All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic will still be hurting from Saturday’s embarrassing Old Firm derby defeat and things may not get easier anytime soon with fixtures against AC Milan in their Europa League opener and Aberdeen in the league to come this week.

Neil Lennon’s side sit four points behind league leaders Rangers, the side they failed to register a single shot on target against at the weekend.

Without the presence of Odsonne Edouard in the attack, the Hoops looked lifeless and devoid of any ideas and whilst that could well change with Albian Ajeti returning alongside the Frenchman in the near future, things aren’t exactly perfect for the Hoops.

The defending champions must be regretting the decision to not sign somebody to add more firepower in the summer transfer window, perhaps Ivan Toney specifically.

Peterborough United wanted £10m for his signature but the Bhoys hierarchy were only prepared to pay half that, leading to Posh chairman Barry Fry launching a scathing attack on the Scottish giants, he said:

“They’ve told Peter Lawwell and Nicky Hammond to go and get him, but they won’t get Toney with what they’re piddling about with, that’s for sure. Toney would be a revelation for Celtic, he’d be a star, for definite. He’d score 30 to 40 goals up there, he really would.”

Brentford, who are known for their expertise in scouting, went on to sign the 24-year-old for an initial £5m, increasing to that £10m figure with add-ons.

On the same afternoon that Celtic fired a dud in front of goal, Toney went on to secure a match-winning brace for the Bees as they defeated Coventry City 2-0.

The former Newcastle frontman also won three duels, recorded one dribble and enjoyed four attempts on target, per SofaScore.

Toney’s two strikes made it five from five in the Championship this season, meaning he’s averaged one goal every 81 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder he’s been lauded as a “top, top player” as well as a “dream” to work with due to his “phenomenal” workrate.

Lawwell has certainly made a foolish and unforgivable mistake here as an initial £5m upfront would have been an absolute steal – the bloke provided 26 goals and seven assists last term, that alone should’ve been enough to pull the trigger.

Edouard isn’t going to be around forever, and Toney appeared to be an ideal like-for-like successor in the long run, so Celtic could be feeling this one for years to come.

AND in other news, Forget Lennon: Only one figure is to blame for putting 10IAR legacy in DANGER…

Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly about to revisit the Serie A in pursuit of their next signing…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato.it, the north Londoners are one of the teams keeping tabs on the future of Fiorentina colossus Nikola Milenkovic ahead of a potential move.

It’s claimed that the 23-year-old isn’t keen to renew his current contract in Florence with it set to expire in 18 months – with Spurs, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid hot on his heels, he could leave the club sooner rather than later.

London rivals West Ham United were in firm talks to sign the Serbian international during the summer, but David Sullivan baulked at their asking price of £25m plus £10m in add-ons, as per Jim White.

Better than Skriniar?

The Italian top-flight is evidently a hot-bed for defensive talent right now and Spurs have been here before, also during the latest window when they failed to secure a move for Inter’s Milan Skriniar.

Chief scout Steve Hitchen met with the Serie A giants but was unprepared to fork out €60m (£54m) upfront, according to Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio.

Well, that may have turned out to be a masterstroke as La Viola’s 6 foot 5 man-mountain has been the better performer this season.

In comparison to Skriniar, Milenkovic has averaged more tackles (2.2), interceptions (2.2), blocks (1.5) and aerial duels won (3.5) per game. He has even conceded fewer fouls (1.2) and has both scored and assisted this term, via WhoScored.

The Inter Milan star hasn’t even recorded a tackle in the league this season.

Given his nationality and imposing stature, the colossal defender has been likened to Nemanja Vidic, though journalist Dejan Stankovic believes he’s even more than that.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field. He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

His former boss at Partizan, Ivan Tomic, speaks in a very similar nature about Milenkovic too, adding: “Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him.”

He could be available for slightly cheaper than Skirniar and he’s performed much better. This seems like a no-brainer for Daniel Levy to make this January – even after the addition of Joe Rodon.

AND in other news, Mourinho may regret the failure to land £18m brute who’s shades of Drogba…

Will Grigg has seen a dark shadow cast over his future with Sunderland, after owner Stewart Donald agreed to sell the Black Cats to a consortium led by Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

What’s the word?

According to The Guardian, Sartori and Louis-Dreyfus were behind the undisclosed offer Donald accepted two weeks ago to sell Sunderland, after putting the Stadium of Light natives up for sale at the start of the year.

Sartori, who currently owns 20% of the Black Cats and sits on the board, was behind the drive to bring Louis-Dreyfus on board, having made initial contact with the 22-year-old son of former Marseille owner Robert – who is estimated to have a trust fund worth more than £2billion – six months ago.

Donald will retain 15% of his shares once the deal is closed, which is expected to be completed in the next fortnight, while former Chief Executive Charlie Methven will also keep hold of his 5%.

Sunderland currently sit sixth in the League One table ahead of facing MK Dons at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, just four-points behind third-tier leaders Peterborough and with a game in hand.

Exit looming

With Sunderland set to be under new control, the Black Cats future of a number of manager Phil Parkinson’s fringe players will come under increasing threat as the North East giants strive to acquire a higher calibre of player in order to surge back through the divisions.

Grigg will be among those who now find themselves looking over their shoulders in the months to come, having struggled to leave his mark on the current campaign with no goals to his name after just five outings across all competitions.

Parkinson was adamant back in the summer that Grigg would be afforded a key role for Sunderland this season, having seen Charlie Wyke’s form and Danny Graham’s Black Cats reunion result in the former Northern Ireland international’s game time being dramatically reduced.

“In terms of Griggy, he’s come back in terrific shape, he started the season OK and was a bit unlucky not to get a goal.” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo.

“There’ll be a time when he’s back in the team, I’m sure, and he’s got a big part to play.”

Parkinson’s belief is yet to be proven true, with Grigg starting just one of his three League One appearances for a total 112 minutes on the field to date. His output is far from fitting of a player Sunderland signed for £4m in 2019 and awarded a £6,000-per-week contract to.

Grigg’s continued decline since signing with Sunderland has seen his market value drop drastically, too, yet he still remains the Black Cats’ second-most valuable asset at £1.08m, per TransferMarkt.

Swindon Town and MK Dons were claimed to have been interested in a deal to sign Grigg in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, and Sunderland may now hope clubs such as those look fondly on the forward who may see his future come under increasing doubt in the weeks and months to come.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson must prioritise taking a chance on an “excellent” yet rarely-seen Sunderland gem.

Peter Lawwell can deliver Celtic their next Virgil van Dijk in Philadelphia Union’s “unbelievable” enforcer Mark McKenzie.

What’s the word?

While speaking with MLS Soccer, Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner has confirmed that his Major League Soccer side are being proactive ahead of the winter market with interest building in McKenzie’s services.

The 21-year-old USA international has been linked with a potential move to Parkhead after the Hoops requested to be kept informed on the youngster’s situation this summer, with McKenzie keen to secure a move to Europe.

Celtic prioritised the arrival of a new full-back in the off-season, but were eager to bolster Neil Lennon’s central options in search of a tenth Premiership title in a row after Jozo Simunovic’s exit.

Philadelphia are believed to value McKenzie at less than £1million with his current contract set to expire in 2022, and are now actively searching for replacements.

“At this moment, there is nothing on the table,” Tanner said. “But we are not blind, we can’t wait until something comes, we’ll do our homework and always look for replacements.”

Celtic’s next VVD

Lawwell striking a deal with Philadelphia Union to sign McKenzie in January could see Celtic land their next Van Dijk, with the USMNT defender lauded as an “unbelievable” centre-half for his ability to stop opposing forwards.

Van Dijk spent two years at Parkhead before joining Southampton in 2015, helping the Hoops to clinch the 2013/14 and 14/15 Premiership titles and the 2014/15 Scottish League Cup.

He has gone on to become one of the top defenders in his position and was named as UEFA’s best player in Europe in 2019 after supporting Liverpool’s backline to the 2018/19 Champions League, before clinching a first Premier League trophy last season.

The 29-year-old’s ability to thwart attacks is one of the aspects that makes the Dutchman stand out from the rest, with just eight players able to dribble past the Reds’ £75m brute in three years of Premier League football heading into the current campaign.

Union boss Jim Curtin has lavished similar praise on McKenzie in the past, noting: “Mark was unbelievable again. He doesn’t seem to get beat.

“He’s fast when he needs to be, his passing, his stepping into midfield, winning balls, also connecting his passes, playing through the lines, he’s playing at a level not many CBs can play at.”

McKenzie started all 26 of his appearances across 2020 as Philadelphia Union reached the MLS Play-Offs, helping to 10 clean sheets with 4.1 clearances, 1.8 interceptions, 1.6 successful tackles, 2.4 ground duels won, 2.0 aerial duels won and 35.5 accurate passes per game, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, Peter Lawwell risks another Lennoxtown revolt if a 63-year-old boss comes to Celtic.

David Sullivan must sanction a new contract for Tomas Soucek amid claims Bayern Munich are interested in signing the West Ham United midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Hammers are set to present Soucek with a bumper new deal to ward off any potential approach from Bayern Munich following the Czech Republic international’s stellar start to life at the London Stadium.

The Irons have been mightily impressed by how Soucek has adapted to the Premier League since joining on an initial loan deal last winter, with the 25-year-old arriving from Slavia Prague having never previously played for a club outside of his native country.

Soucek only penned a £67,308-per-week, three-year contract in the summer after West Ham turned his temporary spell permanent for £19.1million, yet club chiefs are already in discussions with his agent over a potential pay rise as his reputation only continues to grow.

Bayern Munich and a clutch of European clubs are said to be monitoring the Czech Player of the Year, who has scored three goals in 12 Premier League games this season as one of just four players to have played all 1,080 minutes under David Moyes so far.

Sullivan must sanction a deal

While Soucek only penned his current terms in July, Sullivan should see no reason to not sanction West Ham chiefs to offer the midfielder a bumper new deal that better matches his importance to Moyes.

Soucek currently ranks as the seventh-highest earner at the London Stadium with Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini each paid greater sums, despite the pair featuring for just 97 and 62 minutes in the Premier League respectively thus far this term.

The Czech box-to-box titan is pivotal on the pitch beyond his goals which have directly influenced two wins, too, as only winger Jarrod Bowen (30) has registered more shots than Soucek (23) in the top-flight this season, while directing the third-most on target (seven) behind strikers Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller (nine), per WhoScored.

Soucek, who Moyes lauds as a player who has made an impact since joining in January and believes is “beginning to blossom”, also ranks first by a clear margin for aerial duels contended (116) and won (65), is second only to Vladimir Coufal for successful tackles (21), is third for interceptions (16) and fourth for clearances (28).

Moyes would likely have never imagined Soucek making such an impact when brought to the club last winter, and must urge Sullivan to ignore the potential payday selling the midfielder would bring with the CIES Observatory valuing the 30-cap gem at €50m (£45m).

AND in other news, a £27m-rated West Ham dud is playing on borrowed time after a shocking showing at Leeds United.

A seven-goal thriller unfolded at Elland Road this evening as Leeds United hit top-flight rivals Newcastle for five in a tense Premier League battle.

Despite Steve Bruce’s side doing well to cancel out the Whites’ first two goals, their fluid attack proved to be too much for the opposition defence.

Not only did Leeds bank five goals, but they all came from different goal-scorers, which will be a great boost for the team’s confidence.

Jack Harrison seriously impressed by scoring and creating a goal, but one man who went under the radar with a creative showing was Raphinha.

Raphinha excels

The right-winger may not have got himself on the scoresheet or provided an assist, but his ability to create chances really helped Leeds secure their emphatic win tonight.

According to Sofascore, Raphinha completed 100% of his attempted dribbles and long balls, and also made two interceptions and two tackles.

Not only did he cause problems for the defence, but he also helped contribute to his own, striking a perfect balance between his attacking and defensive input.

As it stands, Leeds have three recognised right-wingers on their senior roster – Ian Poveda, plus summer signings Raphinha and Helder Costa have been competing for a spot in Marcelo Bielsa’s starting lineup.

The latter started the first eight games of the season before he started dropping to the bench in favour of his Brazilian teammate.

The 24-year-old signing has made a huge impact already and has impressed the likes of Phil Hay. The journalist lauded him for being a “bargain” signing after he joined from Rennes in October for £17m.

This win is a huge result for the Whites, who have now leapfrogged today’s opposition thanks to their hefty 5-2 scoreline. Their next match will be against Manchester United on Sunday, which will be a big hurdle to clear for the newly-promoted club.

In other news, Carlton Palmer fears Robin Koch injury is “massive blow” to Leeds…

David Moyes must wield the axe on Issa Diop and bench the French defender for Craig Dawson when West Ham United visit Chelsea on Monday night.

The Hammers won on their last trip to Stamford Bridge but have found results hard to secure in south west London in recent years, with last season’s victory snapping a run of 14 winless visits.

Chelsea will be expected to put up a firm defence of their record when the two sides meet to round off the pre-Christmas fixtures, as Frank Lampard’s men strive to avoid a third-straight Premier League defeat that has seen the Blues fall outside of the guaranteed European positions and sit just a point above the Hammers.

Moyes fielding Diop at Stamford Bridge would threaten West Ham’s chances of taking a result on Monday night, after the 23-year-old struggled on his return to the starting line-up in place of the injured Fabian Balbuena at home to Crystal Palace.

It was the first time since September that Diop opened a top-flight fixture having lost his place in the side after testing positive for coronavirus, and showed clear signs of rustiness as Christian Benteke had his way before being shown a second yellow card.

Chelsea forwards Olivier Giroud, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic would be licking their lips at the prospect of attacking Diop, should he produce a similar affair, with their pace and knack for attacking the box enough to leave the Frenchman in a spin.

Moyes can ill-afford to see a key piece of his plans be targeted in such a way, and must unleash Watford loanee Dawson for his West Ham debut to bring a sense of leadership into the line should Balbuena not be passed fit with further checks needed.

Dawson has been named among the substitutes for the Irons’ last two top-fight fixtures after being overlooked in the opening months of his time in claret and blue, but is yet to step foot onto the field since penning a one-year loan deal that features a £2million option to buy.

Moyes favoured Dawson on the bench over Diop against Leeds United last week before Balbuena’s injury, as he sought to offer the Watford man his first experience of being in a West Ham matchday squad.

“Dawson’s more vocal than Diop,” ExWHUemployee explained on the West Ham Way Podcast. “[Moyes] thought, if he needed a centre-back to come on, he could have put [Ben] Johnson on and put [Aaron] Cresswell at centre-back.

“He obviously had [Declan] Rice that could play there as well. So he only wanted either Dawson or Diop and he went to give Dawson a bit of experience of the first-team.”

Moyes must now go one step further and bench Diop to field Dawson, who helped Watford keep four clean sheets in his 29 Premier League appearances last season thanks to 3.8 clearances, 1.2 interceptions, 1.0 successful tackle and 5.0 duels won, while being dribbled past just 0.5 times a game, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a £67k-p/w West Ham dud’s torturous midweek display proved why he cannot be trusted vs Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur advanced into the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday evening thanks to goals from Moussa Sissoko and Heung-min Son.

Jose Mourinho now has the chance to win the competition for a fifth time with one of the two Manchester clubs advancing later tonight.

Spurs’ French central midfielder headed home superbly from a deep Sergio Reguilon cross just 12 minutes into the match and after the visitors, Brentford, had a goal ruled out for offside, Son broke free to score a trademark goal midway through the second half.

The north London outfit haven’t won a piece of silverware since 2008, so arguably this is their best shot to buck that trend.

Sissoko received Man of the Match on Sky Sports and was even lauded as a “manager’s dream” by Darren Bent before kick-off [19:16 pm], but it felt as if there were far more worthy candidates to receive the award.

Perhaps none more so than Serge Aurier, who looked back to his best after a recent spell out.

The 28-year-old, who cost Spurs £23m back in 2018, was hooked early during Spurs’ embarrassing defeat to Leicester City and was only recalled to the side following Matt Doherty’s red card against Leeds at the weekend.

And he duly delivered.

Per SofaScore, the Ivorian right-back enjoyed more touches than any other Whites player (87) and did his defensive duties immensely, managing five tackles, one clearance, one block and one interception.

Alasdair Gold at football.london waxed lyrical about Aurier’s display too, grading the Spurs star an eight out of ten, he said:

“A bit wayward in the first half with his play but made a terrific block to deny Toney in the Spurs box. Moments later, he skied an effort over himself from a good position in the Brentford area. Defended well for much of the game.”

Indeed, he was a little wasteful in possession, losing the ball 20 times but overall, it was a storming showing from Aurier and one that certainly puts his name back on the map amid links to PSG and speculation over a fresh contract in north London.

After dropping the £120k-per-week beast for Doherty just a few games ago, Mourinho now faces a massive headache going into this weekend’s FA Cup clash with non-league Marine.

Does he stick or twist? Does he bring in a youth player instead? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, FRESH blow a MASSIVE cause for concern for Spurs boss Jose Mourinho…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is thought to be interested in bringing Eder Militao to north London, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The ‘Special One’ wants central defensive reinforcements during the January transfer window, which is hardly a surprise given his lack of faith in Davinson Sanchez, who has been snubbed from his Premier League starting XI 11 times, and Joe Rodon, who was signed as one for the future.

Over at Real Madrid, the Brazillian centre-back just isn’t getting regular game time under Zinedine Zidane having featured for only 224 minutes this term.

Despite costing the La Liga giants €50m (£45m) from Porto, Militao is still fourth-choice, so a switch to Spurs could prove to be beneficial for all involved.

And we’ve already seen first-hand how successful that can be when Daniel Levy clinched the signing of Sergio Reguilon out of nowhere.

In September, the 23-year-old flew into north London on the chairman’s private jet alongside Gareth Bale, who himself sealed a sensational return to the club.

He cost a total of £32m, as per Sky Sports, and has arguably been one of Spurs’ players of the season alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Spaniard is the only player not named Harry Kane or Heung-min Son to record more than one assist, and is averaging 1.8 tackles per game in the Premier League, which shows he’s doing his defensive duties just as well too, via WhoScored.

In reality, Mourinho didn’t really need Reguilon as they had Ben Davies, Ryan Sessegnon and Danny Rose under contract and in some ways, it’s a similar situation in the middle as he isn’t really light on options.

But when a player of Militao’s quality is reportedly available, then you cannot turn your nose up at him so if Levy was to move, he’d be repeating this exact masterstroke.

Barcelona superstar and Madrid arch-rival Lionel Messi dubbed the £104k-per-week beast a “phenomenal talent and a fierce competitor” to Give Me Sport.

That’s as glowing of an endorsement as you’ll ever get.

The 22-year-old defender is averaging more tackles (2.2) and interceptions (1.9) per game throughout his career than either of Mourinho’s first-choice pairing, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld, this season – so clearly he’d be a welcome alternative in the role.

Spurs could find themselves another Reguilon with a swoop for the £27m-rated gem.

AND in other news, 16% duels won: Spurs must think twice on pathetic £30m star, Mourinho surely fuming…

Leeds have endured a rather rocky start to the New Year.

With three successive defeats, utilising the transfer window to strengthen their armoury would certainly not be a bad idea.

What’s the word?

Given what happened with Dan James and Jean-Kevin Augustin in the last two years, it would be surprising if Leeds were very active in the market this month.

However, with Marcelo Bielsa’s men currently struggling for creativity, they’ve been urged to sign a player currently at Manchester United.

Speaking to talkSPORT radio (16/01/21), former footballer Gabby Agbonlahor suggested that Victor Orta’s recruitment team should move for none other than Jesse Lingard.

He said: “You can’t rely on one player [Phillips]. You have to have someone that can fill in, so you’d have to look in the transfer window. Watching the midfield today, you got outrun.

“Struijk wasn’t very good for me. I’ll throw a name out there that you might agree with, or not. Jesse Lingard, I feel like he could be a good addition to the Leeds squad – get him on loan for six months.”

Depending on the terms of the deal, it could be an expensive one given the midfielder is on £75k-per-week at Old Trafford.

Bring him to Elland Road

On paper, signing Lingard doesn’t look like a complete masterstroke. This is a player who hasn’t played at all in the Premier League this term, and someone who only found the net in the top-flight once last season.

Furthermore, Leeds have seen first hand a bad experience of the 28-year-old. Lingard has started just once against the Whites in his career but in that game, he was utterly abysmal, being torn apart by a rampant Leeds side who won 4-0 in 2013.

He failed to complete a single dribble and fired two efforts off target as Sam Byram completely dominated him – winning three aerial duels and three tackles on Leeds’ right-hand side.

On that evidence alone, he’d offer very little to this squad, but judging him by one game wouldn’t be fair on the player and pivotally, he has plenty of experience at the top level and has previously thrived in the highest division and on the international stage.

Lingard was a key figure when England reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, helping himself to eight goals and five assists in the league during the build-up to that tournament.

Clearly, his levels have dropped in recent years, but that’s likely more through a lack of football than anything else.

Leeds failed to create a single big chance against Brighton, with Luke Ayling amassing the most key passes on the field for the Whites and they evidently need someone who can come in and create.

Judging by Pablo Hernandez’s two starts in the Premier League, Bielsa doesn’t trust him and consequently, new recruits are needed.

Lingard is assured with his passing – averaging a career success rate of 86.7%, which for context is higher than both Mateusz Klich (81.2%) and Hernandez (76.8). Furthermore, he’s also got a higher success rate than club-record signing Rodrigo (74.8%).

Described as a “unique” individual by Michael Carrick, perhaps the Man United midfielder could be the recruit they need to finally break down a low block.

Possessing more Premier League knowledge than anyone in the Leeds squad – 133 appearances – his experience could be exactly what Bielsa requires in order to establish his side in the top-flight. Thus, they should look to sign him if the chance arrives. Leeds simply have to find more creativity from somewhere.

Dare we say it, given his position, he might even stop Hernandez’s Leeds career in its tracks.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodrigo: Leeds must swoop for £30m dynamo who “lacks absolutely nothing”…