All posts by z3u9t.icu

There have been a number of players at Celtic this season who have not been fit to wear the jersey. In fact, if supporters were allowed inside Parkhead, a number of the squad would likely be receiving a rather hostile reception.

After all, this campaign has been a tale of woe, one where the Hoops have surrendered their dominance of Scottish football to their biggest rivals.

Though, one of the chief suspects in Celtic’s underperforming season had been Olivier Ntcham.

In years gone by, the Frenchman has been an anchor for the Bhoys, a player they looked towards to drive the team forward. He epitomised everything you’d look for in a box to box midfielder.

Unfortunately, he went missing this season. He started just seven times in the SPFL where he scored the solitary goal.

Clearly out of favour with Neil Lennon, he was accused of downing tools by talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil. He has been loaned out to Marseille in his homeland but it’s arguably got even worse for him since he went back to France.

On day one, Andre Villas-Boas threatened to leave his job. The exact words from his mouth in an explosive press conference were: “Ntcham is precisely a player for whom I said no. It was never a player who was on our list.”

After disagreeing with the board, Villas-Boas was consequently sacked from his post. However, the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli hasn’t been beneficial either.

Ntcham has been nothing short of abysmal since penning temporary terms with the Ligue 1 side. He has been withdrawn at half time in three separate matches, including a cup tie where Marseille suffered defeat to Canet Roussillon, a team in the fourth tier of French football.

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On that occasion, the midfielder was given a match rating of 1/10 by La Provence, a publication that described him as “unacceptable.” That came after L’Equipe gave him a 3/10 for this role in a 2-0 defeat against Lille.

Unfortunately, he was particularly poor again when Marseille were swept aside 3-0 by Nice. Ntcham lost a massive 80% of his duels in that contest last weekend, before being lumped off at the break.

Once more, he was given a brutal assessment in the French press.

La Provence reporter Alexandre Jacquin said: “Ntcham is the man of half-time exits. It must be said that once again, he did not do much to deserve to stay on the ground after returning from rest. Sampaoli even gave the impression of biting his fingers for having trusted him: If he had not been bald, we could have written that El Pelado tore his hair out every time the native of Longjumeau touched leather.”

Clearly, his time back in France has not benefited his career. On his return to Celtic, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he was given the boot permanently.

The £14k-per-week earner has had a disastrous season; there is surely no way back for him.

AND in other news, Bankier missed Celtic’s next Van Dijk in £46k-p/w beast who “rarely makes mistakes”…

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse scored his first England goal in their 5-0 win against San Marino in midweek, and Ralph Hasenhuttl should perhaps be concerned that it could increase interest in the 26-year-old ahead of the summer.

The Saints academy graduate has been a mainstay in the Austrian’s line-up so far this season, playing every single minute in the Premier League in a season where nearly every other player has been struck down by injury at one point.

He has also equalled his best-ever goalscoring season in the top flight with seven goals to his name in 29 appearances, which has seen him average an impressive 7.10 WhoScored match rating.

This ranks him as Hasenhuttl’s best performer in the Premier League and, after another excellent season with the Saints, it would not be a surprise if some clubs playing in Europe next season come knocking in the summer.

Even if it was against San Marino, His performance also highlighted just how good he can be in a team which gives him the freedom to go forward and attack more, as he opened the scoring from open play, something he has managed just once in the Premier League this season, in the 2-0 win against Everton.

The rest of his goals have either come from free kicks or the penalty spot, which have also boosted his reputation this season, with Pep Guardiola remarking that he is the “best free-kicker taker I have seen in my life” earlier this season.

Whilst he did come close to a second goal against San Marino with a free kick, it was a superb all-round display from the Saints captain.

As per SofaScore, Ward-Prowse – who reportedly earns £45,000 per week at Southampton – earned a superb 8.3/10 match rating for his display, which was only bettered by Mason Mount with 8.8.

During the 90 minutes, the 26-year-old Saints man completed as many as five key passes whilst also registering a 94% pass accuracy, both of which are significant improvements on his average numbers in the Premier League this season.

Although we must take into consideration the standard of the opposition, there is no doubt that Ward-Prowse was one of the standout performers for England in midweek; and if he produces similar displays in the European Championships during the summer, then it may be a struggle for Southampton to keep hold of him ahead of next season.

In other news… Hasenhuttl can amend key Saints issue next season with swoop for £10.8m-rated “great talent”

Liverpool could be set to fork out a considerable fee for a striker this summer, with Fiorentina having slapped a huge asking price on Dusan Vlahovic.

According to Italian outlet Milan Live, the Reds are interested in swooping for the Serbian forward but would have to pay €40m (£35m) to acquire his services in the summer.

It’s a fee that should be considered a bargain for Vlahovic and one that Michael Edwards should certainly consider paying to bring him to Anfield.

At just the age of 21, the striker’s progression with Fiorentina has been remarkable following his arrival from Partizan Belgrade in 2018.

As recently as last season, Vlahovic was playing for the club’s youth side in the Campionato Primavera 1 but has now developed into one of the most lethal forwards in Serie A having plundered 15 goals in 29 league appearances for La Viola this season.

For comparison, only four players in Italy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, Luis Muriel and Simy, have netted more in the league than the youngster this season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-gravenberch-keita-mane-williams-kabak” title=”Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Despite that, Fiorentina Head Coach Cesare Prandelli has suggested that Vlahovic is set to get even better, saying that he is “destined” to improve.

Furthermore, former hotshot forward Christian Vieri thinks that the striker is up there with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland as one of Europe’s top young strikers.

That type of talent, with a clear eye for goal,would certainly prove useful for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who have struggled in attack this season.

Regular forward Roberto Firmino has scored just six times in all competitions, whilst fellow striker Divock Origi has netted just one goal throughout 2020/21.

It goes without saying then that the Fiorentina man would be an instant improvement upon the Reds’ frontline when it coms to scoring goals.

Regardless, there could be reservations over the signing of Vlahovic considering Fiorentina’s asking price and the fact that he is rated at just £22.5m.

Considering his quality and promise though, the Reds would certainly not be overpaying by forking out €40m.

Michael Edwards must certainly find the cash to bring Vlahovic to Anfield and get Liverpool the type of goalscoring striker they’re crying out for.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Sadio Mane’s disappointing performance against Real Madrid…

Leeds United will target Crystal Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt this summer when his deal at Selhurst Park expires.

That’s according to a report from The Mirror, who claimed that the 30-year-old fits the profile required by Marcelo Bielsa of an attacking full-back.

Van Aanholt to replace Leeds’ Alioski?

Van Aanholt, valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, is considering the next move of his career after Tyrick Mitchell’s emergence has seen him in and out of Roy Hodgson’s side.

The Dutch defender, who has made 19 appearances this season, will be available for nothing in the summer, when his contract is due to expire.

The Whites have a left-back of their own out of contract in the summer in Ezgjan Alioski, and it seems as if Van Aanholt could come in to replace the North Macedonian, with Bielsa eyeing a new first-choice left-back.

Transfer Tavern take

Many Eagles supporters weren’t impressed with Van Aanholt on Saturday during the 1-0 win over West Brom, with one describing his display as ‘awful’.

The £55,000-a-week Palace man stalled over fresh contract talks with Palace towards the end of 2020, and a move away from Selhurst Park for nothing now seems likely.

He has made 130 appearances for the club, scoring 14 times and providing six assists, but it appears as if he won’t be hitting the 150 mark for the Eagles.

In other news: Many Palace fans are buzzing at links to £9m-rated Premier League midfielder, find out more here. 

“I don’t feel comfortable speaking about that,” said Spurs boss Jose Mourinho after his side crashed out of the FA Cup on Wednesday evening.

You could be forgiven for thinking that was about the absence of Gareth Bale on the night or perhaps why Harry Kane didn’t start such a crucial encounter, but it was rather about his side’s calamitous defending in which they conceded five goals to Everton.

That, ultimately, was their downfall.

And there was nobody worse than veteran centre-back Toby Alderweireld, given the fact that his partner Davinson Sanchez, who is usually a liability, found himself on the scoresheet twice.

As pointed out by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, the 31-year-old Belgian international ‘did very little to suggest he is the answer to Spurs’ problems at the back’.

No other player received worse than Alderweireld’s 4/10 rating and that very much echoed the sentiments from a statistical standpoint as SofaScore graded his display a 6.1, second-worst only to Hugo Lloris between the sticks.

Considering the £85k-per-week star is one of the more vastly experienced members of Mourinho’s squad, he should not be getting caught out once or twice, let alone three times – and as such, he badly let his boss down.

Alderweireld was left for dead for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s opener, was nutmegged by Richarlison for their second and was caught napping late on for a third mistake.

Indeed, the Belgian was among the game’s most influential players in terms of regular ball possession as he notched 90 touches, which was only bettered by three other Spurs players, as per SofaScore.

Up against Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, he won just three of eight duels (37.5%) – the worst and lowest of any visiting defender, so clearly, he was the biggest liability across the backline.

Plenty of supporters took to Twitter to dish out flak to Harry Winks in a perplexing attack, considering he did not come on until the original 90 were up – for example, one fan asked the club to get rid as he’s a “Championship player” while another begged them to recall Oliver Skipp to play over him.

But as mentioned, he barely had any influence on the game whereas Alderweireld was a disaster throughout the entire 120 minutes and as such, blame must be pointed his way.

And just like Kilpatrick said, the £18m-rated colossus did very little to show why he should be starting and with league leaders Manchester City on the horizon, it would be a surprise to see him involved after that disasterclass.

Alderweireld badly let Mourinho and Spurs down as they exited the FA Cup in the fifth round.

IN other news, Levy must wave goodbye to 23 y/o ace this summer; he’s not good enough for Jose…

Aston Villa have been without talisman Jack Grealish for the last couple of games and Dean Smith has provided an injury update on the player.

The latest on Grealish

Smith was talking in the press conference previewing the game against Sheffield United on Wednesday evening and he revealed that they will be without Grealish again, saying: “He won’t be ready for the game and he’s not travelling with us. We’ll decide later in the week if we can get him on the training ground.”

This is a worrying update from the manager

In terms of creativity, Grealish is one of the best attacking midfielders in the division, his 10 assists in the Premier League just one fewer than the joint-leaders in this regard (WhoScored), and it is exciting for fans of England to watch him grow. Clearly England manager Gareth Southgate is impressed by the Villa skipper as he hailed his performance against Belgium in the autumn as ‘outstanding’.

The 25-year-old has averaged 2.1 shots, 3.4 key passes and 2.8 successful dribbles per game and turned these amazing attacking stats into end product, picking up six goals as well as his 10 top-flight assists (WhoScored).

Therefore, the six words from Smith that he “won’t be ready for the game” is of course going to be a big worry, and it seems like he could still be out for an unknown period, which is a blow for all associated with the club.

In other news, these Villa fans are loving this crazy statistic!

Manchester United travel to Italy on Thursday for a crunch UEFA Europa League last-16 tie against AC Milan.

The two teams find themselves level following the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last week but with Stefano Pioli’s men scoring an away goal, the onus is really on the Red Devils.

Having played just four days ago, and with an FA Cup quarter-final creeping up this weekend, will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be tempted to make any changes to his starting line-up?

Considering the importance of the tie, there might only be two alterations to the Man Utd XI and they will be in line with Solskjaer’s normal changes for Europa League matches.

Dean Henderson should remain in between the sticks with David De Gea only recently returning to action.

However, two changes should occur in front of him. Alex Telles has started all but two of the Red Devils’ European games so will likely replace £19.8m-rated Luke Shaw once again, despite the left-back currently being in excellent form.

Meanwhile, after sitting out the first leg, Victor Lindelof may also be swapped out for fellow centre-back Eric Bailly.

Despite that, the backline should remain otherwise the same.

Midfielders Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba have handed Solskjaer huge boosts in their returns to fitness. However, having both been out for a considerable amount of time, they may be only afforded places on the bench, meaning Scott McTominay and Fred will once again be the Red Devils’ midfield pairing.

The attack meanwhile should have a very familiar look to it. Bruno Fernandes is likely to be flanked by Marcus Rashford and Daniel James. Owing to Edinson Cavani’s continued fitness problems, Mason Greenwood will continue in the centre-forward role.

AND in more news, read why the Red Devils have to make a move for Sporting CP’s Pedro Goncalves…

Ben Woodburn returned to Liverpool earlier this week after a disappointing loan spell in League One and now might be the right time for the Reds to cash in on the 21-year-old.

The youngster has excelled in Liverpool’s U23 in the past, contributing 13 goals and 11 assists in just 36 appearances but after another failed loan spell away, it seems clear that he isn’t going to make it at the Merseyside club.

Woodburn has been spent time on loan with Sheffield United, Oxford United and Blackpool in recent seasons but has just one goal in a combined 35 appearances away from Liverpool.

Much was expected of the Welshman when he became Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer in 2016, scoring in a 2-0 League Cup win against Leeds United, breaking Michael Owen’s record in the process.

The Liverpool man’s reputation grew further after he scored an excellent goal on his international debut for Wales when he was just a teenager, with several media outlets prematurely dubbing him ‘the next Gareth Bale’.

He has made 11 appearances for the Reds’ first-team in his career, but the last came in the 2016/17 season and considering his disappointing form in the Championship and League One since then, it seems unlikely that he will be making any more appearances for Liverpool anytime soon.

After his goal against Leeds, Jurgen Klopp warned that Woodburn would be talked up too much by the media and that certainly seems to be the case, as unfortunately, it looks as if he has been massively overhyped by both the media and fans.

Back in 2019, when Rangers were linked with signing the Welsh international, Steven Gerrard had this to say:

“He does need to play football matches and if at the right time he’s available we’ll use him and we’ll enjoy him, because he’s a fantastic footballer.”

However, after his latest loan disaster with Blackpool, this month could be the right time to cash in on Woodburn and end his 14-year association with the club, with the 21-year-old having joined Liverpool’s academy when he was just seven.

AND, in other news, Klopp can sign his next Coutinho at LFC in 26 y/o who scores and assists…

Manchester United staged a comeback in the second half to beat West Ham United in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Saturday night.

The result means the Red Devils have now recorded their ninth straight away win in the top flight as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s substitutions made an immediate impact, with Bruno Fernandes teeing up Paul Pogba’s powerful effort, before goals from Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford secured the victory.

The Portuguese magnifico was magnificent, Greenwood and Rashford ran the defence ragged, but Pogba was the real standout as he certainly showed his quality from distance with a screamer to bring the score level.

The France international has oft been criticised for some lacklustre performances so far this season but once again sent Solskjaer a timely reminder of his obvious talents.

Per SofaScore, Pogba received a high rating of 7.6 out of ten for his impressive showing – second only to Fernandes – as he took 114 touches of the ball, which was more than any other player on the pitch, provided 85 out of 97 passes (88%), and completed eight long balls out of 12 attempts.

He clearly made all that possession count where it matters the most as he took two shots on target, and was titan-like, winning three out of five aerial duels and was also fouled twice, which shows that he was a real menace throughout the game, in particular in the second half.

The Daily Mirror gave the midfield dynamo a solid score of 6/10, claiming he scored a ‘great goal to get United back into the game and repaid Solskjaer’s faith to start him’ whilst The Manchester Evening News went one better, adding ‘he recovered to score classily in the second.’

Marcus Rashford was awarded the Sky Sports Man of the Match award, although Pogba arguably stole the show in the same week that Carlton Palmer tipped him to depart Old Trafford in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, as his teammate failed to attempt a single aerial duel.

The England international might have added the finishing touch, but it was the £72m-rated Pogba’s goal that inspired the initial comeback.

It’s fair to say that his future seems far from certain, but if this performance is anything to go by, Ed Woodward simply cannot afford to let one of their most prized assets leave the club any time soon.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be forced to sell Paul Pogba…

Ianis Hagi was Steven Gerrard’s unsung hero as Glasgow Rangers ran riot over St. Johnstone at McDiarmid Park to maintain their 16-point lead over Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.

Gerrard’s side largely dominated proceedings from start to finish to fuel their title ambitions, with goals from Hagi, Glen Kamara and Kemar Roofe proving to be more than enough to beat the Saints before Christmas.

Roofe struck first after he capitalised on a mistake from Saints goalkeeper Zander Clark before Glen Kamara doubled their advantage before the break.

However, Hagi saved the best till last after he blasted a shot straight at Zander Clark after Roofe’s initial shot had been blocked for the ball to bounce between the keeper’s legs and over the line.

Hagi, who reportedly earns £23,000-a-week, has often been criticised for much of the season so far but he was brimming with confidence on the right wing, having started in the midfield as an advanced playmaker in the 4-0 win over Falkirk in the Betfred Scottish League Cup.

You could single out several players for their near-perfect performances, namely Borna Barisic, Roofe and James Tavernier, but the young Romania international was arguably a class above the rest of his teammates as Rangers romped to a 3-0 victory over Callum Davidson’s side, as he took two shots on target – more than any other player from either side – while completing 17 out of his 21 passes (81%), as per SofaScore.

There’s no doubt Gerrard will have been delighted with the right winger’s work rate, as he won seven of his 13 ground duels (53%), successfully completed his only dribble attempt of the game, and was fouled six times, which was also a game-high statistic.

The Ibrox boss heaped praise on his young charge in the post-match press conference after he handed him his first start after he left a positive impression following his brief cameo against Motherwell.

Gerrard said: “It took us probably a quarter of an hour to unleash a good shot.

“To be fair to Ianis, he comes into the team and one thing he will do for us is take shots on, he doesn’t mind taking a risk in his passing or shooting – I like that, and we got our rewards for it.

“He was excellent against Motherwell, he came on and helped us change the game.

“Again, it was a strong performance from him. I thought he tired a little bit at the end, I’ll have to monitor that in the coming days.

“He got a little bit leggy in the final minutes, but it’s understandable as it was a tough night and he put a shift in so fair play to him.”

While Roofe will rightly receive much of the acclaim having opened the scoring after he bagged a brace at the weekend, Hagi was Gerrard’s real hero.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must secure loan exit for Glasgow Rangers midfielder Jamie Barjonas in January…