All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic were undone by individual errors as their poor form in Europe continued at Parkhead on Thursday night.

Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops now sit bottom of Europa League Group G after they fell to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.

David Turnbull’s slip allowed Piero Hincapie to capitalise after just 25 minutes before Florian Wirtz chipped over Bhoys goalkeeper Joe Hart just ten minutes later.

The Premiership outfit then struggled to get going in the second half and were stopped in their tracks once again as the ruthless visitors found a third from the penalty spot, with Lucas Hilario slotting home, and that was before substitute Amine Adli fired in a fourth with the last kick of the game.

Anthony Ralston at right-back was one particularly error-prone individual at Celtic Park, but truth be told, there were plenty of other players who struggled against the German giants, including Tom Rogic.

Deployed in the no.10 role, the 28-year-old midfielder failed to have any sort of influence on the game and that much was seen by the fact that Hoops ‘keeper Hart recorded more touches (57) than the man deployed in the playmaking role (45), as per SofaScore.

From that tally, he provided only 22 passes, which was the joint-lowest of any Celtic starter, and again the last thing you want from someone in an advanced role. The Australian could not create a key chance from those attempts either.

In addition, Rogic lost possession a whopping 15 times, which was pretty much with almost every one of his passes. That was wasteful and merely gave Leverkusen scope to further dominate the game.

He also committed two fouls, handing the Germans a perfect opportunity to get the ball back into the box.

You could argue that this sort of sloppiness invited pressure on Postecoglou’s backline and enforced young and inexperienced players like Ralston into making such errors, and at this level, those are certainly punished.

It’s no wonder Rogic lasted just 66 minutes before being hooked. He was appalling and will do well to feature in the starting XI again anytime soon.

AND in other news, Forget Brady: Celtic must swoop for £5.4m-rated machine who can “sprint like Mbappe”…

Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has confirmed he has spoken to Leeds chiefs regarding Ian Poveda, The Lancashire Telegraph report.

The Lowdown: Poveda’s return from injury

Poveda, who Victor Orta signed for Leeds back in 2020, made the move to Ewood Park in the summer on a season-long loan deal. However, the 22-year-old has been out of action since November after requiring ankle surgery.

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He has recovered back at Leeds’ Thorp Arch training base but did go and watch Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon against Blackpool, suggesting a return to the second-tier side could now be on the cards.

The Latest: Mowbray’s comments

The Lancashire Telegraph relayed comments from Mowbray regarding Poveda on Thursday. The Rovers boss admitted he has ‘spoke to Leeds’ about the possibility of Poveda returning to the club for the Championship run-in.

He also confirmed that Blackburn have continued to pay their contribution to Poveda’s salary and are looking to bring him back next week before Leeds’ trip to Crystal Palace.

The Verdict: Caution needed

Poveda is back in training but hasn’t had any game time, so Leeds, Blackburn and the winger need to be careful over the coming weeks.

It’s easy to see why Rovers want Poveda back at Ewood Park as they seek a playoff place, however, Leeds know the risk of bringing a player back too early from injury.

Patrick Bamford now looks set to miss the rest of the season following his setback, so the club won’t want the same thing to happen for Poveda.

In other news: ‘Big’ – Journalist excited by who Orta and Marsch may now ‘bring’ to Leeds this summer. 

An insider from Tottenham Hotspur is now expecting starlet Charlie Sayers to sign for the north London club soon.

The Lowdown: Impressed

Spurs are reportedly ‘impressed’ with the Southend United left-back, who has spent the last few weeks on trial with the Lilywhites, according to club insider John Wenham.

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Wenham, who runs the social media channel Lilywhite Rose, was ‘told’ that Sayers was starting on trial for Tottenham’s under-18 side away to Fulham in the Premier League Cup on 27 November.

He has played in six games for Southend in the National League so far this season, and at just 17 years of age, he is an up-and-coming prospect.

The Latest: Expected to sign

Speaking to Football Insider, Wenham is now expecting Sayers to sign for Tottenham soon after impressing them while on trial. He revealed:

“Tottenham have very good links with Southend.

“People are asking why a first-team player at Southend is coming for a trial at Tottenham.

“He trained with the Under-23s last week and if he has anything about himself he will be looking to take the left-back spot in the 23s.

“This comes after the departure of Dennis Cirkin last summer (2021), there is a space for a natural left-footer in that side.

“Does he see a move to Tottenham’s Under-23s with the chance of breaking into the first team at a later date as a risk worth taking?

“I think he probably does. I’m also told he’s a massive Spurs fan.

“I’m sure Tottenham and Southend will soon come to an agreement to take over the rest of his contract.

“The club are impressed with him, they wouldn’t have offered him a trial if they weren’t.”

The Verdict: One for the future

At 17, Sayers is certainly a player for the future, and Tottenham clearly hold him in high regard for him to be taken on trial.

Of course, Antonio Conte currently has Sergio Reguilon and Ben Davies as options at left-back in his senior squad, but the latter has been playing as a central defender in the past few matches in the Italian’s new system, so there may just be an opening up for grabs in the squad.

It will no doubt be interesting to see what Spurs’ plans are for Sayers should they end up signing him as expected, whether they use him in the first team, the academy or send him out on loan, but it certainly seems as if the 17-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.

In other news, these were Spurs’ three worst players against Brentford

A number of Wolves supporters have expressed their delight at seeing a photo of left-back Jonny continuing his injury recovery in training.

The 27-year-old has been absent since April, having picked up a knee injury which ruled him out of action for several months.

Jonny has been working hard to make a return to the fold as soon as possible, hopefully playing a key part in Wolves’ push for a European finish this season. He had been a near-constant presence in the first team under then-manager Nuno Espirito Santo prior to his lengthy lay-off during 2021.

On Friday, the club’s official Twitter channel posted a photo of the Spaniard doing more training work, perhaps suggesting that he is edging closer to what will be a hugely popular comeback, judging by the replies from a plethora of supporters.

It could be that Jonny is available within the next few weeks, although it is important that he isn’t rushed back after such a serious injury.

Wolves fans react to encouraging Jonny photo

These Wolves fans reacted to the image on Twitter, showing their happiness at seeing Jonny making good progress on the training pitch.

“Keep forgetting Jonny will be back soon, I love that man. Viva Espana hijo”

Credit: @neve_bradley

“Sincerely hope Jonny can make a return to something close to the player he was in 19/20. He showed during his brief return last year that he’s capable of it. On his day, he’s our best defender and does plenty going forward too. The reception to his return will be huge.”

Credit: @WolfInDerby

“Now this is a sight I’m happy to see”

Credit: @JackPLoftus

“Happy Jonny new year!! Woohoo!!!”

Credit: @blurtonwolf

“Gerrim in”

Credit: @SeanWSnoddy

“Can’t wait to have him and Neto back”

Credit: @PhilBethell

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has delivered a transfer blow with Wolves. Read more here.

Leeds United have had a bid knocked back for Brenden Aaronson this week, according to reports.

The Athletic claim that RB Salzburg have rejected the Whites’ offer of £15m for the 21-year-old midfielder and also believe they are intent on signing him before deadline day on January 31st.

Historically, the Austria Bundesliga champions have rarely hesitated to cash in on their biggest and brightest stars but they remain in the Champions League and Aaronson’s influence to the side makes him invaluable right now.

Therefore, the Yorkshire giants may need to turn their attention elsewhere and it’s another name that they have been linked with that could prove the be the perfect solution.

Forget Aaronson

Just last week, Foot Mercato editor-in-chief Sebastien Denis claimed Leeds were one of several teams looking at a potential move for RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana

And what a signing he would be.

Soon after these links, the Ivory Coast powerhouse captained his side to a last-gasp victory over Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1, where he bagged the winner in one of his typical box-to-box runs.

It was his eighth goal of the campaign.

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One of these strikes came during a 1-1 draw with financial giants Paris Saint-Germain, where he bullied Mauricio Pochettino’s engine room, leading to journalist Zach Lowry describing him as a “phenom”.

Fofana is currently Lens’ second highest-rated player (7.09), per WhoScored figures, whilst he’s averaged a squad-high 2.8 shots, 2.2 dribbles, 1.3 key passes, 0.8 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game.

That only goes to show how well-rounded he is – not only is he getting forward and contributing in the final third with cutting-edge passes and an incredible ability to carry the ball but he is also putting in the dirty work in his own half, as evident above.

It’s no wonder his manager Franck Haise dubbed him “the most complete player.”

“On the pitch, he is able to stay organized to adjust the team’s balance. At the same time, he has a great ability to create and to be decisive on the last pass. He is also capable of scoring a few goals in a season,” he said (via Newcastle World).

Having begun his professional career at Manchester City, there have been interesting comparisons made to his former youth coach Patrick Vieira, who was an absolute box-to-box machine in his day at Arsenal, as well as Yaya Toure.

He’d only need to be half of either to be an instant hit at Elland Road. All of his attributes point towards him being an exciting fit for Bielsa and his high-intensity system.

Just imagine the £16.2m-rated dynamo sitting in front of an anchorman like Kalvin Phillips. He could really get forward to help Leeds in the final third, knowing that he has an international quality defensive midfielder behind him.

That’s a mouthwatering partnership that could bring the Yorkshiremen so much success.

As such, Victor Orta and co must turn their attentions to Fofana before deadline day in a little over a week’s time.

AND in other news, Leeds could welcome back key injured duo earlier than expected…

According to a recent report from The Daily Record, Lewis Morgan looks like opting for a January move to Sunderland. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at Scottish giants Celtic and has done so since leaving St Mirren back in January 2018, although struggles for regular game time under Bhoys manager Brendan Rodgers has plunged his future at Parkhead into doubt.

And a recent report from The Daily Record suggests that the attacker, who has attracted interest from Jack Ross’ Sunderland and indeed Aberdeen, is set to choose the former over the latter this month in his bid for the regular first team football he simply isn’t going to get at Celtic Park.

And with Ross having worked with the highly-rated £675,000-rated sensation (as per Transfermarkt) at St Mirren, a reunion with the 42-year-old at Sunderland would go some way to enhancing the Black Cats’ League One promotion hopes.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, former St Mirren boss Ross swapped Scotland for the North East during the summer to take charge of a faltering Sunderland side who had just lost their Championship status – this all after only one season in the second tier.

As such, the 42-year-old was faced with a tricky task in arresting the slide and providing much-needed stability at the Stadium of the Light, and he has done that admirably given his team are currently sat fifth in the League One table, just four points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

And while his side have only suffered defeat on two occasions in the league this time round, their tally of 11 draws has very much hindered their progress in pursuit of the top two – in fact, four of their last five league matches have ended in draws.

As such, Ross may seek that star quality needed to turn those recurrent draws into more victories in the second half of the season, as doing so would see them climb the division and knock on the door of the promotion places – Morgan’s arrival might do just that.

The 22-year-old may well have struggled to break into Rodgers’ first team at Celtic this season, appearing just nine times in the Scottish Premiership for the seven-times defending champions, yet one mustn’t overlook his great form at St Mirren, under the guidance of Ross no less, to suggest that he has what it takes to seriously improve Sunderland’s attack.

The Scotland international, capped twice by his country last year, scored 18 goals and laid on 11 assists in just 42 appearances for the Scottish Championship side last term to help Ross’ men win promotion to the top-flight – only two players netted more than him (14) in the league.

And in bagging ten times and laying on six assists the campaign before for the Saints, it’s clear that Ross knew exactly how to get the very best out of the attacker – prior to his arrival, Morgan hadn’t shown even close to the level he produced under the 42-year-old.

Yet the Scotsman came on leaps and bounds under Ross to suggest that a reunion at Sunderland this season could be what Morgan needs to rediscover his best form – and from a Sunderland point of view, his arrival would give Ross another option in attack.

Significantly, such was the 22-year-old’s level under Ross in the past, reuniting with the Black Cats boss at the Stadium of Light would go some way to seriously enhancing Sunderland’s promotion hopes in the second half of the season.

Sunderland fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Rangers could consider loaning out Stephen Kelly in January ‘if he doesn’t get any game time before then’, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell. 

The lowdown

The 21-year-old has logged just 13 minutes of senior action so far this term, making brief appearances in the first leg of the Europa League qualifier against Alashkert and the League Cup win over Dunfermline Athletic.

The midfielder spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Ross County, playing 29 games across all competitions, and former County boss John Hughes hailed Kelly as a ‘magnificent’ player and an ‘absolute winner’.

The latest

A supporter asked Campbell on The Athletic’s matchday forum what was ‘going on’ with Kelly, who ‘seems to be nowhere’.

The journalist replied that the 21-year-old ‘just has to stick around and hope an opportunity arises’, but his prospects of game-time at Ibrox have taken another hit with Ryan Jack close to a comeback.

Campbell ‘imagines’ that ‘the question of a loan will be reviewed in January’ if indeed Kelly remains outside of Gerrard’s thoughts.

The verdict

It seems as if the plan was to fully integrate Kelly into the first team setup off the back of a loan spell which delighted Ross County, but it hasn’t really panned out that way.

Worryingly, he is yet to even make Steven Gerrard’s matchday squad for a Premiership game. Ultimately, the competition is just too great at this point, and so another loan move would probably be sensible for the 21-year-old if this season isn’t to just go to waste.

In other news, some Gers fans slammed this man’s performance against St Mirren. 

According to Calciomercato, there has been an interesting Tottenham Hotspur transfer update as they eye a permanent deal for loanee attacker Dejan Kulusevski.

The Lowdown: Decky shines at Spurs…

The winger, who is nicknamed ‘Decky’, has shone for Spurs since joining the club on an 18 month loan-to-buy deal from Juventus in January.

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Indeed, Kulusevski has gone on to bag three goals and six assists in 11 Premier League appearances, becoming a key part of Antonio Conte’s front three alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Following his brilliant run of form, reports have since emerged of Spurs moving to make his deal permanent already, with Calciomercato now sharing the latest out of N17.

The Latest: Conte pushes for permanent Kulusevski deal…

As per their sources, Conte personally ‘pushes’ behind the scenes at Tottenham to make Kulusevski’s deal a permanent one, with the club – and by extension Spurs chiefs – ‘considering’ the move which would cost €35m (£29m).

The Lilywhites are apparently ‘very happy’ with the Swedish gem, and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may well back Conte by making Kulusevski an indefinite Tottenham player.

The Verdict: Get it done…

For just £29m, transfer chief Fabio Paratici could back Conte with one of the most promising starlets in European football, going by Kulusevski’s start to life at Spurs.

His goals and assists tally since arriving in the English capital provide a glimpse as to how he could evolve into a capable Premier League star for years to come.

Still only 21 years old, the Sweden international has already dazzled fans with some brilliant performances, prompting Conte to lavish praise on Kulusevski to the media.

A match made in heaven so far, this moves surely seems like a no-brainer, with ex-Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson also claiming a permanent deal for Kulusevski looks like a ‘real bargain’.

In other news: Conte unhappy with ‘perfect’ Spurs player behind-the-scenes, he’s now set to leave! Find out more here.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Celtic want to make Cameron Carter-Vickers’ loan spell from Tottenham permanent as quickly as possible, as per GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Various reported fees

The Hoops secured a season-long loan for the centre-back last summer, which included an option-to-buy clause.

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Ange Postecoglou confirmed that signing the 23-year-old on a permanent basis is a priority, with a £6m fee touted.

GiveMeSport have suggested that there is a £10m price tag, whereas Tottenham insider John Wenham believes that a deal could be done for around £3m.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson has reportedly opened talks with Spurs regarding a full-time transfer for Carter-Vickers.

Talking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke had this to say on a possible permanent move, believing the Hoops want it finalised ‘quickly’.

He outlined: “Celtic would ideally love to get this deal wrapped up quickly, but I think £10m would be a bit too much for Celtic right now, so they may have to wait to the summer.”

The Verdict: Good to see

It’s good to see that the Hoops are being proactive in the January transfer window, with moves for Japanese trio Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda all being announced on New Year’s Eve.

Following that with a permanent deal for Carter-Vickers could be another smart step, which could then give the club plenty of time to assess further targets, with another defender and winger possibly on the radar.

It remains to be seen as to how much the American could cost, but should it be under £6m, it might turn out to be a great piece of business, especially when you take into consideration that he has been a near ever-present figure this season and the club’s best-performing centre-back, as per WhoScored.

In other news: Celtic may swoop for 6 foot 1 beast who had Sadio Mane in his ‘pocket’ 

Following on from their 1-0 win over Hull City in midweek thanks to a second half strike from Karlan Grant, West Brom face into a home clash against Middlesbrough today as the next assignment in their promotion-chasing campaign.

Speaking ahead of the match against Neil Warnock’s side, who are currently 14th in the table after losing 3-1 against Luton Town in midweek, Baggies manager Valerien Ismael revealed that defender Kean Bryan isn’t likely to feature this afternoon after being forced off with an injury in the first half of the Hull game.

With this in mind, here’s how we feel West Brom could line up against Middlesbrough this afternoon, with two changes anticipated from Wednesday night’s starting XI.

Given how he’s played in all but one of West Brom’s Championship games so far this season, we see no reason why Ismael wouldn’t stick with Sam Johnstone in goal.

In a back three, considering that Bryan will be unavailable, we think Ismael will bring Semi Ajayi back into the team alongside Cedric Kipre and Matt Clarke, who both played the full 90 minutes in midweek and helped the Baggies to a clean sheet.

For the wing-back positions, we think the Baggies boss will stick with Conor Townsend on the left and youngster Taylor Gardner-Hickman on the right to see if the latter can replicate the type of performance he put in against Hull, which earned him an overall match rating of 8/10 from Birmingham Live.

In midfield, we feel that Ismael will stick with the central duo of Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore, with midweek goalscorer Grant and Callum Robinson keeping their places up front. One change sees Matt Phillips, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £20k-per-week according to Spotrac, drop out after a poor performance against Hull, being replaced by Grady Diangana to freshen up the attack slightly.

In other news: Steve Madeley drops fresh West Brom transfer claim that’ll leave Baggies fans fuming