All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left flocking to an exit claim involving both Stephen Kelly and Kai Kennedy.

As per Football Scotland, Kilmarnock are now interested in taking both players on loan in the January transfer window.

Kelly has only made once ever, and so both could do with moves away in order to get some more game time.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst already has plenty of central midfielders and wingers in his squad anyway, and so sending both out on loan would be a good move for all parties.

One concern may be the artificial pitch at Kilmarnock, which could leave them more susceptible to injury, but nonetheless they would be playing more regular football in the Scottish Championship.

Rangers fans on transfer news

These Teddy Bears flocked to the transfer news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that Kelly is a ‘smashing’ player:

“Great move for all parties.”

Credit: @dbr1872

“Be good to see them both go out on loan to gain more experience. Stephen Kelly is a smashing young player.”

Credit: @stef5512

“Would be a good move for the pair to get more game time”

Credit: @alfie_west_55

“Good move for both, will get game time under McInnes”

Credit: @Ronnieislip1

“Let them go, will be good for them both and can only help in their progress”

Credit: @macdaddy1690

“No-brainer, great for the boys”

Credit: @rfcscube

In other news, find out what transfer update has been bemoaned by Gers here!

Some Everton fans have been left fuming over some manager news that has emerged involving Jose Mourinho.

As per The Daily Mirror, the AS Roma manager has emerged as a potential candidate to take over from Rafa Benitez, should he be sacked at Goodison Park.

Supporters of the Merseyside club vented their anger towards the Spaniard as well as the board after their 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool in midweek, and Benitez is now under pressure following a run of eight matches in the Premier League without a win.

Now, the board could turn to Mourinho should they wish to pull the plug on his reign.

Of course, Mourinho’s success in English football, in where he has won the top-flight title three times with Chelsea, is a factor as to why the board are looking at him as a potential successor, but he has tailored off in recent years, having left both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United midway through the season outside of the UEFA Champions League spots.

Toffees supporters may not be a fan of his pragmatic approach to games either, and so it is understandable to see why a fair few fumed when they read the news.

Everton fans on Mourinho news

These Blues fumed as the manager news was shared on Twitter:

“Rather liquidate”

Credit: @mcnallyc95

“This is worse then Benitez.”

Credit: @thomas41448377

“From one mess to another. This is an an awful idea”

Credit: @toffee5000

“This is comical”

Credit: @Andy25787904

“And this is why they’re clueless.”

Credit: @glioriginali_

“Another dinosaur, no thank you”

Credit: @ToffeeTosh1878

In other news, find out what manager news has Evertonians talking here!

Flocking to Twitter, these West Ham United fans have erupted over a fresh transfer claim involving Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

David Moyes has set his sights on signing a centre-half in January as emergency cover for injured duo Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma with West Ham facing a congested fixture calendar.

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The January transfer window could be a fruitful avenue to strengthen West Ham sufficiently whilst providing a real injection of quality into the side.

Having dropped out of the top four after a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal recently, Irons supporters have been left thrilled after a fresh update involving Phillips.

According to The Sun, as West Ham and recruitment chief Rob Newman eye a move, it is believed that Liverpool are now ‘willing to sell’ their defender for just £15 million next month.

The 24-year-old, by his own admission, is also open to leaving in January and the Reds apparently won’t stand on his way if a £15m bid is put on the table.

West Ham fans erupt…

Given this price tag and Phillips’ ability, it’s little wonder some supporters see this as an ‘absolute bargain’.

The central defender averaged more clearances per 90 in the Premier League than any Liverpool player last season (WhoScored), a sure indication of his dependability at the back.

Still a fairly young player, these Irons supporters believe snapping him up for £15m is a no-brainer.

Find all of their best verdicts down below:

“Yes please”

Credit: @WestHamXtra

“Absolute bargain, Give them Diop for free as well”

Credit: @iDUNKbiscuits

“He would be a great addition!”

Credit: @dhramijo

“Would be buzzing to pull this off would rather him over ake or tarkowski”

Credit: @StephenCochrane

“@WestHam starter for ten let’s go irons don’t leave it too late the teams slipping”

Credit: @nubaka

“can be good for a proven pl player caleta car never played in pl so we don’t know if he have what’s needed + when ogbonna gonna retire we have a good cb pairing with zouma 15M is a steal”

Credit: @krays2208

In other news: ‘We are back’, ‘What I wanted to hear’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘best news’ has these West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

Manchester United have suffered a potential selection setback ahead of their Premier League clash with Watford this afternoon, with key defender Luke Shaw unlikely to feature from the off.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils will definitely be without French duo Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane after they picked up thigh and hamstring injuries respectively. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could also have to contend with the enforced absences of both Edinson Cavani and Shaw.

Cavani missed the Manchester City match last time out and was not included in the Uruguay squad for the recent international break due to a tendon injury, while the England left-back has not appeared in training footage this week after he suffered a concussion against Pep Guardiola’s charges.

Solskjaer was coy over the pair’s availability in Friday’s press conference, but it’s very unlikely that they will be able to take their places in the starting XI when the Red Devils travel to Vicarage Road.

“There are a couple of doubts with illnesses and small niggles,” the Norwegian revealed. “Paul (Pogba) is out for a while, Rapha (Varane) is out for a while. Apart from that, players will be coming back in the near future, some this weekend, some in the week, but that’s the same for other players.”

Solskjaer will be gutted

The news that Shaw is highly unlikely to play any part for the 20-time English champions against Watford will leave Solskjaer feeling gutted.

Although the England international hasn’t been in top form this season, he has still started every Premier League game for United, highlighting how integral he is to the team.

His underlying numbers indicated how effective the 26-year-old has been this term despite his slip in performance levels. As per WhoScored, Shaw has averaged 1.8 crosses per league game – the highest tally amongst his teammates – and 2.1 key passes, the second-highest total when compared to his colleagues. Indeed, Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand has spoken highly of the left-back’s “exquisite” ball distribution in recent months.

Therefore, United’s attack could well be blunted if the marauding left-back is forced to watch on from the sidelines, providing a major blow to the Red Devils’ chances of securing a much-needed victory in Hertfordshire this afternoon.

In other news… Forget Telles: Ole could unearth MUFC gem in rarely-seen 18 y/o with a “great future”

Liverpool made no mistake in securing another Premier League win this afternoon with a convincing 4-0 victory over Southampton at Anfield, following on from their win against Arsenal last weekend by the same scoreline.

Even though Reds attacker Diogo Jota added two more goals to his tally for the season against the Saints, one Liverpool player who perhaps stood out the most on this occasion was Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman perfectly highlighted just what his former club are missing by not only scoring a goal against them this afternoon, but by showing what a capable defender he is as well.

In his 90 minutes on the pitch, Van Dijk had 82 touches of the ball and completed 64 of his 70 passes, with one being a key pass and five being accurate long balls, highlighting how skilled he was with his distribution.

The 30-year-old also made himself a difficult opponent for Southampton’s attacking players by making six clearances, one interception and one tackle in the process, as well as winning 100% of his duels, asserting his dominance over his former club.

This latest performance for Jurgen Klopp’s side earned the centre-back an impressive overall match rating of 8.1/10 from SofaScore, making him one of Liverpool’s highest-rated players on the day.

In addition, the Liverpool Echo said that the 30-year-old “marshalled the backline with authority and mopped up whenever required”, highlighting his importance to the team on this occasion.

This performance also highlights why former Barcelona defender Carles Puyol previously described Van Dijk as a “complete” defender, and also showed how dangerous he can be in the opposition’s penalty box.

Given how Liverpool had to make do without Van Dijk for the majority of last season through injury, it’s no surprise that they conceded 42 goals in the league compared to just 33 in their title-winning 2019/20 campaign.

Looking ahead to the rest of this season, if the Dutchman can stay fit, he will surely give the Reds a great chance of picking up some silverware when May rolls around.

In other news: Matip 2.0: Edwards must seal Liverpool move for £22.5m-rated tank who “has everything”

Leeds United left-back Junior Firpo will not be available vs Wolves but could return from injury in time for the Premier League clash with Norwich City, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Injuries mount up

The Whites entertain Wolves on Saturday afternoon, looking for a crucial win that would steer them away from the relegation zone.

Marcelo Bielsa’s team currently sit 17th in the table, with their form a far cry from last season’s, when they ended up finishing in 11th place.

There are numerous injury problems for Leeds going into Saturday’s game, with key players Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch and Patrick Bamford on a list of four players out (Premier Injuries), with Hay now providing news on a fifth.

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The Latest: Key Firpo update

Another individual who will play no part this weekend is Firpo, but Hay took to Twitter to deliver a five-word verdict claiming he could return for the trip to Norwich on October 31st:

“Could be back for Norwich.”

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The Verdict: Huge few weeks

Leeds have three more league matches before the final international break of the year next month, with Wolves, Norwich and Leicester awaiting.

It is vital that the Whites pick up a healthy chunk of points in that trio of outings, showing that their blip is only a short-term one, climbing towards the mid-table mark once more.

While Bielsa and co will not want to see themselves as in a relegation battle yet, the match against the Canaries seems particularly crucial, so having Firpo back would be a big boost.

In other news, one Leeds United player has been slammed. Find out who it is here.

It’s safe to say that Liverpool have had a fairly successful week after obliterating their bitter rivals Manchester United by an eye-opening scoreline of 5-0 at Old Trafford, followed by beating Preston North End in the Carabao Cup to cruise through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s side are set to take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at Anfield, with one player potentially making his return to the side.

What’s the news?

With this match against Graham Potter’s side in mind, it seems as though the good mood around the club is set for another boost, with midfielder Thiago Alcantara returning to first team training on Thursday after being out for the previous few weeks with a calf injury.

Liverpool signed Thiago in September 2020 from German side Bayern Munich on a four-year deal for a reported fee of £20m. Since then, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has made 35 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

Despite having a slow start to his time with the Reds in terms of goals and assists, the Spaniard ended his first season at the club as their third-highest rated player in the Premier League with an overall performance rating of 7.12/10 according to WhoScored, proving why Klopp will be thrilled to have the midfielder back in training and potentially available for selection for the Brighton match.

Furthermore, with Thiago racking up an average of 1.3 key passes per game as well as an average accuracy passing percentage of 90%, along with 2.5 tackles per game in his Premier League appearances last season, this shows how well-rounded a midfield option he is for the Reds and hints at how massive a boost it could be to have him available for selection once more.

Looking ahead to the Brighton game, if he is deemed fit enough to start, he should definitely be in Klopp’s thinking when he’s putting his starting XI together to try and secure a win against the Seagulls, who are currently fifth in the table with 15 points on the board after nine games played.

In other news: Possession lost 21x: “Dangerous” Liverpool lightweight badly let Klopp down against Preston

Everton fans want to sign Sean Longstaff after they were linked with a move to capture the Newcastle United midfielder in January.

The Toffees have started the Premier League season well. As it stands, the Merseyside outfit are fifth in the Premier League with 14 points, just two behind leaders Chelsea (Sky Sports). Rafael Benitez has had a positive impact on the club since replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to Real Madrid in the summer.

The arrivals of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend have helped Everton rise up the table, and now it seems Benitez could dip into the market once more. According to The Independent, the Toffees are looking to sign Longstaff from Newcastle, where the midfielder previously played under Benitez.

The news has been doing the rounds of Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the £13.5m-rated ace (Transfermarkt).

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Longstaff links below

“That’s it mate. It’s no good having players like Gomes or Davies as backups to the current two as they are both completely different players. Signing players who are similar mould e.g Longstaff makes a lot of sense.”

Credit: @TacticallyEv

“Just the fact he would be on half of them others mentioned in wages makes it worthy. Oh and he can run a bit, that’s two plusses.”

Credit: @spuddy1878

“Yeah works with me As you said if you get rid of Delph and get Longstaff in for next to nothing who will be on less money, it’s a squad upgrade.”

Credit: @Danny_EFC6

“Sean Longstaff’s contract is set to expire in the summer. Everton should get in his ear about offering a contract in January. Get him on a free or take him off Newcastle for less than £5mil. Would be decent cheap depth for Rafa”

Credit: @bobbyhillplays

“you can see why Rafa wants Longstaff”

Credit: @___MC88

“Looked into Allan & Longstaff stats compared this season. Certain area pressures & some passing stats Allan slightly on top. Overall Longstaff is outperforming Allan. Understand why Everton want 23yr old on free transfer who performing at level of first team midfielder”

Credit: @TLong_91

In other news, Everton are leading the race to sign this Champions League winner.

With Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash on the back of a number of impressive results, winning three of their last four league fixtures, the 45-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for yet another promising performance in order to continue Wolves’ climb up the table.

And, despite being 2-0 down against Aston Villa with just ten minutes of the match remaining, three late goals from Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves saw Wolves complete a famous comeback against their rivals, leaving Villa Park with a 3-2 win, all three points and local bragging rights.

However, despite the impressive result, there were nevertheless a number of Wolves players who turned in below bar performances in the clash, none more so than the hero of the club’s Premier League win against Newcastle United last time out, Hee-Chan Hwang.

Lost 90% duels

After somewhat surprisingly being started in a front two alongside Adama Traore, Hwang failed to have any real impact over his 88 minutes on the pitch against Villa.

Indeed, the 25-year-old managed just one shot at the Aston Villa goal, completed no dribbles and made no key passes, as well as touching the ball a total of 40 times – two times fewer than Jose Sa between the Wolves sticks.

The £9.9m-rated man also won just one of his ten attempted duels – a failure rate of 90% – gave away possession of the ball on 12 separate occasions and conceded three fouls, in addition to being dribbled past twice and making one error which led to a shot – with Tim Spiers’ describing this error as Hwang “carelessly” giving the ball away.

As a result of his returns – or lack thereof – the South Korea international received an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.0, the lowest rating given to any Wolves player on the day.

As such, while the winger is clearly a much more talented player than his performance against Villa would suggest, Hwang nevertheless failed Lage in the comeback against Villa.

In other news: “Intent” Wolves dynamo who made just 5 passes proved Lage wrong in derby thriller

A number of Everton fans have urged their club not to pursue a move for Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek. 

The player’s agent said that he held talks with Farhad Moshiri and Marcel Brands over a potential deal with the Toffees late in the transfer window, only for the Red Devils to intervene.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Old Trafford was regarded as ‘bad news’ for the Dutchman, further limiting his starting prospects under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Van de Beek made a six-minute substitute appearance against Newcastle United on Saturday, his first game-time of the new campaign.

Everton and Van de Beek – a good fit?

Two pundits have recently talked up Everton as an ideal destination for the out-of-favour 24-year-old, who started just four Premier League games last term.

Alex McLeish has urged him to make the ‘drop down’ from the title-chasing Manchester United to European hopefuls Everton, while Noel Whelan said that it would be ‘probably’ be the best move for the Dutchman’s career.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues asked supporters whether they would like to see the club revisit their interest in January, and here’s how they responded.

These fans far from keen on Van de Beek

Many Everton supporters are unconvinced by Van de Beek, with some making comparisons with his Dutch compatriot Davy Klaassen, another former Ajax player who failed to make an impact in England after his unsuccessful stint at Goodison Park.

“Why, if James is still here? We’ve done this before, with Klaassen, Rooney and every other available number 10.”

Credit: @_PaulMoorcroft

“What does he really offer us compared with what we have already?”

Credit: @brundellfilimou

“We need to stop taking flops off the teams above us”

Credit: @GrahamDavies4

“Absolutely not”

Credit: @DeborahMitchin1

“No way, Davy Klaassen mk2”

Credit: @wigantoffee

“Another Klaassen methinks”

Credit: @richardwye

In other news, many Everton fans flocked to this footage of a reported transfer target.