All posts by n8rngtd.top

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has weighed in on the Trezeguet-El Ghazi debate in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, suggesting that the Dutch winger should be getting the nod at present.

It was Trezeguet who started in the recent 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, and the 26-year-old has since come in for criticism for putting in a subpar performance.

Ex-Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor was highly critical of his display and overall attacking contribution this season, stating Anwar El Ghazi should be in the team ahead of him, a sentiment shared by former team-mate Hendrie.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the two attackers, Hendrie said:

“I agree with Gabby about that. El Ghazi’s more of a direct player and he’s got a bit more versatility than Trezeguet. He can go down the line or he can cut inside and he’s scored goals this season, so I totally agree.

“I feel that because they’re not scoring goals, you need something of that dimension to try and bring into the side. If I had to choose one, El Ghazi would be my first choice.”

This season, El Ghazi has managed to score six goals in the Premier League, a tally only top scorer Ollie Watkins can beat. Meanwhile, Trezeguet has failed to register at all, so it is not hard to see why some feel that El Ghazi should be getting the nod over the Egypt international.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, claims that the West Ham board now have faith in David Moyes after his signings have propelled the Hammers into Champions League contention.

In the last 12 months, signings such as Tomas Soucek, Craig Dawson, Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen have taken West Ham to the next level after fighting off relegation last season.

With numerous big-name signings falling to work out such as Sebastien Haller, Jack Wilshere and Felipe Anderson, Moyes went for under the radar signings which would provide competition for places and be hard working.

Speaking on how some of Moyes’ signings have done since they joined the club and what the board now think of their manager, after letting him go in 2018, Lee told FFC:

“Jesse Lingard has been a great signing by David Moyes as well as Jarrod Bowen who came from the Championship, and seeing what he’s done has been great. I still think he doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done really.

“Bowen arrived from Hull and has continued to score goals. I think he’s done really well and David Moyes has proved he signs good players.

“I think the West Ham board have probably got a little bit of confidence in David Moyes now. They’ve allowed him to get the players he wants to sign for the club.”

West Ham let Moyes go at the end of the 2017/18 season despite him guiding the club to safety from a tough position in the table when he took over from Slaven Bilic.

After just 64 games in charge Manuel Pelligrini was sacked by West Ham, and the board decided to go against their previous judgement and hand Moyes another contract at the London Stadium.

Crystal Palace all but secured another season in the Premier League with a slender 1-0 win against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

A first half Luka Milivojevic penalty proved to be the difference between the two sides after Darnell Furlong handled the ball in the penalty area.

The Serbian midfielder was the match-winner, but Christian Benteke also stood tall as a huge reason behind Roy Hodgson’s Eagles sealing what is a huge victory in context of their campaign.

Following the Belgian’s goal in the 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, he put in another vital showing, albeit being more effective defensively against the Baggies.

According to WhoScored, the former Aston Villa and Liverpool man produced a huge seven clearances throughout the 90 minutes, with only Palace teammate Gary Cahill contributing more. He also won a massive 13 aerial challenges, proving to be an extremely physical and dominant presence in the Palace attack.

That saw the forward accumulate 51 touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, with only goalscorer Milivojevic and Patrick van Aanholt having more for the home side.

Benteke was also unfortunate not to get his name on the scoresheet once again. The £8.1m-rated forward fired in three shots throughout the match, getting two of them on target. As a matter of fact, he had as many shots at goal as the rest of the Palace team put together.

In all, it was a highly impressive performance from Benteke both going forwards and in defence.

Palace manager Roy Hodgson will hope to see more of those kind of displays for the remainder of the campaign, especially with the club’s place in the top flight all but confirmed ahead of 2021/22.

In more news, read why Palace should avoid making a permanent switch for Benteke’s international teammate Michy Batshuayi…

Many Liverpool fans are fuming after Jurgen Klopp revealed defender Ozan Kabak picked up an injury during his side’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Thursday.

The German tactician revealed (via Anfield Watch) during his pre-match press conference that the 20-year-old is doubtful to feature in Sunday’s home game against Fulham.

Kabak will join the already overcrowded Anfield treatment room, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip out for a significant amount of time.

Klopp’s team has been seriously hampered by injuries, which has forced them to chop and change centre-backs, effectively halting their title charge this season and leaving them in a battle just to clinch top four.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were furious with the reveal from Klopp. One fan, bizarrely, broke into Bohemian Rhapsody. Somehow, the lyrics were appropriate to how the fans were feeling, as you can see below.

Kabak injury angers these fans

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Mammaaaaaaaaa WHYYYYYYYYY?”

Credit: @eriksgrafs

“This season is a joke”

Credit: @Fifi4Lfc

“Oh boy, here we go again”

Credit: @Ruddy_Strange

“This gonna be our 21st defensive duo this season? Fire the whole medical staff”

Credit: @paulo060802

“All the physio staff members should get sacked”

Credit: @sreqiri03

“Is this normal? The rate and amount of injuries we have? Is there something wrong with our fitness trainers or something ??!”

Credit: @blackpe96003219

In other news, Liverpool fans were not happy with Jurgen Klopp after what he said post-Chelsea.

Callum Wilson has revealed how long he will be out of action for as Newcastle United suffered a fresh injury blow that will impact them for most of, if not the rest of, the 2020/21 term.

Writing on his official Twitter page, the former AFC Bournemouth ace has confirmed that he will ‘miss the next few months’ due to an injury to his hamstring to which he said that he is ‘disappointed’ by.

Wilson injury a big blow to Newcastle

The latest injury setback for Wilson will come as a big blow to Steve Bruce and the St. James’ Park faithful.

The England international was the Tyneside club’s main source of goals, with 10 strikes and a further five assists from just 21 games in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

However, it looks likely that he may well miss the rest of the season, meaning that the Magpies will now have to look elsewhere for goals, which will be a worry at they have not been able to find many throughout the campaign.

The next highest goalscorer for the Toon is Miguel Almiron with five, and no other member of the squad has more than three so far (Transfermarkt), meaning that Newcastle’s players will all need to step up their game in front of goal.

The likes of Dwight Gayle and Andy Carroll may get extended runs in the team now, as the onus is now very much on the other strikers at Newcastle to try and find the back of the net as often as Wilson was able to do. If they can’t, the Magpies could well find themselves getting dragged into a relegation battle.

In other news, find out what Liam Kennedy has been told may accelerate the potential takeover here!

Marcel Brands must not entertain Paris Saint-Germain targeting a second loan spell for Everton striker Moise Kean this summer.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, PSG Sporting Director Leonardo is expected to target free agents and loan deals during the next off-season with funds likely to be tight at Le Parc des Princes.

The Ligue 1 giants have been hit as hard as any other club by the coronavirus pandemic, and will pursue deals for soon-to-be free-agents such as Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, Olympique Lyonnais striker Memphis Depay and Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.

PSG also hope to strike a deal with Everton to retain Kean beyond his season-long loan, but could be forced to push for a second temporary spell which this time features an option to buy.

Kean moved to the French capital in October in a deal that does not include any purchase clauses, optional or obligatory, and Everton are expected to demand around £70m to part with the former Juventus forward at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The striker endured a troubled debut year at Goodison Park having only managed to score two goals in 33 games across all competitions, while also being the subject of Marco Silva’s wrath after arriving late for a team meeting.

But he has turned things around in Paris, netting 15 times and providing one assist in 27 appearances, while Mauricio Pochettino has lauded the 20-year-old by noting: “We are very happy with everything he does.”

Should Everton loan Kean to PSG again?

If Leonardo cannot afford to match Everton’s demands for the sale of Kean to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, Brands cannot entertain the Ligue 1 giants request for a second season on loan if the deal will only include an option to purchase in 2022.

Kean – who Silva described as a “clever boy” – is proving in France the threat that he can offer to Carlo Ancelotti back at Goodison Park next season, having hit goals against top and bottom tier opposition including FC Barcelona in the Champions League and OGC Nice in Ligue 1.

If those efforts still have not impressed Ancelotti, who oversaw both of Kean’s two Blues goals last season, then Everton must use his rejuvenated form to sell while the £53,000-per-week forward’s stock is at its highest and make profit on the £25m rising to £27.5m paid to Juventus.

The Toffees will likely need to reinvest any profit made from the Italy internationals’ departure to strengthen Ancelotti’s options in the off-season, with goals from centre-forwards other than top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin thin and far between this term.

Joshua King is yet to score in royal blue after four appearances following his deadline day arrival, and needs to impress if the Merseyside club are to take up their option to keep the summer free-agent on a longer-term deal.

Only two of Richarlison’s 10 goals in all competitions this term have come through the centre, as well, with the Brazilian most lethal when fielded on the wing and able to cut inside onto his favoured right-foot.

Cenk Tosun may have scored twice since re-joining Besiktas on loan last month, but only hit home once in seven outings for Everton this term following cruciate ligament surgery and is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

Ancelotti cannot rely on King or Tosun, in particular, providing Calvert-Lewin with competition next term. So, if Kean is not the answer, Everton must sell or guarantee funds for the forward this summer.

AND in other news, Everton are likely to sell a £6.5m-rated dud this summer after pricing him out of a January move…

Despite the scoreline of the game, Alex Iwobi let Carlo Ancelotti down as Everton beat Leeds United 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The Nigerian continued his run of opening the action for the Toffees from the right-flank at Elland Road, having established himself in the role over the festive period in the absence of James Rodriguez whilst the Colombian was sidelined with a calf injury.

Iwobi had impressed greatly from the right-wing during Everton’s 2-1 victory over Wolves last month by providing much of the Blues’ creativity and forward threat, but he was unable to replicate his Molineux exploits in West Yorkshire.

Iwobi initially looked powerful whilst enjoying pockets of space in Leeds territory as Everton controlled much of the early stages, keeping his head up to offer an attacking outlet.

Yet, the more the game wore on, the less involved Iwobi found himself, and ultimately he left Mason Holgate woefully exposed at right-back during a dogged defensive period in the second half, which saw Robin Olsen turn in an inspired display between the sticks to keep the Toffees ahead.

Holgate had been caught out by the Whites when his failed clearance ultimately led to Raphinha pulling one back for the hosts, with his precise strike halving the deficit created by goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Raphinha offering Leeds a route back into the game turned the tide in Leeds’ favour as it triggered a heavy flow of traffic only heading in one way – toward Olsen’s net – that on another day, could easily have seen Everton let a two-goal lead only result in a point.

Iwobi rarely played his part in thwarting Leeds’ efforts and he was fortunate to stay on the field until the 87th-minute when Ancelotti opted to replace the £23m-rated forward to hand Deadline Day arrival Joshua King his Toffees debut.

Iwobi was one of only two outfield Everton players who started at Elland Road to fail at registering a single tackle attempted, along with Sigurdsson. But unlike the goalscoring Iceland international, the former Arsenal attacker also failed to record an interception, per WhoScored.

It marks the third-straight Premier League fixture in which Iwobi has failed to register a single tackle, interception or clearance, while also committing his first foul since Everton’s 2-1 win at Wolves on January 12.

The 24-year-old has averaged at least 1.4 tackles attempted a game in the top-flight this term, and further lagged behind his usual standards with only one successful dribble from two attempts having boasted a 70.8% success rate this season for 1.7 from 2.4 attempts.

Iwobi further registered his only shot of the game in the final minutes of the first half, and offered his only key pass just after the half-hour mark. Goalkeeper Olsen also played a higher total number of passes (32) than the Nigerian (23).

Given Everton’s dominant first half and the volume of defending the Toffees were later forced into, Ancelotti will have expected to see far more from Iwobi at Elland Road at both ends of the pitch.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti faces a continued problem in a £9m man after Everton’s January transfer failings…

Mesut Ozil’s time at Arsenal is finally coming towards a conclusion.

It’s been a tumultuous season for the one-time £42.8m club-record signing and now his north London nightmare appears to be over as he edges towards a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Saturday that the Gunners had an ‘agreement in principle’ to terminate the 32-year-old’s contract in order for him to complete a permanent move to the Yellow Canaries as a free-agent.

Despite not being registered in Mikel Arteta’s Premier League squad for the 2020/21 season, it still leaves Arsenal needing a replacement and there’s one name that technical director Edu Gaspar has to target, and no, it’s not Houssem Aouar.

That ship may well have sailed.

Instead, Norwich City’s Emi Buendia ought to be their top priority – according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners have contacted the Argentinian’s agent over a potential deal, though the club are yet to submit an official bid.

The 24-year-old impressed again this weekend, playing an integral part to the Canaries seeing off Cardiff City in the Championship.

He managed to notch three key passes, completed 100% of his dribbles and even made four interceptions, via SofaScore. Indeed, this is the creative norm for the impressive playmaker as he’s averaging 3.3 key passes per game this term.

No other player in the English second-flight is managing close to that, in fact, it is a whole one extra key pass per game than Swansea’s Conor Roberts, who ranks second for chances created.

But this is something we already knew from Buendia’s time in the Premier League. Even despite Norwich’s relegation, the attacking maestro sat fourth behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish for chances created (83) during the 2019/20 campaign.

Ozil created only 52 chances for Arsenal too.

Buendia has been lauded as everything from a “revelation” by pundit Chris Sutton to a “game-changer” by current boss Daniel Farke, and you could argue that such a player is something Arteta is still lacking, despite forcing Ozil out the door.

Only Willian has created as many as five big chances in the Premier League this season, which tells a story in itself, whilst Emile Smith Rowe tops the charts with 1.5 key passes per game and that’s still less than half the number of Buendia.

Given his reported price tag of £25m, he could well be on Edu’s radar having been seemingly priced out of a €50m (£45m) move for Aouar in the summer.

But it’s time to move on from the Frenchman as Buendia could well prove to be better value for money. Ultimately, he can be the Gunners’ dream Ozil successor this transfer window.

AND in other news, Forget Balogun: Arsenal heading for unforgivable blunder with ANOTHER teen sensation…

Following Glasgow Rangers’ crunch Old Firm clash with Celtic on Saturday afternoon, Steven Gerrard’s side have been dealt a huge injury blow.

What’s the news?

Despite gaining the upper hand over their arch rivals in the title race, Gerrard would have every right to be concerned after Kemar Roofe was substituted at half-time after appearing to pick up a knock.

The Ibrox boss then told Rangers TV, as quoted by The Daily Record: “It was on our minds to make a change in the first 45 because we weren’t happy with the front three.

“But a stroke of luck, not in terms of the injury because Kemar (Roofe) has got a niggle in his quad, we’ll have to assess that and hope he gets back fit, but it actually played into my hands in terms of getting Ianis on the pitch who I thought was outstanding in the second half.”

It was revealed shortly before the second Old Firm derby of the season that Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack had been ruled out of the clash with Celtic due to injury.

Likely impact?

Roofe has been an ever-present in Gerrard’s side ever since he first arrived at Ibrox from Anderlecht in the summer, with the Jamaican striker having started 12 of his 15 appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season – he also scored a memorable goal from inside his own half against Standard Liege in the Europa League.

Speaking at the start of this season, former Dundee and Leeds United defender Barry Douglas was effusive in his praise for his former teammate, saying: “He’s a good guy to be around and a very humble lad too, which, going into a club that size, is a massive attribute.

“Roofe’s very grounded so all the ingredients are there for him to do well.

“He’s a great acquisition for Rangers, and I think he’ll be successful there because he knows where the back of the net is.”

Roofe has been in prolific form since the start of the season, providing 12 goals and 2 assists in 21 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

With a trip to Aberdeen next on the agenda, there’s no doubt his presence will be sorely missed ahead of a huge game against their Premiership rivals, after he got himself on the scoresheet during the 4-0 win at home to the Dons last time out.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must sanction Rangers move for Sheffield United star John Lundstram as a Davis alternative…

Aston Villa enjoyed another weekend off from Premier League action after their Friday night encounter with Newcastle United was postponed amid an outbreak in Steve Bruce’s Toon camp.

The pause in the campaign afforded Dean Smith the chance to rest some of his weary legs and set about putting together a game plan he hopes will see the Villans beat West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers when his side next take to the field.

One name the Villa boss must ensure is on the coach to Molineux come Saturday is teen wonder Jacob Ramsey, with Smith rarely opting to unleash the young star who Academy Manager Sean Kimberley believes boasts “undoubted technical ability”.

Ramsey has not been seen on the field for a Premier League fixture in three months having played the sole 13 minutes of his 2020/21 campaign as a late substitute in Villa’s 3-0 win over Fulham on September 28.

Smith recalled the 19-year-old to the bench for last Monday’s defeat at West Ham United but opted against handing the attacking midfielder his latest senior outing, following a frequent role in the Villans’ EFL Cup efforts.

Ramsey started all three Carabao Cup ties as the Villa Park natives progressed through to the Fourth Round before losing at home to Championship side Stoke, yet offered glimpses of his potential with an assist away to Bristol City days before making his Premier League debut at Craven Cottage.

Ramsey’s progression through to the senior fold has seen him rarely turn out in the junior ranks, with just two appearances in the EFL Trophy and no outings in the Premier League 2 thus far this term.

Villa have high hopes for the England U20 international’s future in Birmingham and Smith has placed him firmly in the first-team fold to help realise that potential, with the Villans boss and his coaching team casting a careful eye over Ramsey in training.

But despite considering him to be a first-team figure now, Smith is yet to truly unleash Ramsey and must start doing so with Villa’s form nose diving from the early promise that took them to second place in the table with four wins from four.

The Villans have claimed just one win in the five league games that followed October’s narrow 1-0 win over Leicester and the 7-2 victory at home to Liverpool is now a memory looking all the more remarkable.

Smith has not been helped by his midfielders being unable to offer a consistent level of creativity, with John McGinn offering no key balls in defeat to Leeds, Bertrand Traore uncreative in defeat to Southampton and Trezeguet without a key pass in the victory over Arsenal as Ross Barkley penned six only to get injured during the defeat to Brighton.

McGinn again failed to provide a key ball in defeat at West Ham as Conor Hourihane similarly struggled before being replaced by Traore, who took just 18 touches but could only achieve one successful dribble as a point of merit.

The struggles of Smith’s more favoured options should ensure a place in his matchday squad is reserved for Ramsey come Saturday and allow the youngster of “undoubted” talent the chance to prove himself, even just from the bench.

AND in other news, Johan Lange and Aston Villa must bite the bullet on one-time £40k-p/w Dean Smith favourite.