All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham supporters have been pretty downbeat in recent times after seeing their side suffer an 11th Premier League defeat of the season on Tuesday night.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men went into their clash with Wolves looking to bounce back after falling to a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth in their previous league encounter, with an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of AFC Wimbledon also sandwiched in between. Yet the Hammers were unable to do so in going down 3-0 at Molineux, with a brace from Raul Jimenez and a Romain Saiss strike sealing a routine victory for the West Midlanders, in turn instigating West Ham’s fall to 12th place in the Premier League table.

As such, there have been many disappointed Hammers fans up and down the country, plenty of whom have taken to Twitter to express further dissatisfaction at the news that Reece Oxford left the club on Deadline Day (as per the club’s official website).

The 20-year-old has come up through the ranks at the East London club to appear 17 times for the Hammers, and was tipped as the next big-thing upon bursting onto the scene many years ago as a 16-year-old when he starred in the Premier League against Arsenal back in August 2015.

However, the versatile defender has since then failed to really kick-on in appearing only 17 times in all for the Hammers, thus prompting the youngster to make loan moves to Borussia Monchengladbach and Reading in a bid to get his career going – that didn’t quite happen though either.

Yet the Englishman will again try his luck having officially signed for Bundesliga outfit Augsburg on loan until the rest of the season, and while he hasn’t actually featured for Pellegrini’s side prior to his departure, his exit does leave the club somewhat short of cover in the centre back ranks.

And that has been the source of much frustration and surprise among several West Ham fans on Twitter…

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

West Brom have been fairly active in the transfer market whenever they get the chance, bringing players in either on loan or permanent deals.

However, one deal that the Baggies had the chance to complete and will now be regretting is one for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

According to an article from the Express & Star, the Midlands club were watching the centre-forward back in 2011 while he was on loan at Saint-Etienne from AC Milan.

The article also claimed that the Baggies had the chance to bring in the Gabon international on loan but opted against the move.Shortly after being scouted by West Brom in 2011, the striker ended up joining Saint-Etienne on a permanent deal in the 2012 January transfer deal.Since that point, the attacker has had spells at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal before making a move to Barcelona during the previous January window.According to a report from Football Espana, the former Gunners star took a significant pay cut from the £300k-per-week wages he was on at the Emirates, to complete his move to the Nou Camp, where he is reportedly now earning a weekly wage of just over £96k-per-week.Having been praised for his “phenomenal” form at the north London club by Mikel Arteta, Aubameyang has hit the ground running in Spain by racking up nine goals in 11 appearances across La Liga and the Europa League.Throughout his entire career, the 32-year-old has scored 305 goals in 592 senior and youth club appearances across all competitions in England, Italy, Germany, France and now Spain, winning several trophies in the process.One other award the striker picked up during his time in England was the Golden Boot in the 2018/19 Premier League season, having found the back of the net 22 times.Taking all of this into account, it’s seems as though the Baggies made the wrong call in not choosing to sign the Gabon star on loan when they had the chance.Had they done so and Aubameyang managed to impress, there would have been a chance that the club could have secured him on a permanent deal, thus sealing their own goalscoring superstar.However, the club will now have to live with their mistake and move on from the matter rather than reminiscing over what could have been.In other news: Sold at £13m, now worth £49.5m: WBA will have nightmares over 6ft4 “beast of a man”

Aston Villa have contacted Paris Saint-Germain over a possible move for goalkeeper Sergio Rico, according to journalist Matteo Moretto.

The Lowdown: Randolph, Olsen links

Villa have already brought in Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne this month and seemingly now want to add to their back-up goalkeeping ranks before the window slams shut.

West Ham’s Darren Randolph and Sheffield United’s Robin Olsen have been two shot-stoppers linked with a move to the Midlands, but Johan Lange is now looking abroad with PSG’s Rico.

The Spaniard is on £41,000-a-week in France and has made just one Ligue 1 appearance this season, so it would make sense for the Parisians to cash in.

The Latest: Moretto’s post

Moretto took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon, claiming Villa have contacted PSG over an initial loan with the option to buy the 28-year-old.

However, Rico wants regular game time, so a move to Mallorca appears to be his preference.

“Sergio Rico’s priority is to play regularly and that is why he prioritizes signing for Mallorca. In the last hours Aston Villa appeared, who contacted PSG offering a loan with an option to buy, but the English team already has Martínez as the owner of the project.”

The Verdict: Not likely?

A move to Villa Park for Rico doesn’t look promising due to his playing wishes and Emiliano Martinez firmly first choice at Villa Park.

On that basis, it may be wise to go back in for Randolph, who is used to serving as back-up at the London Stadium.

He’ll already know the area well following his stint with Birmingham City and would offer more experience than current back-up Jed Steer.

Villa ware certainly on the chase for a second choice ‘keeper though, so it could be one to track closely.

In other news: ‘Really?’ – Many Villa fans react to who could now leave after El Ghazi. 

Rafa Benitez will need to make some important decisions in the upcoming transfer window, due to a poor first half of the season leaving the side plagued with injuries and sitting 15th in the Premier League table.

Everton could make signings to add depth to the side, and have been linked with a number of players already to fill positions of weakness, but they could also do with offloading some players that aren’t good enough for the side, and wasting the club money on the wage bill.

Cenk Tosun is currently on £69k-p/w at Everton, whilst making no impact on the team whatsoever this season, with only one appearance for just six minutes for the Toffees this season, and with that being said, it is clear Benitez doesn’t value the player as good enough for the side, even during an injury crisis that has seen the Spanish manager call up and rely on academy players in recent games.

Despite the lack of game time, The Athletic reported a few weeks ago that Tosun’s agent has claimed the Turkish international doesn’t want to leave the club in January;

“Cenk does not want to leave in January,” Dr Erkut Sogut said. “He has a contract until the end of the season and he wants to give something back. He feels like he can contribute and is not the type to just sit on the bench and be happy.”

Due to the 30-year-old’s contract ending at the end of the season, Benitez could offer out the player in a cut-price deal that could attract interest from clubs who are desperately seeking a striker to help their teams score goals, as he is clearly not needed at Everton or even favourable for a start over any of the other forwards in the team.

The centre forward has only scored 11 goals in 58 appearances for the Toffees since he joined the club from Besiktas in 2018, and has lost a position in the team to much more prolific goal scorers like Dominic Calvert Lewin and Richarlison, with the pair scoring a combined 90 goals more than Tosun in their time with the club.

Although there have been no recent links to other clubs for the Turkish striker to move in the January transfer window, if Everton could offload him in the January transfer window, it would free up funds and the wage bill for the manager to work his magic and bring in players that could make a positive impact on the struggling side in the second half of the season.

In other news: Journalist claims Everton could be reunited with Ross Barkley

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side got the second half of their Premiership campaign off to a perfect start against Hibernian on Monday evening, with the Bhoys securing a 2-0 victory at Parkhead to take them back to within three points of the current league leaders.

And, although the Hoops rather unusually saw the away side enjoy more possession of the ball, as well as Shaun Maloney’s side completing more passes in the fixture, the clinical nature of the Bhoys’ performance will nevertheless have been one that will have delighted Postecoglou – as putting teams to the sword is something that the 56-year-old’s side have struggled to do at points this season.

Furthermore, there were also two incredibly impressive debut displays for Celtic, with centre-forward Daizen Maeda – who took just four minutes to open his goalscoring account in Glasgow – and central midfielder Reo Hatate arguably being the 56-year-old manager’s best two players on the night.

However, while Maeda was fantastic against Hibs, it was undoubtedly the show-running performance of Hatate that will have most impressed Postecoglou and Celtic fans alike on Monday evening.

61 touches

Indeed, over his 75 minutes on the pitch, the central midfielder appeared to be everywhere for the Bhoys, with the 24-year-old enjoying 61 touches of the ball – the second-most of Celtic’s midfielders – completing 37 passes – three of which were key – and finding his man with three of his five attempted long balls.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/?post_type=web-story&p=664142″ title=”Check out the latest Celtic news!”]

The £1.08m-rated man also had three shots at the Hibs goal – one of which forced Matt Macey into an excellent diving save from a shot from the edge of the box – won 100% of his ground duels and made one tackle, one interception and one clearance.

These returns saw the Japan international receive a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.4, while the midfielder was also dubbed an “absolute pler” by Everything Celtic and won the Man of the Match award for his efforts on the night.

Indeed, should Hatate be able to keep up this rather extraordinary level of performance going forwards for Celtic, the 24-year-old will very quickly make his £1.38m transfer fee seem like one of the bargains of the season, with the former Kawasaki Frontale star undoubtedly now a nailed-on starter for Postecoglou at Parkhead.

In other news: Ange Postecoglou drops teasing transfer hint that will have Celtic fans buzzing

A number of Manchester City fans have been praising Raheem Sterling after he scored his 100th Premier League goal in the 1-0 win against Wolves on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s men were able to maintain their reign at the top of the Premier League table as the champions gained three points at the weekend, taking them up to 38 points from 16 games this season.

Sterling kept his cool to slot home from the penalty spot in the 66th minute following a controversial VAR check, which ruled that Joao Moutinho had illegally blocked Bernardo Silva’s cross, despite claims that the ball hit the player’s armpit.

The England international joins the Premier league 100-goal club as the 32nd player to ever reach this total in the competition and is the eighth youngest to do so at 27 years and three days of age.

Lots of Man City fans laud Sterling

In acknowledgement of Sterling’s landmark goal, Manchester City’s official Twitter channel shared an artistic image depicting the 27-year-old being greeted by other centurions to the ‘Premier League 100 Club’, including former Etihad Stadium team-mate Sergio Aguero.

Lots of City fans were buzzing upon seeing the tweet, with one describing the England international as ‘King Raz’. Check out some of their reactions below:

“King Raz”

Credit: @Kafkaesque_10

“Our GOAT”

Credit: @MCFCHag

“I cannot express enough how genuinely happy I am for him. He’s the whole reason I’m a City fan!”

Credit: @MSU_Cityzens

“One of the great players in City! Raheeeem Sterlingggg! Keep going and get us over the line this year.. Trophy is ours!”

Credit: @jkjk52563

“This image made me emotional. I love us. Congrats again, @sterling7”

Credit: @katedemallie

“So happy for him.. just work hard [and] results will come… He is doing it right now”

Credit: @meamitshuklaa

In other news: Lots of Man City fans fume as injury claim emerges

With Aston Villa recently confirming that Steven Gerrard has been appointed as the new manager at Villa Park, speculation surrounding the 41-year-old’s January transfer business has already begun.

Indeed, it has been suggested that the former Rangers boss could look to raid his old side for a number of their top talents in the winter market, with players such as Alfredo Morelos, Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and James Tavernier having been touted as potential targets.

However, with Villa having already spent a rather substantial £89.84m in the summer transfer window, before Gerrard brings any fresh faces into Villa Park this January, the 41-year-old may well have to shift a couple of his current squad in order to raise funds.

If this does prove to be the case for the former Liverpool captain, then Anwar El Ghazi should undoubtedly be one of the players who Gerrard considers moving on, as the winger has proven this season that he is not of the standard required for Villa.

Indeed, over his six Premier League appearances this term, the £11.7m-rated man has scored just one goal and registered no assists, as well as hitting the target with a mere 0.3 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Alan Hutton claimed can be “unstoppable” earn an extremely disappointing average SofaScore match rating of just 6.50, ranking him as Villa’s joint fifth-worst player in the league.

As a result of these poor performances, ex-Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny recent stated his belief that Villa should look to move the 26-year-old in January, claiming: “He’s not been in their plans for a while now, so I don’t think [El Ghazi leaving] would be a bad move at all. If it frees money and wages up to maybe bring someone in January in, get it done.”

Furthermore, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, an overwhelming majority of Villa fans voted in favour of their side moving the Netherlands international on this winter, proving that, should Gerrard indeed decide to part ways with the forward, it would be a popular decision amongst fans.

As such, considering his poor returns and lack of support within the Villa fanbase, the 41-year-old Villa boss simply must axe El Ghazi in January, as the money raised from his sale, in addition to freeing up his £38k-per-week wages, could be put to very good use by Gerrard.

In other news: Gerrard must seal first AVFC signing with swoop for “dangerous” £12.6m-rated machine

Crystal Palace and Tottenham are both thought to be keen on signing Spanish left-back Alex Moreno this summer.

The Lowdown: Moreno profiled

Moreno has spent his entire domestic career in his native country and currently plies his trade with Real Betis.

The 28-year-old, who can also play further forward when needed, is valued at £10.8m and is under contract until 2025.

He has impressed this season, contributing to ten goals in 36 games. Before 2021/22, Moreno had only contributed to seven goals in 58 appearances for Betis, and it seems as if his red-hot form this term has now caught the eye of Palace officials.

The Latest: Palace interest

Barca Universal relayed an update from Mundo Deportivo regarding Moreno on Thursday.

They claimed that Barcelona, Palace and Spurs are all keen on Moreno, with Betis preparing to lose the full-back over the coming months.

The Verdict: Competition for Mitchell?

Palace youngster Tyrick Mitchell has starred under Patrick Vieira, playing every Premier League game this season.

The 22-year-old is the only senior left-back on the books at Selhurst Park, though, so it could be wise to bring in someone like Moreno over the summer.

Moreno, who has 25 assists to his name during his career, would provide cover and competition to Mitchell and would also be able to play as a winger when required. Palace face some tough competition for his services, but it could be a deal to keep a close eye on.

In other news: Source drops big Palace claim as Freedman now closes in on first summer deal. 

Everton have been struggling for the entire first half of the season, picking up just five wins so far, and now one of their players could be on his way out of the club during the transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to news outlet, Football Insider, they understand that Burnley are interested in securing the signing of Everton player, Mason Holgate, during the January transfer window.

A Burnley source has told them that the 25-year-old is on the club’s radar, whether that be in the current window or the summer.

In the report, they confirm that Everton are interested in listening to offers for their player, as they are trying to balance the books to make sure they are in line with FFP regulations, after excessively spending over the last five years.

The £16.2m-rated defender has been getting in the side due to the injury crisis Everton have been experiencing, in which defender Yerry Mina is a part of, tallying up ten appearances in all competitions so far for the Toffees.

Not good enough

The 25-year-old player has not used his opportunity in the team to prove to Benitez that he should be a regular starter, in fact, quite the opposite, with fans blasting the player for being a “liability” when he was red-carded back in November for dangerous foul play on Hojberg;

One fan tweeted during the Spurs game when the side went down to ten men following the bad challenge: “Been an absolute liability since he came on Holgate.”

The former West Brom centre-back went onto put in another horrific performance in Everton’s ninth defeat of the season to Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, only making one interception, tackle and clearance during the entire game that lead to conceding three goals according to SofaScore.

As far as his overall season is concerned, his statistics don’t get much better, as recorded by SofaScore, the defender on average, has a shocking 0.3 of possession won per game, loses the majority of his duels (51%) and has recorded only one clean sheet from the eight games he has featured in the Premier League so far.

Based on that, it’s rather remarkable that he was once dubbed “Mr Dependable” by reporter Sam Carroll.

If Burnley are in fact interested in Holgate, Benitez should do everything he can to facilitate the move to raise funds so that he can replace him with a more reliable defender to cover Mina in his absence.

In other news: Alan Myers reveals more about clubs chasing Lucas Digne

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a hefty injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, Bruno Lage revealed that Bruno Jordao, who has not featured competitively for Wolves for 16 months due to a knee injury, is finally back in training with the first-team squad, and could be in contention for the trip to Norwich City on Saturday.

Asked whether the central midfielder is once again an option for his matchday squads, the 45-year-old said: “Yes, he’s one more. He started working two or three days ago. He needs time.

“We have six weeks to work with him and after see if he’s ready to compete for a place or if he needs to take another decision. I am very happy with him. I knew him when I arrived and saw him since the first day working hard to come back as soon as possible.

“Now he needs to show me on the pitch that he wants to fight for a place in the team. I need to see Bruno. I want to give him a lot of confidence to be ready to train and compete and try to understand the dynamic he can give us.

“I saw some games from him in the past but it’s soon for me to make a conclusion on what he can give to our team. Since the first day, he has been a good professional. I am very happy with that mentality.”

Lage will be buzzing

Considering just how short of options Lage currently is in the middle of the park, the return of Jordao, particularly with the hectic Christmas schedule of the Premier League soon upon us, is sure to have left the Portuguese manager buzzing.

Indeed, prior to the 23-year-old’s return, the Wolves boss had just Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker or Joao Moutinho to pick from in central midfield, with this trio having returned just one goal and one assist over their accumulative 32 top-flight appearances.

And, while Jordao is by no means an out and out attacking midfielder, the former Portugal U21 international has scored one goal over his four first-team appearances since his £8.01m move to Molineux back in the summer of 2019, something which would suggest he could be used as a more attack-minded option by Lage.

In any case, the return of an extra body in the middle of the park is undoubtedly a huge boost for the 45-year-old manager, who will be looking to continue his side’s run of excellent form against Norwich City this weekend.

In other news: Hatfield drops Wolves transfer claim on “unplayable” £17m-rated dynamo, Shi must act