All posts by h716a5.icu

When Wolves travel to Lancashire to face Chorley this evening, they will do so hoping to avoid some bad omens.

Back in the 1986/87 season, the non-league side defeated Wolves 3-0, swatting them aside in robust fashion.

The Chorley players, at the time, earned around £25-per-week, a far cry from some of the meteoric sums of money that the current Wolves team now earn.

It will be a historic FA Cup tie, one that will hopefully demonstrate that the world’s oldest cup competition isn’t yet dead.

Given the form Nuno Santo’s team have been in, you wouldn’t put it past them to struggle against the National League North side. They have only two of their last ten games so it’ll be interesting to see how the Old Gold line-up.

Nevertheless, we’ve had a go at putting an XI together. Here’s how we reckon Nuno could go on Friday evening.

For starters, we’re tipping the Portuguese manager to make as many as seven changes to the team that lost the Black Country derby to West Brom.

Those changes start at the back where usual cup goalkeeper John Ruddy deputises in place of Rui Patricio. Both full-backs are swapped out with Rayan Ait-Nouri coming in on the left and Ki-Jana Hoever playing on the right. Romain Saiss moves into centre-back to pair Willy Boly with Conor Coady set to miss out.

The England international was withdrawn by Nuno for the first time in his Wolves career against West Brom so it feels like a good time to take him out of the firing line. After all, he did concede a penalty last weekend.

Further changes come in midfield where both Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker drop out. We think Ruben Neves will be one of a few senior players fielded with Morgan Gibbs-White earning a rare start just behind the forward line.

We’ve hyped up Theo Corbeanu this week and reckon he should earn a first-team debut on the right-hand side, coming in for Adama Traore. Fabio Silva keeps his place while Patrick Cutrone gets an opportunity to prove what he’s capable of before Willian Jose possibly arrives on loan.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their perfect Raul Jimenez replacement in “very fast” £34k-p/w beast…

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has shared what he has been told regarding the future of Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic.

Grujic to leave?

The 24-year-old has been pretty much ostracised by manager Jurgen Klopp for some time, even though he was the German tactician’s first signing for the Reds after he was appointed back in 2015.

Grujic has just 16 first-team appearances during that timeframe, scoring just once and providing one assist. He’s also had various loan spells with the likes of Cardiff City, Red Star Belgrade and Hertha Berlin (TransferMarkt).

His fortunes looked to be changing earlier this season after putting in impressive performances against the likes of Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup and Arsenal at Anfield, but he was quickly shipped off to FC Porto for the campaign.

Speaking to Anfield Watch, Romano said that Grujic’s days on Merseyside are pretty much numbered.

“For sure, [Liverpool] are looking to sell some players in the summer, ones that aren’t always in the team at the moment,” Romano told Anfield Watch.

“Marko Grujic, I’m told, could be involved in some possible swap deals next summer if Liverpool have some good opportunities to add in midfield or in defence.

“He could be an interesting player to offer so they will try to do something smart again, as they have (done) previously with the Diogo Jota deal, for example.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Only Klopp will know why Grujic has not featured for Liverpool – as there does not appear to be any clear explanation regarding his lack of inclusion.

If Grujic is not going to get the opportunity to play, then it is probably best for both parties if he is allowed to leave in the summer.

In other news, Paul Robinson slams Liverpool following David Ornstein’s transfer development.

Many Liverpool fans reacted with joy after The Athletic journalist James Pearce posted quotes made by Jurgen Klopp during his press conference.

The German tactician told reporters that goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be available for the Reds’ crunch clash against Everton at Anfield on Saturday.

This followed on from potential worries that the Brazil international may not be available for the Merseyside derby after missing Thursday’s training session, with backup shot-stopper Caoimhim Kelleher also not featuring.

Alisson has been in and out of the side during the 2020/21 campaign after picking up a number of injuries, having played a key role in Liverpool’s recent success domestically and in Europe as the club’s number one shot-stopper.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were delighted to discover that the 28-year-old would be available for selection and made their feelings clear towards Pearce on Twitter.

Alisson news sent these fans wild

“Panic over”

Credit: @Dabzee

“Super. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Credit: @A_C0624

“And the news we all wanted!”

Credit: @LFCNewsSheet

“Thank goodness for that”

Credit: @hjkerins

“Tears in my eyes we move”

Credit: @sisenor_9

“GET INNNNNNN”

Credit: @NunlAlhabsy

In other news, Liverpool fans delighted over links with ‘Argentinian Jack Grealish.’

Sunderland’s busy period of football is showing no signs of letting up with another fixture to prepare for on Saturday afternoon.

The Mackems have tasted defeat in just two of their last 17 league outings, a brilliant run that has been engineered by the methods of Lee Johnson.

He has been game-changing for the Mackems’ attack with Charlie Wyke becoming the league’s second top scorer and Aiden McGeady becoming League One’s most prolific creator.

They have swatted aside fellow promotion hopefuls Lincoln and Doncaster in recent months but Crewe could represent another tough encounter on Saturday.

Therefore, what formation and starting XI could Johnson field?

We’re predicting the Mackems boss to make two changes from the team that beat Fleetwood in midweek.

There is a change of formation with the manager reverting back to a four-man defence. That means that Lynden Gooch is axed from the XI with the £8.1k-per-week Josh Scowen returning from injury in the middle of the park.

There is a solitary change in defence where Jake Vokins comes in for Callum McFadzean. The pair have been poor in recent weeks but with a four-man defence in operation, we feel it would be too risky to bring the more attacking Jordan Jones into the fray.

Bailey Wright is still out while Tom Flanagan is a week away from returning according to the boss.

The effervescent trio of Wyke, McGeady and O’Brien all continue in forward areas. The latter scored against Fleetwood and appears to be in good form, quickly becoming one of Johnson’s go-to men.

Under Phil Parkinson, he struggled for much game time. The same can be said for McGeady, a player who is now among the most dangerous in the third tier.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: Sunderland missed dream signing in “extremely talented” 27 y/o…

Southampton travel to Goodison Park on Monday evening hoping to end a run of form that has seen them pick up just one point out of a possible 24 in the Premier League.

Injury issues have taken their toll on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad, with Kyle Walker-Peters, Ibrahima Diallo and Oriol Romeu all spending time on the sidelines recently.

In the absence of Walker-Peters, the Austrian manager has deployed the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Jan Bednarek out of position at right-back – which has proved to be a poor decision for two reasons.

First of all, neither one of Bednarek and Ward-Prowse possess the pace of Walker-Peters and were therefore not as willing to make forward runs up the pitch, which have been a staple of Southampton’s style of play since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur.

Secondly, playing these players out of position limits their influence on the game, with the Saints having missed Bednarek’s commanding nature alongside Jannik Vestergaard in central defence, whilst on the occasion where Ward-Prowse was at full-back, they missed his attacking threat in the middle.

Therefore, if Hasenhuttl wants to see his side improve at Goodison Park and stop the rot, he should consider unleashing 20-year-old Kayne Ramsay at full-back.

The 20-year-old is a natural right-back and has made just three senior appearances for the South Coast club, whilst also making five appearances for Shrewsbury Town on loan in League One last season.

Ramsay is unfortunate in that his one appearance for Southampton this season came in the 9-0 defeat against Manchester United, which was a horrible game for all Saints players to be involved in, so Hasenhuttl shouldn’t judge him too harshly for his performance on that day as Saints were playing with ten men for almost the entirety of the encounter.

In fact, the right-back actually made five tackles at Old Trafford, which is comfortably more than any other Saints player has averaged so far this season.

Considering the threat that Everton pose down the left-hand side through Lucas Digne, deploying a natural right-back such as Ramsay could be the key to Southampton improving their form, as it will also allow Bednarek to move back into the middle to try and shackle the dangerous Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Therefore, despite Ramsay’s lack of experience and appearances for Southampton, Hasenhuttl should give him a chance to impress before Walker-Peters returns to full fitness.

And, in other news… Forget Jankewitz: Saints may already have their Romeu replacement in 18 y/o academy ace

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic recently but Daniel Levy should avoid signing the Serbian, as he wouldn’t be an improvement on anything Spurs already have.

According to reports from Italy, Spurs are interested in signing the 24-year-old midfielder this summer, although a host of Italian clubs, along with Crystal Palace, are also said to be keeping a close eye on him.

So far this season, Lukic has made 21 appearances in Serie A, contributing three goals and no assists, which has seen him average a less than impressive 6.52 WhoScored rating.

Whilst he is playing in a poor Torino side who are in serious danger of relegation to Serie B, these stats suggest that he would struggle to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s plans, especially considering the quality options the Portuguese manager has in midfield.

Lukic can play as both a central and attacking midfielder, but averages just one tackle and 0.6 interceptions per game in Serie A, whereas Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele – arguably Spurs’ best midfield duo – both score higher for those metrics.

The Serbian’s attacking returns are also poor, as he averages just 0.6 shots and 0.8 key passes per game in the Italian top flight, whereas someone like Dele Alli has averaged 1.7 shots and 1.7 key passes per game in the Europa League, and looks set for a run in Mourinho’s side after impressing in recent European performances.

With Spurs also boasting options such as Giovani Lo Celso, Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura in midfield, a potential move for Lukic seems like a strange option for Spurs, as it is difficult to see what he offers Mourinho.

Lukic’s three goals this term is his best goalscoring season to date, whereas Alli has hit double figures on a regular basis during his time in north London.

Therefore, Levy should steer well clear of the £4.5m-rated Lukic in the summer transfer window, as based on their respective performances throughout their careers so far, it would definitely be fair to suggest that Alli is a far better player than the Serbian.

And, in other news… Dele Alli’s return to form could be bad news for £31.5m-rated Spurs outsider

According to the Sunderland Echo, Tottenham ‘wonderkid’ Aaron Skinner is now on trial at the Black Cats despite putting pen to paper on his first professional deal with Spurs just last year – with football.london previously calling him one of the club’s brightest talents. 

Tottenham could lose Skinner

Skinner, whose trial at Sunderland is now underway, starting for the Wearsiders’ Under-23s in a North East derby against Newcastle United on Monday (Chronicle Live), could potentially leave Spurs if the temporary stay is deemed successful.

The talented defender signed his first professional deal with Tottenham just last year near his 18th birthday, with football.london touting a promising youngster as the club made sure to tie him down, but it appears his future is now up in the air.

Transfer Tavern take

As this development emerges, the chances of Skinner following the likes of Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Japhet Tanganga from the academy to the Tottenham first team now appear slim.

This trial could possibly have the potential to lead to a permanent exit, with the details surrounding Skinner’s decision to try out for Sunderland unknown by this report.

Time will tell whether Spurs do lose this ‘wonderkid’, but his trial at Sunderland is now underway.

In other news: This star has revealed he rejected a move to Tottenham, find out more here.

Despite having seemingly secured their Premier League status with Saturday’s 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace’s immediate future seems somewhat precarious.

The reason for that huge uncertainty is because a number of contracts, including manager Roy Hodgson’s, are winding down at Selhurst Park.

One of those players who could depart at the end of the campaign is veteran defender Gary Cahill, whose £65k per week deal is set to expire.

With the former Chelsea centre-back suggesting he is “relaxed” about his future, the Eagles have to employ some urgency and commit him to a new contract.

Since arriving at Selhurst Park ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, Cahill has been one of the first names on the Crystal Palace teamsheet. He has played 41 matches for the club, usually being selected alongside either Cheikhou Kouyate, Mamadou Sakho, James Tomkins or Scott Dann.

His huge Premier League experience has evidently come in massively useful as Palace attempt to steer themselves away from relegation each campaign.

Even Eagles boss Roy Hodgson seems like he would be loathed to lose Cahill come the end of the season, labelling the defender as the “best type of leader”.

It seems baffling then that they would cut adrift a player with such knowledge of the division.

With both Sakho and Dann also out of contract at the end of the campaign, letting Cahill also go would really restrict Palace’s options at centre-back.

That would surely lead the club into the transfer market, where they’d likely end up spending a considerable fee on another option when they already had one at the club.

In order to overcome the precarious position that they find themselves in, it is key that Palace agree a new deal with Cahill sooner rather than later. They will need to sign replacements for Sakho and Dann, having to sign three centre-backs in one summer would be a huge challenge, one Palace could do without.

AND in more news, read more on why it would be hugely damaging for Palace to sell one of their current stars…

The writing is on the wall for Newcastle United. Fail to sack Steve Bruce, and relegation will surely be on the cards.

This Magpies team looks like a torrid group; they look defeated, bullied to within an inch of their lives.

Their style of football is shoddy and there are very few signs of fight from those in the St James’ Park camp. Their 3-0 defeat to fellow relegation candidates Brighton on Saturday evening just about summed things up.

They were toothless in attack and filled with mistakes in defence. Once again, the prime candidate was Joelinton.

The big Brazilian set the tone just 21 minutes in. Martin Dubravaka launched the ball forward in the direction of Joelinton. The striker got his head to the ball but planted it straight out of play for a throw-in.

If anything summed up his time in the north-east that was it. To be completely blunt, the attacker has been one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

Signed from Hoffenheim for £40m, he penned a six-year deal with Newcastle. It was not only a club-record deal, but also Bruce’s record deal. Unfortunately, he is costing the manager his job.

The forward has found the net on just seven occasions and has three top-flight goals to his name since the summer of 2019. To suggest his time in England has been poor, therefore, would be putting it lightly.

Perhaps one of his worst performances in a black and white shirt came on Saturday. Joelinton was utterly anonymous in attack and made fewer passes (16) and fewer touches (34) than Dubravka in the Magpies goal. The Slovakian had 45 touches and made 24 passes in comparison.

He endured a torrid evening on the south coast, losing possession of the ball on 15 occasions and taking just one touch in the opposition penalty area. Joelinton also failed to have a single shot at goal.

For a normal footballer that makes for pretty grim reading. However, when you cost £40m, it only looks even worse.

He hasn’t scored since the back end of November and worryingly, his performances are getting worse.

In a relegation six-pointer, he should be one of the players standing up and taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Unfortunately, that’s very rarely happened during his feeble stay at Newcastle.

Judging by his attitude and form, it would be an almighty surprise to watch him see out the six years he signed on for. Joelinton epitomises the sinking ship of Newcastle right now.

AND in other news, “It’s the Graeme Jones way” – Exclusive: Rob Lee baffled by what Bruce assistant has done at NUFC…

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Manchester City are interested in signing Danny Ings to potentially replace Sergio Aguero (Sky Sports).

Ings’ future with the Saints is up in the air. As it stands, his contract is set to run out at the end of next season (Transfermarkt) but, while Southampton have made it clear they would like to extend his deal (via The Daily Mail), the former Liverpool man has, as of yet, not put pen to paper on an agreement.

To avoid losing the striker for nothing, Southampton may well look to sell him in the summer, and the Citizens are said to be interested in signing him to replace the outgoing Aguero, who is set to leave the club on a free transfer this summer after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.

Saints supporters have been reacting to the news and, surprisingly, it seems they would not be too fussed to see him depart despite the £19.8m-valued star (Transfermarkt) scoring 42 goals in 92 matches for them. They took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ings news below

“Good news, get rid and move on, ship out Redmond and djenepo too, both been under achieving at PL level, not sure they’ll achieve a regular squad number in the championship to be honest, that’s my opinion,”

Credit: @TonyTonyprince

“Let him go, picking up injuries and hasn’t looked interested for a while.”

Credit: @saintsfc2011

“Yes let him go I think if he’s not fully commited”

Credit: @doeboy1

“I’m ngl if they want him they can have him”

Credit: @J13578Josh

“Surprised i’m not alone in thinking we should sell Ings. I believe he’s had his moment in the sun and his next few seasons will be impacted heavily with injury. If we get an offer over £20m let him go”

Credit: @luke_lct

“Great! Should help plug the 75 mil hole”

Credit: @edwardmarshCT

In other news, Sevilla are said to be interested in this Southampton star.