All posts by z3u9t.icu

David Moyes must look to grant Manuel Lanzini his wish of leaving West Ham United this summer, having struggled to establish himself at the London Stadium this season.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the 28-year-old intends to quit the Irons at the end of the campaign, having fallen to a fringe role under Moyes.

Lanzini has two years remaining on his current contract but hopes to secure a new challenge, with interest spread across Europe.

Paris Saint-Germain are claimed to have approached West Ham in the recent winter market to enquire over a loan deal, but were blocked as Moyes was loath to losing the Argentine despite the temporary arrival of Jesse Lingard.

Clubs in the Middle East and Turkey have also been keeping tabs on Lanzini’s situation and could formalise their interest, should West Ham make the midfielder – who Darren Bent claims has “wonderful feet” – available for transfer.

Lanzini’s long-term London Stadium future is reportedly up in the air after setting a £10m-15m asking price for the summer market, when his situation is expected to be re-assessed.

The Hammers were keen to cash in on the 28-year-old last summer as Moyes sought to freshen up his squad, and have been cited by multiple outlets as valuing the Argentine at £15m.

West Ham paid UAE club Al Jazira £9m in 2016 for Lanzini, after taking up the club’s option to buy at the end of a season-long loan. He has now played 153 times for the Irons, scoring 22 goals and setting up another 23.

Should West Ham sell Lanzini?

Moyes has rarely felt the need to rely on Lanzini at any stage this season, with the five-cap international only starting three of his 13 Premier League appearances.

Of Lanzini’s 13 top-flight outings to date this term, just two have come in West Ham’s last 10 games, while he was left an unused substitute on the other eight occasions – once more than he had been over the opening 19 games of the campaign, per Transfermarkt.

He was only called on to play the final eight minutes of extra time against Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round, too, despite starting both of West Ham’s previous ties plus all three of the Irons’ Carabao Cup fixtures.

A lack of action to that degree makes it no surprise to see claims of Lanzini wanting out of the London Stadium this summer, when Moyes must grant the playmaker his wish as the Argentine has rarely delivered when given his chance.

Lanzini scored his only goal of the season so far against Tottenham Hotspur during his first appearance of the Premier League season back in October, while providing two of his three assists in the Carabao Cup against two League One sides in September.

All the while, he is making £70,000 per week on a contract signed in 2019, which has seen the Argentine earn just shy of £2m over the 28 weeks since the season began. That equates to £653,000 for each time he has started a Premier League game or provided an assist in all competitions, or £103,000 per appearance over his combined 19 outings.

It is unsustainable to continue paying Lanzini more than the likes of Declan Rice (£60k-p/w), Aaron Cresswell (£50k-p/w) and Vladimir Coufal (£31k-p/w) when the Argentine cannot deliver on the pitch, making this summer a fitting point for West Ham to grant a transfer.

AND in other news, West Ham have set their sights on a “competitive beast” who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny…

Glasgow Rangers beat Royal Antwerp 5-2 (9-5 on aggregate) at Ibrox to book their place in the Europa League last 16 for the second season in a row.

Even with a strong team, Steven Gerrard’s side didn’t have it all their own way, as Antwerp pushed them to their very limit on Thursday.

Goals from Nathan Patterson and Ryan Kent appeared to have restored order after Alfredo Morelos’ opener was cancelled out by Antwerp’s Lior Refaelov in the first half.

But Didier Lamkel Ze pulled a goal back for the Belgians to cause a brief moment of panic, before Borna Barisic’s penalty strengthened their lead, leaving Cedric Itten to wrap up proceedings shortly before the final whistle blew in stoppage time.

Whilst Morelos will receive most of the plaudits for arguably his best performance of the season with the Colombian striker playing a starring role in the famous victory, it was perhaps the performance of his teammate Kent that stood out the most on the night.

As per SofaScore, Kent earned a high match rating of 8.6 for his efforts, that being the second-highest out of almost every player on the pitch and bettered by none other than Morelos himself.

Back on home soil, Gerrard’s side were looking to make a real statement, helped by a virtuoso performance from the 24-year-old as the visitors were run ragged.

Antwerp were punished for some sloppy passing as Kent set up Morelos to put Rangers in front after nine minutes, then just 40 minutes later the English winger gave the Gers a two-goal lead after combining with the Colombian to score his 10th goal of the season.

Kent, who reportedly earns £18,000-per-week at Ibrox, took four shots in total, including two on target, which was the most of any player for either side, and at least two more than Morelos, while he also recorded a superb 24 out of 28 passes, earning an impressive 86% pass accuracy.

As a result of Kent’s constant pressure, Antwerp were rarely able to trouble Rangers, with their first goal only coming after a mix-up between Connor Goldson and Allan McGregor.

The former Liverpool man currently averages 20.6 passes per game this season thus far, which suggests that he was performing a level above his best at Ibrox on Thursday night.

But it wasn’t just his attacking output that caught the eye, either, as he also diligently carried out his defensive duties to deny their opponents several chances on the night. He won four out of his seven duels overall (57%), while he also made one tackle and one interception, the latter of which is more than his season’s average of 0.6 per game.

While Morelos may have terrorised the Antwerp defence on the night, it was Kent’s overall contributions that stood out for Gerrard.

AND in other news, Rangers suffer devastating injury blow as Steven Gerrard confirms Ryan Jack will miss Royal Antwerp…

It’s been reported that Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has rejected the club’s ‘very lucrative’ initial new contract offer, with the 2018 World Cup winner’s current deal set to expire a year and a half from now.

This news comes after reports emerged claiming that Lloris is wanted by former Tottenham boss, and new Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

Long-term Levy plan

This contract update on Lloris was originally reported by Football Insider, who have claimed that the Lilywhites’ owner and chairman Daniel Levy, who Lloris claimed to have a good relationship with back in 2016, is keen to sign the Frenchman to a long-term deal that would effectively see him spend the rest of his career at Spurs.

It’s claimed in this report that the Lilywhites hierarchy ‘still have great faith’ in the £10.8m-rated man, as does Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham Hotspur knocked back

Pochettino’s appointment at Le Parc des Princes seems to have thrown a spanner in the works of this long-term Levy plan to tie Lloris down to a long-term deal, which the club has reportedly been working on since August, as Mourinho’s side are now said to be prepared to try and battle ‘strong interest’ from PSG for the goalkeeper’s signature.

With Spurs’ early attempts to get Lloris tied down to a new deal having been knocked back, and the club said to be determined not to allow their captain to enter the final year of his contract amid interest from PSG, it certainly seems that unless they can convince Lloris to change his mind and commit his future to Tottenham in the next few months, a summer departure could well be on the cards.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Spurs and Levy’s negotiations over a new deal for star attacker, Son Heung-min.

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Barcelona outcast Riqui Puig as the end of the January transfer window draws near, according to Leeds Live. The 21-year-old has fallen drastically down the pecking order at the Camp Nou, with Ronald Koeman favouring other midfielders over the rising talent.

Puig is out of contract in the summer, which means that Victor Orta will be able to work his magic on negotiating pre-contract terms with the Spaniard.

Would Puig suit Leeds?

Despite the fact the youngster has featured just four times in Barcelona’s last ten fixtures, he has shown great promise from the engine room. In his most recent appearance against Real Sociedad, Puig played just 30 minutes but maintained a 92% passing rate and completed 100% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.

The Spanish youth international completed the same amount of dribbles as Antoine Griezmann in the win over their La Liga rivals. This goes someway to highlight just how good Puig is with the ball at his feet and he has ability to pick out the right pass almost every time.

Leeds would really benefit from signing another creative midfielder. In their most recent loss against Brighton, the Whites’ engine room was pretty stagnant as they struggled to threaten the opposition’s backline. According to Sofascore, no midfielder managed to complete more than 79% accurate passes and a combined three successful crosses were recorded from all four midfield starters.

The demand for goals lies heavily on Patrick Bamford, who is way out in front as Leeds’ top scorer with ten goals. This is seven more than the player with the next highest, who is Mateusz Klich with three, according to BBC Sport.

For a team still buzzing off the back of their Championship-winning season, this dip in form must be damaging for morale. Orta must roll up his sleeves and recruit some smart new options in the transfer window and Puig should be seriously considered.

At just 21-years-old, he has a lot to learn but also also, a lot to give. He will also be free to sign so long as Leeds can make him a decent contract offer, one worth more than his current £25,000 per week deal, which shouldn’t be a problem considering summer signing Rodrigo earns a hefty £120,000 per week.

Puig would flourish at Leeds, a side in a position to give him regular minutes to really showcase his worth.

In other news, Signing Elkan Baggott is no-brainer for Radrizzani…

It would appear that Lee Johnson’s Sunderland side are beginning to peak at just the right time.

It hasn’t been an easy ride for the former Bristol City manager but his team have now lost just once in their last nine league outings.

Despite their truly ridiculous list of injuries in the last few months, Johnson has engineered four straight wins in all competitions and as a result, they’re in the Papa John’s Trophy final and in the playoff positions.

What’s been most impressive about recent matches, however, is their defensive record.

Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis and Tom Flanagan are all missing but they’ve now kept two consecutive clean sheets with a patched-up defence.

Luke O’Nien and Dion Sanderson partnered each other once again in the club’s 2-0 win over Fleetwood this week, a match where there was little to complain about.

The centre-back pairing were both convincing but unfortunately, there were problems on the left-hand side again. Callum McFadzean was brought back into the team after missing the clash with Burton due to concussion protocols.

However, just like Jake Vokins has been in recent weeks, McFadzean was disappointing. The left-back consistently misplaced passes and lost the ball on a regular basis.

He was relatively untested in defensive scenarios but we’ve already had plenty of warning signs about the £2.4k-per-week earner’s performances in recent months.

The 27-year-old gave away a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Wimbledon back in December while he was arguably at fault for both strikes in their 2-1 defeat to Plymouth. On both occasions, the goals came down his side as he failed to get tight enough to his man.

McFadzean was largely anonymous on Tuesday night, though, winning just one of three ground duels he competed in. Not much came down his side but when he did get on the ball, it made for grim reading.

The defender completed only 70% of his passes – the worst tally of anyone to take the field for Sunderland. Furthermore, he lost possession of the ball on 23 occasions. Once again, that was the worst record for anyone in red and white.

When he got forward, he was also underwhelming, proving unsuccessful with all three of his crosses. No wonder he lost the ball so regularly.

Depending on the formation Johnson wants to play, McFadzean has to be dropped for good. If a three-back is in operation, then surely the lively loanee Jordan Jones is a good bet to come in.

AND in other news, SAFC ace who left Parkinson fuming has been a passenger for months…

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…

Manchester United may have encountered another problem after goals from Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount earned England a 2-1 win at Wembley. Gareth Southgate heaped praise on both goalscorers, insisting they were “phenomenal” with their performances.

Southgate told ITV Sport: “Rashford and Mount were phenomenal with their performances. You can’t just play with the ball. We can be free-scoring but against the very best, the detail of how you defend as a team has got to be absolutely bang-on.”

After a lacklustre display in the first half, the England manager will have been delighted to see his side turn the result around, having been dominated by Belgium at the start of the game.

For all of his airs and graces, the England job was never really meant for Southgate, who himself was hastily appointed after the Sam Allardyce debacle, but he has struggled to convince the critics, though he hasn’t done too much wrong. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment, in a similar fashion, has almost always felt like a stop-gap at Old Trafford after Jose Mourinho’s infamous exit.

Rashford’s performance shows exactly why Solskjaer has a problem at Man United. The 22-year-old, who was wearing Nike’s mercurial boots to mark Black History Month, equalised for England when Jordan Henderson won a penalty in the box. Rashford then ran riot over the Red Devils in the second half as the Three Lions pushed for the winner, which was eventually scored by Mount. Per SofaScore, Rashford supplied two shots, created one key pass and registered a pass accuracy rating of 90%, whereas he didn’t take a single shot throughout the entire game against Tottenham Hotspur.

There will be some United fans out there who won’t care at all about the international break but the stark contrast in Rashford’s performances for club and country as of late should give them some cause for concern. At times, Southgate’s side exposed Belgium on the break with Mount and Harry Kane working in tandem with Rashford in the final third and the England international, who earns wages worth £200,00-per-week, capped off an incredible week with a very good performance.

Good managers get good results against tough opposition. As the old saying goes, you can only beat what’s in front of you, which is something Solskjaer’s side have been unable to do as of late. It will not be lost on some that England have just beaten the number one ranked team in the world. Whether they will be contenders for next summer’s European Championships remains to be seen.

The humiliating 6-1 defeat at home shows that Solskjaer has his work cut out if he is to salvage his managerial career. Even the most ardent Solskjaer supporters out there cannot deny the fact that United have endured a dreadful start to the season and Bruno Fernandes’ frustrations with  his tactics boiled over at the half-time break. So, the Red Devils will need Rashford to be at his very best when he returns to Old Trafford. One thing is for sure, Solskjaer will need to rely on him in the weeks ahead as if the United star goes back in his shell, fingers might end up getting pointed at the Norwegian.

AND in other news, Man United must already regret not signing James Tarkowski after Eric Bailly’s blunders…

Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Santo made one unforgivable mistake over one-time transfer target Dani Olmo…

What was the word?

Last January, the Midlands outfit were one of several Premier League teams eyeing a move for then-Dinamo Zagreb sensation Dani Olmo, according to Croatian outlet Sportske Novosti.

It was then claimed by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers that Nuno ignored the advice of his recruitment team, namely former sporting director Kevin Thelwell, he said:

“As recently as last month, when fans were baying for new signings, [Kevin] Thelwell, John Marshall and his recruitment team were believed to have put forward Hwang Hee-chan and Dani Olmo as viable transfer targets. Nuno, who has the final say, preferred to go in another direction and the two most high-profile additions of the window (Daniel Podence and Leonardo Campana) were both Mendes clients.”

The 22-year-old midfielder would then go onto sign for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in a €25m (£22.5m) deal later at the end of the window.

One that got away?

And what a mistake that is looking to be.

Olmo scored five goals across the Bundesliga and Champions League during his first half-season in Germany and has since added four assists to his record this term.

He has become a major source of creativity for Leipzig, averaging 2.3 shots, 1.3 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game in the league, via WhoScored.

It has led to comparisons to Real Madrid maestro Isco – Bundesliga.com claim Olmo is “one of the most talented players in Spain’s latest generation” due to his “mesmerising” close control and technical ability.

Something reinforced by Julian Nagelsmann, who claimed: “He has exceptional abilities and is very safe with the ball. When he gets put under pressure, he knows how to provoke a foul.”

Once on the books at Barcelona, former youth coach Denis Silva Puig waxed lyrical about his ability in front of the sticks, he said: “He was a typical forward, a very good finisher. He scored goals in every age category. He understood space well, so he could find room to score. He’s a natural-born goalscorer.”

As a result of his impressive performances at domestic level for both Leipzig and Zagreb, Olmo has quickly become a regular for the Spanish national side, picking up seven caps in the past year alone.

Against Switzerland in mid-week, he impressed as a false nine – per SofaScore, the €50m-rated (£45m) wonderkid recorded four key passes, had three shots and had 50 touches.

No wonder Pep Guardiola dubbed Olmo an “incredible player” who has a “bright future.”

Nuno currently lacks creativity in his current side, quite badly too, with none of his current midfield options managing above 1.1 key passes per game in the Premier League this season. A major cause for concern.

But the Portuguese boss had the solution staring right at him last January courtesy of Thelwell, so ignoring that has proven to be absolutely inexcusable.

AND in other news, Wolves suffer a devastating blow to “special” £27m-rated workhorse…

Southampton were unable to find a way past Fulham’s defence as they slipped to a 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side could’ve moved back into the top four with a win in West London but were frustrated against the Cottagers, with Theo Walcott in particular disappointing.

As per SofaScore, the winger picked up a shocking 5.6 rating for his performance, which was comfortably the worst of any player on the pitch.

The 31-year-old, who joined on loan from Everton during the summer transfer window, struggled to have any influence on the game and was wasteful on the rare occasions he did receive the ball.

During the 90 minutes, Walcott touched the ball just 32 times, which was less than Southampton shot-stopper Alex McCarthy, who touched the ball 40 times.

The former Arsenal man was also able to complete just 8/12 passes during the game, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 67%, emphasising that he struggled to get involved in the Saints build-up play.

Perhaps most frustratingly for Hasenhuttl, Walcott was successful in just one of his seven dribble attempts, with the Fulham defenders clearly getting the better of him during the 90 minutes.

The Englishman also came out second best when battling with the home team, as he was able to win just three of his 15 duels during the game, resulting in an overall success rate of just 20%, with the physical nature of the game clearly causing problems for the winger.

Despite his lack of touches, he was still able to lose possession on 20 occasions, which will surely anger Hasenhuttl, as this game represented a real opportunity to pick up three points.

Whilst it did seem that Walcott had won the game for the Saints when he finished from Che Adams’ cross late on, this was ruled out for offside, and it was the loanee’s only real contribution of note.

In Danny Ings’ absence, Walcott will have to produce much more effective displays in Southampton’s upcoming games if the South Coast club want to keep pressure on the top four.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl drops big transfer hint ahead of January, could be Saints’ next KWP

The Premier League is finally back, and Manchester United were tasked with getting proceedings underway with a home game against recent bogey team, Fulham, on Friday night.

Fortunately for Erik ten Hag, while the game wasn't a walk in the park, his side came away 1-0 winners and kick-started their campaign in the best way possible.

However, had club captain Bruno Fernandes had his shooting boots on, the scoreline could have been a lot more comfortable, although he'll likely be far more effective going forward as it's unlikely that he'll be starting up top in the next game.

Moreover, if the Red Devils can get their hands on the latest start touted for a move to Old Trafford, the Portuguese international could become even more impactful in attack.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a recent report from the latest edition of Sunday's World, United are still interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

The report claims that following their recent defensive signings, the club have now shifted their focus back to defensive midfield and are working on a deal to sign the former Sporting star.

However, PSG still value the Uruguayan at £51m, which is a fee the Red Devils are unwilling to meet, but with the Parisians keen on Jadon Sancho, a compromise could be found that suits all parties.

It could prove to be a complicated deal to get over the line, but if Sir Jim Ratcliffe can offload a player they no longer want for one they do, then this could be a masterstroke, especially as Ugarte would help unlock Fernandes.

Why Ugarte would unlock Fernandes

So, while there could be any number of reasons why Ugarte would help unlock and get more out of Fernandes, one overrides all others: his defensive work.

For as talented as the United captain is, and for as much of an impact he can have on a game, he'll always be slightly hamstrung in midfield if he is playing alongside a teammate who isn't particularly impressive when it comes to defending, which is where the PSG ace comes in.

For example, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the "defensive monster", as Statman Dave dubbed him, sits in the top 1% of midfielders for tackles, tackles plus interceptions, ball recoveries and dribblers tackled, the top 2% for tackles won, and the top 3% for interceptions alone, all per 90.

Tackles

4.19

Top 1%

Tackles + Interceptions

6.09

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

8.10

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

1.85

Top 1%

Tackles Won

2.34

Top 2%

Interceptions

1.89

Top 3%

Just imagine having a six in the team as proficient at breaking up play and stopping counter-attacks as the 23-year-old "ball winner", as data analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him, in front of a new and improved back four. Fernandes wouldn't have to worry about what's happening behind him; instead, he'd be able to focus 100% of his energy on happenings at the sharp end of the pitch, where he's at his best.

For example, last season, United had the sixth-worst defence in the entire league by expected goals against and yet, despite the team struggling so much around him, the former Sporting star still racked up 15 goals and 13 assists in 48 appearances, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.71 games.

Now, suppose he was playing in a team that was more capable of keeping the ball and limiting opposition counter-attacks. In that case, he might have the opportunity to produce even more impressive numbers this season.

Ultimately, while the transfer might be complicated to get over the line, bringing in Ugarte this summer would be a brilliant way of shoring up United's defence and, in turn, unlocking Fernandes to contribute even more in attack.

Man Utd chiefs open talks to sell £60,000-a-week ace Ten Hag wants to keep

A bid is expected soon.

ByHenry Jackson Aug 19, 2024