All posts by n8rngtd.top

Arsenal making a move for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans could be ‘one to watch’ in the final 24 hours of the transfer window, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Long-standing interest

Fabrizio Romano claimed that the Gunners have been holding internal discussions over the potential signing from their Premier League rivals since January.

The 25-year-old’s contract at the King Power Stadium is set to expire next summer, which could see the Foxes significantly drop their valuation to £25m if they want to cash in whilst they still have the chance.

The Latest: Arsenal’s word of warning

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs insisted that Arsenal could be tempted into making an offer for Tielemans if another competitor joins the chase for his in the next 24 hours. He said:

“Arsenal might have to be reactive because if someone else makes a bid for Tielemans and it becomes an open race, that’s when they might go ‘Yikes, he might join another club. Now we better enter the race’.

“It’s one to watch from Arsenal’s perspective.”

The Verdict: Elneny replacement?

Tielemans is already believed to have agreed personal terms with Arsenal, which would suggest he is keen to make the switch to the Emirates, and what a signing he would be for Mikel Arteta.

The Belgian, dubbed an ‘outrageous talent’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, made ten goal contributions in just 29 top-flight starts last season, and averaged 1.8 shots per game (WhoScored), highlighting his creative spark and desire to get forward.

Mohamed Elneny has recently been ruled out of action through injury, and while Tielemans is a different profile of midfielder, Arteta could do a lot worse than adding such an exciting player to fill the void.

Arsenal have been dealt a gutting injury setback ahead of tonight’s Europa League clash with FC Zurich…

What’s the word?

Gunners star Emile Smith Rowe has not made the trip to Switzerland after he picked up an issue during the warm-down following their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday evening.

And it has now been revealed that the 22-year-old has been carrying a knock for quite some time.

“He felt discomfort in an area that [he’s been dealing with] now for a few weeks. He wasn’t comfortable after the game and he hasn’t trained in the last few days, so he’s out of the squad,” manager Mikel Arteta claimed in his pre-game press conference.

Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Reiss Nelson have also been left back in north London ahead of tonight’s encounter.

Big blow for Arteta

This will come as a big blow for Arteta and the squad as he would have liked to see his side bounce back from their first defeat of the new campaign by delivering a solid display against FCZ tonight, whilst also kickstarting their Europa League quest with three points.

That task is made a little more difficult without the services of Smith Rowe, who is one of the Gunners’ most lethal prospects in attack.

With Everton, PSV Eindhoven and arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon, the Spanish head coach will surely have to rotate his starting pack if he’s to keep everyone else fit and firing across all competitions.

The England international is yet to start a match this term, so tonight’s encounter would have been an ideal opportunity to unleash him from the off.

After all, Smith Rowe ended last season as Arsenal’s second-highest goalscorer on ten goals, six more than ex-striker Alexandre Lacazette, and did so managing fewer shots per game (1.2), too.

Once described as a “difference-maker” by another former Gunner in Mesut Ozil and likened to Robert Pires by BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, it’s clear that Arsenal would have benefitted from his availability this evening.

But without the ‘Croydon [Kevin] De Bruyne’, Arteta may not be able to rest the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, which could leave them light on fitness heading into the weekend’s return to Premier League action.

The former Manchester City assistant will surely be gutted to not have his star boy available today.

AND in other news, Arteta’s “waste of money” who lost the ball every 4.6 touches let Arsenal down vs United…

West Ham United recorded yet another victory in the Europa Conference League last night, continuing their 100% record with a fine 3-2 win in Denmark.

Although their opponent Silkeborg staged a late comeback after leading first, the Hammers held on well to ensure they were not embarrassed.

There were a number of standout performers for David Moyes, with summer signing Gianluca Scamacca netting alongside Craig Dawson who returned to the side following an injury.

However, the one man who went under the radar for his classy workmanlike performance beside Declan Rice was Manuel Lanzini, who boasted an impressive 7.0 SofaScore rating.

Not only was he a fantastic presence in the engine room, with 80 touches, but he also dispatched coolly from the spot to open the scoring.

He adapted well to his slightly deeper role and acted as the metronome from which the Irons built their entire game. He averaged a pass accuracy of 94% and was 100% successful with his dribbling too.

Not only was he consistent, but he also produced a high quality of creation as he also gave two key passes during the game.

It was an all-around perfect performance from the midfielder, who allowed Rice to uphold more of the defensive work whilst he controlled the game.

His ability to do that as well as score sees him further support the claim that he is one of West Ham’s “mercurial gems,” as described by journalist Daniel Storey.

On a day when it was expected for Lucas Paqueta to star, starting just his second game since signing in the summer, it was the tried and tested Argentine who stole the show and reminded fans just why he has been around for so long.

The Brazilian offered just a 6.6 rating by SofaScore and struggled at times to get into the match. The exact opposite of the time Lanzini had.

Having signed permanently in 2016 for just £9m, he has more than paid that off with his contribution to the club. However, with mature performances like this, he proves that age will not be the deciding factor in his inevitable decline.

West Ham United will be hoping to return to winning ways once Premier League action resumes this weekend, with the Hammers currently languishing in the relegation zone having picked up just four points from their opening seven games.

That measly return ensures it is the club’s joint-worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 2016/17 season, while only during the 1973/74 season have the east Londoners registered fewer points (three) at the same stage.

The club’s most recent meeting came in familiar surroundings for David Moyes at Goodison Park, with the former Everton boss seeing his old side run out 1-0 winners courtesy of a Neal Maupay stunner, ensuring that the visitors have now lost eight of their last ten league away games.

Thankfully, the London Stadium outfit will be on home soil against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend, with the encounter offering the chance to leapfrog Bruno Lage’s men and move out of the drop zone.

To ensure victory, Moyes may well need to make alterations from a side that has been so distinctly underwhelming in recent weeks, with one notable casualty surely that of the struggling Tomas Soucek, with the Czech Republic international having come under fire so far this term.

The 27-year-old has started all seven league games so far this term alongside skipper Declan Rice, although has scored just once and failed to register a single assist, with his tepid form having seen him branded “awful” by journalist Alan Rzepa.

Such worrying displays were also evident last term for the £67k-per-week colossus, as he has struggled both in and out of possession over the past year, notably ranking in just the bottom 18% for pass completion among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, as well as only in the bottom 35% for tackles made.

While he remains a threat in the air due to his towering 6 foot 4 frame – ranking in the top 2% for aerial duels won – the £40.5m-rated man seemingly has little else going for him at present, following a summer which had brought uncertainty over his future amid a reported breakdown in contract negotiations.

Despite his woes, the 52-cap brute remains a regular fixture of the side due to the potential lack of a genuine alternative – with the club having missed out on Amadou Onana over the summer for instance – with journalist Paul Brown perhaps rightly suggesting that it is a “bit too cosy and safe for him.”

Although not a high-profile name, there is a clear replacement for Soucek in the Hammers ranks in the form of Flynn Downes, with it time to hand the boyhood fan a start in the league with the 23-year-old having largely been on the periphery since his £12m move from Swansea City.

The youngster had made just a solitary substitute appearance in the league thus far this term, while he’s featured in three of the Europa Conference League games to date – including qualifiers – albeit having only started one of those.

It could potentially be another case where such a “special” talent – as lauded by one source – is signed by Moyes only to then be simply resigned to the bench, with that having been the case for loanee Alex Kral last term who was bizarrely overlooked for effectively the entire season.

In the case of Downes, the Englishman may not offer the same imposing presence in midfield as that of Soucek, although he is seemingly far more comfortable in possession, having recorded a pass accuracy of 93% in 37 games in the Championship last term, in contrast to his current teammate who had a pass accuracy of just 77% during the 2021/22 campaign.

With the latter man having also underwhelmed for his country against Portugal at the weekend – being branded ‘useless’ by the Czech media – it could well be an ideal time for the new signing to finally get his first league start for the club against Wolves on Saturday evening.

Nottingham Forest will head to the King Power Stadium on Monday night and Steve Cooper has now delivered a double injury concern ahead of the important Premier League clash for his team.

What’s the latest?

The Forest boss took to his pre-match press conference to deliver an update on the fitness and injury issues at The City Ground, and addressed the concerns surrounding Morgan Gibbs-White and Scott McKenna.

Cooper told the press (via Nottinghamshire Live):

“Scott is a doubt, to be honest. He had to withdraw early from the Scotland camp,

“With regards to Monday, we are still unsure whether he will be available for that.

“Morgan obviously missed out on the England Under-21s. But we are integrating him back into training over the last day or two. We are not completely conclusive on that yet, but we are hoping so.”

It’s bad news for Forest

Nottingham Forest haven’t had the best start to their Premier League campaign and are currently 19th in the league table after suffering four consecutive defeats, so to lose two starting players to injury would be bad news.

Both Gibbs-White and McKenna have consistently featured for the Garibaldi Reds over their campaign so far, and Cooper will now have to look to other options in the squad to fill their positions in the team should they not be available for the clash against Brendan Rodger’s side.

Forest have already suffered a number of fitness problems with the defenders in their squad as Steve Cook, Moussa Niakhate and Omar Richards all sustaining injuries over the season so far, which led to the panic signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Willy Boly on Deadline Day.

Both Niakhate and Richards remain unavailable for selection against Leicester and now McKenna could join them too, leaving Cook, Worrall and Boly to cover the back-line in their away clash.

Leicester are the only team below Forest in the table and taking advantage of the Foxes’ even worse start to the season by securing all three points from the clash could give the team a great chance to get out of the relegation zone if results go their way this weekend.

With that being said, Cooper should have enough players in his team to make up for the absence of both Gibbs-White and McKenna should they be unavailable for the game on Monday night, and securing their second victory of the season could put them in a much stronger position in their Premier League challenge.

Wolverhampton Wanderers making Ange Postecoglou their new manager would ‘suit them down to the ground’, according to ex-BBC pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Lopetegui the top target?

The Old Gold relieved Bruno Lage of his duties following his side’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League last weekend, with Julen Lopetegui currently believed to be a strong contender to take his place.

The Telegraph’s John Percy has claimed that the Celtic boss has also been discussed as a potential successor though, while the Hoops are planning to offer him a new deal to fend off interest from other clubs who are keen to secure his services.

The Latest: Whelan’s Postecoglou praise

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan supported the idea of Wolves appointing Postecoglou and insisted that he would be able to bring the best out of the players in an attacking sense.

“I think when you look at the lack of goals at Wolves with the players they’ve got, Postecoglou would be a good fit.

“Especially with the way he sets his teams up, the attacking football he plays. A lot of players at Wolves have been wasted.

“They should be scoring a hatful of goals with the talent they’ve got.

“Postecoglou would suit them down to the ground with the joy he’s brought to Celtic and the style he plays.

“They’ve got the players, he just needs to get them set up correctly. They just need a manager who will take the shackles off and let them take the game to teams.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Postecoglou’s contract in Glasgow expires at the end of the season and he is still yet to commit to extending his stay, so this would be the perfect opportunity for Wolves to pounce.

The Australian has a remarkable track record, winning 50 and drawing eight of his 71 games in charge at Celtic, with a 2.23 points per match average (Transfermarkt).

The 57-year-old has also guided his team to both the Scottish Premiership and League Cup titles, and now being a manager in the Champions League, will know what it takes to get a squad competing at the highest level.

Everton are renowned for enduring some transfer misadventures during the Farhad Moshiri era, with the club’s spending of more than £500m on signings amounting to nothing but financial trouble and relegation scraps.

Thankfully, it seems that, with the arrival of Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell this year, recruitment strategies are changing and the recklessness over transfer spending could finally be a thing of the past.

However, it doesn’t eliminate the sting of financial draining that some players have committed during their time at Goodison Park, and one of the most notorious culprits for collecting a huge wage which seemed excessive given their contribution to the club is ex-Toffees centre-forward Cenk Tosun.

There is no doubt that the Everton hierarchy would have let out a sigh of relief when the 31-year-old finally parted with the club this summer following the expiry of his contract, making the move back to Turkey after failing to have a positive impact on Merseyside.

The Turkish striker joined Everton in 2018 for £27m whilst Sam Allardyce was manager, and it turned out to be one of the worst transfer decisions both financially and in terms of on-pitch contribution in recent years.

Tosun rapidly became an outcast in the team as his time at the club progressed, making just three appearances in all competitions for Everton last season even though both Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered from multiple injury issues, illustrating that he was a player who Lampard could not wait to jettison.

The 31-year-old scored just 11 goals and delivered six assists over 61 appearances for the club, so when you combine his transfer fee and his salary of £69k-per-week, it makes for an eye-watering sum of £41.3m down the drain over his four-year stint with the Toffees.

This is equal to £3.7m per goal and £677k per appearance, which is an absolutely shocking return. Even worse, the Toffees couldn’t recover any of the money that Tosun cost the club, as he left on a free transfer at the end of his contract in June.

With those figures in mind, the Turkish flop is one of the finest examples to illustrate the transfer calamities that Moshiri has sanctioned over the last six years, and the Goodison Park faithful will be hoping that lessons have been learnt now that the striker has left the club for good.

Reliable journalist Scott Wilson of The Northern Echo has shared a significant update on Middlesbrough’s managerial search involving Michael Carrick.

The Lowdown: Boro keep searching…

It’s been nearly ten days since Boro chiefs elected to dismiss former manager Chris Wilder, coming after the Championship side fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of lowly Coventry City.

The former Sheffield United boss was sacked after just 11 months at the Riverside Stadium with owner Steve Gibson and Boro officials continuing their search for his successor.

Leo Percovich has been placed in temporary charge, assisted by Craig Liddle, Mark Tinkler and Lee Cattermole, but there have been no shortage of candidates for the first team coaching role.

Rob Edwards and Carlos Corberan are reportedly on the shortlist alongside Carrick, however, it is the latter man who is currently in pole position to take over.

The Latest: Wilson shares Carrick update out of Boro…

Writing for The Northern Echo and sharing his news on Twitter, Wilson claims Boro hierarchy have held ‘preliminary discussions’ with Carrick and his representatives over the job.

The reporter, writing in his article, also states that Carrick has ’emerged as the leading candidate’ as they also potentially face competition from West Brom for his managerial services.

Taking to social media, Wilson stated:

“Michael Carrick now #Boro’s preferred option – although club aware of potential competing interest from West Brom. Rob Edwards already been interviewed.”

The Verdict: Clock ticking…

As England’s second tier campaign goes on and on, the clock is ticking for Boro to appoint the right candidate to help save their season.

They currently languish just two points above the bottom three having won just once in their last five games, and stability is very much-needed.

Carrick, described as a ‘great guy’ who did a ‘fantastic job’ in temporary charge of Man United by Premier League legend Alan Shearer, could fit the bill going by his experience coaching some big name players.

Celtic have seemingly made few errors with regards to recruitment of late under manager Ange Postecoglou, although one move in the recent window that already appears something of a headscratcher is the signing of Danish midfielder, Oliver Abildgaard.

The 26-year-old had been the ninth and final signing of the recent window, joining on a season-long loan deal from Rubin Kazan, having been keen to seek a departure from the Russian outfit after two years with his parent club.

The addition of the 6 foot 4 menace had seemingly been in order to provide the Scottish champions with a more defensive-minded asset at the base of the midfield, with Postecoglou lauding his new addition’s towering stature as a bonus to a side that “would struggle to get on any rides at Disneyland” as a result of their diminutive status.

The one-cap powerhouse appeared to be a potential alternative to skipper Callum McGregor as that screen in front of the back four, with the club having seemingly been in need of a replacement for Nir Bitton, following the long-serving gem’s departure at the end of last season.

Fast forward a few months into the season, however, and it remains to be seen if Abildgaard will be able to make an impact at Parkhead, having thus far been restricted to a bit-part role for the Scottish Premiership side.

After missing the early weeks of the campaign in order to adequately get up to speed, the £6.3m-rated dud has since made just four appearances in all competitions to date, with all of those outings having come from the substitutes’ bench.

The on-loan giant’s most notable display came during the Champions League defeat away to RB Leipzig a few weeks ago following the injury to the aforementioned McGregor inside the first half, with the one-time Aalborg man ultimately impressing with a solid showing in that encounter.

Even after that encouraging performance, however, the Hasseris-born brute has since been unable to secure a more prominent role in the side of late, despite the club captain set to be ruled out until after the upcoming World Cup.

That absence has instead seen Matt O’Riley take on a deeper role in recent games, with the 21-year-old looking particularly impressive in that berth during the loss to Leipzig at Parkhead in midweek.

If Abildgaard is unable to gain a starting berth when McGregor is unavailable, it appears hard to see the loanee being able to force his way into Postecoglou’s plans once the academy graduate returns, with the Dane’s signing already appearing a potential mistake.

Such are his current woes that pundit Barry Ferguson had even tipped James McCarthy – who had been linked with an exit over the summer – for a start against the Bundesliga side in midweek, with the Republic of Ireland international having recently played his part in the dramatic victory over St Johnstone, after winning the ball in the build-up to that late goal.

It may well be wise to put more faith in the 31-year-old – who still has just under three years left on his existing deal – ahead of the anonymous Abildgaard, with any potential permanent move for the latter man next summer likely out of the question at present. Indeed, it would not be a surprise that come the end of his loan spell, he is ruthlessly ditched by Postecoglou.

Mohamed Salah has more piled pressure on Liverpool by again fueling speculation that he is expecting to leave the club at the end of his contract.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Salah again hints at Liverpool exit
• Contract talks so far unsuccessful
• Forward in blistering form this season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Salah has admitted that he still isn't any closer to signing a new contract with Liverpool, with any progress on that front described as "far away" in his latest public comments on the ongoing saga. It will come as another troubling update for fans given the form the Egyptian superstar is in.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There is a very real possibility that Salah will leave Liverpool as a free agent at the end of this season. Already, the 32-year-old has entered the last six months of his contract and is eligible to formally negotiate a deal with an overseas club for the summer. He hasn't been shy about speaking when it comes to the situation, willingly answering questions fairly regularly in recent weeks that are serving to put pressure on Liverpool in the negotiations.

  The fact that he's having one of the all-time great Premier League seasons is certainly helping keep fans on his side, with Salah insisting the uncertainty of his future isn't affecting his form because he wants to leave on a high if it does actually prove to be his farewell to the club.

• WHAT MOHAMED SALAH SAID

  "So far, yes [I believe this is my last season]. It's the last six months. There is no progress there. We are far away from any progress. So, we just need to wait and see," Salah told .

  "The thing in my head is that if this is the last six months, what do you want to see in the future? Do you want to look back and say I was concerned or stressed about the contract? Or do you just want to say I had an unbelievable season? That's what is in my head. If I ever feel distraction, I just remind myself I want to look back and say I had an unbelievable season. That's what I want to do."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Salah hasn't suggested that he wants to go and Liverpool certainly won't want to lose a player putting up his kind of numbers. The lack of an agreement so far likley centres around the terms that either wants to see in a new deal. All they can do is keep negotiating to try to hammer something out. Salah's form is unaffected, but the longer it drags on, the more likely it feels it really will be the end.