All posts by n8rngtd.top

Paulo Dybala to Tottenham Hotspur. It’s that time again, folks…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the £45m-rated Juventus star has been offered to several Premier League teams ahead of the January transfer window, including to Spurs once again.

Dybala came close to joining the north Londoners in 2019 before image rights proved to be the major stumbling block preventing a record-breaking deal.

With the 27-year-old entering the final 18 months of his contract in Turin, his representatives have been in contact with England’s ‘big six,’ though it’s also claimed that the Serie A champions would like to tie him down to an extension.

Resist the urge, Levy…

And perhaps Spurs should let them do it.

Since the summer, Dybala has gone from superstar to a faltering flop – he has bagged just one goal in 569 minutes of action in all competitions, leading to scathing criticism in the Italian press.

Just this weekend, La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed he was “slow and useless” during their win over Torino, in which Dybala started alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in attack, whilst Corriere della Sera compared him to a “vintage player” for being “too slow” (via JuveFC).

It wasn’t too long ago that the Argentinian international was being compared to the late Maradona by Juventus legend Michel Platini. Even Alessandro del Piero dubbed him a player of “extraordinary quality.”

But clearly, things haven’t gone to plan in 2020 for the former Levy target. Indeed, Spurs dodged a massive bullet then, and they should look to snub his advances this time around, no matter how tempting it’ll be.

It is not like Jose Mourinho’s league-leaders even need a player of stature anymore either, he’d merely be another Erik Lamela, especially with his recent injury record (he has missed 57 days of action since last season alone).

The Portuguese boss secured a new back-up to Harry Kane in Carlos Vinicius whilst Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele have finally emerged as potential options in the hole.

Despite his struggles this term, the Italian giants would undoubtedly still want a huge fee for his signature and that is not something worth risking on Levy’s part.

AND in other news, Forget Kane and Son, £85k-p/w titan ran the show vs the Gunners…

Liverpool could find a perfect partner for Virgil van Dijk in Lille starlet Sven Botman.

Michael Edwards masterclass

Since Jurgen Klopp’s arrival as manager at Anfield, the recruitment on the red half of Merseyside has been nigh-on perfect. The Reds’ big-money signings have all paid off, and their cheaper investments have also bore fruit, leading to a Champions League and Premier League title in the last two seasons.

Van Dijk has been the Reds’ undisputed number one centre-back, and Klopp has somewhat struggled to settle on his prefered partner for the Dutchman, with Joel Matip and Joe Gomez still not yet nailing down a place.

Now, Foot Mercato claim that Liverpool have been in touch with Botman’s agent, as they eye up a potential move for the 20-year-old. If they can pull it off, it would be the latest Michael Edwards masterclass.

Imagine him and Van Dijk

Standing at 6 foot 4, Botman is a physically imposing defender, much like his Dutch compatriot Van Dijk. Described as someone who is emerging as a “leader” by his boss at Lille, the centre-back has produced some superb performances this season for the French side.

He was particularly superb in a 3-0 win over Serie A giants Milan, who boasted Zlatan Ibrahimovic as their starting striker on the night. And Botman absolutely bullied the Swedish legend.

He earned rave reviews from the media for his performance, and when you look at the stats, it’s no surprise why. As per Sofascore, he made two interceptions, blocked one shot and made three clearances, whilst Ibrahimovic could manage just 14 passes in the entire game and was promptly hooked after an hour.

Getting Botman to line up alongside Van Dijk could give Liverpool the foundations of the most dominant central defensive partnership in the Premier League, and one Klopp would surely love.

One of Sam Allardyce’s former signings wants a reunion with him at West Brom, though if the Baggies have any sense, they’ll stay well clear…

What’s the word?

Speaking to ‘The Beautiful Game’ podcast earlier this week, ex-Everton frontman Oumar Niasse issued a ‘come-and-get-me’ plea to his old boss, Big Sam,  he still remains without a club.

The 30-year-old said:

“I’m always on the phone with my agent. Big Sam is a guy I’ve worked with and we had a good relationship in his time at Everton.

“When he was appointed West Brom manager, it’s kind of something open. Right now the only thing on my mind is, if I get to a team in England, the opportunity to get on the pitch and to do exactly what I’ve been missing all this time.

“I know with Big Sam I have a good relationship, as I said. He knows how I am, he knows me personally. That can be a very good thing and, to be honest, I’m open.”

Continuing the trend

Niasse has been out of work ever since his release from the Toffees in the summer, meaning he’s not featured in a competitive fixture since a two-minute cameo last January. That’s nearly a year without playing.

His record in the top-flight is hardly inspiring, and certainly doesn’t suggest to him being the solution to their problems in front of the net – in 65 appearances, the Senegalese striker has scored only 12 goals, via Transfermarkt.

At the Hawthorns, they never seem to get the attacking department right and Luke Dowling isn’t going to buck that trend if he allows Niasse to sign on a free, nearly five years after costing Everton £16.5m amid interest from even the likes of Spurs and Chelsea.

Kenneth Zohore, Victor Anichebe, Rickie Lambert to name just a few examples. Though, a move for Niasse could bear similarities to Brown Ideye, who struggled big time in the Midlands, scoring seven goals from 31 appearances after a record-breaking £10m move.

Neither Niasse nor Ideye are your typical Big Sam target man, but rather someone adept in playing off the bigger striker and that’s just not something Albion have in their armoury right now.

Whilst at Everton, the free-agent was slammed by Noel Whelan, he said to Football Insider:

“As a player, to say no to playing Championship football is a foolish mistake. He’s going sit there rotting away, doing nothing. A real opportunity missed in my opinion and kind of stubborn, a stubborn attitude from probably a spoiled player who’s spat his dummy out. Go and play your football, go and ply your trade, go and prove people wrong.”

A stark contrast to U23 boss David Unsworth calling his attitude “incredible” and that he is “just infectious,” whilst Big Sam was always a fan at Goodison.

Dowling must look for better if he’s to give Allardyce a genuine chance of survival at West Brom.

AND in other news, Allardyce heading for FIRST Baggies mistake if he signs £26m “liability”…

According to reports, Aston Villa defender Bjorn Engels could be set for an exit from the club in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The centre-back has yet to play a single minute of competitive football this season for Dean Smith’s side, with injuries takings its toll on the 26-year-old.

Now, Belgian publication Voetbalkrant claim that he is likely to depart this month, and that he could potentially return to boyhood club Club Brugge in his native Belgium.

Villa have to sell him

With the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause all ahead of him in the pecking order, it just seems the smart move on Villa’s part to cut their losses on Engels.

The £55k-a-week wages he is on is a lot of money for a side like Villa to be paying, especially when you consider he isn’t anywhere near the first-team picture at the moment.

Smith appears to have found his favoured central defensive partnership in Mings and Konsa, and when the former was injured, Hause stepped in and didn’t miss a beat.

Villa certainly could do with a bit more depth in the position, especially if they suffer any more injuries. But Engels isn’t someone who they should be looking to rely upon, and if Brugge’s interest is firmed up with a bid this January, then Johan Lange simply has to take it.

The likes of Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens won’t want to be paying good for a money who isn’t part of the plan. And given Engels cost £9m to sign, and has been on £55k-a-week since, he’s cost the club a whopping £13.1m in total fees. Villa simply have to get rid.

Many Liverpool fans let rip at former Premier League striker Darren Bent after comments he made about Anfield star Mohamed Salah.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said that the 28-year-old is developing an attitude problem and believes he is not happy on Merseyside.

Looking at how Salah has been performing this season, he has had ten shots on goal and provided three key passes in the past four games, despite not scoring any goals (Whoscored), suggesting he is still having an impact in matches.

The Egyptian has also scored 13 goals in 16 starts for Liverpool, the highest in the Premier League so far this season and he is therefore in line to secure his third Golden Boot in four years.

With this in mind, supporters questioned Bent’s structure to his argument and wanted this “narrative” to be brought to a close as soon as possible.

Fans fume at Bent

“TalkSport is a vehicle for football-related fan provocation. There is nothing to suggest Mo is unsettled at LFC. Write him off at your peril.”

Credit: @BrothersRed5

“Remind me what has Darren Bent ever done? I’m guessing it’s a short answer!!”

Credit: @Tony10Hill

“Darren Bent is literally not fit to comment on Salah. They couldn’t be further apart in terms of ability and attitude. Classic British media where they love to take digs at people who are struggling. Then come the #bekind type comments lol”

Credit: @Surjb

“Why are you giving Darren Bent the time to spout out this nonsense, he was a lazy no mark of a player and will say anything to be in the press!”

Credit: @makin_david

“Beyond embarrassing what some of these ex-pros come out with. Not a single thing wrong with Salah’s body language.”

Credit: @TaylorBrown98

“Just look at Darren Bent. Doesn’t score a goal in a few games… Crisis”

Credit: @R_O_N16

“Omg I’m tired of this narrative. Pack it up”

Credit: @itsmeheauxxx

In other news, Huge boost for Liverpool as 6 ft 3 star reveals behind the scenes footage; Beckenbauer loves him.

Five of the starting line-up that beat Crystal Palace on Tuesday night were players West Ham United have signed since the appointment of David Moyes. One, though, in Tomas Soucek, will make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to pick apart.

Soucek was the absolute star of the show as the Hammers comfortably beat the Eagles 3-2, on a night the scoreline would have been far wider had Michail Antonio not squandered a hat-trick’s worth of chances to fire past Vincente Guaita.

Instead, the Irons were indebted to Soucek for guiding them to glory over their London rivals with a brace as he took his tally for the season to seven, with what has become a trademark late run and a powerful header from the Czech Republic international.

Soucek does not do anything overly fancy or try to go on a dazzling 40-yard dribble past half a dozen players like a stereotypical Brazilian in their prime. Instead, the 25-year-old excels at anticipating where a chance is going to come from and pre-empting the path of the ball to ensure he glides in, often unnoticed, to the right place at the right time.

His ability to reach the ball at the optimum moment against Palace left Moyes rightfully impressed with his £19m summer capture, who the former Manchester United boss was never going to let leave the London Stadium after his initial loan spell for any reason other than relegation.

“He has done brilliantly since he came to the country, it was this time last year when we signed him, and to come in and hit the ground running in the Premier League is really difficult at any time,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london, following Tuesday’s win.

“I can’t put him in a Steven Gerard mould but midfielders who can get into the box and score goals is a great thing and Tomas is that. He’s a wee bit old-fashioned in many ways but his attitude and commitment to the team is second to none. He is a joy to work with.”

But for how long Moyes can enjoy working with Soucek remains to be seen, as the Czech Republic international’s exploits will be sure to make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to circle and not just those looking to sign the supposed cherry of Frank Lampard’s eye Declan Rice.

Reports have already emerged in recent months suggesting Bayern Munich and a clutch of European outfits are now monitoring Soucek’s situation following his sublime first year in claret and blue, as he went from an unknown quantity to a pivotal part of a top Premier League side.

West Ham would be nine points worse off were it not for the goals that Soucek has scored in the league this season, with the £27m-rated beast’s strike in defeat to Manchester United the only effort to have not returned a win or a draw thus far.

Soucek offers far more than just goals, too, with Vladimir Coufal (45) and Rice (38) the only members of Moyes’ squad to have recorded a greater number of successful tackles (37) in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

Rice is also the only one to intercept the ball more often (39) than Soucek (29), as the pair sniff out danger before it can threaten Lukasz Fabianski’s goal and dictate how West Ham operate with the second (975) and third-most (808) total passes, only behind Aaron Cresswell (984).

Moyes should fittingly be lauded for his masterclass in polishing the diamond that Soucek has become in his year in east London, but the midfielder he lauds for being “brilliant” will soon put the Scot’s resolve to the test when offers no doubt come flooding in thick and fast from Europe’s elite.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s links to £7m-rated striker…

Whatever position you hold at Celtic right now, you are under fire. Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has some huge decisions to make while increasing scrutiny is falling on the shoulders of Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell.

Despite their frailties in recent months, they now need Nick Hammond to step up.

The Hoops are still yet to do any business which considering their 20 point gap to Rangers is particularly alarming.

Improving a defence that have leaked 11 more goals than the Gers is of utmost importance but adding extra goals definitely wouldn’t go amiss.

They could find that in Bodo/Glimt striker Kasper Junker. The Dane was linked with a switch to Parkhead last month and in recent weeks it has been revealed that he would be open to leaving the Norwegian club behind.

Indeed, if Hammond was able to lure him to Glasgow then it would be an outstanding piece of business, a deal to potentially turn Celtic’s fortunes around for the better.

Of course, Celtic have Odsonne Edouard in their ranks at the moment but with Lennon preferring a two-prong attack, a goal-scoring sensation such as Junker would add a frightening extra layer to their play in the final third.

You only need to look at Junker’s stats from the 2020 campaign. He racked up 27 strikes – just one less than Edouard’s tally last season – while the attacker also amassed 11 assists.

Remarkably, that all came in just 28 appearances. Junker has been so fearsome that he’s scored 15 games in his last nine outings.

He is as prolific as they come but would offer a very different threat to Celtic’s French sensation. That’s because Junker is left-footed, scoring 25 of his strikes with that part of his body.

Thus, there becomes an even greater need to pair the two of them together. Just imagine how defenders would struggle to cope. On one side, you’d have Edouard causing problems on his right but on the other Junker would be terrorising the opposition on his left.

It would be a terrifying duo, one surely capable of lifting Celtic from their rut. Scoring isn’t their biggest problem but it speaks volumes when only Edouard and Mo Elyounoussi have more than five goals this term.

Improvement in the final third is required, therefore, and Junker would undoubtedly benefit that cause. Rangers have netted 12 more in the league than Celtic this season so bringing in added goals would certainly help to bridge the gap and put the Bhoys on the path to revival.

He simply has to be considered as a signing this month.

AND in other news, Desmond could kickstart Celtic by hiring 44 y/o, he’s a coach that “Rodgers loves”…

Seamus Coleman’s horror show of an afternoon in defeat to Newcastle United let Carlo Ancelotti down on Saturday.

The Republic of Ireland international was gifted a return to the Toffees starting line-up for the visit of Steve Bruce’s Toon to Goodison Park, but struggled to match the pace of the game as he continues to find his way back from a hamstring injury.

Coleman had only started one of the Blues’ last five top-flight fixtures and played just five minutes in their last two, as Mason Holgate held down the role having excelled over the festive period as cover at full-back.

Newcastle continually looked the side in control at Goodison Park throughout Saturday’s meeting, despite travelling to Merseyside without a win in 11 games across all competitions, with Everton void of ideas in a flat performance from Ancelotti’s side.

The result sees Everton remain seventh in the table and fail to capitalise on a chance to move ahead of Liverpool in fourth, while now only winning just two of their last eight home league fixtures this season.

Coleman’s presence rarely looked likely to yield a route into the game for Everton, with it not until after Callum Wilson broke the deadlock for the visitors that the £70,000-per-week gem delivered a threatening ball into the Magpies box.

Not long after and it was from Coleman’s side of the field that Newcastle were able to double their advantage, with Jamal Lewis able to hit on the counter and find Wilson alone in the box to fire past Jordan Pickford again.

Coleman never seemed to have Lewis or any of his opponent’s numbers on Saturday, as he ended the game with a miserable return of success in just one of five duels having been beaten on the ground in each of his three contests and once in the air, per SofaScore.

Lewis, for Newcastle, won two of his three ground duels and was able to deliver five crosses into the box, which could have proved to be more dangerous on another day with four failing to find a teammate in black and white.

Outside of the duel, Coleman could only offer three clearances as he sought to keep things simple in efforts to protect Pickford’s goal, having failed to record a single successful tackle or an interception, with United regularly able to find a way around the 32-year-old.

Ancelotti never saw Coleman successfully bring possession out from the back or down the wing, either, with the defender failing to complete his only attempted dribble. Helping to see that he only produced two crosses into Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and earn SofaScore’s lowest match rating out of anyone on the pitch at 6.2 out of 10.

Holgate will have been frustrated to see Coleman struggle in his place, with the 24-year-old having recorded one tackle, interception and four clearances while winning two of five ground duels in last week’s 1-1 draw with Leicester.

Ancelotti will now have to debate his options when Everton visit Leeds on Wednesday night, hoping to extend the Toffees run of form on the road with a fourth-straight win.

AND in other news, a £120k-p/w Everton maestro has been tipped to secure a £4.5m move this month…

Leeds United were dealt yet another Premier League loss after a narrow defeat stumped them on the road on Friday night – a freak own goal from Illan Meslier and Patrick Bamford’s offside call meant the Whites return to Elland Road without a result.

The striker has aired his frustrations on Twitter and fans are just as frustrated that Leeds couldn’t come away with at least a point.

Not everything was a disaster for the Championship winners, though.

Raphinha – who is rapidly becoming a key part of this team – once again shone in attack for the Whites.

How did Raphina do v Wolves?

Since signing on a £60k-per-week contract in the summer, the Brazilian winger has been a force to be reckoned with. He is already attracting attention from other clubs, with Liverpool and Manchester United both keeping tabs on him.

Raphinha has notched four goals and five assists in the Premier League so far this season, as per Transfermarkt. Although he was on the losing side, his performance against Wolves was one that Bielsa will be very impressed with.

According to SofaScore, the speedster created three big chances to score and also made an impressive six key passes. This is more than any other player on the pitch at Molineux, home or away, which just shows how dangerous he was when stretching the Wolves backline.

Raphinha also completed three of his eight attempted dribbles and even contributed heavily to the more defensive side of things. The 24-year-old put in three tackles, four interceptions and four clearances – hugely impressive numbers for a winger who loves to get in on the goalscoring action.

For context, his tackling returns were only bettered by the Whites’ central defensive duo of Luke Ayling and skipper Liam Cooper, while no other visiting player managed as many interceptions, via SofaScore.

An industrious return indeed, and perhaps Bielsa’s only silver lining on what was a hugely frustrating night.

Raphinha is integral to this Leeds side, and many can already see this. Speaking on Soccer Saturday, Paul Merson recently waxed lyrical about the summer recruit and claimed that he “does everything right” when in action. via This Is Futbol.

If Leeds can keep hold of Raphinha in the summer, they will have a serious attacking threat for years to come.

In other news, Cryptic Pablo Hernandez Instagram post could spell trouble…

David Moyes must address Jarrod Bowen’s concerning rate of regression with the West Ham United forward on a persistent decline this season.

Bowen has proven to be a crucial cog in the Irons system all term, with the former Hull City winger featuring in all 26 Premier League fixtures and starting 23 of his outings to date.

Only Tomas Soucek (8) and Michail Antonio (7) have also scored more often in the top-flight for the Irons than Bowen (5), who is without a goal in his last seven appearances and is bordering on his longest drought all campaign – eight games.

And, off the ball, Bowen is beginning to flounder and he was benched for Pablo Fornals to take his place on the right-flank against Manchester City on Saturday. The energetic Spaniard shone at the Etihad Stadium to emerge as the Hammer’s silver lining in the 2-1 defeat.

Bowen’s defensive decline also concerns Kevin Phillips, with Wyscout data (as cited by Football Insider) showing that only three players across Europe’s top-five leagues allow the opposition to make a higher number of progressive passes than the £25m-rated maestro.

In a side that Moyes prides on its defensive discipline, Phillips does not believe there is room for Bowen to be carried by the likes of right-back Vladimir Coufal and midfield star Declan Rice.

“Stats don’t lie,” the 1999/2000 European Golden Boot winner told Football Insider. “In possession, he’s great. But ultimately, out of possession, you’ve got to know your positions, you’ve got to know when to press, you’ve got to know where to show someone and where not to show them.

“If you don’t get it quite right at this level, you get punished. It’s no surprise because he’s more of an offensive player, defending is not his main duty. But we all know that nowadays you’ve got to be able to do both.

“So that will be an area they’ll want to improve. These coaches know that. They’ll look at the stats. It’s certainly an area that he needs to learn, the young kid. That will get better as time goes on, particularly under Moyes, who is a fantastic coach.”

It is not only in the volume of progressive passes that he allows that shows that Bowen has been struggling defensively, with the 24-year-old performing at a worse standard this term than during his first half-season at the London Stadium in an array of areas.

The £22m January 2020 signing is currently offering Moyes fewer successful (0.7) and attempted (1.2) tackles per game in the Premier League than he did following his winter arrival last season (1.5/2.5), as well as fewer interceptions (0.6 to 1.2), per WhoScored.

Bowen has further made just two successful tackles in his last six top-flight appearances – both coming against Tottenham Hotspur – and offered two interceptions in that period – each coming at home to Liverpool.

The £96,000-per-week star has been lacking offensively, too, with just three key passes, two shots and two successful dribbles during his last six league outings combined.

Those displays have also resulted in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.34 – including two 6 out of 10s – to bring his seasonal average down to 6.72, the 11th-best at the London Stadium and behind £45m flop Sebastien Haller (6.75) who was sold for £20m in January.

Moyes will need to address Bowen’s concerning rate of regression, both on and off the ball, if the forward is to re-establish his place in the West Ham starting line-up.

AND in other news, David Moyes is hopeful of West Ham landing an injury boost ahead of hosting Leeds United…