Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis respectively, the Magpies haven’t enjoyed the kind of hot start they would have wanted this season.

Steve Bruce’s side have picked up one win, one draw and one defeat from their opening three Premier League games, but were incredibly fortunate to come away with a point in their last clash against Tottenham thanks to a controversial VAR decision.

Now, The Athletic claim that the Magpies are having troubles getting rid of some of the deadwood in their squad, including Saivet, with Chris Waugh suggesting that he will spend the first half of the campaign on Tyneside, but with his name off the official Premier League squad list.

The ultimate Mike Ashley disaster

Costing a reported £5m when they first signed him from French side Bordeaux, Newcastle may have been forgiven for thinking they had clinched a midfield star in the mould of Yohan Cabaye.

Speaking at the announcement of his arrival, then Newcastle boss Steve McClaren said: “Henri is someone the Club have been watching for a while, and he has developed into an excellent player at Bordeaux. This is someone with a very good mentality, who is a tough player and a winner. Those are key qualities you need in the Premier League and we are looking forward to seeing him pulling on the Newcastle United shirt.”

But since then, it’s been nothing short of a major disaster for the Tyneside club. As well as his transfer fee, Newcastle having to pick up his full £32k-a-week wages for more than four years, has meant it has cost Bruce’s side around £12.8m in total.

In return, he has made just eight first-team appearances, scoring one goal and providing no assists – he hasn’t even taken to the field at St James’ Park since the 2017/2018 season.

The Magpies’ forgotten man is the ultimate symbol of Mike Ashley’s reign in recent years. Wasting big money off the pitch, and absolutely nothing on it.

And in other news, this Newcastle flop was the BIGGEST reason behind their embarrassing Carabao Cup performance at Newport.

Name: Kai Havertz

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

Date of Birth: 11 June 1999

Position: Attacking midfielder

KAI HAVERTZ – HIS CAREER SO FAR

By now, everyone is already aware of who Kai Havertz is and what he can do. But it’s also easy to forget we’re still talking about a 21-year-old youngster who has his whole career ahead of him. And so far, he’s only been a part of a single club, advancing through the ranks to eventually step onto the biggest stage for Bayer Leverkusen’s seniors in the Bundesliga.

Of course, before becoming a fully-fledged professional, Havertz was part of amateur side Alemannia Mariadorf and then a second division side Alemannia Aachen after that. Eventually, aged 11, he was snatched up by Bayer Leverkusen and never looked back ever since. The youngster’s game time was limited throughout 2013/14 and in 2014/15 he would already start shining, bagging seven goals and two assists across 23 games for the U17 side in the U17 Bundesliga West.

The season after that, Havertz exploded, registering 18 goals in another stellar campaign and it was there and then Bayer Leverkusen knew he couldn’t be kept in the youth squads anymore. Following 53 games in which he scored 26 goals and assisted further three, the youngster was moved up to the seniors to make his grand bow, becoming the club’s then youngest-ever debutant in the Bundesliga.

Needless to say, brilliance followed soon afterwards and another record was broken when he netted his first goal for the team, becoming their youngster-ever goalscorer and then the youngest player to reach 50 and 100 league games in the German top flight. Everyone knew Havertz was going to be special and so far, he’s been proving them right.

Now, he can already boast with a total of 148 games played for the senior team, scoring 45 and assisting 31, often carrying the team even when they’re struggling. Of course, he is not all about the final product and the kid can be the cog to push his teammates forward. For that reason, it doesn’t surprise to see him courted by the biggest of teams in Europe.

The 21-year-old could be in for a huge transfer in the immediate future.

TRANSFER LATEST

It goes without saying that being such a highly developed young prospect comes with lots of benefits and one such benefit is the constant interest from the biggest European clubs. There have been multiple transfer rumours connecting Havertz with a switch to Chelsea as Frank Lampard looks to add another deadly piece to his exciting jigsaw.

Further transfer news suggested the Blues will, however, have to wait until after Bayer Leverkusen’s Europa League run even though it was initially suggested the deal could be struck before that.

That’s basically the latest Bayer Leverkusen news to come out on the topic of Kai Havertz but with the transfer window now open and ready for action, we can expect all sorts of new updates almost on a daily basis.

PLAYER PROFILE

Havertz is an extremely dynamic player that loves to roam the final third. Generally, however, his position on the pitch can best be described as a no.10 or an attacking midfielder. He loves to position himself in those areas behind the striker where he’s allowed the creative freedom to directly influence play.

And it helps that this ensures he is always close to the action and close to the box. Havertz is a good dribbler and has a keen eye for a pass. Looking at his skill set, it’s easy to see why teams often put an emphasis on stopping him progress by tight man-marking or completely cutting off his supply.

He’s often been described as a player who can essentially do everything, plays well with both feet and has drawn comparisons with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Michael Ballack. Not bad players to be compared to at all.

Chelsea have made a number of players available on the transfer market this summer, including senior left-back Marcos Alonso. 

Frank Lampard is looking to completely revamp his team as he leads them into what promises to be a thrilling 2020/21 season. FCInterNews have reported that both Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are eyeing up a potential move for the Spaniard (via Sport Witness).

Chelsea are eager to bolster their backline as well as their options in goal. Last campaign saw them concede the most goals out of the top 10 in the Premier League, with a worrying 54. However, Lampard has acknowledged these issues and wants to make the appropriate changes, starting with a left-back and a goalkeeper.

Ben Chilwell is one of the club’s main priorities this transfer window, with talks ongoing over whether they will land a deal for the England international. However, Leicester aren’t willing to let him go on the cheap and reportedly value him higher than record outgoing Harry Maguire, who joined Manchester United for a staggering £80m last year (via BBC Sport).

The report claims that Chelsea will only recruit a new left-back if either Alonso or Emerson Palmieri leave the club this summer. Fortunately for the Blues, they may be in luck as Emerson could depart for Inter Milan in the coming weeks.

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), the two parties have agreed on a five-year contract but no transfer fee has been decided. However, a move could be likely, with the Italian defender appearing just 16 times in the Premier League last term (via Transfermarkt).

If Alonso is also moved on in this transfer window, Lampard will be free in his mission to sign Chilwell. With Roman Abramovich providing a £120m budget, the Blues certainly have enough in the bank to tempt Leicester into selling their left-back.

Would you sell Marcos Alonso in order to sign Ben Chilwell? Join the discussion in the comments below…

Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has admitted that Tottenham were close to signing him but revealed that Daniel Levy was reluctant to meet Sporting Libson’s valuation.

Fernandes moved to Old Trafford for £47m in January, a figure which eventually rose to £68m. It is fair to say the 25-year-old has been a total revelation ever since, as he has scored two goals and supplied three assists in only five Premier League appearances. He is currently valued at £43m via Transfermarkt.

Nevertheless, the Portuguese midfielder revealed that things might have been very different if former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino had got his way last summer. Taking part in a fan Q&A on Instagram (as relayed by The Metro), Fernandes said: “The first club that was close to signing me was Tottenham with (Mauricio) Pochettino.

“But I don’t know, maybe they thought the amount Sporting wanted was too much so in that moment Sporting decided they don’t want to sell.

“Tottenham came in the summer but Manchester (United) was in January. Maybe Tottenham came again in January, but when I knew Manchester was interested I just wanted to talk to Manchester.”

Pochettino was unceremoniously sacked in November after five years in charge of the club. After their Champions League final heartbreak last year, Spurs made a disappointing start to the season and were 14th in the Premier League when he left north London (BBC).

Club legend Harry Redknapp was adamant at the time that players had under-performed. He told Sky Sports News: “They’ve got him the sack, at the end of the day. They haven’t performed well enough, that’s why he’s lost his job. If they all loved him so much, perhaps they should have done a bit better for him.”

Before he arrived in England, Fernandes had bagged 63 goals and provided 52 assists in 137 games for the Green and Whites (Transfermarkt). As it stands, he has made a huge difference on the pitch for the Red Devils. Indeed, he has also bagged a goal and an assist in three games in the Europa League, taking 3.7 shots per game and making three key passes on average (via WhoScored).

In comparison, Tottenham’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele has registered two goals but has produced fewer assists than the Portugal international in the Premier League, despite the fact he has made more appearances this season. Moreover, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are unbeaten since Fernandes’ arrival.

Given his performances so far, it is hard to argue that Fernandes wouldn’t have had a similar impact if he had joined Tottenham instead.

Tottenham fans, do you regret missing out on Bruno Fernandes? Let us know by commenting below!