All posts by n8rngtd.top

According to a report by the Daily Mail, via Man City Xtra, manager Pep Guardiola sees club record signing Rodrigo as a ‘key facet’ of his side’s style of play and integral to the Sky Blues’ system – prompting many supporters to disagree and voice their own opinions on the Spaniard.Â

Rodrigo, who has been a mainstay for City in midfield this season, often one of the first names on the team sheet, has attracted mixed opinions overall since he moved to Manchester for a club record fee.

Despite some brilliant moments, such as scoring the Sky Blues’ second goal against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup final last season, not to mention the odd screamer like his thunderbolt against Burnley, some fans believe the £121,000-per-week ace is not what City need as an ideal heir to Fernandinho.Â

After Guardiola’s alleged stance was revealed, he attracted even more debate from supporters – find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

Man City fans hammer Rodrigo

In other news: Man City have been tipped to sign this unlikely ‘beast’, find out more here.Â

Josh Maja. A prolific energetic talent full of both arrogance and confidence.

The Sunderland youth product was a hero for the Mackems during the first half of the 2018/19 season, firing in 15 goals in just 24 League One outings.

His celebration mimicked Kylian Mbappe and his self-belief was that of a Premier League hotshot playing way above the league he was starring in.

Coincidentally, his form earned a move to the very league that Mbappe has become a star in – Ligue 1 in France.

In rather controversial circumstances, Maja refused a new contract at Sunderland and moved to Bordeaux. The effects of that switch are still being felt at the Stadium of Light.

The £4m they spent on his replacement – Will Grigg – has not been worth it and Phil Parkinson’s men still lack an out and out goal scorer.

Maja, however, has been just one of a number of budding academy prospects to walk through the exit door. Alarmed by the lack of progress being made across the board, a whole host of young players have fled the nest and joined some illustrious Premier League and Championship clubs in the process.

Joel Asoro is the other big name while Luca Stephenson, Sam Greenwood, Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer, Joe Hugill and Logan Pye have all left.

So how can Sunderland fix this issue? Well, giving Juan Sartori a higher stake in the club could help.

He is currently leading a consortium with the help of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and they have reportedly had a bid accepted by current owner Stewart Donald.

But why is this a good thing for Sunderland’s academy, I hear you ask? It’s because Sartori’s father-in-law is Russian billionaire and Monaco shareholder, Dmitry Rybolovlev.

Eric Devin of Get French Football told the Sunderland Echo this week:

“Monaco have brought in players, but besides that flurry initially under Rybolovlev of bringing in Falcao, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho, they’ve always been a team that has developed talent or used academy players.”

Devin continued: “If the idea of having a national scouting network and bringing players to the North East is something that they can take from Monaco’s playbook, then that’s incredibly encouraging.”

Of course, Sunderland could develop a completely different strategy but considering Dreyfus is just 22 years of age, he will need to call on all the experience and help from others that he can get. That starts with his business partner Sartori.

If Sunderland are able to grow their own pool of players from the academy and put a more enhanced focus on the young players coming through, it may stop players from leaving as Maja and Asoro did. Crucially, however, it’s a quick-fire way to making the football club more sustainable.

With spending still over the rate a normal League One club can afford, this would be a fantastic method for Sunderland’s prospective new owners to follow.

Black Cats supporters should be excited by this.

Meanwhile, Stewart Donald is on the verge of REPEATING Byrne and Bain’s colossal mistake…

Tom Davies must step up and seize his chance to regain a starting role at Everton after Carlo Ancelotti lost Allan to a hamstring injury at Leicester City on Wednesday night.

The ex-SSC Napoli titan was forced off late in the first half and left Toffees chiefs waiting anxiously for word on how long he will now be forced to spend on the sidelines, with no firm timescale as yet placed on his recovery.

Allan sustained the issue while tracking back and was forced to be replaced by Andre Gomes, who struggled to set the stage alight whilst Davies was left to watch on from the bench once again.

Davies has been named in all but one of Ancelotti’s 12 Premier League matchday squads so far this season, yet has only tasted game time in six and started two, with the last of his opening roles coming as a right-sided wing-back against Leeds United in the absence of Seamus Coleman.

Ancelotti has also only felt fit to start Davies in midfield once, coming against Brighton and Hove Albion in early October after Allan was sidelined with a groin strain.

Yet the Italian tactician was full of praise for Davies’ performance in the 4-2 win over the Seagulls, believing the 22-year-old was tactically brilliant.

“I think he has the advantage that he can play all the positions in midfield,” Ancelotti told EvertonTV. “He can play holding midfield.

“It depends what you are going to ask of him. I think against Brighton he did really well tactically, and what I asked of him. He doesn’t have to do a special or fantastic pass, he has to just control the position in front of our two centre-backs.

“Honestly, he did really well tactically. Of course, he can improve because he’s still young. But I think everyone can improve.”

If Allan is unable to feature against Arsenal on Saturday evening, Ancelotti should have no choice but to offer Davies a recall and the chance for the £25,000-per-week talent to regain a starting role.

Davies is, in the view of former Everton striker Joe Royle, in need of a “jump-start” in his career having lost the spark from his explosion onto the scene in 2016, and when better to get the engine firing on all cylinders again than against a limping giant of the Premier League era in Mikel Arteta’s underperforming Gunners.

He certainly delivered when Ancelotti needed him to against Brighton, with Davies penning 68 touches, five interceptions, three successful tackles, one blocked shot, 46 accurate passes and three ground duels won, per SofaScore. All aspects Everton will need from whoever is tasked with locking down the deep role in the engine room come Saturday.

AND in other news, Everton enter a four-way battle to sign a gritty 21-goal marksman in January.

Despite starting every single game for Celtic this season, it’s been a rather disappointing campaign for Callum McGregor.The Scotland international has played 29 times in all competitions, and scored just four goals and provided three assists, and whilst he helped set one up against Dundee United on Wednesday afternoon, Neil Lennon has got a major call to make.With a potentially title-defining clash against Rangers coming up at the weekend, the Celtic boss has got to get his team selection absolutely spot-on.And one man whose performances are putting him in danger of getting dropped for that titanic game, is McGregor.Despite a rather routine 3-0 victory over Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership, McGregor was one of the more disappointing performers on the day.As per Sofascore, he had the most touches and passes of any Celtic player on the pitch, with 116 and 94 respectively. But whilst he saw a lot of the ball, a lot of the time, he just didn’t do or create anything with it.He also lost possession 15 times, with only two Hoops players conceding the ball more times, whilst both of his shots on goal failed to find the target.One Celtic fan even suggested that he “could probably do with a rest”, and perhaps a game on the side-lines might just do the trick to light a fire under the midfielder.

It would definitely be a bold call from Lennon to drop a player who has been a consistent figure in his side for a long time now. But it could be the kind of change that sparks a little bit extra energy and freshness as they look to close the gap to Rangers at the weekend.

Celtic are back in action thanks to their positive run of form across the last five fixtures. Their most recent win came on the road against Hamilton, thanks to a solid performance from the whole team.

Neil Lennon has taken some risks over recent weeks, dropping senior personnel and taking chances on lesser seen players. The likes of David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro have grabbed their chances with both hands and have delivered a positive impact to the Celtic midfield.

The duo started against Hamilton and the former bagged himself another goal. He joined Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard on the scoresheet to breeze past the Accies at their ground. Another who impressed but went under the radar was Jeremie Frimpong, who was blistering down the right flank.

Jeremie Frimpong vs Hamilton

Despite being just 20 years of age, the Netherlands youth international has been a key part of Celtic’s season so far. He has featured in every Premiership match this term and despite being a defender, the £8,000 per week right-back is a force to be reckoned with going forward.

According to Sofascore, Frimpong put in a solid performance across the backline with his four tackles, one interception and one clearance. He also won ten of his 12 duels and drew five fouls thanks to his pace down the wing.

Hamilton struggled to cope with his presence down the right-hand side and his performance will have seriously impressed Lennon. The gaffer will be relieved with Celtic’s recent form, as speculation has recently surrounded his future at the club.

Winning to Scottish Cup and the chance to recruit in the January window could be enough to save Lennon’s job. If he is to remain the Hoops boss, promising young players like Frimpong will be key moving forwards.

In other news, Signing David Turnbull was a stroke of genius from Hammond…

Liverpool have been handed a potential injury boost with Jurgen Klopp confirming that Joel Matip is set to miss just three weeks of action after suffering a problem with the adductor problem he suffered against West Brom in December.

Therefore, the Cameroonian defender should return before the end of the transfer window but that should not prevent the Reds from acting in January.

As it stands, Klopp has just Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams available as natural centre-backs in his first-team squad and neither of those had appeared in the Premier League before this season.

Fabinho has, of course, been superb in his performances as a centre-back but the Reds cannot rely on him to perform superbly out of position in every single game he plays, so must look to bring in another defender in the winter transfer window.

The Reds do have the likes of Billy Koumetio and Sepp van den Berg waiting in the wings if required but having a solid defence is the key to winning titles, evidenced by the 15 clean sheets the Reds kept in the top-flight last season, so the Merseyside club should definitely be looking to add an experienced centre-back to their ranks in January.

The club will no doubt be regretting not replacing Dejan Lovren during the summer transfer window, after he joined Zenit St Petersburg, as whilst the Croatian was error-prone at times, he was an excellent back-up option for Klopp to have during his time with the Reds.

It has been suggested that Liverpool weren’t looking to sign a centre-back in January before Matip’s injury and with the former Schalke man only set to be out for three weeks, they may be tempted to stick with what they have for the rest of the season.

However, the 28-year-old has been extremely injury-prone during his time with the club and even when he does return from injury, there is certainly no guarantee that he will remain fit for the rest of the season, especially if he is expected to play twice a week.

Therefore, despite the positive update on Matip’s injury, Michael Edwards must rip up the previous transfer plans and ensure that Liverpool sign a centre-back next month.

And, in other news… LFC “baller” was Klopp’s one positive vs NUFC; he must start vs Southampton…

Leeds must bite the bullet on Rafa Mujica and call time on his career at Elland Road.

What’s the story?

The Spaniard arrived from La Liga giants Barcelona in the summer of 2019 following the expiration of his contract, with the Whites confirming on their official club website at the time that he would “initially link up with Carlos Corberan’s Under-23 side, with a view to training with the first team”.

That just hasn’t been the case, however, with the 22-year-old having played a grand sum of zero games under Marcelo Bielsa. The striker has spent this season on loan at Real Oviedo, but now, Udlaspalmas.net (via Sport Witness) claim that he could end up joining Las Palmas if they cut short another loanee’s stay at the club to accommodate his arrival .

Orta disaster

At 22, Mujica surely can’t be considered a young up-and-coming talent, and the fact he’s yet to play a single competitive game for Leeds is indicative of how out of the first-team picture he is at Elland Road.

The fact he’s just made five total appearances for Oviedo this season – a side languishing in Spanish football’s second tier – says everything about his ability and whether he is even remotely close to being a Premier League player.

Continually just sending him out on loan makes no sense whatsoever, and it would just be better for all parties if the Whites make a decisive call and just accept that Mujica may not turn out to be a Victor Orta success story.

Leeds’ director of football has worked his magic in the transfer market for the Whites since he’s been at Elland Road, helping Bielsa build a side that are battling against the top sides in the Premier League this season, where they have picked up some big results – not least the draw against Manchester City at home.

But Orta’s signing of Mujica will go down as nothing but a disaster, and whilst the player’s short-term future looks like it might include yet another loan spell at yet another club, his long-term future should not be anywhere near Leeds. They simply have to bite the bullet.

Meanwhile, Leeds are interested in this Premier League starlet…

Farhad Moshiri must sanction a new contract for Everton’s Director of Football Marcel Brands with the Dutchman yet to be offered a new deal.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, Moshiri is refusing to rush any decision over Brands’ future and may wait until the end of the season to retain the 58-year-old.

Brands is inside the final six months of his current contract but wishes to continue at Goodison Park beyond 2020/21 and into at least a third campaign.

His position on the Everton board as a Director is said to be an overriding factor in the delaying of any new terms, as the board cannot freely meet to discuss the Dutchman’s situation.

Moshiri has also not yet decided whether he wishes to retain Brands’ services or not, having spent almost £200m on transfers since hiring the former PSV Eindhoven chief to succeed Steve Walsh as Everton’s second Director of Football.

Those deals include paying £50m for Richarlison, £34m for Alex Iwobi, £27.5m for Moise Kean, £27m for Yerry Mina, £25m for Jean-Philippe Gbamin and £10m for Fabian Delph, beside the arrivals of Lucas Digne, Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey.

Should Everton retain Brands?

Brands’ record as Everton’s Director of Football has not been perfect, with Kean and Delph two prime examples of players moving to Goodison Park and not hitting the desired level.

Kean managed just two goals in 33 games last season while Delph has made only 27 appearances across all competitions, but the likes of Richarlison, Digne, Allan, Doucoure, Godfrey, James Rodriguez and even Iwobi this term have shown there to be far more hits than misses.

That was not the same for his predecessor, Steve Walsh, who few could argue against Everton firing in 2018 after a string of poor decisions as the Toffees adopted the Director of Football model.

Brands has also been credited with playing a pivotal role in a number of other deals, such as Niels Nkounkou’s move from Olympique de Marseille as a free agent last summer. He also helped to convince Digne to leave FC Barcelona for Merseyside, where the Frenchman has resurrected a career beginning to be lost on the sidelines in Spain.

And while Everton are expected to be quiet on the incomings front this month, Brands is already planning for the club’s future – one he may not be a part of – but how would he convince potential targets of a move to Goodison Park and to dedicate their career to a side where the person responsible for their arrival may soon leave?

Moshiri needs to realise the strength Everton would gain from further continuity with Brands in his current position, one that has seen his signings help turn the club into a side competing for qualification for Champions League football – just three years on from hiring Sam Allardyce to avoid relegation.

Brands has also built a strong relationship with head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who lauds the work the 58-year-old has carried out both before and after the Italian’s arrival.

“I have a good relationship with him, but apart from this a friendship. I think he is doing a fantastic job, he’s been at this club more than me,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“I found the club really well organised. I found a really important scouting department. So, I think it will be important for him to continue and to find a deal with the club.”

Moshiri risks making a grave error by not retaining Brands, and must swiftly sanction a new contract for the Dutchman and set the club up to succeed in the summer transfer window.

AND in other news, Everton have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of a £13.5m beast…

Steve Bruce risks being left embarrassed by unleashing the Longstaff brothers, Sean and Matty, when Newcastle United host Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.

Both midfielders remained at St. James’ Park following Monday’s transfer Deadline Day after being offered moves away from Tyneside.

Matty Longstaff is thought to have been a last-ditch target for Championship side Watford. The Toon were also made aware of interest from the Hornets in Sean, whom Valencia had seen a loan-to-buy offer for rejected over the weekend.

Matty opposed a move to Vicarage Road, which emerged as one of several potential destinations for the 20-year-old, as he vowed to stay and fight for his place at Newcastle, per Sky Sports’ Keith Downie.

Bruce has not fielded the £4.5m-rated midfielder in a Premier League fixture since the Magpies lost 3-0 to Arsenal on January 18th, in what was only his fourth start of the campaign.

The United boss has not awarded Sean any game time since losing 1-0 at Sheffield United on January 12th, in what was the £16m-rated 23-year-old’s ninth start of the campaign.

The Toon products now face even greater competition for minutes in the North East, after Newcastle finalised a deal on Deadline Day to bring in Arsenal’s Joe Willock to spend the rest of the season under Bruce’s tutelage on loan.

Willock had been a substitute for much of the Gunners’ season with manager Mikel Arteta last awarding the 21-year-old talent a starting role in November and with him playing only 14 minutes of top-flight football in 2021.

Willock will be unable to make his Newcastle debut when United host Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, having been signed beyond the deadline for his eligibility to be active. But Bruce would risk being left embarrassed by turning to one or both of the Longstaff brothers in his place.

Bruce spent all of January searching for a new box-to-box midfielder as he clearly does not consider the Magpies products to be able to offer what he desires on a consistent basis, and he has now brought Willock in on loan with the hope that the Arsenal prospect will be able to inject the pace often lacking in his pedestrian unit.

It would be calamitous for Bruce to then recall either of the Longstaff brothers against the Eagles as Newcastle looked so much better without the duo as Newcastle won at Goodison Park at the weekend. Changing his winning midfield now would be an odd decision, but if such a change comes down the line, it should be Willock who is the next cab off the rank, not either of the Longstaff brothers.

Bruce should stick with the side that beat Everton last time out, fitness permitting, and then have Willock available to play a part against Southampton at the weekend.

AND in other news, Newcastle United faced late enquiries over a £15m deal to sell a Steve Bruce outcast…

Write off this Leeds team at your peril. If there was one message to take away from their win over Leicester on Sunday, it was that.

Last term, it was the threat of burnout that they had to eradicate and after three defeats to start 2021, alarm bells were being rung over their capabilities in the Premier League.

However, they put all of those concerns to bed with a ruthless and clinical display at the King Power Stadium.

When Harvey Barnes fired Leicester in front it looked as though it would be another difficult afternoon for the visitors. Though, when Stuart Dallas raced onto a lovely ball in behind from Patrick Bamford, positivity was injected into their performance.

Of course, Leeds still play lung-busting football even when they’re losing, but today was all about three points and a win that cemented why Marcelo Bielsa’s style of football is so desirable.

Bamford found the net himself with a sumptuous strike and then with a piece of selfless play, set up Jack Harrison for Leeds’ third strike.

Though, for all the intent going forward, it was a defender who dominated proceedings for Bielsa’s team. That happened to be Luke Ayling, a man whose performance was summed up by a knock to the head that required bandaging.

Ayling has had to play at centre-back on a number of occasions lately because of injuries to Leeds’ backline but he showed just how important he is when playing on the right on Sunday.

He was fabulous going forward but incredibly adept defensively, largely keeping Barnes out of the game. The winger was able to drift into a central area for his goal when he attacked down Leicester’s left, he was met by a wall in Ayling.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-transfer-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

Barnes was unsuccessful with all three of the dribbles he attempted and prevailed in just three of his nine ground duels. That was due to Leeds’ rampaging right-back who was nothing short of exceptional.

The former Yeovil man won a mouth-watering 11 ground duels, winning a grand total of seven tackles throughout the encounter. He was able to stop Leicester’s tricky winger on several occasions, something that set the tone for Leeds’ improved performance.

Going forward, Ayling offered plenty. He started the counter-attack for their opening strike, laying the ball into Bamford who was then able to turn. The full-back had a shot of his own that was blocked while he was fouled on three occasions, using his body wisely to earn dead-ball situations for his team.

As far as performances go, this was a complete one from the 29-year-old. Ayling was an irremovable object on the right-hand side.

AND in other news, Bielsa must start to unshackle rarely-seen Leeds gem, Phillips says he’s “really good”…