All posts by h716a5.icu

Fabrizio Romano has dropped a quite enticing claim on the future of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United and the impact of his current contract situation.

The Argentine’s contract at Elland Road is still very much up in the air at the moment, and Romano gave an update on whether this would have an effect on transfers, in terms of players not wanting to join as they do not even know who the manager will be next year.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, the Italian football journalist and football guru said:

“I think no… when you have Marcelo Bielsa on your bench you can attract a lot of players.

“A lot of players are attracted by the project, Leeds has an amazing project – apart from Biesla we’re talking about the ownership, the stadium, the partnerships and also what they are doing on the pitch is so important.

“So they have an amazing project. When you have Marcelo Bielsa, you can attract players.”

Continuing on about Bielsa’s future, Romano claimed: “For sure, they are happy with him and I think they will do their best to keep him.”

Leeds must give Bielsa new deal

It is simply imperative that the Midlands club give Bielsa a new deal. The 65-year-old is a household name in the beautiful game, and as Romano points out, the Whites can attract a lot of players to them just by having him as their manager.

This is exemplified when they signed Rodrigo in the summer transfer window, who had previous pedigree in the UEFA Champions League and an international reputation with Spain (Transfermarkt).

Bielsa was vital in getting the club promoted to the Premier League in the first place, and they look set to stay there come the end of the 2020/21 term.

Nonetheless, they must tie him down to a new contract at all costs.

You can view the full Fabrizio Romano interview with Give Me Sport here!

Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted with a statement from the club calling fans to stay at home ahead of the Old Firm derby next weekend.

The Gers’ status as Premiership champions was confirmed last Sunday after Celtic could only manage a 0-0 draw with Dundee United. In the aftermath of that triumph, thousands of supporters took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate, breaking coronavirus regulations in the process. There were also reports of damage to public property (Sky News).

Such is the worry that a similar situation could occur around Rangers’ clash with Celtic, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has suggested the game could be postponed (Twitter). Now, the Gers have released a statement imploring their supporters to stay at home instead of taking to the streets.

The statement was shared on Twitter, and it delighted the fans. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on this important matter.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say about the statement below

“The champions have spoken”

Credit: @_William72

“Nobody can say you didn’t try”

Credit: @gemma1872_

“Classy and dignified. As expected.”

Credit: @thechosenfew10

“That’s how you do a Club Statement. That’s the statement of Champions”

Credit: @1872Rck

“Always 1000% classier than them”

Credit: @robmczean

“Class, no need to have a dig like the other half of the old firm”

Credit: @zippyjnr78

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Sky Sports news.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer has suggested that ex-Chelsea boss Frank Lampard would accept the Celtic job if offered.

Lampard is out of work following his dismissal from Stamford Bridge at the end of January and had previously been linked with Championship outfit Bournemouth. According to Football Insider, however, it was not something that interested the 42-year-old, making him still available to succeed Neil Lennon.

It remains to be seen whether Celtic would be interested in bringing Lampard to the club but, from the Chelsea legend’s perspective, Palmer believes he would relish the chance to manage in Glasgow.

When asked if he could see Lampard taking the Celtic job, Palmer exclusively told FFC:

“Of course, like I’ve said, it’s a massive job. I mean, a lot will depend on [Frank] as well, for Frank, the next job’s got to be important. So, you know, in terms of what’s available in terms of funds, and realistically, being successful, and so Frank is going to be very careful and very selective for the next job he takes.”

On the same subject, Palmer also added: “I don’t know the situation at Celtic in terms of financially where they are, what type of salaries they could pay and what type of players they could attract, and that will all play a part in the manager that you see being appointed.”

While Lampard was unable to get that star-studded Chelsea side firing this season, leaving them in ninth place before getting the sack, the former England international did enjoy some success in west London and show potential as a coach during his maiden campaign there.

Under Lampard, the Blues managed to secure Champions League football, despite their transfer ban, thanks to a fourth-place finish. They were also able to reach the last-16 of the competition that term and the FA Cup final, losing out to London rivals Arsenal in a tight affair at Wembley.

The integration of the likes of Mason Mount and Reece James, who are both now full England internationals, is something that Lampard can be credited for, too.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Frank McAvennie has reacted to a ‘big, big blow’ for Newcastle United and Steve Bruce as Callum Wilson is ruled out injured for six to eight weeks – with the Englishman now joining fellow absentees Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo on the sidelines (Sky Sports).

Wilson, who signed for the Magpies last summer, has been an arguable shining light for Bruce in a struggling side – especially considering he has netted 10 Premier League goals this season whilst assisting five others (Transfermarkt).

McAvennie reacts to ‘big, big blow’ for Newcastle

Bruce has since revealed that Wilson faces time in recovery following a hamstring injury, and Newcastle will have to cope without his influence – coming as another ‘big, big blow’ alongside absences for Manquillo and Schar.

McAvennie, speaking to Football Insider, has explained why this could come as a ‘massive’ issue for Newcastle over the coming weeks.

“That is a big, big blow,” explained the former West Ham and Celtic favourite.

“They have won a couple of games recently and he has been a major part of it.

“It’s a massive blow because he is a wonderful player. He will be a big miss for Steve Bruce over the next two months.

“Even when Wilson is not scoring, he does an awful lot for the team. His movement is great, he presses well and he is just a general pest. It is not just about scoring goals.”

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not Newcastle can cope without Wilson going forward remains to be seen, but they’ll now have to rely on the likes of Joelinton, Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle.

Considering Wilson leads the Newcastle charts for both goals and assists this season, to rid the Magpies of their striking talisman and chief architect at the same time is undeniably disastrous.

Languishing in 17th and coming up against Chelsea this evening, the Magpies will have to be at their very best to pull off an upset at Stamford Bridge, especially without their main man leading the line..

In other news: Ben Jacobs dropped a Newcastle takeover update involving DaGrosa, find out more here.

Whilst Liverpool picked up all three points with a 2-0 win against Sheffield United on Sunday evening, it should have been a lot more comfortable for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Unfortunately, the main culprit in terms of not putting the game to bed much earlier was, once again, Roberto Firmino, as the Brazilian spurned two glorious chances before the Reds were eventually able to take the lead through Curtis Jones.

First, the former Hoffenheim man found himself through on goal under no pressure but he could only shoot straight at Aaron Ramsdale, despite the ‘keeper being on the floor.

Then, after Georginio Wijnaldum’s shot was parried by Ramsdale, the striker was inside the box with the goal gaping and should have shot with his left foot, but instead, he cut the ball back to a Sheffield United defender, which summed up his lack of confidence in front of goal at the moment.

Although his excellent dribbling did lead to Liverpool’s second goal, his actual shot looked to be heading well wide until it was deflected in by Kean Bryan for an own goal, which is worrying for Klopp as it was definitely a situation where he should at least have been hitting a shot on target.

With Diogo Jota set to return to action in upcoming games, Firmino may fear that, unless his performances in front of goal drastically improve, he could see himself ousted by his Portuguese teammate.

Whilst Firmino offers a unique, often underappreciated, role in this Liverpool team, there is no denying that his finishing at times this season, particularly against Sheffield United, has been woeful.

The 29-year-old has six goals and five assists in 26 Premier League appearances this season but has underperformed when it comes to his expected goals, with Understat suggesting that he should have at least 10 goals in the top-flight.

Worryingly, this is the third consecutive season where the Brazilian has underperformed in this aspect, and whilst it didn’t have too much impact last season when the Reds won the league, you feel that they would be in a much better position this season if they had a more clinical striker.

Back in 2018, Klopp suggested that Firmino is “unbelievably valuable” because of his ability to open up chances for other players, but with the Reds having struggled to find the back of the net in recent fixtures, you need a striker who can be relied upon to take his chances.

Therefore, perhaps we will see Firmino or Jota drop into an attacking-midfield role now that they are both fit, to allow the more clinical Mohamed Salah to move up front, as Sunday’s game against Bramall Lane really emphasised Firmino’s lack of composure in front of goal.

And, in other news… LFC signing gem with “extraordinary quality” would surely be the end for £50k-p/w dud

Arsenal are making a foolish mistake over Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with the England international ready to leave the club on loan in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old has only played a bit-part role in Mikel Arteta’s side this season, featuring for just 485 minutes of Premier League football in total.

Now, The Daily Mirror claim that Maitland-Niles is “willing to consider a move in January if it means getting more regular minutes”, with an intention of trying to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s EUROs.

And, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester United game on Saturday, Arteta himself said of the situation: “Yes, it is a concern when there is international football involved as well and the chance to reach that opportunity. I understand that Ainsley wants more minutes and what he needs to do is fight, train and challenge his teammates and show us that he can be one of our starters.”

Foolish mistake from Arteta

After playing an integral role in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph last season – the 23-year-old played left wing-back in both the semi-final and final against Manchester City and Chelsea respectively – it seems incredible to think that Maitland-Niles has fallen so badly out of favour under Arteta this campaign.

And with the Gunners boss giving the green light for Sead Kolasinac to join Bundesliga side Schalke on loan, the north London side are desperately short of left-back cover, with right-back Cedric filling in for Kieran Tierney whenever needed.

The £16.2m-rated Maitland-Niles proved last season that he can play that role effectively, and there’s an element of responsibility on the Arsenal boss to try and get the best out of the academy product.

Whilst it might be better for Maitland-Niles himself to go out on loan in this January window, it certainly wouldn’t be the case for Arsenal themselves. A lengthy injury to Tierney (he’s missed the last couple of games with a calf problem so the danger is already there), and even one to Cedric, would leave the Gunners without anyone who could adequately play that left-back role – Bukayo Saka could fill in, but Arteta would surely want his star sensation to play further forward.

The Arsenal manager either should have brought in some natural left-back cover before he allowed Kolasinac to leave, or given Maitland-Niles more of a consistent opportunity to impress – how can you expect some to shine when they don’t start more than two Premier League games in a row?

Once dubbed “the future” by Arsene Wenger, Maitland-Niles’ career this season has taken a step back.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can finally sign ace Arsene Wenger wanted…

When Jordan Hugill walked through the doors of the London Stadium for the first time, he excitedly chimed that he couldn’t wait to walk out “with all the bubbles.”

The trouble is, the striker experienced that famous atmosphere just twice in West Ham colours. Signed for £10m from Preston in 2018, Hugill made just three appearances for the Irons – two of which were at home – and he played only 22 minutes in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old’s stay in east London was far from profitable, eventually departing for Norwich last year after loan spells with Middlesbrough and QPR.

He is a striker capable of lighting up the Championship, firing in 20 goals for Preston in one and a half seasons before completing his switch to West Ham.

Hugill continued that form at QPR where he netted 13 last term but like many before him, he didn’t have what it takes to stake a claim for himself in the top-flight.

Unfortunately, the Hammers could be on the verge of repeating this mistake in the January window.

That’s because they’ve been linked with Blackburn forward Adam Armstrong. He is one of a number of names on David Moyes’ shortlist but like Hugill, he hasn’t proven himself in the Premier League.

Similarly to their ex-striker, Armstrong has a habit of scoring goals in the second tier. He has beaten the goalkeeper on 16 occasions this term for Rovers but he failed to ever make the grade at Newcastle.

The 23-year-old has made 15 Premier League appearances throughout his career but is yet to score at that level – just as Hugill failed to do so when he moved to West Ham.

Now, Armstrong may be in good form this campaign but so was Hugill in the Championship before he came to London.

With Sebastien Haller being sold to Ajax, the Irons desperately need to bring in some added firepower up top. Of course, the effervescent Michail Antonio made a name for himself in the Championship before joining, but his hard work and energy knows no bounds.

Armstrong, who has “explosive pace” according to Tony Mowbray, may well hit the ground running in double-quick time. However, Moyes and David Sullivan must learn from the last time they spent a sizeable fee on a Championship striker.

This might be a move they want to avoid. After all, they have plenty of other targets to pursue.

AND in other news, “Another Antonio” – Exclusive: Harewood backs potential West Ham move for £13.3m beast…

Many Nottingham Forest fans were, obviously, disappointed as they saw their club lose 1-0 to Swansea City in the Championship yesterday, but it wasn’t just the result that had Forest fans talking.

One of the key moments in the game came when captain Jack Colback limped off in the first half due to injury. Many would think the fan base would have been gutted when this happened but some were, in fact, feeling the opposite after they were not pleased with his performance.

The frustration of the fan base regarding Colback, who has scored 20 goals in his professional career, is somewhat understandable as the midfielder was definitely not having one of his better games. He lost possession six times and only won one of his four attempted ground duels (SofaScore) before he left the game.

Despite the poor performance, the 31 year-old has impressed in the Championship this campaign overall (WhoScored) and has managed on average 2.5 tackles and 2.1 interceptions.

Hopefully Colback will not be out for too long with the injury as he could definitely be a vital player as it looks like the club will be battling to stay in the division this season.

Here is what Forest fans said about Colback coming off injured:

In other news, fans were fuming with a tactical decision Chris Hughton made in the match. Have a read what it wasÂhere!

After the highs of scoring in the FA Cup final and Community Shield triumphs, it’s fair to say this season hasn’t quite panned out as how Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would have wanted it.

The Arsenal striker has struggled to replicate the kind of stellar form that propelled him close to the Premier League’s Golden Boot award last year, managing just three goals in 14 games in the top-flight.

The Gabon international had been missing from action for the Gunners’ past two games due to injury, but returned to the starting line-up against Brighton on Wednesday night.

And it was a performance that would have left Mikel Arteta incredibly frustrated.

As per Sofascore, he managed just 18 passes over the course of the game, struggling to get involved, and then spurning his chances when he eventually got them.

A couple of times he got into promising opportunities, none more so than when Bukayo Saka sent in a delicious low cross, only for Aubameyang’s first-time effort to be saved by the feet of the Brighton goalkeeper.

Coming up against Brighton’s formidable looking back-three, the £36m-rated ace seemed to get lost, losing 78% of his total duels too.

It led to many Gunners fans take to Twitter to call on the striker to even be sold.

Whilst there can be no questioning just how much ability Aubameyang has, he simply isn’t in a rich vein of form at the moment, and with Alexandre Lacazette stepping up to the plate once again following his weekend heroics against Chelsea, Arsenal’s talisman for these past few seasons may just need to be given more time on the side-lines.

Celtic’s defensive record this season, to put it kindly, has been absolutely shocking.

They have already conceded 13 goals in the Scottish Premiership, a tally that eclipses their title rivals Rangers by ten.

Clearly, the reason why they’re so far behind the Gers is sticking out like a sore thumb.

If Neil Lennon can’t find a way to address the defensive issues plaguing his backline then Steven Gerrard’s men will run away with the SPFL title.

Considering Celtic have desires of winning a tenth crown in a row, this has not been the season they wanted.

However, could it have been easier? Quite possibly, but after Nick Hammond’s colossal transfer blunder earlier this year we will never know.

One of the biggest issues in Lennon’s side has been at right-back with Jeremie Frimpong.

The former Manchester City youngster was excellent last season and earned considerable praise, especially from Lennon. “He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever seen,” remarked the Celtic boss in 2019.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite happened for Frimpong in 2020/21.

Against Hibernian the 19-year-old was pretty dismal, losing possession 18 times and completing just one tackle. On top of that, he didn’t produce much in the final third, failing to put in a single accurate cross.

Why, therefore, is this relevant to the transfer market? Well, the Hoops were unable to bring in highly-rated teenager Brandon Soppy last January.

French press (via The Sun) linked the right-back with a move to Parkhead but nothing materialised. Since then, Soppy has become not just one of the best young defenders in Europe, but one of the best young players overall.

For 18-year-old’s in Europe’s top five leagues, the Rennes defender was ranked third on WhoScored’s average ratings before the international break.

He has been a consistent figure, producing an unrelenting number of tackles. Soppy has made 2.8 per game this season in Ligue 1, a tally that eclipses Frimpong by 1.8 a match.

On top of that, Soppy is still as much a threat going forward as the current Celtic full-back is, performing at least one successful dribble each outing. Football Talent Scout described the qualities of the teenage sensation, summarising them by saying: “he is extremely dangerous on the counter thanks to his pace and acceleration.”

Soppy is already performing at a particularly high standard in one of the best leagues in Europe and not just have Celtic missed out on one of the continent’s hottest properties, but they have also missed out on the inevitable re-sale value they could have recouped.

This has been a disaster all round, especially when you consider – excuse the pun – Celtic’s soppy defensive record.

In other news, check out how Celtic can FINALLY replace Scott Sinclair…