All posts by n8rngtd.top

Rhys Williams looks as if he will be regularly called upon by Jurgen Klopp for the rest of the season at Liverpool as a result of their injury concerns but his performance against Aston Villa emphasises that he is a long way off being first-team quality for the Reds.

After a loan spell with Kidderminster Harriers last season, the 19-year-old has earned a promotion to Liverpool’s first-team this season after injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and more lately, Joel Matip.

The academy graduate has impressed at times, particularly in the 5-0 win against Atalanta and the 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur but his performance against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday emphasised that he isn’t ready to be a first-team regular for the rest of the season.

The young defender was outpaced by 17-year-old Louie Barry for Villa’s equaliser and he never looked likely to catch the young striker as he raced through on goal, before finishing past Caoimhin Kelleher.

He also picked up a 6.7 rating from SofaScore, which was the joint-worst of any Liverpool player who started the game on the night.

Whilst a partnership of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho at centre-back didn’t produce ideal results in the Reds’ last Premier League fixture when they were beaten by Southampton, Williams’ lack of pace will likely be exploited by Manchester United in their next fixture, so Klopp must axe the 19-year-old.

Earlier in the season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was full of praise for the centre-back after he replaced Fabinho in the 2-0 win against FC Midtjylland, saying:

“That position’s probably a bit bare, to say the least. But we’ve got an amazing squad, you’ve seen Rhys Williams stepping in and doing a world-class job, at a young age with such little experience. He’s got a bright future ahead.”

Despite this, Williams must be axed by Klopp for the Reds’ next fixture, as his disappointing performance against Villa exposed his lack of concentration and pace, something which United’s dangerous front three will surely punish at Anfield later this month.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Pundit claims he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Virgil van Dijk was back soon

West Ham United must swoop for FC Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo in the January transfer window after losing Arthur Masuaku for the foreseeable future through injury.

What’s the word?

According to Mundo Deportivo, Firpo faces an uncertain future at the Camp Nou having featured little for Barcelona since joining the La Liga powerhouse from Real Betis in 2019.

The 24-year-old is now considered surplus to requirements having featured infrequently under Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien or now Ronald Koeman, who has been particularly loath to field the defender, with Firpo awarded just 29 minutes of La Liga action thus far this season.

Firpo is aware to the fact that if he wishes to play more often, he will have to leave Barca, who are not opposed to sanctioning a winter exit with a handful of potential destinations already emerging.

West Ham, SSC Napoli and Granada are all said to be considering January moves for Firpo, with David Moyes’ Premier League outfit long-time admirers and interested in a loan with an option to buy.

Firpo, who Barcelona signed for €18million (£16.3m), is also thought to be a target for Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan as Barcelona strive to reduce their enormous wage bill.

Perfect Masuaku replacement

West Ham must seize on Firpo’s uncertain future at the Camp Nou to strike a deal with Barcelona this winter, having lost Masuaku for the foreseeable after the DR Congo international underwent career-saving surgery on a knee injury that has plagued him for the best part of two years.

Moyes called on Aaron Cresswell to replace Masuaku against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, but the three-cap England international could not cope with the pace needed for the full-back role after his excellent displays at centre-half this season.

Cresswell was often turned inside out by Andros Townsend, as Moyes’ need for winter reinforcements was laid bare in front of an empty London Stadium.

The Scottish coach may now have the ideal chance to find his solution in Firpo, who former Betis teammate Marc Bartra believes has “a lot of potential” and was tipped to join Liverpool before moving to Barcelona, with the Reds said to have eyed activating his €50m (£45m) release clause.

Firpo may not have featured much in La Liga this season, but has been given frequent minutes in the Champions League with five outings, in which he’s averaged 2.0 duels won with a 67% success rate and offered 0.2 key balls, 0.2 accurate crosses, 0.6 successful tackles and played 29.8 accurate passes with a 93% completion rate, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a £67k-p/w West Ham dud’s torturous midweek display proved why he cannot be trusted vs Chelsea.

For Sunderland, they are staring at a streak where three games have been postponed.

It’s not exactly how the players saw their Christmas turning out, but it might bring some light relief to a squad that have been through the wringer over the last few years.

That being said, the club’s hierarchy should still be busy on the transfer front.

What’s the word?

Lee Johnson has made it clear that he’s looking for players that can stretch the play in January.

As a result, it’s incredibly likely that Sunderland will dip their toes into the attacking market next month. One player linked so far is Barnsley’s Luke Thomas.

However, if William Storey seals a deal to buy the club from Stewart Donald, there could be a whole host of new targets.

Speaking to The Chronicle this week, he opened up on the club’s transfer strategy and name-dropped former Black Cat Fabio Borini as an example of someone they could sign.

He stated: “There are financial fair play rules which we have to adhere to, so clearly in the early days in terms of getting new talent in, there’s a big requirement for new players, we would look to be doing various deals with either free agents – and I quoted [Fabio] Borini as an example – and there are multiple players who are available that I think would inject some excitement into the club.”

Disaster for Sunderland

Storey is quite right that in the early days of his potential reign at Sunderland they’d have to look at cost-effective deals.

Borini would certainly be an exciting signing for a League One club, but the fact of the matter is that his wage demands would surely be too big, especially when you consider the EFL’s salary cap for players over the age of 21.

When he was still at Verona last season, the Italian was on a wage of £79k-a-week. Alarm bells immediately start ringing when you see Sunderland interested in a player like that.

You only need to look at the huge burden Jack Rodwell had on the wage bill when he was still earning £70k-a-week at the Stadium of Light when they were in the Championship.

Furthermore, Aiden McGeady still earns around £31k at the Mackems.

Of course, Borini would take a wage cut but there is no way they would be able to reduce it to sensible terms. The Italian is a player with “big energy” according to David Moyes so certainly fits the type of profile that Johnson wants but financially, this would be a disastrous deal.

Not even in the Championship should the Black Cats consider Borini. They need to take their transfer strategy in a different direction.

AND in other news, Sunderland must unleash ace who “ran his socks off” under Coleman…

Whether he’s loved or hated, fans can’t deny that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy certainly has a nose for a profit. Snatching up Dele Alli for a mere £5million five years ago is one great example of his business savvy choices. Another is his decision to cash in on Spurs reject Kevin Wimmer, who surprisingly brought in 318% more than the initial £4.3million they paid for him.

The centre-back’s career in north London lasted just two years before Spurs moved him on. He made a total of 31 appearances, often finding himself out of favour under former manager Mauricio Pochettino (via Transfermarkt). Wimmer only played 15 Premier League matches before Levy and co decided his time in the white and blue of Tottenham was up.

Spurs pocketed huge profit on Wimmer

The castaway Spurs defender was valued at just £6.3million during his last season with the Premier League side. Stoke City came knocking and forked out £18million to bring him to the bet365 Stadium in 2o17 – his move saw his Transfermarkt value hit a huge spike, but this would prove to be a mere smokescreen before a big decline.

After just one season with the Potters, Wimmer left the club on loan to join Hannover 96, followed by another temporary spell away from the Championship side as he joined Belgian team Mouscron. His back-to-back loan stints have harmed his position with Stoke as he now finds himself out of favour at yet another club. Wimmer is yet to make a senior appearance for Stoke this season and has instead been demoted to the reserve league, despite being 28 years of age.

His market value has also dropped dramatically and he is now worth a reported £1.8million – a mammoth plummet from what Spurs pocketed for his sale three years ago.

With just two years left on his contract, it looks likely that the Potters will simply allow his deal to run down and take a hit on his £18million transfer. Quite the opposite of the position Spurs are in after Levy’s clever deal.

In other news, Spurs have perfect chance to offload Dele Alli as Leeds are linked…

Celtic bolstered their attack in the summer by signing Albian Ajeti on loan from Premier League side West Ham United.

He has had to quickly come to the fore as there have been times when the Hoops have been without star attackers Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard.

What Alex McLeish had to say about Ajeti

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland manager Alex McLeish said: Ajeti could come good and flourish. He’s not hit the ground running and when you go to Rangers and Celtic you’re expected to hit the ground running.

“Steven Gerrard’s even sent Roofe and Itten in here and there because they’re probably not up to his full sharpness and feeding them in slowly but Neil had to throw Ajeti into the lion’s den because of injuries, to Edouard specifically.

“You’re probably hoping more than calculating that he will bring you a worldie 90 minutes and show everybody why he was a target.

“A lot of the guys that come into the British league take time to adapt. I know time is against you when you’re an Old Firm manager but I think there’s got to be more to Ajeti than we’ve seen so far, no doubt about it, there’s more to come from him.”

How has Ajeti started at Celtic?

In the Scottish Premiership, the Swiss striker has had a very solid start, with eight appearances (four off the bench) and five goals as well as one assist to his name (WhoScored). Conversely, in the Champions League qualifying round and Europa League, Ajeti has gone five games without scoring.

He will need to step it up in Europe if he wants to have a solid season, but for McLeish to say he hasn’t hit the ground running seems harsh due to his record in the Premiership.

Ajeti’s career did not go well in England as he failed to score and only played 12 times for West Ham (Transfermarkt). What he needs is a bit of confidence which he should be getting in Scotland. He has shown he can find the back of the net – now that is all missing is the consistency.

In other news, McLeish has been full of praise for one Hoops star. Have a read who it is here!

Hal Robson-Kanu is back in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion.

However, Slaven Bilic’s side have suffered another setback, after the club confirmed the 31-year-old striker sustained a broken arm in Sunday’s defeat at Southampton.

But the 44-cap Wales international is no stranger to overcoming adversity.

In fact, his career was almost over before it had even begun.

As a teenager, Robson-Kanu was on the receiving end of a potential career-ending challenge, injuring his cruciate knee ligament in the process.

After a series of operations, he was told by doctors that his chances of recovery were remote.

He soon grew tired of sitting on the sidelines and decided to do something about it, which in turn inspired him to start his own business.

Robson-Kanu spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about his latest venture in a wide-ranging interview.

“I was looking for a natural remedy to help with my recovery. Nothing seemed to work and believe me when I say we tried everything!

“So, my dad and I invested a lot of time and energy into researching different ways which would improve my recovery as well as reducing any aches, pains and swellings from the surgeries I had as a teenager.

“From my personal experience, I can tell you that turmeric aided my recovery and helped to dramatically reduce the pain I was experiencing at the time.

“I can honestly say that it saved my career!”

Robson-Kanu soon returned to action, and has gone on to score more than 50 goals for Reading and West Brom combined.

He established The Turmeric Co. in 2018, which offers a range of natural health shots to help with recovery.

His work would become a welcome distraction when West Brom’s push for promotion was brought to a dramatic halt. However, some of his teammates weren’t quite so lucky…

“We were away from football for quite a long period of time. Fortunately, I also run a business so I had quite a lot going on, but I know some of my teammates struggled like a lot of other people did during the lockdown.

“I think this time has taught everyone that it is really important to maintain your fitness levels. If you look at Joe Wicks, what he did was fantastic, and my family actually joined in with a few of his workouts.”

Robson-Kanu gave us an insight into the work his company has carried out during the pandemic.

Business has blossomed, as his shots now find themselves stocked in shops such as Whole Foods and Planet Organic, whilst website traffic has never been higher.

But he also organised shots for NHS staff and sent supplies to hospitals which were put under increasing pressure by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We worked with the NHS during the height of the pandemic, where we delivered care packages to NHS staff. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive and they really enjoyed them as they worked incredibly long hours. From that perspective, it was fantastic that we could contribute in such a way.

“In terms of clubs, we supply thousands of athletes who use our products on a daily basis, but we also supply a number of Premier League clubs, Championship clubs and several rugby teams as well.

“So it’s great that these individuals are taking their health really seriously and looking at natural options like our range to support their careers.”

As you might expect, his company are actively encouraging people to live a healthy balanced lifestyle. He went on to explain why natural nutrition is key.

“We are massive advocates of natural nutrition and that’s the basis of our range. We only use natural fresh products in every single shot.

“I think it’s important to understand the impact that nutrition actually has on your life as we live in an age now where information is very easily accessible.

“It’s certainly one of the reasons why we have seen such tremendous growth in the business.

“People are not only starting to take their health more seriously but beginning to have an interest in natural nutrition as a way of supporting their wellbeing as well.”

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, with seemingly no end in sight, fans have grown accustomed to seeing top-level football being played in empty stadiums.

Robson-Kanu shed some light on what it is like playing behind closed doors.

“It is definitely different, it’s certainly not the same as playing in front of fans, and I think it makes you realise the importance of fans within sports in general. But, as a professional athlete, you just have to get on with it.

“The Hawthorns is a great stadium but it’s so much better when it is full.

“Although we have embraced the start of the season, we are definitely looking forward to fans being back in the stands and I certainly think the sooner it happens, the better.”

He also revealed his favourite goal for the Baggies. The striker memorably scored a 20-yard screamer as West Brom came from behind to beat Southampton back in 2016.

“My goal against Southampton is definitely my favourite so far, as it was an away game, it was a winning goal, Virgil van Djik was playing, and I ran past him and ended up putting the ball into the top corner!”

Check out the Turmeric Co.’s official website for more information.

Despite producing a resilient display last weekend – particularly in the first-half – West Brom opened up their return to the Premier League with a 3-0 defeat at home to Leicester.

The Baggies held firm for 56 minutes before Timothy Castagne fired Brendan Rodgers’ side in front, and a couple of penalties from Jamie Vardy late on sealed the deal.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

A mid-week Carabao Cup win over Harrogate Town would surely have boosted the confidence inside the camp, and Slaven Bilic may already be contemplating making some important changes from the line-up that started against Leicester.

Below is a look how West Brom could play against Everton on early Saturday afternoon.

Sam Johnstone is sure to resume his duties as first-choice goalkeeper at Goodison Park, with David Button dropping to the bench following his involvement in the Carabao Cup in mid-week.

Tactically, Bilic may look to ditch the five-man defence that he employed against Leicester, and instead go with a regular back-four – a switch that saw them clinch a 3-0 win over Harrogate.

If that’s the case, Semi Ajayi could be the man to make way and lose his starting spot from last weekend, with the Baggies boss favouring Darnell Furlong, Kyle Bartley, Dara O’Shea and Kieran Gibbs.

In midfield, Romaine Sawyers was arguably the worst of the bunch in the defeat to Leicester, with West Brom fans making their frustrations clear on Twitter after the game.

Bilic could make a real statement by dropping him to the bench, replacing him in the starting line-up with starlet Rekeem Harper, who scored on Wednesday.

And whilst Callum Robinson may have not netted on the opening day, Bilic is likely to retain his confidence in the former Sheffield United man, and could help him out immeasurably by choosing to play Hal Robson-Kanu alongside him – another who scored in that victory over Harrogate.

Momentum will undoubtedly be key, and choosing to go more attacking and adventurous in his team selection could see West Brom pick up their first league points of the season on Saturday.

Predicted XI: Johnstone; Furlong, Bartley, O’Shea, Gibbs; Pereira, Livermore, Harper, Diangana; Robinson, Robson-Kanu.

West Ham United are in need of defensive reinforcements quickly with the season just a mere two weeks away, and fresh reports may have opened to door for that to happen…

What’s the word?

According to Cadena SER, reported Irons target Samuel Umtiti could have his contract cancelled at Barcelona as they look to shift him from the wage bill this summer.

It’s claimed that no club has come forward with an offer for the 26-year-old but it remains to be seen how likely this is given he has a contract until 2023.

The Hammers were linked with interest back in July by Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness). Umtiti is now valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt.

Fills a need, for free?

David Moyes could do with another centre-back if West Ham are to avoid another relegation battle this season with the futures of Winston Reid and Fabian Balbuena up in the air; Angelo Ogbonna isn’t getting any younger at 32 and Issa Diop could miss the opener through injury.

Splashing in excess of £25m on Umtiti wouldn’t be a wise move whatsoever, but if he becomes available for free, then it’ll make the world of difference.

It means the club’s hierarchy will only have to fork out on his wages, which are currently reported to be around £210k-per-week but given his injury troubles, he may well have to accept a lower amount if he’s to be given an opportunity.

The 26-year-old played 19 times this season and averaged 2.4 clearances, 1.7 interceptions and an impressive 92.4% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

Ex-Barca defender Eric Abidal once claimed that Umtiti was “a world-class player” whilst current teammate Sergio Busquets lauded him as someone with “great potential”.

The World Cup winner has always been a player that has read the game well but injuries have hindered his playing time severely, so perhaps a move elsewhere is exactly what he needs to become revitalised.

He’d help fill a crucial need at the London Stadium, but it’s only worth it if he becomes available for free.

AND in other news, West Ham signing “special” £16m star could help bring the best out of Haller…

Glasgow Rangers have had some wonderful players down the years, but arguably none have been quite as good as Brian Laudrup.

The Denmark international had already had an illustrious career by the time he rocked up at Ibrox in 1994 for £2.5m, having appeared for the likes of AC Milan and Bayern Munich and having won the 1992 European Championships with Denmark. Across four years with the 54-time Scottish champions, Laudrup wrote himself into the club’s history books, scoring over 30 goals in more than 100 Scottish Premiership matches, and lighting up the whole of Scottish football along the way.

It appears he still has an affinity with the club as well. On Instagram, he shared a photo of himself with one of his old shirts with the caption: “Rumours say the no.11 is still vacant.”

This was shared on Twitter, and it has attracted the attention of the Gers supporters – as you can imagine, there have been plenty of comments that he could still do a job. They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best reactions below.

Let us know what you think!

Arsenal’s return to Premier League action did not go as planned as a decent first 20 minutes was ruined by a mistake late in the first half and then a red card in the second from David Luiz which saw the Gunners lose 3-0 to Manchester City.

However there is no time to think about what could have been as they face Brighton at the AMEX next, in what is a must win for both sides. Arsenal need to start picking up victories if they want to make the top six by the end of the season, whilst Brighton have not won a fixture since the 28th December, and this has caused them to drop firmly into the relegation battle, via BBC Sport.

Here is the Transfer Tavern predicted Arsenal starting XI, which sees Mikel Arteta make three changes for the fixture.

Arteta will be forced into changing his back four, as Pablo Mari is reportedly out for the rest of the season after limping off in the first half at the Etihad. With Sokratis injured and Luiz suspended, it looks like Rob Holding will be brought in to pair up with Shkodran Mustafi. Tierney and Bellerin both looked to have a decent game up until the red card, and should keep their places for the fixture.

Again Arsenal will be forced into a change at centre-midfield, as Granit Xhaka pulled up in the first half like Mari and is not available. Guendouzi looked sharp and earned praise from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville and he will probably be partnered by Dani Ceballos who replaced Xhaka in Manchester.

Mesut Ozil was not even on the bench for the match against City, however in a game in which Arsenal will need to win, they need a creative spark in midfield and the German’s 2.1 key passes per game is the best in the whole squad, so he could be the one who links up the midfield to attack and helps find the eye for goal.

Nketiah earned the best rating out of the whole Arsenal squad (6.8) and deserves to keep his spot in the side over Alexandre Lacazette, who can be a great super sub if needed.

Gunners fans, would this be a good starting eleven? Comment below!