All posts by z3u9t.icu

Southampton supporters have been pretty satisfied in the last few days after seeing their side extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to three games on Tuesday.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men went into their encounter with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace off the back of beating Leicester City and Everton in their preceding two matches, results which moved the Saints out of the division’s bottom three. Yet the South Coast outfit were unable to keep their winning streak going in only drawing 1-1 with Roy Hodgson’s side, with James Ward-Prowse’s effort cancelling out Wilfried Zaha’s opener to earn the hosts a share of the spoils.

Thus, there have been many satisfied Southampton fans up and down the country in recent times, although several may well be looking back at the January transfer window with an element of disappointment, what with the club unable to land a replacement for right back Cedric Soares.

The Portugal international made the move to Italian giants Inter Milan during the January window, thus leaving the Saints somewhat short of cover in that area of the field, only for manager Hasenhuttl to fail to bring a replacement to St Mary’s.

And failing to solve that glaring problem, given it now leaves the vastly inexperienced Yan Valery as the main option in that department, could seriously cost Southampton as they battle to avoid Premier League relegation.

Ultimately, while Cedric wasn’t quite as effective down the Saints right-hand-side during his final 12 months at the club, the Portuguese ace had proven to be a solid and relatively dependable option at right back – after all, he was a regular under Ronald Koeman, Claude Puel, Mauricio Pellegrino, and indeed Mark Hughes.

And with over 100 Premier League appearances to his name during his time on the South Coast, the 27-year-old seemed to represent the ideal player and professional needed to aid the club in their battle against relegation – going through it last season may have also rubbed off on this Southampton team.

Significantly though, his departure to the Italian giants has left the Saints short of options in that area of the field, as while Valery has been the main man at right back since Hasenhuttl’s appointment, his inexperience, alongside the lack of genuine alternatives, represents a huge gamble made by the Southampton manager.

Yes, 19-year-old has done reasonably well since coming into the team at the start of December, but his red card in their victory over Leicester City was an indication that relying on the young defender could prove problematic as the season wears on – ultimately, being the main man in that position brings with it a lot of pressure.

And that is why failing to land a replacement for Cedric appears to be something of a mistake from Hasenhuttl, as while he may not have felt the 27-year-old was the right man for his team, his exit has left his side short in that area of the field – and placing all the emphasis on 19-year-old Valery is certainly a risk.

As such, failing to solve that glaring issue he has in the right back department could prove very costly to the Saints as the season progresses.

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

Having signed Hayao Kawabe earlier in the month, only for him to be loaned back out, followed by the arrival of Chiquinho who recently played in an U23s game, Wolves have not done much to fully strengthen Bruno Lage’s senior squad just yet.

With only a few days to go until the January transfer window closes, it seems as though the fans can forget about one reported target making his way to Molineux for the time being.

What’s the latest?

In a recent transfer report from the Birmingham Mail, journalist Alex Dicken had this to say about the possibility of Wolves signing Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, who has been previously linked with a move to Molineux.

“Wolves have added another winger to Lage’s squad in the form of Chiquinho, but the club are still light in defence and midfield.

“As mentioned above, a new centre-back signing before Monday is now unlikely, and there have been very few genuine links to midfielders other than Renato Sanches.

“The Sanches ship seems to have sailed, meaning Lage might have to muddle through with Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker and rookie Bruno Jordao – although the latter could still be loaned out.”

Shi is heading for a big mistake

With 182 senior club appearances under his belt across all competitions, Sanches has had spells in his home country with Benfica, a short stint in the Premier League with Swansea City as well as time in Germany with Bayern Munich before joining Lille.

This highlights the experience the 24-year-old has while playing with some big clubs and having some knowledge of what it’s like to play in England’s top division, which shows why it would be disappointing, particularly for Lage to not have the Portuguese international in his squad for the remainder of the season.

While it may be enough for Wolves to see out the rest of the season with the trio of Neves, Moutinho and Dendoncker as their main senior central-midfielders if they avoid getting injured, thinking on a long-term basis, it could be a big mistake for Jeff Shi to not bring the former Swansea man in when the summer transfer window opens.

With Moutinho’s contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign and previous transfer rumours linking Neves with a move away from the club, bringing in Sanches as a fairly young but experienced midfield option should be at the top of Wolves’ priority list.

So, while the ship may have sailed this month to bring him to Molineux according to Dicken, Wolves should definitely do all they can to get him in the summer.

In other news: Talks on: Fabrizio Romano drops big Wolves transfer update, Lage surely sweating – opinion

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened, this will give Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard the chance to make his mark on the squad at Villa Park and get them ready to make a push up the league table in the second half of the season.

With that in mind, it seems as though the club have their eye on someone that could bring some real star quality to Villa.

According to a recent club-by-club transfer guide from the Daily Mail, the Midlands club are interested in signing Juventus attacker Dejan Kulusevski.

Juventus signed Kulusevski in the 2020 January transfer window from fellow Italian side Atalanta, shortly before he joined Parma on a loan deal until the end of the 2019/20 season.

Overall, the 21-year-old winger, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has made 68 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring eight and providing ten assists along the way, showing the attacking capabilities he has in front of goal.

Despite making 21 appearances across all competitions so far this season, Kulusevski has only been in their starting XI on four occasions, showing that the 21-year-old isn’t that much of an important figure for Juventus and suggests that they could be tempted to sell him this month.

This could then pave the way for Villa to sign Kulusevski, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £78k-per-week according to Salary Sport and has been likened to Arjen Robben by Sweden manager Janne Andersson in regards to his ball control and finishing ability.

Described as being a “champion” in terms of his mentality by former Juventus player and manager Andrea Pirlo, Kulusevski could be a dream signing for Gerrard, becoming a player who takes his Villa team to the next level as a young and talented attacking player that has experience of playing at one of Europe’s top clubs and in the Champions League.

With this in mind and the fact that Villa are reportedly keen on letting Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore leave this month, the club should definitely see what they can do in terms of securing Kulusevski’s signature this month. After all, his experience at Juventus could really push Villa towards the top half of the table and potentially even inspire a chase for European football.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops exciting Aston Villa transfer update, Gerrard would be delighted – opinion

According to reports by The Sunday Mirror (via HITC), Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – but the Brazilian is not interested in a move to St James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Barcelona trying to offload Coutinho

Since leaving Liverpool for the Spanish giants in 2018 in a deal worth a staggering £142m, the attacking midfielder has not hit the heights he reached whilst playing under Jürgen Klopp at Anfield.

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The 29-year-old has made 12 appearances this season in LaLiga, scoring twice and failing to supply an assist. However, each of those games has involved a substitution, as the Brazilian is yet to play a full 90-minute league match this season.

The Latest: Spurs gifted chance to sign Coutinho

According to reports by The Sunday Mirror (via HITC), Barcelona are keen to offload Coutinho on a permanent deal, and they have offered the player to both Newcastle and Tottenham in a bid to push him away from the club. However, it is believed that the midfielder is reluctant to make the move to Tyneside.

Barcelona are desperately trying to sell some players to fund a move for Manchester City attacker Ferran Torres. Coutinho’s massive wages are proving to be a barrier in this pursuit, though, as AS have reported that the Brazilian earns around €20m (£17.07m) per season, which equates to roughly £325,000 per week.

The Verdict: Wages likely too high

With Coutinho reluctant to join Newcastle, Barcelona will continue to push Spurs into a move for the player.

The 29-year-old could prove to be a fantastic addition to Antonio Conte’s side due to his vast experience in the Premier League, where he played 152 games for Liverpool and once made the PFA Team of the Season. Former Reds teammate and international colleague Roberto Firmino has previously described the Brazilian as ‘phenomenal’, claiming that he has ‘magical powers’.

Despite such praise, it seems unlikely that Spurs will pursue a move for the player, as his enormous wages could prove to be too much for the north London club, whose top earner is Harry Kane on £200,000 per week.

In other news: Paratici backed by Levy as he tries to seal Spurs agreement for ‘sensational’ £100k-per-week ace

Leeds United will only be able to make loan signings in the January transfer window, according to claims made by a Thorp Arch source.

The Lowdown: Signings needed in January

The Whites could badly do with reinforcements this month in order to ease the current injury problems and ensure that a Premier League relegation battle isn’t on the cards.

Leeds have had to make do without pivotal figures such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford, but they are just a small sample of the players currently unavailable to Marcelo Bielsa.

Despite additions being needed, a new update doesn’t sound too positive for the Elland Road faithful.

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The Latest: Worrying claim emerges

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has informed them that the Whites will only be able to make loan signings in January due to Financial Fair Play constraints.

The message has been ‘made clear’ by club chiefs to Bielsa, who must now weigh up whether or not he is happy to only bring in players on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

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The Verdict: Are panic signings required?

The downside to signing players on loan is that it brings little stability and rhythm to the squad in the long-term, only alleviating a problem for a short period.

Bielsa must work out if he thinks Leeds can get by without any new faces, with injury problems potentially easing in the coming weeks and perhaps allowing them to pull clear of danger.

A loan-to-buy option for a player could also be shrewd business, allowing the Whites to possibly snap up a player permanently in the summer, assuming he does well at Elland Road in the meantime. Someone like Cagliari midfielder and long-time target Nahitan Nandez could be perfect in that respect, considering the Serie A side are reportedly happy to see him leave.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly been boosted in their pursuit of one player. Find out who it is here.

It’s difficult to envisage Celtic shelling out £10million to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers permanently, journalist Stephen McGowan says. 

The lowdown

Centre-back Carter-Vickers is currently on a season-long loan from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

He’s started 10 of Celtic’s 15 SPFL matches to date and all five of their Europa League fixtures.

According to WhoScored, he’s been the Hoops’ fifth-best performer in the league so far.

But Record Sport claim they will have to shell out an eight-figure sum to make the loan permanent.

That would break Celtic’s transfer record, which currently stands at the £9.27million they paid for Odsonne Edouard back in 2018/19.

The latest

McGowan, The Scottish Daily Mail’s chief football writer, says Carter-Vickers would be a ‘quality’ long-term addition, but he doesn’t expect Celtic to meet Spurs’ demands.

“I maybe just wonder if a Carter-Vickers and a Jota, just those couple of pieces of quality they should prioritise rather than in gambling on the Ismaila Soro-type settings,” he said on Clyde One Superscoreboard, via Celts Are Here.

“But £10m? Again, I repeat, I don’t know if that figure’s accurate or not. I really don’t.

“I think that’s a bit rich, and I couldn’t really see Celtic paying that anyway.”

The verdict

Carter-Vickers is ‘doing really well’ at Parkhead and has established himself as a ‘key player’, Paddy Kenny says.

But will Celtic be willing to break records to keep him? They did turn a near-£14million profit transfer-wise in the summer, and they’ve paid big money for defenders before: Christopher Jullien cost them £7.2million in 2019.

And there’s also a possibility that Spurs struggle to offload Carter-Vickers for the stated price tag and agree to compromise. Indeed, Danny Mills has told the Hoops to make an effort to ‘renegotiate’.

Perhaps there is a deal to be done.

In other news, is this a statement of intent from Celtic?

An update has emerged on Manchester United defender Phil Jones, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies are one of the teams eyeing him up as a possible target for the January transfer window.

The report names Watford as one of the other clubs interested in the English centre-back, whilst Championship side Derby – managed by Wayne Rooney – are also in the running.

Blunder

Eddie Howe, who is reportedly close to taking over at St. James’ Park, could make an early blunder by signing Jones from United. The ex-Bournemouth coach must avoid making a major mistake in his first window by opting against a deal for the Englishman.

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Put simply, there is no need for the club to take such a risk with Jones when they can look elsewhere. If Newcastle are looking to sign players to help them avoid relegation then availability and reliability are two factors that must be closely considered and Jones’ track record suggests that he is a dud who will not be able to provide what they need.

United legend Rio Ferdinand once blasted him as a ‘waste of time’ for remaining at Old Trafford despite his lack of minutes on the pitch. He said:

“He’s done well. Listen, good luck to him if you can get it. Staying at Man United is a great gig, but I look at him as a person, are you really going to be happy sitting there all these years.

“There are players who are happy to just sit at clubs and not play and just chill. Winston Bogarde did it at Chelsea for about three or four years. Signed a big deal and commuted in from Holland.

“If I was in the squad with someone like that I wouldn’t talk to them. They are a waste of time, why would I chat to you and give you any energy, taking that away from my other teammates who are here to play and go into battle for 90 minutes every week.”

The defender is said to be on £110k-per-week at the club and has made eight appearances since the start of the 2019/20 campaign. Jones has suffered 22 separate injuries for United, with his latest one keeping him out for 78 competitive matches.

This shows how unreliable he is due to his injury situation and Howe should not be trying to take a risk with the dud in January. Instead, the Magpies should try to sign a player with recent first-team involvement so that they can hit the ground running in the second-half of the season.

AND in other news, Forget Hayden: Newcastle gem with 9 duels won was Jones’ real hero vs Brighton…

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos will both be ‘missing’ for Glasgow Rangers on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Hagi timeframe

Van Bronckhorst revealed back in February that Hagi will likely even miss the start of next season, as well as the rest of this, after suffering a damaging knee injury.

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Of course, that timeframe could be shortened if the Romania international is able to speed up his recovery through rehab, but for now he will be ruled out for the foreseeable future, and he won’t be the only one missing on Sunday.

The Latest: Early team news

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their Old Firm clash against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, van Bronckhorst confirmed that both Morelos and Hagi will be ‘missing’.

The Dutch manager thinks that the striker will be out for at least a ‘couple of weeks’, after he was spotted on crutches at Glasgow Airport.

The Verdict: Double blow

Of course, it is a double blow for the Teddy Bears that they will be without two of their key players in what looks to be their biggest game of the league campaign so far.

Both Hagi and Morelos rank in the top seven performers for the Light Blues in the league this term, while the latter is their top scorer with 11 goals and has also contributed seven assists (WhoScored).

Hagi is more of a creative influence, having ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average key passes, crosses and through balls per game (WhoScored), and both of them can form a formidable partnership when they are on song.

In other news, find out who Frank McAvennie thinks ‘will start’ for Gers here!

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as some early team news has emerged ahead of their game away at Burnley in the Premier League on Boxing Day.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match at Turf Moor, Rafa Benitez has now revealed that as many as 11 players are currently out for his team, with six injured and a further five who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Considering that they had a depleted squad in their last game in their 1-1 draw away at Chelsea, in where they could not fill the bench and had to field some youngsters, including starting debutant Ellis Simms (BBC), this is yet another kick in the teeth for the Goodison Park faithful, who may not fancy their chances against the Clarets with so many squad players still unavailable.

Nonetheless, the fixture still goes ahead at this moment in time, much to the anger of some Merseyside club supporters.

Everton fans on team news

These Toffees fumed as the team news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘scandalous’:

“The league is a joke, it should be all teams play or they don’t. Not pick and choose what clubs they can force to play. Integrity of the league has gone for me”

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“Scandalous tbh”

Credit: @MainManMina

“Farcical that it hasn’t been called off, if that’s the case”

Credit: @victoriacarlin_

“Ridiculous that it won’t be called off when other teams “sky 6” teams have been able to get them called off !! Joke”

Credit: @robbiethetoffee

“Madness”

Credit: @mcnallyc95

“League should be suspended. 2 weeks at least. This is absurd.”

Credit: @IamFidgell

In other news, find out what transfer news has been lauded by Evertonians here!

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been going wild over news involving Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid their continuing manager search.

It has been reported that the Dutchman is a ‘strong contender’ to replace the departed Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

As shared by Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth on his official Twitter page, the representative of Van Bronckhorst has now claimed that ‘positive talks’ have been held with the Light Blues over the vacant managerial role, with footage shown of the 46-year-old himself leaving London.

He would most certainly be a popular choice among a lot of Gers supporters, given that he is a two-time Premiership winner as a player with the club. He also did very well as a manager at Feyenoord, who he guided to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 season (BBC), in addition to winning four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club.

Rangers fans on Van Bronckhorst manager news

These Rangers fans went wild as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Looks good to me”

Credit: @NickyTay55

“That is all”

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“Ahhhhhhhhh it’s happening”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

“SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @__1872Scott

“Here we go, time for Gio.”

Credit: @jmc_1872

“Love to see it”

Credit: @cameron56689617

In other news, find out what international news has left these Gers fans buzzing