All posts by z3u9t.icu

Newcastle United have suffered a major injury blow to Joe Willock ahead of their Premier League clash against Watford.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have endured a difficult start to the new top-flight campaign, remaining winless in their opening five matches and currently lying 18th in the table.

Manager Steve Bruce said: “Joe Willock picked up an injury in this week, unfortunately, and Jamaal Lascelles hurt his thigh. So they, unfortunately, go on to the injured list, which makes that about five or six of our first team.

“Not that healthy, I have to say. Disappointed. Joe’s was a complete fluke, unfortunately he kicked the ground, damaged his toe. He’ll not make this week, and probably touch and go whether he’ll make next week as well.”Massive blow for Newcastle UnitedMake no mistake about it, being without Willock is arguably the second-biggest absence the Magpies could have faced, outside of Allan Saint-Maximin of course.The former Arsenal starlet arrived on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window, and in his initial loan spell at St James’ Park, he showed exactly why he’s a real match-winner. He bagged eight in 14 games following his winter arrival and set a new record by becoming the youngest player in Premier League history to score in seven consecutive matches.That ability to get into the box at the right time to finish things off is something which has been hailed by Owen Hargreaves, too, praising him after his goal-scoring display for Arsenal against Dundalk in the Europa League last season.The former England midfielder said: “The point is, he can do so much, he gets in the box in the right place at the right time. He wants it to feet, he’s always on the half-turn, which is nice to see. Today I saw a bit more athleticism rather than just coasting in there. His overall game is really good.”While Willock has yet to find the net so far this season, he has still shown his importance to Bruce’s side with a squad-high 4.3 tackles per game, while only Saint-Maximin has averaged more dribbles per match (SofaScore).Without him in the starting line-up against Watford, it really looks like it will be more the same of having to rely on Saint-Maximin for a moment of inspiration.Newcastle fans must be gutted over the injury to the 22-year-old gem, especially considering the freakish circumstances in which it came about.Meanwhile, Newcastle are eyeing a move for this Championship ace…

Ruben Loftus-Cheek wants to fight for his place at Chelsea amid interest from Everton and a number of other clubs, The Daily Mail’s Adrian Kajumba reports.

The lowdown

Loftus-Cheek scored his first Chelsea goal in three years on Sunday as the Blues beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Wembley to secure a place in the FA Cup final.

The central midfielder came off the bench to replace an injured Mateo Kovacic, making his 32nd appearance of the season. He’s started 13 games across all competitions, playing just over 1,700 minutes in total.

Transfermarkt value the 25-year-old, who has two years left on his £150,000-per-week contract, at £18million.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand has described Loftus-Cheek as a ‘fantastic specimen’ and likened him to ‘Yaya Toure’ when he ‘gets in full pelt’.

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The latest

Kajumba writes that Loftus-Cheek hopes to remain at Stamford Bridge and ‘kick on’ after regaining confidence.

Clubs such as Everton, along with West Ham and Jose Mourinho’s Roma, have been keeping tabs on the Englishman.

Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell have weighed up making a move in the summer transfer window and offering him the chance to play more regular football.

The verdict

All hope is not lost yet for Everton. This is Loftus-Cheek’s plan for the moment, but that could change before the start of next season. He could yet be pushed further down the pecking order, with Conor Gallagher due to return from a successful loan spell at Palace.

Gallagher has notched an impressive eight goals and five assists and also earned a call-up to the England squad last month. If Loftus-Cheek faces even more competition, then perhaps his stance on moving away will change.

Plus, Lampard will surely be well-placed to capitalise if Chelsea do look to arrange a transfer. The 43-year-old is the club’s record goalscorer and tapped into that relationship to sign Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on loan when he was manager at Derby County.

In other news, Paul Brown has dropped a worrying EFC exit claim. 

Celtic’s Tom Rogic should be available for Sunday’s SPFL clash with Aberdeen, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin. 

The Lowdown

Celtic will be looking to bounce back from Thursday’s Europa League defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, which knocked out of the competition, when they host The Dons.

Rogic has missed Celtic’s last five matches in all competitions as a result of the hamstring injury he sustained against Hibernian at the end of October (via Transfermarkt).

Manager Ange Postecoglou has raved about his ‘brilliant’ compatriot and the ‘extra special qualities that he brings’.

The Latest

Addressing a supporter in The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Thursday night, Devlin wrote that, while Rogic wasn’t ‘ready’ to face Leverkusen, he thinks he ‘should be for Sunday’.

The Verdict

What do the stats say about Rogic’s importance to Celtic? Well he’d started six of the last seven league games prior to his injury, suggesting he’d established himself as a key man under Postecoglou.

He also stands out in the squad because of his dribbling ability. He’s averaging 2.3 successful dribbles per 90 minutes and his nearest challenger (with more than three starts) is Jota on 1.3.

More generally, it’s crucial that Postecoglou has plenty of options at his disposal between now and the end of the year. Celtic are due to play 10 games in 34 days during that period.

In other news, this trio were Celtic’s poorest performers against Leverkusen.

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.

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!

Declan Rice will leave West Ham to play for a Champions League club in the near future, according to former Manchester United defender Gary Neville.

The Lowdown: Rice continues to shine

The 22-year-old has matured into one of the Premier League’s most consistent midfielders, also becoming a key man for England.

Rice was outstanding in the Hammers’ 1-0 win away to Everton on Sunday afternoon, deservedly taking home the Man of the Match award in the process.

The Latest: Neville makes key claim

Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football [via West Ham Zone], Neville and Jamie Carragher discussed the quality of the West Ham man.

The former United right-back claimed that Rice will soon be at a bigger club performing at a higher level, in order to reach his potential:

“I think the development will be at some point, and West Ham fans won’t like me saying this, that he’ll somehow have to obviously transfer to a club that’s going to the Champions League, where he plays in midfield with high expectations, where he’s playing against teams that are dropping deep every week.”

The Verdict: Tough to argue

In an ideal world, Rice would remain at West Ham for another decade and inspire them to countless trophies, but that may be wishful thinking.

In truth, the time will likely come when a huge bid is made for the midfielder from one of the country’s biggest clubs and his head may be turned.

Hammers supporters should certainly enjoy Rice while they can, as he continues to play at an incredible level.

In other news, some West Ham fans were critical of one player against Everton. Read more here.

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”

Credit: @lee_efc78

“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!

Harry Winks’ future at Tottenham Hotspur could be in even more doubt following the appointment of Antonio Conte.

The 52-year-old boss is already targeting midfield additions and he could look to raid one of his former clubs, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato.it claims the new Spurs boss has as many as six different targets from the Serie A on his shortlist ahead of the January transfer window, in which Inter Milan star Marcelo Brozovic is one.

The vastly-experienced Croatian is out of contract at the end of the season, so he is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any team outside of Italy from the turn of the year, whilst he could be available for as little as €20m (£18m) in January, as a result.

Ex-Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho once dubbed Brozovic “the top of the top” and a “fantastic player” to talkSPORT. He added: “Aggression but at the same time great technique and arrival in the box and coming from a more defensive position.”

Taxi for Winks

That glowing endorsement provides some idea into the sort of player that Spurs would be getting, should they follow through with interest. And Brozovic very much sounds like someone capable of not only filling the role Winks plays but actually upgrading it.

It’s believed that the out-of-favour England midfielder will seek a temporary exit from the club in January, as per The Times, but you’d have to imagine that his long-term future is doubtful too, given his lack of game time and inconsistencies over the past 18 to 24 months.

Brozovic has been likened to Frank Lampard in the past, so it’s no wonder Mourinho is a huge fan, whilst his old manager Luciano Spalletti once claimed the 28-year-old beast had a “compass in the foot.”

The £36m-rated Inter star contributed two goals and six assists in 33 league appearances on their way to clinching the Serie A title under Conte last season.

He ended the campaign as their fourth highest-rated player (7.03) by WhoScored as he led the side for tackles (1.6) and key passes (1.4) per game and wasn’t too far behind for interceptions (1.2) either.

Elsewhere, an average of 66.7 passes per game saw him rank third in the squad and that’s even more impressive considering his 89.6% passing accuracy, thus living up to Spalletti’s glowing endorsement.

Winks has not surprised an average of 1.3 tackles or 0.6 key passes across the last three Premier League seasons in north London, so the difference is stark.

Therefore, it would be wise for Spurs to cave into Conte’s demands to sign Brozovic. He could be a very shrewd signing to help transform their fortunes on the pitch.

It’s time to sanction Winks’ departure and bring in the Croatian to replace him this January.

AND in other news, Nail in coffin: Conte’s arrival will have “lazy” £27m-rated Spurs star running scared…