All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Bromwich Albion fans are delighted after the club announced Chris Brunt will be returning to the club to work with the club’s academy.

Brunt spent 13 years with the Baggies between 2007 and 2020. During that time, he made 421 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 49 goals and providing 89 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). He is a club legend, of that there is no doubt.

Now, he will be returning to the Midlands after a short spell at Sheffield Wednesday. Not in a playing role, though – he will now be a coach in the outfit’s academy. The club shared the news on their official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters.

They were absolutely delighted with the news, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the return of Brunt below

“Shining light on a dismal season, welcome home Chris”

Credit: @JoshhhWBA

“Best news I’ve heard all year. Welcome back Captain x”

Credit: @1_dawson

“That’s wonderful news, this man has so much more to give to football, as he’s back home to help our youngsters , welcome home Chris”

Credit: @baggyboy1878

“Welcome back home, Brunty! This is such great news”

Credit: @Yo_Commander

“Bruntys coming home!!! Best news in ages. Good luck with the coaching career Brunty.”

Credit: @BaggieBirdd66

“I’m off to get the beer in after this banging news!”

Credit: @JamesWyer9

In other news, West Brom fans slam this man against Newcastle United.

Cameron Carter-Vickers has gone from being a promising youngster at Spurs to something of a forgotten man in recent seasons, and with his latest loan spell not going to plan, Daniel Levy must ensure that he leaves the North London club this summer.

The centre-back is a product of Spurs’ youth academy and has gone on to make just four appearances for the senior side at Spurs, with his last appearance for the club coming in the 2016/17 season.

Since then, he has spent a lot of time on loan in the Championship, with a number of clubs including Sheffield United, Swansea and Luton Town.

After impressing with the Hatters last season, and helping them stave off relegation to League One, there was said to be a lot of interest in the former USA international during the summer.

However, instead of completing a permanent deal away from Spurs, he joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan, where has made just three appearances in the Championship so far this season.

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It was a perplexing decision to send the young defender out on loan when his contract with Spurs ends at the end of this season and was perhaps even more perplexing when they failed to recall him in January, despite his lack of game time with the Cherries.

In two of his Championship appearances, Bournemouth would suffer a 1-0 loss against struggling opposition in Luton Town and Derby County, whilst his most recent performance was in their 3-2 win against Birmingham City, so he has failed to keep a single clean sheet this season.

Therefore, it seems clear that Carter-Vickers is never going to be good enough to play regularly for Spurs, so whilst it might be disappointing for Daniel Levy to not receive a fee, the Spurs chairman should ensure that the 23-year-old outcast isn’t offered any new terms and leaves the club on the expiry of his contract at the end of this season.

And, in other news, £80k-p/w Spurs man showed he still has a key role to play under Jose with WBA performance…

Many Liverpool fans fumed at forward Roberto Firmino as the Reds crashed to a dismal 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea on Thursday night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were inflicted with their fifth-straight Anfield loss – something that has never happened in the club’s history. Mason Mount scored the only goal of the game before half-time as the hosts struggled to piece together any attacking prowess.

Firmino started his 25th game of the 2020/21 campaign and found himself second best for the majority of the encounter.

Per Sofascore, Firmino lost possession 15 times, only had one shot on goal, played no key passes and lost five duels.

In what seems to be a case of ‘same old story,’ supporters once again pointed the finger at Firmino with many suggesting that he should be dropped from the team. He wasn’t the only one who looked like a shadow of his former self, but you can find some of the best fan verdicts down below.

Firmino feels wrath of Kop faithful

“Could we please give Bobby Firmino some time on the bench now? He seems completely lost atm…”

Credit: @JHLillevik

“Firmino should not have stayed on the pitch. So tired of him”

Credit: @IamIvan_91

“Firmino is finished. Heads gone.”

Credit: @mcdon_al

“Why on earth was Salah been taken off instead of Firmino, Firmino has been invisible tonight!”

Credit: @Kristiannc991

“Also I’m officially done with Firmino as an LFC player. Offers absolutely nothing anymore”

Credit: @SteLaverty94

“Get rid of Ox, Gini, Milner, Origi, Firmino all useless”

Credit: @lfcnoah1

In other news, Liverpool fans flock in agreement to Sky Sports pundit’s claim on star man.

After a momentary blip, Glasgow Rangers seem to be back on track to stopping Celtic from winning ten in a row.

Steven Gerrard’s side have now won three games on the trot including a victory over Premiership rivals Hibernian at home.

With the transfer market set to open its doors in a matter of days, Rangers have set themselves up nicely to strengthen their squad, as they currently sit at the top of the table, 14 points clear of Neil Lennon’s side.

What’s the word?

But their newfound momentum has largely failed to cover up the cracks and in January, Ross Wilson needs to iron out their issues once and for all.

He will need to look no further than their shortage of wide options with Ryan Kent heavily linked with a move to Leeds United in the summer. Although a move never materialised in the end, that has done little to dampen the transfer rumours amid rife speculation about his future at Ibrox.

It’s no secret Rangers need a new left-winger and they may have found their answer already playing in the lower leagues of French football.

According to FootMercato, the Gers are interested in signing Billal Brahimi from Stade Reims and the Ligue 1 side are open to offloading the former France U19 international.

However, they will face stiff competition from the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, amid interest from Lens and Stuttgart.

Gerrard’s plan B

The 20-year-old has been in prolific form on loan at Le Mans this season, providing six goals and two assists in 12 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Gerrard will be under no illusions that he needs to improve his quality in the wide areas as both Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones simply aren’t up to scratch.

Wilson may be best served sanctioning a move for Brahimi as not only would he be an adequate backup for the Oldham-born winger, but he’d also offer an alternative threat in attack as well, as he can also play on the right wing or in the midfield.

Having left Middlesbrough for Reims, Brahimi is finally starting to show signs of living up to his obvious potential – six goals in 16 outings is certainly nothing to sniff at, while he has become known for his electrifying pace off the left wing in the French lower leagues.

He has even insisted he has modelled his game on the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gareth Bale.

The Frenchman previously told FootMercato “If I work hard and well, I hope to be able to play in the Premier League one day. I have three models – Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gareth Bale.”

If Kent does depart Ibrox in the not too distant future, it’s fair to say that Brahimi could help to fill the void.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers left-winger Ryan Kent was far from his very best against Hibernian…

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, there’s a small chance that we may see Christian Eriksen return to Tottenham Hotspur this month.

He claimed last week that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was keen to bring the Danish playmaker back to north London but the main stumbling block would be his reported £229k-per-week wages.

Romano then went on to write in his Sky Sports column just two days ago that Eriksen was keen to leave Inter Milan just one year after joining and that he’d love to be back in a Spurs shirt.

Daniel Levy ought to do what he can to make this happen.

First of all, Mourinho’s yet to truly replace him – neither Tanguy Ndombele nor Giovani Lo Celso have stepped up to produce similar returns, whilst it’s clear to see that Dele Alli is hugely out-of-favour having played only 74 minutes in the Premier League all season.

Indeed, Ndombele is currently the ‘go-to’ in the no.10 role, but he’s only managed to produce three goals and one assist in 16 league appearances this term.

Lo Celso, on the other hand, is currently on the treatment table, but has only been able to contribute towards 11 goals in 56 matches since his arrival from Real Betis 18 months ago.

In terms of creating chances, the pair both average 0.8 key passes per game in the top-flight, which is outranked by three other Spurs players – by quite some margin too with Heung-min Son managing 1.9 key passes and Harry Kane managing 1.6 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

That only goes to show how much of a reliance Spurs have had on the prolific duo.

They say you should never go back, but the north Londoners are a testament to why that’s not always the case – go back to Jurgen Klinsmann’s time at the club to see why.

After leaving Spurs for Bayern Munich in the summer of 1995, the German striker soon returned on loan from Sampdoria just two years later and his nine goals helped steer Spurs to safety in the Premiership.

Eriksen was at Spurs for six-and-a-half seasons, where he scored at least eight goals and provided at least five assists in each of his campaigns barring his final six months at the club, per Transfermarkt.

The £31.5m-rated attacking midfielder also managed an average of at least 1.9 key passes per game during that time frame too, which is over double what both Lo Celso and Ndombele have returned thus far.

No wonder ex-Spurs man Jamie Redknapp told the Daily Mail (via 90min) that Eriksen was a “ruthless playmaker” who could “destroy you.”

If Mourinho wants to add more creativity and another influence to his attack, then bringing back the 103-cap wizard is something that needs to be done. Just like Klinsmann’s return, Eriksen could be the game-changer between Spurs finishing fifth and nearer the top.

AND in other news, Levy should move £25m star on this month, Dier thinks he’s a “nightmare”…

Leeds United are back in Premier League action tonight as they head to west London to face an in-form Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side will be looking to build on their recent two outings in which they amassed a whopping 48 shots against Arsenal (0-0 draw) and Everton (1-0 win).

The Blues have won seven of their last eight in all competitions, so it will be a tricky encounter for the Yorkshire giants.

Bielsa is faced with numerous problems, ranging from injuries to other players pushing for a place in the starting XI, so here’s the lineup we could see later this evening…

Perhaps surprisingly, there could be as many as three changes from the Argentine mastermind.

Between the sticks, young French shot-stopper Illan Meslier will be sure to keep his place but there could be a different look to the back four in front of him.

According to Football Insider, usual starting centre-back starter Robin Koch is an injury doubt and with Diego Llorente not yet ready, we could see Pascal Struijk come back into the fold, joining skipper Liam Cooper in the middle.

There is also a swap at left-back as Gjanni Alioski isn’t risked against that lethal Chelsea frontline, instead, Bielsa may return to Mr Reliable, Stuart Dallas with Luke Ayling taking up his usual role.

In midfield, both Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich are likely to be the first names on the teamsheet and they’re joined by Rodrigo for the first time in five matches. The Spanish summer signing has not started since their 3-0 thrashing of Aston Villa.

Jack Harrison hobbled off against Everton and the £13.5m-rated beast have to settle for a place on the bench if fit enough, meaning Helder Costa is recalled to partner last week’s match-winner, Raphinha.

Whilst in the attack, it is Patrick Bamford’s place to lose for the foreseeable future.

The likes of Ian Poveda, Tyler Roberts and Leif Davis will have to settle for a substitute role.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Leeds gem tipped to join one of United, Liverpool or Arsenal in the future…

Steve Bruce can discover Newcastle United’s next Steven Taylor with the capture of Hull City prospect Jacob Greaves in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle are among a host of English sides monitoring Greaves’ situation at the KCOM Stadium as the young centre-half continues to catch the eye.

A number of Championship outfits have been scouting the 20-year-old this season after Greaves established himself in Grant McCann’s first-team squad, starting all 12 of his League One appearances as the Tigers strive to secure an immediate return to the second-tier.

McCann awarded Greaves his step up to the Hull first-team in October after a successful season on loan with Cheltenham Town in League Two last term, and could soon be on the move again as more and more suitors descend on Humberside.

The Tigers boss expects Greaves will enjoy a strong career in professional football, having returned to the fold a better player and with more experience after his brief spell away.

“I’ve been really impressed. We saw a lot of him last year at Cheltenham and he won the EFL player of the month award the first month he was there. It’s brilliant to see him play two games and play like he has done. It’s a testament to him,” McCann said, via quotes by Hull Live.

“We see him every single day and we know what he has got. He has all the capabilities to go on and have a tremendous career. He’s come in and looked very assured in and out of possession, he’s been brilliant.”

Newcastle’s next Steven Taylor

Bruce urging Mike Ashley to sanction a January deal for Greaves to join Newcastle could see the Magpies discover their next Taylor, who proved an outstanding player in black and white during his 12 years in the Toon first-team.

Taylor made 268 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions before joining Portland Timbers in 2016, having proven a hit following his graduation from the Magpies academy in 2004 when awarded his senior debut under Sir Bobby Robson aged 18.

Bruce could have his own Taylor in Greaves, who has helped Hull to keep five clean sheets in League One this term with 0.8 successful tackles a game, plus 1.3 interceptions, 4.3 clearances, 1.8 ground duels won, 4.3 aerial contests won and is dribbled past just 0.3 times a game, per SofaScore.

The 20-year-old has also proven to be a safe bet in possession with 35.9 accurate passes a game, while penning an 88% completion rate for passes played in Tigers territory, and is yet to commit an error that has led to a shot, goal or penalty be awarded in the third-tier.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce is keen to sign a “fantastic” £15.5m-rated brute for Newcastle United…

A four image post of shots of Walcott was accompanied by the caption ‘Home is where the heart is’. Could the club be teasing fans with a bit of foreshadowing here?

Could Walcott sign for Southampton permanently?

Despite only making one league appearance in his new colours, it seems that the 31-year-old has already made a big impact. After penning his deal, Walcott admitted that it was a move he knew he had to take. Speaking to Hampshire Live, he said: “As soon I heard about it I said: ‘This had to happen, this needs to happen. I really want this to happen’.”

Ralph Hasenhuttl recently discussed Walcott’s role at the club and backed him to make an impact during his time on the south coast.

It seems he is already making a start on this after highlighting Kyle Walker-Peters as the man who has impressed him the most during training sessions. Whilst he’s been limited to games under Hasenhuttl, the winger could have an important role behind the scenes in acting as a mentor to the younger players.

What makes Southampton’s post more interesting is that Walcott is into his final year with Everton and there has currently been no talks of a contract extension. He played a limited role for the Toffees last campaign and would likely be looking at more of a fringe role upon his return to Merseyside. At Southampton however, he could play a big part in their bid for success.

Should the two parties decide on a permanent move, Walcott will be available for free next summer after his Everton contract expires. An experienced player who is passionate about the club on a free transfer is definitely talking Southampton’s language.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl will be wishing Dusan Tadic was still at Southampton…

After taking his time to settle into life on Tyneside, Salomon Rondon quickly became a real fans favourite at Newcastle.

The Venezuela international took six games to get off the mark at St James’ Park, but ended up managing 12 goals and seven assists in his 33 games for the club.

And after that thumping header in a 2-1 win over Manchester City back in early 2019, there was no questioning that he was the kind of profile of striker that the Magpies had lacked for a long time.

After watching him deliver a fine goal-scoring performance against Watford, Alan Shearer wasted no time in praising the towering centre-forward, saying: “He’s got a presence because you know he can do that. You know that he can get on the end of things and he brings people into the game. You know he can hold up the play and you can start your build-up with him.

“They’re a better team with him in there because he gives them options. It was another good performance from him.”

Rondon himself made it clear that he was happy on Tyneside, insisting: “They know what I want and what my family want. I have spoken with them and made it clear. If there is an opportunity for me to be here – I’ll stay here 100%.”

But despite Rafa Benitez lobbying for Rondon’s loan deal to be turned into a permanent one, Newcastle opted to go in a different direction, and watched the pair of them head to the Chinese Super League, whilst they spent £40m on Joelinton.

And everyone knows how that signing has ended up. The Magpies had a goal-scoring striker who offered them a bit of everything, and whilst there are no guarantees in football, his loan spell showed he could be a worthy number nine for them.

Instead, they made a bold, and ultimately, foolish call, to avoid spending big money on him, only for it to blow up in their faces with their Joelinton disaster.

Everton have returned to talks over Barcelona centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo in this transfer window.

The Blues are currently struggling with injury woes across their backline and are looking at making a move for the 20-year-old. According to Paul Joyce, Carlo Ancelotti is considering bringing Todibo to Merseyside on a loan deal (relayed via @EvertonNewsFeed).

As it stands, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane are Everton’s only fit senior centre-backs, as Mason Holgate and 18-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite are both sidelined with foot injuries (via premierinjuries.com). Therefore, bringing Todibo to Goodison Park on a short-term transfer could be a huge boost in the club’s hour of need.

Many Everton fans are on board with signing the £12.6m-valued defender. One supporter is very interested in welcoming the Frenchman to the team and has even branded him as ‘clear of Mina’.

Another Evertonian has said that, with senior figure Holgate out of action, bringing in a loan option ‘makes perfect sense’.

Read more replies from the Goodison faithful here:

Would you like to see Everton sign Todibo? Join the conversation in the comments below!